Supersize S'Mores

I've seen Supersize Me, and of course I disapprove of the large-size packaging of junk food as much as any other Sag Harbor Elementary School parent. And yet...I wandered into King Kullen yesterday after completing an errand at the Bridgehampton Commons and was captivated by this bag of "Giant Roasters." I brought it home, thinking I would make s'mores to celebrate the return of the children in a few weeks. Or I might make giant s'mores this weekend for my dinner guests. And since, as an empty nester, I have so much time on my hands, I might make some homemade graham crackers. In case you have time on your hands, too, here is the recipe:

Homemade Graham Crackers
Makes about 16 cookies (enough for 8 giant s'mores)


1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch salt
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1. Whisk together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.
2. Cream together the butter and brown sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until smooth, about 3 minutes. Add the honey, vanilla, and milk and beat until smooth. Add the flour mixture and beat until the dough comes together. Divide into two 4-inch squares, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 2 days.
3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Combine the granulated sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.
4. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out one portion of the chilled dough into a 1/8-inch-thick square. Use a ruler to cut the dough into 3-inch squares. Repeat with the remaining portion of dough. Reroll the scraps to make more squares.
5. Transfer the squares to the baking sheets. Use a the dull edge of a knife to make an indentation down the center of each cookie and prick the top of each cookie with a fork (this will make the cookies look like "real" graham crackers). Bake until lightly colored, about 10 minutes. Slide the cookies, still on the parchment, onto wire racks to cool completely.

Last Night's Dinner: Quinoa with Corn

Would you be annoyed by someone who urged you to make a quinoa pilaf containing pancetta from Bridgehampton, corn from Riverhead, and home-grown herbs? Oh, and I forgot to mention the sprinkling of Sherry vinegar from Cavaniola's. That's why I threw in some cherry tomatoes from Florida (via the IGA, where I also bought my Bob's Red Mill quinoa). Keeping it real, here is the recipe:

Quinoa Pilaf with Corn
Serves 2

Quinoa is a complete protein, so I was happy to have this wholesome and wonderfully textured pilaf as a main course. But it would also make a good side dish for some simply grilled chicken or fish. In that case, it would serve four.

3 ounces pancetta, chopped
1 shallot, finely chopped
2 ears fresh corn, removed from cobs
Salt
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup quinoa, rinsed
1 teaspoon hot paprika (or you could substitute sweet or smoked, your choice)
14 tablespoons (a scant cup) low-sodium canned chicken broth
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint
1 teaspoon Sherry vinegar

1. Cook the pancetta in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just crisp. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Discard all but 1 tablespoon of the fat from the pan.
2. Add the shallot, corn, and 1/2 teaspoons salt to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and cook another 2 minutes. Stir in the quinoia and paprika and cook, stirring, another minute.
3. Add the broth to the pan and bring to a boil. Cover, turn the heat to low, and cook until the quinoa is tender, about 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and let stand, covered, another 10 minutes.
4. Transfer the quinoa to a bowl, stir in the pancetta, mint, and vinegar, season with salt and pepper, and serve.

A Grown-Up Sunday Afternoon in Greenport

After we put one child on a bus to Maine and another on a plane to Colorado, I was ready to see a movie that wasn't Shrek or Toy Story. I was ready to see a documentary about Joan Rivers. The film wasn't playing on the South Fork, so my husband and I crossed Shelter Island to see it in Greenport. Arriving early for a matinee, we had time to stroll the waterfront before the start of the show. Immediately I was struck by the sight of virtually every pedestrian carrying a bright yellow a shopping bag from Scoop. When had Scoop opened an outpost on the North Fork? What were they putting in the water here, causing every Greenporter in sight to purchase a Bohemian-style beach cover-up or a $150 pair of jeans shorts on the same day? It wasn't the water after all, I soon realized when I spotted a table piled high with the bags. Everyone who was attending the Long Island Food and Wine Festival, taking place in two tents near the carousel, was picking up a wine glass for tasting and a bag to carry bottles home. This made much more sense than the drinking-water-creating-a-shopping-frenzy hypothesis. After 90 minutes of the hilarious but draining Joan Rivers, we needed a drink, so we returned to the registration table. Sadly for us but happily for the organizers, the festival had sold out. Not to be thwarted in our desire to support the Long Island wine industry, we headed Vine Wine Bar and ordered tastes of every Long Island white on the menu.

Whaling Museum Gift Shop Feeling Pressure?

First the Sag Harbor Express hinted that the Whaling Museum might upgrade its gift shop offerings with wooden salad servers similar to the ones sold at the Museum of Modern Art, and a few days ago my friend Gail sent me this link to another product--a ceramic pitcher--that I would buy in at our local museum if it were in stock, especially since it is featured in a catalog written entirely in Japanese, making it impossible for me to order one directly.

Cupcake Surprise

My older daughter made some cupcakes yesterday to kill time while waiting for camp to start on Sunday. To kill more time, she is eating one every hour or so. She keeps complaining that the supermarket cupcake liners (sorry, IGA!) are difficult to peel away. She is sure to be hungry for cupcakes when she returns at the end of July, so I ordered these nonstick waxed paper gingham liners from The Baker's Catalog to surprise her.

IGA Item of the Week

The IGA has a nice shelf towards the end of the baking aisle where they stock a variety of Rice Select grains: Arborio Rice, Orzo, Jasmine Rice, Sushi Rice, It is so convenient to keep these large-ish containers in the pantry, to use in combination with the vegetables I'm bringing home from Quail Hill. Would you believe that we already have zucchini, at the end of June? Last night I sauteed some of the yellow and green zucchini in butter and combined it with couscous, finishing off the dish with chopped basil. Sometimes the simplest preparations are the best. The way the zucchini browned and caramelized while it absorbed the butter in the pan was absolutely delicious. The couscous was perfect alongside some grilled IGA-made chicken sausage. Here is the recipe:

Couscous with Zucchini
Serves 4 to 6 as a side dish

2 tablespoons butter
2 shallots, finely chopped
3 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and then cut into 1/4-inch half-moons
Salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup couscous
1 3/4 cups water
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil
Ground black pepper

1. Heat the butter over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Add the shallot and cook until softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the zucchini, sprinkle with some salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, , 8 to 10 minutes. Scrape the vegetables into a bowl.
2. Add the olive oil and couscous to the pan and cook, stirring, to coat, about 1 minute. Pour in the water, stir, and bring to a boil. Cover, turn the heat off, and let stand 5 minutes.
3. Uncover the pan and stir in the vegetables and basil. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

EcoWalk Fundraiser a Huge Success

Not only did Thursday's fundraiser collect $14,000 for the Elementary School's proposed EcoWalk, but it gave me the chance to bid on and win this Pavoni burr grinder plus a pound of coffee beans a month for the next year from Java Nation!