Amesbury's Allaire dishes out treats, meals

We should all be so lucky as to have a friend like Stacey Allaire.

The 26-year-old spends her days working on marketing and public relations at her job at Matter Communications in Newburyport.

But at night and on the weekends, Stacey Allaire becomes a veritable Betty Crocker. She's been in her newly purchased Amesbury home for just over four months now, and Allaire has already found her favorite spot in the sunny condominium.

"I absolutely love my kitchen. I spend a lot of time in there," she said.

While she doesn't have much of a sweet tooth herself, nothing seems to make Allaire happier than having her friends and family over for a home-cooked meal and some laughs and then sending them home with her delectable treats.

"I give everything away. It's the feeling of giving something to people. It's personal, it's homemade, and I know it's always appreciated," she said.

When she was growing up, her mother was the baker in the family. But after a loved one was diagnosed with cancer a few years ago, Allaire discovered that baking was a nice distraction that kept her hands and mind busy.

"It was very therapeutic," she said.

Now, she's hooked.

After a Saturday afternoon baking session, her neighbors often hear a knock on the door and find Allaire with freshly baked muffins or cupcakes.

Friends over for a weeknight meal are sent home with foil-wrapped peanut butter cups, one of Allaire's specialties, and her sister and uncle make regular requests for her granola — a recipe she safeguards.

Sometimes she bakes for an occasion, and sometimes she just gets an urge. A kitchen cabinet is fully stocked with necessities, should the urge to whip up some fresh bread or sweets kick in.

Allaire just enjoys spoiling those she loves.

When her friends gather at her place for dinner, she cooks signature vegetarian dishes like her farmers market lasagna and meatless chili.

"I always cook vegetarian, and I try to do all natural and organic as much as I can," she said.

During warmer months, Allaire is a frequent shopper at Cider Hill Farm in Amesbury, which is within walking distance of her home. When Cider Hill is closed for the season, she frequents Tendercrop in Newbury, a place she remembers shopping with her mother as a youth.

Her grocery list and meals tend to vary depending on what produce looks good, and she likes to try new things. She usually shops and cooks over the weekends, so she has dinners for the coming week.

But when she starts with a recipe, Allaire often veers a bit off course.

"I usually take a recipe and mix it up. I add ingredients or seasonings, tweak it to make it my own. I love to make stir-frys, because you can use all different kinds of vegetables," she said.

Her vegetarian dishes are crowd-pleasers, but it's clear that baking is Allaire's true calling. Chocolate-chip cookies and brownies, while still delicious, are child's play. Her red velvet cupcakes with raspberry filling look like something out of a bakery window with their perfect frosting, crinkly paper wrapping and beautifully tied bows.

Her father continually craves her thumbprint cookies — a shortbread, buttery treat.

"They're better than the ones I grew up on," Randy Allaire said.

In every dish that Stacey Allaire, puts out, there is a piece of her family. Her maternal grandmother created everything from scratch, and her mother, Wendy, still makes her a birthday cake every year, something Allaire looks forward to.

On Sunday nights, the whole family gathers at Allaire's parents' house for a family meal.

"I tend to crave and go back to the things I grew up with," she said.

Now, with a house and a kitchen of her own, Allaire is looking forward to warmer weather, so she can take her hostessing duties outside. A belated housewarming party is slated for June, and Allaire is already scheming for it.

"I love to entertain, to get all my friends and family together. I just can't wait for the summer, when I can have everyone over for barbecues," Allaire said.

• • •

We're looking to share the recipes and secrets of amateur cooks who have a knack in the kitchen and consistently amaze their family and friends with their culinary skills. If you know a great cook or are one yourself, email Katie Lovett at klovett@newburyportnews.com.

STACEY'S SPECIALITIES

Farmers' Market Lasagna

2 cups thinly sliced zucchini

2 cups thinly sliced yellow squash

1 cup thinly sliced carrot

1 medium yellow onion, diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 (14 ounce) can crushed tomatoes

1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce

1/2 (6-ounce) can tomato paste

1/4 cup sliced fresh basil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened

3/4 cups small cottage cheese

1 large egg, lightly beaten

8-10 oven-ready, "no cook," lasagna noodles (depending on size of your pan)

8 slices provolone cheese, thinly sliced

1-2 cups shredded mozzarella

Combine zucchini, squash, carrot, onion and peppers with water to cover. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce heat, and simmer 10-15 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Drain well, and reserve.

Combine crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, basil, garlic, salt, and pepper in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes.

In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, cottage cheese, and eggs. Stir together.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Spread 1/3 of the sauce evenly over bottom of a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking dish. Place 3-4 uncooked lasagna noodles on top of sauce. (Try not to overlap noodles.) Spread 1/2 of cream cheese mixture over noodles. Cover cheese mixture with 1/2 the vegetable mixture, more sauce, and top evenly with 4 slices provolone cheese and 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese.

Repeat layers with rest of the noodles, rest of the cream cheese mixture, vegetables, sauce, and remaining cheeses. Place in oven for 35 minutes.

Let lasagna stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Apple Cinnamon Muffins

3/4 cup milk

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 large egg

2 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

11/2 cup chopped apple

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line muffin pan with paper baking cups. Beat milk, oil, and egg in a large bowl.

Stir in the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon all at once until flour is moistened and lumpy. Beat in the apple. Pour batter into cups.

Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.

Veggie-full Chili

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium yellow-skinned onion, chopped

2 large red peppers, seeded and chopped

2 large green peppers, seeded and chopped

Jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped (as many or few as you like, depending on your level of spiciness!)

4 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped

1 1/2 cup pale beer or vegetable stock/broth

1 (32- ounce) can crushed tomatoes

1 (14-ounce) can of diced tomatoes

2 (14-ounce) can black beans

2 (14-ounce) can dark red kidney beans

1 tablespoon ground cumin

2 tablespoons chili powder

Cayenne hot pepper sauce (again, as much or little as you prefer)

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup spicy vegetarian refried beans

Over moderate heat, add oil to a deep pot and combine onion, peppers and garlic. Saute for about 10 minutes to soften vegetables.

Deglaze pan with beer or broth, add tomatoes, black beans, red kidney beans, and stir to combine.

Season the chili with cumin, chili powder, hot sauce and salt. Stir in the refried beans.

Simmer over low heat about 10 minutes longer, then serve up bowls of chili. You can top with shredded cheese, scallions and tomatoes or sour cream.

Raspberry Red Velvet Cupcakes

Cupcakes:

21/4 cups all-purpose flour

11/2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

11/2 teaspoons baking powder

12 tablespoons unsalted butter (room temperature)

11/2 cups sugar

2 large eggs

2 large egg yolks

11/2 tablespoons red food coloring

11/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

11/4 cups milk

2 dozen fresh raspberries

Frosting:

6 ounces low-fat cream cheese (room temperature)

3 tablespoons unsalted butter (room temperature)

11/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

21/4 cups confectioners' sugar

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line muffin tin with paper liners.

Mix flour, cocoa, salt and baking powder. In a separate bowl, with an electric mixer, beat butter until creamy. Gradually add sugar and beat until light and fluffy.

Add eggs, one a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in yolks, food coloring and vanilla.

Alternate adding dry ingredients and milk, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Beat just until all ingredients are incorporated.

Divide batter among cupcake liners. Insert two raspberries into each cupcake. Bake for about 20 minutes.

Make frosting: Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Beat in vanilla. Gradually add sugar and beat.

PortWatch

Search Results

Related Photos

Discussion

Site Map

Contact Us