Early November was a landmark week for America and with the largest American holiday fast approaching, I felt unusually patriotic and nostalgic for some classic American meals. I didn’t feel adventurous to explore anything exotic, I wanted comfort and guaranteed results. These are dishes I’ll be serving my friends and family while creating great memories around the table.

My husband and I hosted some friends on election night to watch the elections results. We celebrated with a tri-color pasta, cheese and tomato bake, which feeds 6 easily and donkey cookies supplied by my favorite person and baker, Adrienne [Pip]. There was much chatting and commentary, and champagne drinking. At 11pm it became a remarkable night shared with great friends and great food. Something that is so important to our family, and my family growing up was the dinner table and especially now, I appreciate that time so much. When my husband and I visit my parents in Atlanta, the best time is still around the table with wine and lots of lively conversation. We don’t have a large family, so I think dinner at the table feels even more important. I was reading an article on the New York Times website which said, “The importance of the family meal has been shown mainly in studies from the University of Minnesota, Harvard and Rutgers that have looked at family eating habits of nearly 40,000 middle-school students and teenagers. The research has shown that those who regularly have meals with their parents eat more fruits, vegetables and calcium-rich foods, ingest more vitamins and nutrients, and consume less junk food. Some of the research has shown that kids who regularly sit down to a family meal are at lower risk for behaviors like smoking and drug and alcohol use.” Neither my husband nor I had trouble with substance abuse, though we did have two very different ideas about how to eat when we got married. He had to choose most of his meals growing up because of parents working late, and how well do you think a 16-year old growing boy is going to choose the right food? Needless to say, there were lots of TV dinners, and fast food stops. While my family was certainly not above quick easy dinner stops we did have as many sit down-TV-off, dinners as possible. I think this drastically changed and shaped my view of why we eat together. It still influences how I cook today – I always prefer to serve as many people as possible around a table. My husband and I still eat dinner while watching Dancing With the Stars, uh, I mean while watching the History Channel…. But nothing satisfies me more than connecting with our favorite people around a great meal. I found this quote on Grist.org and it really sums up our philosophy, “cooking is a vital, spiritual act that should be performed with a certain reverence. After all, we are providing sustenance to the ones we love — can anything be more important?”

Below, you’ll find the recipes we made this week to celebrate our country, our friends, and the awesome changes taking place.

Tyler Florence’s Ultimate Sloppy Joe’s and Butternut Squash Chips

Crispy Hot Wings with Butternut Squash Slaw

Four-Cheese Baked Bow Ties

GRANDMA BOLDI’S sugar cookies:

2 sticks butter
3 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla *see note from Adrienne
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1. Preheat oven to 375F

2. Mix flour, baking soda, salt, nutmeg. In separate bowl, cream butter and sugar, until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and eggs.

3. Combine flour mixture with butter mixture in three stages with electric mixer

4. Roll out and cut into donkeys (or other preferred shape). Bake at 375 for 5-8 minutes

Note from Adrienne:

I use vanilla sugar instead of vanilla, almost exclusively in baking.  One packet works for, I think, 1-3 teaspoons of vanilla.  It is said to give richer flavor than extract because there is no alcohol to burn off during baking….. could be true… who knows.  Either way, its good to feel like you have a secret ingredient when you bake.

We had a full house last night for dinner and results watching. My favorite person, Adrienne made some awesome donkey cookies to celebrate. There was much champagne and cheesy pasta - plenty for 6 people. This is an easy dish for a night like this - comfy celebratory food you can eat while watching the tube for electoral results. My mom has made this recipe for years and everytime it tastes better and better. The blue cheese is great - even if you’re not a fan, don’t leave it out - it’s not super strong but balances the saltiness nicely. Here’s how to make it:

Serves 6

1/2 stick unsalted butter

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups milk (try to use whole, but skim works also)

28 oz can of whole Italian tomatoes, drained, reserving 1 1/4 cup juice, chopped fine

1 lb bow-tie pasta

1 1/2 cups coarsely grated mozzarella cheese (about 6oz)

1/2 cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese (about 2 oz)

1/2 cup diced Italian Fontina cheese (about 2 oz)
1 1/3 cup freshly grated Romano cheese (about 4 oz)

1/2 cup finely chopped fresh parsley leaves

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Butter a 3-4 quart gratin dish or a 13×9 baking dish

2. In a heavy saucepan melt butter over low heat. Add flour and cook roux, whisking, 3 minutes. Add milk and reserved tomato juice in a stream, whisking, and bring to a boil, whisking. Stir in tomatoes and salt and pepper to taste and simmer until thickened, about 3 minutes.

3. In a large pot bring salted water to a boil and cook pasta according to package directions, until just al dente.

4. In a bowl stir together pasta, sauce, mozzarella, Gorgonzola, Fontina, 1 cup Romano, and parsley and transfer to prepared dish. Sprinkle pasta with remaining 1/3 cup Romano. Bake bow ties in middle of oven 30-35 minutes, or until golden and bubbling, let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Winning Donkey Cookies

I’m not going so Martha as to do a whole week of patriotic dishes, but I am trying to make things easy and comforting during this busy week. I am making a special election night dish, which will hopefully soak up the champagne as the election results roll in and we celebrate with our friends. I also went back to my Farm to Table cookbook and found some great seasonal dishes to match what’s at the farmer’s market. I also saw an episode of Tyler’s Ultimate this weekend, and the whole half hour I was glued to the TV, salivating, so his Sloppy Joe’s are on the menu this week. Here’s how the week looks:

Monday - Twice Baked Irish Potatoes with Stout Onions and Kale

Tuesday - Four Cheese and Tomato Bake

Wednesday - Zuppa di Faro - a hearty fall soup

Thursday - Tyler Florence’s Sloppy Joe’s with Butternut Squash Chips

Friday - Hot Wings with Butternut Squash Slaw