Better With Garlic

Ginger Liqueur

2012-01-30T17:26:00.000-08:00

Photo via Kirst

Ginger is one of the greatest things you can put in a drink. I know I’ve mentioned my love of whiskey gingers before (and it’s kind of part of how Kirst and I became such good friends). I saw this recipe before the holidays and thought there’s a great idea for presents. And, as a bonus, I made twice as much as the recipe called for an ended up with a whole jar to myself. It was quickly added to many hot toddies. I was waiting to post this until all the gifts had been given out and I had to wait on the last one which I just recently gave away to Corey and Brian after they finally got settled here in Portland. This is super, super delicious and really easy and makes for a really good gift, no matter the time of year.

Ginger Liqueur from Serious Eats:

Makes about 2 cups

2 oz. ginger root

1 vanilla bean

1 c. sugar

1½ c. water

1 orange

1½ c. brandy

Peel the ginger and cut it into thin slices. Split the vanilla bean in half lengthwise. Bring the ginger, vanilla, sugar, and water to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until ginger is soft—about 20 minutes. Let the syrup cool. Do not strain yet.

Zest the orange and place the zest only in a sealable glass container along with the syrup and brandy. Seal and shake, then let this mixture steep for one day. After one day, remove the vanilla bean and let the mixture steep for an additional day.

Strain mixture through a coffee filter into your bottle or jar for storage. This is where it can get a little complicated. You need to remove all of the debris via a mesh strainer and then let it go through the filter to make it a clear liquid. I decided not to and just removed the heavy pieces. I like the vanilla flavor a lot and the little flecks of vanilla bean were not a problem for me. Let it sit for one more day before using to let flavors mellow.

This is fantastic tasting by itself, but it really does add some incredible flavor to your other favorite drinks. Ginger fans all around will love this and even if you’re not super into ginger, I’d recommend it.

I’ll be posting about my other two homemade gifts this week (and that will explain the canning pot in the second photo), though unfortunately I did not take photos of the process for either and ate my parts too quickly for the end results too. BUT! They are both really wonderful and I think you can take my word for it. I may even get testimonials to prove my point.

Stuffed Squash with Quinoa

2012-01-24T14:10:00.000-08:00

I don’t know about your neck of the woods, but Portland has been having some lame weather. Pouring rain, 14 seconds of snow (I miss snow!), and then more rain. This is the kind of dish for those days. It’s hearty and warm and can be easily vegan without the cheese. I love cheese, but if you don’t, go ahead and not use it. That makes more for me!

Stuffed Squash with Quinoa:

Serves 2

One acorn squash (or your favorite type)

1 c. uncooked quinoa

1 bunch chard chopped, stems removed and set aside

4 cloves garlic, minced and divided

1½ c-ish broccoli

Olive oil

Your favorite herbs for seasoning (I used thyme, oregano, and rosemary)

Salt and pepper to taste

Olive oil

Parmesan cheese (optional)

Goat cheese (optional)

Preheat oven to 350. Cut squash in half [edited to add: scoop out any seeds and extra gunk before baking] and place face down on an oiled baking sheet. Bake for about 30 minutes or until the squash is fork tender. Set aside and allow to cool. Leave oven on.

While the squash is baking, prepare quinoa. Add quinoa and 2 cups of water to a medium size pot, bring to a boil, and simmer for about 10-15 minutes. Fluff and mix in 1 clove of garlic, salt, pepper, and some herbs and goat cheese, if using. Set aside.

Add olive oil to a large skillet and toss in chard stems, broccoli, and remaining garlic and cook over medium heat until stems are slightly soft. Add in chard leaves and cook until wilted and reduced. Mix in herbs. Add in quinoa and mix together thoroughly. Set aside.

Once squash has cooled enough to touch, flip over and add in some parmesan cheese, if using. Fill squash halves with the chard-quinoa mixture and top with additional parmesan. Return squash to oven until cheese is melted, 2-3 minutes. There will likely be some of the mixture remaining. Eat that while the squash is back in the oven.

This will fill your belly and make you happy. [Edited to add: scrape up the squash with your filling to get a complete and tasty bite.]

Spicy Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

2012-01-17T14:38:00.000-08:00

Oh man, remember when you were eating lots of pumpkin pie and other pumpkin related things? Did you make delicious and spicy pumpkin seeds? I did. And then totally didn’t blog about it. So here you go friends! Hopefully this will help you out in the future because they were very, very good.

Spicy Roasted Pumpkin Seeds from Serious Eats:

1½ c. pumpkin seeds

2 Tb. olive oil

1 Tb. red pepper flakes

½ tsp. smoked paprika

¼ tsp. cayenne pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Scoop out the inside of your pumpkin, and separate seeds from pulp. Don't worry if there's a little pulp left on the seeds when you roast them—it only adds flavor. Just remove the biggest pieces so that the seeds are easy to toss.

In a bowl, toss the seeds with the oil, coating thoroughly. Add salt and seasonings. Spread seeds in one even layer across a greased baking sheet (or you can use a cookie sheet covered in aluminum foil).

Bake for 30 minutes, or until the seeds are golden brown. Stir the seeds every so often while they're baking, so that they toast evenly. Cool and serve. And see how long they last (hint: not very.)

Spankopita

2012-01-15T14:22:00.000-08:00

Want something maybe a little different to go with your Sunday supper? Try spanakopita. It looks much more difficult than it actually is, tastes wonderful, and looks pretty darn cool. Don’t do Sunday supper? Make this anyway. Don’t have enough feta or spinach? Do what I did a sub in some yummy chard and ricotta. It will all be delicious in the end. Even cold for breakfast.

Spanakopita from The New Moosewood Cookbook:

Makes about 8 servings

2 Tb. olive oil plus a little more for the pan

2 c. minced onion

½ tsp. salt

1 Tb. dried basil

1 tsp. dried oregano

2½ lb. fresh spinach, stemmed and finely chopped

5 medium cloves garlic, minced (or 6 or 7 or 9. Whatever.)

3 Tb. flour

2-3 c. crumbled feta cheese, about 1 lb.

1 c. cottage cheese

Black pepper, to taste

1/3 c. olive oil

1 lb. phyllo pastry, 16 to 20 leaves, thoroughly defrosted

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a 9x13” baking pan.

Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or deep skillet. Add onion, salt, and herbs, and sauté for about 5 minutes, or until the onion softens. Add the spinach, turn up the heat, and cook, stirring, until the spinach wilts, 5 to 8 minutes. Stir in the garlic. Sprinkle in the flour, stir, and cook over medium heat 2 to 3 more minutes. Remove from heat.

Mix in the cheese, then correct the seasonings, adding black pepper to taste along the way.

Place a sheet of phyllo in the prepared pan, letting the pastry edges climb up the side. Brush it all over with olive oil, then add another sheet. Keep going until you have a stack of 10 oiled sheets. Don’t let it creep too high up the edge or it’ll crumble a lot if you try to transport it.

Add the filling, spreading it evenly to the edges. Continue layering and oiling the remaining phyllo on top of the filling. Oil the top layer. Gently with a serrated knife in a sawing motion cut the unbaked spanakopita into squares. Bake uncovered for about 45 minues, or until golden and crispy. Serve hot or warm.

Phyllo gets kind of a bad rap because it can be difficult to work with and dry out quickly. You just have to be faster. This was not that difficult to put together and it was tasty for days afterward. Give it a try.

Things I Love Thursday: Jan. 12, 2012

2012-01-12T18:23:00.000-08:00

Tea Poster via Hairbrained Schemes Etsy Shop

(I've been drinking a lot of tea while Corey and Brian have been staying here. I'm drinking tea right now, actually)

Good thing I didn't make a resolution to post more this year because I am clearly failing at that. And I don't even have school as an excuse anymore! But I've been working and doing stuff and junk. I know I have at least one new reader, though, so here's another TILT and I'll try to get those lingering posts from last year up. No promises though!

Sweet Addendum - 51 Ways to Kill a Twinkie: The always lovely CakeSpy made an addition to her fantastic post and it was even talked about on CNN. The Randy Newman loop one is probably my favorite.

Chicken and Egg - A Memoir of Suburban Homesteading with 125 Recipes: Though I may never have my own chickens, I flipped through this book recently and I'm all for memoirs with recipes. This should be a requirement for everyone writing a memoir - even if it has nothing to do with cooking. Political memoir? Recipes. Do it.

And while we're going on about eggs, apparently Scotch eggs are going to be popular this year. Or trendy. Whatever, either way that cracks me up and makes me think about Keith of The Office (UK version).

Blood Orange, Beet, and Fennel Salad via Bon Appetit

(recipe here)

What is an Orange?: Posted for the rad orange slice photo and the citrus venn diagram.

New Seasons Market Announces Eliot Neighborhood Store: Yes! A thousand times yes! This might not be happening until next year, but this is so close to me! I love the heck outta New Seasons, so nothing about this is bad news.

Cheeses via knightandday

Awful Library Books - Be Bold with Bananas: Yiiikes! Just check out the last shot of this. My goodness. So funny!

Pictures of the Day - Coffee Splash: The photographer claims this is not done through dropping liquid into the cup, but the end result is amazing. I can imagine a lot of coffee splashes and stains were needed to get the end result.

Speaking of coffee, you better be making Folger's or your husband will be a coffee jerk. Please watch both videos as they are hilarious!

Coolest Tom Kha Presentation Ever (via me)

I'm also loving: chocolaty teas, green teas, lemony teas, how much my kettle is on, tea, tea, & more tea (did I mention I've been drinking a lot of tea?); the Mcobb salad at Tin Shed (why has no one told me about this before?!); fabulous family dinners with BriCor; "po-ta-toes!"; horseradish cream; going away/last day brownies; sushi while watching the Blazers almost win; seriously, do you know how much tea I've been drinking?; apple sauce in steel cut oats.

What are you loving this week?

Pel'meni

2012-01-04T16:00:00.000-08:00

It's 2012 y'all! Isn't that amazing? If you are like me, perhaps you indulged a bit on New Years Eve. If you do that and then stay up really late, you'll probably get hungry. And if you're a lucky duck in Juneau, Alaska (or the Fremont neighborhood of Seattle or in Bellingham) you can fill up that need with an order of pel'meni. Unfortunately I don't live in any of those places, so not too long ago, Aaron and I decided it was high time that we made our own. Once you get addicted to that stuff, you just need to have it. And it's the perfect end of the night food. Or whenever, really. Aaron found this recipe (or one very similar. We can't remember.) and we made it ourselves and it was wonderful.

A note of caution, before you start. Remember the photo of my rings I included with this post? That is what I usually do with them when working with doughs so they don't get all messy. This dough was really sticky. Like really, really sticky. I had to yank it out of the stand mixer because it was just not behaving. I took off my rings part way through, rather carelessly, and the entire counter was covered in a ton of flour. See picture above for how messy I and everything else got. Fast forward to the next day and I realize that my rings aren't on. So I check the counter and they are not there. My only thought is that crap, they got swept up into the sink. And we've been using it a lot since then. Aaron takes apart the sink and the garbage disposal. Can't find them. He digs through the garbage and the compost. Still not found. We get really sad. I start to resign myself to the idea that I might have to get a new ring. We go to the store where he bought my engagement ring to see if we can get a replacement (turns it out it's only for the stone, not the whole deal). I am very sad. Later Aaron is rearranging the fridge and he lifts up the carton of eggs and plink, plink, my rings fall off of it. Yeah. They got stuck to the bottom of the egg carton while we were working on the recipe. SO! If you wear rings, PUT THEM SOMEWHERE SAFE!

And now, to the recipe. We also made a potato filling, not included in the recipe, because I love the potato ones. As such, we reduced the meat filling by half. The sauce was from delicious memory.

Pel'Meni modified from Tasterussian.com:

Serves 4 with leftovers

Dough-
210 ml cold water
1 egg
1 tsp. salt
400 gram flour (see note of caution. I used a lot more to unsticky this stuff)

Meat Filling-
¼ lb beef ground
¼ lb pork ground
½ medium onion, chopped
Salt, pepper,and spices to taste

Potato Filling-
1 large potato
Hunk of butter
Dried dill, to taste

Sauce-
Equal parts sriracha and rice vinegar
Melted butter

Toppings-
Curry powder
Cilantro
Sour Cream
Bread slices

To make your dough, sift flour and salt together in the bowl of your stand mixer. Make a dimple in the top and crack the egg into that. Adding the cold water gradually, knead the dough vigorously 15-20 minutes. Add in enough flour until it stops sticking to absolutely everything. This might take awhile. Set aside while you get your fillings together.

To make the meat filling, mix together all of the ingredients and set aside. To make the potato filling, peel and chop one large potato. Boil in a pot of water until fork tender. Mash with butter until slightly creamy and mix in dried dill to taste. Set aside.

While the potato mixture is cooling, get your dough ready for assembly. Roll the dough into a long snake. At about one inch intervals, cut the snake into balls. Roll these balls into circles. Then add a teaspoon of filling to the center of the circle, pull over the sides, and pinch the edges down firmly. Curl in the corners of the half circle and pinch together.

Get a large amount of water boiling. When at a vigorous boil, drop them in. They are ready after they float at the top for 3-4 minutes. Pull them out of the water with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Mix together sriracha and rice vinegar, enough to lightly coat four orders. Make it as spicy as you like.If you've had pel'meni before, you'll know when it's right. Melt enough butter in a skillet over medium heat to cook all of the pel'meni in. Cook until they are all buttered up and add into the sriacha and rice vinegar mixture. Spoon into individual bowls. Sprinkle on curry powder and some cilantro. Serve with a slice of bread (rye preferred, but we had challah here) and enough sour cream to have a little with every bite.

These were not exactly the same as what I've had in Juneau, but they were close enough without actually being in styrofoam and without me being surrounded by drunks. Aaron and I are definitely going to make these again. I'll just stick my rings in a box upstairs. And maybe put some caution tape around it.

Things I Love Thursday: Dec. 22, 2011 - Chrisanukkah Edition

2011-12-22T11:00:00.000-08:00

Cookie Cottages from Martha Stewart

Yes folks it's that magical time of year where Chanukah lights its way through Christmas. The first night was this past Tuesday and though I haven't made latkes yet, you can bet this combo holiday will be full of good food and good cheer. I've always celebrated both, but if you celebrate one or the other or neither, I hope you have a great end of December, holidays or no.

So I haven't made my traditional latkes yet, but I might also have to make these! Oh wow, do they ever look delicious.

The Wall Street Journal Features Kenny & Zuke's Deli: As a part of our holiday meals, Aaron has been working on some brisket to make corned beef for reubens. One of the best reubens in Portland is available at K&Z and New York's love for Portland is well documented, so I am not surprised by this article. It's nice to see that some of the best NY deli in America is right here in Portland. And can I give a shout out to the pastrami fries? Because holy crap, they are so good.

Eating Local Cookbooks: I think cookbooks are a great gift for foodies - it's filled with possibilities and yummy ideas. A couple I have noticed recently - Farm Anatomy (check out the cool illustrations here) and the Green Market Baking Book. All about cooking and eating locally and being better to our world through food. Sounds like a complete win to me.

Gelt via Oh Nuts

Food Gifts That Matter: Mark Bittman, as always, is totally on the ball about gifts for your foodie friends - especially those that want to do something good. The Coalition of Immokalee Workers is a group my dear friend Amy has worked with before and Heifer International I mentioned in my last minute gift guide last year. All of these are worthy causes and well worth your consideration.

Homemade Goodies: I can't tell you what I made this year because I haven't given them all out yet, but I can tell you that it was fun to make, made my house smell really good, and looked really pretty when decorated. I will attempt to remember to post about them. Just know that they were good. I also had a really enjoyable evening this past weekend making holiday cookies with my girlfriends. I am terrible at decorating cookies, but it is still fun. Especially when you can make a Christmas Moose. Or Christmas Vader.

Speaking of Christmas Vader, for the Star Wars baker/chef in your life, check out all that Williams-Sonoma has to offer. I already have the aforementioned cookie cutters and the cupcake stencils (featured in the blog here)

Winter Sangria via How Sweet It Is

Pumpkin Buttermilk Scones: Sounds perfect for fall/winter/spending a lot of time indoors with family & friends.

Cocoa + Christmas Movies: Spiked or no, what better way to enjoy your favorite Christmas films like Love Actually (an annual tradition for me), Elf, Home Alone, or Die Hard (yes, it is a Christmas movie. With explosions). Make your own cocoa mix to make it really special or splurge on some of the good stuff.

Haters Gonna via 9gag.com

(potatoes gotta do what potatoes gotta do...like become latkes)

I'm also loving: the crazy amount of meal planning Aaron and I have done; how excited I am to actually eat all of those; holiday cookies from friends; holiday liqueurs (!) from friends; gelt, even when it is impossibly hard to open; buying stocking stuffers (hint: it's mostly candy because duh); making Jamie jump up and down because of a Packers beer coozie stuffed with gummi bears; the smell coming from the Widmer Brewery on a cold night; winter cocktails (hot toddies, I'm looking at you); grinding my own cardamom; library holiday parties; food + family + friends.

What are you loving this week?

Jam Muffins

2011-12-21T15:03:00.000-08:00

Wow, I made these a long time ago. And they were messy. And pretty good. But messy. Have extra homemade jam that you have no idea what to do with? Want to make them too? Follow along!

Jam Muffins from Serious Eats:

Makes 12 muffins

¾ c. all purpose flour
¾ c. white whole wheat flour
2 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
¾ c. milk
¼ c. vegetable oil
1 Tb. vanilla
1 egg
¼ c. honey
½ c. jam

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and spray 12 standard-sized muffin tins with baking spray, or line them with paper liners. Combine the flours, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk to combine.

In a separate bowl, combine the milk, vegetable oil, vanilla, egg, and honey. Whisk to combine, making sure the honey is fully dissolved.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir just enough to combine. It will be lumpy. Add the jam, and fold the mixture a few times to distribute it, but leave the mixture streaky. Portion the mixture evenly into the muffin tins. I topped mine with extra jam, which turned out to be kind of a mistake because the jam leaked a lot and I had to scrub my poor baking stone that was sitting underneath the muffin tray. Sad.

Bake at 375 degrees until the muffins are browned on top and a toothpick inserted in the center of the muffins comes out clean, about 20 minutes.

Remove the muffins from the pan and cool completely on a rack.

Like I said, these a pretty good, but very messy. Be careful with your jam mixing. I thought they also tasted a little gritty, so really make sure you get your dry and wet ingredients well mixed. I might fiddle with these some more, but if nothing else, it’s a great way to use jam.

Caramel Apples

2011-12-20T20:28:00.000-08:00

When it first started to feel like fall in Portland, my friend Sarah invited a collective of us ladies over for caramel apple making and wine. Now that it is feeling very much like fall and almost winter (where's the snow Portland? It should feel all the way like winter now!), I highly recommend this activity.

Caramel Apples:

1 package caramel candies, unwrapped (or homemade caramel...mmm....)
6-8 apples (lean toward the tart side)
Skewers
Sea salt (optional)
Parchment paper for covering your plates

Melt up your caramel. When it cools a little bit, dunk in the apples. We discovered that this worked really well in a partner system: one person dunks and turns while the other spoons on more caramel. Place on plates covered in parchment paper. Sprinkle with sea salt. Refrigerate until you can't stand it anymore and then eat them. Sticky, gooey, and wonderful.

Things I Love Thursday: Dec. 15, 2011

2011-12-15T10:53:00.000-08:00

Prep for Vegetarian Bollito Misto via Cannelle et Vanille

Man, I need to get photos into some of my posts. They are all prepped and ready to go, but then I got in early to this game and with working 3 jobs and all, I don't want to do anything else. Blogging? Feh! But I have time right now to tell you about food stuff I love before I go home, drag myself to the gym, and then go pew pew pew for too many hours.

Speaking of jobs and my field of work, I love that there is such a thing as a wine librarian. I am not at all qualified, but man, this is so cool! And yes, there is such a thing as a food librarian too. The best part of this whole field? The -brarian part. You can add that on to anything! Foodbrarian. Cupcakebrarian. See? Awesome.

Jameson Select Black Reserve Barrel: Also in the world of adult beverages, Serious Eats reviewed this new version of Jameson that just sounds delightful. Spendy, but the holidays are worth something special, aren't they?
The Holiday Finger-Food Combination Generator: Food + infographics = one happy foodie librarian. Thanks Slaven for the tweet on this one! Also this is helpful if you do have a last minute party...or just want to play around with weird or amazing food combos in snack form.

Know Your Onions via The US National Archives

Jewelery That Looks Like Food: Love sushi? How about a bracelet of California rolls? Ice cream makes for a fun necklace. This necklace is sold, but kind of rad. I'd probably try to eat it all the time and then be disappointed. And then maybe confused as to why I thought I was wearing a cracker around my neck. Also out of stock, but fun are these toast earrings. All fun ideas for the foodie in your life (including yourself) for now or whenever.

One Shooter Sandwich and a Guinness Please: Holy crap meat-a-pa-sandwich. Convenience! From Britain! Also, a whole loaf of bread and two steaks.

Winter Penguin Cake via Pink Cake Box

(cake + penguins? Yes please!)

In other meatastic news, I give you - The Year in Burgers! Sure, it's mostly about chains, but it also talks about Wahlburgers! Have I not mentioned this place before? Yeah, so as it turns out this year Mark and Donnie Wahlberg opened up a burger joint. Yeah. If that's not rad, I don't know what is.

Burger King is Where You Can Eat Bread Crumbs With a Piece of Meat Inside: More burgers! Or - Dinosaur Comics explains Burger King and I laugh so hard I snort. Are you not already reading Dinosaur Comics? Why not? T-Rex has opinions about things and they are funny! Also - dinosaurs!
Edible Gift Wrap: Yes, this is a thing. You make it yourself. And it is AWESOME.

A Swedish Winter Smorgasboard: A fun and interesting way to fight the winter blues. Aquavit now just makes me thing about The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo series (have you read it? You should read it), but I also love gravlax and ginger cookies. I also shared this because two things happen when I hear the world smorgasboard. The first is that this song gets stuck in my head. And then I just think about the Swedish Chef doing his thing. It's all fun.

Peanut Butter Torte via Culinary Concoctions by Peabody

(instructions here)

I'm also loving: seeing Cake Spy (aka Jessie Oleson) at Crafty Wonderland (did you buy her book yet? You should buy her book); coming home to pizza after getting super wet walking home in the rain; that snap/ping when your jars seal; also, not really hurting myself when canning. Total bonus.; slow cooked everything; finding out its cookie day at work when you get there hungry; surprise dinners at Russell St. (do I link there every TILT? probably. It's good, y'all); homemade dinner + football with my faves; trying new sausages from Sheridan's (also I place I link to frequently; friends asking me food questions; @StephenAtHome - "This Norwegian butter shortage is the worst international food crisis since they devalued the chocolate euro." (ILY Stephen Colbert).

What are you loving this week?

Things I Love Thursday: Dec. 8, 2011

2011-12-08T12:13:00.000-08:00

Today's TILT is dedicated to my good friend Corey and her fiancé Brian since the visa stuff has finally worked out and he'll be in America on Sunday. Congratulations to you both and welcome to America Brian. We're glad to have you.

American as Apple Pie via Today - Food

What's more American than a roast turkey sandwich with cranberries? I want to eat this right now. I have not yet been to Lovejoy Bakers, but now I will definitely need to make a point of going there. The rest of the menu also sounds fantastic.

Favorite Cookbooks of 2011: I haven't posted anything from David Lebovitz in awhile, which is sad because his writing is so wonderful. I love the way he describes some of these cookbooks - makes me want to jam more into my already crowded shelf. These are some unique cookbooks as many of them seem to tell a story along with their recipes. Good gift ideas in here!

How to Deal with Baker's Block: Aside from just buying more and more cookbooks and creating a never ending list of recipes you will probably never see the end of? Yeah, this is good advice. Sometimes just hitting that old recipe you know you can do so well brings the pride back into it. When I pull a perfect loaf of challah out of the oven or make cookies from a recipe I have basically memorized? Baking life feels good! Baking for friends also helps.

Fennel Apple Spritzer via Saveur

2011 Food Trends I Can Agree With: I posted this for one reason and one reason only - pimento cheese. Kirst and I are already well aware of how amazing this Southern appetizer really is. One of the commenters even says to get it at our favorite place to eat it - Russell St. BBQ. Corey is already a fan of the 'q so we'll just need to get Brian on board.

Speaking of food trends, Alton Brown (one of my fave celebrity chefs) has a great piece about why he's against food trends. It's not that they are bad, per se, but it's awesome to just make food because it's all kind of magical.

Icicle Candy via Sprinkle Bakes

Gruesome Body Parts Made Out of Bread: Lisa sent this to me some time ago and it is super creepy. And intriguing. But also really, really creepy. And maybe a little punk rock? But mostly creepy.

Snakes and Lattes: Here's a link that's been sitting in my reader for some time now. Oops. But doesn't this place sound awesome? Look at that wall of games! If I'm ever in Toronto, I am seeking this place out.

You know what would be great to sip at a place like that? Numi's Holiday Chai.I'm a sucker for chai and I love Numi teas, so this sounds like absolute perfection to me.

Gingerbread AT-AT via Think Geek

I'm also loving: wine nights with Kirst, somehow made better by talking about work stuff and cover letters; honey crisp apples; spicy ramen bowls; mulled apple cider; all warm drinks right now; "'Do you spike your eggnog? With what' 'I put whiskey in my glass and then sort of wave it near the eggnog. That counts, right?" -Amandarama via Serious Eats; Aaron making OMG alfredo with pasta from Pastaworks; how many kitchen items are always on my gift wish lists; how much more tea I seem to drink when I have company; making new baking buddies; "forcing" chocolate cake on people; whiskey club; seriously, why are honey crisp apples so delicious?

What are you loving this week? Seriously, I want to know. Comment away.

Apple Cinnamon Coffee Cake

2011-12-06T13:06:00.000-08:00

I love Joy the Baker. A lot. This was an interesting baking experience for me because the first of these cakes I didn’t love and that surprised me. The problem was in the rolling. I didn’t roll the cake quite tight enough and it tasted really bready and not appley enough. The second one, which was devoured with my girlfriends while watching Sex and the City 2 (cocktails required. It’s BAD.), was much better. And that’s not just the cocktails talking. Do what she says and make two. And roll them tight!

Apple Cinnamon Coffee Cake from Joy the Baker:

Makes 2 cakes

For the dough-

2 ¼ tsp (1 package) active dry yeast

¼ c. warm water, about 105 to 155 degrees F.

big pinch of sugar

6 Tb. granulated sugar

¾ c. (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

½ tsp. ground cardamom

½ tsp. salt

3 large eggs

4½ to 5 cups all-purpose flour

1 c. warm whole milk, 105 to 115 degrees F.

For the filling-

3 large apples, peeled and cut into small cubes (Honey Crisp for life!)

2 tsp. fresh lemon juice

¼ c. brown sugar

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. cornstarch

½ tsp. fresh ground nutmeg

pinch of salt

For the Streusel:

½ c. all-purpose flour

½ c. brown sugar

½ tsp. cinnamon

pinch of salt

pinch of cardamom

3 Tb. unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 egg and sugar for brushing and topping the dough before baking

To make the dough, in a small bowl, mix together yeast, warm water and pinch of sugar. Stir together until yeast is dissolved and set aside for 10 minutes. Yeast will foam up.

In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, add the sugar, butter, cardamom, and salt. Blend on medium speed until pale in color and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

Stop the mixer, scrape down the bowl, and add eggs and 1 cup of flour. Blend on medium speed until thoroughly incorporated and creamy, about 1 minute. Stop the mixer and add 2 cups more cups of flour, foamy yeast mixture, and warm milk. Blend in medium speed until the flour disappears. Mixture will be very wet. Add 1½ to 2 more cups of flour. Blend until the flour is almost incorporated.

Dump the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead for 5 to 8 minutes by hand. Dough will be glossy and just slightly sticky. Place dough in an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and a towel and let rest in a warm place for 1½ hours, or until doubled in size. Sometimes if my house is too cold, I’ll put the oven on warm. That usually works.

While the dough rises, make the apple filling and the streusel.

To make the apple filling, toss together diced apples, lemon juice, sugar, cinnamon, cornstarch, nutmeg and salt. Leave at room temperature and set aside until ready to use.

To make the streusel filling:

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cinnamon, salt, and cardamom. Add butter and, using your fingers, work the butter into the flour mixture. Break up the butter into the mixture, until thoroughly incorporated and crumbly. Set aside.

Continue on with the dough. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. I didn’t do this, but even though the pans for pretty messy, they cleaned up easily enough in hot water.

When the dough has doubled in size, dump it out onto a lightly floured work surface. Use a large knife or a bench knife to divide the dough in two. Roll each dough piece into about a 10×14-inch rectangle. Sprinkle with half of the streusel mixture. Add half of the apple mixture over the apples. Add a bit of the apple juices too.

Starting from the longest side, begin to roll the dough. This isn’t like a cinnamon roll, you don’t have to roll it into a super tight swirl, but as I noted, make it pretty tight or it will be too bready. Fold in about 1 1/2 to 1-inch folds. Keep the seam on the bottom.

Repeat the same steps for the second piece of dough.

Carefully lift roll onto the prepared baking sheet. Now is a great time to freeze or refrigerate the coffee cake dough for later baking. If you decide to freeze the dough, place it in the fridge to thaw the evening before you’d like to bake it. Once it’s thawed, slice it according to the above directions. Allow to come to room temperature, and allow to rise for another 30 minutes beyond that. Wash with egg and sugar, then bake. This is what I did with my second loaf.

If you decide to refrigerate the dough, simple take it out of the fridge, slice according to the above directions. Let come to room temperature, then allow to rise for 30 minutes beyond that. Brush with egg and sugar, then bake.

Take a pair of clean scissors and slice into the dough leaving about 3/4-inch of dough still attached. Slice at 1-inch intervals. Carefully begin to curve the sliced dough into a semi-circle/horseshoe shape. If some of the apple juices escape, that’s ok. Cover with a towel and let rest in a warm place for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Brush dough with egg wash and sprinkle with raw or granulated sugar. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through.

Remove from the oven, allow to cool for 15 minutes before serving. Best served warm with cocktails. Coffee cake will last, well wrapped at room temperature, for up to 3 days. I think we may have made it through most of the movie. Maybe. I think this would be a great addition to a brunch potluck, especially if you make two and keep one in the freezer. Bam! Instant brunching.

Things I Love Thursday: Dec. 1, 2011

2011-12-01T11:58:00.000-08:00

Garlic via A Well Traveled Woman

Rabbit, rabbit.

Hey guys, how are you? I'm back with a new TILT. I've been hesitant to do one because the last one I did (for Halloween) ended up compromising my blog. Yeah. Serious business. I only noticed because I was trying to change my Twitter profile and it wouldn't let me use a website with known malware. And then Chrome wouldn't let me look at it. I was all oh no and then deleted some stuff and tried to do some Google Site stuff and got really frustrated and left it alone and the next day it was fine. This is what you get for hot linking I guess. Anyway, I'm back at it! And hopefully without any nastiness this time.

Happy December y'all!

The Sriracha Lover's Ultimate Gift Pack: I already entered, so you can too. I meant to blog about this cookbook about a billion years ago, but never did. I think I was waiting to do a holiday post about it or something. Anyway, sriracha is rad and so is free stuff. I always put way too much in my pho and end up a big snotty mess by the end of the meal and also looking like I'm dying, but it is so good! PS: I love pho. In case you were wondering where to take me for a not sexy dinner because of the aforementioned snot.

What School Lunches Looks Like in 20 Countries Around the World: Not gonna lie, the Swedish lunch just makes me think of IKEA. Also, really want to eat the French school kids food, but that's not really a surprise. Also, rice is wonderful and a big part of a lot of school lunches.

Overcompensating on the Olive Garden: hahaha. Also, I hate the Olive Garden. Except for those damn breadsticks and that salad dressing. Fortunately I don't live near one and I can usually defeat that craving with good food near me. And now that I think of it, I've only been there twice. No worries.

I Scream via Win! @ Failblog.org

The Simpsons "Foodie Episode": I haven't actually seen this yet, but the clip is hilarious. And I am a food blogger or whatever.

How to Make the Perfect Grilled Cheese: I don't know about everyone else, but this time of year is all about soup for me and what's great with soup? Grilled cheese sandwiches. I think I make a darn good one, especially since I found the superfrico recipe, but even with basics, it's good to have hints to perfect your technique. Plus an excuse to make many grilled cheeses? Count me in.

Thai Soup via The Marion House Book

Bodum Coffee and Tea Maker: I can't find it on the original site anymore, but look how cool it is! It's like caffeinated science!

How to Quickly Cook Pasta: This does in fact change everything. And yet Aaron and I made mac and cheese last night and cooked the noodles the old way. But still! I know about this now and can possibly speed up my pasta cooking to pasta eating time! Might help me make Bolognese Machiavelli (PS: read this. It's hilarious. Here's a preview: "Perhaps, in a dark place without witnesses, the tomato shall meet with the knife.").

The Cider Press Guide to Drinking Sidra in Spain: You guys, I've been to one of these places! Casa Mingo, specifically, in Madrid. Twice, actually. Once at the beginning of the trip and once at the end. I was told to drink sidra before my trip and I was so glad I did because it is delicious. I want to go back to Spain and drink so much more. And you know, see stuff. But mostly drink sidra.

Cool Brownies via Just Touched Awkwardly

I'm also loving: kombucha with chia seeds (why were you not in my life earlier?!); drinking with like a grown up (matching wine glasses make me more grown up, right?); having a lovely Thanksgiving with my friendos; seriously, deviled eggs for breakfast; creative use of leftovers; kale, dear lovely kale; hot toddies because it's cold out and that makes it better; Plan B: burgers; bagels with peanut butter; drooling over desserts online with Kirst; comté cheese (thanks Corey!); pumpkin seeds; @stephenathome - "Just learned the one thing you can't use Americone Dream for: getting out ice cream stains :("; wishing IKEA kitchens were my kitchen; plotting future kitchens; liking my kitchen anyway.

What are you loving this week? Seriously, I want to know. Comment away.

Reuben Dip

2011-11-30T20:55:00.000-08:00

November is usually a big month for me posting recipes. This one - not so much. In my defense I've been very busy. And when I'm not busy, I've been very lazy. I'll try to make it up to you in December. This Saturday my friend Chelsea is coming down from Seattle so we can start test driving wedding cakes for Corey. And my parents are coming to visit for Chrisannukah, so there should be some good stuff from that.

This recipe comes from my dear friend Lisa and Aaron and I made it shortly after his second batch of corned beef was done. It is perfect for parties and especially perfect for parties that involve watching football. Lisa made this on Monday and shared while we watched the Saints win at a house full of Louisiana natives and had bellies full of gumbo. This is all about getting good quality corned beef (homemade if you can get it).

Reuben Dip from Noble Pig:

Makes enough for at least 6 snacky football fans

½ lb. diced corned beef
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
½ c. sour cream
1 c. swiss cheese, grated
1 c. sauerkraut, drained well
1 Tb. ketchup (we subbed out the ketchup for Aaron’s Russian dressing)
1 Tb. spicy brown mustard
Rye crackers or toasts for dipping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. Place in a greased baking dish (we used a brownie pan) and bake until dip is browned and bubbly, about 30 minutes. Serve warm.

This is so good. It’s the reuben sandwich you can share.

Friendsgiving Roundup

2011-11-30T12:16:00.000-08:00

I hope you all had a fabulous Thanksgiving. I spent the majority of my time eating or in my pajamas and often times, both. I went on an epic walk with Amy, ate too many sweets, watched a lot of movies, got mad at Ted Mosby, and had a good time. Oh, and I made stuff too. What I learned from this go around:

Deviled eggs are a part of a great Thanksgiving breakfast. Especially impromptu deviled eggs just because you feel like it after a friend suggests it.
Everyone loves taco dip.
A double recipe of stuffing needs double the amount of people to make. Also, there will be a lot leftover.
Everyone loves brownies. For days. And for breakfast.
Sharing recipes is awesome.
Thankskilling leads to great Thanksgiving toasts.

I hope it was as fun for you as it was for me!

Friendsgiving

2011-11-23T11:04:00.000-08:00

The last month and a half have been crazy for me. I started a new job (as a librarian!), which has meant lots of trainings, and have been working on-call as a reference assistant at another library and finishing up my student job. Busy! (hence the lack of posts) This year for Thanksgiving is unlike my years past. I won't be spending it with family (other than Aaron, who is married to me and counts as family, and Amy who is basically family), but with friends. And I'm not hosting! It feels weird, but in a good way.

But if you thought I wasn't going to make massive amounts of food, you would be very wrong. Though it won't be anything like last year in the quantity of stuff, it is similar in what I am making. I do enjoy making new things, especially for this blog, it's going to be a lot of the same (and maybe one new thing). For dinner, my contributions include:

At this point I have made the first three items and have started prep on the last two. I made the pie dough on Monday and roasted my pumpkins yesterday. I made the caramel last night and had a similar problem I did last year with the caramel being too thin. I think it might be an issue with the recipe itself. This time I simmered it on low for another 15-20 minutes until it came to the consistency I wanted. I had Aaron quality check it and his response was "Can I have more?", so I think I got it.

I hope you all have a happy and wonderful Thanksgiving with your families, families of choice, friends, and anyone else.

If you have time, tell me your food plans! I'm a librarian foodie - I love food information!

Ginger Ale Redux

2011-11-02T13:28:00.000-07:00

Last year I made ginger ale for the first time. It was good, but not quite as bubbly as I would have liked. Recently I finally got around to following Nicki's suggestion to use champagne yeast instead of regular granulated yeast.

Yeah, I wish I had done it sooner. It was so bubbly and still delicious. Just look at all those bubbles! If you're going to make ginger ale, I highly recommend using champagne yeast. You can get it at homebrewer supply stores, like F.H. Steinbart.

Gooey Butter Cake

2011-10-28T16:12:00.000-07:00

This is another recipe inspired by a number of delicious experiences at Russell Street BBQ. We used to always get the big sundae and share it with the table. That was before gooey butter cake came into our lives. It’s usually only available on the weekends and when it is, the eyes of our party always light up. Seriously. It is that good. I bookmarked SmittenKitchen’s version long before I had ever had the RSBBQ version and totally forgot about it. Because I have so many recipes bookmarked, I recently decided to look through and find some that I either wanted to make soon or just delete. Enter butter cake and the realization that I could make it on my own time. Any time. And now you can too. And should.

Gooey Butter Cake from Smitten Kitchen:

Yields at least 16 to 20 servings

For the cake-

3 Tb. milk, room temperature

1¾ tsp. active dry yeast

6 Tb. unsalted butter, room temperature

3 Tb. sugar

1 tsp. kosher salt

1 large egg

1¾ c. all-purpose flour

For the topping-

3 Tb. plus 1 tsp. light corn syrup

2½ tsp. vanilla extract

12 Tb. (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1½ c. sugar

½ tsp. kosher salt

1 large egg

1 c. plus 3 Tb. all-purpose flour

Confectioners’ sugar for sprinkling.

To make the cake dough in a small bowl, mix milk with 2 tablespoons warm water. Add yeast and whisk gently until it dissolves. Mixture should foam slightly. It might only be a teensy bit. It’s okay.

Using an electric mixer with paddle attachment, cream butter, sugar and salt. Scrape down sides of bowl and beat in the egg. Alternately add flour and the milk mixture, scraping down sides of bowl between each addition. I followed Deb’s advice and switched to a dough hook at this point to beat dough on medium speed until it formed a smooth mass and pulled away from sides of bowl, 7 to 10 minutes. The dough will still be very soft.

Press, stretch and nudge dough into a greased 9-by 13” baking dish at least 2 inches deep. Use a glass or ceramic one. It works better. Cover dish with plastic wrap or clean tea towel, put in a warm place, and allow to rise until doubled, 2 1/2 to 3 hours.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. To prepare topping, in a small bowl, whisk corn syrup with 2 tablespoons water and the vanilla. Using an electric mixer with paddle attachment, cream butter, sugar and salt until light and fluffy, 5 to 7 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl and beat in the egg. Alternately add flour and corn syrup mixture, scraping down sides of bowl between each addition.

Spoon topping in large dollops over risen cake and use a spatula to gently spread it in an even layer. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes, cake will rise and fall in waves and have a golden brown top, but will still be liquid in center when done. It didn’t look golden brown at 30 so I went to 35, though I think absolute perfection was somewhere in between. Allow to cool in pan before sprinkling with confectioners’ sugar for serving.

Yeah, it’s good. A friend of mine commented she liked my crust better than RSBBQ. I don’t know if I is better, but it is so much fun to make at home, so easy, and so delicious.

Flavored Lemonades

2011-10-25T16:12:00.000-07:00

It is definitely fall and I love that. The weather lately has been perfect: crisp, clear, and just the right temperature for boots, scarves, and walking in fallen leaves. With all the sunny weather, though, lemonade is still a lovely idea. And if you’re not into autumn, these lemonades can remind you of the warm days of summer.

Flavored Lemonades modified from Not Your Mama’s Lemonade via Chef Carol Dearth, Sizzleworks Cooking School:

1 c. sugar

4 c. water

2 Tb. fresh lavender buds

2 Tb. fresh rosemary

Combine 2 cups of water and ½ c. sugar with each flavoring agent in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Cover and let steep for 30 minutes to infuse the flavors. Strain the syrup. Mix in with lemonade to taste. Garnish with a sprig of lavender or rosemary. You can also use 12 fresh basil leaves or 3 tablespoons freshly grated ginger as flavoring agents.

These are fun and very herbal. The color looks so cool and I love the taste. These also work really well for cocktails. Remind yourself of summer or just enjoy some tasty lemonade because tasty lemonade works any time of year.

Reuben Sandwiches

2011-10-24T13:12:00.000-07:00

It seems a little weird to post sandwich recipes (I know I’ve done it before) because sandwiches are flexible and easy to make. These are also easy, but man, so worth posting a recipe. Even if you don’t like big hunks of meat (like me), you may want to give these sandwiches a shot. They are classic deli style and wonderful. And make the Russian dressing. It’s just not the same with thousand island.

Reuben Sandwiches from Lobel’s Meat Bible:

Serves 2

½ lb. thinly sliced corned beef, at room temperature

3 Tb. corned beef cooking liquid

4 slices Jewish-style rye bread

4 Tb. Russian dressing, plus more for serving (recipe follows)

3 oz. good quality Swiss cheese, thinly sliced, at room temperature

1 c. sauerkraut, drained and blotted dry, at room temperature

4 Tb. unsalted butter

Russian Dressing:

Makes about 2/3 c.

½ c. mayonnaise

¼ c. chili sauce or ketchup

½ tsp. prepared horseradish

½ tsp. fresh lemon juice

½ tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 Tb. minced red onion

1 Tb. minced dill pickle

Moisten and heat up meat if you are making the sandwiches later than right after the beef is done. You can do this in the oven or the microwave if you’re sando craving is killing you.

Smear one side of each bread slice with 1 tablespoon of the Russian dressing. Dive the cheese between two of the slices. Neatly top each portion of cheese with half of the hot corned beef, followed by half of the sauerkraut, distributing them just to the edges of the bread. Top with the two remaining slices of dressed bread.

Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in an 8-10” heavy skillet over medium-low heat. When the foam subsides, add the sandwiches, cheese-side down, and weight them regularly with the back of a spatula. You want to compact the sandwich without crushing it. Cook gently until the first side is a rich golden brown, 4 to 6 minutes.

Remove the sandwiches to a plate and melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Return the sandwiches to the skillet and cook the second side, without weighting them, until golden brown and the cheese has melted. Flip the sandwich back and forth a few more times to completely melt the cheese without burning the toast, if necessary. This also crisps the first side, which can get soft. Cut the sandwiches in half with a sharp knife. Serve with more Russian dressing on the side, if desired.

And a pickle! You need to have a pickle. These are SO (!) good! Kirst is a meat fan and I think she went to meat sandwich heaven.

Deli Rye Bread

2011-10-23T17:11:00.000-07:00

If it’s one thing I have learned from my deli cookbooks, it’s that delis and Jews are not messing around when it comes to portion sizes. I love rye bread and if you do too, you’ll still need some friends to get through this delicious, gigantic loaf. I made this for reubens specifically, but this bread is wonderful for all sorts of sandwiches. You may just want to make half as much.

Deli Rye Bread from Deli:

1 package (or 2¼ tsp.) dried yeast

2½ c. warm water (100-115 degrees)

2 Tb. kosher salt

1 Tb. caraway seeds

3 c. rye flour

1 c. mashed potato (1 medium potato)

5-6 c. unbleached all purpose or bread flour

Cornmeal

Combine the yeast with warm water in a large bowl. Stir with a fork or small whisk. Add the salt and caraway seeds. Stir in rye flour, one cup at a time, the potatoes, and the white flour, one cup at a time, until a soft dough is formed. Starting with the flour I was using my stand mixer with a dough hook.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Knead vigorously for 20 to 25 minutes. You can get a lot of kneading done in the stand mixer, which is what I did. Either way, you want the dough to become smooth, nonsticky, and elastic. Knead in up to 1 cup additional flour, if necessary (hence the 5-6 cups). Let the dough rest while you wash, dry, and grease the bowl. Knead the dough a few more times, form into a ball, and place it in the bowl. Turn it to coat with oil. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and put ina warm, draft-free place to rise until doubled in bulk, 1 to 1½ hours. It has risen sufficiently when you can gently poke a finger into the dough and the hole remain after a few minutes’ wait.

Flour your first and punch down the dough. Knead a few times, then shape into a round, plump loaf and place it on a large, cornmeal sprinkled baking sheet (or your awesome baking peel to later put on your baking stone. That is all awesome). Cover with a clean kitchen towel and place in a warm, draft-free place to double in bulk. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

When loaf has doubled, slash it lightly in two places with a sharp knife. Brush it with cold water. Bake it from 1 to 1½ hours (mine was done in 1), until a knuckle rap produces a hollow sound. Brush with water twice during the baking process. Let cool thoroughly on rack.

And then make sandwiches! This had one of the best crusts I’ve ever gotten on a bread. The addition of potatoes was a surprise to me, but this bread really works. Next time though, I’m going to half size. Or maybe just make more people come over and eat bread with me.

Tomorrow is the reuben sandwiches this all was for.

Corned Beef

2011-10-22T15:27:00.000-07:00

Aaron is a library volunteer and as such, he comes home with a variety of books. Not too long ago Lobel’s Meat Bible began to live at our house. After drooling over a number of recipes, Aaron decided it was high time he corned his own beef. There was a beef brisket sitting in our freezer from the farmers market that just needed that extra love. He went down to Sheridan’s and talked to the meat guys and got some great curing salt. And then it was off to making the beef. We had a little over a 2 pound brisket, so Aaron halved the recipe below. It managed to be done in perfect time for Kirsten to come over and have some. I like surprising my friends with food.

Corned Beef from Lobel’s Meat Bible:

Serves 8-10

1½ c. kosher salt

½ c. brown sugar

4 large cloves garlic, crushed

1 recipe corned beef pickling spice (recipe follows)

1 oz. pink curing salt

5 lb. fatty beef brisket

1 medium onion, coarsely chopped

1 rib celery

1 large carrot, peeled and coarsely chopped

Corned Beef Pickling Spice

Makes about 1/3 c.

¾ tsp. mustard seed

¾ tsp. coriander seed

½ tsp. fresh, coarsely cracked black pepper

¼ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

¼ tsp. ground ginger

18 allspice berries

10 whole cloves

5 cardamom pods, cracked

3 bay leaves, crumbled

1 1½” long cinnamon stick, cracked into small pieces

Combine all ingredients and store tightly until use.

Put the kosher salt, sugar, garlic, thyme, pickling spice, and 1 quart water in a 6 to 8 quart po. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring to dissolve the salt and sugar. Remove from the heat and let the mixture steep for 5 minutes. Stir in the curing salt to dissolve, add 3 quarts of cool water, and transfer to the refrigerator to chill for at least 2 hours.

Put the brisket in a lidded, high-sided, food-grade plastic or metal container just large enough to contain the meat. Pour in the cooled curing liquid to cover the meat, weighting it with small plates, if necessary, to keep the beef submerged beneath the brine. Cover and refrigerate for 5 days, turn the meet over after 2 to 3 days.

Remove the meat from the liquid and place in a pot large enough to just contain it (reserve the curing liquid for now). Rinse the meat in two or three changes of water and drain. Strain the herbs, spices, and garlic from the curing liquid and discard the liquid. Add the spice to the pot with the beat and cover by 2 inches of water. Add the onion, celery, and carrot and bring to just a simmer over medium-high heat. Cover, reduce the heat to maintain the barest possible simmer, and cook until very tender but not yet falling apart (a carving fork should slide easily into the meat), 3 to 4 hours.

Carefully transfer the corned beef to a cutting board and, using a sharp knife, slice thinly across the grain. Serve each portion moistened with a few tablespoons of the cooking liquid (reserve enough cooking liquid to reheat any remaining beef).

But we didn’t just eat this. Oh no. We made reubens. Coming up tomorrow? The rye needed for that special sandwich. Later this week I’ll post the sandwich recipe. They are so good that Aaron recently bought another 3 pound brisket and we had reubens again. And then corned beef hash. And then something else we’re making today that I’ll post soon.

If you’re interested in doing something very homemade, this recipe is well worth it. It tastes so much better than the stuff you buy at the store.

Things I Love Thursday: The Legacy of Ali McKenna

2011-10-20T21:02:00.000-07:00

This post is not about food, but it is about writing and things that I love and that are important. Over the past weekend one of my favorite teachers from high school passed. She was only 42. News of her death came the same day I started my first librarian position. The two are linked. Ali was instrumental in my development as a student and a writer. I would not be a librarian today if not for her and this food blog would not be what it is if not for her.

Ali taught my freshman advanced English and my junior advanced American Lit. Over the course of high school, she became more than just my teacher. She was an adult I could trust, someone who treated me like more than just a teenager, who encouraged me to always try harder and to do more. She was a mentor and was adored by me and my family. When my dad was running his bagel business, he gave me many bagels to give to her. Whenever my folks came back from parent-teacher conferences, they always remarked on the conversations they had with Ali.

One thing that made her such a dynamic teacher and popular with many students was the way she taught. She was tough, but the reward of doing well was always worth it. She pushed us further. We were required to say why we thought the things we did and gave the opinions we gave, no matter what they were, so we could develop our own philosophies. Learning how to reason is crucial to being both a student and a lifelong learner. At the end of the semesters, she would not just tell us our grade, but give us a note on how we were doing in our learning beyond letter grades. Though English was always my favorite subject and was something that I excelled in, getting these notes was more important than the A grade at the bottom. I felt respected. I felt understood in a time when I was feeling confused about everything.

During my junior year, a classmate of mine died in an accident. He was a friend of friends and we didn’t like each other and his passing made me feel strange. Ali had us write out what we were feeling, to help us understand our own grieving process and our emotions. Writing was a passion of hers and she had us do it in so many forms and so many ways. I hope her students past and present are using writing to help them deal with this grief.

In my own long winded way, this is my Things I Love Thursday list of some of my favorite memories and moments from my time at JDHS with Ali. This is my way of coping.

Freshman year we watched Romeo & Juliet, both the 1960s version and the Baz Luhrmann one. During the 60s film, in the balcony scene that seemed to go on forever, Ali shouted out “Just kiss her on the mouth already so she’ll shut up!”
Anytime anyone insulted anyone else in class, we had to give them three times as many put-ups as put-downs and they couldn’t be lame. “He’s nice” didn’t pass muster.
While learning how to debate issues, one of my classmates said “It’s Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve.” I was appalled, but before anyone else could say anything, she said “That’s not an argument. That’s just stupid.”
Junior year we did a huge decades project. Each group got a decade from the 20th century and we had to do a skit and teach our class about American life. How many kids get to wear mini dresses and dance around in their class saying things like “have you heard about this new pill thing? Yeah, you take it and can have as much sex as you want without getting pregnant” while another classmate pretended to be a philandering LBJ in a closet. We also had our classmates do a mock protest and we got to go outside to burn a bra. Yes, I know women didn’t actually burn their bras, but we got to do it anyway. And Ali hung it up and kept it in her classroom for the rest of the year.
When discussing some issue or another junior year, a classmate of mine said “This sucks.” She asked him if he could try to describe it in a way that wasn’t a reference to oral sex. His response? “This blows.” Hers? “Try again.”
Learning what a metaphor is because of “life is a highway”
Forcing me freshman year to write a story where no one died (I was reading a lot of RL Stine and Christopher Pike at the time). It turned out to be one of my best pieces of work that year. She then asked me if she could publish it in a student section of the local paper.
The best discussions about The Grapes of Wrath. I fell in love with Steinbeck that year.
Reading canon and beat and modern works
Asking me to always try and try and try again. If I didn’t get it, to keep trying.

Thank you Ali for being my teacher. The lessons from my time with you will continue to teach me as a learner, an instructor, and a person.

For any of my readers who knew her and don’t already know about this, there is a blog set up for us to send in our memories and thoughts about Ali that will be turned into a book for her children. I haven’t posted there yet, but I will.

Thank you for indulging me in this. I’ll return with food stuff soon.

Things I Love Thursday: Oct. 13, 2011

2011-10-13T11:59:00.000-07:00

It's definitely fall, folks. When I walk to the bus stop in the morning, it is either dark and chilly or dark and chilly and rainy and I get muddy water on my tights. But! I also get to spend time drinking warm beverages and thinking about soup and buying new boots and clean tights. Fall is pretty rad.

Fancy Grilled Cheese via Say Yes! to Hoboken

Bake Two Pies in One: What says fall more than pie? This comes courtesy of Lisa, who likes to send me links to awesome food things. Have you ever had issues deciding what kind of pie you want? I know some people don't like pie (which is weird. Even if they are very good friends of mine.), but I think pie is wonderful. And people are picky, even if they like pie, so this could satisfy everyone. Or you could just make two half pies of the same pie and make one easier to give away. Everyone is happy! Well, except for those pie hating weirdos.

Big, Sweet Dreams: My sister-in-law is turning her food cart into a sit down place this month. Yeah! It's just that amazing. The article isn't lying either - she and Johanna might be the most manic people I know, but they are also some of the most lovely people I know. Please become their patrons because I know it's going to be amazing and I can't wait to see it!

Clever Halloween Cakes: Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. You get to dress up and eat candy and try to figure out what that dude is dressed up as (or if that's just his day to day wear). I can't remember the last time I went to a Halloween party with cake (tragic) but maybe one of the ones I hit this year will have a cake as awesome as one of these. Or these rad cupcakes.

Koopa: It's What's For Dinner via That's Like Whoa

(warning: there is currently some blurred out nudity on their main page)

The Fiddlehead Cookbook Turns 20: I am in love with the Fiddlehead Cookbook (see evidence here, here, here, and here and especially here, here, and here). Have you had North Douglas Chocolate cake? If you don't want to mess with my half recipe from the cupcakes, check out Renai's full post on it. Anyway, the book is 20 years old now! If you don't have, go get it. Seriously. You can learn about my hometown and fun new recipes.

More on Whiskey: Did you know barrels to age bourbon can only be used once? Well, now you do! Bourbon is my favorite version of whiskey and knowing more about your favorites is always a smart way to go.

Ingredients via French Cuisse

Armed with Technology Tea Infuser: It is sold out right now, which is tragic. I have already asked them to notify me on restock. This is an item all robot and tea lovers should have.

Why Do Sandwiches Taste Better When Someone Else Makes Them?: (scroll down to get to this question) There's actually an answer to that. Of course it comes from The New York Times. Where else would it come from? This answers the question of why, when I tell me friends how easy something is to make, they tell me they don't want to and I should do it instead. Now I get it. This won't stop me from sharing the love of cooking, but at least I understand now.

Cheese via Carl Kleiner

I'm also loving: drinking muddled cider while making caramel apples (how's THAT for fall?); jalapeños in meatballs; simple dinners; the first brussels sprouts of fall; surprisingly good happy hour food from Hobnob; steel cut oats with PB for breakfast; honey crisp apples forever and ever; sushi because man, Aaron loves it now and that's so great; chile honey + warm biscuits = heaven; breaking the Yom Kippur fast with risotto from Bread and Ink (still need to go there from brunch!); @alyankovic "SPOILER ALERT: Unrefrigerated milk goes bad quickly."; the smell of cardamom on my fingers.

What are you loving this week? Seriously, I want to know. Comment away.

Pimento Cheese

2011-10-12T16:45:00.000-07:00

Hey, remember how a couple of weeks ago I said I was really busy? Yup, still busy. So is Kirsten, but somehow we managed to make some amazing food together during this crazy time (she also managed to already blog about it). It was so good that we are going to try another version of it. When we have free time. If we ever have free time again.

Anyway, this stuff is ridiculous and it is based on a story. Once upon a time, Kirst and I were classmates only and not friends (yet). And then one night out after class, we started talking about food. A lot. And then we started working together and then we started going to this place after working for pimento cheese dip and cocktails. It is a tradition that sadly we cannot participate in much anymore, but a good one regardless. Shortly after we started this, we thought that we should try to make our own. So this dip, ladies and gents, was a long time in the making. And we finally did it. And it is so good and you should make it too.

Pimento Cheese modified from Like Mother Like Daughters:

Makes enough to share

4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 c. cheddar cheese, grated (we went for sharp. Tillamook, ya heard?)
2 Tb. mayonnaise
2 tsp. red wine vinegar
4 oz. canned pimentos, drained
1 small onion, grated (we had to sub in rehydrated dried onion due to a complete lack of onion in my house, which is weird)
4 cloves of garlic, worked into a paste with kosher salt (kind of like what I did way back when)
½ tsp. smoked paprika
Hot sauce, to taste (Frank's Red Hot was our choice)
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Crackers for the snacking

Mix the red wine vinegar and the pimentos together. Mix remaining ingredients together and add red pepper mixture. Taste and adjust seasoning. Cover and refrigerate before serving to blend flavors. We managed to wait all of maybe 45 minutes before digging in and it was wonderful. The next day, though, I got a text from Kirst and she had eaten some of her portion and it was even better. I was already snacking away and it really is. So if you can help it, make this the night before or early in the day and go do something else and then eat it. It's worth the wait.

Things I Love Thursday: Sept. 29, 2011

2011-09-29T12:05:00.000-07:00

I made a comment yesterday that if you are ever wondering where I am, if you say at a library, you're probably right. I've been crazy busy the last couple of weeks because I started training as a reference assistant while still working my current library assistant job. BUSY! As it turns out, post graduation life is also nutso, but in different ways. Despite always being in a library or in transit to a library or desperately trying to get some sleep, I've seen some stuff on the internet that's pretty cool. Some of it has been about food. Let's look at that stuff!

Hot Ham Water by Linsay Funke via I Love Charts

(I love Arrested Development)

How to Peel a Head of Garlic in Less Than 10 Seconds: Holy hell, how did I not know about this before? This technique would make recipes like this or this or this so much easier. I might have to go through every single one of my garlic tagged recipes in see how much faster it would be. Seriously. Wow.

Cat Land Cat Party: Adorable. Just adorable. Little kitty cat cakes.

Top Secret Interview with CakeSpy: Also just adorable. Plus she recently posted a link to retro dessert recipes. Rad food history!

Make Your Pie Crusts Extra Crispy with Vodka: I guess I'm awesome because I've already done this.It's nice to be (slightly) ahead of the curve.

Radish Plate via Oh Joy!

(see the whole set here)

Pumpkin Beer History - Colonial Necessity to Seasonal Treat: Though we are getting the last dying gasps of summer this week in Portland (which started in August), it's definitely feeling a lot more like fall. Time to put on tights and boots and scarves and drink the autumn seasonals. I love pumpkin beer (like I love pumpkin pie) and this history is fascinating. I can't imagine that the creators thought future Americans would be snuggling up on patios in their fall gear drinking it, but I don't think they really thought a lot about patios. What's your favorite fall ale?

Colbert Super Mac Presented by BrunchBox: I love me some Stephen Colbert. I was giggling at his Rosh Hashanah phone bit this morning (PS: l'shana tovah!). Though I can't see myself ever even attempting to eat this burger, I like that it exists and it exists in Portland. Good one PDX!

World's Largest Onion via MSNBC's Photoblog

(full story here)

How To Turn a Milk Jug Into a Sandwich Box: So maybe I don't have giant milk jugs in my house, but this is amazing and could be a fun project.

Hero Electric Hot Dog Steamer: This is so creepy. It's creepy enough that I kind of love it. Serious Eats has some videos of it in action.

Absolut Tune - Vodka and Wine: This just strikes me as so, so weird. I have never ever mixed vodka with wine. The only things I've done to wine, besides just drink it, is mull it with spices or mix it with cola for kalimotxo. If you haven't had a kalimotxo, I highly recommend it. It might sound off, but it tastes wonderful. With that in mind, maybe Absolut Tune won't taste that weird.

Gummy Bearskin Rug via Brock Davis

(I featured him twice before this year in TILT posts here and here)

I'm also loving: Thai food with really weird classic movies; "that's a half sandwich?"; peanut butter in the AM; breakfast burritos that are actually really delicious; kale wraps and collard green wraps and basically any wrap that involves greens; pizza with pineapple on it because duh; putting together meals based on groupons; seriously satisfying pasta after a long long day; PBR on tap (especially when my team wins); revisiting recipes with even greater success; pistachios; food collaborations; the smells coming out of the Beaverton Bakery even when it's closed; talking bread with my dad; talking zucchini with my mom; tamarind in my whiskey.

What are you loving this week?

Guacamole

2011-09-23T10:09:00.000-07:00

Okay, so there are a million guacamole recipes out there. This one isn’t anything really new, but I just had so much fun making this with my mortar and pestle (the traditional way), that I had to share. Whenever I make guac, I use some of it on whatever else I’ve made, but mostly I eat it with chips. This batch was no different.

Guacamole:

1 ripe Haas avocado

2 garlic cloves, minced

Lime juice, to taste

Salt, to taste

Smoked sea salt, to taste

Mash your avocado with your mortar and pestle until very creamy. Mix in lime juice until tangy and a bit of salt. Finish with smoked sea salt.

I think the smoked sea salt adds a new, interesting flavor. Getting a perfect avocado makes all the difference as you want it to be super creamy. Try it out. I got my smoked sea salt at Trader Joe’s.

Zucchini Cakes

2011-09-20T10:01:00.000-07:00

Not too long ago I went to the farmers market and the zucchinis were already crazy cheap. I bought a few because why not and then promptly could not figure out what I wanted to do with them. Some ended up in eggs, pasta, nachos (!), but I still had so much. So one night I shredded the remainders up and decided to make a veggie faux latke. It worked out really well. Sometimes the farmers market creates inspiration and sometimes you just buy too many zucchinis.

Zucchini Cakes:

Serves 2

1 potato, shredded

2 medium size zucchinis, shredded

2 medium size carrots, shredded

3 garlic cloves, minced

½ c. matzoh meal

2 eggs, scrambled

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Olive oil

Ricotta (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix together shredded veggies and then mix in the matzoh and eggs. Form into patties. Place on a greased baking sheet. Sprinkle top with olive oil. Back for 10-15 minutes until cooked through and the tops and edges are crispy. Top with ricotta cheese.

They are tasty and a fun way to do something like latkes without being a slave to the stove. Yum!

Strawberry Balsamic Smash

2011-09-19T09:56:00.000-07:00

Some time ago Adam and Josh came over and we watched Elvira and had these drinks. They were a little weird, but it was a fun experiment. Elvira, of course, was fabulous.

Strawberry Balsamic Smash from Serious Eats:

Serves 1

For the strawberry syrup-

2 c. strawberries, hulled and sliced

1/3 c. sugar

3” piece of lemon peel

For the cocktail:

4 strawberries, hulled

1 round slice of lemon, cut in half

1 oz. strawberry syrup

½ oz. balsamic vinegar

2 oz. bourbon

Garnish: additional strawberry

To make the syrup, combine the strawberries, sugar, and lemon rind in a saucepan. Cover and let sit for 1 hour at room temperature, stirring occasionally.

Once the sugar has dissolved and the strawberries have released their liquid, bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat. Cook, stirring gently, until the berries are tender, about 3 minutes.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer the strawberries to a pint jar. Continue simmering the syrup until it thickens to a syrupy consistency, about 2 minutes. Discard lemon peel and pour syrup over berries. Let cool to room temperature, then store in the fridge for up to 1 month.

To make the cocktail: muddle 4 strawberries and the lemon in the bottom of a cocktail shaker. Fill the shaker with ice, then add the strawberry syrup, balsamic and bourbon.

Shake vigorously. Using both the cocktail strainer and a fine mesh strainer, strain the cocktail into a glass. Garnish with a strawberry.

The strawberry syrup was the winner here. I’ll definitely do that again.

Apple Dutch Baby

2011-09-16T10:24:00.000-07:00

Dutch babies are a nostalgic breakfast for me. My mom used to always makes them for me for special breakfasts and whenever I visit, I can get one. The classic way to make it is to make a huge one in cast iron pan and share it, but you can do individual sizes. I made a smaller version to share with Aaron and did it in a casserole, which made it thicker than usual, but still tasty. Apple is a classic combo with the Dutch baby.

Apple Dutch Baby:

¼ c. milk +

¼ c. flour

for every egg

1 – 2 eggs from one person

3 – 4 for more

1 apple

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place enough butter to coat casserole. Warm in oven until melty.

Mix milk and flour with beaten eggs. Cover the bottom of the casserole with apple slices. Pour in batter and cover top with apple slices. For a one egg baby, bake for 8-10 minutes. For two eggs, 10-12 minutes, and 12-15 for three eggs.

Remove when top is puffy. Serve with maple syrup, sour cream, and jam.

It’s easy, but still seems like a fancier breakfast. It would also be a welcome addition to a potluck brunch.

Things I Love Thursday: Sept. 15, 2011

2011-09-15T10:30:00.000-07:00

Ice Cold Whisky Dispenser via Black and WTF

(from a 1950s Life Magazine)

30 Uses for Leftover Cake Batter: It's not my birthday for a bit (my half birthday is next month though), but I still love birthday cake. Also CakeSpy. These are fantastic ideas.

Are Carrots Orange for Political Reasons?: As it turns out, the question is far more complicated that you might think."What is clear, however, is that the Dutch themselves have used the orange carrot as a political weapon during the rise and fall of the House of Orange." Carrots aren't always orange as anyone who has ever grown them or gone to a farmers market can tell you. The question is still unresolved. On a side note, are there any job titles cooler than horticulture historian?

Cheese Forest via Win! on Fail Blog

Ben & Jerry's Introduces Schweddy Balls Ice Cream: As a person, Alec Baldwin is fairly terrible. As a comedian, he's great. Schweddy Balls, in case you don't know, comes from one of the best skits out of the SNL's Delicious Dish, a fake NPR program about food in monotone voices, skits. If I can find it, I'm trying it.

Also from NPR, there is evidence that a baby's palate and food memories are shaped before birth. I do love kalamata olives and my mom told me she couldn't get enough of them while pregnant with me. Of course I was introduced to lots of good foods throughout childhood, so take from this study what you will.

Drunk Elk Found in Tree: Again, the BBC has the best food related news. Even if you don't read this, go look at the picture. It's hilarious!

Heirloom Tomato via Herbivoracious

The Last Pizza Commercial: I have been having thoughts along these lines about Domino's new ad campaign. Funny or Die says it best.

The Perennial Plate: Food + travel + education = my dream life.Check out this video of some of their favorite moments over three months of traveling and eating and learning.

The Culinary Notebooks of Leonardo "Fat Boy" Da Vinci: haha. I love this!

A Good Cook via Friends of Type

I'm also loving: fresh pasta from Pastaworks; vanilla cupcakes from Beaverton Bakery (and my new job is just blocks away!); comté cheese thanks to Corey; tomatoes right off of the vine; so much sushi; introducing more people to Screen Door (it really is worth getting up that early); my year long love of bloody marys (I know, I was so behind); chocolate tastings via The Meadow; the dudes at the meat counter at Sheridan's (so helpful and informative!); having way too much fun using my mortar and pestle; dried apricots; peanut butter on granola bars for breakfast; the way my hands smell after watering my plants; already starting to think about Thanksgiving; cookie presents from the librarians I work with.

What are you loving this week?

Chocolate Cupcakes with Vanilla Frosting and Mint Oreo Cream

2011-09-13T10:38:00.000-07:00

Aaron and I celebrated our fifth (wow!) anniversary on August 4. Clearly this was a very busy time for me and I didn’t actually make these cupcakes on our anniversary. They ended up being presents for that weekend including an amazing trip to the Oregon/Washington Coast with my friends before Adam moved off to NYC to get his PhD. They were well received and I actually ate one this time. It combines several things Aaron and I love: ridiculous chocolate cake (is there one better than North Douglas? Nope. I used a half recipe), Oreos, amazing vanilla frosting, and Star Wars. Did I mention I got these stencils recently? Yeah. Awesome. Eat and share it with someone you love, even if that love is Han Solo.

Chocolate Cupcakes with Vanilla Frosting and Mint Oreo Cream:

Makes 12 cupcakes

North Douglas Chocolate Cake from The Fiddlehead Cookbook-

½ c. water

½ stick butter

¼ c. oil

2¼ Tb. sifted Dutch process dark cocoa

1 c. unbleached white flour

1 c. granulated sugar

½ tsp. baking soda

¼ tsp. salt

1 egg

¼ c. buttermilk

½ tsp. vanilla extract

Mint Oreo Cream-

½ -¾ c. whipping cream

12 oreos, crushed

2 drops peppermint extract

Vanilla Frosting from howtoeatacupcake.net-

½ c. unsalted butter, at room temperature

1¾ c. powdered sugar, sifted

Pinch of salt

1/3 c. whipping cream

½ tsp. vanilla extract

To make the cupcakes, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a cupcake pan with pretty cupcake liners. Combine water, butter, oil, and cocoa in a small pan and bring to a boil. While butter and water are coming to a boil, sift together flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Set aside. Whisk together eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla in a small bowl and set aside.

When butter and water are boiling, pour over sifted flour. Stir until just combined. Add egg mixture and gently fold together. Pour into prepared liners.

Bake for 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow to rest briefly in pans and then turn out onto racks to cool completely.

While it is cooling, beat whipping cream until light and fluffy. Add in crushed oreos and then peppermint extract. Set aside.

To make the frosting, mix together butter, powdered sugar, and a pinch of salt until creamy. Increase your mixer speed to high and beat until light and fluffy. Add whipping cream and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Set aside.

To assemble the cupcakes, follow the directions from these amazing cupcakes: core, fill with oreo cream, gently frost. When the frosting has hardened a bit, use your stencils and gently tap cocoa powder to the tops of the cupcakes to decorate.

I loved these! I would add in slightly less peppermint extract as that flavor easily takes over, but otherwise everything was great. North Douglas chocolate cake is always the perfect base for any chocolate based project. These are fantastic and a lot of fun to make.

Coleslaw

2011-09-12T10:49:00.000-07:00

What goes really well with grilled deliciousness? Coleslaw. It also rocks with slow cooked chicken sandwiches. Make this. It’s easy and wonderful. It’s a half recipe, but I promise it’s enough unless you’re going to a huge barbecue.

Coleslaw from 2^nd Ave Deli Cookbook:

Makes about 1 quart

1 lb. green cabbage

¼ c. very finely grated carrot

1½ Tb. white vinegar

1½ Tb. sugar

¼ c. mayonnaise

½ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. white pepper

Remove and discard loose out cabbage leaves and core. Shred cabbage. I did this with the slicing attachment on my food processor. Place in a large bowl, add carrots, and mix.

In a separate bowl, mix all other ingredients. Pour them over the cabbage and carrots, and toss to combine thoroughly. Chill for several hours or overnight.

Use this as a side from everything you’re grilling or plop it on top of sandwiches. It’s got a great tang and gets even better the longer it sits. I plan on trying a bunch of new coleslaw recipes, but it’s a great basic to start with.

Mint Chimichurri

2011-09-10T10:09:00.000-07:00

What goes great with grilled burgers? Chimichurri. Lamb loves mint, so even though the original recipe does not have mint, but mint + lamb = perfection. The first chimichurri I ever had was with mint, so why not? I added in all of the optional spices and it really pops.

Mint Chimichurri Sauce modified from Closet Cooking:

Makes 2 cups

1 c. mint (packed)

¼ c. parsley (packed)

¼ c. cilantro (packed)

1 Tb. fresh oregano (chopped, optional)

4 cloves garlic (peeled)

1 tsp. red pepper flakes

¼ tsp. cumin (optional)

¼ tsp. hot smoked paprika (optional)

¼ c. oil

2 Tb. white wine vinegar

½ lemon (juice and zest)

Salt and pepper to taste

Puree everything in a in a food processor. Put on food. This is awesome with lamb, but would be great just on toast or a veggie packed sandwich. It is full of ridiculous flavor.

Thyme Ice Cream with Grilled Peaches

2011-09-09T09:07:00.000-07:00

Through no fault of my own, I am subjected to The Oregonian’s Food Day on my porch twice a week. Despite being obnoxious, I have occasionally gotten good recipes out of there. This is one of them. I decided to use it on top of grilled peaches. Grilling fruit makes the flavor really deepen and with this yummy, herbal ice cream, it just feels like summer.

Thyme Ice Cream from Chad Draizin of Fifty Licks Ice Cream and Grilled Peaches:

Makes about 1 quart

1 c. milk

2 c. whipping cream, divided

7 sprigs fresh thyme

6 egg yolks

1 c. plus 2½ Tb. granulated sugar

1 tsp. honey

2 medium size peaches

Oil

In a medium saucepan combine the milk, 1 cup of the cream, and the thyme sprigs. Heat to just under boiling, around 190 degrees. Remove from heat, cover and allow mixture to steep for 30 minutes, longer if you like strong thyme flavor. I’d recommend doing it for longer because the thyme flavor is very subtle at 30 minutes.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, and honey. Remove and discard the thyme sprigs from the warm milk mixture. Add egg-sugar mixture to the saucepan. Pour remaining cup of cream into a mixing bowl and set aside.

Return saucepan to medium heat and stir constantly with heatproof spatula until mixture thickens slightly; temperature should be about 170 degrees. Be certain to scrape the bottom of the bowl with the spatula as you stir. When the custard thickens, pour it through a strainer and stir into the remaining cup of cream. Now chill this mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator for at least four hours.

When ready to churn, freeze the mixture in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Move the mixture into the freezer for hard packed ice cream.

To make the peaches, cut them in half and remove the pit. Oil each side. Preheat the grill for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to medium. Place peaches skin side up, close lid, and cook for 3-4 minutes. Turn over and cook for another 3 minutes.

Place peach halves in a bowl and cover with ice cream.

The fruit flavor works really well with the ice cream. The ice cream itself is not super herbal and has a great custard flavor. It has become my favorite new dessert.

Things I Love Thursday: Sept. 8, 2011

2011-09-08T11:14:00.000-07:00

Watermelon Hearts via Let Them Eat Cake

(thanks Amy!)

Rosa Parks' Uncovered 'Featherlite' Peanut Butter Pancakes: Rosa Parks was an incredible woman. You should know this as an American and as a person. What I bet you didn't know is that she had a penchant for peanut butter in pancakes. This is cooking and history: two things I love reading about!

Great Day Makers: I love when I feel like I'm slightly ahead of the "oh, isn't this cool" curve. Yes and Yes is one of my favorite blogs and she recently posted about the awesome separated cereal bowl I mentioned in a TILT post in July as well as the shark tea infuser I posted about last year. You should really read the rest of it though as she includes Sky Mall-esque toasters that print messages and mustache mugs.

Venn Ding Machine via Brainless Tales

Simpsons Inspired Meals: These are disgusting and hilarious and a must read for any fan of the show. Thanks Lisa for the heads up on this one!

Baguette Vending Machine Debuts in France: I could use one of these. A lot. This is weird and amazing.

Strawberry Turtle Attack via Cute Overload

(thanks Renai!)

Kids Cook Too: I love Awful Library Books and this one is a gem. Want to read bits of a 1957 Betty Crocker cookbook for kids? You know I did! I love looking at food photography from the 50s and 60s as well. Everything looks unappetizing.

In more modern kids in the world of food, check out digger obsessed cutlery. You know the here comes the airplane, but what about here comes the backhoe?

And in even more kid related news, want to know how to eat your first birthday cake? The answer is with your hands and make a huge mess. And be adorable. Speaking of first birthdays and things that are beyond adorable, my friend Eva's daughter Nixie just turned one and she had an amazing Yo Gabba Gabba cake at her birthday.

666 Pounds of Voodoo Donuts via Bites on Today

(full post here)

I'm also loving: sweet potato fries with that amazing dipping sauce at Mint; different combos of fro-yo; stir-fry after yoga; peaches with ice cream all the time; BBQs with buds on a lazy Sunday; honey sesame almonds for life; "Arug-u-la. It's a veg-e-ta-ble."; Emergen-C after a stupid run in stupid 90 degree heat. Which is stupid.; chain food that doesn't suck; family dinners with Aaron and Corey; the last of the summer seasonals; tomatoes like whoa; happy hours.

What are you loving this week?

Balsamic Vinaigrette with Grilled Salad

2011-09-07T10:08:00.000-07:00

I love salad and I eat it all the time. It got a lot easier when Aaron discovered how much he loves balsamic. As much as I love salad, I do basically the same thing every time. I decided to go slightly out of the box with this one and make a dressing and grill some veggies.

Balsamic Vinaigrette with Grilled Salad:

For the vinaigrette-

¼ c. balsamic

2 garlic cloves, minced

10 small sprigs lemon thyme

Fresh ground pepper and salt to taste

Juice for ½ lemon

¼ c. extra virgin olive oil

For the salad-

Arugula

Lettuce (romaine, butter, red leaf)

Broccoli

Carrots

Green onion

Peppers

To make the vinaigrette, mix all of the ingredients together until well blended. Set aside.

For the salad, grill the broccoli, carrots, green onion, and peppers until slightly charred. Add the grilled veggies to a salad bowl with arugula and lettuce. Toss in vinaigrette. I added goat cheese and cherry tomatoes to mine.

It’s a quick and easy way to jazz up your salad.

Grilled Pizza

2011-09-05T17:21:00.000-07:00

Today is the unofficial end of summer and I’ve decided to wrap it up with a week of grilled recipes that I haven’t posted yet. First up: grilled pizza. Obviously I love pizza and doing it a different way is fun.

Grilled Pizza:

½ recipe of pizza dough

Olive oil

Tomato-basil puree

Garlic, minced

Basil

Tomatoes

Mozzarella cheese, grated and sliced

Sausage, cooked

Grilled onions

Make your dough and roll out your pizzas. A full recipe can get your three good size pizzas for grilling. You want a smaller pizza so it cooks through well. Preheat your grill.

Oil the top of your dough, flip it over, and slide it onto the grill over medium-high heat. Grill until the bottom is cooked (it should have grill marks at this point). Oil the top and flip it over on the unheated side of the grill and quickly top it. Use a light touch with the sauces. We used the tomato-basil puree on two and just olive oil on one. Go light on the toppings too. You want it to cook through quickly.

Slide it back over the flames until the cheese is melted, your toppings are heated through, and the bottom side is cooked.

We had three pizzas. One was classic margarita: tomato, whole basil leaves, and mozzarella. The other was similar: tomato, basil, mozzarella, grilled onion, and garlic on an olive oil base. The last one was tomato sauce, grilled sausage, mozzarella, and basil.

There are a few moments of wondering if you can get it all together, but the results are so worth it. It would work well as an appetizer at a barbecue or just as a meal, which is what we did. If the weather is still nice where you are, I recommend doing this. It’s usually nice in Portland through September, so I think this will be happening again. Who says Labor Day is the end of summer?

Things I Love Thursday: Sept. 1, 2011

2011-09-01T11:29:00.000-07:00

Panda Bear Rice via Madi

Rabbit rabbit.

Hey guys. The sun is shining. I went to Seattle last weekend and had a blast. I've been feeling better. I still love stuff, so here we go.

Sarah's Gadget Showcase, Part 2: I am now a librarian (check it! I graduated!), but prior to getting my MLS, I started following a number of library related blogs. Kai's mom is an academic librarian and referred me to Librarian in Black. I love it. I also love that she just did a post about her favorite kitchen gadgets. Librarians love gadgets and so do cooks. I love things that cover multiple parts of who I am.

Fantastic Food Fashion: It's similar to something I posted last year, but it's still fun to see different things made out of food. Kirsten recently shared this post of food sculptures that I also love. Makes you glad these people never heeded the don't play with your food warning from family.

Deadly Seafood via Nik Daum

Naked Tomato Sauce: My tomato plant has been killing it. I have so many tomatoes and many of them are now (finally) red. This might be one way to use them. I'm also thinking about this Spicy Tomato Jam with Peaches that Food in Jars posted on Facebook. I'm open to any and all tomato recipes right now.

One Hundred Miles Food Cart: There's a new cart in town (isn't there always?) and this one is based on sourcing food from within 100 miles of Portland. It's a noble endeavor and I can't wait to try it.

John Gorham to Open New Mississippi Venture: He's created Toro Bravo and Tasty n Sons, two of my favorite restaurants in Portland. Now, bar food? And all of this in my neighborhood? Yes please!

In other local news, Pok Pok Som Drinking Vinegar Goes National. Pok Pok, another fave of mine, is Thai street food and their fish sauce chicken wings are ridiculous. So are their drinking vinegars and now they will be available outside of NE (up the hill from me!) and SE Portland.

The Go-To Snacks of Literary Greats via Wendy MacNaughton
(click it to make it bigger)

Bill Clinton's Life as a Vegan: Everyone has their own personal food politics. These can sometimes become quite messy in the public sphere especially because of how personal some of these choices are. However, the reason I'm posting this is because I like his reasoning behind it. His family has a history of heart disease, he has a history of heart disease, and he wants to be around for his family. Plus, I love the SNL clip included with the article.

The Ten Most Insulting Things Anthony Bourdain Has Said About the Food Network: It's exactly what it sounds like. Go read it because Tony is hilarious. I like to talk about him, obviously.

Donut Kitties via Must Have Cute

I'm also loving: extra cheesy Aaron creations; Old Grand-Dad Whiskey (it has the best name ever!); getting to go to the last ever Nettletown dinner with Renai; snacks with my faves while sitting on a beach on Lake Washington (plus sharing ginger brews); the (brief) return of Taco Tuesday with Aaron and Corey; pickled grapes (who knew?); eating tomatoes right off of the vine, sometimes wrapped in basil right off the plant; getting lavender in the mail from my mom; spicy everything; grilled fruit; sharing baked goods; avocado every day; dreaming of Corey's dad's smoked salmon; creating drinks in Chisum's memory (rum + cola + pop rocks); @pattonoswalt "I wonder how many people's last words included the word, "nutrageous."".

What are you loving this week?

Saying Goodbye and a Bit of Hope

2011-08-23T10:27:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry I haven't posted since the 10th. The next day I found out my cat, Chisum (as seen in this post), was very, very ill and last Tuesday, the 16th, Aaron and I had to say goodbye. It was one of the hardest things I have ever done.. I've said goodbye to pets before but this was the first time I had to make the choice. Posting about food didn't seem like a priority. I took the next day off from work and on Thursday doing a Things I Love post seemed wrong.

Aaron adopted Chisum during the summer of 2001 when he was 2 months old. We all moved down to Portland together at the end of May 2002 and have been a little family ever since. Even with the addition of Doser, our ridiculous dog that he was only really starting to not hate, Chisum has been a good friend and nighttime snuggler. I miss him every day, but it's slowly getting easier.

My tomatoes are starting to turn red. My basil plant has gone insane in the good way. The rosemary and oregano make my backyard smell so good. My gypsy pepper plant may actually put out another pepper and the jalapeño one is giving me presents. My mom, as a graduation gift, gave me lavender, rosemary, oregano/thyme, and sage plants. Things grow and change. The night we said goodbye I had a plate of nachos from Cha!Cha!Cha! and a veggie burger with goat cheese from Little Big Burger and we watched Role Models and tried not to feel so bad.

It's getting better. I'll be posting again soon because I still love food and still have my anniversary cupcakes to tell you about. And I grilled pizza for the first time! And I made mint chimichurri and a delicious salad with balsamic vinaigrette. Looking at my photos, I have a lot more to share.

With love,
Becca

Vanilla Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream and Bourbon Chocolate Ganache

2011-08-10T12:50:00.000-07:00

What do you do to celebrate finishing the most important weekend of your graduate school career? You make cupcakes, share them with your friends, and then forget to eat one. I love cobbling together recipes and filled cupcakes are one of the easiest ways to put three different things together, including the filled part of these cupcakes that I have never done before (my friends enjoy whiskey). Plus, I love my Settlement cookbook (despite its horribly sexist tag line) because it always turns out great baked goods.

So even though my capstone ended a couple of weekends ago and since grades are officially in and I am officially graduating on Sunday (!!!), I am officially posting these. Officially. And maybe it'll remind me to make them again so I can actually eat one instead of tasting all of the individual parts in the baking process.

Vanilla Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream and Bourbon Chocolate Ganache:

Makes 12 cupcakes so good you'll get marriage offers

Vanilla Cupcakes from The Settlement Cookbook -

1 c. sugar

2 c. flour

¼ tsp. salt

3 tsp. baking powder

¼ c. shortening

1 c. milk

1 egg, well beaten

1 tsp. vanilla

Bourbon Chocolate Ganache modified from Dinner & Dessert:

4 oz. bittersweet chocolate
2/3 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon butter, room temperature
3-ish teaspoon bourbon (probably more. I wasn’t measuring and non bourbon lovers might not like this as much)

Rich Vanilla Buttercream Frosting from Baking Illustrated:

Makes 2 cups

2 large eggs

½ c. sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

Pinch of salt

½ lb. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened but still cool, each stick cut into quarters

To make the cupcakes, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Sift dry ingredients together. Add melted shortening to the milk, egg, and vanilla together. Combine mixtures well. Pour into cupcake pans filled about ¾ of the way. Bake for about 20 minutes. What is hilarious about this recipe is that it is supposed to make 24 cupcakes. I didn't want 24, I wanted 12, so I made a half recipe and upon seeing the amount of batter in my mixer bowl, I made the other half. I'm not sure these would have made 24 mini cupcakes!

Anyway, while your cupcakes are cooling, move on to the ganache and frosting.

For the ganache, chop the chocolate and transfer it to a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream until simmering and pour it over the chocolate. Let it sit for one minute and then stir until smooth. (If this has not sufficiently melted the chocolate, you can return it to a double-boiler to gently melt what remains.) Add the butter and bourbon and stir until combined. It should be creamy, but if not, add a bit more cream and bourbon. It’s okay, it’s delicious.

While the ganache is cooling, make the frosting by combining the eggs, sugar, vanilla, and salt in the bowl of a standing mixer; place bowl over a pan of simmering water. (Do no let the bottom of the bowl touch the water). Whisking gently but constantly, beat the mixture until it is thin and foamy and registers 160 degrees on an instant read thermometer.

Beat the egg mixture at medium-high speed until light, airy, and cooled to room temperature, about 5 minutes. Reduce speed to medium and add the butter, one piece a a time. (After adding half the butter, the buttercream may look curdled; it will smooth out with additional butter). Once all the butter is added, increase the speed to high and beat 1 minute until light, fluffy, and thoroughly combined. It's a deliciously decadent frosting and it will make extra. It can be covered and refrigerated for up to 5 days. This is a half recipe and it made too much for 12 cupcakes, though not the too much I generally seem to experience.

To assemble the cupcakes, use your awesome cupcake corer your mom got you (or a slim knife cutting to about 2/3 of the way down) to remove the centers. Eat these since you might not eat a cupcake later. Fill the holes to the top with cooled ganache (it should still be pipe- or spoon-able). Cover in frosting. Try to be gentle about this if you don't want the chocolate mixing in with the vanilla. A big glob of it that you slowly swirl around is a good way to go about this.

These are really good. Well, I know that the the individual parts are really, really good. The ganache isn't too sweet and has a very distinct bourbon taste, which was perfect for the crowd I made them for. The frosting is so ridiculously good and the cupcakes are not too sweet and an a perfect light complement to the heavier filling and frosting. Everyone I spoke with said the cupcakes as a whole were really, really good. And yes, I did get a marriage offer, just in case I need a back up hubby. It is contingent on these cupcakes. So make them! And don't forget to eat one!

Cookie Dough Ice Cream

2011-08-08T11:00:00.000-07:00

The semester is over. School is over. I feel really, really good about that, but before it was all over, I was a giant ball of stress. That's how this ice cream came to be. If you combine this (minus the OJ) and this, you get delicious, delicious ice cream. I've made two batches now because it is easy, everyone likes it, and it can take stress down a notch.

Cookie Dough Ice Cream mostly from Ben & Jerry’s Homemade Ice Cream & Dessert Book:

Makes one quart

Sweet Cream Base #1 -
2 large eggs
¾ cup sugar
2 cups heavy or whipping cream
1 cup milk
and 2 tsp. vanilla

½ recipe peanut butter M&M cookie dough

Make the cookie dough and roll into small balls. Put it on a baking sheet and stick it in your freezer while you work on the ice cream base.

Prep the sweet cream base with vanilla. Whisk the eggs in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk in the sugar, a little at a time, then continue whisking until completely blended, about 1 minute more. . Pour in cream and milk and whisk to blend. Then whisk in the vanilla. Easy.

Get it going in the ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. About 2 minutes before it is done freezing, add in the cookie dough balls. Transfer to a freezer safe container and freeze for at least 2 hours (overnight is better) to get hard pack.

And then you eat it and it is good. I'm really proud of this ice cream and though it can be a bit messy to make, the smiles on the faces of your husband (if you have one of those) and your friends (if you have these...which are really nice things to have) makes it so totally worth the mess. Plus, the smile on your own face because seriously...so good.

Real French Onion Dip

2011-08-06T14:31:00.000-07:00

Sometime last month Aaron and I were invited to a late night barbeque. As is always the case, we asked what we could bring. The reply was French onion dip. Not being one who likes to purchase when I can make for potlucks, I was ready to tackle it even with not much time prior to the event.

I had saved a recipe just for an occasion such as this and I was very pleased with the results. This is best made a day ahead of time, but it can work well even a few hours ahead. I made a half recipe of the original, but I am posting the full one below. Either way it's easy and worth your time as it is so much better than the stuff you get at the store. Promise.

Real French Onion Dip from Serious Eats:

Makes about 2 cups

2 tsp. sugar

3 large yellow onions, finely diced (about 1 qt.)

1 Tb. butter

¼ tsp. baking soda

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

½ c. water

¾ c. sour cream

½ c. mayonnaise

1 tsp. lemon juice

½ tsp. Worcestershire sauce

½ oz. finely grated Parmesan cheese

1 Tb. finely sliced chives (I used green onion since I had it on hand)

Heat sugar in a 12” stainless-steel skillet over medium-high heat until completely melted and light brown, about 3 minutes. Immediately add onions and stir with wooden spoon to coat onions in sugar. Add butter, baking soda, 1 teaspoon salt, and a few grinds black pepper. Toss to combine. Cook, shaking pan occasionally until onions release all their liquid and brown coating builds up on bottom of pan, 6 to 8 minutes.

Add 2 tablespoons water shake pan while scraping with wooden spoon to deglaze brown bits from bottom of pan. Continue cooking, shaking occasionally until coating begins to build up again, 3 to 5 minutes. Repeat deglazing and cooking steps three more times until all water is used up and onions are deep brown. Transfer to medium mixing bowl and allow to rest at room temperature for 5 minutes.

Add sour cream, mayonnaise, lemon juice, parmesan, and Worcestershire and whisk to combine. For smoother texture, run through blender or food processor. I did not do this step as I felt it was fairly smooth on its own. Chill in a sealed container for at least 1 hour and up to 5 days (flavor will improve with time). Spoon into a bowl, sprinkle with chives, and serve with chips.

This was a big hit and went well with the burgers and other snacks.

Things I Love Thursday: Aug. 4, 2011

2011-08-04T10:19:00.000-07:00

The World Map of Condiments via Pleated Jeans

(because my hubby and I are world travelers)

Hey guys, guess what today is? Oh, I don't know, just my 5 year wedding anniversary. It's rad being married to someone as awesome as Aaron and it's also rad being able to use rad and awesome in the same sentence and be totally sincere about it. I am filled with love and though I am not currently wearing my wedding dress, I'd like to share all the love I feel. But about food! Happy Thursday and happy anniversary to Aaron. And also me.

Bourdain to Host Second Travel Channel Show: I think Anthony Bourdain is the bee's knees, so the fact that he's getting a second show is wonderful news to my eyeballs. This is why it's worth your time - "unlike No Rez, you will actually be able to do the stuff covered on the show." Yup! I would've called it a Hot Minute with Tony, but I'll watch it just the same.

In other Travel Channel/food news, check out this interview with my other favorite travel food guy Adam Richman.I cannot tell you how many hours of Man V. Food I've watched (it's even better at the gym). I think transforming his format was really smart and probably a million times better for his health. The dude is a consummate entertainer and just seems like a really nice guy.

Bread People: Want to see something really creepy, but oddly entertaining? Click on that link. James Earl Scones might be my favorite, but you know I also am disturbed, but in love with Han Soloaf.

Soda Box Super Mario Bros. via Colt Monday

(because we love Mario)

Russia Classifies Beers as Alcoholic: This just in - beer is not food. I guess Murderface won't want to move to Russia now.

Cheese Pencils: This link comes to me via Brittany, who is someone who knows cheese. How are these real and how do I not have one right now? Can you imagine shaving this over your fancy arugula salad? I can!

Dinosaur Comics - Everything You Need to Know About Kitchens: Turns out dinosaurs can teach you about more than just ecology. They also know things about kitchens! I feel kind of silly because I learned about a backsplash from a webcomic, but I think I'll live. On a side note, you should be reading this comic. Don't forget to hover your mouse over the comic for the alt text!

Bacon Enjoyment via Genius Pending

(because we love bacon and bacon turned me into a meat eater...which Aaron loves)

Sugar and Shirts: So Threadless makes really fun shirts and now they have a competition where people make cakes that look like their shirts. As you may have guessed, the cakes are also fun. I think my favorite one is the of the triple scoop ice cream cone. If you want to enter this year, you have until the 15th.

Toasty Illusions: I can totally see the cat face, but I'm usually really good at these things.

Fishin' for Revolution: I hope this doesn't end up on a t-shirt.

Locavores Dream Spiral via Seasons Gleanings

(because we love the farmers market)

I'm also loving: National Ice Cream Sandwich Day (yup, that's a real thing); eating cardamom ice cream between two lemon cookies at Ruby Jewel because it's National Ice Cream Sandwich Day; surprisingly delicious vegan corn dogs at Hungry Tiger Too!; buckets of ginger mojitos (I will have this!); goat cheese on everything all the time, but especially pita chips; the smell of garlic when you've pulled it from the ground; discovering the delicious flavors of Rogue whiskey (thanks LeGrand!); excellent after a long (FINAL!) class weekend BBQs with your lovely school friends; having someone offer marriage based on a cupcake; B's getting a new food cart and actually getting it on the barge; Reed's ginger beer every day; conveyor belt sushi (and Aaron eating conveyor belt sushi); bagels for breakfast lunch and also dinner; anniversary dinners (tonight!); anniversary drinks with friends (tomorrow!); giant freezepops in the park; all food and everything because today is my anniversary and everything is good.

What are you loving this week?

Restaurant Review: B's Bakery and Bistro

2011-08-03T13:44:00.000-07:00

This is a totally not impartial restaurant review. My sister-in-law, also named Becca, runs a food cart (B's Bakery & Bistro) in our hometown of Juneau, Alaska and it is ridiculously delicious and you should know about it. I knew I liked her food already, but I didn't get to try the cart food until I was back up North for my 10 year high school reunion (go Bears!).

Anyway, it is good. She's currently rocking out some cupcakes, cookies, and paninis. There's a special panino every week and they all come with a lot of love. I had the special, which that day was goat cheese, asparagus, and prosciutto. Salty, a little sweet, crunchy, and all amazing. Aaron had the Twisted Cheese Steak, which Becca says is one of her most popular. We split a Salted Caramel cupcake and it was the perfect density and fluffiness. I unfortunately missed out on the pumpkin cupcakes with maple cream, but I heard they were awesome. I'm not the only one who loves her. The Capital City Weekly interviewed her and the Juneau Empire caught a snap of her moving her cart.

This fall she'll be opening up a bigger cart in a new location, so be on the look out for that. Currently she is located on 4th and Main, across the street from the Capital Building, and is open Tuesday-Friday from 11:30-2. If you're in the area and haven't checked her out yet, get on it! If you're not...well...another reason to visit Alaska? I think so.

Become a fan on Facebook or follow her on Twitter (if only to get her to actually tweet!).

Donut Bread Pudding with Kentucky Whisky Sauce

2011-07-25T08:43:00.000-07:00

Here are some things about Lisa: she likes whiskey and she likes when I bake things. Clearly my first course of action had to be looking in The Boozy Baker when looking for a birthday dessert for her. I saw the word whiskey in the title and went for it. The only change to the recipe? Kentucky (aka Maker’s Mark) instead of Tennessee (Jack Daniel’s). I also made these mini by putting them in cupcake liners. It involves donuts. Don’t worry – it’s delish and not at all good for you in any way.

Donut Bread Pudding with Kentucky Whisky Sauce from The Boozy Baker:

Makes about 12 mini bread puddings

For the bread pudding –

4 Tb. unsalted butter, melted

8 plain cake donuts

½ c. packed brown sugar

¼ tsp. cinnamon

¼ tsp. ground nutmeg

4 large eggs

2¼ c. heavy cream

¼ c. Kentucky whisky

1 tsp. vanilla extract

For the sauce –

1½ tsp. cornstarch

2 Tb. Kentucky whisky

¾ c. heavy cream

2 Tb. granulated sugar

To make the pudding, cut the donuts into 1½-2” chunks and put them in a large size bowl. In another large size bowl, combine the butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Add the eggs and whisk until blended. Whisk in the heavy cream, whisky, and vanilla. Pour the egg mixture over the donuts. Press down lightly with a wooden spoon, making sure to submerge all the pieces. Allow the pudding to stand at room temperature for 1 hour, or cover and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Scoop the pudding mixture into a lined cupcake pan using a small ladle or ice cream scoop. Cover the pan with a piece of foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 5 minutes more, or until the custard is set but soft and the tops of the doughnuts are lightly browned.

To make the sauce, combine the cornstarch and whisky in a small bowl. In a small saucepan over high heat, combine the cream and sugar, whisking constantly, 2 or 3 minutes, or until small bubbles begin to form. Continue whisking constantly and add the whisky mixture (it will bubble vigorously). Continue whisking until the sauce is blended and thick.

Since I was serving these at a house show and rode my bike there, I packed up the mini puddings and sauce separately and dolloped the sauce on each one individually. It worked out. They were a big hit, especially with the birthday girl, and allowed me to have wonderful conversations about the best whiskies and bourbons. I plan on making this again in the bigger version – maybe Thanksgiving? Who can say no to donuts and whisky?

Strawberry Upside-Down Cake with Cardamom

2011-07-17T20:57:00.000-07:00

I have been obsessed with strawberries lately. You may have noticed this. So when this recipe popped up in my reader when Kirsten was sitting near me at work, I knew what to make for her super secret birthday dessert. I mean, she made me a super delicious dinner, so I had to kick out the baking jams to make sure my dinner also rocked. It's from Joy the Baker, one of my favorite food bloggers (again, you may have noticed this), so you know it's a winner. Make it now while strawberries are still lingering.

Strawberry Upside-Down Cake with Cardamom from Joy the Baker:

Makes one 9-inch cake

For the topping -

2 Tb. unsalted butter
¼ c. brown sugar
1 c. sliced strawberries (I love you Oregon strawberries)

For the cake -
½ c. unsalted butter, softened
2/3 c. brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 1/3 c. all-purpose flour (did I sub 1/3 c. whole wheat? You know it!)
1 tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. ground cardamom
¼ tsp. nutmeg (just for kicks because the crushing the cardamom made me think of nutmeg)
2/3 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Use an 8-inch round with 3-inch tall sides. You can also use a 9-inch round with 2-inch sides (which I did!)

Place butter in the cake pan and place in the oven. When butter is melted, remove pan from the oven. Using two pot holders, tilt the pan around and around, coating the sides of the pan with butter. Once sides are coated, set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cardamom. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter and brown sugar on medium speed. Cream until slightly pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Stop mixer, scrape down the bowl with a spatula, and add egg and vanilla extract. Beat for 1 minute.

Turn the mixer off, scrape the bowl, and add the dry ingredients. Beat on low speed while adding the sour cream. Beat until the batter just comes together. Batter will be pretty thick. Remove the bowl from the mixer and finish incorporating ingredients with a spatula.

Sprinkle ¼ cup brown sugar into the melted butter in the cake pan. Sprinkle strawberry slices over the butter and sugar in a single layer. This is harder than it looks. Also, don’t eat all of the strawberries, which is hard, I know. Spoon batter over the strawberries and spread evenly with a spatula. Bake for about 35 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.

Let cake rest for 10 minutes before running a knife around the edge of the cake and inverting the cake onto a cake plate. Serve warm with sweetened sour or whipped cream. I did whipped cream. It was wonderful, especially after that pizza. It’s got a wonderful aroma and you will want to eat it every day for the next week if you can.

Things I Love Thursday: June 14, 2011

2011-07-14T10:54:00.000-07:00

Mango, Blueberry, and Coconut Ice Pops via Apt. 2B Baking Co

The International Association of Culinary Professionals 2011 Award Winners and Finalists: This is my must-read-after-grad-school list. The Culinary Ephemera book sounds so interesting. I love reading and I love food. Good combination or great combination?

Bees Invade Sun Gold Farm: Okay, I'm not going to lie, I am still a little afraid of bees, but I do recognize the important work that they do so we can eat good food. Save the bees because I like produce! And people enjoy eating, or so I've heard.

Hosting a Bacon Tasting: Yup, this is a real thing. I always love the idea of getting people together for the purposes of food and since bacon destroyed my will to not eat red meat 4 years ago, I really like this idea. I also love all the snacks and companion fare they prepared so it wasn't just time to eat more bacon (like that's actually a problem).

Anatomy of a Jumbo Freezie via kellykutie22

Longer-Lasting Whipped Cream? Try Manufacturing Cream: When I first read that headline, my thought was "gross", but as it turns out manufacturing just has higher fat content than heavy whipping cream. Make those picnic pies last longer! If I can find it, you know I'll try it.

Best Office Memo Ever: If you've ever worked in an office before, you know how people get the snack'ems and how much candy is eaten in a week (answer: a lot). I love everything Jessie Oleson posts (and I've met her a few times too!). The best things are her tweets and posts about the sweetness in everyday life. And, if you're in Seattle, check out her shop. It's pretty darn sweet.

Broccoli Tree House via Brock Davis

Obol Solves the Soggy Cereal Syndrome: When Kirst was over the other night, we were talking about corn flakes and how awesome they are and how quickly they get soggy, ruining their awesomeness. Well, no more! Now there's the Ooma bowl for the perfect milk (or if you're me, fake milk) to cereal bite. This is the way to eat all those cereals you love that decide to just dissolve before you're done. How can anyone make it a part of a complete breakfast without this bowl?

20 Incredible Cake Structures: I look at Cake Wrecks all the time, so it's nice to see cakes done really, really well (to be fair, Cake Wrecks does to Sunday Sweets and I have seen some of these cakes on there). I love the DnD one, but who doesn't love WALL-e?

Pasta Hair Net? via Weird Gif

(don't you have this problem? Stupid hair)

I'm also loving: kombucha ALL THE TIME; humongous plates of nachos; plans for homework help turning into making dinner and drinks; grilling, especially asparagus; self serve fro-yo being everywhere; free stuff (like hummus!) at the Mississippi Street Fair this year; pre-dinner breadsticks; bookmarking many of the same recipes as Renai without realizing it (because we love alike); did I mention I love kombucha?; a variety of burgers; going for ice cream and getting sorbet instead because how can you not want Ruby Jewel's pineapple ginger?; "sweet sweet lemonade"; always plotting dinner plans; actually catching up on my recipe backlog for the blog; how big my plants are getting (new garlic crop yo!); pizza all day long even when it's hot out.

What are you loving this week?

Double Crust Pizza with Mustard Greens, Ricotta, and Caramelized Onions

2011-07-12T13:56:00.000-07:00

Kirsten made me an amazing birthday dinner and I promised to return the favor. I knew I had to impress and I also know that I make an awesome pizza. What better way to celebrate someone's birthday than make a crazy pizza you've never made before? If you think so too, you're much like me. Fortunately, I have a lot of bravado in the kitchen and just assume everything will work out, even when you change the broccoli raab to mustard greens because that's more easily accessible. It did and we were very happy and very full. The sangria helped, especially because I put them in Kerr and Ball mason jars. Because K and B. Get it? Yeah, I'm awesome. And now, pizza!

Double Crust Pizza with Mustard Green, Ricotta, and Caramelized Onions slightly modified from Herbivoracious:

Serves 4

½ recipe pizza dough (I subbed in ½ c. whole wheat flour)

Extra-virgin olive oil
2 large white onions (or 3 medium), thinly sliced
Kosher salt
1 lb. mustard greens, cut into 1/2" lengths
½ tsp-ish crushed red pepper (I like it spicy!)
1 lb. fresh ricotta (drain if runny)
Zest of ½ orange

Heat a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add two tablespoons olive oil, the onions, and 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until completely tender and deeply caramelized, at least one hour. If they start to burn at all, lower the heat. You can do this step the day before and refrigerate (which I recommend).

Add two more tablespoons (or just two new ones if you do this the next day, like me) of olive oil and raise heat to medium high. When the oil is shimmering, add the mustard greens, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and the chili flakes and cook, stirring occasionally until completely tender. We aren't looking for crisp-tender here, these greens should be fully hammered, about 15 minutes. If it is getting there, add a few tablespoons of water and cover to steam them a bit. Taste and add more salt if needed. I did this and they were perfect. It always amazes me how a huge pile of greens can shrink so much.

Place a pizza stone in the oven (if you have one) and preheat to 475 degrees. Dust a peel generously with cornmeal (if you have one). Roll out half of the dough to a 12 inch circle and place on the prepared peel. I did all of this on a pizza pan I have that my parents gave me when I moved to Portland. It’s not as amazingly perfect as a pizza stone + peel combo, but it does work really, really well. Brush the dough with olive oil. Spread the ricotta over the dough, leaving a 1-inch margin all the way around. Top the ricotta with the caramelized onions, mustard greens, and orange zest. Roll the other half of the dough out to the same size and lay in on top. Press and crimp the edge all the way around. Cut a few vent holes in the top. Brush the top with more olive oil.

Bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes. Rotate it once after about 15 minutes to make sure it bakes evenly. Carefully remove from the oven. Allow to cool at least 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

This is so ridiculously good! The spicy mustard greens are cooled by the ricotta and the orange zest adds some brightness. I’ll admit that Kirst and I each had another piece even though I had made a cake as well because it was just so good! Yeah, you’ll be hearing about that cake soon.

Adam's Graduation Cake

2011-07-11T18:38:00.000-07:00

I made Lindsay her graduation cake while my friend Adam was over and he asked me to make him one after defending his thesis. Then he sent me this recipe for one of the strangest cakes I have ever made. I told him I would under two conditions: 1) I would not use cake mix and 2) I would not use Cool Whip. He agreed and I was off into the weird world of dumping gelatin on top of a cake.

Gelatin Poke Cake gladly modified from Kraft:

Makes 1 strange cake

1 recipe Lindsay's Graduation Cake (not in layers)

1 c. boiling water

1 pkg. (3 oz.) strawberry flavor gelatin

½ c. cold water

8 oz. heavy cream, whipped

After cake has cooled in pan for about 15 minutes, remove from pan and pierce cake with a large fork at

½" intervals.

Add boiling water to gelatin mix in a small bowl; stir two minutes until completely dissolved. Stir in cold water and pour over cake. At this point I should have realized that my cake was much smaller than the one Kraft describes and I was pouring too much stuff on the cake, but I decided to just roll with it anyway. Refrigerate for 3 hours.

Frost cake with whipped cream. Refrigerate for 1 hour. I honestly don't know why anyone would use Cool Whip. It's got a zillion ingredients in it and whipped cream has two: cream and air. It tastes better too. Anyway, that's what I used. In the end, this strange cake turned out and it tasted kind of like a Crunch Berry, which isn't the worst thing in the world. I'm glad I made my friend happy, but I am unlikely to ever make a cake like this again.

I'm not a fan of using gelatin in general (check out my awesome gelatin free panna cotta for proof!), so if anyone knows of a way to do this without jell-o, that'd be rad.

Things I Love Thursday: June 23, 2011

2011-06-23T11:07:00.000-07:00

Rainbow Cake via Missy Aggravation

It's my good friend Lisa's birthday! We've already celebrated this week with a classic movie from the year she was born and tonight is cocktails at Holman's and this weekend is music and friends. So today...things I love Thursday...for Lisa!

The Museum of the American Cocktail: This is a real place and that makes me happy. Also, another good reason to visit New Orleans? I think so! There are some things that are so connected to the American cocktail scene, like the Manhattan, and who doesn't like learning more about the history of things like that?

Yoplait Pulls Eating Disorder Triggering Commercial Off the Air: This makes me very happy. Food should be enjoyed and loved, but not everyone has a great relationship with food (have you seen how much the dieting industry makes?). It's nice to see companies listening to feed back and learning from it.

Give Berries a Hot Water Bath to Prevent Mold Growth: Add this to the things I wish I knew earlier in life. Fortunately my strawberries from the market on Saturday have been holding on strong, but this is good tip to know. I always buy too many berries anyway because they are pretty and delicious and I want to eat them all.

Oreo Love via I Love Charts

Cooking at Home with a Chef: I love this story because it reminds me of growing up and how people would always say to my mom "oh, you married a chef? You must eat so well!" and we did. Because my mom is a badass cook! My dad did cook too and his meals were obviously amazing, but when you work in a kitchen all the time you don't always want to go home and make more food. So yes, having a chef around is excellent, especially for birthdays, but so is having a mom who can rock out the kitchen.

Our Other Sushi Chef is a Giant Squid: Yes! If you aren't following The Monkeys You Ordered tumblr, you should be. They take New Yorker cartoons and give them literal captions. How much better is the caption they made than the original ("He feels he can do more good working within the system."). See? Much more hilarious.

Kitchen Scene via Vincent & Aphrodite

Iron Age Brewing Evidence Found in Southeastern France: Why does the BBC always have the coolest stories? Anyway, it appears that as 2,500 years ago, the French were into beer even though making wine was already becoming kind of their thing. And you think you know a culture.

And in other France is an interesting place news, 10 Goofy Foods You'll Find in a French Supermarket: Lisa likes to make fun of me a call me a world traveler in a snooty voice. Well, okay, so I have traveled a bit, but this is funny even if you've never been to France! Cold pancakes in a bag? What? Also roast chicken flavored chips taste like roasted chicken skin. True story.

Dream Puff Marshmallows: Marshmallows. Made with Guinness. Can I get these in Portland please? Imagine the s'more you could make with that!

How to Make a Bloody Mary via Kelly Lasserre

I'm also loving: free burgers from Little Big Burger for the celebration of their opening on Mississippi (yes!); soup instead of running; knowing that next week I will get to drink my Alaskan Raspberry Wheat; making tasty birthday dinners for Kirst (and having her be impressed! Awesome!); seeing my fellow foodie and radtastic friend Patrice next week (woo!); free samples at the market; making sangria none stop because I have too much brandy; strawberries all the time; Aaron craving sushi; grilled skewers; @simonpegg "As the rasher of bacon said to the pork chop, it's good to be back."; tonight! (I LOVE HOLMAN'S!)

What are you loving this week?

Whole Wheat Banana Bread

2011-06-22T09:15:00.000-07:00

(Tea + banana bread = great way to wake up)

I love bananas. A lot. But do you ever go through phases with foods? I do. I really did intend to eat these bananas, but they got all brown and that’s when I say banana bread! I wanted to try out something from my King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking book I picked up at Title Wave a few months ago and wouldn’t you know it, it had a banana bread recipe. I took out the walnuts because Aaron doesn’t really like them, but if you’re into it, add a half cup of walnuts before baking.

Whole Wheat Banana Bread from King Arthur Whole Grain Baking:

One loaf

½ c. unsalted butter
½ c. packed brown sugar
¾ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. cinnamon
¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
1 tsp. vanilla
1½ c. mashed ripe banana
¼ c. honey
2 large eggs
2 c. whole wheat flour

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9x5” loaf pan.

Beat together the butter, sugar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla in a medium bowl until smooth. Add the banana, honey, and eggs, beating until smooth. Add the flour and stirring until smooth. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and let it rest at room temperature, uncovered, for 10 minutes.

Bake the bread for 50 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove the bread from the oven and all it to cool for 10 minutes before turning it out of the pan onto a rack to cool completely.

This is the moistest banana bread I have ever had. Ever. It is so good and you would have no idea there is whole wheat in it. If you forget about your bananas until they’re brown, I’d recommend this one.

Lindsay's Graduation Cake

2011-06-21T10:39:00.000-07:00

So what do you do when you buy too many strawberries? Besides eat a ton of them, I mean. You make a cake. Specifically, you make a cake for your dear friend who is graduating from medical school. Yeah, my friend is a doctor. You don’t have a doctor friend? You actually don’t need an occasion for this cake because it is delicious and awesome and so summer.

The original is here and I made some modifications, some out of necessity and some on accident (like using all the whipped cream on one layer and then have to make more). I weighed everything like they do across the pond. If you don’t have a food scale, there are plenty of web resources for converting ingredients. It all works out, I promise. And your new doctor friend will be so happy.

Lindsay’s Graduation Cake modified from Mega Strawberry Summer Cake from Donal Skehan:

One rad layer cake

For the cake-
3 large eggs
225 g. sugar
50 g butter, melted
100 ml. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
210 g. flour
2 tsp. baking powder

For the filling and the topping-
80 g. strawberry jam
2 Tb. berry liqueur
300 g. strawberries, hulled
500 ml. heavy cream

Preheat the oven to 345 degrees and grease two 9” cake pans (or, in my case, use the same one 9” cake pan you have twice).

In your mixer, beat the sugar and eggs in a large mixing bowl until pale and fluffy.

Mix the milk, melted butter and vanilla extract together in a measuring jug and pour into the sugar and egg. Mix through to combine. Sieve the flour and baking powder into the bowl and then using a spatula, gently fold in to the cake mix until completely smooth and combined.

Divide the mix evenly between the two baking tins and place in the oven for 25 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Allow the cake to cool slightly before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely. When both cake layers are completely cooled, whip the cream until soft peaks form. Put the jam and liqueur into a food processor and pulse until smooth.

Place one layer on a cake stand and dollop with half the cream, spread evenly and then spread on the smooth strawberry jam. Carefully place the second cake layer on top and add the remaining whipped cream and strawberries.

This cake rocks even after a ride from Portland to Seattle and being transported between an apartment to a hotel room. It was a hit after a long day in the sun, celebrating the new doctor. Make this right now!

Knox Co. Whole Strawberry Jam

2011-06-20T12:15:00.000-07:00

Aaron loves strawberry jam. When we buy it, that's what he goes for and though he did like my peach lavender and blueberry lime, he requested I make strawberry next time I made jam. There are a lot of strawberry jam recipes out there and the one I ended up doing was because it was the fastest one to make. There are a couple of others I'd like to try - one of which involves having your oven on for 10 hours, but for my first strawberry, I'd say this is the jam (ha!).

I'm getting better at canning, but I'll emphasize a few things - work quickly, but carefully, keep your area clean, and try not to scream when you get hot jam on your hands. It doesn't help anything. What does help is keeping a cool head, following directions, and hearing the ping as your lids seal shut, proving to you that you can can. It's awesome.

Knox Co. Whole Strawberry Jam from Lip Smackin' Jams & Jellies:

Makes 4-5 cups
4 c. strawberries
4 c. sugar
2 Tb. lemon juice

Wash, drain, hull, and measure the strawberries. In a large pot mix together the sugar and berries. Over a low heat, mix the berries until the juices are released. Raise the temperature. Stop stirring. Allow the mixture to boil at this point for 15 minutes. Do not stir; however, be certain that the mixture is not sticking at the bottom of the pan. Take a wooden spoon and drag it through the mixture. After 15 minutes, the mixture should be set. Pour the lemon juice over the top of the berries. Stir in the lemon juice and pour into the jars. Process for 10 minutes.

This jam uses no pectin, but it is thick. In fact, mine is more like a glue than jam. It is tasty, but hard to remove from the jars without some leverage and then it needs to be mixed with a liquid to be useable. So be sure to check when it’s set and don’t boil it too long.

Pink and Green Pie

2011-06-19T20:26:00.000-07:00

For my birthday this year, Jamie got me The Boozy Baker because I like cocktails and baking (pretty awesome gift, right?). I was really excited when she gave it to me and I didn't want to wait long to make something from it. I always do a lot of planning and dreaming when I first get a cookbook, so it was nice to do some actual baking not too long after getting it. I had already decided to buy a bunch of strawberries to make jam, so I needed to find a pie recipe with strawberries - and there it was, the classic combo of strawberries and rhubarb, but just a little different. I brought a slice to my internship and the rest of the pie to Memorial Day brunch (yes, this was awhile ago, but guess what? Strawberry and rhubarb are still available at the market!). A half slice survived to the end of the day. It is very, very good and gave me my first opportunity to create a crust with vodka.

The only change I made was leaving out the pistachios, which I know mostly removes the green part from the pink and green combo, but Aaron is not a nut fan and since it wasn't an integral ingredient, I let it slide. Do yours however you like.

Pink and Green Pie from The Boozy Baker:

Makes one tasty pie

For the crust:
1½ c. all-purpose flour
1 Tb. granulated sugar
¼ tsp. salt
1 stick unsalted butter, child and cut into ½” cubes
1 Tb. vodka
2-4 Tb. ice water

For the filling:
1¼ lb. fresh rhubarb, trimmed
1 c. granulated sugar
½ tsp. cinnamon
½ c. berry liqueur
¼ c. cornstarch
½ c. strawberries, hulled and sliced

For the crumb topping:
½ c. all-purpose oats
2/3 c. rolled oats
¼ c. granulated sugar
¼ c. packed brown sugar
¼ tsp. cinnamon
¼ tsp. salt
7 Tb. unsalted butter, diced

To make the crust, combine the flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor and pulse to combine. Add the butter and pulse until coarse. Add the vodka and then the ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and pulse until the dough comes together in large clumps. Gather the dough into a ball and flatten into a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

On a floured surface, roll the dough to a 12” circle. Transfer to a 9” pie plate (mine is slightly bigger) and crimp the edges decoratively with a fork. Put in the refrigerator while preparing the filling.

To make the filling, combine the rhubarb, sugar, and cinnamon in a large saucepan. Cook over medium heat until the rhubarb begins to soften and the sugar dissolves, 5 minutes. Meanwhile, combine the berry liqueur and cornstarch and stir until smooth. It will look like strawberry milk, which is weird. Anyway, once smooth, add to the rhubarb mixture and bring to a boil, stirring constantly until thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer to the refrigerator and cool for 30 minutes.

To make the crumb topping, combine the flour, oats, sugars, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl. Cut in the butter until it forms coarse crumbs. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and position a rack in the lower third of the oven. Remove the crust and rhubarb mixture from the refrigerator. Stir the strawberries into the rhubarb mixture and pour it all into the crust. Sprinkle with the crumb topping and bake for 30-35 minutes (mine was perfect at 30), or until the crust is crisp and golden and the fruit is bubbling.

This is a very tasty pie and though not radically different from the strawberry-rhubarb I’ve made before, it is a fun variation.

Braised Rainbow Chard with Cranberries

2011-06-11T14:49:00.000-07:00

I love pizza. I really, really do, but when I made the Smitten Kitchen white pizza, it was my second pizza night of the week, so I knew I had to have some greens. I am in love with chard and I'm surprised that this is my first recipe post featuring it. I braise it a lot and mostly make up weird recipes, like a super chard quesadilla that no one but me would like.

Anyway, I starred this recipe before Thanksgiving and didn't integrate it into the dinner. I'm glad it will languish no longer because this is fast, easy, and very, very tasty. I did a half size of the original recipe and it was a good way for three people to get some greens in before pizza.

Braised Rainbow Chard with Cranberries from Serious Eats:

Serves 3 as a side or starter

1 bunch rainbow chard
2 Tb. olive oil, divided
½ medium yellow onion, sliced into half-moons
1 Tb. dried cranberries (I only had the TJ’s orange flavored kind, but it worked)
1 clove garlic, peeled and lightly smashed
¼ c. water
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Prepare chard by cutting stem out of center of each leaf. Trim ends of each stem, then cut on bias in 1½” pieces. Tear leaves into 3 or 4 pieces each.

In medium straight-sided sauté pan, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and lower heat to low. Cook, stirring frequently until soft, about 5 minutes. Add cranberries, chard stems only, garlic clove, and water. Season with salt and pepper. Cover, and braise on low heat for 30 minutes.

Once chard stems are tender, remove lid and increase heat to high. Add chard leaves, and use tongs to turn leaves in pan until just wilted, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve hot, drizzled with remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil.

They were earthy, like chard always is, but also tangy and delicious. I was only a little worried that the orange flavored cranberries would detract from the other flavors, but it paired really well. The textural differences also make this a simple, but exciting dish and a great way to start a meal. Seriously. So easy. If you see some gorgeous chard at the market, like I have been, try this one out.

Pizza with Bacon, Onions, and Cream

2011-06-10T14:36:00.000-07:00

My friend Adam recently finished his master's thesis and I wanted to celebrate that achievement. The best way to celebrate, in my opinion, is with food. I have far too many recipes starred in my reader, so I decided to tackle a couple of them that would work well for a midweek meal. Smitten Kitchen always comes through - for both the midweek easy (like this pizza) to the I'm going to spend all day Saturday making this. I also have my go-to pizza dough recipe thanks to my mom and I had everything I needed in the house, so this was a snap to put together.

Pizza with Bacon, Onions, and Cream from Smitten Kitchen:

Serves 3 with another pizza and a side

½ pizza dough recipe
Olive oil, for oiling baking sheets
½ c. fromage blanc or ricotta (I had ricotta on hand)
½ c. crème fraîche or sour cream (same)
1 Tb. all-purpose flour
Salt and freshly ground pepper
¼ lb. thickly sliced smoky bacon, cut crosswise into ¼” strips
½ medium onion, thinly sliced

Preheat oven to 450°F. In a medium skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat until the fat is rendered and the bacon crisps up. I accidentally burned some of the bacon, so I added in some turkey bacon and combined the two. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Add onion to skillet and cook until softened and beginning to caramelize.

Whisk together (or blend together in a food processor, if you want it silky-smooth) ricotta and sour cream with flour, then season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Divide the dough into 2 pieces. Roll each piece out to a rough round, about 1/8 inch thick. If the dough becomes difficult to roll, let it rest for 10 minutes, then continue. I reserved one of the rounds for a pizza that Aaron made using marinara as the base.

Oil a large baking sheet. Transfer the dough. Spread the cheese mixture over the rounds to within 1/4 inch of the edge. Sprinkle with the bacon and onion. Bake on the bottom shelf of the oven for about 12 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown. Cut into wedges and serve.

I loved this pizza! I've never made a pizza like this one before, but it was tangy and rich and had great contrasting textures. Adam said he doesn't usually like white pies, but this one was good. We have a winner for the weekdays. I love experimenting with pizza and I'm glad have made another tasty pie.

Things I Love Thursday: June 9, 2011

2011-06-09T11:23:00.000-07:00

Our Favorite Beers via Spice Up Your Strife

This should be called the yes! it's finally sunny! edition. Or the I actually have a little bit of time to make a post edition. Or the break from homework edition. The point is - hi! I love things related to food. Let's get to it before I get sucked back into homeworkland.

D. Trump Offers Worst Excuse Ever for Using a Fork to Eat Pizza: I love pizza. A lot. I was taught at an early age to NOT EAT PIZZA WITH A FORK and I'm from ALASKA (though raised by New Yorkers to be fair). I love this post because it describes exactly how I feel whenever I see people do this. If you don't want the carbs - eat something else. The end.

The Dog House PDX: An entire cart dedicated to tater tots. I'm sold.

And in other food carts news, The Greatest Food Truck Ever?: I love Star Wars. (I think that's fairly obvious now). I love food. This is perfect.

Chewbacca Noodles via I Can Haz Cheezburger

(see? Star Wars!)

10 Simple Kitchen Tips You Wish Someone Had Told You Earlier: I do know a lot of this stuff - now. For people just getting into cooking, this stuff won't seem obvious until later. I like big onions though - but I'm a fan of big onion flavor. The point is cooking is a learning process, but it's nice when someone helps you out early on.

A Slice of History: Awesome Tillamook recipes from 1934. Sounds "extra good" to me!

Greens Gone Wild: This whole post reminds me of Renai. Even though we're winding out of spring and into summer, get your greens while you can!

Avocado Skull via Fail Blog

(also, fail on the spelling of avocado in the original post)

It's summer, so this Seared Watermelon recipe sounds so exciting to me right now. Well, probably just because the sun is shining at the moment (even though I'm indoors in a library), but dangit! I love summer. I also like finding new ways to experiment on the grill.

And while I'm talking summer recipes, check out Roasted Peppers with Capers and Mozzarella from Smitten Kitchen. I am also a fan of keeping the oven off during the summer (I always seems to fail at this though) and what do I also love? Anti pasti. Call it appetizers or by any other name and I am all about it. I'm a born apps and sides girl.

You Are My Cup of Tea via Projected Endlessly

I'm also loving: the strange complications of trying to transport a cake to Seattle without a proper vessel to put the cake in (more on this soon); eating curry outdoors; accidentally running into the CakeSpy shop while walking around Seattle; also, holycrapbestclamchowderever at Six-Seven; finally getting Pel'Meni in Fremont (almost as good as the original plus getting potato without fuss); getting bad ass pickles from you-know-who; excellent pasta dinners from Aaron after working out; how awesome pizza tastes after a long bike ride; Hopworks having a new location on N Williams; dessert planning for friends; lavender mint water; strawberries everywhere; summer produce in general; @Stephenathome (aka Stephen Colbert) "Revenge is a dish best served cold. That's why I always take my revenge in the form of gazpacho."

What are you loving this week?

Travel + Food: Northern Ireland

2011-06-01T12:38:00.000-07:00

I feel really special as this trip over was my third time on the Emerald Isle. This trip, though, was a lot less of all over the place and much more settling in and getting to see stuff I had missed the first two trips and stuff I had never even heard of.

Corey and her now fiancé (yay!) live in Enniskillen, which is an about 2 hour bus ride south of Belfast. We flew in, took a bus from the airport into Belfast proper, and then the bus to Enniskillen - all after flying all night. We were very, very tired. After all that, though, we got to spend an incredible 8 days with Corey and Brian, making food, eating food, drinking deliciousness, and seeing weird food items at ASDA.

Making Food

Aaron making cheesy baked ziti with locally made Irish herb sausages and Irish cheddar. We had it with g-bread (as Corey and Brian got it) and broccoli. And then we went and saw Thor.

Corey making margarita chicken. Corey has a file folder on her computer dedicated to recipes I've posted. She said that she and Brian are Julie/Julia-ing me. I feel so special! We used the chicken in burritos while watching Celebrity Juice (which is ridiculous and if you can watch it, do).

Corey and I made mint lavender shortbread cookies with lemon frosting. That's Corey mixing everything by hand. I do not miss those days! These were very tasty, but a little too herb-y, almost savory in flavor. When Corey made the frosting, it returned to the dessert realm. They'd be worth another shot with less lavender or working them into the recipe in a different way.

They are best enjoyed with a Guinness.

A breakfast galette, modified because I couldn't find cornmeal, with bacon, Irish cheddar, more delicious Irish cheddar and an egg on top. Crunchy and a wonderful way to start a rainy Irish day on Devenish Island.

Eating Food/Drinking Deliciousness

Jack and Ginger in a can. And it's actually a really well made cocktail. Go figure.

I'm not a huge fan of Stella, but after recommendations from Corey and Brian, I went for it and it is also surprisingly good.

Aaron, Corey, and I went on a bus tour of the North Coast and one of the stops was at Bushmills. I tried the Black Bush (right), Corey had the tiniest hot toddy I have ever seen (center and below) and Aaron tried out the 10 year. It's weird ordering whisky in a cafeteria, but we rolled with it.

Aaron hadn't had Irish stew yet, so when we got to Giant's Causeway, he had to get it. Warmed him up for a cold walk around.

Magners Cider - actually tastes like apples! We drank a lot of this on our trip.

Best Jameson and ginger I have ever had. Seriously. Super spicy ginger is what Jameson craves. I drank it in our little cubby at the Crown Bar, which is across the street from the Europa Hotel, formerly the world's most bombed hotel.

Historical Food

All of these were at Enniskillen Castle, which has two awesome museums. That poem cracked me up - "whatever it was of destroyed me". And in case you were wondering, yes, in medieval times even babies drank beer.

Northern Ireland Has Weird Food (and some awesomeness too)
This part is my favorite. We saw so much strange, awesome, crazy, and interesting food related things that I felt the need to post all of them.

At ASDA there are many things - like pork scratchings, whatever those are. And strange puddings. And punny crisps. Also - REALLLLLLY cheap Cadbury eggs. That's a 6 pack for about $1.30. And they are available year round. Yeah.

These are gummies. They were at the Marble Arch Caves. I don't get it.

This was in the case before we ordered our Bushmills whisky. Can you tell what it's not?

It's a strange world when Guinness, which is delicious, is the same price as Coors, which is clearly not delicious. And don't say that's because Coors is an import to Northern Ireland - Guinness is expensive in Dublin, the city where it's made, in bars less than 20 blocks from the factory. And Coors is just gross.

I totally ate some. It was just chocolate. Aaron and I bought this to spend our last pence at the airport. Totally worth it.

I hope to visit the Isle again someday and see some more sites and funny signs and drink Magners and the best Jameson and ginger in the world.

Broiled Grapefruit

2011-05-09T07:19:00.000-07:00

Today I'm flying to Belfast to visit my friend Corey. She's been living in Northern Ireland since February and I miss her like crazy! Okay, so today I'm flying there and tomorrow I'll be there and then take a bus actually into Belfast and then take a couch (bus) to Enniskillen. So I likely won't be posting for the next 10 days. Before I go, here's a Corey recipe that I did and never posted from January when she was doing a 30 day no processed food challenge. It's perfect for today too.

Broiled Grapefruit from Corey:

Serves 1

Medium size grapefruit, cut in half
½ Tb. raw honey

Place grapefruit halves in an oven safe deep dish. Pour honey on the halves. Put in oven under the broiler setting and cook until honey starts to sizzle, about 5 minutes.

This is a rad breakfast because it still has the tang of the grapefruit, but is a little sweeter. And could it be any easier? Corey recommends eating some almond or peanut butter to fill out your morning meal. Watch her video. It’s cute.

And see you all later! I will be filling myself with home cooked meals, Guinness, whiskey, potatoes, gossip, and the beauty of Northern Ireland.

Cupcake Swag from Mom

2011-05-08T06:14:00.000-07:00

Today is Mother's Day! My mom is super rad. I meant to blog about this earlier, but with the end of the semester, I got a little crazy. Anyway, want to know how rad my mom is? Check out what she got for me for my birthday!

That's sprinkles (because everyone wants them), a cupcake corer for filled cupcakes, a decorating set for making beautiful filled cupcakes, and liners...

in my wedding colors. Yeah. My mom is rad.

Noodle Apple Kugel

2011-05-07T10:09:00.000-07:00

I was invited to my very first seder over Passover (I missed this in the past somehow) and was responsible for dessert. I couldn’t get kugel out of my head, even though my mom informed me that it is more of a side than a dessert. I had to do it. The reason I found out about the side part at all was because I called to ask which was better: noodle or matzo kugel. The answer was a resounding noodle. Side or no, Passover or no, this is a good way to end a meal. The original had raisins, which I left out.

Noodle Apple Kugel from the 2nd Ave. Deli Cookbook:

Serves 8

1 lb. medium egg noodles
4 c. peeled, cored McIntosh apples, sliced into 1” pieces ¼” thick (I went for Pippins because they looked gorgeous at the market and are right in between sweet and tart)
1¼ tsp. cinnamon
3 Tb. unsalted butter
2 Tb. sugar
1 c. sour cream
1 c. creamed cottage cheese
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp. salt
Butter for dotting top of kugel

Fill a large stockpot three-quarter full with water, and bring to a vigorous boil. Toss in noodles, and cook 5 to 7 minutes until al dente. They say rinse your noodles. I shuddered. Don’t rinse your noodles. Ever. Drain and set aside.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Toss apple slices with cinnamon. Melt butter in a large skillet, and sauté apples on moderate heat for 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add sugar and sauté for 1 minute more. Refrigerate mixture to cool.

In a large bowl, combine sour cream, cottage cheese, eggs, and salt. Gently fold in noodles and apples.

Pour noodle mixture into a greased baking pan, dot with butter, and baked for 1 hour or until top is golden brown.

This is tasty, but dense. Parts of it were a little too noodle heavy for me. Manischewitz egg noodles come in 12 oz. packages, so adding in the extra 4 oz. to meet the recipe was part of the problem. I’d recommended upping the apples and the sauce and reducing the noodles to get a creamy base. That’s what I’ll do next time I tackle this one. Overall, though, it’s a good compliment to a meal.

Cheesy Baked Ziti

2011-05-06T10:35:00.000-07:00

I am in love with Tillamook. I think this post makes that obvious. Aaron does too and he was excited to give one of their recipes a whirl the other night. We reduced the recipe by half since there are only two of us, omitted the bread crumbs (½ cup), and added garlic (because it’s, well, me) and sausage (because it’s Aaron), but the rest is all Tillamook.

Cheesy Baked Ziti slightly modified from The Tillamook Cheese Cookbook:

Serves 6

1 16 oz. package ziti
6-8 qt. water
1 Tb. butter
1½ c. heavy cream
¼ tsp. nutmeg
1/3 c. Parmesan cheese, plus extra to spread on top
1 Tb. olive oil
Marinara sauce (pre-prepared or your own)
3 cloves garlic, diced
2 chicken sausages, chopped and cooked
2 c. shredded mozzarella
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

Boil the past in the water to al dente. Drain and reserve.

Heat the butter and heavy cream over medium-high heat in a 1-2 quart saucepan, stirring frequently. When the mixture starts to bubble, stir in the nutmeg and Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to medium, and cook for 3 minutes more, stirring frequently.

Grease a large 13x9x2 baking dish with olive oil. Pour the pasta into the baking dish. Add the marinara, garlic, sausage, cream sauce, and mozzarella to the pasta, and stir well.

Top with more Parmesan. Bake for 25 minutes, or until bubbling. Bake for an additional 5 minutes, or place under the broiler for 5 minutes to crisp the top, if needed.

Cheesy, fast, and delicious. Leave it to Tillamook to come up with a stellar cheesy recipe. I loved this so much I almost forgot to take a picture of it. Are you busy tonight? Make this. Totally worth it.