Mary Bilyeu : All posts

YOU SHOULD ONLY BE HAPPY ....

food & grocery: Frugal Friday at Jolly Pumpkin Cafe and Brewery - go for the beer, stay for the Truffled French Fries

Mary Bilyeu, Contributor

My son Jeremy had been wanting to try the Truffled French Fries at today's Frugal Floozie Friday feature — the Jolly Pumpkin Cafe & Brewery — since I first told him that I'd found the intriguing dish while searching through a variety of menus one day while making a list of restaurants to visit.  He's not a fan of mushrooms, usually, so I wasn't very sure that he'd enjoy these.

So imagine how thrilled I was when Jeremy announced that "These are pretty delicious. These are the best fries ever!"

They were utterly irresistible — so crisp, so fragrant with rosemary, so subtly and perfectly flavored with truffle and salt — that we'd have each happily devoured our own serving rather sharing.  The fries were perfectly complemented by a rich mayonnaise-based dipping sauce — ketchup would be a sacrilege.

I've already made a note to myself that these fries will be on my Top 10 list for the year.  And they only cost $5, our mandatory per-person budget, despite a truly generous portion!

YOU SHOULD ONLY BE HAPPY ....

recipe: Deviled eggs with Dijon mustard perfect for picnics and many other occasions

Mary Bilyeu | Contributor

Everyone has a favorite recipe; some add chopped ham or salami, some add hot sauce, some add horseradish, some add dill. There is no wrong way to make these simple but delicious treats!  And since I always like to tinker with things, I make the base with mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, and dill, but often add other items according to my whims.

These are one of Jeremy's favorite foods, so I usually make them for holidays.  They were ideal for both Passover and Easter, but can be served at picnics and barbecues and "just 'cause."

YOU SHOULD ONLY BE HAPPY ....

recipe: Chicken baked in spiced mango sauce makes a sweet, succulent and speedy dinner

Mary Bilyeu | Contributor

I received a great marketing gift last week: a case of Ataulfo mangoes, otherwise known as the Champagne variety, from the Whole Foods store down the road from where I work.  In addition to making what I must admit was a really lovely Gingered Mango Soup, my family and friends also ate a significant number of the fruits "as is," since they were perfectly ripe and so delicious.

But I couldn't just devour them all, tempted as I was, so I devised another recipe to showcase the glorious mangoes.

Chicken can be prepared hundreds — thousands! — of ways, but still sometimes we get a bit tired of it. What, I thought, could add a bit of pizazz to this plain ol' bird?

I didn't want to fry it... I didn't want to curry it (often my first choice because I adore curry, so I needed to divert from my routine)... I didn't want to just chop up the chicken and the mango and make a salad. Hmmm...?

I decided to cook the mango with some spice, to infuse a sauce with extra flavor and zest. Then I merely poured it over browned chicken and baked it to caramelize the sauce a bit. This was a fast, fabulous meal that was easily prepared after work, and it was even better than I'd hoped for!  

It sounds so simple, but this dish really is exceptional.  It was fork-tender, and the flavors were vivid.

Sweet, spicy, succulent ... what great adjectives to use in describing dinner!

YOU SHOULD ONLY BE HAPPY ....

food & grocery: Empty Bowls Benefit for SOS Community Services is April 11

Mary Bilyeu | Contributor

Enjoy a good dinner for a great cause!

Join me tomorrow tonight, Wednesday, April 11, at Frenchie's for Concordia University's Empty Bowls Benefit. A minimum donation of $10 — though more is always welcome! — will get you a soup dinner, a hand-crafted ceramic bowl and the satisfaction of knowing that you've helped to provide for the homeless and the hungry in our area.

All proceeds from this fabulous event will be donated to SOS Community Services, which helps nearly 5,000 families each year to find homes, find food, and find stability in the midst of trauma. Here are more specifics about why it is imperative to support SOS:

"In Washtenaw County alone, 8 to 10 families become homeless each week ....  (SOS provides) a safe place for homeless families to regroup and find their footing.  Temporary shelter, assistance securing permanent housing, employability, parent and child support services all work in unison to help people return to self-sufficiency with the enhanced skills to secure their long-term independence."  

This exceptional organization offers emergency services, a walk-in food pantry, support programs for children (who suffer anxiety, malnutrition, developmental delays, and many other tragedies when their families are in crisis), and so much more.

YOU SHOULD ONLY BE HAPPY ....

recipe: Make your own matzah once and you'll never eat the store-bought kind again

Mary Bilyeu, Contributor

Matzah [MAHT-suh], the bread of affliction.

Matzah, the flat bread which serves as a remembrance of the chaotic rush in which the Jews fled to freedom, with no time to let dough rise.

Matzah, which Jews are commanded to eat during the ritual Seder on the first and second nights of Pesach, but which they traditionally eat each day of the holiday… thus leading to eight days of kvetching about GI problems and a longing for something — anything — more interesting to eat than matzah pizza.  Lemme tell ya — even Wonder bread looks good after eight days of matzah!

But you know what? This is because they’re eating the cardboard-like matzah that you find at the grocery store, which could be leftover from last year, but who could tell? The secret to enjoying matzah is to bake your own.

Except that this is more difficult than it sounds.

It’s not just about stirring together some flour and water, rolling out the dough, and baking it — that part’s easy. I even thought it was fun!  But then, I’m a little odd….

There are very specific rules about this process, and I’ll spare you the dissertation about Jewish law. Suffice it to say that to make officially-sanctioned matzah, the flour used must be guarded against contact with water that would cause the grains to ferment and become leavened; some Jews will only eat shmurah matzah, which has been guarded since harvesting. And then, once the grain has been ground, it must be quickly mixed with a bit of water to make a dough, rolled, pricked (to avoid bubbling), and baked within a mere 18 minutes, with a rabbi supervising at all times.

However, I’m not officially Jewish, so the rules don’t count at my house! I made my own matzah, and will never eat the store-bought slabs again. This was absolutely addictive just schmeared with a bit of butter; use it to make my Chocolate Caramel Matzah, and you may need to find a 12-step program.

I can’t claim that this is my own concoction, and frankly, it’s so good and is so notable that I wouldn’t dare to tinker with it. This matzah recipe has survived for 500 years because it is a part of history. It was submitted as evidence against Angelina de Leon during the Spanish Inquisition, at a trial that convicted her of being a Jew.

According to an article in The New York Times about Jewish foods of the 16th century:

“It was a few days before Passover in 1503 in northern Spain. Angelina de Leon was kneading a dough of white flour, eggs and olive oil, flavored with pepper and honey. She formed walnut-size balls, flattening them into round cakes and pricking them with a fork.Maria Sancho, the family maid, was watching. This was exactly the sort of recipe that the Inquisition authorities had told servants to report….  All of which would provide proof that this was a household of secret Jews - (Conversos) who had ostensibly converted to Catholicism under pressure from the Church but who had clung to their Jewish rituals.”

Baking my own matzah is a ritual that I only adopted for the first time this year, but one which I will cling to each Pesach from now on.

Chag Pesach Sameach!  [HAHG PAY-sahk sah-MAY-ahk] = “Happy Passover.”

YOU SHOULD ONLY BE HAPPY ....

food & grocery: Frugal Friday at Cafe Ollie - delicious Michigan-made options abound

Mary Bilyeu | Contributor

Sarah and I each enjoyed a refreshing dish of Guernsey Farms Dairy's McGuire's Irish Mint ice cream, produced not too far from Ann Arbor in Northville, which was perfect on one of those way-too-early-to-be-summer days that found their way to Michigan before it was even officially spring. A single scoop — in either a cone or a lovely sundae glass — costs only $2.75, leaving plenty of room in our mandatory $5 per person budget to buy a local favorite: Faygo soda "made with real sugar in glass bottles."

Cafe Ollie also features daily soups, an assortment of coffees and teas and baked goods made from scratch (like the fabulous sweets pictured above). Sarah and I had originally intended to treat ourselves to cupcakes, but the ice cream was calling more loudly on a hot afternoon.  

We met just after 4 p.m., and were having such a grand time — truly, talking about everything from family to antique heating grates to Jewish law! — that we ended up closing the place just before 8 p.m., with only the gentlest nudge from the very sweet waitress just as she started to clean up. Many places would be loathe to let you loiter for quite that long, but we were welcomed stay right until the end of the day.

The next week, Jeremy and Mitch and I sat in the sun on the deck and enjoyed a late lunch of sandwiches, which are served with Detroit's own Better Made potato chips and Perkins Pickles.  For the exceptional price of $7, Jeremy and Mitch split the Reubenesque, Cafe Ollie's own Reuben sandwich.

Regular readers know that Jeremy will inevitably order a Reuben if he finds one on a menu, and can pontificate at great length about the pros and cons of each one!)

Jeremy gave this sandwich high points for generosity of filling, tenderness of meat, and — most importantly — excellent flavor.

YOU SHOULD ONLY BE HAPPY ....

recipe: Opening Day baked beans the perfect accompaniment to a baseball game hotdog

Mary Bilyeu | Contributor

Baseball comes back today!  The Detroit Tigers' home opener will be at 1:05 p.m. against the Boston Red Sox.  I'm so excited!  Of course, I have to be at work this afternoon... sigh.  But it's the principle of the matter!

Opening Day, for me, is usually when the New York Yankees play their first game of the season; they're not playing the Tampa Bay Rays 'til tomorrow, though.  But I've lived in Michigan for more than 30 years now, after moving from New York ... there can be a bit of wiggle room.

It is simply required to eat a hot dog in honor of this occasion — what's a baseball game without a hot dog, after all?  And I'm offering the perfect accompaniment, since the Tigers are playing the Red Sox from Beantown: Boston-Style Baked Beans, featuring the rich sweetness of molasses.

Now, I know that there are folks who don't share my excitement today, who aren't serving ritual, traditional foods.  Many people think that baseball is boring, because they don't understand it.  I'll spare you my rants about other sports which I simply cannot endure or which I ridicule with great glee, and rather focus on what I consider to be the great joy of baseball.

Sure, I'll grant you that there are lots of foul balls, causing significant delays in the games. Sure, there  are plenty of superstitious players going through repetitive rituals, making it tedious to watch sometimes. Sure, baseball players are prisses who can't play in bad weather. Sure, there are performance-enhancing drugs and other scandals.

But baseball can be watched intently, play by play, or it can be company in the background; it can be whatever you need it to be. There are thrilling moments that people remember — and debate — for decades. People have been so devoted to the sport that their hearts have been broken by teams that have abandoned cities and by players who have abandoned teams.

Most importantly, though, the true beauty of baseball is this: with every single pitch there is the potential for something magical.  It doesn't always happen.  But the chance is there, and the hope is there.  And every so often, you get to witness a spectacular moment.

Today, a Mom or Dad or maybe a Grandpa is taking a child to his or her first baseball game. They're wandering through the stadium, buying peanuts and Cracker Jacks and a souvenir program. They're looking for their section.  They're heading toward the usher.  They're about to climb to their seats.

And in an instant, they walk out from the dark corridor and into the blinding sunshine.  A field of the brightest, most vibrant green lies before them. Players are casually tossing the ball around. Vendors are calling out with offers of pretzels and ice cold beer. The scoreboard is zeroed out, waiting for the first hit, the first ball, the first run.

There are so few moments as special as that one instant when you walk into the ball park and the excitement surrounds you and transports you!  It elicits a gasp, and brings both a smile and a tear.

Today is a day of celebration.  It's Opening Day!  And all things are possible....

YOU SHOULD ONLY BE HAPPY ....

recipe: Gingered mango soup - a sweet and tart soup that's good warm or chilled

Mary Bilyeu | Contributor

I get all sorts of emails each day — some amusing, some informative, some obscene, some insulting, some adding to my "to do" list and many related to food.  Friends compliment recipes and photos; they talk about taste memories, tell me what they plan to make for holiday dinners, or recommend restaurants with great $5 deals for my Frugal Floozie Friday posts.

In the midst of all this cyber-communication that can be good, bad or ugly, I received a really lovely email the other day. It was an invitation: an offer to pick up a case of Ataulfo mangoes, otherwise known as the Champagne variety, at the Whole Foods store just down the road from my office.

I was invited to "celebrate the creamy, buttery, virtuously fiber-free side of mangos ... with the Mexican Ataulfo mango. Say what?  That's aht-ah-uhl-foe. There's a reason that (these) are a favorite, and you don't have to take our word for it.  We'd love to... see just how many different uses you come up" with to prepare dishes featuring them.

Well, who was I to refuse such a generous gift?  I stopped by the store after work to pick up a carton of 16 mangoes.  And, well, while I was there I perused a bit ... wouldn't you?

I found something very intriguing: Siggi's Icelandic-style cream skyr yogurt (pronounced [skeer]). Greek yogurt is all the rage now, but this new variety I'd never tried struck my fancy.  I bought the coconut flavor, thinking it would complement the mangoes well.

According to the package, "Skyr is the name for thick yogurt in Icelandic. Skyr is traditionally made from skim milk so cream-skyr refers to the quite delicious practice of putting a little bit of cream back into the skyr for a richer touch." It was very thick, slightly reminiscent in both texture and taste of sour cream that might have been strained.

And so, with my ingredients lined up and an idea brewing, on a recent cold, rainy evening I put those beautiful, bright, sweet, luscious, tender, ripe mangoes to use.

I made soup.

If you're feeling a bit unconventional, you can serve this as an appetizer.  It's also appropriate for dessert, and you could serve it either warm or chilled, depending upon whether it's 40 or 80 degrees in your town this spring.  (We've had both recently, here in Ann Arbor.)

The color is enticingly gorgeous, and the flavor is sweet with just a hint of tartness. The richness of the yogurt intensifies the flavors when it's swirled in.  And the optional sprinkle of macaroon adds a bit of texture.

This soup brightened the chilly, dreary evening.  How perfect is that? And how perfect would this gorgeous dish be for your Seder or for your Easter dinner?

YOU SHOULD ONLY BE HAPPY ....

recipe: Krispy Kreme chocolate chip cookies a decadent way to get ready for Passover

Mary Bilyeu | Contributor

I'll be going to a cherished friend's house for a Seder on the first night of the eight-day holiday, and bringing Chocolate Caramel Matzah made with my own handmade matzah.  I

'll be going to another priceless friend's house for the second night's Seder, and respecting her Orthodox parents by masquerading as a normal person who doesn't take pictures of everything she eats (since photography is forbidden).

My traditions include eating far too many Manischewitz almond macaroons from a can, one of my favorite guilty pleasures; they're only available this time of year, so I have to get my quota in!  And I don't eat bread, a leavened product that is not permissible during Passover, but that's primarily because I don't eat much bread anyway — that part of the proceedings is easy for me.

But I don't rid my home of all the forbidden foods (pasta, cakes, cookies, flour, lentils, corn, and many more).  I use my regular ol' dishes and cookware, rather than having extra sets just for Passover that haven't been touched by the verboten items and thus are acceptable.  I don't prepare baked goods with matzah cake meal, which tends to make them heavy and dense; I generally just don't bake at all at this time.

Many of my friends, however, are observant and keep kosher; they have been busy cleaning their homes and preparing for the holiday by removing all forbidden items. Using up the chametz [HAH-mets] — leavened products and other items that, according to Jewish law, Jews may not possess during Passover — is a time-honored tradition.  Just as Catholics indulge before Lent by using up butter, sugar, eggs, and other goodies before a time of abstinence in preparation for Easter, Jews must get rid of the chametz.

And so, rather than just offering a recipe for bread pudding or French toast — not that there's anything wrong with them! — I thought I'd suggest a bit of novelty today. I found myself with leftover Krispy Kreme doughnuts after making hedonistic sandwiches while participating in Project PB&J.  So I baked cookies that will help your household to finish off flour, baking soda, and even doughnuts if you have them.  (And if you don't happen to have any on hand, it might be worth buying a few just for this recipe!)

These are rich and decadent in addition to serving a higher purpose in helping to rid the household of soon-to-be-forbidden foods. Who said you can't have fun while obeying the law?

YOU SHOULD ONLY BE HAPPY ....

recipe: Brisket with tomato sauce and olives - a traditional Jewish dish that showcases surprising Mediterranean flavors

Mary Bilyeu | Contributor

I was recently honored and thrilled to be one of the judges at the third annual Brisket Bake-Off hosted by the Sisterhood of Temple Beth Emeth.  It was a fabulous time, filled with excellent food and wonderful friends both old and new.  To read about the adventure, go to my blog — Food Floozie — today for all the details.

One of the entries came from Miriam Shaw, who just happened to sit to my left during the dinner which followed my judging duties.  Her brisket was notable among the 10 offerings because it had featured Mediterranean flavors, rather than traditional onion-based gravy.  (Briskets made with Lipton onion soup mix are famous and beloved from childhood!)

Unfortunately, Miriam's brisket — from a recipe she'd found in Cooking Light — didn't win one of the prizes. People were surprised, as so many were asking about it, seeking it out at the buffet table (which offered guests an opportunity to enjoy the competitors' briskets), and raving about it.

As a judge, I had no answers — I'd enjoyed everything I ate, and told her point-blank that I'd loved her entry as well.

The brisket met four of the five judging criteria — aroma, appearance, texture, and taste — with no question, receiving high marks for each. So my best guess is that, perhaps, Miriam's might not have scored well on the all-important "Jewish Factor," a critical fifth aspect.

Brisket is a classic Ashkenazi dish, served by Jews of Eastern European heritage. This dish, then, with its olives and tomatoes, did not fit that image. However, Sephardic Jews — descended from those who were expelled during the Spanish Inquisition, who migrated to the Middle East and Africa and beyond — would absolutely use these ingredients in their cooking.  Did this particular brisket, then, warrant lesser marks for not being traditionally "Jewish" or higher marks for representing both groups?

This brisket is great on its own, chopped and served over pasta with a generous helping of sauce, or used as a filling for a sandwich... it's an easy, flavorful dish with excellent flavor!

YOU SHOULD ONLY BE HAPPY ....

food & grocery: Frugal Friday at Ayse's Cafe - enjoy a treat for the senses without breaking the bank

Mary Bilyeu | Contributor

Ayse [EYE-shuh], the owner and cook, is Turkish, and she makes luscious food that is distinctly different than anything you've eaten before. Yes, there is familiarity if you've eaten Middle Eastern or Greek food; but the spice blends and ingredients are unique to Turkey.  

The cuisine has been greatly influenced by the country's situation between both Europe and Asia, surrounded by such diverse neighbors as Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece, Georgia, Iran, Iraq, and Syria; it is also bordered by the Aegean, Black and Mediterranean Seas.

YOU SHOULD ONLY BE HAPPY ....

recipe: Elvis's dietary preferences inspire peanut butter and banana tart

Mary Bilyeu, Contributor

Elvis Presley was noted for many things, among them his beautiful baritone, his white jumpsuits, his gyrations and his beloved grilled peanut butter and banana sandwiches.

Since I obsess about food, let's focus on those sandwiches, shall we?

This is my final entry into Project PB&J — a contest for food bloggers which is being hosted by my friend Cindy of Once Upon a Loaf and her friend Christina of She Runs, She Eats.  The competition is in honor of National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day, as well as Cindy's birthday, on April 2; and the rules required preparing a sandwich and/or a baked good with a nut butter and a jelly/jam or fruit.

So, as I thought of all the variations on the theme of peanut butter paired with fruit, how could I not think of Elvis' favorite treat?  And yet, that particular pb&j has already been done, hasn't it? Hmmm ....

But it could be transformed into a different entity, couldn't it, taking the essential components and whirling them in my brain until I devised a different concoction with those flavors...?

And so, I settled upon a dessert... a dessert with a peanut butter-flavored crust... a dessert with a peanut butter-flavored filling... a dessert with a peanut butter-flavored topping... and a dessert with bananas happily mixed in.

Thus, I present to you... the Hunka Hunka Burnin' Love Tart!

YOU SHOULD ONLY BE HAPPY ....

recipe: Peanutty macaroons: a chewy treat with a fruit center

Mary Bilyeu | Contributor

Most people think that macaroons are chewy spherical cookies made with coconut.  But this is only one variation on the theme.  Macaroons are actually more generic — they're cookies made with beaten egg whites and sugar, with either ground nuts or coconut stirred in before baking; they don't usually contain flour.

And don't even start the "macaroon" vs. "macaron" debate, as the latter are an entirely different confection of great delicacy!  Macaroons are simple cookies, but much loved.

Today, I'm offering macaroons... but they're not quite like any you've eaten before, I'm sure.  Because I made these as an entry for Project PB&J — a contest for food bloggers which is being hosted by my friend Cindy of Once Upon a Loaf and her friend Christina of She Runs, She Eats.  The competition is in honor of National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day, and required preparing a sandwich and/or a baked good with a nut butter and a jelly/jam or fruit.

So, because I made these for Project PB&J, they include peanuts rather than either almonds or coconut; and they also have a little dollop of fruit — the charoset I offered in yesterday's post.  I met the basic requirements, and then found that the end result more than transcends its simple ingredients: these cookies are so, so good!

They're chewy, and there is an intense peanut flavor since ground peanuts provide the bulk of the cookies' substance; the sweetness of the date-fig fruit mixture complements the nuts perfectly.  And I have to admit that I eat them by nibbling along the perimeter, before finishing off the last center bite with an enormous proportion of fruit-to-cookie.

These macaroons may seem simple and plain, but they are such a fabulously addictive treat!

YOU SHOULD ONLY BE HAPPY ....

recipe: Charoset for Passover - delicious fruit mixture can be incorporated into a variety of dishes

Mary Bilyeu, Contributor

1. You'll have the recipe for next Friday evening, when Passover begins at sundown, without thinking "Gee, if only she'd provided that a few days earlier, I could have bought the ingredients and had it ready!"

2. You'll have this at your disposal when you see tomorrow's cookie recipe, which uses the charoset as a thumbprint filling.  The cookies are an entry into Project PB&J, a food bloggers' competition, so it was necessary to post them - and thus the charoset - this week.

This is a variation on a recipe which was a co-winner at the Charoset Throwdown held at a local synagogue in 2008; I've simplified it here.  It had originally called for several more ingredients and extra steps that can be saved without losing quality of taste or consistency.

European-style (Ashkenazi) charoset tends to feature apples and wine, while Middle Eastern (Sephardi) varieties often employ dates and figs.  And just as each family has its own special recipes for other holidays, every family serves a different type of charoset for Passover; some have one favorite, others serve an assortment, and still others try a new one each year.

At the Throwdown, I was thrilled to have someone tell me that my charoset "tastes just like candy."  And another woman suggested that it would make a lovely filling for hamantaschen at Purim, which it most certainly would if I ever remembered to use it as such instead of only thinking of this as a Passover dish!

Whether you schmear this onto matzah, use it as a filling, or just eat it with a spoon, I hope you enjoy it ... and tomorrow's cookies featuring this delicious fruit mixture, too.

YOU SHOULD ONLY BE HAPPY ....

recipe: Krispy Kreme peanut butter and jelly sandwich is pure decadence

Mary Bilyeu, Contributor

This sandwich is nothing but giddy, gleeful, obscene decadence!

I created this seductive little tidbit for Project PB&J — a contest for food bloggers that is being hosted by my friend Cindy (a former Ann Arborite, I must point out) of Once Upon a Loaf and her friend Christina of She Runs, She Eats.  The competition is in honor of National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day, as well as Cindy's birthday, on April 2.  What great excuses for a party, celebrating with everybody's favorite flavor combination!

The rules required preparing a sandwich and/or a baked good with a nut butter and a jelly/jam or fruit... the critical ingredients in a PB&J, but with some room for variations on the theme.  I tried to think globally, since peanuts are an integral part of African cooking.  I tried to think of ways to modify classic desserts, such as the Austrian Sachertorte made with dense chocolate cake and apricot jam.

And then I came back to the sandwich's inherent identity; it just made sense to not riff into territory that was too terribly unfamiliar.  A PB&J is classic after all; at what point, I debated philosophically, does it cease being a PB&J if one tinkers too much ...?

And so, I kept to the basics.  I used peanut butter.  I used jelly.  I tossed a bit of Nutella into the mix because, frankly, one can rarely go wrong with Nutella; its chocolate and hazelnut flavors are both nice complements to the other two ingredients.

And then, the hedonism really kicked in.  What kind of bread to use?  Well, why use bread at all?  Jeremy loves Luther Burgers, named in honor of the late Luther Vandross, which use Krispy Kreme doughnuts as buns.  So, why not use a doughnut as bread?

And then — simply because it's been all the rage, and its saltiness and crispness would add flavor and texture to my concoction — I tossed in a little bit of bacon.  I'm smirking as I contemplate this notion, even though I know I should hang my head in shame.

This sandwich is ridiculously easy to make, which only enhances its beauty.  Cook up some bacon.  Schmear doughnut halves with yummy things.  Put it all together.  Grab some napkins.  Enjoy!

YOU SHOULD ONLY BE HAPPY ....

food & grocery: For a Frugal Friday at Aubree's in Depot Town, try the calzones big enough to feed two or more

Mary Bilyeu | Contributor

Stuart was feeling particularly agreeable that afternoon, so he offered to just split whatever I ordered. And I was in the mood for something substantial.  I considered a variety of items, and heeded Jeremy's warning not to order salad (he grows weary of watching me do that, but I love salads!).  And so I settled upon a calzone, which would come in at under $5 per person — our mandatory Frugal Floozie Friday budget — when split with Stuart.

The calzone was huge and could have fed four with no trouble. The portions were significant. This was, after all, a 12-inch pizza folded over and filled with sauce, a blend of five cheeses, and two toppings of our choice — spinach and mushrooms.  Even a hearty eater could be satisfied with one slice.

We also ordered dessert ... well, why not?  Each offering costs $4.99, so it's either a great Frugal Floozie Friday treat for one or an even greater value if shared.

YOU SHOULD ONLY BE HAPPY ....

recipe: Chickpeas with soy chorizo is full of Morrocan flavor and fragrance

Mary Bilyeu | Contributor

Last week, I wrote a blog post that mentioned my dream of someday travelling to Morocco.

It's been ages since I cooked anything from that region... and why?  I adore Moroccan food, with its vivid spices and flavors. I've been so busy with holiday cooking, writing about cookbooks, judging events, and other missions; and, of course, I have to accommodate other eaters in my life, who aren't necessarily terribly adventurous.  So much food to cook and eat, so little time!

This recipe is traditionally Moroccan in that it is stew-like and reminiscent of a tagine — a beautiful conical dish that simmers foods, as well as the dishes that are cooked in the utensil (the name can be used for both); this is indicative of influence from the Berbers of North Africa. It is also Moroccan in that it has been strongly influenced by Spain, which is evident in the use of both chorizo and paprika. Spain and Morocco are only eight miles apart, across the Strait of Gibraltar.

To make this a vegetarian dish, I used a lovely soy chorizo that is available at Trader Joe's; it isn't a firm sausage, but rather a crumbly one.  It offers good flavor and color, and is great in many recipes (such as the Sloppy Joes that I'm told are a friend's family favorite). You could easily use traditional meat chorizo, which is sliced rather than ground; of course, while that ingredient would be indicative of Spanish influence, it would also be an affront to Morocco's Muslims with its forbidden pork. So many cultures, so much history, such a melange!

But whether you're serving carnivores or vegetarians, this simple, fragrant, fabulous dish is one you should absolutely try.

YOU SHOULD ONLY BE HAPPY ....

recipe: Baked salmon with anchovies au gratin is full of intense flavor

Mary Bilyeu, Contributor

You may remember that my friend Sassa, who is from Sweden, took me on a grand food tour of IKEA recently, which was wonderful fun! I bought some lovely anchovies, prepared to come home and cook with them. But then I had trouble with my oven, which was ultimately replaced. So now I can actually prepare more than just sandwiches to pay tribute to Swedish cuisine!

This baked salmon dish is ridiculously easy to make, and yet unbelievably flavorful.  It was inspired by a dish in IKEA's Real Swedish Food Book — a collection of traditional recipes and beautiful photographs that Sassa very sweetly lent to me. The original recipe called for spreading anchovy butter over gravlax (cured salmon); but since I had a beautiful fresh salmon filet at my disposal, it only made sense to use that instead.

In this recipe, a few simple ingredients — gorgeous salmon, intensely flavored anchovies, vibrant red wine, strong mustard, rich butter, crunchy breadcrumbs — transform themselves beyond their basic essences into a vividly delicious dish. The anchovies do not overwhelm everything else. Instead, they offer a depth of flavor, just as they do in a Caesar salad dressing or in my Pasta con Aglio e Olio (in which the small fish simply melt into the garlic-infused oil that pasta is tossed in).

The preparation of this dish is typically Swedish, allowing the essential elements to shine without being masked by heavy sauces or multitudes of toppings.  This simple entree isn't supermodel photogenic, what with its schmear of purple sauce and its beige bread crumb topping.  But it offers enough flavor that you'll still be utterly smitten by it anyway.

YOU SHOULD ONLY BE HAPPY ....

recipe: Make roasted asparagus with Dijon vinaigrette to celebrate the first day of spring

Mary Bilyeu | Contributor

I'm not dictatorial about it, but I do prefer to eat seasonally. Strawberries are a summer food, for example — whether bought at a roadside stand or, ideally, picked at a farm — and lesser flavorless specimens should simply not be schlepped thousands of miles from warmer climates so that people can consume them in Michigan in the middle of winter. I have spoken!

And asparagus is one of those foods that, to me, is simply integral to a particular season: spring. So, since Spring officially begins today, this simple but delicious dish seemed the perfect offering.

Many people aren't aware of this, but you can politely pick up asparagus with your fingers to eat it. That would be a bit messy here, though; it would also prohibit sharing a bit of the vegetable with a taste of the egg that complements it so well. So resort to your fork this time, but don't forget that asparagus is really finger food!

This vegetable dish would be lovely at either your Passover Seder or your Easter dinner — both holidays are fast approaching. Roasting the asparagus intensifies its flavor, so it's delicious to serve to guests; and the egg, of course, is symbolic for both holidays.

But you should really just enjoy this simply because winter is officially over!

YOU SHOULD ONLY BE HAPPY ....

recipe: Lentil salad with red pepper hummus dressing offers gorgeous flavors and lots of nutrition

Mary Bilyeu | Contributor

I was poking through my pantry recently, and I found I have a lot of lentils... three bags of lentils —brown, yellow and red.  And it seemed to me that if I have this many lentils at my disposal, perhaps I should actually make something with them!

And so, on one of our recent warm, sunny, spring-like days, I made a light and nutritious salad rather than a warm and hearty soup, which might have been the option had I cleaned out the pantry only a few days earlier when the high was 40 rather than 70 degrees.

This salad offers gorgeous colors, vibrant flavors and tremendous health benefits. Serve it on its own for a light meal, or as an accompaniment to meats or fish.

How great is it when one simple recipe provides so much?