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A Piece of Cake
February 2008: First Slice
Newsletter written by Anne Byrn February 05, 2008
A Word from Anne
Every two years, right after my book has been published, I go on tour. It’s a chance to step out of my comfort zone and head to new cities, appear on morning TV, talk on local radio, share lunch with the newspaper food editor and often teach cooking classes at night. It is something I await and bemoan.
Oh, I love traveling, even with the long lines and the crowded airplanes because traveling reminds me that my world – the life at home in Nashville – is just a tiny dot on the map. In Phoenix, I appreciated the warmer weather even though the locals were bundled up in coats and hats for an unexpected cold snap in the 50s. From my room on the 20th floor of the downtown hotel I could see for what seemed like miles in the wide-open Southwestern landscape. I could get used to this big horizon, and I could get used to the spicy, aromatic food of this fair city. Denver, too, has that large sense of wonder to it.
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Anne on television in Louisville, K.Y. |
We usually pick a couple of recipes to show on TV, ones that will appeal to everyone no matter the city. And so I shared the Greek Pasta Salad recipe in Denver, and in Phoenix, and again in Tampa the following week. It’s a terrific salad for toting to dinners and lunches and potlucks and into television stations all year long. Make it with medium shell pasta, fusilli, penne, you name it, then fold in the chopped cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, feta, olives, mint, and the olive oil and lemon juice dressing. Everyone who tasted this salad along the way, no matter the city or the station, loved it. I know you will too.
Happy Cooking!
Anne
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Word from Workman
Despite her extensive traveling in 2007, Anne is still on the road in 2008! She's visiting towns and cities with toteable goods in tow, and she might be coming to a place near you. Check her tour schedule to find out. If you're not able to make it to an event, don't worry. Get on the virtual tour bus with Anne by making the Greek Pasta Salad recipe below and looking at more pictures from her tour on her blog.
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Recipe Swap
I love this pasta salad; it’s so straightforward in flavor, easy to prepare, and pretty to look at. And, it’s interesting enough on the buffet table that it doesn’t get overlooked. Use whatever short pasta you’ve got in the pantry—shells, penne, or spirals. What makes the salad Greek is the seasonings—garlic, oregano, and mint—as well as the add-ins of kalamata olives, cucumbers, feta cheese, and tomatoes. Serve the salad from a nice ceramic bowl, and garnish it with pickled banana or cherry peppers or whole steamed and peeled shrimp. Or, just let the salad speak for itself.
Greek Pasta Salad
Serves 8
Prep: 40 to 45 minutes
1 pound medium-size shell or other short pasta (4 cups)
Salt
2/3 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (1 lemon)
2 small cloves garlic, crushed in a garlic press
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Freshly ground black pepper
2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes, cut in half
1 1/2 cups chopped cucumber (2 medium-size or 1 large cucumber)
1 cup chopped red onion (1 medium-size onion)
1 cup (4 ounces) crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup chopped pitted kalamata olives
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint or parsley
Pickled banana or cherry peppers or steamed shrimp (optional), for garnish
1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Stir in the pasta and 1 teaspoon of salt, reduce the heat to medium-high, and cook the pasta, uncovered, according to the package directions until just done, 8 to 9 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, place the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and oregano in a large mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Season with salt and black pepper to taste. Set the salad dressing aside.
3. Drain the pasta well in a colander, shaking it to remove the excess water. Transfer the pasta to the large mixing bowl with the dressing. Stir to coat and let the pasta come to room temperature, about 20 minutes.
4. When the pasta is cool, fold in the tomatoes, cucumbers, onion, feta cheese, olives, and mint or parsley. Stir to combine well. Taste for seasoning, adding more salt and/or black pepper if needed. Transfer the salad to a serving bowl and serve at once garnished with the banana peppers or shrimp, if desired, or cover and refrigerate the salad until serving time.
Big Batch: This salad is easy to double or triple, but cook the pasta a pound at a time, and mix the salad one batch at a time.
Tote Notes: Tote this salad right in its serving bowl and bring the optional garnish of peppers or shrimp in a separate container, if you like. Cover the serving bowl with plastic wrap that sticks securely to the rim of the bowl to make traveling less messy. If possible, let the salad come to room temperature before serving. Then stir the salad again and top it with the garnish, if using.
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Bits & Bytes
Potluck With A Plan
 It’s an amazing feat to plan a potluck for 50, but Peggy Stanifer and her staff did just that recently in London, KY, at the Laurel County Public Library. Local cooks either brought one of their favorite recipes or made recipes from my new book.
The amazing part was that Peggy didn’t assign dishes and she just hoped people would all make something different so that the menu wouldn’t have a lot of duplication. Well, I was truly amazed that two people made the pineapple casserole and that was the only duplication. Even then, when two people make the same recipe it seldom comes out the same!
As one of the last people to go through the line, I thought to myself I am going to see what dishes are empty as this will tell you the most popular recipes to bring to a potluck. There were four clean-plate recipe winners — Perfect Deviled Eggs, Bebe’s Green Beans, Broccoli Corn Bread, and the two pans of Pineapple Casserole with a Cheddar Crust, all from What Can I Bring?.
Testing For The New Book
We’re busy at home testing recipes for a revision of The Cake Mix Doctor, due in stores in the fall of 2009. It has been fun to revisit some old favorite recipes and to try some lighter variations. If you’re looking to trim calories this month, try Susan’s Lemon Cake using unsweetened applesauce instead of oil. Or, substitute vanilla low-fat yogurt for the sour cream in the Darn Good Chocolate Cake. Don’t worry – it’s still darn good!
Valentine Cakes
 What cakes would I like my Valentine sweetie to bake for me? The Chocolate Cherry Chip Cupcakes, Darn Good Chocolate Cake, Perfect Chocolate Cake (all from the Chocolate Cake Mix Doctor), or the Warm Chocolate Cupcakes with Molten Centers (from the Cupcakes! book), or the German Chocolate Cake (from What Can I Bring?) Did I mention I love chocolate?
Update On The Cake Mix
Many of you have asked the status of the cake mix I am developing. Well, the vanilla and chocolate mixes are nearly complete, but the packaging is still in the works.
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Do Share
When in Winnetka, a charming town north of Chicago, recently Patty Kent came to my book signing and asked me if I had ever heard of a spaghetti sauce that contained some canned soups. Now, brace yourself here. The recipe she described contained not only canned chicken and rice soup, but cream of tomato soup, and cream of mushroom soup, and was seasoned with chili powder. It was an odd-sounding recipe that turned into a family favorite. Her mother-in-law was famous for it, her husband adores it, and Patty is searching for the quirky recipe and its history. Please send the recipe to anne@cakemixdoctor.com
Debbie Williamson of Lexington, NC, is looking for a Pink Lemonade Cake recipe. "It is made by a bakery in our area and is delicious. Can you help?" Debbie says the cake can be made in layers or as a sheet cake. Please send your ideas to anne@cakemixdoctor.com
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Next Issue: April
Spring cakes, entertaining ideas, more news from the road.
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