Recipe by Libbie Summers from The Whole Hog Cookbook (Rizzoli)
Linen Napkins:Shiitake Linen Napkin Set available at Libbie Summers label
Linen Apron Dress: Atelier Apron Dress in black linen available at Libbie Summers label

Creamy, organic, salty and just a little sweet. It’s everything you will ever want in a side dish. Substitute this bread pudding for your usual holiday stuffing recipe and you’ll probably never make the other again.
Pro Tip: Up the bacon if you are feeling so inspired. Omit it to keep it vegetarian…but why?

Savory Mushroom and Bacon Bread Pudding
serves 6

What you need:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 pound thick-cut bacon, chopped
1/2 cup white wine (can substitute chicken stock)
1 1/2 pounds fresh mushrooms, roughly chopped (I use a mixture)
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 shallots, finely diced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon rubbed dried sage
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
5 large eggs
3 cups half-and-half
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
8 cups day-old challah bread, crusts on, torn into cubes
Warm Sage Butter (recipe to follow)

What to do:
1. Preheat the oven to 350º F. Grease an 8-inch square baking dish with the butter and set aside.

2. Cook Bacon: In a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, cook the bacon until it is crisp. Remove the bacon to a bowl and set aside.

3. Cook Mushroom Mixture: To the same skillet over medium-high heat, add the wine or stock to deglaze the pan, scraping up all the brown bits as you stir. Stir in the mushrooms, garlic, shallots, basil, parsley, sage, and thyme. Sauté for 15 minutes, or until the mushrooms are tender and browned. Remove from the heat and stir in the bacon. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

4. Finish Bread Pudding Mixture: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, half-and-half, 3/4 cup of the cheese, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Add the bread cubes and toss to coat. Let the mixture stand for 15 minutes.  Stir in the mushroom mixture and transfer the pudding to the prepared baking dish.

5. Bake Bread Pudding: Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup cheese over the top and bake for 40 to 60 minutes, until the pudding is browned and the center has puffed up.

To Serve: Serve warm drizzled with Warm Sage Butter.

Warm Sage Butter
Yields 3/4 cup

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
6 fresh sage leaves, chopped

Melt the butter over low heat in a small saucepan. Add the sage and simmer for 3 minutes.

Let your food inspire your table decor.

Shiitake Linen Napkin Set available at Libbie Summers label. 

And always feel beautiful while you create beautiful and delicious things…always

Atelier Apron Dress in black linen available at Libbie Summers label.

By Libbie Summers for Better Homes and Gardens
Photography by Andy Lyons

With the holiday season approaching, here are some homemade gift ideas to create from your kitchen quarantine. 

In a large mixing bowl combine both flours, salt, and baking powder. Stir in seed mixture. Add oil and stir until combined. Add water and stir until a loose dough forms. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead about 5 times until smooth. Divide into 8 portions; cover with a towel and let rest 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 450°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside. Working with 1 piece of dough at a time, roll dough into a very thin rectangle, about 11×5-inches. Transfer to a prepared baking sheet. Bake each for 4 minutes; turn. Bake for 4 minutes more or until browned and crisp. Cool completely. Break into irregular shapes. Store an airtight container up to 5 days.

Strain, reserving syrup (place in clean bottles for gift-giving*). Arrange ginger slices on a wire rack set over a shallow baking pan. Allow to dry overnight (ginger will still be sticky).

Place remaining 1/2 cup sugar in a medium bowl. Add ginger and toss to coat. Divide into four 4-oz. jars. Refrigerate up to 1 month.

Spiced Bourbon Cherries
Spiced Bourbon Cherries are one of the best ways to add boozy fruit to your favorite cocktail. (Hint: They taste especially amazing in whiskey drinks!) Sweeten up your next cocktail hour with a batch of bourbon-soaked cherries. Not a drinker? Spoon some over a scoop of vanilla ice cream and thank me later. 

What you need:
1 ¼ cups water
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 ¼ cups bourbon
1 pound fresh or frozen pitted dark sweet cherries

What to do:
In a medium saucepan combine the water, sugar, vanilla bean paste, cayenne, and cinnamon. Bring just to boiling over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Remove from heat. Stir in bourbon. Cool slightly. Add cherries and let stand 30 minutes. Divide into four 8-oz. jars. Refrigerate up to 3 weeks.

Toasted Seasoning Salts
Whip up a big batch of these savory seasoning blends and give them to the meat-lovers in your life to season their steaks. Vegetarians can toss this no-cook food gift with popcorn, nuts, or roasted chickpeas.

What you need: 
Regular:
1/2 cup flaked sea salt
1/2 cup coarsely ground pepper
1/2 cup garlic powder
Smoky Hot: 
1/2 cup flaked sea salt
1/2 cup coarsely ground pepper
1/2 cup garlic powder
2 tablespoons ground chipotle powder

What to do:
In a medium bowl, stir together all ingredients…yep. That’s it.
Store in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Use to season meats before grilling or roasting or combine with flour to coat chicken before frying.

More Gifts From the Kitchen Ideas:
Candied Ginger Syrup
Sweet Maple Mustard
Spiced Ketchup
Everything Bagel Topping Mix

By Libbie Summers
Assisted by David Dempsey
Cuisine Apron Dress in White Linen from Libbie Summers Yum Yum Smile Shop
Orange Gingham Trimmed Linen Napkin from Libbie Summers Yum Yum Smile Shop

A had my first warm slice of this cake on the island of Sardinia. It was a game changer –not too sweet, refreshing and easy to make. The perfect weeknight OR entertaining cake. There’s something about bringing a sprite little cake pulled from the oven just a few minutes before straight to the dinner table.

Italian Orange Cake
serves 8

What you need:
1 orange
3 large eggs
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/3 cup plain yogurt
1/3 cup butter, softened
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon Fiori di Sicilia extract (optional) *recipe to follow
Powdered sugar for dusting

What to do:
1. Preheat oven to 350º F. Spray a 7-8″ springform pan with non-stick baking spray. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment and spray the top of the parchment. Set aside.
2. Boil and Process Orange: Add orange to a small saucepan with boiling water. Boil orange, moving around often, for 30 minutes. Remove from water to drain. Cut into quarters and remove any visible seeds. Add the entire orange to the bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade attachment and pulse to process until any large chunks are gone. Set aside. (BOILING IS OPTIONAL, I think it makes the rind less bitter and produces more juice but if you are in a time crunch just pulverize the thing!)
3. Start Batter: In a large mixing bowl. Whisk together eggs and sugar until light and fluffy, whisk in yogurt and butter until incorporated (Note: there may still be lumps of butter in batter…this is totally cool.). Set aside.
4. Mix Dry Ingredients: In a medium mixing bowl, sift together flour and baking powder.
5. Finish Batter: Gradually add flour mixture to batter until incorporated. Do not over mix! Stir in pulverized orange and extract (optional).
6. Bake Cake: Pour mixture into prepared springform pan and bake until set in the middle (about 1 hour or until the internal temperature reaches 205ºF.)

To Serve: Allow to cool for 15 minutes. Remove from pan and dust with powdered sugar. Serve warm.
*Fiori di Sicilia Extract Recipe: 1 part orange extract + 1 part lemon extract + 2 parts vanilla extract

By Libbie Summers
Assisted by David Dempsey

A simple red and white candy cane inspired this fabulously festive (and fun) holiday table! It checks all the boxes…inspirational (yes), attainable (YES, anyone can do it) and affordable (yes, minimal dollars spent).

Here’s How You Can Do It!
Step 1: Make a Tablecloth (create a woven ribbon “tablecloth”)
Lengths of inexpensive holiday ribbon were cut to run the length of the table and taped securely under the edge. My table was white so I love the idea of using the white as part of the pattern, so I left space between the ribbons. Then going the width of the table more of the same ribbon was cut as well as widths of a coordinating bandana ribbon. Then the ribbon was woven (under and over/alternating) into the already taped ribbon. Once each piece has been woven, adhere under the edge with tape.

Step 2: Make a Centerpiece (we made “kissing balls” out of starlight mints). I hot glued starlight mints onto a varying sizes of styrofoam balls that had been painted with red craft paint (optional). You could also use other soft candy and pin the candy to the styrofoam ball with long straight pins.  Soooo much fun drama. The balls were placed on old milk glass as holders for elevation and some just on the table.

Step 3: Set the table.
Since the woven ribbon tablecloth and centerpieces are so over-the-top, I wanted to keep the place setting fairly neutral. I used hand thrown white dinner plates, simple white-handled flatware, clear tall cut-glass water glasses and pink champagne glasses. To bring the bandana ribbon into the rest of the setting, I used a ric-rack trimmed red bandana from the Yum Yum Smile Shop as each napkin. For the name card, I wrote my guests name on white paper cut into a tree shape and tied it onto a peppermint stick with red and white baker’s twine.

Finally, add a little extra candy cane flare with candy canes as glass “garnishes”.

By Libbie Summers
Assisted by David Dempsey
Photography by Teresa Earnest Social

If I were to take everything I love about Nantucket and put it in a bowl it would taste just like this.

Nantucket Salad
(lobster, grilled corn, new potatoes, lettuce, radish + lemon vinaigrette)
serves 4

What you need:
3 lemons, 1 quartered and 2 halved
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
4 tablespoons olive oil
Flake sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 pound new potatoes, boiled until al dente, chilled and quartered
4 ears corn, grilled or boiled and kernels removed from the cob.
4 radish, thinly sliced
2 pounds lobster, cooked and shelled (I purchase my lobster from Beals in Southwest Harbor Maine)
6 cups of salad greens (I used a mix of butter lettuce and arugula)

What to do:
1. Make dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together juice from 3 lemons, mustard and olive oil. Salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
2. Make salad: In a large mixing bowl, add the potatoes, corn, radish, lobster and greens. Whisk the dressing again and pour over the salad. Gently toss to coat. Serve with lemon wedges.