salted molasses butter

We don’t eat out very often, and that surprises many people I know. They figure since I’m a food editor and recipe developer, I dine out frequently. I often use Virginia’s terrible two’s as an excuse, but really my mind works overtime, calculating the cost of a restaurant meal compared to what I could make it for at home.

That’s not to say that we don’t go out to eat. It just means when we do, it’s with careful thought and intention. I don’t need a four-star restaurant to be wowed or inspired. I just need reliably good food and service.

It turns out sometimes the most simple items on a plate leave the most lasting impression too. Enough to make you want to run home and recreate it, as I did with this salted molasses butter I had recently when out with friends for a birthday celebration.

It’s essentially a compound butter, and made with just three ingredients—two of which I guarantee you have in the pantry. And if you don’t already keep molasses on hand, then consider yet another reason you need it (this French Onion Soup is the other).

I love compound butters for their ease in preparation and ability to add layers of flavors with little effort. Dara just so happened to post about them on her blog Cookin’ Canuck too, which lit the fire under my butt to share this recipe with you I created for Cuisinart. In all honestly, it’s so easy to make, I told my friend Maggy it seems silly to even call it a recipe.

I’ll send you on your way to my Cuisinart blog to get the details on the ingredients and ratios, but in case you don’t have a food processor, I wanted to assure you this butter can easily be made with a whisk and a bowl too. Just make sure the butter is ultra soft—enough so that you can use your finger to swipe off a chunk. Then add the ingredients to a deep bowl and whisk until well mixed, like below.

And in you really want to channel Martha Stewart, start off by making your own butter. It’s easier than you think, and my friend John even shows you how to do it without electricity.

Get the recipe for the salted molasses butter at my Cuisinart blog.

New at In Jennie’s Kitchen: homemade whole grain mustard.

15-minute homemade granola bars

Finding a way to navigate life in these ever-changing times can be paralyzing. The advent of technology and explosion of 24/7 media means we have more information at our disposal than we can ever really hope to digest.

A simple trip to the supermarket requires the stealth research of a journalist, armed with credible sources.

But what is credible in this day and age, since news—be it in print, online or television is not objective? You know where someone stands immediately whether they watch Fox News or CNN, reads the New York Post or New York Times.

The best advice I can offer is to take a moment and consider the effect our collective purchasing power has on what makes it to supermarket shelves. Perhaps if we truly pondered the big picture—the world beyond our borders, the planet we are leaving to our children, then there would be only one real convenient way of eating.

I find my curiosity piqued as my eyes wander over the ingredients strewn across the conveyor belt just ahead of my own items. Is it fair to cast judgement based solely on one’s grocery purchases? I know deep down the answer is no. Food is a complicated ingredient in all of our lives. The decision of what to buy is often compromised by budget and time available.

I sometimes question if I’m over-thinking my own approach to feeding my family. Then as I peruse labels, I realize cooking from scratch is the only way I can peacefully co-exist with the planet.

This article from NPR’s Public Radio Kitchen is a glimpse of what is inherently wrong with today’s food system. Then I read this piece in the New York Time’s and it reminded me I’m not alone in my struggles with decisions when it comes to politics of the plate. I find myself raising many of the same questions as Yoon does in her article.

As those moments creep into my daily life, I stop myself and take a long, deep breath. Rather than feel overcome with helplessness, I retreat to the kitchen and go on with life the only way I know how.

beef bolognese

Purists may want to take a seat. I’ve done a lot of tampering with this seemingly classic Italian dish.

Some of the changes were from necessity, and others pure whim. I’ve made a pork version of this a few times, the sweetness of the marsala wine being a natural compliment to the flavors of the pork from Flying Pigs Farm. Yes, you read correctly—I used marsala wine in this bolognese sauce, casting aside the requisite red wine.

steel cut oats—two ways

Oatmeal seems simple enough, but it’s a divisive breakfast in our house. I love the nutty, toothsome texture of steel cut oats, as does my youngest daughter. The Mr. and my 7-year-old prefer old fashioned oats. Luckily, steel cut oats are forgiving, provided you don’t overcook them, so I can make a pot on Mondays and heat portions as the week goes on.

homemade vanilla bean yogurt

Homemade yogurt is a pretty hot trend right now—and for good reason. I’d never met a plain yogurt I liked until making my own a few months ago. The tangy, creaminess is a rewarding treat after a patient waiting period.

caramelized onion dip

Parenthood is a perennial reminder of how fast time flies. Blogging and recipe developing are a very close second. While perusing my own archives, I came across this recipe I created for Cuisinart almost a year to the day.

arugula salad + blood orange vinaigrette

It’s just about mid-January, and while I’m not exactly in a root vegetable rutt yet, I couldn’t help think about all the summer salads that are months away for us farmers’ market shoppers here in the northeast. I had no intention of even making a salad, but after spying some blood oranges at the little market I inhabit a few times a week, I soon found myself picking up some organic baby arugula too.

homemade muesli

I must confess, until two weeks ago, I really never knew the difference between muesli and oatmeal. Crazy, yes, but I’m also new to the oatmeal game. When I was a little girl, I’d beg my nana for oatmeal each morning because my older sister loved it. Then I’d find myself staring at a bowl of mush, and suddenly realized I preferred food that required teeth. Something with texture that I could actually enjoy.

marcona almonds

While we’re on the subject of almonds, I thought I’d talk about one of my favorites—a splurge worthy of using some of that rainy day savings. Marcona almonds originated in Spain, and while I hear they are becoming popular in North America, I’m not really sure if that means cultivating or eating. I am of the latter.

how to make almond milk

Years ago—who am I kidding, it was more than a decade, I had my first sip of freshmade almond milk. It was while I was touring the Natural Gourmet Cookery school, now known as the Natural Gourmet Institute. While tuition costs superceded my dreams of attending, that almond milk has haunted me to this day.