Ah, Autumn, at last!

Welcome to Kay's Food Talk! As a retired Los Angeles caterer and dedicated foodie, I admit to having an obsession with food. I have, after years of research and development, figured out the cure... FEED IT!! In order to feed it, I must cook and part of cooking is the exchange of recipes so this blog is about eating, cooking, recipes, and sharing.

My former catering & event company, Memorable Occasions, served the greater L.A. area for 20 years and though we tried to be seasonal in our menus, we found over the span of years that L.A. really has no seasons, that's why people flock there! So, I moved to Prescott to live in Everybody's Hometown and to enjoy our four lovely seasons.

The change of season could be any season - I love them all - but I love the fall in Prescott most of all and cannot wait to bring out all of my cold weather recipes. Some of the recipes that are dancing through my head are Butternut Squash Soup, Mac 'n Cheese, Scotch Broth (loaded with meat & barley), Pork with Peaches, Slow Cooked Texas Brisket, Chicken Stewed with Piquillo Peppers, Meatloaf (my mother's), Death by Chocolate Cake, and later on, gobs of treats for the Holidays including Mom's Cranberry Nut Bread. Yum!

Potlucks are a wonderful way to get together and celebrate for no reason but just to enjoy each others company. So we will start here with my Pistachio Nut Dessert. This is an easy, very delicious recipe, great for a potluck and the change of seasons. Your friends will be thrilled - I promise! Oh, and it comes across as muy elegante. 0(^;^)0

Pistachio Nut Torte

Crust:
2 C flour
4 T sugar
2 sticks butter
1 C chopped walnuts or pecans
Mix together then press into a 9X13” pan (or a spring form pan).
Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes until golden brown. Let cool thoroughly. (This can sit out overnight).

First Layer:
Cream Cheese: 8 oz.
Sugar: 2/3 C
Cool Whip: 1/2 of a large or about 6 oz (be generous!)
Blend and spread onto cooled crust.

Middle Layer:
Instant Pistachio Pudding Mix: 2 small packages (UNcooked)
Whole Milk: 2 1/2 C
Mix together until it becomes very thick.
Pour onto first layer and spread.
Refrigerate and let set.

Top Layer:
Spread the other 1/2 of the Cool Whip (or 6 more oz) thickly on top. Chill.

Enjoy!

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You can reach me at cookkatt@gmail.com. I welcome your comments.


Kay Luckett is the former owner of Memorable Occasions, a catering and event coordinating company in Los Angeles, CA. She has 20 years experience in this biz plus a few years teaching her class, The Art of Catering, at various Community Colleges. Her biggest thrill was catering for Julia Child in 1991 before she escaped from L.A.