Two Foot Kitchen

Just in case...

2010-07-30T10:16:00.000-07:00

Sometimes life changes I have to embrace that! In case you missed it I'm now blogging at Two Foot Home. All the posts here have been imported to the "new" site. I will probably delete this blog in the next few months.

A crash course in Dairy-Free eating

2009-07-05T18:12:00.000-07:00

Over the last several months of living dairy-free there has been a lot of learning. As when most people decide to omit something from their diet, it seemed a bit over-whelming and limiting. A friend of mine swears that the first two weeks are the hardest and I have to agree. Months later, as in common, I have successfully been able to introduce some small amounts of dairy back into my diet. Honestly though, while it will be nice to have the option when we are out or visiting other people, I don't intend to start piling it back into my diet. The changes are working well for our family. So let's break it down...
The Facts:

Most dairy-sensitive babies are reacting to the milk protein, casein.
Many adults react to the lactose, a sugar, because they lack the enzyme to break it down.

The Substitutes:
Having the right ingredients to swap out in your cooking makes the transition MUCH easier.

Rice Milk, Almond Milk: Both are available in sweetened or unsweetened varieties, with or without flavors. An easy substitute when baking and low in fat. Both are typically enriched with Calcium and vitamin D.
Hemp Milk: Rich and creamy, this is a great choice for creamier sauces. It's also a great choice for kids since they need plenty of fat in their diet-it's essential for their brain development and growing bodies. It's a great source of Omega's 3 and 6.
Coconut Milk: Think about using coconut milk in most places you might use cream. I use it in my coffee every morning. It's great as a base for ice cream. I was amazed to even find a recipe for beef stroganoff that leaned on coconut milk for creaminess-it was delicious.
Shortening: Since butter was out I leaned on shortening for baking. Spectrum makes an organic palm oil shortening that isn't hydrogenated.
Avocado: I know is not anything like any dairy product but avocado has been essential for me. A few slices can add creaminess to a sandwich and a dollop of guacamole can replace sour cream on your tacos.
Goat Cheese: Some people who can't have dairy find the protein in goat's milk easier to digest. It's available in many forms such as chevre, mozzeralla, brie and more.

Products I like:

Coconut Bliss Ice Cream: This is like the Haagen Das of coconut ice cream. Rich and decadent with delish flavors.
Purely Decadent Ice Cream: A little bit lighter tasting and easier to find.
So Delicious yogurt: Super yummy yogurt, also a good replacement for buttermilk. It even have live cultures.
Thai Kitchen Coconut milk: This brand in particular does not have any stabilizers. The top solidifies and can be scooped off and used to make "whipped cream" with some sugar and vanilla ( I usually need a little of the liquid too to get it to the right consistency).
Almond cheese: A great cheese substitute for pizza, enchiladas and grilled cheese! It does contain casein but is fine if you are avoiding lactose.

Raspberry (Coconut Milk) Ice Cream

6 oz. rasberries
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup water

Place into a small sauce pan and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Puree and pour through a fine mesh strainer to remove seeds.

2 cans of coconut milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
a squeeze of lemon juice
a pinch of salt

Stir in remaining ingredients and chill until very cold. Freeze according to your ice cream makers instructions. Top with dark chocolate and enjoy.

Trial and Error

2009-04-11T12:05:00.000-07:00

Well, like any new venture many things are learned by trial and error. Some days there seems to be more error than success and sometimes I just decide to stay with the known-the safe. Thankfully I am used to trying new things in the kitchen and even though I don't know how things will turn out, I give it a go.
So far I have discovered that a few simple changes can sometimes produce satisfactory results. A simple change out of ingredients in chocolate chip cookies produces a delicious, if slightly crumbly, treat. Swap flour for gluten-free flour mix, egg for egg-replacer, butter is changed out for a shortening, gluten-free vanilla-check, dark chocolate chips without dairy. All set. Sometimes, things don't go so well. Rice milk won't make a creamy sauce but now I know that hemp milk will. Biscuits, well, swap outs won't work for those. Remember those playdough Christmas ornaments? Yeah, has that kind of texture with a little less salt. Not so satisfying no matter the amount of jam slathered on top. Still working on those.
The real test for me was last Saturday. There was a chocolate cake Throw Down to be had. Sure, I knew my recipe could handle its own. What I wasn't sure about was being around all that chocolate cake and not indulging. So I decided to give it a go. But would an "everything free" cake be worth eating? I decided to find out. The answer: Heck yes!

Elimination Diet Cake:
Cake:

3 cups Gluten-free Flour
1 cup cocoa
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons baking soda
2 scant teaspoons of guar or xanthum gum
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 teaspoons gluten-free vanilla
3 teaspoons Energ Egg Replacer
2 1/4 cups water, divided (next time I want to try coffee)

Preheat the oven to 350 and grease two 8-inch cake pans.
In a small dish mix egg replacer and 1/4 cup water. In a large bowl mix dry ingredients together. Add in wet ingredients (including Egg-replacer mixture) and stir until combined. Split between prepared pans and bake for 30 minutes. Allow to cool 5 minutes and remove from pan.

Syrup:

1/2 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
1 vanilla bean (optional but delish)

Combine in a small sauce pan. Bring to boil and simmer for 5 minutes.

Filling:

1 can of Thai Kitchen coconut milk, NOT shaken (not light, and yes, you have to use that brand for this step)
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1-2 tablespoons syrup, to taste

Carefully open coconut milk and scoop out the firm white top. Combine in a small bowl with vanilla and syrup, beat until fluffy. Set aside in fridge.

Ganache:

6 oz. dark chocolate, chopped (check the label)
5 oz. coconut milk, HOT

Pour hot coconut milk over the chocolate. Wait a few minutes, then stir until smooth. Set aside and allow to cool and thicken.

To assemble brush cakes with syrup. Place one cake on plate. Cover the top of cake with coconut-vanilla filling. Top with second cake. Spread ganache over the top. Grab a fork!

There will be blogging....

2009-03-26T20:53:00.000-07:00

Excuse me? Hello? Is this thing on???? {{{{blows dust away}}}} Food blogging will soon resume.

Trying to figure out Nadia's allergy issues and you get to come along for the ride! It's gonna be a dairy, soy, nut, gluten, oat, corn, shellfish, beef, egg-free journey. Wahoo.

No idea...

2009-01-03T15:25:00.000-08:00

Pork with Pineapple Salsa

Sometimes I do this thing where I make tasty food. I even remember to take a picture. Then I forget to blog it and have no idea what I put in it. Darn. I do remember that I under cooked it and had to put my chop back on the heat.

Excuses, Excuses: Dairy-Free, Soy-Free Egg Nog

2008-12-20T18:44:00.000-08:00

Yes, I am painfully aware of how quiet it has been around here. I feel like I have a fairly valid excuse though. Actually, it's a short list. You can pick which one you prefer and apply it as you see fit. Feel free to also borrow any that may apply to yourself.

I had a baby
Said baby is very cute and sweet thus commanding my attention
Said baby is very cranky, teething and won't sleep thus requiring my attention
Said baby can't have dairy or soy but THANK GOD can handle butter

This is where we get to number four. If you know me you are aware of my unfailing love and devotion to dairy. Well, not so much right now. Don't get me wrong, I still adore it. I just don't adore what it does to my tiny sweetie (and quite frankly the older sweetie says he feels better with less as well). This means that my kitchen habits have changed. Meal preparation is now even more experimental than before. For some things substitutions is easy, others not so much. Some things come out just as they should and others are, well, a little different. The trick is to make the food taste like something you would want to eat anyway, not just because you can't have the "real" (dairy) thing.
Due to the growing awareness of food allergies there is more and more available to make it a little easier. Certain things I have found are great but there was one thing missing for me that is pretty important right now. Egg Nog! Sure, there is soy nog, but we can't do that. There is rice nog but I am not a fan of the rice milk substitutes. So I made my own.

Nutty Nog (Dairy-Free, Soy-Free Egg Nog)

4 cups plain, unsweetened almond milk
1 cup coconut milk
4 egg yolks plus 1 whole egg
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
nutmeg to taste
Rum or rum extract (or in our house, Tuaca)but that's all optional

In a large sauce pan heat almond milk, and sugar over medium heat. Heat until sugar is dissolved and mixture is steaming. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl whisk eggs lightly. When milk and sugar mixture is hot SLOWLY stream into eggs while beating constantly. Transfer egg mixture back to pan and continue to cook over medium heat stirring constantly until thickened. I was never able to get it to coat the spoon so just wait till it's thickened slightly.
Remove from heat and pour through a mesh strainer into a pitcher. Stir in coconut milk, vanilla and nutmeg. Cover and cool in fridge. Stir to mix before serving.

2-1-1:Roasted Green Beans, Potatoes and Salmon

2008-12-10T17:52:00.000-08:00

Dishes are the enemy. Am I the only one who feels like the moment you finish washing the dishes it's time to cook again? Oh, sure, there's the whole"wash as you go" thing but it's just not for me. It slows me down. It drives me crazy. There is also the "one-pot-meal" approach which I actually love but sometimes I want separate flavors.
Tonight I made dinner for two in one hour with one baking sheet. If your feeding more, two baking sheets for a whole meal is not to shabby. Never under estimate the power of lining your baking sheets with foil either. (OK, I used a knife and cutting board too.)

Roasted Potatoes, Green Beans and Salmon for two

2 medium potatoes
olive oil
Seasoning salt (or salt, garlic powder, paprika, and a little sugar)

Preheat your oven to 375 . Scrub your potatoes and slice into 1/2 inch rounds. Toss in olive oil and sprinkle on spices. ( I just did this on the baking sheet) Place into the oven.

2 large handfuls of green beans, trimmed
olive oil
balsamic vinaigrette (save for later)

30 minutes after the potatoes go in toss your green beans in olive oil and add to the baking sheet

2 salmon fillets
olive oil ( unless there is enough on your baking sheet to keep it from sticking
1 tablespoon apricot preserves
1/2 tsp. balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp. whole grain mustard
1/4 tsp. dried thyme

Add salmon to baking sheet I (coat with olive oil if you're concerned it will stick). Bake for 10 minutes. Combine preserves, balsamic, mustard and thyme. Top salmon with mixture and bake another 5 minutes. Pull the whole tray out and dish up!

Frugal Friday: Italian Chicken Stew

2008-10-07T16:09:00.000-07:00

After freezing my, ahem, off last night at Kurt's softball game I am convinced that autumn is really here. More and more leaves are turning shades of crimson, and orange and though the days are still fairly pleasant the night air carries a familiar crispness. My iced lattes have long since turned to piping hot mug-fulls and I've started wanting tea in the afternoon to warm me up.
After a long summer of grilling and cold salads I find myself wanting warm meals to cozy up to. Fall means I can pull out the crock pot and make Pot Roast with wine or coffee. Lasagne starts sounding better and better. Soup with squash sounds so soothing. I keep wanting to braise things.
Braising is great and often very budget friendly since it usually uses cheaper cuts of meet but there isn't always time...or the necessary forethought. So how about a quick braising recipe that can be completed on the stove in under an hour or thrown in the crock pot and finished in minutes? Sounds good to me to. Now if I could just find a reason to get excited about the cold mornings...

Italian Chicken Stew, adapted from Everyday Italian

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1 carrot, sliced
2 stalks of celery, diced (optional cause I hate cooked celery)
1 clove of garlic, peeled but left whole
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. basil
1/2 tsp. thyme
1 tablespoons sun-dried tomato puree or tomato paste
1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes with liquid
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup wine (optional, any kind you have)
flour for dredging
2 bone-in chicken breasts
7 oz. canned white beans, rinsed and drained
salt and pepper to taste
minced parsley to garnish

In a large saute pan heat oil over medium heat. Add carrot, celery,onion and garlic clove, saute until onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Add bay leaves, basil, thyme, tomato puree, diced tomatoes, broth and wine. Bring to a simmer and reduce heat.
Place green beans into stew. Dredge chicken in flour and place into sauce, pushing down into liquid. Continue cooking, uncovered, until chicken is almost cooked, about 20 minutes.
Remove chicken, cool 5 minutes and cut into bite size pieces (discarding bones and skin). Add chicken back to pot and add white beans. Cook chicken through. Sprinkle with parsley. Serve over egg noodles, rice or alone.
*This could easily be placed in a slow cooker in the morning and be ready for dinner when you are.

Why is this frugal? I usually buy my chicken breasts on sale for $.99 a pound. Tomatoes can be bought cheaply at Costco. I make my own chicken stock.

Ballpark food: Green Bean Potato Salad

2008-09-03T11:43:00.001-07:00

I know you're loving the thoughtful plating.

We recently took Nadia to her first baseball game and while I have respect for traditional ballpark fare, sometimes it just doesn't sit right. Is it the bratwurst topped with onions, kraut ad spicy mustard from our beloved "hot dog man"? Kraut is full of probiotics so surely not. Couldn't be my kiddie tray of nachos with plastic cheese. I carefully place a jalapeno slice atop each chip to ensure I am getting some veggies, a little fiber too. I really can't understand why I awake the next morning with a belly ache. I suppose somethings in life will remain a mystery.

For whatever reason I just wasn't feeling the plastic cheese that evening. I decided to throw a few things together instead. I was just using up odds and ends but was pleasantly surprised. This salad came together in a way that is simple, yet delightful. Here's another un-recipe:

Green Bean Potato Salad
Mix together:

fingerling potatoes, boiled and chilled
green beans, boiled an chilled ( or steamed if you prefer but I just through them in part way through cooking the potatoes)
crumbled feta cheese
fresh basil, chiffonade
orange olive oil*
salt and cracked pepper to taste

* If you don't have orange olive oil try warming some olive oil with strips of orange zest. Cool and strain to remove the zest. I believe you can also purchase it at Safeway.

Progress: Breakfast burger

2008-08-04T08:50:00.000-07:00

I am beginning to move past dinners that go like this: Heat oven to 350. Bake for 25 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with cheese. Bake another 5 minutes.
I learned two things:

I am so incredibly grateful for those meals and casseroles. I didn't have the mental and physical capacity to make a meal and would have gone hungry without them. I feel very blessed to be part of a church body that graciously provided meals for a week.
I'm just not that into casseroles. Though I think I could eat the tater tots off the top until I reached my pregnancy weight again. ;) And no, I'm not telling what was.

That being said, meals are pretty simple around here for now. Simple can still be very tasty. Tasty can be kind of bad for you but, every once in a while...

Breakfast Burgers
Stack the following between two pieces of toasted sourdough: Spinach sauteed with red onion, 1/4 pound patty of breakfast sausage(cooked), an over easy egg.
It's that simple but SOOO good.

Playtime for Kurt: Sausage making

2008-07-12T11:39:00.000-07:00

So what if I still haven't posted what we made for Father's Day. I know it's been almost a month but I am just too lazy to type out the recipe for burnt sugar ice cream. Yes, I realize that if I don't do it before Nadia is born it probably won't get done. On the upside Kurt pulled out his birthday gift last weekend. It was kind of a selfish birthday gift we gave him. I mean, sure, he'd like it. Sure, he'd been asking or it. Really though, we wanted to eat. So we bought fat and intestines. That's how it all began.

Kurt ground the fat and meat with peppers and we mixed it with cheese.
And he stuffed it inside the intestines. I like to say intestines instead of "casings". It's fun cause they look so little and they stretch so much.
And then we had sausage. He made a beer brat, too. I was too busy being excited to take pictures of that.

I was beginning to wonder...

2008-06-30T08:05:00.000-07:00

Just when I was beginning to wonder how I would manage to have great tasting pancakes in those weeks post partum...Batter Blaster. Cause pancakes are really hard. Don't miss the demo video, it's my favorite.

I'm really sorry: Bacon Parmesean Corn

2008-06-20T20:23:00.000-07:00

My dad is allergic to corn. My brother is allergic to corn. Two of my nieces are allergic to corn. I'm very sorry to be mean but I have to post this anyway. The rest of you people who are not allergic to corn need to know about this. If you can't have corn just stop reading now. You don't want to know.
A few times a summer I recall that I am in fact not allergic to corn and I can consume it. Good ol' corn on the cob. At the right time of summer the juicy sweetness is nearly addictive. Pair that with a couple other things and you may as well sign yourself up for a post-summer corn rehab. No, I am not lacing my corn with crack, I've heard that's pretty bad for you. I chose to go with an only slightly healthier option. Bacon. Bacon is my crack of choice. Don't worry, I share.

This takes a minute to put together and can be a bit clumsy. Honestly though, the hardest part is mastering the technique of holding the bacon on the corn while you eat the juicy, charred kernels.

Bacon-wrapped Corn with Parmesean

Fresh, juicy summer corn
bacon, 2 slices per ear
Parmesean cheese
fresh cracked pepper
kitchen twine

Clean and rinse your corn, removing the husk. Place the cheese on the bacon slice and top with pepper. Wrap the two slices of bacon (side by side) around the corn like a big bacon-y candy cane with the cheese against the corn. Secure the bacon by wrapping with kitchen twine. Toss on the grill until the bacon is crisp, turning a couple times.

What the future holds...

2008-06-10T21:46:00.000-07:00

Today was a nice warm day and so I went to the pool along with two of my nieces. One of them thinks that any stranger is just a friend waiting to happen. At the young age of five she has already mastered the art of small talk.
To another little girl : "So, do you like goat cheese?"

I only hope little Nadia can one day embrace things with the same zeal.

Why do I cook?: Ranch Dressing

2008-06-05T00:37:00.000-07:00

I just finished reading The Amateur Gourmet in which he explores why he started cooking in the first place. Over the years many people have asked why or when I started cooking and I have always struggled with an answer. So I have decided to explore that a bit. I don't know if I can pin-point when it all began. It really has been an evolution with odd turns, set backs and progress. (This may take a few posts)
Often the next question out of someone's mouth is, 'Was your mom a cook?" Again, I always struggle to answer this question. My mom made dinner every night. We didn't eat a lot of processed or packaged food(Until our teen years which I am convinced was self-defense because the three of us ate non-stop and always had friends over. Even so, she always prepared main meals.). She made things from scratch. We were all welcome in the kitchen. There was a time where one of our chores was helping to plan and prepare dinner. (Suddenly we had homemade pizza at least once a week.) So I suppose the answer is yes. On the other hand, I don't think that is what brought on my love of cooking. It was still something that you just did to eat. I still feel like the way we approach cooking is very different. So I don't know if I can chalk it up to that. While I know that the food we ate and made growing up has shaped some of the things I do, I don't think that it spawned it. I did, however, learn that many of the things I asked for in the store were full of "junk". While I didn't know what "junk" was at the time or why it was in the salad dressing I wanted it stuck with me. Now I can find clever ways to avoid the junk....

Dilly Ranch Dressing
( all amounts are approximate)
1/4 cup each mayo, buttermilk and cottage cheese
1/3 of a clove of garlic
1 small slice of onion
1/2 teaspoon dill
1/8 teaspoon each basil and thyme
pinch of salt
fresh black pepper

Whirl it all in a blender (I like to use my immersion blender) until smooth. Adjust seasonings and liquids to get desired flavor or consistency. Go eat some salad.

Sometimes I buy in bulk:Potato Artichoke Pancake

2008-05-29T16:59:00.000-07:00

I think it's time for a new camera. This is getting bad.

Do you ever find those really good deals that you can't pass up? Yes, I know there are the shoes and that really cute shirt you've been eye-balling. I'm talking about food though. Sometimes I do and I find myself in possession of large quantities of things for much less than I could buy small amounts for. One day I bought ELEVEN pounds of ham. For the two of us. Yeah, I don't know. A bit ago potatoes were on sale. Two different sizes both for a mere two dollars. So I had a decision. For two hundred pennies I could come home with five pounds or fifteen. So as you can guess I purchased fifteen pounds of potatoes. It took a separate trip to the car to bring them in the front door but I did it. Well, it's about time I used some of them up.
Kurt's mom made delicious parmesan hash browns at Easter that disappeared even before her delicious ham. So I decided to make something similar by combining what she made, something I didn't quite successfully pull off and a little latke technique. I guess simplifying isn't always better, it came out just how I hoped.

Potato Artichoke Pancake

2 medium potatoes, peeled and grated
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup onion, finely chopped
about 4 artichoke hearts, sliced
1/3 cup parmesan, grated
2 tablespoons flour
1 egg, lightly beaten
salt and pepper
4 tablespoons olive oil

Place grated potato in a large bowl with COLD water, allow to sit for a few minutes, drain water and cover in water again.
In a large skillet heat half of the oil and cook onion and garlic until softened.
Remove potatoes from water and place onto a clean kitchen towel. Squeeze to remove excess water. Place potatoes into a large bowl and toss with flour, onion, garlic, salt and pepper. Stir in artichokes, cheese and egg.
In a large, non-stick skillet heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-low heat, press mixture firmly into pan. Cook for 10-15 minutes until well browned and crisp. Invert onto a plate. Place remaining tablespoon of oil into pan. Slide the pancake off the plate and back into pan. Continue cooking until brown and crisp. Cut into wedges and enjoy!

Blustery Day: Lemon Lavender Country Cake

2008-05-26T19:06:00.000-07:00

There are some things that strike me as off year after year. I suppose I just can't quite get used to the way we always seem to want what we don't have. Each winter we all seem to come in the door, stomping the snow off our boots, and wishing for warmer weather. Summer finally arrives and we dread donning that swim-suit and lock ourselves inside with the frigid air conditioning. Even though I find the irony confusing every year I find myself in a different sort of predicament. I always seem to live in climates that can't quite decide which season to stick with. For three days we will have beautiful summer weather. Eighty degrees and sunshine gets me craving refreshing citrus desserts. The following days of contrasting wind and rain are just what I need. The chill in the air makes the warmth of the oven all the more inviting.
So today when the weather reminded me more of the chilly northern California coast than a mountain summer I cozied up to the oven. However, since this simple cake doesn't take much work you don't have to wait for a cold day to enjoy it. The hardest part is having the patience to not eat the filling while waiting for it to set up.

Lemon Lavender Cake with Lemon Custard

Filling:

1, 12oz. package white chocolate chips
zest of 1 1/2 lemons
4eggs
1 packet unflavored gelatin
1 cup milk

Sprinkle gelatin over milk and allow to sit for about five minutes. Then heat it up till it REALLY hot. While you're waiting the five minutes place chips, zest and eggs in the blender and give it a few whirls. Now with the blender on (use the little hole the lid) s-l-o-w-l-y pour in the hot milk. Let it process for about 30 seconds or so. Pour into a bowl, cover, and place into fridge.

Cake:

1 stick (1/2 cup) salted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 (hefty)teaspoon dried lavender (optional)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
pinch of salt
1/2 cup plain yogurt
zest of 1 1/2 lemons
juice of half lemon

Preheat the oven to 350. Line a 9 inch cake pan with parchment, Grease and flour the pan. Using a mortar and pestle combine lavender and a few tablespoons of the sugar and smash it around until your lavender is ground. Place lavender sugar, remaining sugar and butter in a mixing bowl and cream together until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add in vanilla.
In a small bowl combine yogurt, zest and lemon juice. In another small bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt. With mixer on low, add in 1/2 the flour, then half the yogurt and mix to combine. Add remaining flour and yogurt, mix until just combined.
Smooth batter into the pan and bake for about 20 minutes. Cool for five minutes then remove from pan to finish cooling on a wrack.
Once cooled, cut cake into two layers. Spread 2/3 of filling onto bottom layer and top with second layer of cake. Top the cake with remaining filling. Now carefully package and mail to me so I can eat more of this.

Overcoming fear: "Asian" Noodle Salad

2008-05-25T18:19:00.000-07:00

I have to admit that I have a somewhat irrational fear of Asian food. Actually I love to eat it. However, when it comes time to prepare it I get a little skittish. I like to blame it on being unfamiliar with the flavors. Admittedly, there are also some techniques that I know nothing about. Combine this with my inability to actually follow a recipe and I'm in trouble.
A couple weeks ago Kurt and I went to lunch at PhoFusion and I had a tasty salad. It was very simple and composed of only noodles, tender greens, carrots and a little chicken topped with a peanut dressing. Problem is that I can't get it out of my head. I can't seem to justify taking myself to lunch everyday just to satisfy my cravings so I needed to come up with a solution. I'd also been eye-balling a recipe in one of my cook books for a pork with coconut sauce. So I took it as a jumping off point and an excuse to feed my recent need for coconut at the same time.
I am starting to think my biggest issue is that I over-complicate things. This was actually pretty simple and super tasty. The list of ingredients may look a little long but it goes very quickly. It made a great dinner on a warm summer evening.

Noodle Salad with Coconut dressing and Grilled Lime Pork
Serves 3 or 4

1/2 lb. chow mein or soba noodles
1 carrot, cut into matchsticks
a few handfuls baby spinach
1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
1/3 cup roughly chopped cilantro
6 oz. coconut milk
4 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
1/2 inch piece of fresh or candied ginger, finely chopped
1/2 clove garlic
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce (or more)
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 1/4 lbs. pork chops
1 lime
salt and pepper
Sesame seeds to garnish (optional)

Season pork chops with salt, pepper, zest and juice of the lime. Set aside.

Cook noodles according to package directions and rinse with cold water. Toss in a medium bowl with carrots, onions, cilantro and spinach. Preheat your grill and toss on the pork!

In a blender combine all other ingredients (coconut milk through sugar) in a blender. Process until smooth.

Thinly slice pork into strips and toss with noodles, veggies and sauce. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve.

And if you're wondering what to do with the rest of your can of coconut milk: I've got an idea. If it pans out I'll let you in on the secret.

You might be a foodie...

2008-05-15T06:30:00.000-07:00

You might be a foodie if when your husband is in the "dog house" he brings you cheese instead of flowers.

He get's older every year: German Chocolate Cake

2008-05-04T06:57:00.000-07:00

Every year Kurt has a birthday and gets a little older. He seems to be doing quite well with it. Personally, I think this next birthday will be my last. I think at that point I will have reached my stride and will convert to anniversaries. It's not that I have a problem with getting older. I just think we have to put a stop to this before things get carried away plus, I have a hard time remembering my age with it changing all the time. This will just be easier for everyone.
Enough about me though, Kurt is the one getting older. Each year Kurt "officially" gets older on May 5th. That's right Cinco De Mayo. So can you guess what Kurt has most years for his birthday dinner. Honestly, most years myself and one of the sisters in law hijack the whole thing and he really has no say in it. He puts up with us controlling, bossy women pretty well. He does get a little variety, some years it's tamales, another fish tacos, another carnitas. So this year I was feeling nice (Don't worry, I'm trying to put a stop to that. I blame the baby hormones.) and actually ASKED KURT what he wanted. The response? "Beer Bratwurst, Potato Salad, and German Chocolate Cake. Plus, *whatever healthy thing* you decide." I gotta tell you that me deciding on a healthy thing was the toughest part. Thank God for the four pound bag of spinach in my fridge.
The German chocolate cake? Well, my SIL had one for her birthday a little over month ago. She said it was good but felt like it needed a little more filling. So I set to work. I made the filling remembering my first try at German chocolate cake years ago. I didn't really understand the process. I am pretty sure I either didn't cook the coconut filling because that just seemed silly or tried to microwave it. No amount of stirring was going to pull it through. Needless to say I ended up buying a can of frosting. Not this time. Happy Birthday Honey!

I modified this slightly because of personal preference and family allergies, the original is great!

German Chocolate Cake (A modification of the David Lebovitz recipe)
Filling:

4 oz. butter
3 cups sweetened coconut, toasted
1 1/3 cups cream
3/4 cups sugar
4 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla

Frosting:

8 oz. dark chocolate chips (60% cocoa)
1 cup heavy cream
1 oz butter
1 tablespoon honey

Syrup:

3/4 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons rum extract (liquor collection is lacking right now)/or vanilla

Cake:

2 oz. (1/4 cup) dark chocolate chips
2 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped
6 tablespoons hot coffee
2 sticks butter (I used salted butter, if you use unsalted add 1/2 teaspoon salt)
1 1/2 cups sugar, divided
4 eggs, seperated
2 cups flour
1 teapsoon each, baking powder and baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon vanilla

Cake: Butter 2, 9 inch cake pans and line with parchment paper or brown paper bag circles if you're cool (read: cheap) like me.
In a smal bowl combine chocolate chips, unsweetened chocolate and coffee. Stir gently until melted and well combined. If the chocolate won't melt completely heat in the microwave (on reduced power) or over double boiler. Set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer cream butter and 1 1/4 cups sugar on medium for 5 minutes. While that's creaming sift together flour, baking powder and baking soda.
Add chocolate mixture to butter and beat until well combined. On at a time, add your egg yolks fully incorporating between each addition. Mix in half of the flour, then all the buttermilk, then the rest of the flour. Set this part aside.
In a clean bowl beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Add sugar and beat until stiff peaks form.*
Fold 1/3 of the whites into your batter, then the rest. Divide between two pans and bake in oven preheated to 350 for 40-45 minutes.
While the cake is baking......
Filling:
Place butter and coconut in a large bowl. In a medium sauce pan cook cream sugar and yolks until they thicken over medium heat. DO NOT ALLOW TO BOIL. Pour over coconut and add vanilla, stir. Cover and set aside in the fridge.

Ganache:
Place butter, chocolate and honey in a medium bowl. In a small sauce pan heat cream till almost boiling. Pour over chocolate. Allow to sit for one minute then stir until smooth. Set aside. I chose to whip mine before frosting, but that's up to you.

Syrup:
Place everything in a small sauce pan and boil for a few minutes. Phew, that was tough.

Allow the cakes to cool for about 10 minutes in pan then turn onto racks to cool. Once completely cooled cut the layers in half (now you have 4 layers). Then you do this, four times:Brush cake with syrup, spread 1/4 of coconut filling on layer, top with another layer, do it all again. Then spread the ganache (which I chose to beat so it was fluffy) on the sides. Do a fancy edge if you want. Yea for cake!

*This is the part where I contemplated how much I must really love Kurt. I never make cakes where I have to beat things in a separate bowl. Then I have to make a filling. Then ganache. And syrup. I must really love him. I told him this. I think he felt pretty guilty. No, not really. I think he felt like I was interrupting his baseball game.

The Baby Shower for "J"

2008-05-03T16:38:00.000-07:00

Kurt and I aren't the only ones around here producing offspring around here. "Little E" will be coming in about a month so it was time to hook her up with some gifts (and diapers). Opening presents is a lot of work so it's important to be well-fed.Petit Fours (by SILJ)

Chocolate Raspberry Truffles

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies (By SILJ)

Fruit Bouquets (By SILJ)

Lemon Lavender Muffins

Cucumber Dill Sandwiches

Tomato and Fresh Mozzarella

Good company....

2008-04-20T06:27:00.000-07:00

You know you're in good company when you have a ten-minute conversation about why cauliflower hasn't been successful on Top Chef. I feel good when someone enters the rooms and says, "I'm sorry. I just can't overhear a discussion about cauliflower without jumping in."

For the record, I don't like cauliflower, yet. I am trying.

A non-recipe: Pasta with Chickpeas

2008-04-17T13:48:00.000-07:00

Sometimes the biggest deterrent I have from posting is the fact that I can't remember what I put in a particular dish. I tend to just start flinging things on top of one another and don't know how much of what I've actually used. Sometimes things are just too simple to post. For instance, yesterday I got a phone call requesting my "recipe" for fruit salad. Well, I cut up some fruit and I put it in a dish. I hardly feel as though that qualifies as post-worthy. I could make something up about making a syrup and mixing in herbs but it would be a lie. Dinner each night is just a guessing game. Sure, I have a menu planned but how it will be executed is a guessing game until it hits the plate.
So here is how it really is....

Chick Pea Pasta with Roasted Tomatoes

a can of chick peas, kind of drained
some broth
some cloves of roasted garlic (I think it was between 3 and 6 cloves)
some salt and pepper
some grated Parmesan
some flax meal cause it's healthy
Some noodles
Some roasted grape tomatoes
Some parsley cause I decided (after it hit the plate) it needed some green

Start a pot of water to boil and add salt. When it boils, add your noodles and cook them.
Throw half the can of chickpeas in the food processor with some broth, garlic, pepper, flax and parm. Whirl it around till it's creamy. Taste for salt and adjust.
Drain pasta reserving about 1/3 cup. Mix in puree. Add more broth if it's too thick. Toss with remaining chick peas, tomatoes and parsley. That's how it's done.

I don't know if I mentioned it but I love Pumpkin

2008-04-15T11:31:00.000-07:00

My, my, wasn't I pleasantly surprised to find THIS in my mailbox this morning. Yes, feed the obsession. It's good.

Stealing and Pizza: A German Tradition!

2008-04-07T13:21:00.000-07:00

I am pretty much a giant control freak. I don't share well in the kitchen and when I have an idea I like it to be done my way. That being said, I don't think that other people have entirely bad ideas. On the contrary, sometimes other people have ideas that I would love to claim. I can't do that, though. I have to give credit where credit is due.
First, head over to Smitten Kitchen and make some pretzels for somebody you love. I used a bottle of beer in place of twelve ounces of the water. I am now , ahem, "required" to make pretzels at least every 2 weeks. I believe the statement went something like this, "I hereby declare that pretzels must be made every two weeks." Hereby....silly husband.
Second, make your way to The Pioneer Woman and make a whole heap of salad. Noodles and tons of veggies all mixed up? If only I could find a way to get chocolate in there. Be warned, this makes a TON of salad so have some friends over. I laced my salad with thinly sliced London broil and called it dinner.
The final idea I stole recently is actually from Kurt. Yes, the husband has a food obsession too. He came up with this idea months ago but it just hadn't happened yet. Last week I took pity on him and gave the guy some man-food. Before you turn up your nose consider what goes on a bratwurst. This is just a different form.

"German" Sausage Pizza (for the husband)
makes 2 small pizzas

One recipe pretzel dough
1 egg beaten, with a little water
Pretzel salt
1/2 pound smoked sausage cut into slices, then quartered*
1 cup sauerkraut, drained
1/2 cup Jarlsberg or other swiss cheese, grated
3-4 oz. grainy mustard (er, I love mustard)
1 tablespoon cornstarch or arrowroot powder
1/3 cup milk

Prepare pretzel dough recipe through rising. Meanwhile, in a small sauce pan whisk together mustard, cornstarch and milk. Bring to a simmer over medium heat until thickened, set aside.
Preheat oven to 450.
Once risen, divide dough in half. On a well floured surface roll out the dough to about 1/2-3/4 inch thick (it will shrink back a little, that's ok). Brush edges of the dough with egg wash and sprinkle lightly with pretzel salt. Place onto a well oiled baking sheet and repeat with your second round of dough. Bake for about 5 minutes. Remove from oven and layer on mustard sauce, sauerkraut, cheese, then sausage. Continue to bake for about 15 minutes. Slice and eat.
*I didn't cut them that small and we decided that smaller pieces would make for a better distribution of flavour.

Frugal Fridays: Pasta Carbonara

2008-04-04T05:24:00.000-07:00

Some days you just need some pasta. Over the last few years pasta has gotten a bad reputation. Well, I'm in love with this "bad boy" of the food world. There are so many new varieties with extra benefits that I just can't find a valid reason to avoid it. If loving pasta is wrong I don't wanna be right.
It can be mixed with nearly anything. It can be part of an appetizer, salad, main course or dessert. It's easy to make for one or fifteen. Let's not forget that fabulous post-carb high (that as part of a well-balanced meal won't leave you crashing later). Simply put: What's not to love? You can make your own or buy it dried. More and more fresh varieties are popping up everyday and since you can mix it with nearly anything it's a fantastic way to sneak a little extra nutrition in on your kids (or whoever it is you need to trick). Depending on which sauce you use it's also a great way to plump up those darn skinny friends.

Frugal Tip: Stock up on dried pasta when you find it on sale. It's a great way to stretch your buck, feed a crowd, cut down on meat (read: expensive) usage and up you veggie intake*. Personally, I get Organic Whole Wheat Pasta at Sunflower market for just $1 a pound.

Pasta Carbonara (adapted from Tyler Florence)
Feeds 6-8 (read:makes a ton!)

1 pound dried, whole wheat lingiune or other long noodle
8 slices bacon, cut into pieces
1 onion chopped
4 eggs
6 tablespoons of cream (I used half an half and just used a little less)
1/3 cup grates parmesan
Freshly cracked black pepper
Red pepper flakes
parsley to garnish.

Start a large pot of water to boil and salt generously.In a large saute pan cook bacon over medium heat until crispy. Remove bacon and set aside. Add onion and saute in bacon drippings until very soft, about 8 minutes. Somewhere in there add the pasta to the water and cook to al dente.
In a large bowl whisk together eggs, cream, onion and bacon. Drain pasta, reserving about a 1/4 cup of water. Place hot pasta and water into bowl and toss to coat with egg mixture. Cover the bowl with a plate or pot lid and let it sit for five minutes. Shhhh. It's cooking the eggs.
Toss with parsely, cracked pepper, salt, red pepper flakes and cheese. That's it, you're done. Go eat!

* Yes, I realize this particular recipe isn't veggie packed. We'll get there another day.

Frugal Fridays: Road Goodies

2008-03-28T12:12:00.000-07:00

Clearly I am tardy but I feel like I have a fairly valid excuse. I was busy. I had no internet access. I was in the middle of no where! Well, I was in the middle of Nevada,Utah and Wyoming which is close enough.
Kurt and I decided that after over a year we should go visit some of our family and friends back in "the old country" . So we packed our bags and hit the road. Only we were a little bit sneaky and left early without telling anyone. So we drove through the night with the baby kicking me in the bladder and causing us to make way more stops than I'd like to admit to. Who knew such a tiny little thing could be so powerful? It was quite a fun adventure, all eighteen hours of it, really.
Luckily, over the last few years I have learned that there will always be certain things that occur when traveling with Kurt. First is that you always travel on the top half of the tank. This is something driven into him by his father. I just figure spending close to $4 a gallon gives Kurt something to do every time I need to stop. Second is that he will rarely let me drive which is likely because I terrify him. He terrifies me too, so prefer to chalk it up to chivalry. Third, is that for reasons I cannot claim to understand he will buy a soda and disgusting snack item and/or candy bar at 75% of the places we get gas. This also translates into mild confusion when I want to stop for an actual meal. I'm a perplexing sort of gal I suppose.
One day I will learn that despite my best efforts Kurt will forever see the grand road trip as a valid reason to fill up on prepackaged goodness. In the meantime, however, I will continue to make road goodies in an effort to only contribute funds to 75% of the gas stations stores we stop at. I figure I'm not only saving a little cash but also saving myself from having to eat that crap.

Frugal Friday Tip: Make a few special treats to take on long car rides. It's a lot cheaper than gas station food and far less questionable. As a bonus when you reach your destination your host can gobble it up to0!

Crunchy Caramel Corn (makes enough to fill my roasting pan)

1 2/3 cups popcorn kernels, popped (this is the amount of kernels, not the end product)
1 cup butter (2 sticks)
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup corn syrup
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda

Pop your corn and place into a roasting pan. Heat oven to 200.
In a medium pot combine butter, sugars, syrup and salt and bring to boil over medium heat. Boil for five minutes. Remove from heat and stir in baking soda.
Pour caramel over popcorn and stir gently to coat. Place into oven. Bake for one hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Transfer to a giant bowl and eat or bag it up for the road.

*Chocolate pretzels are another easy goody to make. I just don't recommend them for summer travel, but they are great at home for game day.

Purely Selfishness,Biscuits

2008-03-12T07:10:00.000-07:00

Sorry about the crappy picture.

I have a confession to make. The primary reason for me posting this recipe today is selfishness. Sure, I'd love to share it with you. I want you to make these for your family and friends. Honestly though, I want to be able to find this recipe when I need it. I usually end up searching through my e-mail box to no avail only to move on to a word program and then to another. Now it's RIGHT HERE. I realize that there are all of five ingredients and I should have it tucked away in my mind by now but it just won't stick. So here I am .

This recipe comes straight out of a cookbook but since I haven't the foggiest idea which one, I'm going to go ahead and post it. It came about one Saturday morning six or seven years ago. I hadn't been living on my own for very long and lived mostly off of doctored up Pasta-Roni. It was cheap but a step above Ramen noodles so I felt pretty good about it. One night a friend of mine came up to spend the night and the next morning we found ourselves craving biscuits. Being of the mindset that cooking was fun (even if we hadn't quite figured it out yet) we decided to make our own rather than investing in the canned kind. On second thought, we probably were just too lazy to go to the store. I think at the time I owned all of one cookbook: The Nestle Tollhouse cookbook. I'd gotten it for my ninth birthday despite my disenchantment at the time the pages were tattered and spattered upon. The book held no biscuit recipe though. So we did what any 18-year-old would: Called MOM! My friend's mother kindly dug through her cookbooks and found this recipe for us. It is incredibly simple, very quick and has been a stand-by for me since that day. While these biscuits aren't as delicate as those with butter carefully cut into them I think that the ease of preparation makes them invaluable. It also makes me a whole lot more likely to actually make them.

Easy Biscuits (from somewhere in Jenee's Mom's cookbook)
Makes about 8 biscuits

1 3/4 cup flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup milk

Preheat the oven to 400.
In a small mixing bowl stir together flour, powder and salt with a fork. Pour in oil and milk and gently stir until combined. Now we have choices...
a) Drop the biscuits about inch apart on a baking sheet or in a baking dish.
b) Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Flour your hands and GENTLY pat the dough into a round that is about 1 1/4 inches thick. Um, they're biscuits, just eye ball it. Cut into rounds (or other shapes if you're fancy) and place onto baking sheet or dish.
Bake for about 10-15 minutes depending on how large you made your biscuits. Serve warm.

Afterthoughts: These are also easy to add things to. You can add 1/3 cup of cheese, a tablespoon of herbs, or if you are making strawberry shortcake:a tablespoon of sugar.

Blueberry Muffins, simple enough

2008-03-10T11:13:00.000-07:00

There are somethings things in life that are great because of one thing: They are simple. Then there are those other things that sound like they should be simple but really now, it's all a lie. Like bread for instance. It seems like one of life's great simple pleasures, just not when I try to make it. Moving is yet another prime example! You take the stuff from house A and put in in boxes. You then transport boxes from house A to house B and viola! You've moved! Only not quite. And gosh darn it the simple thing that has been evading me for years now is blueberry muffins.
As you read this I am sure you are thinking, "I have a great recipe for blueberry muffins! I will give you my recipe! Why didn't you say that you needed a recipe?" I could answer that but it would go delving into a place in my psyche that don't want to go. Let's just say that maybe it's a youngest-child-only-girl-two-year-old regression thing and I like to do it myself. Yes, I gave in and asked my mom for the recipe that my five year old niece says is the best. But that was on a loose piece of paper and I lost it at least three times. Plus, that would be admitting defeat even though the recipe came from a cookbook I gave her so technically I could say I gave her the recipe. Kurt kindly pointed out that his mom had a lovely blueberry muffin recipe. What kind of daughter in law would I look like though if I had to come crawling and begging for recipes? Silly boy. So clearly I'd much rather suffer through some nasty muffins than be a grown up about this all.
Sometimes suffering pays off in the end and being a grown up about my cooking isn't really a goal of mine. Finding a muffin that would make me sad when I realized that I swallowed the last bite is.

Photo disclaimer: I can never ever get a recipe to make 12 muffins or cupcakes or anything really. No, I am not being a pansy muffin cup filler, I just always end up with extra. I suppose if you wanted to you could add the extra batter in the cup and have crazy muffins. I like to play it safe here and just put it in some ramekins on the side. That's why the muffins in the picture look different, the just have bigger cups. Be nice to them, they're tasty.

Buttery Blueberry Muffins

1/2 cup (1 stick) softened butter
scant 1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons sour cream (or plain yogurt)
zest of one lemon*
1 tablespoon vanilla
3/4 cup milk
1 cup flour
3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups blueberries mixed with a bit o' flour(mine happened to be frozen and that was fine)

Preheat the oven to 400.
Cream butter, oil and sugar until it's fluffy. Meanwhile, in a land not so far away, sift together your flours, baking powder and salt and set aside. Add in [to the butter mixture] egg, sour cream, zest and vanilla and mix until well combined. Mix in milk until combined-ish. WARNING: It won't truly combine and is going to look curdled and nasty like below. Don't freak out! Think of those little chunks as pieces of LOVE. When those little bits of butter melt you will dig it.
Add flour mixture into wet ingredients and mix to barely combine. Add in the bluberries and give it a quick stir. Divide into muffins tins and bake for 20 minutes.

*I know you think these will be super lemony but really it just balances out the buttery flavor. Roll with it.

Frugal Fridays: French Onion Soup

2008-03-07T14:00:00.000-08:00

One of my brother's has a financial blog and IMed me this morning about a blog sharing idea he had. So here is the plan: Every, er, some Fridays I will write a post including a money saving kitchen tip and (hopefully) a wallet friendly recipe. The Brother will also post on his blog and everyone can be fat AND have a happy wallet. Here it goes.....

Kurt and I just bought our first home! It's a small condo not too far from where we were renting. We got a great deal on it and we're pretty excited about it. As anyone who has ever moved into something other than a cardboard box knows you (ideally) purchase a particular home because you like it. This is all great until you move in and realize how much more you would like it after you change or add about 53 "little" things. Turns out that a little times 53 equals a lot every time. Here's where it gets a little crazy...
Even though we didn't move very far the dates on our rental and our closing date on the house didn't match up. Fortunately, my brother kindly allowed Kurt and I to stay with him during the in between time. This was great because cardboard boxes don't hold up well in Denver's snow and we also really like his wife and two squids. The down side to that is that most homes don't have room for the food stockpiles of two families. So while pantry items were saved I have to re-build the fresh and frozen section of our kitchen. Can you say cha-ching?

So let's recap: New house+paint+53 "little" things+ empty fridge= happy stores/sad bank account. What's a girl with a new but empty kitchen to do? A few classic and tasty dishes can stretch your buck and please your stomach when it's not quite payday yet. So can some effective planning and budgeting, but that part is on my brother's blog.

Frugal Idea of the Week: Some classic food dishes have stood the test of time because our ancestors had times where supplies were meager. Having a few in your repertoire can save you money and make for a very happy hubby (or whoever you happen to be feeding).

French Onion Soup
Serves two with left overs for lunch

1/4 cup butter (that's a half a stick, Hint: it's cheapest at Costco)
2 yellow onions, sliced (read: cheap kitchen staple)
1 clove of garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 bayleaf
2 tablespoons flour
4 cups beef broth (mine was on sale, bonus!)
2 slices of swiss cheese (Also on sale, dang I'm amazing)
2 slices of bread

In a large Saute pan over medium low heat melt butter and add onions,garlic, thyme and bay leaf. Cook, stirring occasionally for about 30 minutes until very soft and well caramelized. (Note: I am really impatient and suck at this. Wait it out, it's worth it.)
Add flour to onions and continue to stir and cook for about 5 minutes. Slowly stir in the broth. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove bay leaf.
Place a slice of cheese on each piece of bread and place under broiler until the cheese is melted. Pour soup into bowls and top with toasted bread and cheese.

Thoughts: This soup was perfect for the snowy weather and so delicious. It's a well known classic that is nice enough for company and easy to make more of. If you find your self with an excess of these ingredients (say, from an awesome sale you found) make some to freeze for a night when you don't have time to cook.

White Chicken Chili

2008-02-05T16:00:00.000-08:00

Well, it came again. It happens every year whether I like it or not. Despite the fact it would be nearly impossible for me to care any less about the Super Bowl I do feel like it's a perfectly valid reason to eat. With the combined efforts of my sister in law and myself we have successfully avoided half of the game for two years now. Kurt makes chicken wings, or at least tries*. There is chili dip with cream cheese. We women folk do our best to miss the game(and pawn the children off on the men) but do indulge in a few treats. Perhaps it is for that reason we feel the need to contribute a small something to the fatty feast.

Bad Wife White Chicken Chili

2 tablespoons oil (whatever kind you like)
1/2 yellow onion chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 roasted poblano peppers, chopped (or a few cans of diced chilies)
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon of cumin
Tabasco sauce to taste
4 tablespoons of butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups chicken stock
2 cups half &half or milk
2 cups cooked chicken, shredded or in bite size pieces
2 cans of white kidney beans, drained and rinsed
salt and pepper to taste
cheese (jack or cheddar), cilantro, avocado, tortilla strips to garnish

In a large pot or dutch oven saute onions and peppers with oil until softened. Add garlic, saute until fragrant. Add chili, cumin, Tabasco and butter, stir until butter is melted. Stir in flour and cook for about a minute. Slowly stir in chicken stock then half & half until smooth. Bring to a boil and simmer, stirring often, until thickened. Reduce heat and add chicken and beans, cook until warmed through. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve with garnishes and enjoy!

*Bad wife (me) forgot to buy chicken wings at the store during the regularly scheduled shopping trip. I like to think there are two valid reasons for this:
1. Pregnant brain. Don't argue, my hormones may kill you.
2. I was scared. One time I tried to be a good little wifey and buy wings. Did YOU know there are different kinds? You have drumettes, wings, wingettes, and who knows what else. How is a girl who eats all of three tiny wings a year supposed to keep this straight? I can't take the pressure.
because bad wife didn't get wings Kurt had to go get some. So Kurt and the brother headed off to Whole Foods. Kurt feels that Whole Foods has superior quality wings, I wouldn't know. However, at 3 o'clock all the other planning men or those with good wives had already purchased all of the wings. Sad day for Kurt as he would not settle for the inferior grocery store wings and made chicken pieces with special wing sauce instead.

Lentil and Goat Cheee Salad....

2008-01-27T15:05:00.000-08:00

I must admit that my experience with lentils is limited. I have made lentil soup a couple times and a lentil and couscous salad, that's it. So today I got a little wild and picked up some French lentils instead of green lentils. It's possible that I am doing something wrong but the outer layer always peels back on my green lentils and I don't like it. I had much better results with the French lentils.
I have had this idea swimming around in my head for a while but between being sick because of this little miracle and moving it just hasn't happened. So today after church and a trip to Whole Foods I made my way into my brother's kitchen. It feels good to be behind a stove again and using a knife for something other than buttering toast. Maybe next I'll take on red lentils

Lentil and Goat Cheese Salad
2/3 cup french lentils
1/3 cup chopped, dried cranberries (dried cherries would also be good)
1/4 cup roughly chopped, toasted pecans
3 oz. crumbled goat cheese*
2 tablespoons roughly chopped parsley
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

-Rinse lentils and place into simmering water. Cook until tender, about 25 minutes. Drain, and rinse with cold water.

-Meanwhile, chop other ingredients and wait impatiently.

-Gently toss all ingredients in a bowl. Allow to sit for at least 30 minutes for flavours to marry. Enjoy!

*I used a Sin Palhais cheese that was firmer than I expected. Though the flavour was still right I should have spent more time at the cheese counter. You want the cheese to crumble but not "melt" into the salad when it's stirred.

A break from eating....

2007-12-20T09:57:00.000-08:00

I haven't been very good about posting this year. Over the last month or so I have been feeling pretty sick so part of the no postings is the no eating. Hopefully in the next month or so I'll get my food groove back on and get back in the kitchen for more than Cheerios. Happy Holidays!

Anybody have some marshmallows?

2007-11-18T16:41:00.000-08:00

So we decided to take a nap. But oh just kidding. It's hard to go back to sleep when you wake up to this behind your house.....

Only it was ALOT bigger and had a really long snaking tail. I'm not kidding, it was big. Thankfully, all the fireme....er, firepeople, firepersons took care of it rather quickly. The funny thing is I really wanted to go to a BBQ place for dinner where they smoke their own meat! Go firepeople go! You rock!

DANG, I rock at this....

2007-10-25T21:15:00.000-07:00

Not much to say except....
1. Dinner was good.
2. I love tricking Hubby into eating lavender (ooh, aaah, I'm a tricky girl...)
It goes like this:
Fennel Almond Lavender Pork Chops
2 pork chops
+2 tablespoons of fennel + 1 teaspoon dried lavender+1/4 cup almonds+salt+pepper=whirl in the food processor and then coat the chops.
Heat some oil in an oven proff skillet + brown on each side + finish in a 375 oven= good dinner. Happy Hubby, Happy wife. Add wine and World Series. Enjoy!

Stupid Stupid bread....

2007-10-13T20:12:00.000-07:00

What happened? I have had this happen one time before in Nevada and I really don't know why. I FOLLOWED THE RECIPE!!! I put it in the container they wanted. It oozes all over my oven and I mean ALOT! It's not just like it's not quite cooked in the middle. It is RAW and oozes over the sides. Then I have to give up and take it out because it just keeps oozing and makes the oven (and my house) fill with smoke. What gives?
Maybe I need an oven thermometer. However, how can I check that if my oven has no window and you aren't supposed to open the oven when things are baking? I am SO irritated!

Does it get any sweeter???

2007-09-09T14:44:00.000-07:00

Somehow I have been blessed enough to have nine adorable nephews and nieces, each of them sweet in their own way. T will come up out of nowhere with a hug and sweet, "I love you". B is about the sweetest boy I have ever met. C is always ready with a great big smile and I can't believe how much she is growing into a little lady. A somehow comes up with the funniest things and an amazing vocabulary. The first time I ever heard about J someone was telling me how sweet he was and would give great hugs as a baby, he does give great hugs! What can you say about S, he keeps us cracking up. H is such a girl and reminds me of myself as a kid. E is developing into such a sweet silly girl whose goofy smile gets me every time. The other E I have yet to meet but she looks precious! As much as they are all wonderful in there very own way they all have some things in common. Even though they are already sweet they all seem to get a little sweeter when it's time for dessert. And what smart kid isn't?

I can't think of another dessert that reminds me of childhood summers more than roasted marshmallows. I may be well over the ripe age of ten but I till registered for a creme brulee torch so I could have the option of roasting marshamallows on the couch. While these are quite a bit tastier than the "jet-puffed" versions we grew up with rest assured they hve just as much sugar and they melt into a mean smore. And don't be scared, the hardest part is waiting the 12 hours for the fluff to set. Enjoy those sticky-sticky-sticky fingers...

Vanilla Marshmallows
Set 1:
3 envelopes of gelatin
1/2 cup water
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 vanilla bean scraped

Set 2:
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup water
3/4 cup corn syrup
1/3 tsp. salt

*powdered sugar to coat

Line two 8x8 inch pans with parchment and thoroughly coat with oil (this is an important step, you will hate yourself alot of you don't oil well).
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attahment place water and vanilla(s) and sprinkle gelatin over to absorb.
Place set 2 ingredients into a large sauce pan over medium- high heat. Do not stir! Cover and bring to a boil. Uncover and continue to boil until "syrup" reaches soft ball stage. (see notes)
With mixer on medium speed CAREFULLY pour HOT syrup into set 1. Once fully incorporated turn mixer to high and beat until thick and fluffy. Spread into pans with oiled spatula and leave it alone for 10 to 12 hours. (It's painful, I know. You will be rewarded.)
Release onto a cutting board coated with powdered sugar and cut into squares with a well-oiled pizza cutter. Coat all sides in powdered sugar and for goodness sakes eat some!
NOTES: * You can use a candy thermometer or you can drop some into a cup of ice water. If when you pick it up it forms a soft pliable ball-it's ready! I always break thermometers so I had to use water this time. I was terrified but it worked perfectly.
*If you are like me and not playing with things while they cook will likely induce sudden death you have two options: You may GENTLY swirl the pan or brush the sides of the pan with water.

Pretty Burgers and a White Trash Classic

2007-07-01T15:07:00.000-07:00

I like to consider myself an equal opportunity eater. While I may not be open to ALL things as I am sure I have stated in the past, I do generally like food. Over the last few months of insanity I have even come to appreciate (gasp) Rachael Ray (jaw drop). I have come to appreciate things on more of a simple side. Don't start jumping to conclusions. I still can't eat anything but ice cream from a certain un-named fast food joint that is compelled to add "Mick" to everything they make. This probably stems in part from a high school friend telling me that their burgers were made from a certain unmentionable part of the female cow. The other part I am sure stems from an embarrassing moment that is forever ingrained in my mind.
My small six year feet shuffled up to the counter and I gazed up at the Wendy's employee. I knew I had just one chance and then my dinner fate would be sealed. Usually I went with a baked potato, I love potatoes. Tonight I decided on something different. "Chicken McNuggets Please." (Didn't I have good manners?) This is the point at which things went sour. The star quality, highly trained employee looked at me and simply stated, "We don't have chicken Mcnugggets." I started to panic. What should I get? Eventually, my parents helped me get some hicken nuggets and it worked out ok. I haven't starved yet. There are still a few things that puzzle me about this whole senario. First, I didn't go to McDonalds much as a child so I don't know why i thought they were "Mick". Was the person behind the couner to "rewarded" (ahem) that they couldn't just push the nuggets button. Would that have been hard? Did he have to screw up some kid who was just trying to get some dinner?
So what's a girl to do when you need dinner quickly? I made these delicoius turkey burgers and who can resist tater tots? Don't turn your nose up at ground turkey! It can be moist and flavorful when properly cooked.

Turkey Island Burgers (for two)

1/2 pound lean ground turkey
4 slices of pineapple
4 slices of tomato
2 thick slices of purple onion
1 tabelspoon mayonaise
1 tablespoon yogurt
2 tablespoons pineapple juice
1/8 teaspoon each chili powder and tarragon
pinch of sugar
Salt and Pepper to taste

Pretty simple. Just make the burgers and season with salt and pepper. Grill along side the pineapple slices. Stack with Burgers with pineapple, onion and tomato. Stir together mayo, yogurt, juice, spices and sugar. Spoon sauce over burgers and toss some tots on the plate!

A quieter kitchen.

2007-06-17T13:59:00.000-07:00

I must admit that over the last few months our kitchen has become strangely quiet. While that doesn't seem to mean it's any neater the meals that come out of it have much less ceremony. Some nights dinner is a salad, not because I am trying to be healthy but because it doesn't require me to cook. Other nights I gaze sweetly into Kurt's beautiful blue eyes and he knows exactly what I mean: If either of us are going to eat dinner, he will be cooking. Luckily, Kurt is actually a really good cook and has been honing his skills at cooking healthfully.
Despite the fact that school has taken up quite a bit of time and the grocery list has become more basic, I am still eager to jump on the occasional cooking adventure.
We managed to try our hand at sushi. Alton Brown's ( I heart Alton) recipe for sushi rice has quite a bit of flavour and we get to have sushi more than four times a year. I suppose we should work on perfecting our rolling technique but it seems to disappear so quickly that it needn't be too sturdy. But since I eat mostly veggie rolls I also have a delightful new lunch companion
I made a lovely discovery in black bean soup. For some reason I was resistant. I am so glad that I gave in and found a really quick and easy protein-filled meal.

Last weekend I tried my hand at something that has oddly intimidated me for quite some time. I made pretzels! For some reason boiling dough scared the crap out of me. Gladly, I learned that it was quite simple. The only problem is that we've eaten them all and now I want more. (Don't worry, we had help eating them!) I can't wait to try adding new spices and toppings, I am thinking fennel seed...

Pretzel's (adapted from Williams-Sonoma Kids Baking)

1 1/2 cups ap flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat white flour (I used King Arthur's)
1 pkg. or equivalent of yeast
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup warm water (between 115-125 degrees)
3 tablespoons vegetable oil plus more for the bowl
2 tablespoons baking soda
melted butter for brushing
coarse salt for sprinkling

In the bowl of a stand mixer with the dough hook place yeast, salt and flour and stir to combine. Pour in warm water, oil and honey and stir to combine. Allow the dough hook to knead the dough until it is smooth. (I turned mine out at the end and kneaded a couple times by hand just to be sure.)
Wipe the bowl to clean flour and coat bowl with 1 teaspoon of oil. Place dough into bowl and turn to coat. Cover and allow to rise until doubled about 45 minutes.
Cover two baking sheets with parchment paper. Turn out dough and divide into 10 pieces. Roll each piece to about 20 inches long. Form an oval and twist to form a classic pretzel shape. Divide between baking sheets and loosely cover. Allow to rise a second time for about 20 minutes.
Preheat oven to 450 and bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Stir in baking soda.
Lower a pretzel into the water and boil for about 30 seconds, flip over and cook for another 30 seconds. Remove from water and place onto baking sheet. Brush lightly with butter and sprinkle with salt*. Repeat with all other pretzels.
Bake for 11-15 minutes. Remove to wrack to cool and bake other sheet.

Next I want to try working ground fennel seeds into the dough or for a sweet treat you could sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Enjoy!
* If you plan to store the pretzels the salt will absorb into them. As an alternative leave the salt off. Just before eating you can spray or brush with some water, sprinkle with salt and warm in the toaster.

The Next Big Thing

2007-03-04T15:49:00.000-08:00

"Certain people" seem to be addicted to caffeine. "Certain people" have to have it every morning. "Certain people" would just assume they be hooked up to an IV. Personally, needles freak me out but, I do love to mix unexpected flavors. And what better way to counter-act that post-dinner food comma than to mix a legal addictive stimulant right in there.
Since I have gotten over my fear/hatred of pot roast I have pretty much played it safe. I repeatedly used the old standby with wine and mushrooms. I will admit that given my initial trepidation I felt that it was ok to rest on my previous achievement. After all, wasn't that stretching enough. That was until one day, when my Mom sent me home with her past issues of Gourmet since I eyeballed them with every visit.
I got home and jumped right in. Hot dang! I needed to try that. And try I did, surprisingly with little modification.

Coffee Orange Pot Roast
(slightly modified from Gourmet)

2 lbs. beef chuck roast
1 tablespoon oil
1 small onion
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1 1/2 cups strong coffee
1 whole cinnamon stick
3 strips of orange peel (about the size of your thumb)
1 vanilla bean, split (optional)
3 tablespoons of brown sugar
salt and pepper

Place oil in a medium sized pot over medium heat. Add onion and saute until translucent. Add garlic and saute about one minute. Add coffee through brown sugar and cook until sugar is dissolved.
Season beef generously with salt and pepper. Place into crockpot ("slowcooker") and pour sauce and spices over beef. Cook until it's time for dinner.*

*Sauce can be made ahead and kept in the refrigerator. No need to heat, just pour it over the beef and turn on the crockpot("slowcooker").

Technical issues

2007-03-04T15:30:00.000-08:00

I am having some technical issues posting on the post below. We hosted a five course Valentines dinner and it all went perfectly. I am PLANNING to share more on that as well as some recipes I used. Hopefully it won't be too terribly long.
On a side note: Blogger somehow flagged my blog as a spam site. How rude!

New Friends

2007-01-28T20:29:00.000-08:00

When moving to a new city there are pros and cons. I suppose if one decides to move to said city they have decided that the pros outweigh the cons. See?
Such would be true in our case. Despite the seemingly unending snow this winter I am loving it here! There are actually places to shop, not that I have any money now that I am in school. There are tons of options for weekend adventures. There a lots of people that are "potential friends". We have been fortunate enough to have found a church within short order. So a few weeks ago we had a few couples over for lunch.
Over and over I have heard that when entertaining you should use recipes that are familiar and you have made before. Someone said that your guests are just that, guests, not guinea pigs. Now what fun would that be?? I figure it's not a total disaster unless they actually turn into guinea pigs.

Green Bean and Potato Salad with Mustard and Herbs

1 1/2 pounds fresh green beans, washed and trimmed
2 pounds whole fingerling potatoes or waxy flesh potatoes cut into wedges
1/4 cup chopped fresh herbs (I used parsley and rosemary)
1/3 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons grainy mustard
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 generous tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons finely minced shallots
salt and pepper to taste

Blanch green beans in a large pot of salted boiling water until crisp-tender. Stop cooking process by placing into an ice bath. Using the same water (unless you really want to change it) boil potatoes until tender but firm. (You want them cooked through but you don't want them to fall apart when you toss the salad.)
Combine cooked beans and potatoes in a large bowl. In a small bowl combine all other ingredients. Toss dressing with beans and potatoes.
Salad may be served at room temperature but I prefer it slightly chilled. Eat it with some new friends.

Resolutions...

2007-01-28T20:01:00.000-08:00

New Year's resolutions. Some people make them every year to break them. Some vow to create a new positive habit while others have every intention of breaking bad ones. Do more of one thing and less of another. Every year it seems the number one resolution is to lose weight. The problem? Around February it always seems to find everyone again.
This year, why not try something attainable? A friend of ours brilliantly declared that this year she would gain thirty pounds. Now there is something I can work with! Why slave over the treadmill getting all sweaty when you could nosh on something delightful? Why listen to a personal trainer yell at you to push on when you could tell a waiter just what you want?
Without even knowing it I made this my resolution, too! You see, for Christmas I gifted Kurt with a new (bigger) deep fryer. Nothing says, "Happy Birthday Jesus!" like hot grease. To add to that Kurt has developed a liking for the food fixings of Bobby Flay, or "The Flayster" as he is affectionately referred to in our house. He plays with meat and fire, I should have known!
All in all things have been looking a little messy but delicious in our kitchen.

Philly Cheesesteak with Provolone Sauce

Unleashed

2007-01-05T17:11:00.000-08:00

Christmas involves a lot of things...In reality Christmas is about celebrating the birth of Christ and that truly is where our focus should be. Somehow, in our extraordinarily human way we have turned it into a day (or season) of gluttony. Different groups of people have different ways of indulging. Some choose to go into debt , filling their home with stuff. Others put on a disgusting number of lights in an effort to make their neighbors ashamed. This year, we went the food route.
Certain family members seem to know just how to stroke my ego... Ask me to make a specific dessert. How can one refuse when being so kindly complemented. Our original plan was to be in Nevada. The original dessert request involved me making the dessert and leaving it with the Colorado gang. At the last minute, due to some less than friendly weather, we decided it would be safer for us to stay here. So the dessert was made and we got to partake.
There was hardly room after the massive amount of food we had but, it's a holiday. It doesn't count. For six adults and two small children we had: cheese dip, artichoke spinach dip, three cheese balls, olives, baked brie, salad, mashed potatoes, baked sweet potatoes, rolls, a smoked turkey (good job Randy), a ham, roasted brussel sprouts, rolls, gravy, corn bread stuffing, rice stuffing, cranberry sauce, carrot souffle, green beans, pumpkin pie, chocolate orange tartlets, and peanut butter chocolate cheesecake. Yeah, there were some left overs.

Cheesecake

3 lbs. cream cheese (that's 6 of those little packages or one big package from your local warehouse club)
1 1/2 cups sugar
scant 1/2 cup hazelnut syrup (like Torani)
1/3 cup flour
1/2 cup cream
1/3 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
4 eggs, gently stirred
your favorite crust, I like a vanilla cookie crust.

I would not recommend attempting this without a very strong stand mixer...Allow all ingredients to stand until they reach room temperature. ( This will make your cheesecake easier to mix and also prettier.) Place sugar, syrup and cream cheese into bowl of mixer and combine on low speed until well mixed and slightly fluffy. Add in flour and mix to just combine. Add cream, sour cream and vanilla and mix to combine, scraping down bowl as needed. Add in the egg a little at a time on a low speed. Mix completely between additions, scrape down bowl between additions.
Preheat oven to 350. Wrap a 9 inch spring form pan (with crust ready) in two layers of foil and place into a roasting pan. Fill spring form pan with filling and spread evenly. Pour boiling water into roasting pan about half way up spring form pan. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 325 and bake for an additional hour** until just set in the center. Turn off oven but leave cheesecake in the oven. Open the oven door slightly and allow cheesecake to cool. Once cool, refrigerate over night. **This time is for a higher altitude, places closer to sea level will likely require less time.
Eat it with your friends!

Booneville

2007-01-04T17:01:00.000-08:00

A while ago, before the madness of moving set in, I made a weekend trip to do something important. I went to visit my Grandma and Grandpa. My Grandparents are lucky enough to live in beautiful Northern California. They moved there in the 60s when the valley was still mostly empty hillsides. Over the years the sleepy little area that I was born in has begun to evolve into a charming and quirky collection of long-time residents, hippies, and winery yuppies. While many of the changes are things that evoke frustration from my Grandparents I must admit that I always feel like I have a passport to an unknown land. It seems every time I go there is a new winery hiding around the next bend. A new family story just begs to be told. The morning fog lifts to reveal rollings hills. I always seem to sleep far longer than I expect. Most of all I always seem to treasure the time with my grandparents a little more than I planned. But what harm could there be in enjoying a little culinary indulgence along the way....
Lucky for me, the road to Grandma's house does go over the river and the woods, but more importantly to me, it goes through Sonoma. As part of my trip I had planned to stop at The Girl and The Fig for dinner. I had promised myself a cheese course and was really looking forward to it. I arrived to find a bustling atmosphere, just as I expected for a Friday night. Since I wasn't sure quite when I would arrive I had been unable to make reservations (and would feel bad taking a table on Friday night for one) so gladly slid onto a barstool. The rich woods and happy chatter that filled the room were a nice alterative to the crisp night air and winding roads. I three cheeses. I decided on a goat(Cypress Grove Bermuda Triangle), cow (Bethmale), and a gazed at the cocktail menu but decided on sparkling water with lime since the worst part of the road was yet to come. Once I had decided on my cheese course the bartender helped me select sheep (Roquefort Coulet) cheese. I have to admit that I was a bit nervous about the Roquefort. I typically think of blue cheeses as something to compliment other things rather than for just eating.
While waiting for my cheese plate I continued to peruse the drink menu. The bartender asked if I wanted one but, I explained that I was on the road. He kindly made me a baby Cucumber Cosmo so that I could safely enjoy. I have never actually had a cosmo before because I was embarrassed to order one. They always seemed like something people who don't know any drinks would get. A little TOO girly?? The cucumber was just different enough. It was refreshing without being too sweet. Tangy but light.
As you can see, my cheese plate (TheWorks) came with much more than just cheese. It came with the following: Fig Cake, Dried Fig compote, caperberries, two cured meats, mustard, candy-kissed nuts, baguette, pear, fig and olives. I was amazed at how well the accompaniments complimented the cheese. Each cheese was a unique experience. I was quite wrong about the Roquefort-It's delightful! I even purchased some to take home. I couldn't finish it all but was glad to take it with me. Although it is a much longer (and likely less often) trip now, I can't wait to go back again.
I spent the following day at my Grandparents enormous kitchen table listening to my Grandma tell stories and loving every moment of it. There is something so soothing about a cup of tea at that worn table where so much has been generously shared. That night my Grandpa suggested we head over to Mendocino for dinner. We wound around to the wharf and parked in front of an odd looking place. "Chapter Moon" Yeah, it's Mendocino. I was a bit weary but I was being treated so what could I say. We sat down and were presented with THICK slices of bread and butter. Grandma and Grandpa each ordered soup and salad. The soup arrived and I was seriously impressed by how silky the potato soup was without being overly creamy. Next came the salad. Each indivual salad was presented in the bottom of a giant wooden bowl. How fun! I had ordered chicken and dumplings. The broth was incredibly rich and the deep flavor of the vegetables was amazing. So while the service was a little off, I keep finding myself longing for that chicken and dumplings.
No dinner with Grandpa is complete without ice cream. Growing up it usually consisted of him stealing my ice cream while distracting me with the "spider in the corner."
So we headed to Cowlick's in Fort Bragg. Grandpa and I dug into the ginger ice cream and I even managed to steal a little of his this time.
Now that we're in Colorado, trips to Grandma and Grandpa's will be a treat. A treat I am certainly looking forward to.
***By the way: I received the Girl and the Fig cookbook for Christmas. I love it and I can't wait to try some new recipes!

Next Year

2006-12-22T20:48:00.000-08:00

Well, this year's holiday feast has already been planned and purchased, so it's too late for this year. Next year though, I know what I am serving for Christmas! Oh yes, and it will be grand!

Step outiside the box...

2006-12-14T12:13:00.000-08:00

This morning, my brother had a less than pleasing experience at a certain well-know corporate coffee giant. Now, I am not here to bash. Said corporation treated my well and paid my bills for three and a half years. I think they are a good company with a quality product (even if it's not your favorite.). I also happen to know that said coffee giant actually prides itself on good customer service. The only problem with that is you can train people all you want but, you still are depending on people. Anyway....After reading my brother's blog post I decided I would give something a little try. It was partially an excuse for me to go buy some deliciously over priced coffee and partially out of curiousity.
My brother was offended by the strange reaction he got after ordering a pumpkin spice mocha. Is it a lot of sugar? Yes. However, when compared to the wildly popular Caramel Macchiato it's really not too bad. Perhaps they were put-out by the idea of combining chocolate and pumpkin. I would readily refute this as well. I love that particular combo.
So this morning I ordered myself a Pumpkin Spice Mocha. I did ask for less syrup than normal. I didn't receive any adverse reaction. It actually seemed to confuse the gal more when I asked for 2% milk rather than whole. So I sat and waited for my drink. Very quickly a drink quite similar to the one I had ordered was called. "What a co-inky-dink. " I thought to my self. I sat and waited. Another drink was called and the gal told me that the afore mentioned (similar) drink was for me. "Peppermint Mocha" I then told her it was supposed to be Pumpkin and she kindly and quickly made me a new, correct, drink.
Now, I was not treated poorly. The mistake was quickly corrected in a pleasant manner. However, as my brother pointed out, this is a compnay that prides itself on customers being able to customize. So partners should be ready to think outside the box.
Second, this all could have been avoided had the partner working the register followed policy by repeating my drink back to me.
By the way, if anyone wants to buy me an Espresso Machine: I'm cool with that.

We're home!

2006-12-08T20:11:00.000-08:00

There have been a lot of boxes sacrificed. More gasoline than I care to mention has been burned up. I just tracked down my mortar and pestle in a box with a camera and some towels. But best of all, I got a new kitchen!!! After eating a disturbing amount of Taco Bell I am cooking again! Chicken and Dumplings were a welcome respite after some long days of driving and unpacking...More to come.

The thyme is fast approaching...

2006-11-10T21:02:00.000-08:00

Since I have come to the conclusion that there are, in fact, at least four people who aren't related to me that read this blog I think I have some explaining to do. I am not trying to say that I blog on a regular basis. Who would I be kidding? But things will likely be a little extra quiet around here for the next few weeks.
It's not the holiday rush making me nervous. It's not that I have suddenly become wildly popular and can't fit in blogging between my TV appearances. As far as I am concerned, it's better. I AM MOVING!!! To some people that is not a good thing ( ahem, you know who you are.) To me, however, it's great! I actually love moving. Maybe not the process of packing everything up, although on the bright side it does force me to de-clutter. Maybe not the cleaning of the old place and subsequent cleaning of the new (other people's dirt is scarier than your own). I still haven't found my duvet cover from the last move....I have to say though, I love it! I love starting over. I love setting up. I love the newness. I love meeting new people and exploring unknown places. Even some of the getting lost gives me a thrill. There is certain triumph in manuevering through an unknown land and not getting lost. There is also Whole Foods and better restaurants than the Olive Garden and real malls!
There will be fun new things to do and learn in Colorado. While baking won't get any easier, finding ingredients will. So once we are set up, things should liven up here again. And if your passing through Denver, drop me a line-we'll do lunch! Three weeks from today!

Christmas List

2006-09-26T12:36:00.000-07:00

Because people are simply dying to know...

1 lb. Mixed, Dried, Wild Mushrooms, (fungus amongus)

Fleur De Sel (penzey's )

Roasting Pan

pasta Drier

Martini Glasses (ship to Denver) Peir 1

China Spoons (the soup spoons they use at Asian restaurants, white please) one dozen

Sunday Suppers at Luques, By Suzanne Goin

The Girl & The Fig Cookbook

Cayenne Danskos for school-How practical =)

Party Guests

2006-09-17T16:16:00.000-07:00

Social dynamics are a fascinating thing. Sadly, I think the better part of my generation has very poor social skills. Fortunately for me, I am lucky enough to have made friends outside my "generation". A while ago Kurt and I were invited to a dinner party by some friends that, shall we say, out-rank us. We were by far the youngest of the group, composed mostly of retired couples. You know what? It was the most fun I have had in a while. Nobody hid in a corner because they felt awkward. Nobody was excluded from conversation. Everyone had some fun story to share. There were tales of love, and travel and loss. We all laughed together. Kurt and I had never before met most of the people their and yet it was comfortable. The evening was wonderful. I went home with a full belly and a glad heart (along with a little cake and some salad).

Crostini with Peppered Goat Cheese and Dandelion Greens

12 rounds of a baguette, toasted with olive oil
4 oz. peppered chevre, sliced into 12 rounds
6 or 7 dandelion leaves, cleaned and roughly chopped
1 tablespoon macadamia nut oil
2 tablespoons Blood Orange vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
Pinch of sugar

Top each toast with a round of goat cheese.
In a small bowl, whisk together oil, vinegar, sugar and S&P. Toss with greens.
Top each round of cheese with greens and arrange on platter.

White Bean Crostini with Truffle Oil

12 rounds of baguette, toasted with oil
1/2 can white beans, drained and thoroughly rinsed
1 large clove of garlic, peeled
2 tablespoons white truffle oil, plus more for drizzling
Freshly ground pepper

Rub each piece of baguette with the piece of garlic, set aside
In the bowl of a food precessor, puree beans for 30 seconds. Slowly add oil and continue to process until smooth.
Generously spread the bean puree onto each toast and top with fresh pepper.

Single Girl Salmon

2006-09-13T11:51:00.000-07:00

In Cooking for Mr. Latte Amanda talks about one of her last evenings home alone. She discusses the eating habits we have in private. Each person seems to have their own ritual that we keep to ourselves, silently relishing every minute. For me, it's not so much that my "single girl" evenings alone are all that infrequent but more that the times I am actually home are rare. It seems there is always some errand to run or person to meet. But the times when I am home, just me, are treasured. Don't get me wrong. I miss Kurt. (His schedule really sucks.) But I am an introvert with only occasional extrovert cravings. I am usually quite content to withdraw into my home and not have human contact. I like being with: ME. It's not that I think I am so great. It's just that the times alone are simple and unperplexing. I am not trying to say the right thing, or make anyone laugh, or not say the wrong thing, I just AM. I get along with myself so well.
My solo meals are not usually complicated. They are not even neccesarily something one would consider indulgent. But they are just what I want. I get to immerse myself in the kinds of food I crave. This usually means easy food with clean flavours, heavily based in veggies. It's not fancy but it's food that Kurt wouldn't really go for. I get to make my selfish food. It's food that I could only also make if some one (not family, because they might tell me if it's icky.) else were over for dinner. Then everyone is required to gush and ask when I am opening a restaurant. I smile sheepishly, but for tonight I am only cooking for one.

Spinach and Feta Dumplings ( not really a recipe, but hey)

round goyza wrappers
fresh spinach (maybe just wait till this E. Coli mess is cleared up)
crumbled feta cheese
minced garlic
yummy olive oil
s and p

Steam spinach in a small pan with lid on. Stir in cheese and garlic.
Using a small amount of water moisten the rim of the goyza wrapper. Place a scant tablespoon of spinach mixture on wrapper and press edges together to seal. Repeat until filling is used. Reserving any juices that remain in the pan.
Lower dumplings into simmering water. Cook for about two minutes, stirring once. Remove dumplings from water and plate onto plate. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Enjoy!

Ginger Carrot Soup with Saffron Rice

1 cup carrots
1 1/2 cups chicken broth (more if you like a thinner soup)
1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
2 tabelspoons cream
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 cup rice prepared according to package diections plus 1/2 teaspoon saffron

Place the carrots, broth and ginger in a small sauce pand simmer, covered until very soft.
add honey and cream to carrot mixture and puree. Top with rice and eat while wearing the comfy pants you would never be seen in.

Panzanegga

2006-09-01T12:36:00.000-07:00

Breakfast is always one of those things that creates an issue for me. I eat it eaveryday but somehow it still leaves me puzzled. I think part of it is that we, as a society, have decided that certain foods are for breakfast. Thus creating a whole category of foods supposedly outlawed until 10 am. The breakfast category also includes a number of foods that are a gastly way to begin the day. Sausage and bacon are such a sorry excuse for protein I am not sure why they are even on the list. Let's be honest (just for a quick second, then we can all go back to decieving ourselves) and admit that they likely contain a higher level of fat than meat; perhaps if we were generous we could say equal parts. Pancakes and waffles are lovely little bites, but leave me feeling like I have a large boulder sitting in my stomach and causing my blood sugar to plumit so fast that it would have been better if I hadn't eaten. I could go on, but that would be terribly negative and depressing.
On top of the predetermined foods that are outlawed, breakfast must also fit into other perameters. It must take no longer than 5 minutes to make, start to finish. It also must be something I can eat while running around trying to find shoes and eyeliner. (I know, I should sit down. I just value sleep more than a seated breakfast. I have priorities at 6:30 in the morning!) So what can I eat that I can preferably stick in a bowl because I probably have hair gel on my hands and things slide off a plate as I run up and down the stairs? Oh yeah, and I don't want something sweet. The other morning I stood at the counter, starring down the options when this formulated....

Panzanegga (like bread salad, all breakfasty-like)
serves 1

1 egg
2 tablespoons rosemary oil*
6 fresh sage leaves, chopped
1/4 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
10 yellow pear tomatoes, sliced in half
1 tablespoom balsamic vinegar
1 dinner roll or slice of bread, cut into cubes
1 slice of ham, cut up into bits
S & P to taste

On a piece of aluminum foil (b/c I also don't want to wash more dishes in the morning) toss together everything but egg and ham. Place into a 450 oven until the bread is golden.
Meanwhile, fry the egg in a non stick skillet. When you remove the cooked egg, place into bowl and cut up into pieces. Place ham into the skillet to get warm.
Remove the bread mixture from the oven and toss with eggs, toss in ham. Hey! It's breakfast!
Don't forget to turn off the stove and oven in your morning delirium...

*To make rosemary oil: Place a few sprigs of fresh rosemary in some canola oil and let it sit for a few days. Take out the rosemary and start cooking.

Cooking for Mr. Latte

2006-08-29T11:59:00.000-07:00

It's a funny thing to watch people's reactions. As I have gotten older I find myself watching people more and more. I am beginning to make sense of all the times my parents told me my brother beat me up for the reaction. They can be terribly amusing. I have heard in Europe the new thing is called "happy slapping". Here is the set-up: people slap unsuspecting strangers while a friend uses a camera phone to catch their reaction.
Lately, I have taken to observing reaction to something less likely to get me a law suit. Cooking seems to provide an interesting array of responses. Some people are dumb-founded, seemingly unable to comprehend why one would subject themselves to such kitchen torchure. Others become very excited by the idea, instantly planning a way to get food from you. Some are happy to join in at which point on-lookers are terrified by the conversation that ensues. Reading about food provides a whole new set of fun. When reading a cookbook people seem quite content to assume you are looking for a particular recipe. They are quick to decide you will be cooking said recipe soon or to suggest one they think you ought to cook, for them. If they really knew me at all they would know that I find it frustrating to cook from a recipe and am mearly reading the cookbook for it's entertainment value.
I just finished reading "Cooking for Mr. Latte". I have now discovered another reactionary marvel. Reading a book about food, that's not a cookbook or nutritionally based is, to me, delightful. Trying to explain that to other people, well...It's about food. It's about relationship. It's about people. It's about finding comfort in the kitchen, but not comfort food. I highly recommend it. Read it: It'll confuse people.

Earth Fare

2006-08-24T21:46:00.000-07:00

Sage, oh sage. How do I love thee. Let me count the ways.
My love afair with sage began on our honey moon. It wasn't that I got over Kurt that quickly, it was just 3 or 4 days into our marriage. He was just busy with a little fling with some pancetta...
We were strolling down the boardwalk, hand in hand. Gazing dreamily into shop windows and one anothers eye's. The time passed all too quickly, as time seems to do on vacation, and soon we found ourself in search of food. It really quite happened by chance that we stumbled upon the best food I have eaten to date. As we meandered past the glass shop I spotted (yes, I am taking the credit) a little restaurant hidden in the corner behind some greenery. We figured it was as good a chance as any. We sat on the patio in the perfect Santa Cruz evening, listening to the songs of the birds and enjoying the stillness of being alone after months of planning. Our hands continued to meet, not in sweet embrace, but as we soaked up olive oil and balsamic with soft bread. That night, Kurt had pancetta wrapped chicken stuffed with Gorgonzola in an apple-white wine sauce. I slowly took in the warmth and delight of my pumpkin stuff crepes with sage brown butter. The soft, pillowy pumpkin was perfectly enveloped in the tender crepe and surrouded the sweet saltiness of the browned butter. Atop rested perfectly crisp sage leaves. The combination was perfect and I was careful to evenly distribute the crisp leaves among each divine bite. Thus began my love. We rounded out the evening with something chocolate and promised to name a child after our waitress (who's name I no longer recall) and yet what lingers in my mind is the sage.

Though summer is drawing to a close, pumpkins aren't yet rolling into the markets. I must, therefore, indulge my passion in other ways. Luckily, I was recently gifted with some fresh sage...It's still just as divine.
Pasta with Caramelized Mushrooms and Crispy Sage

Enough pasta for two people ( I used linguine)
1/2 pound, crimini mushrooms, cleaned and quartered
12 sage leaves
3 tablespoons good olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
Gorgonzola cheese (as much as you like)
Sea Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper to taste

Boil pasta in salted water until done to your desired tenderness.
While the pasta is cooking, in a small sauce pan, bring the vinegar to a boil and cook intil reduced to 1/4 of a cup.
Melt butter and oil in a large saute pan. When hot, add the sage leaves and cook for 30 seconds. Toss in mushrooms and continue to saute until caramelized, about 5 minutes.
Place cooked pasta on the plate and top with mushrooms. Drizzle with balsamic reduction and arrange crisped sage leaves. Sprinkle with gorgonzola, and a bit of salt and pepper. Enjoy!

This is a simple meal, but provides enough bold flavours to stand on it's own.

Bonnie Bray's

2006-08-14T13:01:00.000-07:00

This ice cream is approved by God. I think He actually comes to the shop and makes it everyday. I want to go to the shop and eat it everyday. (Actually it's just Kosher)
About a month ago Kurt and I ventured to Denver. The original purpose of the trip was to be a last excursion before I started school, until that all changed. We had a great week of running around like crazy people and having lots of fun. We went to the museum and zoo and a Rockies game. Kurt declared that I ought to blog the Hot Dogs sold at the stadium. That will have to come later. I even got to tour the Aveda Institute there! All I can say is :wow! Amidst all the madness we managed at one point sneak away for an evening. We tucked Brennan into bed and went out on a date. (Don't worry, my parents were still at the house with him.)
Jessica had talked up Bonnie Bray Ice Cream so we decided that would be a good place to go. I must admit, whenever people rave about food I try to lower my expectations to avoid dissapointment. We arrived at the classic looking ice parlor, which was across from Bonnie Bray Cafe, next to Bonnie Bray Liquor, and two doors down from Bonnie Bray Dry Cleaning. I still don't know who Bonnie Bray is. But she makes the best ice cream I have EVER had. And I have had some ice cream.

B to the Third Power

2006-07-28T19:36:00.000-07:00

Somehow Bobbie, found it. She then passed it on to Bonnie. I then begged it off of her. It always amuses me how recipes seem to trickle down. Nobody really seems to know quite where it all started. Many simply default to the "It was my Grandma's Recipe" category. No matter what it is or where is came from the important thing is to give credit where credit is due. Thank you Bobbie, and Bonnie.
I never really liked carrot cake. Somebody always seemed to be trying to add something that just was too much. Pineapple, nuts, gag, raisins. Then there was the never quite right frosting that was sticky sweet or all-together too tangy. I tried to politely decline that evening but sugar is the drug of choice for this family so that didn't go over well. I looked at my plate, starring down at the thing before me in fear. Here it goes again. It actually tasted ok. I took another bite. What was this strange thing happening. I was eating carrot cake and liking it. Months had past with little thought until a craving rolled by one day. I had to have more. So I made the cake and there it sat in the fridge, calling me. Only my Mom and I could eat it. Hmm, I always wondered why I gained ten pounds while I lived in Denver. Since it tends to diminish my will power I tucked the recipe away and ignored it. Then Kurt started using "suggestive language". If you are known to cook, you know what I mean. They won't come out and ask for it. They just mention that it's good. They talk "about" the food. Then they suck you in, "Wouldn't you like to have that?" It's such a dirty trick. Mean, mean, mean.

Bobbie's (Bonnie's( (Becky's) Carrot Cake

Grease and flour 2, 9-inch cake pans. Line bottom of pans with parchment or paper grocery sack rounds. Grease and flour the paper, too. Preheat oven to 350.

Mix in a medium bowl:

2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 tablespoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger

Mix in a large bowl:

1 & 1/2 cups oil
4 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla
3 cups peeled, grated carrots

Slowly mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients until just combined.
Divide batter into the two, prepared pans. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Cool on wire wracks. When completely cool frost cakes with frosting below.

Frosting:
Whip together with and electric mixer (just watch that powdered sugar):

2 sticks butter
2 8 oz. packages low-fat cream cheese (cause it makes me feel better about it, ok?)
1 box powdered sugar (I use a little less)
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla

Because I can't stand that Rachel Ray Girl

2006-07-12T14:52:00.000-07:00

Every now and then I happen upon a cookbook that I need. Well, of course, I need them all. Well, most of them. I don't need Rachel Ray. I've got something better. Something that doesn't require me to talk in a brash voice and run from the fridge to the counter with a pile of conveniently pre-cut veggies. It also doesn't repeat incesently that it doesn't bake! It was up by the magazines in the grocery store. You know, one of those items they make feel like you should buy because you read it in line. Besides, $3.75 for a copy of SELF makes you feel like you are empowered with vast fitness and beauty knowledge plus, there's turn-on tricks on page 38. Really though, I'm a sucker for Real Simple. I picked up the soft-covered collection and began perusing recipes. It wasn't earth shattering, but in a way it was. Good, simple, delicious food for those nights when inspiration doesn't come. (Well, your inspired by Rocky Road and some Jelly Bellies mixed with popcorn but who wants to admit that was dinner.) It wasn't trying to be hip, just real. That's when I saw pure genius. Cheater-pants lasagna! I need this book. Instead of layering hot noodles with goopey ricotta they just use ravioli! See, I told you it was smart. I didn't even burn my fingers...Yum-O!

Ravioli Lasagna (adapted from Real Simple)

One recipe perfect tomato sauce plus 1/3 cup cream
1 10 oz. package chopped, frozen spinach. Thawed, and drained
1 25 oz. package cheese ravioli (give or take) Still frozen!! It's magic!
8 oz. shredded mozzerella
1/2 lb. or so Italina sausage (more if you like a lot of meat)
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Layer in 13x9 baking dish starting with sauce. It goes like this: Sauce, Ravioli, Spinach, Mozzerella Cheese, Sausage, Repeat! When all that fun is done you top the last layer of noodles the last bit of sauce and all the cheese you have left.
Then you cook it till it's hot and yummy. (Covered at 375 for 35 minutes, uncover and cook for addtional 10 minutes)

How mad am I....

2006-07-06T17:33:00.000-07:00

I hit the wrong button. Poop! Well, I wanted to make some changes to my template anyhow. AAArgh!

Grilled Ceasar

2006-07-05T22:36:00.000-07:00

I got curious. So tried it. I kept seeing it. I needed to know. The verdict? Grilled Ceasar IS a good thing. You should make it-It'll wow your friends.

Shocking, Indeed...

2006-07-05T22:30:00.000-07:00

I'm starting to think I need therapy. I am starting to think my issues are a little, er, different. I think I am making progress though. I can eat off Styrofoam plates. In fact, I did it twice in one week and plan to do it again Friday AND Saturday. They say you have to face your fears. I buy weird mayonnaise. I do. It's another one of those things that have bothered me since childhood. The enormous jar of white semi-gelatinous substance. That aisle at Costco makes me a little squeamish. The odd viscosity. I think the worst part is when a little starts to dry around the rim, it turns slightly yellow and clear. That Kraft commercial where the people lick the mayonnaise off their finger. It's all just a little too much for me. Don't even get me started on the fat content. Never the less, it seems to live on. In fact, the market seems to be growing, with new flavor options.
It's not that I have never used. I typically put it on my sandwich then scrape off as much as I can. It's as though there is a sense of obligation to put it on. It maybe a great part of the reason I can't eat tuna sandwiches. (That may also have something to do with the fact that I don't like canned tuna, or pickles and believe celery should be eaten alone, not in things.)

Kurt doesn't like my weird vegan mayo. It "looks weird" to him. Whatever. So Saturday afternoon when I got home from the grocery store he set about making his sandwich. With his bum sticking in the air, head in the fridge, peering at the vegan gelatinous mess he says, "Oh, I forgot to ask you to buy REAL mayonnaise." "Oh.", I replied. (Aaah, the deep and intimate reality of marriage comes forth.) Then it hit me: I could use my amazing wifery skills to do something nice for my husband! I then duct taped him to the dryer to make sure he didn't try to eat his sandwich too soon. In less than two minutes the magical emulsion was starring back up at me. It actually looked, er, good. So I may never buy the weird vegan "mayo" again. I may not be inclined to buy so-called real mayo again. I feel like I'm really making progress and my therapist says we can probably move on to shrimp next. Now, if you'll excuse me I think Kurt wants me to take the duct tape off.

Mayonnaise
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon each salt and Dijon mustard
3 teaspoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
1 1/2 cups oil ( I used 1/2 canola and 1/2 grapeseed)

Pulse everything but oil in food processor to just combine. Turn on food processor and slowly drizzle oil through the hole. Continue to process until the mixture gets all mayonnaisey. Eat the mayo.

Independence Day

2006-07-04T13:16:00.000-07:00

Patee Sucre Freedom Flies with Fromage Blanc

Independence day! Wow! I can't believe it's here already. July fourth seems to sneak up every year marking that summer, is in fact, in full swing. It's a great excuse to have a barbecue and spend time with friends.

Greek Salad

More than that though it's a time of celebration. A celebration of the freedoms we have. I am sure I more than often take so many of these things for granted each day, so I am grateful for this opportunity to pause. I may not agree with all the decisions made in this country but I am thankful that it allows me to make decisions. I am glad that I do have certain rights that may seem small but are profoundly valuable. Thank you to everyone that has worked so hard for our Independence.

Honeyed Peach and Ricotta Tart with Lavender Pastry

Lavender Patee Sucre

1 cup flour
1 stick butter, well chilled, cubed
1/2 teaspoon Lavender
1 tablespoon sugar
ice water

In a food processor pulse flour, sugar, butter and Lavender until it resembles a coarse meal.
Pulsing, slowly add just enough ice water to combine.
Roll on floured surface, place into tart pan, freeze for 15 minutes. Preheat oven to 375.
Prick pastry with fork and line with parchment. Fill with pie weights and bake until edges become just golden. Remove pie weights and allow to finish cooking underneath. (May be brushed with an egg wash for shiny finish.)

Friends with Benefits...

2006-06-27T18:39:00.000-07:00

I have recently been fortunate enough to be the recipient of some lovely gems. Are they sparkly, no, not quite. I do, however, end up with the aftermath gracing my fingers.
I was house-sitting for someone who gardens you see. Her garden is wonderful. It's always full of green things that I haven't foggiest idea as to what they are. The food things I can figure out though. This time of year the food thing was strawberries.
Each day it was like a fun little treasure hunt. I would pull back the leaves and take in the intoxicating fragrance. These were real berries. Ruby red all the way through, my hands would be tainted by the crimson juice when I finished picking. Sweet juicy berries were my prize for feeding that rotten dog. I picked nearly a pound every day, so many I had to pawn them off.
As an accompaniment to my berries I felt I needed a little something. So I stole some basil from said garden and using my new toy, a gift from other friends, I made some ice cream. The basil is subtle and compliment the berries so well...

Vanilla Bean-Basil Ice Cream

1 1/2 cups cream
1 1/2 cups whole milk
2/3 cup sugar
2 egg yolks
1 whole egg
1/2 vanilla bean, seeds scraped
10 medium basil leaves

In batches, place some sugar and some basil mortar and mash until basil is dissolved into sugar. Repeat until all basil is ground.
Place basil, sugar, vanilla bean, and milk in a small sauce pot and cook over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Place yolks and egg into a medium bowl. Place cream into a medium bowl. ( I like to use the 1 quart Pyrex measuring cup for ease of pouring later.)
Whisking constantly, slowly pour hot milk into eggs. Remove vanilla bean. Return mixture to sauce pot and continue cooking, stirring constantly. Cook until mixture thickens enough to coat the back of the spoon. Never allow the mixture to boil-you'll get scramble eggs!*
Immediately pour thickened mixture into cream to stop the cooking process. Stir gently, cover and refrigerate until COLD.
Freeze in ice cream maker according to instructions. Serve with macerated berries.

*If it does boil you may "save" the mixture of you IMMEDIATELY place it into a blender and process until smooth.

Upon their return I was presented with a large bag of fresh-picked grapefruit. They are aura-gold grapefruit. Don't be fooled by their pale yellow hue, they are sweeter than their red friends. I'm such a lucky girl.

My Styrofoam Heaven

2006-06-21T18:55:00.000-07:00

I have this "thing" about "fake" plates. It's not that I think they are immoral or wrong. It's ok if other people want to use them. It really kills the presentation. When I was a kid we even had little woven paper plate holders. Yeah, cause then they're classy. I dunno.
Something about them just has always been a little disturbing for me. You never know if you will need one or three. Who knows if you will stand up only to find your uncle's famous baked beans* are now embedded on your lap for the rest of the afternoon. Then there are the plastic compartment kind. I don't want to compartmentalize my food! My chemical, er, hot dog tastes a little better after it cozies up to the macaroni salad. Then there is the sturdy, yet problematic styrofoam. This will inevitably be used when somebody "forgot" about the chicken. Then, as you are trying to hold down the chicken and cut it with a knife that feels like play-doh you can never cut that last strand of chicken but, WILL cut through the plate. You then jerk in shock, causing the previously mentioned beans to fly directly at Samantha's new boyfriend. The reality of it all is that you don't care about his shirt, or your shorts because all you can feel is the shooting pain in your leg. "Stupid knife. Won't cut chicken, but maybe my leg is softer. I'm canceling that gym membership..." They just make me nervous, you know?
Along came the taco. I haven't had a really good taco in years. Every now and then I get a little twitch. I get desperate sometimes. I have a need. One night I made a discovery. Every Friday night there is a Hispanic soccer league that meets. Every Friday night there are shiny silver trucks filled with the cure.
The first night I went out I was a little nervous. I walked out onto the field of questioning stares. I wasn't sure what to do. Three stands and just one stomach. Then, an angel appeared! His name is Ramon and he works with Kurt. He looked at me like I was nuts and asked what I was doing. My response was simple: tacos. He cracked a smile and told me the first stand was the best. Thank God for Ramon! I ordered my tacos from the woman I secretly call "Abuelita". She peered down at me and asked if I wanted hot sauce and I replied simply with a nod. Two minutes later (after Ramon explained to about six people who I was and why I was there) Abuelita asked again if I wanted hot sauce. Then they emerged. In all their glory. On a styrofoam plate. Never before had I been so pleased by a styrofoam plate. I topped them off with grilled onions, thanked Ramon, and walked as fast as I could back to my car. I needed to eat those tacos NOW! Oh sweet styrofoam, you carry a great prize.
Abuelita still asks twice if I want hot sauce and all the eyes on me seem to scream Crazy Gringa. Crazy for tacos indeed.

*I don't think any of my uncle's actually have famous baked beans, I was just trying to "relate".

Please know I am sarcastic..

2006-06-21T14:39:00.000-07:00

Sierra Snowball. Simple. Creamy. Gone.

Birthdays really are great, aren't they? People just give you stuff for sticking around. As if to say, "Hey, thanks for not kickin' the bucket. Here's a sweater." I have to say though, even better is when I get to reap the rewards of some one else's birthday. As if to say, "Thanks for not killing him yet for leaving candy wrappers and golf tees around the house." If this deal keeps working out, I might just let him live a few more years. Some days I just sit back and revel in the sweetness of me.

Posole. Slightly spicy. yummy hominy. Want more

But seriously, there are ways in which other people getting older can benefit you. To start off with the obvious: cake. All you have to do is show up around the time that other person didn't keel over and you are pretty much guaranteed some cake or pie, or something. Can't be mad about that. Some of the other benefits are a little trickier. For instance we could bring up the issue of party favors. Somewhere along the line some one decided that past about the age of eleven we should just go to parties because we like the people. While that all sounds nice in theory...I want my stinking shaped eraser, bouncy ball and Blow Pop(even if I won't eat it because of the food coloring and corn syrup)!!! Another benefit of the kids party is the awesome accessories that you receive. We all want a cone shaped hat with a strap that cuts off circulation to our brain allowing us to eat more cake and not realize we are full; we're just too broke from buying gas at three dollars a gallon. On top of that you can acquire a great instrument with which to annoy the heck out of all the people that were your friends before you started blowing that darn thing in their ears.
Sadly as grown ups many of these joys are taken from us in the name of, er, maturity. The chance for personal gain actually becomes something you have to work for; unless it's weight gain, that's cames all on it's own. I, however, have found a loop-hole in the system: Marry somebody that other people like. Oh sure, it still requires work, but I got stuff just for marrying the poor guy, too.
Recently, this worked to my advantage when his "special day" rolled around. One of his gifts (and I have to say, my favorite) was a gift certificate to a restaurant. It's really so wildly clever! Sure, the gift is for him but he's not going to go out with himself! He is, thereby, obligated to take his wife!

Garibaldi's
Carson City, Nevada

Flounder Picatta. Crisp. Tangy.

*Sadly, I erased the picture of the wonderful Lamb Shanks Dijionaise. I suppose I'll have to eat it again.

Yeah, Nevada

2006-06-11T22:02:00.000-07:00

No Spitting!
Some days the fact that I live in Nevada is more abundantly clear than others...
It's not that I ever really forget. How could I? You can't exactly not see the vast amount of sagebrush. There are no illusions of humidity in the air. There is a marked lacking in the green foliage department. While not something I see everyday, I would wager to say the "acceptability level" of the percentage of men (and occasionally women, go figure) wearing Mustang Ranch shirts is higher than other states.
But there are days when I go on my merry little way seeing little more than the row of car dealerships between my house and Target, though there are none emblazoned with Lexus, LandRover, or Benz. Once a year, however, I am without fail slapped in the face with reality. I LIVE IN NEVADA.
Once a year, when the cotton woods bloom so heavily that I start to think about Christmas shopping, the people watching event of the year rolls around. The Kit Carson Rendevous has been going on as long as I can remember. When I was a little girl it was a great excuse to dress up like Laura Ingalls with my best friend and pull on my Dad's arm until he took us to the park. We would gaze at the mountain men dressed in fringed leather and it all came alive. If I was really lucky I would get to pick out a cheap turquoise and silver ring that I would loose in two days time. It just didn't get any better.
Having not been in a few years...OK, I have generally avoided it because well...let's just say if Victoria's Secret set up a booth all the creepy men would go but the women would just wonder what those things were as they picked tobacco out of the 12 teeth they have left. Shall we say people come out of the wood work there. But I was there. Anyway, I thought I would just wander over there to see if there was any interesting food to be had. The camel ride was a new fun option (I opted out) but I don't think that wireless phone dealers were terribly prevalent in the days of the wild west. In the center of the event a stage was set up and hosted by a man by the name of Sourdough Slim, who didn't appear too slim. Upon my arrival the entertainment (and I use that word loosely here) was a cowgirl comic. "May the horse be with you." was her closing line, nuff said. I ventured through the booths of goods staffed by women who never got the memo that Puffy Paint went out with all the things they were selling (and their teeth).
Then it gets even better. When you get to the wild west section you get to have more fun. Everyone dresses in leather and dirty cotton shirts and they can blame their waning personality on being "stoic". But really? Who doesn't want to be a taxidermist when they grow up? I suppose you can't blame them. Perhaps we should applaud them. People always say to do what you love for a living. Apparently they loved not showering or wearing clean underwear and being a social misfit. But I bet Mom and Dad are proud, especially cause Dad is also your uncle...

Where else can your children play with strange men and axes?

Before I ran away scared I made sure I stopped to check out the food. Sure, there was even more oil there than on "Tanner Jack's" hair but that doesn't mean it's unhealthy. I carefully perused the options and decided on Indian Tacos. One stand offered a "vegetarian" taco which really just meant they wouldn't give you meat but still bilk you for the meat price. I got in line. =) They piled up my fry bread with beans, cheese and lettuce, which I further piled with salsa. Perhaps that was a mistake on my part. The salsa was hotter than I was expecting and the juices just saturated the bread and made it soggy. It could have been delicious but I was also distracted by the cover band's rendition of a Patty Loveless song. I think she was trying to sound a little drrrty, but I just wanted to get her some water.
Well, one down, two to go. Next stop was for donuts. Fresh, hot, mini donuts dipped in cinnamon and sugar. I forked over a whole seventy-five cents and moved away from the crowd. I snapped my picture and dove in. These may have very well been worth it. They were soft on the inside with a crunchy exterior that melted in your mouth. I secretly yearned for more but thought better of it.
I just needed one more thing before I left. Homemade rootbeer. I guess this all stems from an unhealthy obsession amongst my friends as a teenager. One guy even hosted Keg parties where the kegs were filled with rootbeer, Keg-stands and all. While I CAN drink it from a can or machine if I need to I am still convinced that a bottle is the only vehicle for proper rootbeer. I approached the stand, trying to convince myself that I didn't need the largest size. When it was my turn the man held out a tiny white cup, "Would you like a sample Miss?" What is the deal with homemade rootbeer? It sounds like such a great idea but both times I have had it I find my self choking down a syrupy, flat, mess. Does anyone know the reasoning or the secret??
Overall it was an interesting way to people watch and some great donuts. Maybe I'll be busy next year....

Dear Sir...

2006-06-11T14:34:00.000-07:00

Dear Mr. Chard,
It is with deepest regrets that I must write this letter. I had so looked forward to our meeting and had truly wished for a lasting relationship. Sadly, that is not something I see developing between us.
Please allow me to explain. I really did enter into this with expectations for a pleasant evening, though I don't believe they were unrealistic. I had been eagerly anticipating our date ever since that day you introduce yourself in the produce section. (Can we call it a date? I suppose I did get excited and spend a great deal of time in preparation. So, yes.) I had read some of your work (namely those focusing on mushrooms and shallots) and thought our time together would be a lovely discussion of those things. I must admit to admiring your vibrant style from afar. I was sure I would leave and immediately call my Mom to tell her you two NEEDED to meet so that she could fall for you the same way I had. But as our time together pressed on I knew that would not be the case. There is no easy way to say this so I will just do it. Your lingering aroma and flavour of beets is quite off-putting.
It's not you, it's me. I want to like beets. I have tried on many occasions. It's just not my thing, you know, not my "type".
Deepest regrets,
Rebecca
P.S. I do not want this to plague you so let me just say that it has nothing to do with your heritage. I love Swiss cheese and chocolate, but the beet flavour!!!

I'm no French Laundry...

2006-06-05T21:25:00.000-07:00

Gazpacho with Avocado Ice Cream

I've never been one to feel like I need a large number of friends. I realized in Junior High that popularity was often more about being infamous than well-liked. However, as I have grown I have realized that through the twists and turns of life it's good to have different kinds of friends. It's good to have that friend that you can hang out with everyday for 2 weeks and not hate. The friend that will tell you if you look fat in that. The friend that you can call at weird hours when you are ready to go on a killing spree because *** did that thing again! The friend that will tell you your new hair cut looks great, but not as great as a new hat would. The friend that will bring her own stinking pint of Ben N' Jerry's because she knows in a moment of need the last thing you want to do is share. The drinkin' friend. The "Oh, yeah, I'm going to a different country now, not sure when I'll be back friend." But despite all the other types of friends God will send my way I will never stop needing my best friends. My friends since we were four and still are even though life is crazy we'll always be friends gals. The kind of friends you can call up and say, "You know that guy I was kind of telling you about three months ago? Well, we're getting married and I want you to be in the wedding." Of course, they'll still tell you you're crazy but they already knew that from back in Junior High when you liked, eh, Todd. It goes way beyond the guys of the moment. Well, I am lucky enough to have two such friends. We never see each other as often as we'd like, but there's never that awkwardness when we do. We know each other and it's comfortable. We recently got together before everyone goes their seperate ways for summer and if I do say so myself, we ate pretty good.
Watercress with Jicama and Grapefruit

FishCakes with Parsley Caper Emulsion and Sweet Potato Gnocchi

S'mores with Homemade Marshmallows and Graham Crackers

Crazy Lush that I am...

2006-05-30T21:30:00.000-07:00

I have this friend. You know how it is. Everytime we get together it's bound to happen. It started off very innocently with a few lattes. Then one night after work the coffee shop wasn't open. Then it just sort of happened. That's right, I have to admit it: When R* and I get together we drink. Martinis. Mojitos. "Iced Tea". Some Vino. I am sure I will look back at this time fondly and refer to it as "my experimental phase". Eventually, her Dad will stop giving me the eye at church the next day. Maybe one day Kurt will walk in and see R* and I peering up at him and not ask, "What are you drinking tonight?"
We can't help it. As we sit there stuffing our faces with Texas Toothpicks and Really-the-calories-don't-count-after-11pm-Nachos we throw back, not two, not three, but look-out:one cocktail! But sometimes when being completely saturated with smoke and dealing with bouncers trying their hardest to impress R* we meet up at home. That's when you just have to improvise and work with what you've got. There is an upside: the cheese at my house is Pecorino Romano and has never been frozen.
Pretty In Pink Grapefruit Martini

Juice of one grapefruit
1 oz. almond syrup (like torani)
3 oz. vodka
Piece of candied grapefruit (optional)

Shake with ice and strain into two martini glasses. Cheers!

A Vision Realized

2006-05-29T20:06:00.000-07:00

There are times when I imagine a dish in my head. It's rich and flavourful and pungent. Then I make said dish to find out that I didn't play it all out properly in my head. It's bland, or too acidic, or not sweet enough. It's like finding that perfect dress you've been eyeing finally on clearance(oh, and an extra 30% off). There's only one left and it's just your size. You slip and slither into it only to realize you forgot about that bumpy spot, oh and that place where it's a little squishy. Then there's that part where it's cut a little lower than you really thought and, oh, pitch it all.
Then there are times when everything falls into place. Everything is how you imagined. Everything is tender and creamy and sweet and spicy in the perfect way. How did it happen? Who cares! It worked! Sometimes you just go without, ok?
I think it actually started with green beans. I was reading one of my cookbooks with a section on green beans. (Because reading cookbooks is normal and healthy behavior) Green beans with Five Spice? Oh yeah, I did buy that a while back and don't think I've touched it. And that Rutabaga, I want to try that. (This was my maiden Rutabaga voyage) I don't really know how exactly I got from point A to point B, but I am so glad I did. The chicken was tender, tangy, sweet and rich. I even made a mistake which turned out to be really great.

Sweet Five Spice Chicken with Potato-Rutabaga Puree
Chicken:

1 boneless skinless chicken breast, pounded to about 1/2 inch thickness
salt to taste
1 heaping tablespoon apricot jam
2 tablespoons ginger marmalade
3 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon oil
1/2 teaspoon soy sauce (you could use more if you really like it)
generous 1/4 teaspoon Chinese Five-Spice

In a small bowl stir together jam, marmalade, water, oil, soy, and spice. Lightly salt chicken and place on hot grill. When chicken is done on one side flip it and coat cooked side with sauce. (There will be extra sauce for serving)
Remove chicken when done and cut into desired number of servings. Warm remaining sauce. Spoon puree (recipe to follow) onto plate, top with chicken and drizzle with sauce. Enjoy!

Potato Rutabaga Puree

1 russet potato, peeled and cubed
1 rutabaga, peeled and cubed
1 clove garlic, peeled
2 talbespoons butter
3/4 cup warm milk
salt to taste

Place potato, rutabaga and garlic in boiling water and cook until tender (when poked with a fork they should split). Drain vegetables. If you have an emersion blender place into a deep container, or you could use a food processor. Combine all ingredients in desired container and puree until smooth. Add enough milk to reach desired consistancy. Serve.

Serves 2 or 3 people depending on what is being served with it.

Hibernation...

2006-05-29T19:57:00.000-07:00

There are times in life when the only viable option is to lock yourself inside and seek comfort in warm nourishment and a good DVD. Saturday was one of those days. The weekend weather here was, er, less than lovely. I stood outside for four hours chilling myself to the core after getting just four hours of sleep. Afterward I went to experience another self-inflicted yet tramatizing event, which I oddly intend to continue. A corner of the couch with a blanket was just what I needed. And food, but I always think I need that. I wanted something warm, comforting and rich without being heavy. No, no, no I am not talking about a casual affair with a suave millionaire. I was thinking more along the lines of cheese...But not in the scary cassarole sense, that's just wrong. That's just a bad excuse to use up leftovers that weren't good in the first place. My family makes soup for that.

Cozy Chicken

1 chicken breast(boneless, skinless), pounded to 1/2 inch thickness
1/2 tsp. Herbs de Provence( I used St.Remy's Rub from Nantucket Off Shore)
1 cup fresh spinach
2 tablespoons crumbled gorgonzola
1/2 cup "Perfect Tomato Sauce" , warmed
Salt and Pepper to taste

Sprinkle Chicken breast with Herbs de Provence, salt and pepper. Grill until done.
Meanwhile, cook spinach with a bit of water until tender.
Place spinach on the plate, top with chicken. Pour sauce over chicken and sprinkle with cheese. You can place the plate under a broiler for a minute to melt the cheese of desired. Enjoy!

I meant to wait for you, really

2006-05-23T22:04:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago my Grandfather celebrated his 80th birthday. We all gathered together to share this with him and I am so glad we did. He is such a neat man. He is silly and sweet and loves to tell stories. When I was a kid one of my favorite things was when he would read Brer Rabbit to me with all the silly voices and accents. No matter how I try, I can't do it the way he did-It was magic. I couldn't ever wait to run upstairs to the bookshelves and find "Come over to My House, Come Over and Play" and he would always concede as I snuggled into his lap. I somehow loved (and still do) watching him sleep after a big meal. How could he dose off so peacefully with 10 squeeling grandchildren shuffling about? I suppose it all has to do with the fact that he was "just resting his eyes". (Yeah, I snore when I rest my eyes, too) He plays the saw. While I know there are others who do, he's the only one I know. I love to watch the eyes of the (now) great-grandkids light up with amazement, I supposed because mine still do too. I'll never forget when he held up the rings at our wedding (he performed the ceremony) with a band-aid on his hand-so perfectly Grandpa. He's the cutest old man and he's all ours.
We don't get over to see them nearly as often as I would like but I must admit that when we do there are always a few extra stops on the way home. I just figure if we "have to" drive through the wine country we may as well make use of it. If we are going to drive through we ought to support the local economy. We each have our little favorites. Kurt likes to stop at Yorkville Cellars where we were just lucky enough to pick up some of the last of this years Malbec. Is it my fault if I can't find Chenin Blanc from Husch here? Well, this last visit I added a new favorite to my list. At the last second I asked Kurt to pull into the driveway. Their signs had been pulling at me for months and I had to give in. We stopped at B.R. Cohn and I quickly passed by any hint of wine to get to the "gourmet shop". I knew that would be where I would find my treasure. I managed to play it cool though, I looked at the other displays before diving in. There it was, the tasting bar for Olive Oil. I savoured every bite, allowing the flavours to develop properly in my pallet. Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil won out.
Avocado and Grapefruit Salad

One Grapefruit, semented
1/2 an avocado, sliced
1 tablespoon B.R. Cohn Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil (whatever your favorite is, but don't bother if it's not amazing)
Fresh cracked Pepper to taste

Blog Party:The Garden Party Edition

2006-05-19T22:36:00.000-07:00

Grey is the is the new BLACK. It's right here in BLACK and white. Did you see her gorgeous jet-BLACK hair? There's nothing like a classic BLACK Chanel suit (Not that I'll ever have cause to own one.). BLACK beans. A little BLACK dress....
For some things black is good, even great. It works. It's classy, and slimming. But there are places in my life it seems to be creeping in without asking and despite my best efforts. No, I am not just refering to those unsightly under-eye circles that seem to invade a bit more with each passing week. I am not talking about those pesky scuff marks on the flour-dusted kitchen floor. I am talking about my thumb. I wish I could say it's black because my klutziness made me slam it in the door. Sadly, I am speaking of the black thumb of doom. That's right: I kill plants. Plain and simple.
I have tried. Every year when things start to warm up and the frost is over I head out to buy green leafy things and rich dark soil. I usually accesorize (that IS the most important tool of fashion) with a new shovel and gloves since I somehow misplaced the previous year's. I do my planting/nurturing thing only to have a crunchy, weepy jumble in my pots 2 weeks later. It's a mystery to me. I used to have this cute neighbor with a beautiful garden. She used to just tell me I hadn't found what worked for me yet. It's a process of trial and error she would say. Aren't you supposed to eventually succeed in that process? I killed mint, people! What most people spend more time fighting than nurturing I bring down with ease. It's a rather sad thing, wouldn't you agree?
None the less I love a beautiful garden. I may never lay claim to one of my own unless it's comprised of rock or sand, but I love them. They are such a lovely way to reveal the bounty we are blessed with. They can be filled with glorious colours, soothing scents, or bursting with flavour and I love them. So for this month's Blog Party, Stephanie named the theme "Garden Party". I couldn't think of a more splendid idea for this time of year. So to celebrate I stole from a garden not my own. I stole mint. So today we can stroll through the winding gardens paths of my imaginary plush, green, sprawling, well-manicured garden (while I somehow still maintain perfectly manicured nails, as long as we're pretending) and sip on Minted Pea Shooters.

This recipe is not yet perfect as I would like but it's a great starting point and I lovely nod to spring...

12 oz. peas (frozen is fine although if you prefer the trouble of shelling I applaud you)
2 cups good chicken stock
1/4 cup onion minced
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup good plain yogurt
1/2 cup loosely packed mint leaves (If you are using peppermint you may want to reduce this amount
1/2 teaspoon sugar
salt and pepper to taste

In a medium sauce pan saute onion with butter over medium heat until translucent. Add stock and peas and bring to a low simmer for about 5 minutes. Stir in mint leaves and cook for 2 minutes more.
Transfer in batches into a blender and puree on high speed until quite smooth. This may take a few minutes for each batch, I actually pureed mine twice.
Transfer pureed soup into a bowl and whisk in yogurt, sugar, salt and pepper. Chill until ready to serve.

Thank you once again Stephanie (and also for always graciously accepting my tardy entries.)

Happy Birthday de Mayo (A picture story)

2006-05-15T21:36:00.000-07:00

Kurt's Birthday is on Cinco de Mayo. My sister and I decided that was a good enough reason to have a party.....
But we didn't let just anybody come.....
Only one person had a little "too much fun" with her drink...
We ate cake...
Good times!

Corporate Brainwash....

2006-04-22T11:11:00.000-07:00

6:50 pm
Kurt: What's that?
Becky: Cookie dough, I'm making sandwich cookies!!! (It doesn't take much to excite me.)
K: What?
B: Like Oreos, but homemade
K: Oh, ok, I'll eat those.
B: (Gee, cause I wasn't sure.)

7:17 pm
K: Did you buy anything sweet at the store.
B: I'm making cookies.
K: Oh yeah. (Pops a couple Mint M&m's I fiendishly hoard each year at Christmas)

8:10 pm
K: (dips finger into unknown white fluffiness in a bowl) Mmm, I could eat that.
B: OK, but I don't have enough powdered sugar to make more and then I can't finish the cookies. And that's gross.

8:30 pm
B: (hands Kurt the first finished cookie) Here you go sweetie. ("I'm so nice.")
K: looks back at Becky as if to say, "But I have two hands and only one cookie."

Martha S. Chocolate Sandwich Cookies

1.25 cups flour plus more for dusting*
.25 cup plus 2 tablespoons dutch-process cocoa
.5 teaspoon baking powder
.5 teaspoon baking soda
.5 cup butter, room temp
.66 cup light brown sugar, packed
.33 cup sugar
1 eggy
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 recipe cream filling-I'll do that next, for Pete's sake calm down.

Whisk together flour, cocoa, baking powder, and soda. In an electric mixer (unless you fancy a good cardio session) Beat sugars and butter until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add in eggs and vanilla, mix to combine. With mixer on low gradually add flour mixture until combined.
Divide dough into two pieces. Place each on a sheet of plastic wrap and form a rectangle. Place wrapped dough into fridge for 30 minutes.
You will know roll out your dough, but I had some trouble with the first bit of dough. I did the following with the second with greater success

Line your cookie sheets with parchment and lightly sprinkle both sides of the dough with flour(or wax paper if you're dumb like me and always forget to buy parchment). You'll need 3 cookie sheets or your cookies with puff together like mine.
Roll out your dough on the cookie sheet so you don't have to move it.
Cover the dough with plastic wrap and roll it that way because I kept putting more flour on and the dough kept sticking on the first bit.

So roll out your dough to about and 1/8 inch thickness and put the cookie sheets in the freezer for about 20 minutes. Preheat your oven to 350. This is the part where you can cut them into pretty little circles or just use your bench scraper to make squares so you don't have to re-roll the extra dough. Place cut-outs on lined baking sheets about a 1/2 inch apart.
Bake for 12-14 minutes until center of cookie is firm. Rotate your cookie sheets half way through.
Allow cookies to cool then sandwich with 1 tablespoon cream filling.

Buttery-Yummy Cream Filling

1.33 cup powdered sugar
.33 cup shortening
.33 cup butter, room temp
.5 teaspoon vanilla

Mix together ingredients until fluffy with an electric mixer.

This makes about 24 cookies assembled. They are a lighter chocolate, more buttery flavor. Store in the refrigerator.
*Last week Kurt acused me of trying to make things healthy, I'll show him. My favourite is when he doesn't even know. My I'm devious.

Going Tapas: The Wedding Begins

2006-04-16T09:23:00.000-07:00

Eek and Shreak! She's got the diamond on her hand and we're all aflutter. Then you have to plan the wedding. Planning, Huh? Ooooh, so that's why people allope. The big "P" word. Somehow it all gets done, but in the mean time....
It had to start somewhere. I mean, we couldn't very well wander around in the buff. So we started where it's natural for any girl. Shopping! We spent the day amid swirls and twirls and blurrs of satin and shimmers. There was the renessaince on acid option; The "fab" gowns that brought flashbacks of Strictly Ballroom; The layers of tuile that reflect Halloween pictures all too well. There's a whole lot of scary and not so much good. In the end it looks like we will all be wearing clothes as we walk down the aisle, even though everybody will be looking at the bride.
What better to following a morning of picturing yourself strapped pink satin like cotton candy with legs*? Food!
Since girls cannot live on coffee alone (not that we hadn't all tried) we headed down the street, well aware of our every measurement. Although not entirely convinced we should eat anything but green tea and marshmallows (they're fat-free) until "The Day" we kept going. We decided on Tapas. Tapas was both the type of food and the name of the restaurant. Small plates. Yes, small plates would be a good idea.
We walked into the dimly lit space and I immediately spotted two VERY tall girls dining. Luckily my eyes adjusted and I realized they were actually seated on what once was a stage area. Imagine my excitement when we, too, were invited to be tall girls. We got to sit on the stage. I think (blush) that's where they ask all the pretty girls to sit. The waitress tossed our menus in the middle of the table and requested our drink orders. Actually, it went more like this...Looking at her note pad, glancing up over her nose just enough to see the table"Do you know what you want to drink." I know you are thinking there should be a question mark there, but there shouldn't. It was a statement for her. She wasn't the bubbly type. We all quickly decided on water for fear that anything more complex would bring forth a good lashing. Bread came. Our waters came and here is where we made a mistake. We hadn't decided yet. "I'll come back." she snapped and turned on her heel. As she did this she seemed to forget she was in the elevated" beautiful tall people we want to display" section. Sadly, she fell and got a concusion and devilishly handsome paramedics took away. Weregretfully all had to deny them our phone numbers despite their begging; we're all taken. Well, maybe that last part didn't happen, but she did eventually bring her snotty attitude back to take our orders.
After a while of stuffing ourselves full of bread our food arrived. Well, I should say their food came. There was apparantly some cunfusion over what I had, I dunno. Finally my plate emerged from the kitchen. I dove right in. I had ordered a simple grilled veggies with mashed potatoes. The veggies were soft and sweet, the balsamic reduction was the perfect sauce. Then I got to the mashed potatoes. Brilliant people that they are, they used a mix of russet and sweet potato: just like I like to do. I must confess they have me trumped. No, no they didn't give me an exceedingly bad haircut or name my first born a horrid, arrogent name. The put something in the potatoes I would have never thought of. The wonderful flavor pouring into every part of my mouth was due to cardamom. Cardamom potatoes! It was like magic! I had never thought to go there before and there it was.
So the food was great, the atmosphere was lovely, the bread was tastey and the service was bad. I guess you just can't have it all. Just like a didn't have any Sangria that day. What a lovely excuse to go back.

* I want to be perfectly clear here that I have no issue with the dresses. Even if I did it wouldn't matter because it's not my wedding, althought my bridesmaids wore pink as well. My sister-in-law was very sweet and let each of us pick a dress to flatter our figure-what a gal.

Apparently I am a good person....

2006-04-15T08:47:00.000-07:00

pretty, no. tasty, yes.

It's one of those statements that makes me cringe. The very idea so asinine that I can't bring myself to even respond. "I'm a good person." The opposite, however, I find very amusing and the perfect excuse for so many things.
A while ago I was turning on a video for the kids. It's one of those great ones that has a thousands little shorts that play continuosly. The trouble is that the little boy I nanny has names for each one. Since I am without a flashing sign from God I can't seem to figure out what the heck any of it means or how to find a particular "episode'. In an effort to get out of a search I told him I couldn't find it because I am a bad person. This didn't work, he only proceeded to asure me that I was a good person.
But I have more proof. Not only do I hate cats and think the only reasonable response to an approaching chicken is to kick I also...........wouldn't make pot roast for my husband. He would mention it with longing and I brushed it aside. We would stop by his parents and his Mom would be putting it in the oven. He would casually hint. After a year and a half of marriage I still hadn't done this small favor. How could it be a good idea to dine on stringy bits of meat? Why don't we buy beef jerky if we want to chew on something for that long? Then, Epicurious sent me a recipe flash and thought there might be a chance.
Being that I like to live on the edge (Hmmm) I decided to go for it. I modified the recipe slightly. This modification actually is further evidence for my case. Even in this seemingly selfless act of preparing this for Kurt I had motives of my own. I wanted sauce for polenta. It made my polenta divine. So, perhaps, I am a bad person.
I simply follwed the recipe here, with a few modifications.

I used the crockpot after browning things.
I used twice the mushrooms, but half the roast.
I whisked in a bit of flour at the end to thicken it.
I skipped the celery, because I don't like it cooked.

*Here you go Shari! Please forgive me.

Why I hate Rachel

2006-04-04T10:44:00.000-07:00

It's not like she's the devil. It's just that I hate her right now. There are Ding Dongs that gross me out, but they need me. So I just can't stand her. Just a little of the stuff in my coffee, but nooooo. Don't you just hate those friends that when you tell them you should do something they hold you to it. I hate that! Right now, I hate that. I just want a little. The problem is that a little turns into some more, and a little later, and a bit in a few minutes, and a good bit tonight. It's an issue. I'll admit it. I just can't stop. I can't just say, "I'll only pick one for the whole day." I can't. I start and I can't stop. I tell myself it's not like I am starting a meth-lab or something. I know it's the same. The little bake shop I have going in my kitchen may as well be. I can't stop once I start. I said I needed to stop. But does she have to hold me to it! I know it's what's best for me. Rachel is so mean.
I did this before, I know I can do it. You see, if I can take myself off of refined sugars for just one little week it will be ok. Then I can tell myself just one sugar a day. Then I can have self control, until I fall off the wagon again......
Thank you for holding me accountable.

Big News!

2006-04-01T17:17:00.000-08:00

Well, our new addition is on his/ her way! I just can't wait to meet him/her! It was totally a surprise but will be a blessing I am sure!

Blog Party; Brunch

2006-03-16T19:33:00.000-08:00

I love brunch! It really is a free for all. You don't have to be breakfasty, but you don't have to be lunchy. Which really means you can make pretty much whatever you please. I like to do whatever I please. It also involves a bit of laziness and relaxing which I must say I enjoy. You don't have to wake at 6:00 am to host a brunch, 8:00 will do just nicely. Perhaps it's just me, but it seems you also can laze about on the couch for brunch where as for breakfast that may seem too informal. It just gets better. I'm thinking: Brunch in bed. This way you can still sneak in some good cuddle time before having to make the food. Who wants to eat when someone has just woken them up? Brunch is so fabulous. It's intimate, yet informal. Classy, yet low key.
This month's Blog Party theme is brunch. That's Stephanie, she is so smart.
My contribution to the party: Sauteed Mushroom and Smoked Mozzerella Bites wrapped In Arugula. More to come......

Risotto, what a hip chick.

2006-03-13T20:45:00.000-08:00

This is actually only my second attempt at risotto. The first time I didn't really "get it". Not that it turned out bad, I just didn't understand the nature of risotto. I made it to take to my brother's after church. I didn't really know that you couldn't just reheat it in the microwave with good results. There is a time in life when you just wise up I guess. It's really one of those things where you can sieze the moment or the risotto will sieze.
Risotto is popular. It's hip right now. Everybody is doing it. I was feeling left out so I tried it. I was somehow underwhelmed by the globular stickiness that I met. But it looked good when other people did it. It looked creamy and tender and full of goodness. So I took up my spoon and tried once more. It may have taken me months to work up the nerve for this second try-but I am so glad I did.

Red Onion and Mushroom Risotto

1 tablespoons olive oil
2 slices bacon, chopped
1/2 inch thick slice of red onion, minced
6 cremini mushrooms, roughly chopped
1/2 cup white wine
5 cups chicken stock
1 cupAborio Rice
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan

In a large pot heat oil and add bacon and onion. Saute until bacon just starts to crisp and onion is soft.
Add rice and stir until the centers of the grain turns white. Add wine and cook, stirring over medium heat until wine it absorbed.
Add one cup stock and continue stirring. Stir in mushrooms. Allow the stock to absorb and then add another cup, repeat until all stock is used. (keep stirring and do not cover) This should take about twenty minutes. Test rice for doneness and remove from heat. Stir in cheese and serve immediately.

The second installment

2006-03-09T16:06:00.000-08:00

Crackers, NOT chips. The second installment of Becky's CulinaryAdventure of the Month Club came a couple weeks ago. February was celebrated with Thyme Crackers and Yogurt Cheese. It's a simple yet delicious combination that's great for an appetizer or a snack.
Thyme Crackers from Martha Stewart

Only Mostly Dead...

2006-03-08T12:47:00.000-08:00

You see, I'm only mostly dead... Which means I'm still partly alive. It's not as though I live with the illusion that I am very regular with my blogging. It's just been a very long time since I have posted anything recent. I have stopped taking pictures of yummy and pretty things because I am tired. There is just a lot going on lately and to boot I have red bumpy rash from a new lotion I tried. I am hoping some level of normalcy shall soon resume.

Mo' Betta'

2006-02-14T14:45:00.000-08:00

"I think H likes me more than she likes you", I told M. "Oh yeah...Why's that?" she replied. "She bought me cheese." It's not that I was trying to be mean. I'm not trying to break up the friendship that M and H have. It's just that I believe that when somebody gives you cheese it means something. She could have given my nothing. She could have given me anything. She could have brought chocolate or fun veggies. But she brought cheese. Maybe it's just me, but I don't give cheese to people I don't really like.
It really made me feel special. It's not as though she slapped down some cellophane wrapped plastic cheese. There was no can or microwavable jar involved here. It was even a cheese I had been wanting to try but hadn't yet. I mean, come on, it's got two types, two colours. It had layers! We're talking Blue Stilton and Gloucester.
I was really excited to try it but decided to wait till I had time to properly enjoy it. The first attempt: On a cracker. I have to admit that the Stilton was a little strong for me straight. But it was good cheese, so I moved on. Second attempt: Potatoes au Gratin. There we have it. The Stilton had such a nice edge and earthy balance here. My only complaint: I should have put more cheese in them! Third attempt: Asparagus Omelet. This was it. Oh my gosh! This was so good! The cheese got all gooey and so yummy. You could really taste the Stilton in an amazing way, yet it wasn't over powering.
Bottom line: Go buy Clawson's Stilton with Gloucester, unless of course you have somebody really nice like H to buy it for you.

When vegetables are Bad for you...

2006-02-13T08:56:00.000-08:00

Leeks, Ah, leeks. I can't say that I have a lot of experience with leeks. On second thought, I could say that but, it would be a lie. The last time I remember using leeks I believe I was making quiche. It was a wild mushroom quiche and I didn't recall just how well they needed to be rinsed. Oops, it was only slightly gritty. Dirt has good minerals, right? But I keep seeing them and I like the flavour. Tangy but mellow and soft, but crisp. So a Saturday night dinner seemed a great place to try again in a more casual way.
I made sure to wash the leeks very well, several times. The results were surprisingly tasty. The combination of spice, sweet, crunch and tenderness was a perfect pair with tangy pineapple chicken sandwiches. So what if deep-frying negates any nutritional value the leeks may have at one point had? They were good!

Crispy Fried Leeks

2 leeks, most of the green trimmed off
1 cup flour (I think I used whole wheat so it's healthy!)
3/4 cup corn meal
1.5 tablespoons mesquite garlic seasoning
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons milk

Quarter leeks lengthwise and submerge in water, then rinse several times.
Place leeks into steamer basket and steam for about 10 minutes, until tender.
Heat oil in deep fryer.
Mix egg and milk in one bowl and flour, corn meal and seasoning in another.
Dip leeks into egg mixture then flour mixture. (the leeks may fall apart while you are doing this, just dip individual pieces)
Place leeks into deep fryer until brown and crispy. Enjoy!

Blog Party-Red Hot

2006-02-12T14:56:00.000-08:00

What do you call it when you are beyond fashionably late? Are you haute couture late? Vintage late? Retro chic late? Out of style late? You see, there was a party and I really wanted to go. It had a great theme. The guest list was fabulous. The menu? To die for! I was all set to go. I made my dish ahead of time. My nails were painted and I dressed to impress. Then, it was like the car just wouldn't go. So the food just sat, carefully nestled away. It's beauty unknown.
Stephanie invited me to the RED HOT BLOG PARTY and I rsvp'd. Then the computer went numb. But I figure better (very very) late than never. So I thought I would fill you in on the cross-legged, in my party dress, on the living room floor, stuff your face cause you're stuck at home alone personal blog party....
I had decided to take the theme literally. I made Red Hot Pudding. You all remember the third grade when they seemed so spicy. You couldn't wait to open that pack of little red dots that Jeff (my childhood crush) gave you on Valentine's Day. The spicy rush was just too fun!
Would I go out of my way to make it again? No. Would it be fun for a 5th grade Valentine's party? Heck yes. Do I now have a lot of Red Hots left over that I don't know what to do with? Yes. Did I like the vanilla-black pepper and bitter-chocolate pudding I made too? Yes.

Soooper Bowel XPZLI

2006-02-05T20:21:00.000-08:00

Well, Dangit if I ain't footbally. Oh yes, I, who "less than appreciates" sports got into it. It was madness. I have to say I was pretty proud of myself. I thought back to pictures of painted fans screaming with anger and glee and got in the spirit. Signs waving, hands in the air, voices lifted high: I was pulled in. Who knew that I, too, could go so far. I know that people get carried away in such a manner that is slightly frightening. But I couldn't help myself. I had to make chips in the shape of stars and footballs. It was my way of expressing zeal for "The Game". I'm so footbally.
(Enter little record scratchy return to reality noise here) Oh, yeah. Actually, that was the extent of my zeal. The commercials weren't even good this year. Why was it that Disney thought it would be good to advertise their own company instead of letting other companies give them millions of dollars? I don't know either. Luckily the party this year doubled as a birthday party for a niece and nephew so I had a diversion. It was much more fun watching my niece get excited about pink sparkly sandals and my nephew play with boxes. ( I am NOT kidding, when I have kids I am giving them boxes until they are three!) But still, I am pretty proud of how I managed to party it up...

Guacamole

3 ripe (but still firm) avocados
1 thick slice red onion, minced
1 medium tomato, cut into small chuncks
1 clove garlic, minced
juice of one lime
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1 heaping tabelspoon minced cilantro
salt and pepper to taste
1 jalapeno (unless you are sharing with "mild" people), minced

Mash the avocado a bit, but leave it slightly chunky. Fold everything else in. Eat it!

Spinach Artichoke Dip

Coming Soon, I promise!

The first step's a lulou...

2006-01-31T21:46:00.000-08:00

I feel wrotten. Spoiled wrotten that is. I'm not trying to brag, but I made out pretty well for my birthday this year. In the foodie department I got: an extra bowl (with a cover) for my KitchenAid, serving platters, ramekins, blood orange vinegar, late harvest reisling vinegar, more serving platters. I have to be honest though. The big deal for me was an actually good dinner. As I have mentioned before the dining scene here is lacking a bit, but I was told about a place called LuLou's about 6 months ago. Ever since I have been trying to think of a great excuse to go there. It's one of those places where you pay $9 for a small salad to start your dinner. You know, one of the places where they just write the number with no dollar sign as though money is no object. Well, Hello! It's my birthday, that's a great excuse! So I called and made resevations. The night approached and my excitement grew. I was also feeling a bit anxious. What if they didn't meet my expectations. Would I leave another restaurant sadly disappointed? (Frankly I think that blogging is ruining me because I see all the posts from restaurants in NYC and what not) Well, let's find out...

We arrived a bit early for our reservation and entered the modern looking lounge area. I expected to wait a bit since we were early, but wwe were promptly seated. We received a wine list but I wasn't really in the mood, Kurt tried a brown ale from England. It was actually quite good: it didn't make me want to run when I tasted it. Our waiter came to take our drink order and brought us menus. He was nice, but I felt like he really wanted me to get a drink. I just honestly wasn't in the mood. We moved forward with an appetizer...Parma Ham, Fresh Mozzerella, Green Olive and Chile tepenade. I really think this was my favorite part of the entire meal. The cheese was so melt in your mouth soft, the ham was perfectly tender and salty and yum. But oh the tepenade. I dream of the tepenade. I am sure it wasn't complicated but the darned dim lighting prevented me from scoping it out properly so I could make it. It was all placed over some lovely grilled sourdough(oh, and with arugala). I want more.
Next came our entrees...(Notice I how I didn't tell you what we ordered to keep you reading. Ooo, I'm tricky.) There wasn't a vegetarian option on the menu although I am sure I could have asked. As you can see, I didn't. I have been wanting some meat lately, so I ordered the beef tenderloin. Kurt ordered Bison Shortribs with a chili and onion rub. He mostly ordered it so he could tell people he ate bison, however, when he told the waiter that he didn't seem amused. I guess it's not a "funny waiter" kind of place. I was a little concerned when I saw Kurt's plate. It didn't look like a lot of food. Would the Hubby leave hungry? Never mind that, I had to try my food. Both dishes came with wonderful wild mushrooms that were perfectly cooked in a flavourful sauce. I wonder if next time they'll let me just order mushrooms... My potato gratinee was wonderful. The cheese was creamy and sharp and earthy. The tenderloin was cooked perfectly.
Luckily, it turned out the bison was a lot more food than it originally appeared. It was tangy, tender, and slightly sweet. It was accompanied by noodles and yummy beans. Kurt especially loved the noodles. And hey, he had bison.
When that was all finished, not that we needed it, we ordered dessert. It was for my birthday. We chose to split the warm chocolate tart with cream and brandied cherries. I have to admit, this was kind of the let-down of the meal rather than the grand finish I was hoping. Don't get me wrong me wrong. It wasn't bad, just not great. It really was more like a warm brownie. The brandied cherries were very nice though, a nice splash of flavour.

Overall, I would say it was a great meal. Our waiter often seemed oddly missing, but I never felt as though I was unattended. I look forward to prehaps returning one day...

Testing 123...

2006-01-31T20:04:00.000-08:00

Please bear with me, I am trying to make a few template changes. This is kind of a hit and miss process for me. I am trying to save as I go since that is easier for me. Thanks! If anyone knows how I can create categorized drop down menus for recipes and wants to help that would be great....

Birthday Number One

2006-01-29T13:30:00.000-08:00

The great thing about having a birthday is that people like to do things your way, if only for a day. The issue with that is I am required to make desicions. Do I want fish tacos or potato bar? Cake or Custard? Theoretically I could choose nearly anything and my friends and family have to eat it. I supposed I would have to eat it, too. This means I don't get to play horrible tricks on people (Shucks). So when the question was presented as to what I might like for my birthday dinner I needed some time to think. I think I took a day and a half. Is that sad? But honestly, I get one, only one, day out of the year to pick just what I want. One day where nutrition is completely disregarded (ok, there a many of those) and calories are thrown to the wind. And so
HApPy BirThdAy to Me; FisH tAcoS frOm thE SeA... It was tough, but I decided. While I have loved potatoes since toddlerhood (Is that a word? It is now.) and consider them the ultimate comfort food, how often do I get to eat fish tacos...I had to prioritize things here. I luuuuuv Fish tacos. I live in NEVADA for gosh sakes! There aren't exactly taco stands on the (non-exhistant) boardwalk! As much as I would love to take a day trip to Rosarito it just never works out. That, and I knew if I picked tacos my friend Dan would make salsa. Dan's salsa makes me happy. It's so fresh and tangy and just spicy enough for me but, not too much for Kurt. It's salsa heaven! The only issue is that we sometimes eat it all before the tacos are ready. Oops. So we munched on salsa and drank lifesavers while Dan slaved away in the kitchen. Oh! I almost forgot how hard I worked, I chopped the cabbage. So by and by we ate fish tacos. I really wasn't all that hungry after all the salsa. It was my birthday dinner though and I wouldn't let that hinder me. Yuum! I ate too much, but it was so good!
Post-gifts, it was time for dessert. This is where things get a little weird. I made my dessert for my birthday. NO, my friends aren't losery slackers. I insisted. I always look for excuses to make things and who were they to deny me. I wanted to involve my two favorite dessert type things-Pumpkin and Chocolate. So I went to work on some rich and creamy creme brulee. I contemplated attempting to make a chocolate crust on the bottom of the ramekins but thought better of it. I didn't want to ruin the rich, creaminess with a soggy mess. So I adorned the cups with chocolate shortbread from Martha Stewart's baking handbook. The hint of cinnamon in the shortbread complimented the Creme quite nicely.
Pleasantly Pumpkin Creme Brulee (serves 8)

8 large egg yolks
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 cups whipping cream
1 tablespooon vanilla (or vanilla beans if you're really cool-I'm not)
1/2 cup hard-pack pumpkin
1 inch piece of fresh ginger grated
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

Butter 8 ramekins and preheat your oven to 275.
In a medium bowl (I like to use the large Pyrex measuring cup so it's easy to pour.) whisk together yolks and sugar. Begin to heat cream over medium heat just until bubbles appear at the edges. Meanwhile, in a food processor puree pumpkin and ginger to break up any fibers (when you think your done, scrape down the bowl and do it some more).
Once milk is bubbling at the edges whisk slowly into egg mixture, whisking constantly. Whisk in pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla.
Pour mixture back into saucepan and warm over medium heat. Continue to warm for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
Strain warm mixture through a fine mesh sieve. (You may have to rinse the sieve a few times before you're done). Pour mixture into ramekins and place into a roasting pan. Fill pan with water to 1/2 inch up the ramekins. Bake for 50 minutes or until set.
Place into fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight. When ready to serve sprinkle with sugar and melt with a torch.

Elephant Soup

2006-01-22T15:33:00.000-08:00

One toaster oven, fifteen candles, one VCR, six bottles of Jones soda, Stir, and let simmer for 15 minutes. Garnish with Hammer Pants. Serve slightly above room temperature.
Apparently for the last eight years our church has been having a White Elephant and Soup night in January. I remember hearing about it in the past and thinking it was for more the "over 50" crowd. I ran out of fingers and toes so there is a chance I messed up, but I don't think I am there yet. None the less, we went. Here is the report: I actually had fun. Turns out it 's not all for older people. Everyone brings a gift and the women are supposed to make soup and the men are supposed to make dessert. I don't believe I have ever seen that much soup in all my life. There were around 90 pots of soup all lined up on the table. Yes, there were many that were similar, but some that stood alone. I had a great creamy carrot soup and a really yummy spicey chickeny thing. There are tons of little styrofoam cups (how enviromentally incorrect of us) for us to taste. Being that it was my first time I didn't plan well. You could tell there were others who were experienced. They brought muffin tins so they could carry more cups at a time. Then the gifts came, funny, horrifying, confusing. But hey, how else would I have gotten a copy of "To Kelly from Justin; and American Idol Movie"? The men brought a plethora of desserts. Many of them were well, interesting. Some were fabulous. The winner was a cranberry pudding with white chocolate sauce.

Butternut Squash soup with Pasta

2 lb. butternut squash
6 oz. dried tube pasta, like penne or campenelle
3 slices of bacon, chopped (I used a maple bacon that lent a wonderful flavour to the soup)
1 large yellow onion, coarsely chopped
8 cups low sodium chicken stock
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste
3/4 cup of shredded Gruyere
3/4 cup croutons (prefereably homemade)

Preheat the oven to 375. Cut the squash in half and scoop out seeds. Cover a baking sheet with about 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1/4 cup water. Place squash cut side down on sheet and bake for about an hour. Allow to cool stlightly and scoop out flesh. The flesh will still be quite firm here, it is cooked more in the next step.
In a large pot cook bacon and onion together over medium heat, until onion is soft, about 10 minutes. Add chicken stock and squash, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes. Once the squash begins to fall apart remove from the heat. Puree in batches in a blender or process with immersion blender.
Return the mixture to the pot and season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg; keep warm. Cook pasta in a seperate pot and add just before serving. Garnish with cheese and croutons.

Culinary Adventure #One

2006-01-22T15:20:00.000-08:00

It seems like people make fun of those fruit of the month clubs and I don't get why. I think it encourages creativity. Cheese of the month? Even better. ________Of the Month clubs always sounded like fun to me. So this year for Christmas I gave out a few six month memberships. These folks won't be recieving things like a normal club however. There will be little organization. There is no set delivery date. The "Becky's Culinary Adventure of the Month Club" is a little more, shall we say, free form. And yet, not knowing what to expect they waited with bated breath. Friday night brought the first installment of the year. (Hey! It's still the month of January!)
The tricky part of all this is figuring out something that travels well, keeps well and is yummy. The ironic part of all this that I actually hurt myself in the process. No, no, not a little burn on my finger tip. I hurt my wrist shelling pistachios. That's right, those demon pistachios. Their green glimmer drew me in and abused me. (Actually I just have sensitive wrists from 2.5 years as a barista.) Don't you feel bad for me now? Yeah, me niether.
So anyway, I shelled and shelled and shelled pistachios and then proceeded to make the dough. I mix and beat and floured and rolled. I have to admit, it was a bit nervous when I finished mixing. This dough was a lot thinner and "batter-y" than the last biscotti I made. I also didn't like the last biscotti all that much. So admittedly it was a tad more difficult to work with. But I went ahead and baked it for the first time. I let it cool and cut it again, it made more than I thought it would. More is good, I like more biscotti. I baked again (afterall, biscotti means twice baked), although not at long as recommended. I prefer my biscotti a little softer than "normal". Now it was time to taste. Would these make the cut? Would I have to change plans and have four dozen lousy cookies on my hands. Let's just say there aren't any left....

Chocolate Pistachio Biscotti

2 1/2 cups flour
1/4 cup dutch cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cup chocolate chips
1 cup pistachios, shelled
4 eggs
1 1/2 cup sugar

Preheat the oven to 350. In a food processor, process the flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt, half the chocolate, and the pistachios until the nuts and chocolate are about half their original size. (If you have a small processor like mine this will take a few batches)
In an electric mixer, using the whisk attachment, beat eggs and sugar until the sugar begins to dissolve into the egg. This will be marked by a ribbon like appearance when the beater is lifted. Switch to the paddle attachment and add in remaining ingredients until well combined.
Turn out dough onto a floured surface. Shape into three logs and place onto to 2 large cookie sheets lined with Silpat or parchment.
Bake for about 20 or 22 minutes, rotating cookie sheets half way through. Remove from oven and cool until you can handle the logs. Transfer logs onto a cutting board and cut into 3/4 inch thick slices on the diagonal. (This is good because you end up with a couple short pieces you are forced to sample.) Transfer slices back to cookie sheets and arrange cut sides down. Bake another 8 minutes or longer if you prefer a harder biscotti.

How do I love cheese, let me count the ways...

2006-01-22T14:51:00.000-08:00

Sometimes you find delicious surprises in the most unlikely of places. As you know, I often lament the lack of interesting food options in my little community. Every now and then I happen to stumble upon something lovely that very nearly makes me forget the rest. Friday afternoon I had a bit of extra time and decided to stop at the new cheese shop I had been pining after. It's a tiny little shoppe, tucked between some other businesses. I walked in not entirely sure what to expect. I often get all built up for these things and leave disappointed. I was pleasently surprised to encounter the (if limited) wall space lined with shelves of culinary delight. Sauces and jams and oils. They had a chestnut honey that I still can't decide if I like or just find interesting along with a selection of wines. The staff was friendly and helpful, yet not overly so. I browsed for a few minutes until I dove into the whole reason I came. As I examined the menu board I spotted something I was hoping for. White Stilton with Lemon zest! My favorite! They carried my favorite cheese! It really didn't matter what happened after this. I went ahead and tasted the white stilton with mango and ginger, but it paled in comparison ( didn't even bother with the apricot). I then embarked on the goat cheese selection, I tried four or five. The staff was more than happy to indulge me and even opened new wheels for me. Some were pungent, some were hard. I decided to take home a bit of a soft cheese from nearby Humbolt county. This goat cheese is bright at the beginning and draws into an unimaginable creaminess. As you will observe in the picture there is a vien through the cheese. My first thought was a blue goat cheese, although it seemed odd. The vien is infact ash. A debate then insued between two of the gals about whether it was for preservation purposes or mearly decorative. I don't know for sure, but I know I like it. This knew disovery could mean trouble.

Blog Party-Retro Edition

2006-01-19T09:03:00.000-08:00

Wow! It's been month's since I have participated in a blogging event. Life has been wild, but I am excited to get back into the swing of things. As I have said before, one of the things I love most about blogging events is that they challenge me to "cook outside the box". This month's Blog Party theme, hosted by the talented Stephanie is Retro. I often ponder how it is that food goes through nearly as many trends as fashion. Well, for me, when I think retro food I think of two things: Mayonnaise and Aspic. I can't really claim to be fond of either one. I could have taken the easy way out and used pomegranate since Epicurious said it was so 2004. Somehow I don't think that is retro enough. I thought about making an aspic to pay homage, but especially after reading Julie and Julia, the idea kind of grossed me out. So I thought and thought. Then I thought I could come up with something and name it a cute retro name, but that felt like cheating. I needed to dig deeper. My Grandma gave me a vintage cookbook when I got married, so I looked through that. It was written in the 1940s about recipes from that days yesteryear. That sounded fun, however, there were one too many recipes for beef knuckle. Call me crazy, but if cows don't have toes or fingers-How do they have knuckles? So I needed to go back to work. Then I thought of my old Sunset Vegetarian book, the pictures are dated and it's falling apart. Somehow 1988 just didn't seem to fit the bill. So I turned to Joy of Cooking for inspiration. My copy was last updated in 1995 but still contained things of interest. Feeling sufficiently inspired I got to work on a plan. It wouldn't be fancy. I wouldn't need any special ingredients. (mayonnaise may be considered a special ingredient for me. I keep having to throw it away before I finish the jar.) I am not entirely sure why Mayo was so very popular. A friend of mine has a "lovely" book with a recipe for butterfly salad. You take two pieces of lettuce and pipe mayonnaise down the center to form the body. The antennae is comprised of banana pieces and the mayonnaise body is decorated with raisins. Does this sound like a REALLY bad idea to anyone else?? So I decided that a classic with egg salad would be perfect. I originally intended to stuff the egg salad into cherry tomatoes. When I arrived at the grocery store the discount bin had little puff pastry cups. Hot dang! I don't even like cherry tomatoes, thank you Lord!
Egg Salad in Puff Pastry (6 cups)

6 mini puff pastry cups
1 hard-boiled egg
generous tablespoon Mayo
pinch of curry
salt and pepper
paprika to garnish

But egg into pieces, then stir in Mayo, salt, pepper and curry.
Place egg salad into cups and sprinkle with paprika.

Hint: When preparing hard boiled eggs they will peel easier if the eggs are a few days old.

Everything?

2006-01-13T13:52:00.000-08:00

The other night there was a crazy person who came into the restaurant. You see, he was already partly crazy and then he had oral surgery and was still coming out of the drugs (I know, he showed me his stitches-Yes, it was gross.). Then I wounder if I am really one to call another mad. You see, earlier that evening "the cook" put something in to fry and I glanced over. He exclaimed that everything was better deep fried. Not wanting to argue I agreed and stated, "Yes, everything, like salad." That's where things began to go down hill. For heaven's sake if they can deep fry Twinkies and Snickers bars why not salad. So I plucked out a nice crispy piece of iceberg, afterall, it's not about nutrition. I dipped it in egg, then flour and dropped it in. Moments later a beautiful nugget emerged. Luckily, I had my camera with me. Two things...

Don't eat deep fried lettuce, EVERYTHING is NOT better deep fried.
Dangit if the picture didn't turn out really good. All things considered, I'd give it an 8 for presentation.

Brace Yourself

2006-01-09T21:40:00.000-08:00

I couldn't resist. I tried, well, no I didn't. I was actually elated and proceeded with reckless abandon. I couldn't help myself. It was there, calling out. I knew it would be so easy. I tried (if briefly) to talk myself out of it. But I needed to use up that ricotta. Sure, I needed to be out the door in twenty minutes, but when has logic ever stopped me before.
You see, I had made pumpkin waffles earlier in the week and needed to use the left over pumpkin. Never mind that I get the larger size can (gasp, yes, I prefer canned over fresh for many applications) just so that I can have an excuse to make more pumpkin food. My, my I am devious.
There was about a half a cup of ricotta left so I quickly mixed in an equivalent amount of pumpkin, a bit of salt and pepper and a touch of nutmeg. Learning about goyza wrappers at Thanksgiving was really a neat trick. So I quickly formed perfect pockets of pumpkiny pleasure and dropped them into the simmering water. I wanted a balsamic reduction but in my panic about time ( I am doing better, I used to feel sick, shake and sweat bullets when I thought I was going to be late) it didn't really reduce all the way. I think that next I would like to try a lemon cream sauce then a blue cheese and walnut topping. Guess I'll have to make more Pumpkin Ravioli. Shucks.

Verdant Eyes

2006-01-09T21:28:00.000-08:00

One of four things is happening to Kurt.
a) He has begun to ignore me completely
b) He has got so used to me photographing food that he doesn't notice.
c) He is blocking it out as a defense mechanism because he's embarassed
d) He was actually talking to our guests.

I have to admit I still feel a little bit bashful snapping pictures of dinner when company is over. I can feel their curious eyes boaring into the back of my head. **What the heck is she doing?** And yet, many times when I bring the food to the table (no more than 4 feet from where I was taking pictures) Kurt asks if I took a picture. This is his way of saying that it looks good. I am glad he thinks so, I just find it a bit curious.

Sometimes I look at cookbooks and blogs and I get a little envious. It's not that I am overcome with rage. I don't want them to NOT have something. I just want to share in that beautiful joy that certain things evokes. I am weak enough to admit that it's usually some horribly decadent dessert. But lately, becoming green with envy has taken on more meaning. That's right. I have been lusting after pistachios. Those salty, crunchy, lovely green jewels. I wanted them. I dare say I wanted them more than pumpkin seeds. I like to see their little chartreuse eyes peering out at me. It's gives me a little thrill.
I was also thrilled when I bit into the lovely hued pistacho crusted salmon. The pink, the green, the soft and crunch. Hehe. It was quite a simple process of covering the salmon with a layer of chopped pistachios, sea salt, pepper and a sliver of butter. It really was nice. A lovely combination of flavours and texture with such ease. It's impressive, yet relaxed.
Next came another yummy bit. Panna Cotta. Now Panna Cotta is fun to serve people. First off, it looks neat with very little effort. Second (lucky me) most of the people I know don't know what it is. It's new, therefore, interesting. I decided to make orange panna cotta. There are times for a rich, heavy dessert, but post-holidays I lean toward refreshing. After a bit of discussion we decided that it tastes like a really good orange creamsicle. I guess that's not all bad. After all, Good Humor has made lots of money on them. I had secretly wanted to add some red wine which would have eliminated the popsicle issue. I admit, I didn't do it out of fear. I was concerned that the wine would curdle the mixture. So they were good, creamy and refreshing as I had hoped. But does anybody know if I can use the wine??

Time Flies when it has Wings...

2006-01-04T20:54:00.000-08:00

What happened. It seems that our (or at least mine) calendars have been drinking Red Bull or something. This year seems so have flown by so quickly. With all the madness it was nice to spend a (somewhat) quite (ish) evening in with family. I didn't have to try to be friendly with people I didn't know. OK, for a fleeting moment I did, but then, I got past that. I sat back and sipped on gold-sugar rimmed glasses of sparkling pomegranate martinis. I cringed as I watched Mariah Carey shake and show way too much. All I can say is it must have been cold.
It's been a year of changes. Some good, some not so good. Most of all it's been crazy. So my "resolution", if you can call it that, is to s-l-o-w-d-o-w-n. I know that there will be seasons of madness, but I want to take the time to enjoy myself. Be thankful for what I do have and for goodness sake, cook more! So far I think I am doing fairly well. We had some crazy weather with all sorts of flooding and fun so I made dessert for New Year's with what I had on hand. I coated the edges of brownies with gold sanding sugar and topped them with a delicately scented Creme Anglaise.
Creme Anglaise

1 1/4 cups milk
1 Gingerbread Spice Tea bag
5 large egg yolks
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Place milk and tea bag in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Heat until milk begins to bubble at the edges.
In a seperate bowl whisk together yolks, sugar and vanilla. Prepare another bowl with a fine mesh strainer over it. (This prevents you from having to call your husband into the kitchen and frantically yell commands at him.)
Remove tea bag from milk. Slowly pour milk into the egg mixture, whisking constantly. Pour mixture back into the saucepan and continue to cook over medium heat, stirring constantly. This should around 5 minutes.
Pour mixture through a fine mesh sieve, cover, and refrigerate until cold.

Sweet Love, at Last

2006-01-03T20:09:00.000-08:00

You know how it is. One day you awaken with a longing. You do your best to simply push it aside with no avail. It seems that all around you everyone else is content with what they have. Although, you begin to wonder how many of those are simply bottled up due to chance, laziness, or mediocrity. You're not looking for anything syrupy sweet. You don't desire that neediness that calls out for constant, prolonged attention. You're not even looking to get caught up in all the romantic details. Just something simple, reliable, undemanding. Something relaxed enough for a night on the couch , yet sufficiently sassy for an evening with friends. You think you have looked in all the logical places and yet, are never sated. You wake the next morning to find the long still tugging at you. You go to someone you trust for help , yet, come up empty-handed. Then, in a last ditch effort you find everything you were looking for.
It seems as though it ought to have been such a simple thing. Like you ought to have known all along. But regardless of what it took to get there I am pleased to announce I have found a classic Marinara Sauce that I love. For years I have been tossing together herbs and tomato sauce achieving results that were, eh. I had finally had it and tried some ways to improve things. No such luck. Then I tried the marinara sauce in Everyday Italian. Um, even after major tweaking, it was still a let down. (Yes, I tried it before I started adding things.) Then, on Saturday afternoon I struck gold. This sauce is very simply, quick and surprisingly flavourful.
The Perfect Marinara Sauce

28 oz. can diced Muir Glen Tomatoes
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon sugar
3 tablespoons fresh basil or half as much dried
a few turns of the pepper grinder

In a 10-inch saute pan warm oil and garlic over medium heat until fragrant, but not brown. Add tomatoes with juices and allow to simmer about 10 minutes.
Add remaining ingredients and allow to simmer a few minutes more. Puree in batches in food processor. See? Wasn't that simple? Oh, I added mushrooms, but they really aren't needed.

You are What You Eat...

2005-12-31T13:35:00.000-08:00

I was tagged by Heather of Eating for One quite some time ago for the "You are What You Eat Meme". So here is my own personal top ten favorite foods...I kind of feel like Dave Letterman, only not that funny, with better teeth (thank God) and a lot less money. I also can't have half of these things right since I am trying to figure out some allergy problems, but really, almond cheese isn't all that bad.

Mexican Food: Ok, so it's a bit broad. I can't help it if I love so much of it. If I posted the tacos, burritos, tamales, echiladas, salsas, and whatever those AMAZING sandwiches are that I can never remember the name I wouldn't be able to have any other food. I love the spicy flavours, the earthy aromas, the magic inside my mouth. If I have to choose one type of food to eat for all of my life and it didn't matter if I got really fat and unhealthy, this would be it.

Chocolate: There is only one sad part about this now. I can't just grab any old chocolate anymore. It used to be that big bowl of Kisses at Christmas was a temptation. Now it is more like a ball of wax in my mouth. I want it dark. That's the beauty of it all, the richness that is so satisfying with just one little sqare, at least for a good 15 minutes.

Veggies: I know, it's another broad statement. The truth is that I almost always would prefer a mix of veggies. I love (almost) all of them. I love the richness, the crunch, the moisture, the sweetness, the bitterness. There are so many things to do with them. You can cook them or eat them raw (go ahead, try that with chicken). Most of them are really quite good. I would venture to say that for the most part if someone doesn't like a vegetable they haven't had it prepared correctly. Except cauliflower, it's just weird. And when was the last time you heard about the carrot flu?

Pasta: This was actually one of the first things I learned to make. It may have been in the form of mac and cheese but oh well. It also was what fed me when I first moved out. Who knew that Pasta Roni was so versatile. But honestly, versatility is what I love about pasta. It really is one of those great things that almost always works. It doesn't require complex cooking methods and can be dressed with almost anything. You can serve it for virtually any course, yes even dessert. I wish I still had the recipe for poppyseed pasta with butterscotch apples....MMm, Get in my belly!

Cheese: Cheese, cheese, magical cheese. Yet another wonderfully versatile food. Again, it can be included in any course. There are so many wonderful flavours and uses. My very favorite cheese (thus far) is made by Clawson in England. It's white stilton with lemon peel. It's fruity sweetness qualifies it for a dessert course while it makes a refreshing topping for aspragus or creamy sauce for pasta. Another beautiful thing is the ability of cheese to complement so many other types of food.

Bread: Does it get any more homey or comforting than bread? Be it plain white bread toast with (gasp) "buttery spread" reminding me of my Grandma or an earthy herb bread feeling so rich and decadent with the tiniest bit of olive oil, it's just good. It always feels a welcome addition to any meal and also makes a perfect snack.

Ice Cream: I have to admit that my tastes have changed over the years. It used to be that any ol' ice cream would do. Alas, anymore I an ice cream snob of sorts. I prefer homemade or gelato. I grew up on those huge gallon buckets simply because of the sheer volume my brothers and I could (and would) consume. My favorites change depending on my moods, so I can't lay claim to a certain flavour. I like a rich, dark chocolate, a cool, creamy mint, and the way vanilla can be turned into whatever I want. I will say, with the chocolate"chip" varities I prefer the shredded chocolate to actual chips or chunks.

Honey: Honey is a rather new love interest of mine. Just over the last year or so I have come to really love honey. I can pick different flavours in different types of honey. I just enjoy it. I use it in my morning yogurt to avoid corn syrup. It's so fabulous on toast with yogurt cheese. It's a lovely glaze for fish or veggies. It's sugar, with so much more so offer. It also makes a lovely face wash.

Citrus: It's not really so much that I am trying to pack in more vitamin C. To be entirely honesy, perhaps I should have written "Zest". I eat the fruit, too, but the zest is just so stinking great! It's amazing how much yummy flavour just the peel of a fruit can pack! It's such a great way to add flavour in baked goods and what not.

And the Number One food I love to eat is.....

PUMPKIN

Do I really need to expand on this? Ok, I will. Not only is pumpkin a great source of fiber and vitamin A, it's also so very delish! I think that perhaps one of the biggest reasons I like pumpkin is because it's not expected. People tuck it away into a tiny little box for pie and quick bread. There really are so many more wonderful ways to enjoy pumpkin!