My Food Journal

a fresh start

2011-03-18T21:43:00.002-04:00

This will be my last post on this blog. But I promise, I'm not done blogging about food! I'm just starting over at with a new blog called scratch.

http://scratch-eats.blogspot.com/

Switching blogs has been an idea a long time coming. I've been contemplating the thought for about six months now, and I finally decided to do it. So, don't give up on me! And thank you for supporting me all this time. I felt like my creativity was lacking and I didn't like my voice on this blog anymore. I needed a new reason to post recipes and food ideas for you. And for me.

Recently I was watching food network and a certain cook I sometimes enjoy watching (no need to mention names, right?) was making pancakes. And used a mix. Now, don't get me wrong, I love an easy breakfast just as much as the next person, but I was frustrated with the idea that this person was getting paid to tell me to go buy a mix. Especially for something as simple as pancakes. And I decided I can do better for my readers and for my family.

So here I am, and this time, I know what I'm doing. I've been at this food blogging for over 3 years now, can you believe it? It's a little sad to let something so precious and personal to me come to an end, but it's an exciting new adventure. I look forward to seeing where this takes me. There will be a few changes from the old blog. Mainly, that I will be cooking from scratch only. This is something I learned to do while living in Elkhart. There wasn't much around, so if I wanted to eat it, I had to make it. I wanted Indian Tikka Masala with naan, I had to make it. From scratch. I wanted real European bakery style crusty bread, I had to make it. From scratch. If I wanted Japanese panko crusted pork cutlets (とんかつ), I had to make it. From scratch. Hence the new title, new feel. And I'm loving where that experience has taken me. I've learned to make my own cheese, bread, pasta, yogurt, all sorts of things I never thought I'd learn to do. So now, I'm sharing it all with you. You'll be amazed at how simple it can be, and how much better everything tastes when you treat the food you eat with respect. I think over these 3.5 years I've been writing this blog, I've learned so much about myself and learned to have a healthier relationship with food. No over-indulgences, no deprivation. Just appreciation and respect. I know I sound like a bit of a hippie, but I'll take that over gluttonous or fake.

I hope you enjoy taking this new journey with me. Thanks for the support until now, and thanks for sticking with me. So hop on over to SCRATCH.

http://scratch-eats.blogspot.com/

Lillian.

love to Japan

2011-03-18T10:57:00.002-04:00

I haven't been around my blogs lately, mainly because I've been overwhelmed by what has happened in Japan. My mother's family lives in the Sendai area, where the biggest impact of the earthquake happened, and I've been so focused on that.

photos from news.com

I have been so touched by all of the reports by American journalists who have expressed their astoniment at how peaceful the people are considering what they are going through. They line up in an orderly fashion to get any sort of aid and are so grateful. They help each other. There is absolutely not looting. There is such a sense of community and compassion among victims. I love these people. I am so grateful to be a part of such a beautiful culture, and I pray that they will be relieved soon.

Please pray for Japan.

birthday

2011-02-19T16:09:00.000-05:00

My baby turned 1! And for her big day, we had steak fajitas and a big, fat chocolate ganache cake. It was so ridiculously rich that I felt a little weird the rest of the day, but boy was it worth it! It was so fun to have just a few of our dear friends (some of whom traveled all the way from Northern Indiana for the occasion!!!--Thank you!!!) with us to celebrate such a special day for our family.

Steak Fajitas + the fixins

yes, I like my steak fairly rare ... so cook it to your desired doneness when you make it.

I usually make salsa that my Mexican roommate back in college taught me, which includes avocados. But just in case, I separated them. I should have known everyone would love it either way, though. I had a very non-picky eater crowd.

the steak:
1 flank steak (whatever size you think will feed your guests best, I used a pretty big one)
salt and pepper to taste
fresh limes (lots of them so you can make fresh salsa)
canola oil

Let the steak rest at room temperature to take the chill off of the meat. Pat the steak dry and season generously with salt and pepper.
Get a large skillet (preferably cast iron), heat a tablespoon of canola oil on nigh heat. Place the steak on the hot skillet and let the meat sear on one side for 3~4 minutes. Don't move the meat around. You want a good sear. Flip the steak over and cook on the second side for 3~5 minutes, depending on your desired doneness.
Place the steak on a platter, drizzle with the juice of 1 lime. Tent with foil and let rest. Slice the steak very thin across the grain.

the peppers: (I was serving 6 adults and 8 kids, so I made a lot, adjust to your number of people)
5 red, yellow, and orange bell peppers, trimmed and sliced thin
2 large yellow onions, ends cut off, sliced in half pole to pole, then sliced thin pole to pole.
salt to taste
canola oil

In a large skillet, add a little canola oil and heat on medium high heat. Add peppers and onions and season with salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and slightly caramelized.

the salsa: (*I added a trick I learned in San Antonio at the best Tex Mex restaurant I've ever been to ... but if it offends you to be so non-authentic, leave it out. It's good, though!)
2 lbs good tomatoes (I used red and gold cherry tomatoes this time, but in the Summer I'd probably use Megan's garden tomatoes:) ), cut as small or coarse as you like. With cherries, I keep them halved, I like the texture.
1/2 ~ 1 vidalia onion (or any other onion, but make sure you soak in cold water for at least 30 minutes, changing the water at least once), diced small
juice of 1 lime (or to taste)
juice of 1/2 orange*, optional
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped very fine (about 1/4 C)
2 avocados, diced, optional
salt to taste

the avocados: (if you're not adding avocados to the salsa
2 avocadoes, diced
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped very fine
juice of 1/2 lime (or to taste)
salt to taste

serve with warm small flour tortillas and sour cream.

another old favorite

2011-02-13T14:40:00.001-05:00

I've been really craving eggs lately. And since it was Saturday morning, I decided it was time for a big, hearty, rustic frittata. I love these things. You can pretty much do whatever the heck you want with them. This time I used orange bell peppers, purple fingerling potatoes, onions, manchego and ricotta cheeses, and spinach. With salted yellow and red cherry tomatoes and fresh parsley leaves for garnish.

5~6 purple fingerling potatoes, cleaned and sliced thin
1 Spanish onion, cut in half and sliced thin (pole-to-pole)
1 orange bell pepper, ribs and seeds removed, diced small
handful of fresh baby spinach, chopped
6 eggs
2 egg whites
splash of milk
1/2 freshly grated Manchego cheese
1/4 c (ish) ricotta cheese
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil

In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, egg whites, milk, and 1/4 teaspoon salt.
Meanwhile, in a large, oven-safe (preferably nonstick) skillet, heat about 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and potatoes, and cook until almost tender, 5~8 minutes. Add peppers, and cook until tender.
Once peppers, potatoes, and onions are tender and starting to caramelize a little, add another 1/2 tablespoon of oil to prevent sticking, and add spinach and eggs. Drop heat to medium-low, and periodically pull the sides into the middle as they cook. Once the eggs are about halfway cooked, turn on the broiler. Dollop a few spoonfuls for ricotta on top of the eggs and evenly sprinkle the manchego. Place skillet under the broiler until eggs are set and the cheese is golden and bubbly. The time will depend on your broiler.
Pull out from under the broiler and let cool for a few minutes. Serve warm, cut into wedges.

my lunch

2011-01-31T21:57:00.000-05:00

I made 2 roasted chickens for Saturday night's dinner. One for dinner and one for leftovers. So Sunday, when I got home from church, I sliced up some of my everyday crusty bread, avocados, tomatoes, and mmmmmmmmmmmmm chicken. With a little Japanese mayo. Heaven.

What's your favorite sandwich?

it's cold outside

2011-01-31T21:54:00.000-05:00

It's supposed to freezing rain all night. All day tomorrow. All through Wednesday.

And it's weather like this that calls for a good, warm soup. I was inspired by Throw Down with Bobby Flay where they had a salmon chowder throw down (in the Pacific Northwest, yeah!) and this food blog that I LOVE. I had salmon in the freezer and a bunch of beautiful root vegetables in my vegetable basket, so I thought I'd make my own version ... and yes, fresh salmon is better, but we're in the Midwest here. Definitely miss the Northwest when it comes to seafood. Particularly the salmon.

Anyway, this soup was perfect for a cold, wintry day. I kept it pretty brothy, but still creamy. I love a good, thick clam chowder. But once in a while, I like a cleaner taste and texture. So there you go. My attempt at salmon chowder.

Creamy Salmon soup with root vegetables

1 rutabaga, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 turnip, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1.5 lbs fingerling potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 large onion, chopped fine
4 slices bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
6 C stock (if you have seafood stock, use it. If not, do what I did. Whatever is in your freezer/pantry--other than beef. This is not the time for beef stock)
1 C cream
salt and pepper to taste
3 large salmon fillets, cut into 1 inch chunks
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 sprig fresh rosemary
minced parsley, for garnish

In a large dutch oven, cook the bacon until crisp. Drain all but 1 tablespoon of the rendered fat, add the onions and cook until softened. Add the garlic, and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add all of the rutabaga, turnip, potatoes, stock, and salt and pepper to taste. Throw in the thyme and rosemary whole and put the lid on top. Turn the heat to medium-low and let simmer until vegetables are tender.
Remove thyme and rosemary (most of the leaves should have fallen off in the soup) and discard. Add the salmon and cream. Let gently simmer until Salmon is just cooked through. Remove from heat and serve. Garnish with parsley, if you want. (obviously, I didn't have any fresh parsley in my fridge ... so sad!)

get. the. book.

2011-01-31T21:06:00.001-05:00

Recently I received an email from my sweet Aunt Carolyn (the genius behind these rolls) informing me that she bought the book. Yeah, THE book. You know, the one I can't stop talking about? The one that made me, a non-bread baker into a pretty much daily fancy shmancy bread baker? The one that changed my life? The one that makes 100% from scratch pizza a last minute dinner? Yup, that one. I'm excited to hear what her very skilled and experienced hands will create!

Go out and get the book, people!

Come on, you want this coming out of your oven.

old favorite revisited

2011-01-18T11:38:00.000-05:00

I haven't made this dish in a while because it's really a Summer dish. But at Sam's club they had these beautiful little yellow cherry tomatoes that were so juicy and sweet, so I just had to give it a shot. And I'm so glad I did! It was a little weird eating something so fresh and bright when there's snow on everything outside of my window, but I liked pretending I was in some kind of an orchard. It's so fun to eat good food that takes you to a different place, isn't it?

Summer Garden Pasta
serves 6

1 lb thin long pasta, such as spaghetti or linguine
extra virgin olive oil (this is the center of flavor for this dish, so get the best you can afford)
1.5 lbs cherry tomatoes, halved
1 bunch basil, sliced into thin strips (with a sharp knife to prevent bruising)
1~2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 C freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese (I like the bite this cheese has, but Parmiggiano Reggiano would be a great substitute)
1/4 teaspoon (more or less, depending on how much heat you want)
salt and pepper to taste

In a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, garlic, basil, herbs, crushed red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper. Pour enough olive oil to cover the tomatoes half way. Toss to coat, cover and set aside. Let sit on the counter for up to 4 hours.
Right before serving, toss tomato and oil mixture with the cheese and set aside. Cook pasta to al dente, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water. Drain and add directly into the tomato mixture. Toss to coat, adding cooking liquid to loosen the sauce as needed. Season with salt to taste. Serve immediately alongside a slice of hearty, crusty bread to sop up the sauce.

new year's resolution

2011-01-13T20:42:00.000-05:00

It's actually been almost 3 months since my last post. Unbelievable! I don't really know what the problem was, but for a while I wasn't feeling very creative in the kitchen. I didn't have a ton of motivation to try new recipes, experiment with new ideas or techniques, and so this blog has suffered. Well, one of my New Year's Resolutions is to b more diligent in the kitchen. Remember to enjoy the creative process of cooking, not just try to get to the end result as fast and easily as possible. I got a few cherished cookbooks for Christmas, and became a lot closer to a new foodie friend, and now I feel this renewed passion for cooking. I've missed it!

So the other day, I made a simple ham and cheese tart for dinner. We had so much cheese in our fridge, so I had to think of a way to use some of it up. I think it turned out perfectly. I love the thyme and black forest ham with the complex flavors of the different cheeses. It was a fun and successful experiment.

Cheese and Black Forest Ham Tart
serves 6

1/4 C grated Gruyere cheese
1/4 C grated Manchego cheese
1/4 C grated smoked Gouda cheese
1/4 C grated Irish cheese
(or use any combination of any cheese you think will go well together. I liked these because each had it's own very distinct and unique, deep flavor that complimented each other really well)
1 sheet frozed puff pastry, thawed in the fridge
1/2 C caramelized onions*
4~5 super thin slices of Black Forest Ham
1/4 t fresh thyme leaves

Preheat the over to 400°F. On a floured surface, roll out the puff pastry to a 16x10 inch rectangle. Trim the uneven edges. Place the pastry on a baking sheet. Lightly score a 1 inch border around the edge of the puff pastry, and prick the inside of border every 1/2 inch with a fork. Bake until light brown, about 15 minutes.
Place the slices of ham over the pastry, followed by the onions, and evenly sprinkle the cheese and thyme over the top. Place back in the oven until the cheese is lightly browned, about 15 minutes.

I served it with a simple green salad with a lemon vinaigrette. Helped to balance out the cheese:)

Caramelized Onions (America's Test Kitchen Recipe)

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 lbs onions (about 4 medium), halved and sliced thin
1 teaspoon light brown sugar
1 teaspoon water
pepper

Melt the butter with the oil in a 12 inch non-stick skillet over high heat. Stir in the onions, brown sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes.
Reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are deeply browned, about 40 minutes.
Off the heat, stir in the water and season with salt and pepper to taste.

everyday comfort

2010-10-18T21:40:00.004-04:00

It's getting dark earlier, cool enough for sweaters, and it occasionally rains. Perfect for salted caramel hot chocolate from Starbucks and good, hearty comfort food for dinner. But let's face it, most people aren't really interested in eating a heavy, rich, (DELICIOUS, but unfortunately rich) meal on a normal week night. So we all come up with ways to cut calorie corners and sacrifice flavor. Not my style. But I don't want to pack back on all of those baby pounds I've finally lost. Which is why I bought this book. I trust them to make delicious food. And why not healthy delicious food, right?

Well, this isn't a recipe from their book, but I wanted to follow their philosophy of delicious healthy food. But not as a wannabe version of something else. I'm kind of a purist about ingredients and their purposes. I don't think of tofu as a meat replacement. I don't think pureed cauliflower can be a substitute for mashed potatoes. Olive oil isn't a healthy alternative to butter. Tofu, cauliflower, and olive oil each have their own gorgeous place in our palates. Don't cheat them by using them as "healthy alternatives". No, no. Food is meant to be enjoyed and celebrated for what they are.

So let's not kid ourselves and think of this as a spaghetti and meatballs recipe. Because it's not. It's a turkey and vegetable "meatball" pasta recipe. it's just a new thing. But a nice hearty dinner without the guilt. And I love it. And it's pretty good for you. But if you want real spaghetti and meatballs, please use lots of good meat and make it rich and hearty. But for our Monday night, this worked out great as a new dish.

Turkey and Vegetable Meatballs with Spaghetti

1 lb spaghetti

for the sauce:
2 cans whole tomatoes
2 T tomato paste
1/2 onion, minced (reserve the other half for the "meatballs")
1 carrot, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

for the "meatballs":
1 lb lean ground turkey (go for the 93/7, not the "extra lean" 99% fat free kind. you need that teeny little bit of fat to make it a juicy meatball)
1 carrot, minced
1/2 onion, minced (the leftovers from making the sauce)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 C loosley packed flat peal parsley, minced
8 oz mushrooms (I used cremini, lots of good meaty flavor and makes the meatballs nice and moist), minced
1/4 C frozen spinach, thawed, and chopped small
2 T toasted walnuts (I know, weird. But it's an amazing texture and flavor), processed fine in the food processor
1/2 C freshly grated parmesan cheese
1/2 C panko
1 egg, lightly beaten
salt and pepper to taste (go easy on the salt, though. The cheese is plenty salty)

In a large, heavy bottom pot, heat about 1~2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions, and carrots, salt, and stir together occassionally until completely softened and browned, about 15 minutes. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, until the color changes to a reddish-brown. Add the 2 can of whole tomatoes, breaking them up as you cook (or, if you prefer, pour them into a large bowl and crush them with your hands before adding to the pot). Add salt and pepper to taste, bring the sauce down to a low simmer, and let cook until meatballs are done.
Meanwhile, preheat the broiler. In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients for the meatballs and make each meatball with about 3~4 T of the veggie/turkey mixture. Evenly space the meatballs on a baking sheet and place under the broiler until nice and browned and crunchy on top. Add them to the pot of sauce and continue to simmer until meatballs soak in all the flavor and cook all the way through.
Cook the pasta to al dente. Right before tossing the pasta into the sauce, take out the meaballs (they're pretty fragile because they're mostly vegetable), and set aside. Toss the al dente pasta right into the sauce pot, adding some pasta water to loosen the sauce if necessary. Serve sauced pasta with meatballs op top, and a little extra sauce on top of that. Parsley and cheese, if you want:) Oh, and a slice of good, crusty bread. Yum!

i'm in love with bread

2010-09-30T15:21:00.001-04:00

... but we all know that, right? I mean, don't I talk about good bread about every 3~4 posts? I think so. I made some more of my favorite bread the other day so I could make some eggplant toasts. But I went with a teeny batard shape instead of the typical boule, and made my eggplant toasts more like a healthy variation on eggplant parmesan. If you don't cook much eggplant, here's a good place to start. Super simple and delicious. And you'll fall in love with the perfect, buttery, creamy texture of eggplant.

baked eggplant parmesan toasts
serves 4

2 large crusty rolls, cut in half lengthwise, like a hot dog bun
1/2 C homemade tomato sauce (I used diced tomatoes, but next time I think I'll use crushed, this was too chunky), or just some chopped up tomatoes with salt and pepper
super thin sliced red onions
4 oz mozzarella cheese, grated (if you have fresh mozzarella, you can freeze it to grate it)
1/2 globe eggplant, sliced about 1/2 inch thick. You should have 8 slices.
2 slices of stale bread
1/4 C parsley
2~4 T grated Pecorino Romano cheese (or Parmigiano Reggiano)
2 eggs
1/2 C flour
salt and pepper
canola oil spray

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place a cooling rack on top. Toast the stale bread slices in the toaster and let cool.
Beat the eggs in a shallow dish and set aside. In another shallow dish, place the flour and season with salt and lots of pepper.
In the bowl of a food processor, pulse together the toasted bread, parsley, and Pecorino Romano cheese. Place seasoned breadcrumbs in another shallow dish.
First dredge the eggplant slices in the seasoned flour, then dip in the egg mixture, letting the excess drip off, and then coat with the breadcrumbs. Place them evenly spaced on the rack over the parchment lined baking sheet. Spray lightly with canola oil spray. Bake in the oven until the eggplants are cooked through completely and the crust is golden brown, 15~20 minutes.
Take the 2 tops and 2 bottoms of the loaves of bread, and place them on a baking sheet crust-side down. Spread 2 tablespoon of sauce, place 2 slices of the eggplant, (and a little more sauce, if you like) then a tablespoon of grated mozzarella and pecorino cheeses, and the sliced red onions on top. Place under the broiler for a few minutes (depending on your broiler--so keep an eye on it), until cheese is bubbling and browned. Serve hot.

fresh

2010-09-30T14:25:00.001-04:00

We have a farmer's market here. Like a real one. I know, all of you out there in places like California or NYC or even SLC are thinking, "what? All this time she didn't have one close by?" And my answer to you is ... no. Fortunately, we had cute little farm stands here and there, but you had to go searching for them. But that's better than nothing. But here in Bloomington? We have a REAL FARMERS MARKET! And I've been addicted since we've moved. Our weekly Saturday morning ritual is to get up, eat a quick breakfast, get ready, and GO. And once we're there, the first thing I do is buy a little carton of cherry--or other variety of teeny, snackable tomatoes--for my 2 year old daughter to munch on while we browse through all of the different vendors. There's one that I feel particularly pressed to visit every week because not only do they sell amazing produce, they are Asian. And we Asians support each other. And they're so nice and have stuff that other people don't. Like nashi (Japanese pears), and Thai basil for $0.75 a bag. Not kidding. $0.75 a bag. A big bag.

Anyway, there I was with a bunch of pretty, colorful cherry tomatoes one Tuesday morning, with no lunch planned for me and the kids. But thankfully I had made some good bread the day before, and a whole handful of sweet basil from my friend's backyard garden, so I made us a quick cherry tomato bruschetta. And it was quite satisfying. It might have been the hearty bread we ate it on. Whatever it was, I was in heaven.

quick cherry tomato bruschetta

6~8 basil leaves (more or less, depending on what you like. I like as much fresh herbs as possible--especially when it comes to sweet basil), rolled up and sliced thin with a shaaaaaarp knife.
1 pint cherry tomatoes, cut in half across the middle, not pole-to-pole
2~4 T extra virgin olive oil
1/2 garlic clove, minced or grated
salt and pepper to taste

2~4 slices of good, crusty bread, toasted

In a medium bowl, combine the basil, tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Toss to combine. The longer you let it sit, the more the flavors will meld together. Mmm.
Pile on as much or as little of the tomato mixture onto your crusty bread and eat immediately.

out of it. again.

2010-09-15T14:47:00.000-04:00

I've had a crazy few weeks. That's my excuse, anyway. We moved from Elkhart, IN to Bloomington, IN. My kids are doing awesome and my cute husband started grad school. The crazy stuff included having to move twice because management here put us in the wrong kind of apartment, all sorts of moving truck drama, getting in a car accident (not our fault, thank goodness), and a whole host of other interesting experiences. But in the long run, it's been exciting and very tiring. So that's why I haven't been in the kitchen like I should. I'm sorry, friends! But now we're settled (well, getting there), and feeling happy about life, and I have been happily cooking and baking away.

So here's a recipe for the last meal I cooked in my kitchen in Elkhart. Wasn't my favorite space, but I feel like I grew so much in my style and skill, and in a lot of ways I miss it.

Prosciutto and Vegetable pasta
for 1 lb of pasta

1 lb long pasta, such as linguine or spaghetti
2 small zucchini, cut in half lengthwise and sliced thin at an angle
1 small onion, chopped fine
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 ounces of thin sliced prosciutto, about 8 slices, cut into small pieces
extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
2 T finely shopped parsley
zest of 1/2 lemon
juice of 1/2 lemon
parmiggiano reggiano cheese, grated

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt, cook pasta to al dente, reserving about 1/2 C of the cooking water. Drain and set aside.
Meanwhile, in a large saute pan, heat about 2 T of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and onions, and cook until fragrant and softened. Add the zucchini, and cook until softened and very lightly browned. Add the prosciutto, season with salt and pepper, stir until the prosciutto is curled and a little crispy. Take off the heat and set aside.
In a large bowl, toss together the pasta, zucchini/prosciutto mixture, juice and zest of the lemon, parsley, and cheese. Serve with an extra little drizzle of the oil.

my favorite

2010-08-05T11:54:00.001-04:00

I've had a lot of people tell me how much they love the one ingredient ice cream I shared a while back. I'm so glad I discovered it and could share it with all of you! I've loved hearing what you've added to it to make it your way. The other day I added nutella. Nutella makes everything better. It was really neat because the nutella hardened a little bit so there were teeny pieces instead of it getting blended in completely. So good!

Have you tried anything to make your ice cream your own style?

best granola ever

2010-08-05T11:52:00.000-04:00

My sister introduced me to a glorious recipe for granola. Ever since then, I've been dreaming about it. My healthy stuff didn't cut it anymore. I had to have the real stuff. And really, if you eat it in moderation, it's not that bad for you anyway. I made some adjustments based on what I had in the pantry and my own likes and dislikes, but I fell in love with the idea of dowsing it in vanilla. Amazing! Why didn't I think of that before?

Serve it with some plain yogurt and fresh fruit and you have a dreamy breakfast. (And if you have as much of a sweet tooth as my sweetie, drizzle with a little honey. Though it definitely does not need it) Best breakfast ever, in fact. Well, it's up there with a few other things, maybe.

Homemade granola
makes about 7 (-ish) cups

4 C rolled oats (not quick-cooking or instant)
3/4 C wheat germ or 1/2 C ground flax seeds
1-1/2 ~2 C nuts (I used chopped hazelnuts, halved pecans, and whole almonds--my favorites)
1 C flaked (shredded is fine, too) unsweetened coconut (sweetened is fine, but will obviously turn out a lot sweeter)
1/2 C light brown sugar
1/4 C honey
1/4 C canola oil (or if you're ok with a little fruity flavor, go extra virgin olive oil! It bakes up really mild and SO tasty!)
1 T pure vanilla extract
1/4 t salt
1/4 t cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350° F.
In a small pot, heat oil and honey until smooth and honey is thin. Stir in vanilla and set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the oats, wheat germ (or flaxseeds), nuts, coconut, brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon.
Pour the honey/oil/vanilla mixture over the oat mixture and stir to combine.
Spread all ingredients onto a rimmed baking sheet in an even layer. Bake for 30~35 minutes, until fragrant and lightly browned, tossing once or twice during baking. Let cool completely, then store in an airtight container.
Serve with yogurt, milk, fresh or dried fruit and some extra honey.

produce

2010-07-25T17:46:00.000-04:00

It has been way too long! I was visiting family for a couple of weeks, and then I was so behind with pictures! And soon I'll be moving ... But I promise I will diligently show you my adventures in my new kitchen!

The other day my best friend from high school was visiting, and we went to a little farmer's market and I found these beauties. I love colorful produce!

I made a simple roasted chicken for dinner, with colorful fingerling potatoes, these carrots, red & yellow onions, and bread from this book. It was fabulously colorful and flavorful.

Recipes to come, I promise!

birthday party for kids

2010-06-23T13:17:00.000-04:00

My daughter just turned 2. Not kidding! I can't believe it, myself! This lucky girl got to celebrate a couple of times because on her actual birthday we made roasted banana cupcakes (bananas are her favorite food and monkeys are her favorite animal, so I found it very fitting) with honey cinnamon frosting. And then, she's lucky enough to have a best friend who has the same name as her, who happens to celebrate her birthday less than 2 weeks before! So we had a mini birthday party for the girls with mini oreo cheesecakes for each person. So happy birthday to my sweetie. Hope you enjoyed all of the treats! (Because you're not getting any for a while after last weekend;) )

Both of these recipes come from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes, which I got for my birthday from my friend Lori. Cupcakes are so trendy in food these days, and for good reason. It's such a fun way to entertain. And cupcakes can be anything from really simple and casual to very decadent and elegant. I love reading through it and learning more about decorating and baking. It has a TON of amazing ideas and recipes, so go out and get this book! If you have kids, or somehow have become the go-to person for bridal/baby showers, you'll really appreciate having this in your library.

Roasted Banana Cupcakes (frosting recipe follows)
makes 16~18 (weird number, I know. Just do it in 2 muffin pans with 9 in each)

3 ripe bananas, plus 1 for garnish
2 C cake flour, sifted
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t baking powder
3/4 C sugar
3 large eggs, seperated
1/2 C sour cream
1 t pure vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a standard muffin tin with paper liners. Place 3 whole unpeeled bananas on a rimmed baking sheet and roast 15 minutes (the peels will darken and the fruit will release some liquid). Meanwhile, sift together cake flour baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Remove bananas from oven and let cool before peeling them. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F.
With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating until each is fully encorporated, scraping down sides as needed. Add roasted bananas, and beat in to combine. Add flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with sour cream in 2 batches, and beat until just combined after each addition. Beat in the vanilla.
In another mixing bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed, whisk the egg whites to soft peaks; fold one third of the white into the batter to lighten. Gently fold the rest of the whites in 2 batches until no streaks remain, careful to avoid deflating the batter.
Divide the batter evenly among the lined cups, filling each about 3/4 full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

Honey-Cinnamon Frosting

2 C confectioner's sugar
1 C unsalted butter, room temperature
2 T honey
1/4 t ground cinnamon

With an electric mixer on medium speed, beat all ingredients together until smooth. Use immediately. If storing, store in an airtight container up to 5 days. Bring to room temperature and beat until smooth before using.

Mini Cookies and Cream Cheesecakes
makes 24+

The beauty of this recipe is how simple but delicious it is. Isn't it genius to use an oreo on the bottom?

1 pack of original (not double stuffed) oreos, 24~30 left whole and 15 coarsely chopped
2 pounds cream cheese (yup. that's 4 packages)
1 C sugar
1 t pure vanilla extract
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 C sour cream
pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 275°F. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Place 1 whole cookie in the bottom of each lined cup.
With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat cream cheese unti smooth, scraping down sides as needed. Gradually add sugar, and beat until combined. Add vanilla.
Drizzle in eggs, a bit at a time, betaing to combine and scraping down sides as needed. Beat in sour cream and salt. Stir in the chopped cookies by hand. (don't want to over mix or the batter will start to turn grey.)
Divide batter evenly among cookie-filled cups, filling each almost to the top. Bake, rotating tine halfway through, until filling is set, about 22 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely. Refrigerate (in tins) at least 4 hours, or up to overnight. Remove from tins just before serving.

so behind

2010-06-23T12:47:00.002-04:00

June is the busiest month for me. We have about 8 birthdays in our extended family, 2 of those are me and my daughter. And then there's father's day. And this year, we're taking a trip to Utah! Hooray! So I've been busy. Lots of cooking that I need to catch up on! So to you loyal readers that have had nothing to read, I'm sorry. I'm here. I'm alive. I'm well. I'm happy! And I'm still in the kitchen ... just not so much on the computer. So here I am, ready to fill you in on the delicious treats we've been eating. A lot of it has been desserts, which I doubt anyone has much of a problem with. Except maybe Melissa, who I'm always trying to impress with my healthy "gourmet" (or just not "diet) recipes. So Meliss, I'll post some yummy Japanese recipes for you so you and Katelyn can make them together! Meanwhile, ignore these posts and read this book. You'll love it.

So maybe I'll work backwards. For my sweetheart, I decided only the most decadent would be acceptable. So I made him the gorgeous coconut pudding. It was divine! And the caramel sauce on top made it even more unbelievable evil for your body. But it's father's day, right? Just go run a few extra miles!

I can't claim the recipe for this one, so I'll just direct you to it. It was so easy, and so rich! And bursting with fresh coconut flavor. You just have to make this! But one thing. PLEASE don't use sweetened coconut flakes. Go to a health food store and buy unsweetened flakes. It's cheaper and so much better tasting. And sweetened coconut flakes would make this delight much too craggy and dense and ... of course, much too sweet.

You can find the recipe here. Except I use the classic caramel sauce I always use from this genius foodblogger.

Isn't it just beautiful? I promise, it tastes as good as it looks.

best treat ever

2010-06-23T12:35:00.000-04:00

I've introduced the amazing one ingredient ice cream to all of you, and now it's time for another delicious slightly less guilty frozen treat. I am in love! It's not what I'd call "healthy" by any means, but it is definitely FULL of chocolate flavor without any fat. I am completely in love with this recipe and I think I'll be making it again and again.

I don't drink coffee, and everywhere I read, chefs and foodies say coffee brings out the flavor of chocolate, so I use a natural coffee substitute called Pero. And it's true. That dark, rich, bitter taste really heightens the flavor of chocolate. SO good.

Chocolate Sorbet
makes roughly 2 quarts

2 C sugar (I used evaporated pure cane sugar and gave it a whirl in the food processor to make it super fine. But of course, normal granulated sugar works great)
1 C high quality cocoa powder (this is the main ingredient so you definitely want it to taste good)
1/2 t pure vanilla extract
1/4 t ground cinnamon
1/4 coarse sea salt
1/4 C Pero, "bloomed" in 1/3 C boiling water

In a large saucepan, mix the sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt.Stir in 4 C water and the pero/water mixture. Cook over low heat until the ingredients are completely dissolved.
Transfer to a large container and refrigerate until very cold, at least 2 hours.
Once the mixture is well chilled, freeze the mixture in 2 batches in your ice cream maker, according to manufacturer's directions. The sorbet will still be very soft, so place it into plastic containers with lids that seal. Place a sheet or parchment or plastic wrap right against the surface before sealing the lid. This will prevent freezer burn and keep it fresh longer. Freeze for at least an hour, until firm enough to scoop.

more cravings

2010-06-05T15:40:00.000-04:00

I was reading through a cookbook and came across a pan banga and HAD to have it right away. But I didn't have all of the ingredients, so I had to improvise, and it was really good! But I'm going to go out and buy the right ingredients and make it again.

trying new things

2010-06-05T15:26:00.000-04:00

Has it really been a week and a half since my last post? Sheesh! Well, this should make up for it. I love risotto, but I rarely ever make it. There's something about standing in front of the pot, constantly stirring that is just too much work. Especially compared to the usual dump, rinse, and push a button that is required of me when I use my most frequently used kitchen appliance: the handy dandy rice cooker. Couldn't live without that thing.

Anyway, I found a new recipe for barley risotto, and I had to give it a try. With completely different add-ins. Now, I realize that risotto comes from riso, which means "rice" but apparently you can use the same technique for some other grains. And it really worked well with pearled barley. It turns out a little chewy, and it's really delicious. And I thing making it with eggplant and mushrooms was a good idea. Yum!

1 cup pearled barley

3 C vegetable or chicken stock (buy low-sodium, but it's best--and so cheap and easy--to make it yourself)

2 T olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

3 T minced parsley

2 Japanese eggplant, stem and end removed, cut in half lengthwise and sliced 1/2 inch thick

8 oz white button, shiitake, or cremini mushrooms, cleaned, stems trimmed (removed for shiitake), and sliced

1/2 freshly grated parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish

In a medium saucepan, bring stock and 2 C water to a simmer, reduce the heat to low, and cover, to keep warm.
In a large skillet, heat 2 T olive oil over medium-high heat. Toss in the eggplant, season lightly with salt and pepper. Flip over, and cook through. Eggplant should have a soft, creamy texture on the inside. If it's at all spongy, it's underdone. Remove the eggplant from the pan and set aside on a plate. Add the mushrooms, season lightly with salt and pepper, and let brown. Remove from pan and set aside.
Meanwhile, heat oil in a large saucepan over medium. Add onion, season with salt and pepper, cook, stirring occasionally until softened, about 5 minutes. Add barley; cook, stirring, for about 1 minute. Add 1/2 C stock; cook, stirring, until absorbed, about 1 minute.
Ladle in about 2 more cups of stock; cook, stirring frequently until almost completely absorbed. About 10 minutes. Continue to add 1 C of stock at a time, waiting for the liquid to be almost completely absorbed before adding more, until barley is tender and the mixture is creamy, 40~50 minutes.
Add in sauteed eggplant and mushrooms. Remove from heat, stir parsley and parmesan. Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately, garnished with more cheese.

color

2010-06-05T15:12:00.000-04:00

I love food that has lots of color. And fish tacos have lots of color. (And to prove it to you, this photo is completely untouched) It was such a simple meal, and SO delicious, I can't believe we don't make these more often. It's going to be a Summer standard, I think.

I don't really think I need to write a recipe since it was so simple. I just pan fried some well seasoned white flesh fish (tilapia, in this case). I just seasoned with salt, pepper, and a little cumin, and then squeezed some fresh lime over the top. I combined it with finely shredded red cabbage, avocado, fresh salsa*, sour cream, some sauteed fresh corn, cheese, and some lime juice on top of it all. Yum!

* for the salsa:

juice of 1 lime
1/2 vidalia onion, diced small (if you don't have vidalia, use any onion, dice small and soak in water for at least 30 minutes, changing the water at least twice)
4~6 sweet tomatoes or 1 whole package grape/cherry tomatoes, diced small
1 bunch cilantro, chopped fine (and I mean FINE)
salt to taste

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and toss. Serve.

cravings

2010-05-18T13:17:00.000-04:00

We eat Japanese food at least twice a week in our home. I love how it tastes and how it makes me feel. So this may come as a surprise to most of you, but I've never made sushi at home. I've made it on special occasions with my family, and I've eaten the "real thing" at some incredible places in Tokyo, but that's it. I've never made it for my own family. And really, sushi is a special occasion kind of thing, not an everyday food by any means, but I decided it was time. Especially for my little girl to eat some! Afterall, being a 1/4 Japanese, she's going to be asked her whole life if she likes sushi or not. So she better know what it is.

Oh, and she does like it, by the way.

So just in case you didn't know this, sushi doesn't mean raw fish in Japanese. It refers to the way the rice is prepared. And sushi can have cooked fish, sometimes even egg on/in it.

We decided on the simple California Roll. With short grain brown rice instead of white. Not at all traditional, but I wasn't about to try nigirizushi since pretty much only trained sushi chefs make that, and some of the other ingredients that usually go in makizushi aren't so readily availabe here. And I like avocado. And I got a huge bag at Sam's this week for our fish tacos.

Brown Rice California Rolls
serves 2

For the rice:
1.5 C short grain (brown--optional) rice
1.5 C water
1/4 C rice vinegar
2 T sugar
1/2 t salt

Wash rice until water runs clear. Cook with water in a rice cooker. (Or cook it on the stove top like most people;) )
In a small pot, put the vinegar, sugar, and salt. Heat over medium heat and stir occasionally until the sugar is completely dissolved.
Once the rice is cooked, transfer to a large bowl (ideally a Japanese wooden bowl designed for sushi), and pour over the vinegar dressing over the rice. Toss the rice with a flat wooden spoon or a rice paddle, with horizontal slashing strokes.

For the sushi: (depends on how much you want to put in)
vinegar rice
2 sheets toasted nori seaweed
1 egg, lightly beaten
crab meat (or imitation crab, which is what you'll usually get at a sushi place)
avocado, sliced thin
seedless cucmber, cut into thin, long strips

Cook the egg on medium heat into a very thin "pancake", remove from pan and let cool. Once cooled, cut the egg pancake into thin strips. Cut the crab meat into thin, bite sized pieces.
Using a bamboo sushi rolling mat, place the nori down with the shiny side up.
In a thin layer, place some rice over the nori, leaving a 3/4 inch gap at the top and bottom.
In a horizontal line, layer the ingredients. Then, using the rolling mat, tightly roll up the nori around the rice and filling. Using your finger, spread some water over the exposed nori and seal shut.
Using a very sharp knife, slice the roll into 6~8 pieces. It's easiest if the sushi is chilled a little bit.

another one of those last minute meals

2010-05-11T19:23:00.000-04:00

In fact, I looked in my fridge and saw parsnips and broccoli that needed to be eaten pretty quick, so I got them prepped while I thought what in the world to serve with that. Afterall, you can't really have a dinner of just pureed parsnips and roasted broccoli, can you?

So I made aglio e olio, but this time with fabulous minced shallots along with the minced garlic. Good choice!

These were all so simple that I don't feel like I need to add a recipe.

For the pureed parsnips, I peeled and cut off the ends of 2 medium sized parsnips, cut them into little pieces, and boiled them in slightly salted water. Then I drained them, threw them in the food processor with about a tablespoon of butter, salt and pepper to taste, and a little (about 2 T?) whole milk. After tasting it I felt like it needed a bit of a bite so I added some freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese. My baby girl ate a ton! It's similar to the texture of mashed potatoes, but silkier and a VERY different flavor. It's kind of sweet, almost floral. You have to try it sometime!

Roasted broccoli, I'm sure I've had on here before. 450°F oven, cut broccoli into bite size pieces, toss in salt, pepper, olive oil. Roast in the oven until the florets are crispy and browned and the stems are no longer crunchy.

And the aglio e olio I've done before. It's a staple in our home. It's a nice simple but delicious dish that goes with ANYTHING. Fish, chicken, even heavier meat, and of course--like tonight--veggies.

had to get creative

2010-04-27T22:05:00.003-04:00

I didn't have too many vegetables in my fridge today and did a poor job of planning out my meals for the week, so I had to get creative with dinner tonight. I made a sort of spaghetti alla carbonara without the bacon and used asparagus instead. I don't really know what to call it, but it was good! And a nice change from the heavy (but delicious) carbonara. I think this might make it into our usual rotation.

Spring pasta alla carbonara, minus the bacon (how's that for a name?)
enough for 1 lb of pasta

1 lb long pasta such as spaghetti or linguine

1/2 lb asparagus spears (the thicker the better)

3 cloves garlic

1 C (approximately) finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino Romano cheese (depending on your tastes and what's available)

3 eggs

juice of 1/2 lemon

coarse salt

fresh ground black pepper

3 T extra virgin olive oil

Heat the oven to 200°F and place a large oven safe serving bowl in the oven.
Cook the pasta to al dente, reserving about 1/2~3/4 C of pasta water.
Prepare the asparagus by snapping off the tough end of one or two spears then trimming the rest to the same length. Peel the last inch or the skin off to eliminate stringy ends. Line up the asparagus and cut into 2 inch pieces.
Slice 2 of the garlic cloves very thin. In a large skillet, pour 1 T olive oil and bring to medium high heat. Place the asparagus in the skillet, sprinkle with salt, and saute until the skin starts to wrinkle a little and brown in some spots. Add the garlic slices, and bring the heat to medium. Continue to let cook, tossing occasionally, until garlic is very frangrant and the asparagus is tender. Add the remaining olive oil and set aside.
Grate the remaining clove of garlic. Then in a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, cheese, grated garlic, and lemon juice. Add as much or as little fresh cracked black pepper as you'd like. (I like a lot for that rich carbonara taste)
Quickly pull out the bowl from the oven, put all of the hot pasta in the bowl, pour all of the asparagus and garlic and oil on top, then toss with tongs. While tossing, slowly pour in the egg mixture. Add some reserved pasta water to loosen the sauce if needed. Make sure to keep tossing and get all of the egg mixture encorporated until smooth and creamy. Serve warm.

cake make over

2010-04-20T16:42:00.001-04:00

I love a good citrus cake. I grew up eating them in French style bakeries in Japan, where they don't use a ton of sugar in order to enhance the delicate citrus flavor. And somehow they're really light but moist. I discovered several recipes for a classic French yogurt cake, and needed to give it a go. I made it according to the recipe yesterday and ... sadly ate a few too many pieces. And then today I wanted to tweak the recipe a bit to make it healthier--for a cake. And for some reason it turned out more moist and tender. I absolutely love this cake! I used blood oranges today instead of lemons or limes and I love the milder flavor (but I might prefer the brighter tang of the tarter fruit). The batter was even a rosy pink, but sadly it baked up yellow like any other cake. I used extra virgin olive oil as an experiment, and I loved the result. And I just feel good knowing it's olive oil in there:)

So if you're in the mood for a tasty but less guilt-ridden cake, you should try this out. Just don't fool yourself into thinking you can have a lot;) It's still a cake, after all.

Blood Orange, Yogurt, and Olive Oil Afternoon Cake

1 C plain yogurt (I actually used fat free and it turned out so well! But use any kind of plain yogurt you want)
2/3 C sugar, plus more for dusting the pan
1/4 C extra virgin olive oil
zest of 2 blood oranges
1/4 C fresh blood orange juice
2 eggs
1 2/3 C all-purpose flour
1 1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/8 t salt

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease the sides and bottom of a 9 inch cake pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper and grease again. Sprinkle about 1 1/2 T of sugar to coat the bottom and sides of the pan.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the yogurt, oil, sugar, zest and juice of the blood orange until combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, whisking in completely with each addition.
In a separate bowl, whisk or sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add to the liquid mixture, and stir until just combined.
Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for 35~40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then release from the pan and let cool completely. Serve with a dusting of confectioner's sugar or some citrus whipped cream and some fresh fruit on the side.

one ingredient ice cream

2010-04-13T18:53:00.000-04:00

You heard me. One ingredient. And surprisingly yummy. I heard about this a few months ago and tried it right away, and I don't think I wrote about it here. It's a really nice refreshing dessert for those creamy-sweet cravings, without all of the guilt. This one ingredient is sweet and creamy and really pretty good for you. Bananas. It sounds crazy and potentially not tasty, but it really is impressively smooth and creamy and perfect. All you do is freeze your ripe bananas (make sure they're ripe or it'll turn out bitter), and once they're frozen, throw them in your food processor. You might have to add a teaspoon or two of milk (or soy milk, almond milk, whatever) but nothing else. Turns out like soft serve and you can eat *almost* as much as you want without feeling guilty at all. Yay for amazing healthy treats!

pizza pizza

2010-04-13T18:49:00.001-04:00

I know, I know, I said I was going to eat Japanese food this week. And I have, actually. I've eaten at least 1 Japanese meal a day, sometimes 2 or 3, and I am feeling great! Tonight had to be something simple and quick, though, and since I had dough in the fridge, I decided on healthy pizza. We eat a lot of homemade pizza. So tonight had to be a little different, so I tried my artisan bread dough for the pizza dough (fantastic idea and couldn't be simpler), and the toppings were fancy but very low maintenance. And of course, delicious. My kind of dinner.

For toppings I used sliced, sauteed cremini mushrooms, tiny pieces of eggplant, leeks, and the usual sauce and cheeses. The crust was perfectly crisp. It was really good. What kind of pizza topping combinations do you like to try?

needing the veggies

2010-04-10T20:44:00.001-04:00

I've been feeling sluggish. The annoying part is that I've been running and watching what I eat, so I didn't know what to do! Then I started thinking about when I feel the best. It's when I eat what I think my body is meant to eat. Japanese food.

I was watching the Martha show and got really hungry when she was making this recipe. I'm generally a purist when it comes to Japanese food, but this one seemed too good to pass up. And then I picked up one of my favorite books, "Japanese Women Don't Get Old or Fat", and was inspired to get back to my roots. And though this recipe isn't really Japanese, I wanted it. I made some adjustments to make it more my style, of course. And I was in heaven. Then we had yoplait's new Greek yogurt, honey, and fresh strawberries for dessert. They aren't kidding in those commercials when they say that one healthy decision leads to another.

Soba salad

Coarse salt
8 ounces snow peas (or sugar snap peas), trimmed, strings removed
12 ounces soba noodles
2 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon sesame oil, plus extra to brush on tofu slices
2 medium carrots, about 1/2 pound, peeled and shaved into thin strips using a vegetable peeler
3 inch piece of daikon (Japanese white radish), peeled and shaved into thin strips using a vegetable peeler
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
4 scallions, thinly sliced crosswise
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 t fresh lemon (or if you can find it, yuzu) juice
4 large perilla leaves, cut into a chiffonade
1 block firm tofu, cut into 1/2 inch thick rectangles, then into triangles

Cook noodles in a large pot of boiling water until cooked through, but still slightly firm to the bite. Drain, set aside to cool.
In a small pot, blanch the snow peas. Drain, set aside.
Place the tofu slices on a baking sheet, brush with a little sesame oil, and place under the broiler until slightly crispy on top, about 7 minutes.
In a small bowl, combine the salt (to taste), 2 T and 1 t sesame oil, ginger, soy sauce, and lemon juice.
In a large bowl, toss together the noodles, carrots, daikon, sugar snap peas, perilla, scallions, and tofu. Pour over the sauce and toss to coat. Serve at room temperature or cold.

lunch

2010-04-09T19:38:00.001-04:00

My cute husband came home early from work today, so we got to have lunch together. I taught a class at church last night on artisan bread, and we made some varieties. One was herb bread. I'm not always a fan of herb bread. It's usually so overpowering that I think it distracts from the meal instead of complimenting it. So I made it really subtle. But today for lunch, I decided to try using the leftovers for some good ol' grilled cheese sandwiches. And oh my goodness, I wish I had a sound clip to share with you of the moment we bit into our sandwiches. Unreal crunch!

So if you're needing some variety in your grilled cheese (not that you need to, it's such a classic!), try it with some flavored artisan bread. And use olive oil instead of butter. You'll get the most beautiful golden exterior with a perfect, perfect crunch. And that subtle herby aroma is a really nice change without being too distracting.

yum

2010-04-06T17:31:00.002-04:00

I had this for dinner. You have to try it.

my old favorite

2010-04-05T20:55:00.002-04:00

I've mentioned before that my sister was my inspiration to start this blog. And along with my mom, the reason I love to cook. She always impressed me so much with her perfect meals. It seemed like she never failed. She could perfectly frost a cake, make an array beautiful Japanese dishes, and put together a casserole. Now, casserole can seem quite quaint, not really gourmet, but hers were a different story. Not your usual bland thrown in a baking dish and bake kinda thing. And that's where tonight's dinner comes in. When I was in high school I visited my sister and she made this fairly simple chicken, zucchini, and pasta with white sauce casserole. But it was so ... Japanese, actually. Not like soy sauce and miso kinda Japanese, but like the simple palate and skill that a typical Japanese mom possesses. And I asked her to teach me how to make it. And being the overachiever that she is, she made me a cookbook instead. And this recipe was in it. Along with the chocolate cream cheese frosting and vegetable curry that are still my go-to recipes. I've never found an improvement on some her old classics. Like I said, she's my foodie hero.

And tonight, after my big run, I wanted something hefty but not heavy. If that makes sense. And I remembered my favorite old classic that my sister used to make. But I used broccoli instead, mainly because with broccoli you don't have to saute it ahead of time (unless you use big pieces, which I like), and because that's what I had in my fridge. It makes a big 9x13 inch pan size, so we have leftovers, which is always nice, too. And it was exactly what my body was craving.

Lisa's casserole
serves 6~8

1 lb penne or other short pasta (I used mini penne here)

bechamel:
1/2 red onion (any onion will do, I just used what I had on hand, and isn't it so pretty?), roughly chopped
3 C milk
3 T butter
3 T flour
pinch freshly grated nutmeg

2 chicken breasts, trimmed and cut into 1/2~1 inch cubes
neutral tasting oil
2 heads broccoli, stems removed and cut into bite sized pieces

crispy topping:
1/4 C panko or fresh bread crumbs
1/4 C finely grated parmesan cheese
1~3 T (depends on what you like) minced fresh flat leaf parsely

salt and pepper to taste

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, cook pasta to al dente. Drain and set aside.
Meanwhile, season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat a large skillet with 1 T oil over medium-high heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add chicken pieces. Spread to a single layer and let brown. (don't move it around until browned on each side) Brown on all sides, remove and set aside. If your broccoli pieces are large, briefly saute just to brighten the color and soften the stems slightly.
In a large sauce pan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onions. Cook until onions soften. Add flour and stir, cook until flour slightly browns and loses the raw flour taste. Add milk slowly while whisking quickly. Continue whisking gently while the sauce thickens. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
In a large bowl, stir the pasta, chicken, broccoli, and bechamel together. Place in a 9x13 baking dish.
In a small bowl, combine the panko, cheese, and parsley. Sprinkle evenly over the top of the pasta mixture. Place under the broiler until golden brown and slightly bubbling.

a challenge

2010-04-04T20:44:00.000-04:00

Since my cute cousin Eliza decided to challenge me to make some naan, I thought I'd better follow through. And since I had leftovers from a huge pot of curry I made, there was no better time than today to try.

Naan is a special item for me. When we were kids, my parents took us to this incredible Indian restaurant in Tokyo called Moti. And I may have mentioned earlier on this blog that the owner's son went to the same school as my brother, so his mom taught my mom how to make their signature butter chicken curry. And it became a family staple. But one thing we never recreated was the naan. It was this special Moti treat for me, and I seriously think I would eat several pieces whenever we went. Indian curry is just better with naan. Somehow chewy and crispy at the same time, smothered in ghee. Love the stuff. I know the method they're made is so unique to naan that I just never thought you could make it at home. Not the way it should taste, anyway. But boy, thanks to this book that I can't stop talking about, I made naan. And not that store bought, dry, dense stuff. No, no. It was chewy and puffy in some parts and charred and crispy in others. Perfectly how naan is supposed to be. I even made some clarified butter, which was a little labor-intensive, but it made it perfect. And the whole thing was so easy! I don't think I can go back to naan-less Indian curry again.

you can find the recipe here.

if you can call them leftovers ...

2010-04-04T10:34:00.000-04:00

When I made my cinnamon swirl brioche, I made 2 loaves so that we could have some french toast with the second loaf. And I know, I keep saying I'm trying to lose weight and eating brioche is probably the stupidest thing I could be doing to reach that goal ... But it was a special weekend and I'll run it off this week. Hopefully;)

If you're making French toast with a delicate sweet bread like brioche or challah, I recommend the America's Test Kitchen method, which is to toast the bread first. I just put the slices on a cookie sheet, stuck them in a 250° F oven for a while until they got dried out and just barely crispy. Flip them over, and do the same on the second side. This worked out well because last time I tried to make French toast with brioche, the slices had a hard time holding up in the custard. But these guys did awesome! And they soaked in the custard perfectly and it was delightful. I was a good girl, though, I only had one slice.

As for the custard, I think everyone has their own family/individual recipe. I'd never made french toast until I was married (because it's my husband's absolute favorite) so I had to figure out a recipe I liked. And I LOVE it. What do you like to put into your custard? Cinnamon? Vanilla? Nutmeg? What's your egg:milk ratio? Do you sweeten it? Tell me, tell me! I'd love to know how other people do it.

new curry

2010-04-03T20:42:00.001-04:00

I've been pretty into curry lately. And today, I wanted to go all out. So I bought some turmeric and garam masala, 2 spices I haven't owned in a long time. And my curry tasted amazing! And I even made turmeric rice, and I felt super cool and authentic, even if I was just fooling myself since I didn't use jasmine or basmati rice ... I used my staple Japanese short grain. I know, I know, I should be ashamed of myself. But I'm Japanese. And in my mind rice should stick together;)

So I accidentally used way too much spice (because I tend to just throw things in and not follow a recipe ...) so I ended up making a massive pot of curry. So unless you're serving a huge crowd, you'll want to half this recipe for sure.

If you don't like shrimp, use some other meat. If you don't like mushrooms, use whatever vegetable you think works well. That's the beauty of curry. There's so much you can do with it. Just have fun and explore.

My dinner tonight: Shrimp & Mushroom Curry
serves 10?

3 T garam masala (or your regular old curry powder. It'll be a different result, but it's still fantastic!)
1 t cumin
2 t paprika
3 t turmeric
1/4 t saffron threads (optional)
1/4 t crushed red pepper flakes
3~4 cloves garlic, minced or grated fine
1 T grated fresh ginger
1 large red onion, sliced (pole to pole)
1 lb mushrooms, sliced (any variety you want to use. As usual, I used white buttons just because they're the most affordable)
1/2 lb shrimp, tails removed and deveined
olive oil
butter
salt to taste
2 cans petite diced tomatoes
2 cans coconut milk (like I said, I made a HUGE pot)

to serve:
turmeric rice*
fresh cilantro
toasted sliced almonds
golden raisins

In a large heavy bottom pot, heat 2 T butter and about an equal amount of olive oil over medium-high heat until butter is melted. Season the shrimp with salt and cook until opaque on the surface and some browning occurs, but not cooked through. Set aside.
Add the garlic, ginger and onions to the pot and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions begin to soften. Add the mushrooms, and cook until browned. Add the rest of the spices and stir to coat. If it seems dry, add a little water to prevent burning.
Add the tomatoes. Let simmer until tomatoes reduce slightly and get pulpy. Add the coconut milk and let simmer briefly to slightly thicken. Serve over hot rice or with naan.

*To make turmeric rice, all you need is a teaspoon or two of turmeric in your rice water and cook as you normally do. (I also added some saffron threads because I'm lucky enough to have a friend who went to Spain a few months ago and bought me some! I know, right? I have cool friends who know me well) For me that meant pushing the "start" button on my rice cooker ... Add a handful of peas at the end if you like. And I think using some butter on the rice is typical, but I kept is simple. I figured there was enough butter in the curry.

weekend breakfast

2010-04-03T09:04:00.000-04:00

This weekend is a special weekend for my family. Of course it's Easter, which is such an important day to celebrate the Atonement and Resurrection of our Savior. Definitely one of my favorite holidays. And as if that wasn't cool enough, our church is holding it's Semi-Annual General Conference.

It's a really important occasion for me, so I like to make it enjoyable for my family. Especially for my kids who are still a little too young to appreciate it fully. So I've planned a bunch of fun activities for my toddler, and of course I made a fantastic breakfast to start off our day. I made my usual brioche recipe from my favorite bread book, but found this idea from their blog and decided to give it a go. Mine didn't turn out looking quite as cool as hers (but she is, afterall, a CIA graduate, and a pastry chef, no less), but it did turn out beautifully. And it was delicious! I usually make cinnamon rolls, but this was a nice variation. And this way, I can have my favorite savory breakfast foods like creamy eggs and perfect hash browns, while my cute husband gets his fill of sweet food. Can't wait to make French toast with the leftovers tomorrow.

let's change it up

2010-03-23T18:30:00.001-04:00

Tuesdays aren't my favorite day of the week. My husband teaches an evening jazz combo group at a local high school, so I have very little time with him, to go running, and to make dinner. So I always have to come up with something fast. And I'm trying to lose weight so it has to be something that works with that. And, most important to me, it has to taste good. So coming up with new ideas for that every week can be a challenge. But I love food challenges.

One of my favorite meals is a good creamy mushroom pasta. But that much heavy cream and butter isn't exactly everyday cooking. So I had to make some adjustments, and I really liked it! I used some turkey smoked sausage to add flavor, which actually made it so I didn't add ANY salt to the dish. Except to cook the pasta. I never cook pasta without salt. The key to the turkey smoked sausage was to slice it thin so it can distribute and taste like there's a lot in there, and brown it. I know it's pre-cooked, but it's just kinda rubbery and plastic-ey if you don't brown it. The second thing I did was the reduce whole milk instead of using heavy cream, and of course it's not as rich and creamy, but it was still a nice, dense sauce, with lots of good dairy flavor. But don't skimp and use low fat or fat free milk. It won't work, I promise. The third thing I did was garnish with a dollop of ricotta cheese. Just another nice layer of dairy. Try it out!

Healthy Mushroom and Sausage Rigatoni
serve 4~6

1 lb rigatoni
salt for pasta
8 oz mushrooms (white button or cremini work well here), sliced
1/4 link of turkey smoked sausage, cut in half lengthwise and sliced thin
1/4 C whole milk
2~3 cloves garlic, minced
pepper to taste
canola or olive oil for cooking
1/4 C finely chopped fresh parsley
3 T freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino Romano cheese
part-skim ricotta to serve

In a large pot, bring water and salt to a boil and cook pasta to al dente. Reserve 1/2 C pasta water. Set aside.
Meanwhile, in a large saute pan, bring about 1 T oil to a shimmer over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms begin to brown. Make sure the mushrooms are in a single layer and not too crowded.
Add sausage, and cook until browned. Add milk and lots of fresh cracked black pepper, and scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan from the sausage. Let simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens. Add cheese and stir to combine.
Add the pasta and parsley, and toss to coat. Add some reserved pasta water to loosen the sauce.
To serve, sprinkle with extra parsley, parmesan cheese, and a dollop of ricotta cheese.

green dinner

2010-03-17T19:46:00.000-04:00

We had a green dinner in celebration of St. Patrick's day. I made roasted asparagus and broccoli in garlic infused oil, roasted Brussels sprouts with smoked turkey sausage and shallots, of course pesto with pasta, and my winner of the evening, green bread. I just made our usual bread with green water I made by pureeing spinach and parsley and soaking it in water and straining the solids. I ended up putting some of the solids in the dough because I thought it would add to the color, and I'm glad I did. It had really little spinach flavor, if any, and was a fun naturally colored addition to the meal.

Did YOU make anything fun for your St. Patrick's day celebration?

2 C Brussels sprouts, cleaned, stems removed, and cut in half

1 smoked turkey sausage, cut into quarters lengthwise, then cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1 shallot, sliced medium

salt and pepper to taste (go light on the salt, the sausage has plenty)

2 T softened butter

1/2 T canola oil

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Toss all the ingredients in a 9 x 13 pan. Make sure the vegetables are evenly coated in the butter. Roast in the oven for 20~25 minutes, until caramelized and slightly crispy in some party. Let cool slightly, serve warm.

Roasted Broccoli & Asparagus:

1 head of broccoli

1 lb asparagus

2 T olive oil

2 T canola oil

4~5 garlic cloves

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 450° F.
Cut florets off of the broccoli, leaving about an inch to two of stem. Cut them into pieces small enough to eat easily, but big enough that they don't char in the oven. Trim the bottom of the asparagus about an inch or two.
In a small sauce pan, heat the oil and smashed garlic cloves over medium-low heat. Once the garlic starts to sizzle a little and turn a golden-brown color, remove from heat and let cool slightly.
Place the vegetables on a large sheet pan in a single layer, and pour over the oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to coat.
Place in the oven and roast for 7~10 minutes, until tips are crispy and browned.

Basil & Hazelnut pesto:

(makes enough for 1 lb of pasta, with some leftover for toast!)

1/2 C basil leaves, removed from the stem

3 T parsley

1/3 C whole toasted (and peeled) hazelnuts

2 small or 1 large garlic clove

1 large shallot, cut into medium pieces

1/4 C extra virgin olive oil

3~4 T finely grated parmigiano reggiano or pecorino romano cheese

In the bowl of the food processor, pulse together the basil, parsley, nuts, garlic, shallot, salt and pepper until chopped fine.
With the spout open and the food processor turned to the on position, slowly pour in the olive oil until smooth. If you need to, stop and scrape down the sides. Add the cheese and stir to combine. Serve with hot pasta.

Dessert. I was too lazy to make anything, and this was really enticing for some reason. And green:)

i guess it's pasta week

2010-03-15T20:33:00.002-04:00

I've been really in the mood for pasta this week. Which explains why we've had some form of it for 3 nights in a row, and I'm still planning a couple more for the next couple of days. I guess that's the beauty of pasta, though. You can have it all week and never get sick of it because there's such a beautiful variety of ways to eat it. So tonight, I did a little spin on one of my favorites. And it was a hit! Though I do think it tastes better with cherry or grape tomatoes. Much more bright flavor and slightly less juicy. Either way it was amazing! I added chopped spinach because I've been on a spinach kick lately, and because I'm still postpartum and on iron pills. Thought I'd sneak in some natural iron into my diet where I can:) I served it alongside a simple green salad with toasted nuts (pecans and hazelnuts), pecorino romano cheese, parsley, super thin sliced onions (soaked in water to remove the harsh raw onion flavor), tomatoes, and cucumber. Oh, and of course some homemade bread. It was nice to have an array of fresh food to eat. I can't wait until Summer!

7~8 campari tomatoes, cut in half and then quartered
1 large bunch of parsley, chopped fine
1/4 C fresh basil, sliced into a chiffonade
2 T finely chopped fresh spinach
1-1/2 C parmesan cheese (I used pecorino Romano), grated
1 shallot, minced super fine
4 cloves of garlic, grated or minced fine
1/3 C olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 lb thin spaghetti

In a large bowl, combine the oil, salt and pepper, parsley, basil, spinach, tomatoes, and garlic, shallot, and red pepper flakes. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 2~4 hours.
When ready to eat, boil pasta to al dente. Make sure and reserve a little bit of pasta water.
Meanwhile, grate parmesan cheese and put in the bowl with the tomato mixture and toss to coat.
Once pasta is done, place in the bowl with tomatoes and combine. Add a little pasta water to loosen the sauce if needed.
Serve with extra cheese and crusty bread.

continued

2010-03-15T20:05:00.000-04:00

Like I said, it was a plateful of healthy Spring heaven. And really simple, too. And the whole wheat pasta actually worked really well with the earthy mushrooms. I'm not usually a huge fan of whole wheat pasta unless it's in the dish on purpose. And this time it was completely on purpose.

I used whole milk here instead of heavy cream. I like leeks with creamy sauces, but I didn't want to weigh down the delicate flavors in this dish, so I decided on whole milk. (The nice thing about having a toddler in the house is you always have whole milk on hand) It created a very mild creaminess, just enough to compliment the leeks without the weight of the heavy cream. But when you make it at home, if you'd rather use heavy cream, I'd recommend NOT using the whole wheat pasta. I don't think the grittiness of the whole wheat works well with the density of the cream. Just my opinion.

Mushroom Leek and Shallots with Whole Wheat Linguine

1 (13.25 oz) box whole wheat linguine (you can get it at Walmart for $1/box!)
3 medium leeks, dark green parts removed, cut in half lengthwise, sliced thin, and washed thoroughly
2 large shallot, sliced thin
1 lb mushrooms (I like a combination of white buttom, shiitake, and cremini)
1/4 C whole milk
olive oil
2 T butter
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 C finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino Romano cheese.
1/4 C finely chopped parsley

Cook pasta to al dente, reserving 1/2 C pasta cooking water. Set aside.
Meanwhile, in a large saute pan, melt 1 T butter, and about an equal amount of olive oil over medium-high heat. Once the butter is melted, add 1/2 of the mushrooms, making sure not to overlap them, add salt and pepper to taste, and saute until golden brown on both sides. Remove from pan and repeat with the remaining mushrooms. Set aside.
In the same pan, bring down the heat to medium and add another tablespoon of olive oil. Add leeks and shallots, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until leeks are very soft and there are some browned bits. Return mushrooms to the pan and add milk. Simmer the vegetables in the milk until slightly reduced.
Add the pasta and toss until thoroughly coated. Add the pasta cooking water to loosen the sauce as needed. Add the cheese and parsley, and toss to coat. Serve while hot. Garnish with some extra parlsey and cheese.

what I had for dinner tonight

2010-03-14T18:45:00.000-04:00

It was a plateful of healthy Spring heaven. Leeks, my friends. Recipe to come. But right now I need to chase down a toddler with a poopie diaper and feed a newborn:)

a "healthy" take on a classic

2010-03-13T18:28:00.001-05:00

For dinner tonight, I wanted something comforting. But post-baby food and comfort food don't work so well together, so I had to come up with a compromise, and I think I did a great job. I've made a healthier mac & cheese on here before, I think, but this time I used whole wheat macaroni (that you can get at Walmart for $1!!), and lots of broccoli. I actually don't really like mac & cheese too much as a whole meal because I really like vegetables and variety in my food. So if you're not a fan of messing with a classic like smooth & creamy mac & cheese, this isn't the recipe for you. But I'm a fan, and my little girl sure loved it! And she never eats normal mac & cheese. And my picky-eater husband really liked it, so I think it was a success.

1 box whole wheat macaroni
1 large head of broccoli, chopped (or an equivalent of your favorite green vegetable)
1/2 onion, chopped fine
2 T olive oil
1 T butter
1/2 T dijon mustard (I used the grainy mustard)
3 C milk (I used 1.5 C of 1% and 1.5 C whole. I don't recommend using any less fat or the sauce will turn out a little gluey)
3 T flour
4 oz extra sharp cheddar cheese, grated or cut into small cubes
4 oz Pecorino Romano cheese, grated fine
salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot, bring water to a boil, and cook pasta to just under al dente. Add the broccoli for the last 30 seconds or so and drain. Set aside.
Meanwhile, in a medium sauce pan, heat the olive oil and butter until butter is melted. Add onions and cook,stirring often, until softened.
Once the onions are cooked, sprinkle the flour and stir quickly (you can switch to a whisk at this point if you want) until flour takes on a slight golden color and no longer smells raw. Slowly pour in the milk, about 1 C at a time, stirring constantly. Once the sauce is thickened, add the mustard and cheese, and cook until the cheese is completely melted and well encorporated.
Add the pasta and broccoli into the sauce and stir until the pasta is thoroughly coated. Pour into an oven safe dish, sprinkle extra cheese on top (or toss some finely grated cheese with some panko breadcrumbs and sprinkle that on top for a nice crispy topping) and place in a 450°~500° oven for 5~10 minutes, until cheese is bubbling and top is golden brown. Serve hot.

getting back into the swing of things

2010-03-03T19:08:00.003-05:00

It had been too long since I'd done any baking, and I was just itching to get back into it. I'm feeling pretty good since our new little addition arrived a week and a half ago, and her big sister needed some mommy time. So we gathered our ingredients and hit the kitchen!

I'm not a coffee drinker, but this looked so good, I had to try it out. I used Pero, a coffee substitute instead of the instant coffee, and it turned out really well. I really recommend this to anyone in the mood for some good sugar! My little girl sure loved helping mommy out in the kitchen while the baby slept.

Here she is sprinkling the chocolate chips before the pan went in the oven.

i love carbs

2010-02-13T17:58:00.005-05:00

You know what else I love? Sun light before dinner! Hooray for Winter slowly disappearing! I can finally take some decent pictures of dinner again, it's a miracle!

I guess I've had quite a kitchen day today. Today I was complaining to Blake that I haven't tried a new recipe (other than bread) in a really long time, and I was getting sick of our usuals. To which of course he way-too-kindly responded that he'd never get sick of them. Probably untrue, but it sure is nice to have someone appreciate dinner every single night. Well, I was perusing some of my favorite food blogs, like I always do when I'm bored, and came across this and thought I'd better try it. I didn't use the olive oil since she mentions that authentic cacio e pepe is simple pasta, pasta water, Pecorino Romano cheese, and freshly ground pepper. I did use the butter, though. Butter makes everything better:) And I'm still pregnant and grumpy about it, so I deserve some butter!

Anyway, I think this is going to make it's way into our usual rotation. But maybe next time I'll serve it with some veggies and some kind of delicious protein so I don't feel like I'm totally overloaded on carbs ... as you can imagine I am today.
And p.s. if you've never visited smitten kitchen before, you ought to. She's totally one of my food blogger idols. The true definition of a foodie. She puts me to shame.

just another bread

2010-02-13T16:12:00.002-05:00

Yup! Another bread from that book. This is the crusty white sandwich bread, and it might be my new favorite because it's SO simple! And it crackles when you pull it out of the oven! And after baking 2 loaves of brioche and 2 loaves of this crusty white bread (I've been in a carb crazy mood ... that and I'm hoping I'll be gone for a couple of days while my cute friend Deanna comes to visit and watch my girl for me, so I wanted our kitchen to be prepared for her), my house smells amazing! I love bread.

"qu'ils mangent de la brioche"

2010-02-13T10:02:00.004-05:00

Apparently that's a quote from Marie Anoinette saying "Let them have brioche".

I've been so into baking these days, thanks to my Christmas gift from my in-laws, and I finally ventured out of the standard boule recipe and made brioche this morning. And it was heaven. There was a huge crack down the middle that I'm planning on working on, but other than that, it was PERFECT! And so simple! Who knew such a rich, decadent bread could be so easy? Seriously, people, you need to go out and get this book!

If you've never had brioche, go out to a fancy bakery and buy some. And then come home and try to recreate it with this recipe. You won't be disappointed. These people are geniuses!
I know it looks like a lemon pound cake or something in this picture, but the flavors are so much more complex than that! And it's not cakey. Ahhhh, brioche! I just want to squeal knowing I can have brioche almost whenever I want now.

last minute

2010-02-10T18:47:00.005-05:00

I have to admit, I may have been a little ahead of myself last weekend because I was hoping this baby would be born by now ... which means I didn't do a whole lot of grocery shopping. Just the minimal stuff here and there, and then I figured we'd be eating out of our freezer (which is really well stocked) and people from church (bless their souls!) would be feeding us most dinners. But, alas, she's not born yet, and I've been scraping by with the minimal ingredients we have. I'm too stubborn to go out and get more stuff, so I've had to improvise a lot. Well, tonight was no different. Except somehow I had a lot of ingredients for one of my favorites, my mom's Butter Chicken curry. Of course I was missing a lot of stuff, too, so I had to make it up as I went, and I was actually really pleased. I added a ton of heat in hopes that I'll go into labor;) And these measurements are just approximations because I threw stuff in. So make adjustments as you like.

My last minute Tikka Masala, or Butter Chicken Curry
Serves 6
2 large chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 can coconut milk (my uses heavy cream, which is delicious, too)
1 can petite diced tomatoes
1 large onion, sliced thin
2 bay leaves
1.5 t cayenne pepper (give or take, depending on how hot you want it)
1 t crushed red pepper flakes
2 t paprika
1 T cumin
1 T curry powder
2 t fenugreek seeds
1 t ground coriander
1 T fresh grated ginger
3~5 cloves garlic, minced or grated
2~4 T butter (or more, if you're feeling extra heavy. mmmm)

rice, to serve

In a large heavy-bottom pot, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add onions, season lightly with salt, and stir until softened. Add bay leaves, cayenne pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, paprika, cumin, curry powder, fenugreek, coriander, ginger, and garlic. Stir until onions are evenly coated and the spices become very fragrant.
Add chicken and tomatoes. Let simmer on medium with lid on until chicken is cooked through, stirring occasionally to prevent burning.
Add coconut milk, and let simmer until slightly thickened. Serve over rice or with naan. (which I think I'm going to attempt soon-ish. Just you wait!)

*fresh cilantro is a great addition to this, too. I love the color is adds, and of course the amazing flavor! You can also add toasted nuts such as cashews or sliced almonds, and even some toasted coconut would be great. Have fun experimenting!

nothing beats home made

2010-01-31T20:07:00.003-05:00

Ok, have you ever had homemade pasta? It's not the same thing as the dried stuff--which I love. And it's really not like the fresh stuff you can buy in the refrigerated section of your grocery store, either, though that's a little closer. And it's actually really simple to make ... I wonder why I don't do it more often. I think I've talked about it before on this blog, but I have to talk about it again just because my dinner was divine tonight. We made papardelle and Bolognese sauce, and I wanted to cry. I am already feeling impatient and want to eat my leftovers that I'm saving for lunch tomorrow. So I recommend trying it sometime. The simplest way to make fresh pasta dough is with a food processor. If you don't have one, you can totally make it by hand the traditional way, but I'm lazy so I leave it to my machines to do the dirty work for me. Good luck!

p.s. We don't own one of those fancy pasta hanger things, so I just super cleaned off a plastic clothes hanger and hung the pasta on that, and it worked out really well

Fresh Pasta Dough
makes about 1 lb
2 C all-purpose flour
3 large eggs, beaten
water

Pulse the flour in the food processor bowl a few times to aerate.
Add the eggs, and process until combined. The dough should form a rough ball.
If it looks like teeny pebbles, add 1 teaspoon at a time of water until it forms a rough ball shape. If it's sticking to the side, add flour, 1 T at a time until it looks right.
Pull it out of the food processor bowl and knead together until the dough is smooth, about 2 minutes. Cover tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes, up to 2 hours.

When you're ready to use it, pull out your handy dandy pasta machine and roll it out as you wish:) If you don't have a pasta machine, just make sure you flour it really well and roll it out as thin as possible. It'll be a lot more work, though, so someday think about getting a pasta machine.

no high fructose corn syrup

2010-01-31T19:47:00.005-05:00

Just thought that title would get some people's attention. But really, I'm not all into 100% organic and natural foods, simply because it's not financially practical, but after watching the Martha show this week, I've been a little weary of over processed food. Well, I mean, I make most of my food from scratch anyway, but I'm talking about cereal and things like that. And my sister made me this amazing granola when I visited her last Summer, and I've basically been dreaming about it since. And granola especially is usually packed with high fructose corn syrup. Not a huge fan of that idea. Not super opposed to it, either, but still not a huge fan.

After my last depressing weight gain at the OB/GYN last week, I decided it was time to not let myself succumb to my serious pregnancy cravings (that seem to have suddenly appeared in the last trimester) too much. See, usually I'm a huge savory food person. Sure, I love my chocolates and sweet things, but in general I'd rather eat up the calories in pasta or rice or bread instead of cakes or pies or pastries. Not the case when I'm pregnant. I need my sweet food. NEED IT. So, for breakfast this morning I made us a nice low fat (sort of ... I'll explain), healthy granola. The thing about granola is, though, that no matter how "healthy" it is, you have to seriously watch portions. This one doesn't have any added fats, but is packed with nuts and other good things instead. Which is why it's "sort of" low in fat. But nuts are still fatty--no matter how much you try to justify it by saying it's "good fat". Good fat is still fat. So a portion size is about 1/2 C. Which I'm totally ok with. Plop on some fat free plain Greek yogurt and some fresh or frozen fruit, and you've got yourself a delicious and healthy way to start your day. And I'll admit, I was really satisfied. Which is hard to accomplish these days.

Healthy Nutty Granola
makes about 10 half cup portions
1.5~2 C various raw and unsalted nuts, chopped coarse (I used about 1/2 C each of pecans, almonds, and hazelnuts)
1/2 C puffed brown rice cereal ($1 for a HUGE bag at Walmart)
1/4~1/2 C ground or chopped flax seeds (optional. Another option would be wheat germ)
3 C old fashioned oats
1/3 C honey
1/3 C pure maple syrup
1/4 t coarse salt
1/4 t cinnamon
*optional: 1/2 C dried fruit. I don't add this because I think the chewy texture is distracting and I prefer fresh fruit, but by all means add it if you like it!

In a small sauce pan, heat the maple syrup and honey on low heat.
Meanwhile, combine all of the other ingredients in a large bowl and preheat the oven to 300°F. Prepare a baking pan by giving it a quick pray with vegetable spray and set aside.
Once the syrup and honey are warm and quite a bit thinner, pour it over the dry ingredients and stir quickly to get everything covered. Spread it out on the prepare baking sheet and bake in the oven for 30~35 minutes, tossing occasionally, until nuts are toasted and everything is evenly browned.
Place on a cooling rack and let cool completely. Place in an airtight container and enjoy all week!

Here's a picture of my cutie enjoying her granola breakfast. And peanut butter toast, since I can't hide the smears on her cheek.

at your request

2010-01-23T09:00:00.003-05:00

First of all, if you want the recipes for the chocolate ganache tarts and lemon créme tarts, I have them here. But this time I used a traditional tart crust. Way better. But a little more time-consuming. Thankfully, I had some help that day. Thanks, Stacy!

Well, since my favorite person, my sister, asked for pictures of the mini quiches, I thought I'd at least show the pictures I got. Like I said, not the best photos, but oh well. But seriously, everyone needs to try this spinach and caramelized onion quiche. About killed me it was so good! I may have taken a few of the leftovers home and eaten them all in 2 days.

Spinach & Caramelized Onion Quiche

Broccoli, Cheddar, & Ham Quiche

My usual: Italian take on Quiche Lorraine

And another request I got was from my friend, Melissa Esplin, who wanted the recipe to the chocolate ganache frosting. Super simple, Melissa! You're going to LOVE it! (I over-whipped it a little, but in the end I liked the mountain-like texture. But when you make it, don't make that same mistake because it turns out a little dry and really hard to pipe. Not that YOU would do something like that.)

Chocolate ganache frosting

8 oz chocolate (semi-sweet or bittersweet. I used a combination of both. Don't go sweeter than that, though), chopped
1 C heavy cream
1 T pure vanilla extract, optional

Place chocolate in a large bowl. In a small saucepan, bring heavy cream (and vanilla, if using) to a boil. Immediately take off the heat and pour over the chocolate. Let sit for about a minute, then gently stir until combined and no chocolate chunks remain.
Let cool, uncovered, in the fridge until set and thickened. Once completely cooled, using a stand mixer or hand mixer, whip the ganache until light and fluffy. Don't over whip or it'll get stiff and dry. You want it moist and soft. Now pile it on some cupcakes (or just eat it by the spoonful ...) and enjoy!

party!

2010-01-10T20:21:00.005-05:00

One of my best friends here is having a baby just a few days before me (so they might be born right around the same time!), and another couple of friends and I threw her a shower. I insisted on being in charge of the food because Lori (momma-to-be) is a classy girl and deserves classy shower food, and because I like a challenge. Why do I take on these huge tasks--especially when I'm super huge pregnant myself? Really because I love the girl I'm doing it for and because I LOVE food. But seriously, what was I thinking? I was so proud of myself because I had a REALLY strict schedule for the week, which I actually stuck to. And if it wasn't for that and the other 2 girls in charge of the shower who both came at different times to help me roll out tart crust dough or fill mini quiches or bake mini cupcakes with me, I don't think I would have survived.

And even if it was a LOT of baking (we turned our furnace down because our oven was keeping our little apartment plenty warm, even with our awfully non-insulated windows and below freezing temperatures outside), the end result made it all worth it for me. And the best part was that Lori seemed really happy. And that was my main goal.

mini lemon créme tarts

mini chocolate cupcakes with chocolate ganache frosting (my favorite, I think)

mini vanilla cupcakes with raspberry filling and lemon buttercream frosting (thanks for the idea, Lisa! They were Lori's #1 pick of the day)

mini chocolate ganache tarts

pb&j thumbprint cookies

chocolate caramel thumbprint cookies

and just a shot of some more mini vanilla cupcakes waiting to be served.

I also made my aunt Carolyn's amazing rolls, but mini sized (I love mini things for parties. perfect portion size and so cute!), with a roasted garlic&sage butter and cinnamon vanilla honey butter. Those were a hit, as usual, because Carolyn is a genius. And I also made my favorite baby/bridal shower food: mini quiche. I didn't get any good pictures of those, unfortunately, but I invented a couple of new flavors and it reminded me of how much I love quiche. They're so delicate and fancy and SO versatile. I served my usual Italian take on a quiche lorraine, and then a broccoli ham & cheddar, and my absolute favorite and now a staple quiche in my repertoire: spinach and caramelized onion. Seriously, you have to try it. Put some tangy hard Italian cheese like Pecorino Romano or Asiago or Parmiggiano Reggiano on top of the caramelized onion and finely chopped fresh spinach, and it's killer good. And really not that complicated.

Congratulations, Lori! Can't wait to meet your baby girl!

have you tried ...

2010-01-08T20:51:00.000-05:00

sage?
I actually bought this out of pure desperation this week while I was preparing for my friend's shower and the store was out of fresh rosemary. I've eaten it before, but I've never cooked with it so I wasn't sure how it'd turn out, but it may be my new favorite Winter food herb now. Mmm. I cooked it in browned butter with garlic and sea salt on my linguine one night, and I can't wait to use the rest on a roasted chicken. Doesn't that sound delicious? Now go out and buy some sage!

my #1 recommendations

2009-12-26T13:09:00.006-05:00

While I'm at it, I might as well tell you about my #1 must-haves in your cooking library. These people are geniuses. And they do all of the work for you. You just have to follow their instructions. I've had this book for about 3 years now, and I seriously turn to it at least a few times a week for recipes, inspiration, information, or just plain good reading:) I am a completely different cook because of them.
If you don't know much about the good people at America's Test Kitchen, let me tell you a little about how they work. They slave away for hours, days, weeks, sometimes months at one recipe to get it perfect and fool-proof. They test different methods, ingredients, products, utensils, appliances, anything you can think of in the kitchen, to tell you what's best and why. It's amazing. And recently they came out with this book:
Another new Christmas addition to my library. And I seriously think I sat and just read it for a couple of hours straight yesterday. They have all sorts of classic recipes, explained and simplified. I love these people. This book is a little more complex, I think, than the cookbook counterpart, but mostly just because by nature baking is more complex than cooking. I love that this book has a little note next to recipes that are "great for beginners", and almost every other page has little "don't make this mistake" explanations as to why this certain bread recipe won't rise if you make this mistake, or why your frosting won't go on in a clean layer if you make this mistake. I love it. This is definitely another must-have in your home. Honestly, I think that if you were to only buy 2 cook/baking books for your kitchen library, I would say these are the 2 to get.

my first book review/recommendation

2009-12-26T12:55:00.004-05:00

My very generous in-laws bought me this fascinating book for Christmas:
And this is what resulted:Isn't it gorgeous? I'd give you the recipe, but since it's more of a concept book, I'm going to have to tell you to just go out and either borrow it from your library or buy it. It's SO ridiculously easy, and gives you amazing results. So this is my first cook book review. And it is definitely a positive one. They're not kidding when they say 5 minutes a day. Of course including baking and resting time it's a lot longer, but you really only put in probably less than 5 minutes of hands-on work a day. And it's a no-knead method, so you can't even really call it work. And with this basic method, you can make a boule, baguette, ciabatta, bâtard, couronne, pain d'epi!, and basically whatever you can dream of. Those are just the ones I'm the most excited to create. We had leftover Christmas roast beef sandwiches on this bread for lunch today, and I just melted. It was too good to really have come out of MY oven!

Reading through this book can seem a little dry, though, so be warned. It's a lot of language (fascinating language, but a lot of it), and very few pictures. But this concept really needs a lot of explanation, so it's justified. And I'm the kind of person that loves to just sit and read cookbooks from cover to cover, so I have to admit I had a lot of fun studying it.

If you love good, crusty, chewy, delicious artisan bread (and who doesn't?), I highly recommend this book to you!

christmas eve-eve

2009-12-25T11:55:00.003-05:00

My cute sister and her family started a family tradition a few years back where they watch one of our family favorites, "Scrooged" (vintage Bill Murray--can't get much better than that!) and get Chinese take-out for Christmas eve-eve dinner. If you've seen the movie, you'd understand. Back during my single days they always invited me, and even after I was married and lived only and hour away. But the last couple of years, since we live in a totally different part of the country, my husband and I have decided to continue that tradition for ourselves. But we don't know too many good Chinese take-out places around here, so we make our own. And this year we decided on some dim sum. Spring rolls and gyoza (pan-fried/steamed and deep fried). And I think I ate my weight in dim sum. It was delicious.

The food before it was cooked:
ohhhhhhh .... and after. mmmm.
All spread out on the table, ready to be eaten.
It was glorious! If you want my gyoza recipe, look here. And here's a basic spring roll recipe:

makes 9~12 spring rolls

spring roll skins (9~12, depending on how much or how little filling you put inside)

about 1/4 lb ground pork
1/2 t sake
1/2 t soy sauce
pinch of corn starch

1 scallion, minced
1/2 can bamboo shoots, cut into thin strips or chopped coarse
2 cabbage leaves, cut into thin strips
3 dried shiitake mushrooms, reconstituted in warm water, and sliced into thin strips
1/4~1/3 C super thin rice noodles, soaked in warm water until softened

vegetable or canola oil for deep frying, and for sauteing

"glue":
1.5 T flour
1 T water

cooking sauce:
1 T sake
1 T soy sauce
1/2 t sugar
salt & pepper to taste
1 t sesame oil

In a small bowl, combine the ground pork with the 1/2 t sake, 1/2 t soy sauce, and pinch of corn starch.
In a wok or deep skillet, stir fry the pork in a little oil until cooked through. Add the bamboo shoots, cabbage, mushrooms, and cook until cabbage softens. Add the noodles and sauce and cook until evenly coated. Place in a bowl and set aside.
Clean out the wok and fill with about 1/3 with oil. Heat oil to about 320°~330°F (160°~165°C). Meanwhile, wrap the spring rolls.
Prepare the "glue" in a small bowl. To wrap the spring rolls, place the wrapper in front of you, with a corner facing you. Place a small amount of filling close to the corner closest to you, in a line-shape. (parallel to your shoulders, if that makes sense) Fold the corner closest to you over the food, roll over once, then fold in the 2 side corners and keep rolling. Using your finger, place a little of the flour glue into the corner furthest from you (the only corner showing at this point) and finish rolling and make sure the glue sticks and seals. Repeat with all of the rolls.
Deep fry the spring rolls, about 3~4 at a time, in the oil until golden brown. Let drain on a wire rack over a cookie sheet lined with paper towels. Serve warm with hot rice.

i think i'm in heaven

2009-12-22T20:45:00.003-05:00

Ok, so these aren't the most fantastic pictures because it's late at night ... but I couldn't resist taking some and sharing the pure joy I just experienced. For a romantic after-the-kid-goes-to-sleep treat for my husband, I made a simple yellow bundt cake with caramel sauce and super lightly sweetened whipped cream. I've been meaning to use the beautiful bundt pan my sister bought for me a while back, and I seriously wondered why in the world I hadn't done it sooner. It was decadent, rich, not too sweet, divine! Just perfect. And seriously, very simple to make. Just takes a little patience (at least for the caramel sauce). Give it a try. You won't regret it.

Yellow Bundt Cake (from America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook--which you must own someday) & Glorious Caramel Sauce
makes 1 bundt and about 2 C of sauce
Pan coating:
1 T unsalted butter, melted
1 T all-purpose flour

cake:
3 C all-purpose flour
1 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1 t salt
1 T fresh lemon juice
1 T vanilla extract
3/4 C buttermilk*
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
18 T (2 and 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 C sugar

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle positon and heat oven to 350°F. To coat the pan: mash the butter and flour together into a paste then brush evenly over the inside of a 12-cup bundt pan (be sure to get all of the crevices).
For the cake: whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. In a seperate bowl, whisk lemon juice, vanilla, and buttermilk together. In a thrid bowl, gently whisk eggs and yolk together.
Beat the sugar and butter togethe rina alrge bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 6 minutes. Beat in the eggs in 2 batches until incorporated, about 1 minute, scraping down the bowl and beaters as needed.
Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly mix in 1/3 of the flour mixture until just combined, followed by half of the buttermilk mixture. Repeat this process again using half of the remaining flour mixture and all of the remaining buttermilk mixture. Mix in the remaining flour mixture until thoroughly combined.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Wipe any drops of batter off the sides of the pan. Bake until a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, 50 to 60 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking (do not overbake).
Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then flip out onto a wire rack to cool completely, about 2 hours.

For the caramel sauce, go here. This girl is a genius. And she makes a genius caramel sauce that even makes me want to drink it. And I'm not a huge caramel person. So that's saying a lot!

For the whipped cream, really only add like 1 or 2 teaspoons of sugar. The caramel is so sweet and the cake is so dense and rich that you won't want all that sweetness in the cream, trust me. And beat to soft peaks. Please.

*if you don't have or don't want to buy buttermilk, use 3/4 C milk and scant 1T white distilled vinegar or fresh lemon juice, stir, and let it thicken. And you can use that in place of buttermilk in any baking recipe. 1 C milk to 1T vinegar/lemon juice.

finally a new post!

2009-12-21T10:29:00.002-05:00

So the bread I've been making a few times a week now, has become a dinner table staple. I make it substituting 2~3 C whole wheat flour, and it still turns out chewy and soft and fluffy. And I feel a little better about feeding it to my family. I also make it into 4 smaller loaves instead, and it bakes for about 15 minutes. Really good. Try it.

Anyway, this morning we had a couple loaves in the freezer, and my cutie is home from work this week, so I had to make his favorite, French Toast. I served it with lingonberry jam and honey-vanilla whipped cream.

And I'm going to get on a bit of a soap box here. Let's not over-whip our cream, my friends. Over-whipped cream is greasy and lumpy. That's when you go beyond stiff peaks. And what's happenening is you're starting to make butter and whey. Not what you want when serving it over pies, tarts, crepes, or anything! So keep an eye on your cream, the difference between stiff peaks (which isn't necessary for this dish anyway, you want soft peaks) and over-whipped cream is a matter of 30 seconds sometimes. Or less. If you're making whipped cream in your kitchenaid, don't walk away. Please.

French Toast with jam and honey-vanilla whipped cream
And the festive little girl decided to dress up like Santa for breakfast:) I think it may have been her first taste of whipped cream. Definitely like her mommy.
1 loaf crusty French bread, cut into 1 inch slices
an array of tart jams

custard:
2 eggs
1 C whole milk
1 t cinnamon
1 T pure vanilla extract
2 T honey or sugar

butter or oil for the pan

Preheat the oven to 200°F and place an oven safe platter in the oven.
In a deep plate or a small baking dish, whisk the custard mixture until well blended.
Dip the bread slices into the custard, making sure it's coated on both sides, and place on a griddle or large frying pan over medium heat. Cook on the first side until lightly browned, flip over and repeat with the other side. Once cooked through, place on the platter in the oven. Repeat with all bread slices. Once finished, you can serve the whole warm platter so the cook can eat, too!

honey-vanilla whipped cream:
3/4 C heavy cream
1 T honey
1 t pure vanilla extract

Pour the cream into a medium bowl. Using a hand-held mixer, whip the cream to soft peaks. Add the vanilla and honey and continue to whip until they cream reaches soft peaks again. Serve.

Serve French toast with a tart jam and the whipped cream:)

more bread

2009-12-02T08:29:00.006-05:00

I've always said I'm decent at cooking, but I don't do bread. And living here can be a little sad sometimes (when it comes to bread) because there aren't too many places to buy good artisan bread. Actually I can't think of anywhere. Maybe I haven't looked hard enough ... I got pretty good at making bread machine bread;), and Irish soda bread, but that isn't a yeast bread so I feel like it doesn't count. And then my sister came to visit when my daughter was born and taught me how to make my aunt Carolyn's perfect rolls. I can't seem to get them quite like either of them do, but they're still amazing, so I'm not complaining. But that experience made me realize that (some) bread isn't as intimidating as I always thought. So I started researching breads, and for Christmas I'm getting myself a new bread book.

Anyway, in the midst of all of this, I discovered a French bread recipe I wanted to try. It was so easy and amazingly puffy and chewy and delicious! And it took me maybe a total of 2 hours, start to finish. Now, if you're a purist and you like the traditional "real" French bread with a super crispy crust and an airy interior, call it something other than French bread and make it for your family. But if you don't experience the joy of real French bread too often, and your definition of it is an oblong loaf with slits cut on top, this will be your new favorite recipe and you'll never want to buy a loaf at Walmart again!

But someday I will learn to make "real" French bread. And ciabatta. And brioche. And croissants. And foccacia. (Not the wannabe that I made, but the real thing) And all sorts of beautiful, more famously temperamental breads.

But for now, this Americanized French bread works perfectly for me. I'm going to try it with 25% whole wheat flour today. Hopefully that turns out:)

fluffy, chewy, easy French loaf
makes 2 large or 4 small loaves
2 T active dry yeast
2 T granulated sugar
1 T salt
3 C warm water
2 T butter (softened) or oil
8 C flour

egg wash:
1 egg white
2 T water

Place the first 5 ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer and stir until combined. Switch to the dough hook attachment and add flour. Knead until elastic.
Let dough rise for 10 minutes, punch down and let mix for a few seconds. Repeat this 5 times (50 minutes).
Shape the dough into 2 rectangles (or 4, if you're making 4 smaller loaves) and roll up into a log shape. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and let rise to double in size. Brush with the egg wash and with a very sharp knife, cut 3~4 diagonal slits on the top.
Bake at 400°F for about 15 minutes (less if you're making the smaller loaves, of course). The bread is done when golden brown.

Keep in mind that the bread will flatten a bit if you eat it right out of the oven. So if you want it to maintain it's shape, let it cool a little bit. If you don't care (and why should you? Fresh bread is so worth it!), eat it right out of the oven with butter. Or even better, honey butter!

easy focaccia

2009-11-19T08:58:00.003-05:00

We eat a lot of bread here. And that's why I am so glad I bought my bread machine a couple of years ago for Christmas. Last night I made some creamy chicken noodle soup, and I wanted a good, flavorful bread to go with it, so all I did was make my simple pizza dough recipe, added a head of roasted garlic into the dough, and when it was done, I kneaded in another head of whole cloves of garlic and a little herbes de provence (less then a 1/4 t--don't ever overdo it with dried herbs!). Then, I stretched it out carefully onto a parchment lined baking sheet, dimpled it all over, and doused it in extra virgin olive oil, baked it in a 375° F oven for about 15 minutes, and we devoured it! It was such a dense, moist bread. And so easy if you have a bread machine to do half of the work for you. You gotta try it out! I LOVE BREAD!

black and white

2009-11-15T15:35:00.005-05:00

Tonight we're having a little celebration for the Young Women at church. My friend Lori, a total artist (for real, that's what she studied in college), was in charge, and the presentation is going to be all black and white. b&w photos and such. I was asked to bring a treat of some sort, and since I knew the decorations were going to be black and white, I thought I'd work with that theme. Being pregnant makes me crave random things, but 2 things that never fail me are chocolate and lemon. Not together. No, no. Light, lemon-ey, creamy treats (like cute Sarah Winn's amazing lemon tart!) and rich, dense chocolate. And how perfect that dark chocolate is almost black, and creamy lemon is almost white? And since it's a standing and walking around kind of event, I decided to make mini tarts. I'm a little embarrassed to reveal to all of you how easy it all was, but I might as well share the joy. Try making something like this at your next party. It'll be a hit! (At least I hope so)
Mini Chocolate Truffle Tarts
makes about 2.5 dozen

crust:
1 C all-purpose flour
1/4 C dutch-processed cocoa powder
2 T sugar
1/4 t salt
2 oz cream (or nuefchatel) cheese, softened
8 T (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

filling:
1 C heavy cream
12 oz bittersweet chocolate (not semi-sweet)
1 T pure vanilla extract
1/4 t kosher salt
6 T unsalted butter, softened

toasted sliced almonds, for serving (optional)

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, and salt for the crust. In the bowl of a food processor, pulse together the cream cheese and butter, until combined. Add the dry ingredients, and pulse (scraping down the sides occasionally) until the dough resembles coarse crumbs. Replace into a bowl and press together until it forms a ball.
In a lightly greased mini muffin pan, place about 1/2 T of dough into each cavity and press into the sides until it reaches the top and looks even. Repeat for all spaces, until you run out of dough. Place in the freezer for 15 minutes until chilled.
Bake in a 375° F oven for 7 minutes, or until slighty crisp and fragrant. Let cool for at least an hour.
Once the crusts have cooled, make the filling. Place the chocolate in a bowl. Bring the cream to a simmer in the microwave, and pour over the chocolate. Let stand for 1 minute then slowly whisk together. Add the butter and vanilla, and continue stirring until combined.
Carefully pour about 1 T into each crust. Sprinkle with a few sliced almonds, if using, and place in the refrigerator to set for at least 3 hours. And serve!

Mini Lemon Cream Tarts
makes about 2.5 dozen
crust:
1-1/4 C all-purpose flour
2 T sugar
1/4 t salt
2 oz cream (or nuefchatel) cheese, softened
8 T (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

filling:
1 (8 oz) package cream (or nuefchatel) cheese, softenend
juice of 2 lemons
zest of 1 lemon
2/3 ~ 1 C sugar (to taste)

super thin slices of lemon, cut into 6 wedges, for serving (optional)

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, and salt for the crust. In the bowl of a food processor, pulse together the cream cheese and butter, until combined. Add the dry ingredients, and pulse (scraping down the sides occasionally) until the dough resembles coarse crumbs. Replace into a bowl and press together until it forms a ball.
In a lightly greased mini muffin pan, place about 1/2 T of dough into each cavity and press into the sides until it reaches the top and looks even. Repeat for all spaces, until you run out of dough. Place in the freezer for 15 minutes until chilled.
Bake in a 375° F oven for 7 minutes, or until slighty crisp and fragrant. Let cool for at least an hour.
Once crusts have cooled, make the filling. In a medium bowl, using a handheld mixer, combine the cheese, lemon juice, zest, and sugar until thorooughly combined. Place in a piping bag or a zip-top bag with a corner cut off and pipe into the crusts till slightly overflowing. Place a tiny lemon slice wedge, if desired. Place in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, or until set. Serve and enjoy!

mmmmm

2009-11-09T10:45:00.003-05:00

I know I talk about this bread a lot, but I make it all the time! It's so chewy and crispy and dense and delicious! I make it often without the herbs, and that turns out fantastic. Well, this time I did something different, and LOVED it! I grated a good 1/2 C of Pana Granado cheese (Parmiggiano Reggiano, Asiago, Pecorino Romano, or any hard Italian cheese will work great!), put about 1/4 C of it in the dough, and dumped the rest of it on top of the bread, after cutting the "x". It was so cheesy and rich and tasty. Next time you make bread, try it out:)

leftovers

2009-10-17T20:48:00.004-04:00

Once the fall/winter hits, I like to make a lot of soup. And I've learned that the best soup is soup made from homemade stock/broth. So I end up making homemade chicken stock probably every other weekend or sometimes more often. It's a really enjoyable process for me. So super simple, super cheap, and I get about 12~16 C of stock out of one chicken, and a whole poached chicken to use in anything and everything. Problem is last time I made it I ended up with a ton of chicken meat that I ended up throwing away because I forgot to use it. So this week I was determined to make good use of my chicken. Tonight, we had one of our favorites, black bean pie, but I changed things up a bit. I made the portions smaller and made 2 small ones instead of 1 big one (my theory is if there's a whole one left over, I won't want to cut into it, but if there's half of a big one left over, I'll be more tempted to get seconds) so we could have a good lunch when we get home from church tomorrow. And of course, this time I added chicken. And honestly, I only used 1 shredded chicken breast for the whole meal and I felt like there was plenty. Might have something to do with all of the black beans in the dish, but I didn't feel like it was missing any meaty-ness. So give this a try at home. Our whole family loved it! And, like I said, I have a whole one waiting for me to eat it when I get home from church tomorrow:)

*of course, if you don't have small baking dishes like these, make one large one in a 9-inch spring form pan. You'll need flour tortillas, though, since you'll never find corn tortillas big enough.

Black Bean and Chicken Pie
makes 2 2-person servings (2 for dinner tonight, and 2 for your lunch tomorrow)

2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can corn, drained, or 1 10 oz package frozen corn
8 corn tortillas, trimmed to the size of the baking dish
2 C cheddar cheese
4 scallions, sliced thin
1 onions, coarsely chopped
bunch of cilantro, chopped
1 poached chicken breast, shredded (you could use a rotisserie chicken, of course)
2 t cumin
1 t chili powder
canola oil
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 C ~ 1/2 C chicken stock

Preheat oven to 400°F.
In a deep skillet, cook onions, cumin, chili powder, and salt and pepper to taste in 1 T oil. Cook, stirring often, until soft. Add black beans and stock and simmer for about 5 minutes. Add chicken and corn and heat through. Set aside.
Place one tortilla on the bottom of each baking dish, and place about 1/4 C ~ 1/3 C of the black bean mixture on top and smooth out. Sprinkle with 1/2 T scallions, as much or as little cilantro as you like, and about 3 T of cheese. Place another tortilla on top, and repeat until all 4 tortillas are layered in each dish. I topped mine with the tortilla trimmings, just for fun.
Bake in the oven for 10~15 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly and browned. Sprinkle with extra scallions and cilantro before serving.

Serve with salsa, sour cream (or greek yogurt), and/or avocados

pasta isn't just for the italians

2009-10-17T18:53:00.002-04:00

My friend told me about a Japanese cooking website, cookpad. And I love it! Japanese people are foodies, and they just know good food. I was stumped about what to make for dinner, and I didn't want to run to the store for anything, so I jumped on cookpad, and looked in the pasta section. The thing I love about it is that they have amazing traditional very Italian recipes on there as well as Japanese style pasta. And I don't mean Japanese noodles, I mean spaghetti and penne and such with Japanese flavors. Well, I found this recipe with shiitake mushrooms, tuna, thinly sliced onions, all sauteed in butter and seasoned with soy sauce. And instead of som fresh herb on top, it's served with very thinly sliced nori (delicious, crisp seaweed). If you out there are ready to try something new and different, this is my suggestion. AMAZING!

Japanese Tuna and Mushroom Pasta
serves 6

1 lb linguine (or any long pasta)
1/2 red (or yellow) onion, thinly sliced
1 can solid white albacore tuna, drained
1/2 lb fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced
3 T butter, cut into 1 T pieces
soy sauce to taste
salt
1 sheet nori, cut into very thin strips

In a large pot, bring water and salt to a boil and cook pasta to al dente. Drain, reserving pasta water, and set aside.
Meanwhile in a large skillet, melt 1 T of the butter over medium-high heat. Add half of the mushroom and a little bit of salt and saute until browned. Remove cooked mushrooms, add another tablespoon of butter to the skillet, and cook the rest of the mushrooms until browned.
Add the tuna and break up with a wooden spoon, tossing gently with the mushrooms. Toss all together with the pasta, remaining tablespoon of butter, and soy sauce. Add reserved pasta water to loosen sauce if necessary.
Serve with nori on top

doesn't get much better than this

2009-10-17T17:56:00.001-04:00

Eggplant Parmesan. You might think "eggplant? I don't do eggplant." You've never had eggplant parmesan. And if you have and you still say that, you've never had GOOD eggplant parmesan. This stuff is beautiful and delicious and smooth and tart and crunchy and everything good. It's a little bit of a process because globe eggplants tend to be a little bitter if they aren't salted beforehand, but it's worth the work. If you don't want to deal with the salting, sweating, cleaning and then breading, go ahead and use Japanese eggplant. They'll be smaller pieces, but VERY tasty. Serve with some pasta and extra sauce.

Eggplant Parmesan (From America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook)
makes 1 9x13 pan
2 globe eggplants (2 lbs), sliced into 1/4 inch thick rounds
salt
1 C all-purpose flour
pepper
4 large eggs
4 C panko bread crumbs (or plaind dried breadcrumbs, but I like the texture of panko better)
3 oz Parmesan cheese, grated (1-1/2 C)
6 T vegetable oil
4 C tomato sauce (homemade, please!), pureed smooth
8 oz mozarella, shredded (2 C)
10 fresh basil leaves, torn (optional)

Toos the eggplant with 1 teaspoon salt (easiest if done in 2 batches) and let it drain in a colander for about 40 minutes.
Meanwhile, adjust 2 oven racks to the upper- and lower- middle positions, place a rimmed baking sheet on each rack, and heat the oven to 425°F. Combine the flour and 1 t pepper in a large zipper lock bag and shake to combine. Beat the eggs into a shallow dish. Combine the breadcrumbs, 1 C of the Parmesan, 1/4 t salt, and 1/2 t pepper in a second shallow dish.
Spread the drained eggplant over paper towels. Wipe away as much salt as possible and press firmly on each slice to remove as much liquid as possible. Working with about 8 eggplant slices at a time, place them in the bag with the flour, seal, and shake until thoroughly coated. Remove the eggplant, shaking off an excess flour, and dip into the eggs. Remove to eggplant from the eggs, allowing any excess to drip off, and coat evenly with the breadcrumbs, pressing them to adhere. Lay the breaded eggplant on a wire rack. Flour, dip in egg, and coat the remaining eggplant with breadcrumbs in the same manner.
Remove the preheated baking sheets from the oven. Pour 3 T oil onto each sheet, tilting to coat the sheets evenly. Spread the breaded eggplant in a single layer over the hot sheets. Bake until the eggplant is well browned and crisp on the first side, about 20 minutes. Flip the eggplant slices over. Switch and rotate the baking sheets, and continue to bake until the second side is browned, about 10 minutes longer. (Do not turn off the oven.)
Spread 1 C of tomato sauce over the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Shingle half of the eggplant slices over the tomato sauce. Distribute 1 more cup of the sauce over the eggplant and sprinkle with half of the mozarella. Shingle the remaining eggplant exposed so that it will remian crisp. Sprinkle with 1/4 C of the Parmesan cheese and the remaining 1 C mozarella.
Place the dish on the lower-middle rack of the oven. Bake until the cheese is bubbling and well browned, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle the basil over the top and cool for about 10 minutes before serving. Pass the remaining 1 C tomato sauce and 1/4 C Parmesan separately.

the secret ingredient in my secret ingredient soup

2009-10-17T17:01:00.001-04:00

... name that movie.

Ok, so this isn't about soup, and there actually is a secret ingredient. But this comes with a story.

When I was about 17 I had a youth leader who claimed she made this amazing cake. And then she told me she had a secret ingredient. Mayonnaise. Not sour cream, not pudding mix. Mayonnaise! And I wrote her off right there. (Sorry, Jill!) But I have since changed my ways, but not easily. All these years, I kept telling myself I would never try to make that dang cake, but I had a baby-sitter coming over for a service thing (so for free) and I wanted to do something nice for her, so I thought I'd make some dark chocolate cupcakes and orange colored cream cheese frosting so she and my baby could have something fun to do. But the time was coming near, I didn't have a cake mix, and I didn't want to spend a lot of time making cake. I turned to my trusted favorite cookbook of all time and the first cake in the cake section was an emergency chocolate cake recipe. Perfect! So I look through the ingredients and ... it calls for mayo! But America's Test Kitchen is so trustworthy and amazing, so I thought I'd better try it. And holy cow, these were good cupcakes. I'm sure their less-emergency cakes are better, but I'm sold! Jill, you were right. Mayo can go in cakes. And it's good. Even my super anti-mayo husband ate a few of them with great joy.

Emergency Chocolate Cupcakes
makes 12 cupcakes
2 C all-purpose flour
1-1/4 C sugar
3/4 t baking soda
3/4 C Dutch-processed coca powder
1-1/4 C water
1 C mayonnaise
1 T vanilla extract

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350°F. Line a muffin pan with paper cupcake liners.
Whisk flour, sugar, and baking soda together in a large bowl. In a seperate bowl, whisk the cocoa and water together until smooth. Whisk in the mayonnaise and vanilla. Stir the mayonnaise mixture into the flour mixture until combined.
Pour the batter evenly into the 12 muffins cups. Bake until a wooden skewer inserted into the center of the cakes comes out with a few crumbs attached, about 20~25 minutes.
Let the cakes cool in the pan on a wire rack, about 1 hour. Spread tops with cream cheese frosting and sprinkles!

for one of those days

2009-10-16T14:40:00.006-04:00

Blake was having one of those days. And that's just not a fun way to start your morning. Baby and I felt so bad that we decided to make him some kind of treat to come home to. But since I didn't have the car to run to the store with, I had to come up with something with the limited ingredients we had. I looked on tastykitchen.com for some ideas and found this. Perfect! Except I didn't have dark brown sugar so I made some, I didn't have chunky peanut butter so I used creamy (and I really like the smooth texture so I think I'll stick to it), and I only had Ghiradelli baking chocolate instead of chips, so I pulsed them in the food processor. And I think I'm in love with chocolate chunks now. Try it out. I've already eaten a few. I think they might bring tears to Blake's eyes;)

so misunderstood

2009-10-11T16:47:00.004-04:00

Tuna. Such a misunderstood and underestimated food. It can so be dressed up from the usual sandwich or casserole (which I love, don't get me wrong). But somehow tuna has been labeled as a poor man's food, which I don't think is right! The other day I was mentioning to Blake that I might make tuna pasta for dinner when a friend was nearby and she made a look. You know the look. The "did she really just say ... tuna and pasta together? Such a contradiction of quality" kind of look. So I find it is my responsibility to introduce to you another side of tuna.

It's a low fat, high protein wonder, and if handled properly, not fishy or tinny at all. It is time, people! Let us go on a quest for a higher standard for tuna cuisine! So to all of you friend out there who have a passion for food, please share with me your favorite ways to use tuna. In a not so blah way.

Here's one of mine:

Simple Tuna Pasta
serves 4~6

*the key here is to use plenty of lemon juice and zest and parsley. Then you'll completely forget your aversion to what you think tuna tastes like. No fishy, stinky, tinny-ness whatsoever.
1/2 onion, diced small
2~3 cloves garlic, minced
olive oil
1 can solid white albacore tuna, drained
1 can petite diced tomatoes
juice of 1/2 lemon (hang on the other half, just in case you want to use it)
zest of 1 lemon
1/4 C super finely minced fresh parsley
1 lb penne
salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot, bring water to a boil. Generously salt the water, and boil the pasta to al dente. Reserve some pasta water and set aside.
Meanwhile, In a large skillet, heat 1 T olive oil to medium-high. When shimmering, add onions and a little salt and pepper, and cook, stirring often, until onions are slightly golden. Add garlic and continue to cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add tuna and tomatoes, and simmer until tomatoes thicken slightly, about 5 minutes.
Once pasta and sauce are both to this stage, toss them together with the parsley, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Add pasta water to loosen the sauce if necessary, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add remaining lemon juice if you'd like it brighter.
Serve with freshly grated parmesan cheese if desired.

I can't wait to read all of your favorite tuna recipes!

something went horribly wrong ...

2009-10-11T16:39:00.003-04:00

I love my bread machine. I throw in the ingredients, and I wake up (several times a night since I'm pregnant) to the smell of beautiful, fresh baked bread. And Ella and I have delicious hot bread with our breakfast. I do love making one of my favorite breads and of course my genius Aunt Carolyn's rolls, but sometimes you just can't beat the convenience of a bread machine. And I have a good one. My sister did her research and I just copied her. Well, the other day I awoke to this:
So I guess this is where it's definitely better to make it by hand. You know when to stop kneading. And the bread machine just didn't seem to get it. So it was sad morning for cold cereal for me and the baby.

golden day

2009-09-28T19:50:00.007-04:00

My cute husband celebrated his golden birthday today, so I knew I had to make it a special day for him. I decorated in gold and made him gold food all day. They were all old favorites, so I kept forgetting to take pictures, but thankfully I have all of the recipes on this blog. We started the day out with this favorite golden cinnamon rolls. After church we had golden frittata with potatoes, onions, and kielbasa. For dinner we had, per his request, golden からあげ, or Japanese fried chicken (pictured below)
and for dessert, the ever so irresistable creme brulee. Nothing quite like creme brulee. I realize he didn't get a cake, but I'm pretty sure he was ok with that.

fancy nancy

2009-09-21T18:54:00.004-04:00

I wanted to make a fancy dinner tonight. I don't know why exactly, but I was really in the mood for something fancy. It might be in part because over the weekend I ran into a dear friend from Japan and her sweet husband and family and found out we live 20 minutes away from each other! And she's a total foodie. I'm so excited to get together with her more often and make delicious food. Mmm can't wait. That, and I feel like pasta is so often misunderstood. Pasta is such a beautiful and diverse food, but a lot of people only buy spaghetti (and don't get me wrong, I LOVE spaghetti) and pair it with a jar of tomato sauce of some kind. Not the way to enjoy pasta. Sure, in a pinch whatever works. But homemade sauce is so quick and simple and ... FANCY!

So tonight I was inspired and made a mushroom and white wine sauce with rigatoni and it was amazing. And since it was such a beautiful fall evening, I roasted some butternut and acorn squash as a side.

Creamy White Wine and Mushrooms with Rigatoni
serves 4~6
1 lb rigatoni
1 lb mushrooms (I used cremini, or baby bellas, but shiitake and plain white buttons would be great, too. If you're using white buttons, though, I reccomend using a couple varieties, just for a more complex flavor)
3 T butter
1/2 C heavy cream
4 shallots, thinly sliced
1/2 C white wine (NOT cooking wine. They always say to use a wine good enough to drink. I don't drink so I wouldn't really know what that is, but I always buy a Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris or a nice-sounding white wine;))
1/4 C very finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/4 C freshly grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

In a large skillet, bring 1 tablespoon of butter to medium-high heat and melt. Add the shallots with a little salt and pepper to taste, and cook, stirring often, until very soft and slightly browned. Remove to a plate.
Add another tablespoon of butter to the pan and add half of the mushrooms with a little bit of salt and pepper. Cook until browned. Once they're browned and released all of their juices, transfer to the same plate as the shallots and cook the other half of the mushrooms with another tablespoon of butter and salt and pepper.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta to al dente. Drain, and set aside, reserving some of the cooking liquid.
Replace all of the shallots and mushrooms back to the pan and heat through. Add the white wine and cook until completely evaporated. Add the cream and let simmer until slightly thickened and reduce the heat to low. Add 3 tablespoon of the parsley and about a 1/4 C of the cheese and stir in.
Gently toss the pasta in with the mushroom mixture, adding some of the reserved pasta water to thin the sauce if needed.
Serve warm with extra parsley and cheese.

Roasted Butternut and Acorn Squash
serves 8+
1 butternut squash, cut in half pole-to-pole
1 acorn squash, cut in half pole-to-pole
2 T butter, softenend
1~2 T brown sugar
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 450° F.
Place the halves of the squash, cut side up, on a a parchment lined rimmed baking sheet. Spread a teaspoon of butter, sprinkle with about a teaspoon of brown sugar, and season generously with salt and pepper on each half.
Bake in the oven for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes, until caramelized and cooked through. Either serve sections or scoop out with a spoon and gently smash together with a little milk or cream.

vegetable lasagne

2009-09-16T13:10:00.003-04:00

This was so good. Look at the picture. I don't think I need to say much else.

Except ... If you're one of those people that thinks a meal isn't a meal without meat, you are so missing out.

Vegetable Lasagne
makes 1 9x13 pan
1 package no-boil lasagne noodles (I like Barilla)
1 9 oz bag of baby spinach leaves
1 lb mushrooms, sliced (I used white button, but cremini or shiitake would be delicious, too. Use a variety!)
4 T butter
4 T flour
4 C milk (I used 2 C 1% and 2 C whole)
1/2 onion, minced
pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste
2 C grated mozzarella cheese
1~2 C freshly grated parmesan or pecorino romano cheese

Preheat the oven to 375°F.
In a large skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter over medium-high heat. Add half of the mushrooms and season gently with salt and pepper. Cook, tossing once in a while, until juices are released and evaporated and the mushrooms are browned. Transfer to a plate and repeat with the second half. (You never want to crowd mushrooms or they won't brown properly)
In a large saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat and add the onion with a little salt and pepper. Cook the onion until softened but not browned. Add the flour and stir until there are no more dry spots left and flour is cooked and slightly golden.
Add 1/2 C of the milk, and whisk vigorously until no lumps remain. Continue to repeat with the addition of milk in small portions until all the milk is used up and the sauce can coat the back of a spoon.
Add the spinach to the sauce and stir gently until spinach is wilted. Take the pan off the heat.
In a 9x13-inch lasagna pan, pour a little bit of the sauce and layer 3 lasagna noodles on top. Top with 1/3 of the mushrooms, 1/2 C of sauce, 1/2 C of mozarella, and a couple tablespoons of parmesan. Add noodles and repeat. On the top layer, use 1/2 C of sauce, 1/2 C of mozarella, and the remaining parmesan.
Cover with foil and bake 45 minutes. Remove the foil and bake under the broiler for 5~10 minutes until the cheese is golden and bubbly. Let cool for 15 minutes before serving.

And here's a cute picture of my sweetie enjoying her serving

homemade granola bars

2009-09-16T12:04:00.001-04:00

I made granola bars last week, but they just couldn't hold themselves together! It was a mess in my hand. They were so tasty, though, and super filling, so I thought I needed to try again, with some minor adjustments. So now it's not quite as healthy as the original, but still really not that bad. And you really only need a little square to be satisfied, and it's all homemade, so I don't feel too bad about feeding this to my family:) If you can make rice krispie treats, you can make these.

Home made granola bars
makes about 2.5 dozen, depending on how you cut them
ingredients:
4 C rolled oats (not quick cooking oats)
1 C shredded coconut
1.5 C chopped nuts of any kind (I did slivered almonds because they were on sale)
1 C ground flaxseeds or wheatgerm (I did a combination of both)
1/2 C sesame seeds
2 C chopped (or small) dried fruit (I used golden raisins and craisins, but last time I did dried apricots and those were really good, too)

2 T butter
1 (10 oz) package mini marshmallows

prepared materials:
1 9x13 inch baking pan, greased and lined with parchment or wax paper, and greased again

Preheat over to 350°F. In a large baking sheet, toss the oats, coconut, nuts, flaxseeds or wheatgerm, and sesame seeds together. Place in the oven and toast until fragrant and very slightly browned, about 10~12 minutes, tossing a few times during baking.
In a large pot, melt the butter. Add the marshmallows, and stir until completely melted. Working quickly, add all of the other ingredients (including the dried fruit) and stir gently until thoroughly encorporated.
Immediately pour the ingredients into the prepared baking pan, and using a lightly greased spatula, press down firmly until you have an even, flat surface. Let cool completely.
Once cooled, flip the whole pan over onto a large cutting board, and cut to desired size. Store in an airtight container for up to a week.

good ol' sunday dinner repeat

2009-09-16T11:59:00.003-04:00

For dinner on Sunday, I made a roasted chicken with root vegetables and my favorite bread. Even my little sweetie couldn't wait for dinner.
The only difference was that this time I only brushed about 2 tablespoons of melted butter on top of the chicken and seasoned it with salt and pepper. it was amazing! (And please ignore the fact that for some reason ... probably my pregnant brain ... I roasted the chicken upside down)

update

2009-09-12T22:34:00.003-04:00

I feel like a flake. It must be because I'm pregnant because when I'm about to sit down to eat after spending quite a bit of time at the cutting board or stove, the last thing I'm thinking about is, "oh wait a second, I have to take a picture!" Pretty much the only thing I'm thinking is, "FINALLY". So my poor camera has been a little neglected, which is why I haven't posted in a while. And the saddest part is I've actually been making good food! So I know food posts without pictures are way lame, but I still think my readers deserve to know the joys of simple delicious food, so I will share anyway. Both of them are just additions to my old favorites anyway.

First of all, my salsa. I have it listed as avocado salsa, but I often make it without the avocados, and it's still the best salsa ever. Tonight, I was in the mood for chips and salsa, but since it was dinner time, I thought I'd heft it up a bit. My sister said she made my salsa once with corn and black beans, so I tried that, and it was amazing! You know those meals that you almost regret eating so much but then you remember that it's actually mostly good for you? Well, this was one of those meals. Add 1 can of black beans (drained and rinsed), and 1 can of corn (drained). We were planning on using fresh corn from our neighbor's garden, but we were a couple weeks too late. But if you have access to fresh corn, cut it off the cob and sauté it until a little caramelized, and you won't believe the joy you'll experience.

And going back almost a whole week, I made panzanella for our church Labor Day picnic. It was a total hit! I know this is pathetic, but whenever we have potluck type meals, I am constantly checking to see how much of my contribution is gone. And if I leave before it's all gone, I get a little sad. So this time was a success. And the variations I made were a bit bigger this round. I tossed the stale bread cubes with a couple tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and a couple of table spoons of melted butter and salt and most important, a clove of grated garlic. Then put them in a single layer on a baking sheet and put them under the broiler for about 2~3 minutes, until crispy and golden. The darkness depends on your broiler, so keep a good eye on them! And then I added 3 colored bell peppers (yellow, orange, and purple) to the salad along with capers and 1 seeded hot house cucumber, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/2 inch pieces. I think calamata olives would be great, too. Mmm! Anyway, this is a fantastic recipe, you should try it out.

Next time I promise I'll bring my camera to the dinner table! Until then, happy cooking, friends!

my lazy panzanella

2009-09-05T22:46:00.004-04:00

I feel like these tomatoes (and Blake cleaning the kitchen for me) have reawakened my love for food. I've been in the kitchen all day today. I made homemade granola bars and soup and for breakfast we had pancakes and eggs and hashbrowns. Love love love! But my favorite was what I had for dinner. We were over at our daughter's friend's 1st birthday party until just about dinner time, so we rushed home, full of cake and ice cream, and I had to think of something quick. So I made a lazy panzanella. And I am so in love! Ahhhh, I wish I could eat tomatoes like this year round.

Ok, I know I sound like a broken record here, but if you think you don't like raw onions, you don't know what you're missing. You need to soak them. Slice them super thin, and soak them in water for a good 30 minutes, changing the water once or twice. This salad is not as good without that juicy crunch of the onions, but they'll be overpowering and not as enjoyable if you don't soak them. So please, my friends, SOAK!

And basically, I just used my tomato and onion recipe that I posted yesterday, and added about a cup of cubed day-old bread. Toasted cubed bread would be better, of course, but I wanted something super duper quick. And it was divine. You might think I'm crazy for adding stale bread to my salad, but you have to try it. It's a beautiful thing those genius Italians came up with. Genius.

quick lunch

2009-09-05T22:33:00.008-04:00

This is one of my new favorite soups. I got the idea watching Everyday Food last weekend, and loved the recipe when I followed it exactly, but I decided it needed a little more heft, so I added a few of my favorite things and used cannellini beans instead of chickpeas. I liked the texture a little better for soup. And last night, I poached a chicken and made homemade chicken broth, so it was perfect timing to have this for lunch today. Making your own broth is so easy, and it will last pretty much indefinitely in your freezer, so it's really worth it. But of course, if you don't have homemade broth or stock, use the packaged stuff. My favorite brand is Pacific. And use the low-sodium stuff. If you love soup, you're going to love this one. It's super simple and fast, and tastes like you've been cooking all day.

Hearty Cannelini Bean and Pasta Soup

Serves 4~6

1 can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed (or you could use chickpeas if you like)

1 C elbow macaroni or other small shaped pasta

1 C cooked shredded or chopped chicken, white or dark meat

3 small or 1 large yukon gold potato, peeled and diced small

4 C chicken broth or stock

2 C water

salt and pepper to taste

To serve:

finely grated parmesan cheese (I used Pecorino Romano in the picture)

chopped fresh parsley

In a large pot, bring the chicken broth and water to a boil. Add the potatoes and cook for 2~3 minutes, until slightly cooked through. Add the pasta and cook for another 5 minutes, until slightly firm.
Add the chicken and beans and let simmer for another minute until heated through. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Serve with cheese and parsley.

This recipe freezes really well, but because the pasta will just keep absorbing the liquid it doesn't refrigerate really well. So if you have leftovers, place individual portions in freezer-safe containers and place in the freezer.

i. love. tomatoes.

2009-09-04T18:37:00.003-04:00

I planted tomatoes this Summer in the hopes of eating a TON of tomatoes from June to September. Ahhhh, the dreams of fresh tomato pasta, caprese salad, tomato sandwiches, fresh salsa, and onion and tomato salad. Alas, my little seeds grew to be super tall, but never grew a single fruit! Can you believe that? It's really sad. Well, I've been hesitant to buy any tomatoes because I kept hoping my plant would bear fruit, but it still hasn't, so I finally decided I need some this week. We were at Meijer, my favorite grocery store around here, and I was so excited to find they had a clearance tomato section! And it was crazy. A pint of grape tomatoes for $.75, and they weren't wrinkly! And then they had these "kumato" tomatoes (never heard of them before), which are a deep, rich red--almost a purple-y brown. Gorgeous. And they were $1! So I bought some and as soon as I got home, I made the salad I've been dreaming of all these months. And on Monday, I'm taking panzanella to our church Labor Day celebration. Can not wait!

Onion and Tomato Salad
serves ... 1?
3~4 small tomatoes or 1~2 large tomatoes, cut into wedges
1/4 red onion, super thinly sliced and soaked in water for 30 minutes or rinsed well for about 5
1 T flat leaf parsley, chopped fine*
2 T red wine vinegar
2 t extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

*feel free to use other fresh herbs, like of course, BASIL! I just picked my basil plant clean the other day, so I used parsley, and it was beautiful.

Toss all ingredients in a bowl and enjoy!

quick and fancy comfort food

2009-09-02T12:49:00.008-04:00

Last night we had this mushroom ravioli for dinner. I've never made it before, I got the idea from Martha Stewart but had to change a few things. I couldn't find tortellini at Target, so I bought ravioli, and I made the sauce with white wine and milk instead of water. Much improved, I think. And white buttons are so much cheaper than shiitake mushrooms, so I used them instead. Though if you have fresh shiitake at your market, and they don't cost 5 times as much, you really should try them. They are amazing. So you really should try this. It took me probably a total of 25 minutes to make, maybe less. And it was such a nice meal! And Ella LOVED the ravioli, and surprisingly even the mushrooms. I love meals like that.

Ravioli with White Wine Mushroom Sauce
serves 4
1 (26 oz) bag of frozen cheese ravioli
1 lb white button mushrooms
4 cloves garlic, sliced thin
1/4 C white wine
1/4 C whole milk
2~3 T flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
freshly grated parmesan cheese
1 T cold butter
2 t olive oil

Cook pasta according to package directions, or until pasta floats to the top of the water, should take less than 5 minutes. Drain.
In a deep skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Cook mushrooms and garlic, season with salt and pepper, and cook until mushrooms release all their juices and start to brown. Add white wine and cook until completely evaporated. Add milk and butter and cook until slightly thickened.
Put the cooked pasta back into the pot it was cooked in and add the mushroom mixture. Toss all together with the parsley and cheese until evenly distributed. Serve warm.

vegetarian

2009-08-24T11:59:00.005-04:00

... not vegan.

I was never huge into beef alternative-type burgers. I like beef. I really do. (Sorry if this grosses you out, Lori) I love greasy, plain, smokey, slightly burnt good ol' fashioned burgers. Usually with those church barbeque type burgers, it's all about what you put on the burger, not the burger itself. In Japan they make these beautiful "hamburgers" (if you can even call them that), and eat it like steak. It's a fancy dinner on a fancy plate kind of meal. And I love it like that. I love a huge range of ground beef mixed with a few things, formed into a flat, round (or oval) patty, to be happily devoured.

But then in high school I discovered the gardenburger, and surprisingly loved it! And I didn't know what to do with myself. So once in a while I buy them, and once in a while I crave them, and that's about it. I leave the making of them to those who do it for money.

... But THEN, I came across this recipe in my Everyday Food Great Food Fast cookbook, and have been secretly drooling over it since. And I finally told Blake I want to make it for dinner. He was a little skeptical, but agreed, and we were both stunned at the delicious beauty of the burger. You MUST try it. Vegetarian, meat-over alike, you are going to love this burger.

Lentil Walnut Burgers with Parsnip and Yukon Gold Oven Fries
Serves 4
Lentil Walnut Burgers:
3/4 C lentils, picked over and rinsed
3/4 C walnuts
1/3 C plain dried breadcrumbs (I didn't have any, so I just processed about 1 slice of toasted whole grain bread and it was awesome!)
3 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
2 t ground cumin
2 t ground coriander
1/4 to 1/2 t crushed red pepper flakes
coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
4 T olive oil
1 L egg

for serving:
thinly sliced tomato
thinly sliced cucumber
red onion relish (just some super thinly sliced red onion, soaked for 30 minutes, and tossed with red wine vinegar)
yogurt-cilantro sauce*
cilantro leaves

* yogurt-cilantro sauce:
3/4 C plain low-fat or fat free yogurt
2 T chopped fresh cilantro
1 T fresh lemon juice
salt to taste

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Place the lentils in a small saucepan, and cover with water by 1 inch. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer. Cover, and cook until the lentils are tender but still holding their shape, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain well and cool.
Meanwhile, spread the walnuts on a baking sheet, and toast in the oven until fragrant and darkened, about 10 minutes. Let cool.
In a food processor, combine the walnuts, breadcrumbs, garlic, cumin, coriander, red pepper flakes, 1-1/2 teasspoons salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; process until finely ground. Add the lentils and 1 T olive oil, pulse until coarsely chopped (some lentils will remain whole).
In a large bowl, whisk the egg. Add the lentil mixture; mix well. Divide into 4 equal-sized parts; roll into balls, and flatten with the palm of your hand into 3/4 inch thick patties.
Heat the remaining 3 T oil in a large non-stick skillet. Add the burgers; cook over medium-low heat until crisp and browned, turning gently with a thin-edged spatula, 8 to minutes per side. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain.

Parsnip & Yukon Gold Oven Fries:
2~3 medium parsnips, peeled and cut into thin strips
3~4 yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into thin strips
4 T olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 400° F.
Toss the parsnips, potatoes, oil, salt and pepper together until coated well. Place the vegetables on a rimmed baking sheet in a single layer. Place in the oven and bake until outside is golden and cooked through, about 25~30 minutes. Serve warm.

quick take-out at home

2009-08-05T20:38:00.003-04:00

I didn't have much time to make dinner before our youth activity tonight, and since we are leaving for Utah in a couple of days, I had to try to use up some ingredients. So, the only thing I could think of doing was pan-fried noodles. I know, it's weird. I can't seem to enjoy cooking pasta, a usual staple in our home, but I LOVE Panda Express-type food. Anyway, this was a really quick and easy (with simple ingredients) take-out at home dish. Try it out sometime! Hopefully you can find fresh Chinese egg-noodles, but if you can't, I think angel hair pasta should be ok.

Quick Pan-Friend Noodles
serves 4
1/2 lb fresh Chinese noodles
2 carrots, cut into matchsticks
2~3 celery stalks, cut into 1/2 inch pieces at a diagonal
2 chicken breasts, cut into strips
2 leeks (or 4 scallions), cut into 1/4 inch slices on a diagonal, and carefully washed
3 garlic cloves, crushed
soy sauce
2 T sake, optional
1 T mirin, optional
salt and pepper to taste
canola oil
sesame oil, optional

Season the chicken with salt and pepper. In a large wok, heat about 1 T oil over high heat. Add the garlic cloves and quickly stir-fry until browned and crispy. Remove the garlic from the wok. Add half of the chicken, and let the brown on both sides and remove. Add a little more oil and repeat with remaining chicken.
Set chicken aside on a plate. Add another tablespoon of oil and cook carrots and celery. Season with a little salt and pepper. Add sake and mirin, if using, and cook until both evaporate. Add leeks and stir-fry for about 1 minute, and set aside on a plate.
Meanwhile, place noodles in a large bowl and pour boiling water over the noodles and drain after 1~2 minutes, when they are barely tender but still slightly firm. Add one more T of oil to the hot wok, and place the noodles flat in the wok to get slightly crispy. Holding the handle firmly, flip the noodle right over and let it get a little crispy on the second side. Add the chicken and vegetables back in the wok and, using cooking chopsticks if possible, break up the noodles and toss all ingredients. Add a little soy sauce to taste. Drizzle a little sesame oil on top, if using, and serve!

kitchen help

2009-08-04T15:12:00.002-04:00

Just had to share some cute pictures my Blake took of our little girl "helping out" in the kitchen. Here she's helping out by feeding Kumo ... something.
Metal mixing bowls and plastic hitting things are my new best friends!

Weekend Brunch

2009-08-04T14:45:00.003-04:00

Another food I sometimes crave right now is pancakes, but I don't love what they do to my love handles. And Blake makes some fantastic pancakes from Everyday Food magazine (pretty much every weekend), but this week we decided to try out their whole grain substitution. It was a total hit! And since I recently went blueberry picking, I made a really tasty simple blueberry syrup. We ate a few more than we probably should have, but I felt a lot less guilty this time!

Pancakes and Homemade Blueberry Syrup
Serves 4
First of all, here's Blake's usual basic pancake recipe. It comes from Everyday Food magazine, with a couple of our own alterations to make them the perfect Japanese-style hotcakes.

1 C all-purpose flour
2 T sugar
2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1 C milk
1 t pure vanilla extract
2 T butter, melted (or vegetable oil)
1 L egg
1 T vegetable oil

Preheat the oven to 200°; have a heatproof platter ready to keep cooked pancakes warm in the oven. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, butter (or oil), egg, and vanilla extract. Add dry ingredients to milk mixture; whisk until just moistened (do not over-mix; a few small lumps are fine).
Heat a large skillet (nonstick or cast-iron) or griddle over medium. Fold a sheet of paper towel in half, and moisten with oil; carefully rub skillet with oiled paper towel. (I really like this method because you're not deep frying your pancakes, so it's way better for you, but still tastes amazing!)
For each pancake, spoon 2~3 T of batter onto the skillet, using the back of the spoon to spread batter into a round (you should be able to fit 4 on a square griddle).
Cook until surface of pancakes have some bubbles and a few have burst, 1~2 minutes. Flip carefully with a thin spatula, and cook until lightly browned on the other side, 1~2 minutes more. Transfer to the platter, cover loosely with foil, and keep warm in the oven. Continue with more oil and remaining batter. (You should have 12~15 pancakes.) Serves warm, with desired toppings.

Now here's the recipe for whole grain yogurt pancakes:

1/2 C whole-wheat flour
1/4 C corn meal
1/4 C wheat germ
2 T sugar
2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1/2 C milk
1/2 C plain low fat or fat free yogurt
1 t pure vanilla extract
2 T canola oil (or melted butter, of course, but we're going for healthy here, and it's really good with the oil)
1 L egg
1 T vegetable oil

Preheat the oven to 200°; have a heatproof platter ready to keep cooked pancakes warm in the oven. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, wheatgerm, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, yogurt, oil, egg, and vanilla extract. Add dry ingredients to milk mixture; whisk until just moistened (do not over-mix; a few small lumps are fine).
Heat a large skillet (nonstick or cast-iron) or griddle over medium. Fold a sheet of paper towel in half, and moisten with oil; carefully rub skillet with oiled paper towel. (I really like this method because you're not deep frying your pancakes, so it's way better for you, but still tastes amazing!)
For each pancake, spoon 2~3 T of batter onto the skillet, using the back of the spoon to spread batter into a round (you should be able to fit 4 on a square griddle).
Cook until surface of pancakes have some bubbles and a few have burst, 1~2 minutes. Flip carefully with a thin spatula, and cook until lightly browned on the other side, 1~2 minutes more. Transfer to the platter, cover loosely with foil, and keep warm in the oven. Continue with more oil and remaining batter. (You should have 12~15 pancakes.) Serves warm, with desired toppings.

Homemade blueberry syrup
*I think that blueberries tend to taste a little bland and musty when they're cooked, so I added the lemon to brighten the flavor. It's really good! And not too sugary sweet. If you like things sweeter, add more sugar or even better, dust the pancakes with a teeny bit of powdered sugar right before serving.

1/2 C~ 1 C fresh or frozen blueberries
juice of 1/2 lemon or lime
2 T honey
1~2 T sugar

Combine all the ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until the blueberries all burst and soften and the sugar starts to thicken. Take it off the heat, and let cool slightly. It will get slightly thicker as it cools. Serve over pancakes.

*try this with other berries as well. But if you're using strawberries, I recommend cutting them into small pieces and combining them with some other berries. Strawberries don't have much flavor once they're cooked.

cravings

2009-08-04T14:10:00.002-04:00

To my few foodie fans out there, I owe you an apology. I haven't been too much in the mood to cook lately, so my blog has been sadly neglected. But I have a really good reason, I promise. We are actually expecting our second baby! I'm really excited about it, but with pregnancy comes a constant serious upset stomach ... so, I've been really avoiding the kitchen. Most things that I usually love sound really unappetizing at the moment. It's miserable! But, there are a few things that I still love, so I'm hanging on to those. I love salad. And when it comes to dressing, the vinegar-ey-er the better. The other day, I made this dressing and fell in love. You might want to change the vinegar-oil ratio, though. My pregnant taste buds seem to like things VERY tart.

Grapefruit and Red Wine Vinaigrette
juice of 1/4 grapefruit
1/2 t grainy dijon mustard
3 T red wine vinegar
2 T olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Combine the grapefruit juice, mustard and vinegar in a small bowl. While whisking quickly, add the oil in a steady stream. Add salt and pepper to taste. Toss with some simple salad greens and enjoy!

so much better homemade

2009-07-12T21:03:00.005-04:00

Have you ever had a homemade bagel? Or one from a really good quality baked-right-there bakery? It's so not the same as those dense, dried out (but somehow still amazingly delicious) store-bought ones. They're rich and chewy and need no toasting (but still love a little time under the heat) to taste incredible. Well, I was grocery shopping with my dear friend Lori the other day, and she was talking about how much she loves bagels and cream cheese. I was tempted to buy some right then and there when she was talking about them, but I didn't and totally regretted it when I got home. But then I remembered my mom making homemade bagels when I was a kid and knew the store-bought ones just wouldn't do. So I went on a search of bagel recipes and discovered that I could make the dough in bread machine, and that cuts out half the work! Genius. So I went to work, and when they were done, I ate ... 4. And one more when Blake got home. Oops! But seriously, you MUST try them! So easy to make, especially if you have a bread machine, and SO WORTH IT!

Home made plain bagels
makes 6
3/4 C warm water (about 110°)
2 C and 2 T bread flour
1/2 T salt
1.5 T sugar
1 T active dry yeast

large pot full of water, for boiling
1 T sugar

In the bowl of a bread machine, put in dough ingredients in the order written, making a well for the yeast (making sure the yeast doesn't touch any water). Set to dough setting and let the machine do it's work!
Once the dough is done, pull it out and on a lightly floured surface, cut into 6 equal pieces. Form each one into a ball, and them shape into a bagel shape. I figured out that the easiest way to do this, actually, is to poke a hole with a chopstick and then twirl it on the chopstick until it stretches out a bit. But do it how you want:)
Set all 6 formed bagels aside, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise for 20 minutes.
When the 20 minutes is almost up, bring the pot of water to a boil, and add sugar until it dissolves. Turn the heat down to a simmer. Add bagels, upside down, and simmer for 3 minutes. Flip over and cook for another 3 minutes. Place on a cooling rack over a towel to let drain. Repeat with the remaining 3.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375°F (240°C). Line up the bagels on a parchment lined baking sheet, and bake for 25~30 minutes, rotating halfway, or until golden brown on top. Let cool slightly before serving. Or let cool completely and store in a zipper-lock bag for a only a few days.

*To make asiago or parmesan ones, when you pull out the bagels to rotate them (after about 15 minutes of baking), sprinkle a generous amount of grated cheese on top, place back in the oven and continue baking. Those are super good, too!

a new cookie

2009-07-09T11:38:00.002-04:00

The other day I was looking through etsy and I found this one seller selling cookies with dried blueberries in them. That got me thinking ... and I had to try combining the glorious flavors of blueberry, cinnamon, and lemon together in a cookie! And they turned out great. I thought an oatmeal cookie base would work well with that flavor combination. I think it's a great Summer alternative to the oatmeal chocolate chip, though I do think I like the chocolate better:)

Summer Blueberry Oatmeal Cookies
makes about 2 dozen
2 C flour
3/4 C butter
2/3 C oats
1/4 C whole wheat flour
1 t cinnamon
1 t salt
1 t baking soda
1/2 C light brown sugar
1/2 C granulated sugar
1 T egg
1 T vanilla extract
1 C dried blueberries
2 T milk/cream
zest and juice of 1 lemon

Preheat the oven 375°F. In a large bowl, whisk flour, oats, cinnamon, and baking soda.
In a separate bowl, cream the butter, sugar, and vanilla. Add egg and mix until fluffy. Add lemon zest & juice.
Slowly add flour mixture. Add milk if too stiff.
With a wooden spoon, stir in the bluebrries.
Drop tablespoon sized balls of dough on a parchment lined baking sheet, and bake for 8~10 minutes.

my happy lunch

2009-06-26T07:52:00.002-04:00

I bought some really good avocados so I had to make a sandwich. And I love veggies sandwiches, as long as there is a bunch of fresh produce to use. My sandwich had hummus, Japanese mayo, whole grain mustard, tomatoes, avocados, and cucumber on multi-grain bread.
Mmmm. It was good.

birthday

2009-06-18T20:48:00.003-04:00

For my sweet baby girl's birthday, we had a picnic at a park for lunch. She got a simple ham & cheese sandwich from Target and some whole milk chocolate milk. But Blake and I had some fancier sandwiches. I had a turkey and brie with whole grain mustard on a baguette and Blake got their Italian on ciabatta. It had hard salami and ham and pesto and all sorts of good stuff, a lot like a mufuletta. If you have a super target close by, you have to try these sandwiches. If not, try making them yourselves. I think turkey and brie is my new favorite sandwich combination.
For her birthday, my girl got a new kids' book called "Bee-bim bop" so I thought it would only be fitting to make it for dinner. For her I chopped up the beef really fine so she wouldn't choke. She loved it!And for dessert I made cupcakes. I thought after her birthday party last Saturday I should take it easy on the sugar intake. I was so tempted to have more than one. But don't you worry, I was a good girl and held back.

happy birthday to me!

2009-06-09T11:09:00.003-04:00

When Blake got home from work he headed to the kitchen and made me some pad thai like last year (but this time with wide noodles. Yum!) and my FAVORITE panna cotta topped with blueberries and pink grapefruit, a super unique and tasty combination, for dessert. I'm so spoiled! Thanks, sweetie. I love you!

sunday dinner {insert contented sigh}

2009-06-07T19:07:00.007-04:00

For Sunday dinner this week, I decided to make my sister's pot roast. Delish, fall-apart roast beef that you just can't beat. Ahhh, thanks, Lis, for teaching me how to cook a good roast.

Slow-cooker pot roast
1 2.5~3.5lb roast
3 medium sized carrots, peeled (or scrubbed really well) and cut diagonally into 1 inch pieces
2~3 medium sized potatoes (I prefer the waxy yukon gold potatoes, but I used russet today and it was ok. Just doesn't cook as well), peeled and cut into 1.5~2 inch chunks
1 large onion, peeled and cut in half and then into quarters
3 cloves garlic, peeled and ends trimmed
1 can diced tomatoes
salt and pepper to taste
oil (such as canola or olive) to coat the pan for searing the meat

Pat the roast dry of any excess moisture on the surface with a paper towel. (Otherwise it won't brown) Season it generously on all sides with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until slightly smoking. Add the roast and sear the meat on all sides.
Toss all the ingredients in the bowl of a slow-cooker, set to low and let cook for 6~8 hours. The longer the more tender your meat will be. The meat should just fall apart so don't bother slicing when you serve it.

I was planning on making my aunt Carolyn's famous dinner rolls, but alas, I was too lazy. But we needed bread with our roast, so I remembered a fancy and easy looking bread recipe by Pastor Ryan on The Pioneer Woman's blog, and thought I'd give it a try. I've noticed that it's kinda trendy to bake bread in an enameled cast iron pot, so it was time I joined the cool foodie club, right? Anyway, I gotta tell you, this was the easiest bread I've ever made. And super fast and very low-maintenance. And SO DELICIOUS! Honestly, I thought it would turn out more like Irish Soda bread, but it was chewy and dense and aromatic and PERFECT! The crust was super crusty, but really yummy. Not distractingly crusty at all. Honestly, if you have a cast iron pot, you have to try this. And if you don't, go buy one. You deserve to have one of the most important kitchen items anyway.

have you ever tried this?

2009-06-05T20:07:00.004-04:00

I don't drink much carbonation. In fact, I don't really like it. Except for my occasional San Pellegrino and good ol' ginger ale with lemon on the air plane. Well, and root beer floats, but does that even count as carbonation? It's so creamed up that it doesn't even really sparkle anymore. Anyway, we had pizza again tonight, and since it's Friday we decided to have a movie night. And movie night/pizza night means I'm allowed my cheat food for the week. Which means the chocolate, ice cream, soda, pizza, it all comes out to play. And as we were at Target doing some grocery shopping, we walked by soda isle and decided we want root beer floats. But then I saw that my favorite Canada Dry ginger ale was on sale, so I thought I'd better get it, using the excuse that soda bottles are the best for water food storage. (yup, it's true! So go out and buy your soda bottles and when you're done, fill 'em with water and you've done something good for your family!) But then as we approached the ice cream isle, I saw the beautiful Haagen Daz zesty lemon sorbet and a thought popped into my head. Ginger ale lemon sorbet float! And it was goooooooooooood.
But I don't recommend making it with any cheap lemon sherbet or anything like that. I liked the real lemon flavor of the Haagen Daz. It wouldn't work too well with a treat that has "lemon flavor" written on the side. Just my little input. Now go out and try it for yourself!

pizza

2009-06-01T09:34:00.004-04:00

My basil finally grew big enough,
so I picked a few leaves,
bought some fresh mozzarella,
made some pizza dough,
And made my favorite pizza! Mmmmmmmm.
Margherita Pizza
1 ball of pizza dough
fresh tomatoes, sliced and seeds removed
fresh mozzarella, sliced
fresh basil leaves, torn
finely grated parmiggiano reggiano cheese (optional)
homemade pizza sauce

Cut the dough into 2 equal pieces, and roll out flat. Top with a thin layer of sauce, and top with fresh tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, and parmiggiano reggiano cheese, if using.
Bake in a 450° over for 12 minutes.

for the chef

2009-06-01T09:29:00.002-04:00

I'm often told that a happy cook makes better food. So they always cook with a glass of wine. But since I don't drink, I had to come up with a different option. I was so excited last week when I found a bunch of San Pellegrino bottles on clearance at Target! So I decided to treat myself to a little fancy San Pellegrino water while I made dinner. And it's true, a fancy drink makes you happier, and a happy cook makes better food. Try it!

summer salad

2009-05-23T12:36:00.005-04:00

I made some potstickers/gyoza for my friends recently, and I called my sister to see what I should serve with it. And she suggested making a simple cucumber salad with shredded poached chicken, and I thought that was genius. So I did just that, and it was a hit! So for my dear friends who were at dinner that night, here's a really vague recipe. Adjust things to your liking.

Asian Cucumber & Chicken Summer Salad
Serves 4~6
1~2 English or 3~4 Japanese cucumbers, sliced VERY thin (if you can't find English or Japanese cucumbers, use American cucumbers, but scoop out the seeds and peel the skin before slicing)
1 vidalia onion, sliced VERY thin (you can use any other onion, but remember to soak or rinse a little longer if you choose not to use a vidalia)
1~2 chicken breasts, poached, shredded and cooled
1/2 head of nappa cabbage, savoy cabbage, or even lettuce would work great (optional) (I used arugula in this photo and it was tasty, so really, almost any green would work well, I think), sliced fairly thin
1 carrot, grated (optional)
1/2 block of silken tofu, cut into 1 inch cubes (optional)
2 T toasted white sesame seeds
2 T sesame oil
2~4 T rice vinegar
juice of 1/2 lemon (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 T soy sauce

In a small bowl, place the thinly sliced onion, and cover with water. Let soak for a good 15 minutes or so. If you don't have that kind of time, place in a colander and rinse under cool water for a couple of minutes. This takes down a lot of that harsh onion-ey flavor.
Place all ingredients in a large bowl, and toss to combine. Adjust flavors to your liking.

fresh ideas

2009-05-21T09:45:00.004-04:00

The other night, I made this new spectacular invention. Super easy and light and tasty. You'll love it, I promise.

Tilapia with arugula pasta
Serves 4
4 tilapia fillets, seasoned with salt and pepper on one side
2 T olive oil
1 can petite diced tomatoes
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4~1/2 t crushed red pepper flakes
finely grated pecorino romano cheese
3 C baby arugula
1 lb linguine or spaghetti
2 T extra virgin olive oil
juice of 1/2 lemon
salt and pepper to taste

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Season the water with salt and cook the pasta to al dente, about 8 minutes. Reserve some pasta water.
Meanwhile, in a deep skillet with a lid, heat olive oil over medium heat and cook crushed red pepper flakes and garlic until garlic is straw colored and slightly sticky. Add diced tomatoes and simmer until slightly reduced, about 10 minutes. Place tilapia fillets--seasoned side up--in the pan and poach until barely cooked through, about 5 minutes.
In a large bowl, toss the pasta with extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper, pecorino romano cheese, lemon juice, and baby arugula. Add a little pasta cooking liquid if it's a little sticky.
Serve pasta with a tilapia fillet on the side. Spoon over a little tomato sauce and serve with some more cheese.

new plant

2009-05-21T09:43:00.000-04:00

My tomato plant is sprouting! Ah! I'm so excited!

my lunch

2009-05-14T12:01:00.002-04:00

Whenever I can find good Japanese eggplant, I always buy enough for 2 great dishes. One, I just either slice them and pan fry them or roast them in the oven and then top them with freshly grated ginger root and soy sauce. Super good side dish for any Japanese meal. And the second dish is this perfect pasta. Now, for those of you who don't know the glory of the eggplant (particularly the Japanese eggplant), you need to try this. Go to your local Asian market and they'll probably have some. But if you can't find Japanese eggplant, the good ol' fat American ones will do just fine. Just peel them first or you won't be so happy. And just remember that the Japanese eggplant isn't slimey at all. It's glorious!

Eggplant and pork pasta
serves 5~6
1 lb pasta (I used multi-grain penne here, but I usually make it with spaghetti. Both are great)
1/2 lb ground pork (I like the flavor of the pork, but by all means use other ground meats. I just think pork works the best)
2~3 Japanese eggplant (or 1 American eggplant)
1 (14.5 oz) can whole tomatoes. Smash the tomatoes in a small bowl and set aside.
1 (14.5 oz) can petite diced tomatoes
1 small onion, minced
2~4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 t crushed red pepper flakes
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
freshly grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Season with salt, and cook pasta to al dente (about 7 minutes if cooking spaghetti and about 9 minutes if cooking penne).
In a deep skillet, pour in about 1~2 T olive oil over medium/medium-high heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add the garlic and onion, and cook, stirring often, until onions are soft and translucent.
Slice the eggplant and season with salt and pepper. In another large skillet, pour in about 2 T olive oil over medium-high heat. Place teh eggplant on the skillet and let cook until golden on the bottom side. Flip them over and cook until completely softened and golden on the other side. *make sure they cook completely or they'll be really spongey. When eggplant is cooked right, it's really smooth and buttery.
Once the onion mixture is cooked through, add the ground pork and season generously with salt and pepper. Once the pork is cooked through, add the canned tomatoes, and season again with salt and pepper. Let the tomatoes simmer, stirring once in a while to prevent burning, until the sauce has thickened.
Toss the pasta and eggplant with the sauce. Sprikle with cheese to serve.

Tomato and onion salad
serves ... 1? (hey, don't judge. I needed a really good filler ;))
1 small vidalia onion, super thinly sliced (I used my madolin slicer)
2~3 tomatoes sliced
1 T olive oil
1 t red wine vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
fresh parsley, cilantro, basil, or any bright hebs would be great, also. But I didn't use any today.

Put the sliced onion in a bowl and completey cover with water. Let stand at least 15 minutes, preferably 30. Drain and rinse under cold water. (this takes out the really strong onion-ey flavor, but leaves a really nice crunch!)
Toss the onions, tomatoes, salt, pepper, vinegar, and olie oil in a bowl and enjoy!

mother's day feast

2009-05-12T08:58:00.007-04:00

For Mother's Day, my sweet husband got up early and made me a beautiful breakfast in bed. I thought Just in case any of you wanted to learn how to make some of these things, I would show you so you can treat someone to breakfast in bed, too!

Eggs en Cocotte
makes 4
4 eggs
2 t minced fresh parsley
salt and pepper to taste
1 t freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese (optional)

4 small ramekins
1 9x13 inch baking pan

Preheat the oven to 350°. Fill a kettle or small pot with about 2~3 C water and bring to a boil.
Meanwhile, crack one egg in each ramekin. Sprinkle each with a little salt and pepper, and divide the parsley and cheese (if using) evenly between each egg.
Place the filled ramekins into the 9x13 inch baking pan, leaving plenty of space in between each ramekin and the sides of the baking pan. Once the water has come to a boil and the oven is preheated, place the pan in the oven, and pour the boiling water into the pan, about 1/2 up the sides of the ramekins.
Bake for 15~18 minutes, depending on how you like your eggs. Remember, the eggs keep cooking once you take them out of the oven, so don't leave them in any longer, even if they look a little underdone after 18 minutes.

Greek Yogurt
Either you could buy one of these, for $5Or make it yourself with one of these for $2You'll need a fine mesh strainer, a deep bowl, and coffee filters. Place three coffee filters in the fine mesh strainer, suspended over the bowl like this:Then pour in your yogurt.Let that sit in the fridge for a few hours, and you'll be amazed at how thick and creamy it is! And it's FAT FREE! (IF you use fat free yogurt, of course) Of course, discard the water that collects in the bottom of the bowl, then you can transfer your new Greek yogurt into a container and keep it in the fridge.

Serve it with fresh fruit and honey, and you'll be so glad you did!

My recipe for Shrimp Scampi can be found here.

Garlic bread
4 T butter, softened
3~5 cloves garlic (to your liking), minced
fresh parsley, minced (optional)
1 loaf of good quality chewy dense bread such as Ciabatta

Preheat the oven to 300°. Slice the bread to a desired thickness.
In a small bowl, mix together the garlic and butter. Butter each slice on both sides with a little of the garlic butter. Sprinkle with parsley, if using. Cover the loaf generously with foil, and place in the oven until completely warmed through. Serve warm.

i love spring

2009-05-03T10:55:00.004-04:00

Remember this little guy?
Well, as of today, he is THIS BIG! And smells amazing! I need to transfer it to a bigger pot and I can't wait until I can use it in a nice big caprese salad!
Don't you just love how things just grow? It's really a miracle. And an even better miracle when you can eat it!

new treat

2009-04-22T20:59:00.002-04:00

My amazing sister, Lisa, just sent me another cute children's heathly eating cookbook (just because she's nice and super thoughtful) that I love to read. And I've been thinking a lot lately about how I can improve the sugary cereal for breakfast situation that Blake is in without having to get up at 5 am with him. And this was the perfect solution. (Except there's kind of a lot of butter in this recipe, so I think I'll try to reduce it a little next time) So thanks, Lisa! Your book will not only help Ella in a couple of months, but it's helping Blake out now! And you should try this recipe out, too.

Cereal Fruit Cupcakes
makes 12
7 T butter
1/3 C honey
1-3/4 C rolled oats
1-3/4 C unsweetened crispy rice cereal
1 T white sesame seeds
1 C mixed dried fruit (I used dried cranberries and apples), chopped
1/3 C toasted cashews (or any other type of nut you want)

Melt the butter and honey in a small pan over low heat.
Mix the rolled oats, crispy rice, sesame seeds, dried fruit, and chopped nuts together in a bowl. Add the melted butter and honey, and stir to combine.
Sponn into a muffin pan lined with peper liners and press down well. Place in the fridge for at least 6 hours.

our easter feast

2009-04-12T21:08:00.002-04:00

For Easter dinner I made a Garlic Lemon and Rosemary Roasted Chicken with roasted veggies and caramelized green beans on the side. I think I ate too much ... or this food was super rich compared to what we've been eating lately because I feel a little heavy, but it was sure worth it! And it was so easy. Roasted chicken is such an inexpensive and easy way to make something fancy.

Garlic Lemon Rosemary Roasted Chicken with Root Vegetables.

1 whole chicken
2 whole lemons, cut into quarters
2 heads of garlic, cut in half height-wise
4 T butter, room temperature
zest of 1 lemon
3 cloves o garlic, minced very fine
1/2 t dried or 2 T fresh rosemary, chopped fine
salt and pepper to taste

3 carrots, scrubbed and cut into 1 inch pieces at an angle
3 Russet potatoes, cut into 1 inch chunks
1 large onion, cut into eighths
6 cloves garlic
1 T olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 425°. Toss the potatoes, carrots, onions, salt and pepper, and olive oil together in a 9x13 metal baking pan. push them all to the sides to make room for the chicken. Place all of the garlic cloves in the middle to go under the chicken.
Pat the chicken dry and place on a cutting board. (I line mine with paper towels to avoid any excess liquid from dripping anywhere) Season the cavity of the chicken with about 1 t salt and 1/4 t pepper. Place the lemon quarters and garlic heads into the cavity. Using some kitchen twine, tie the legs together. Tuck the wings under as well.
In a small bowl, combine the butter, lemon zest, minced garlic, and rosemary. Rub all over the top of the bird. Place the chicken in the roasting pan with the vegetables, on top of the garlic cloves. Place in a 425° oven and cook for about 1 hour, until an instant read thermometer inserted at the thickest part of the thigh (avoiding the bone) reads 160°.
Once the chicken is fully cooked, place it on a platter and cover with some foil. Mash up the garlic that was underneath. Toss the mashed garlic with the rest of the vegetables and place back in the oven for another 5~10 minutes.

Garlicky Green Beans
1~2 lbs green beans
3~4 coves garlic, smashed and peeled
1 T olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

In a deep skillet, heat oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add green beans, garlic, salt and pepper. Cover and let cook for 10~15 minutes, shaking often, until some beans are caramelized and browned. The beans should still have a slight bite to them, but shouldn't be tender-crisp (this is the one vegetable I like pretty soft).