Look What I Made You

Flat Iron Steak

2011-01-19T21:11:00.000-08:00

It's been a long, long time since beef has made an appearance on our table. We're talking somewhere in the neighborhood of ten years. We both came to the relationship on a very little beef sort of diet, and together we just avoided it altogether. We would eat it periodically if it popped up on a chef's choice menu or if someone served it, but we hadn't personally prepared in ages.

Tonight all that changed. The reason for the change is several-fold, but part of it is certainly that we've found a source of meat that we're really comfortable with. We've been buying meat, mostly pork and goat (yes, goat), from Thundering Hooves for about a year. This week, we decided to take the plunge into beef and bought a flat iron steak. Then I spent three days looking for recipes for flank steak, because my brain apparently disconnected and I forgot what I had bought. This morning, I finally realized that I had flat iron steak and found a recipe for Flat Iron Steak with Red Wine Sauce. I would absolutely make this again.

I served this with roasted purple potatoes, which are absolutely one of my favorite ways to have potatoes. They're so simple and yet so good; the outside is crisp and pleasantly crackly and the inside is soft and comforting. And the asparagus! Don't forget the asparagus with sauteed onions and prosciutto.

This was a happy dinner.

Flat Iron Steak with Red Wine Sauce, from here, adapted slightly to tweak proportions.
Serves 4
2 medium flat iron steaks
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
1/2 onion, diced
1 clove minced garlic
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 T cup tomato paste
3/4 cups red wine

Turn the grill to medium-high and give it a few minutes to heat up. Salt and pepper the steaks and drizzle with the 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Grill about 7 minutes per side for medium. Transfer the steaks to a cutting board. Tent with foil and let stand 10 minutes.

In a saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium-high heat. Add the onions and saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Season with salt. Add the garlic and oregano and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Whisk in the wine. Simmer until the sauce reduces by half, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and cut the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter into small 1/2-inch chunks and whisk in the sauce a little at a time. Season the sauce, to taste, with salt and pepper.

Thinly slice the steaks across the grain. Divide the steak slices among 4 plates. Drizzle the sauce over the steak and serve.

Hearty Green Curry

2011-01-18T20:24:00.000-08:00

Winter fairly begs for warm, toasty curries, soups, and comfort food. We've had quite a few grey days in a row and this morning I had some trouble dragging myself out of bed. A long day later, and comfort food sounded lovely.

I managed to cut all the vegetables without cutting myself, though it was touch and go there for a second.

When it all came together, it looked delicious. And happy. And yummy. And curry-y.

Simple, good food like this makes the end of the day a little happier.

Hearty Green Curry
Serves 4
1/2 butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1 inch dice
1 head cauliflower, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
2 inches ginger, peeled and diced
3/4 c crimini mushrooms, chopped
1 c green beans
1/2 c white wine, chicken stock, or water
2 T olive oil
1 can coconut milk
1-3 teaspoons green curry paste, depending on your spice tolerance
salt
Soba noodles

Bring a pot of water to a boil and add the squash. Cook for 10 minutes, until nearly tender. Remove the squash with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add the cauliflower to the boiling water and boil for 4-5 minuutes, until nearly tender. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add the soba noodles to the water and cook until done; 5-7 minutes. Set aside.
Heat the oil over medium heat until shimmery and add the onion and mushroom to the pan. Sautee 5 minutes, until tender and slightly golden. Add the ginger and cook an additional 2 minutes, until fragrant and lovely.
Add the squash to the pan with the onions and reduce heat slightly. Cook 5-7 minutes, until the squash is slightly caramelized. Pour in the wine or stock to deglaze the pan.
Add the cauliflower and the green beans and stir to combine.
In a small bowl, combine 1-3 teaspoons of green curry paste with 2 T of the coconut milk and stir out any lumps. Add the mix to the vegetables and simmer for 3-4 minutes to toast the spices. Add the remaining coconut milk and stir. Simmer 5-7 minutes to heat it through.
Serve over soba.

Manly Quilt

2011-01-02T21:20:00.000-08:00

Part of the reason that my posting has been so lackluster through November and December is that I spent a large chunk of my time trying frantically to finish a quilt. And finally, after what seemed like forever, I did finish it in time for the holidays. More specifically, I finished it with enough time to mail it across the country in time for the holidays.
And here it is.

I started this quilt an embarrassingly long time ago. May, to be specific. I am very, very good about doing chunks of quilting at a time. I'll do a bunch of work one weekend, and then not touch it again for a month and a half. End result: a quilt that takes seven months to finish.

I'll admit that I love this quilt - to the point that we contemplated "forgetting" to mail it to the intended recipient and keeping it for ourselves. It looked really nice with our new chair, you see. In the end, we mailed it, because we're (mostly) good people.

The back of the quilt is grey and happy and shows the quilting patterns in fun ways. Please ignore the bag of mulch on the porch behind the quilt. Just pretend it's not there. Please. Thank you.

AND! AND! One of the fabrics has a deer head in it!

So why is this a manly quilt? It was a gift for my brother, who probably wouldn't be too excited to get a girly quilt. I was very pleased by how it turned out, and it was well-received, which is really all you can ask.

Peanut Chicken Soup

2010-12-27T21:05:00.000-08:00

Do you, too, have sniffles? A winter cold? You need chicken soup. Chicken soup cures almost all ills, and doubly so when the peanut sauce you happen to add in has a touch of spice to it.

This soup got very high reviews from Clive, though that may be in part because he was out in today's chilly rain for a few hours on the his bike. Whatever the reason, the soup is happy and good and good for you.

Peanut Chicken Soup
Serves 4

2 T olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
4 chicken thighs, chopped
1 small head broccoli, chopped
4 T peanut sauce, prepared
1 quart stock (chicken or turkey)
1 bunch udon noodles
1/3 c cilantro, chopped
1/3 c scallions, chopped
1 t pepper, or to taste

Heat a large dutch oven or soup pan over medium heat until warm. Add the olive oil and heat to just shy of simmering. Add the onions and sweat briefly; 2-3 minutes.

Add the chopped chicken and cook for 5 minutes, until the chicken has started to cook through. As the chicken begins to cook, add the broccoli and the peanut sauce, stirring to coat all the ingredients with the peanut sauce. I used a prepared peanut sauce that has a little spice to it and right about this point, the house started to smell amazing.

Pour in the stock and stir to get any bits off the bottom of the pan. Allow the soup to come to a simmer, then throw in the udon. Cook for 4-5 minutes, or according to the package directions.

Stir in the cilantro and scallions and taste the soup. Add pepper to taste. Serve.

Catalonian Pizza

2010-12-14T20:44:00.000-08:00

It seems I am relatively lackluster when it comes to posting. I have a good excuse, I'm sure. Somewhere.

Last night, I made pizza. It was delicious and everything pizza should be. The crust was thin and crisp and the cheese was melty and happy. I'm relatively picky about pizza, because with food that's simple, there's less of a margin for error. Translation: there's lots of bad pizza out there. This was very good pizza.

The recipe originally came from Wine Bar Food, which I constantly flip through looking for ideas and inspirations. My favorite so far is a recipe that basically amounts to grown up pizza rolls. This one is a close second. I did make one fairly substantial tweak to this recipe. The original recipe called for two pounds of manchego cheese. Two pounds. I love manchego; it's delicious and wonderful and reminds me of Spain. But two pounds? Depending on where you get it, manchego can cost you between $12 and $20 a pound. I may love pizza, but there's no way I'm dropping $40 on cheese for these bad boys. So say hello to mozzarella, which has a far more wallet-friendly price point:

Catalonian Pizza, adapted from Wine Bar Food to reduce the cheese by half and switch to mozzarella, which does not cost $40.
Serves 4
1 recipe pizza dough
6 oz chorizo
4 fresh tomatoes, sliced thin
12 oz mozzarella, grated
1/4 c cilantro

Preaheat the oven to 500° F.

Saute the chorizo until browned, about 5-7 minutes. Drain any grease. Divide your pizza dough into four pieces. Roll each into a 12 inch square.

Move the dough to a baking sheet and top with 1 cup shredded mozzarella, then thinly sliced tomatoes, then the chorizo.

Bake 12-15 minutes, until the cheese is browned. Remove and top with the cilantro.

Serve.

My Favorite Mashed Potatoes to Date

2010-11-02T19:51:00.000-07:00

Mashed potatoes are surprisingly difficult to make really well. I'm not sure how many times I've messed them up. Not to the point that they were inedible, but definitely to the point that they were boring. Dry. Uninspiring.

These are not sad or dry or uninspiring. Unfortunately, they're not really that healthy, either, what with the butter and the heavy cream. I'd say make them once with the butter and the cream, and then amend the recipe to get a balance between flavor and instant arteriosclerosis.

Mashed Potatoes, adapted from Cooking from the Farmers' Market to reduce the butter and cream to less threatening levels.
Serves 4
1 1/2 lb yukon gold potatoes, cut into 2 inch cubes
1 1/2 lb parsnips, peeled, core removed, and cut into 2 inch pieces
1/2 c heavy cream
1/4 c butter
3 T chives, chopped
1/2 t salt

Add the potatoes to one pot and the parsnips to a second pot. Add enough water to each pot to cover the vegetables by an inch. Bring to a boil and cook for 15 minutes, or until you can pierce them with a knife.

Use a ricer or masher to mash the potatoes and parsnips into a bowl. Add the butter and stir to combine. Add the cream incrementally, stirring until your desired consistency is reached. Add the chives and salt.

Serve.

Chicken Soft Tacos Are Awesome

2010-10-20T13:20:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure why, but tacos aren't something that make it onto my radar very often. It's not that I don't like them, it's just that I tend to forget about them for months at a time. Today, though, I went grocery shopping after work and by the time I got home, tacos sounded better than anything else on the menu. Speaking of shopping, have you noticed that the stores almost seem MORE crowded after work than they do on weekend afternoons?

These originally were going to be vegetarian tacos, but I ended up having a little more chicken than I needed for the Chicken and Broccoli, so I ended up adding the chicken to this.

They may look like regular tacos, but they're yummier. You'll have to trust me on that one.

It was a good move.

Chicken Soft Tacos
Serves 4
3 T olive oil
3 chicken thighs, trimmed
1/2 t cumin seeds
1/2 t fennel
1/4 t chili powder
3 green chilis
1/2 c onion, diced
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 t cumin seeds
1/4 c tomato, diced
1 T orange juice
1 t salt
1 t pepper
1 1/2 t oregano
tortillas

Toppings:
Avocado
Tomato
Cilantro
Cheese
Sour Cream
Salsa

In a small sauce pan, heat one tablespoon of olive oil. When it's warm, add the cumin and oregano and stir until fragrant, about a minute. Add the diced onion and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the beans and 1/4 c water. Simmer to meld the flavors, about 20 minutes. Periodically mash some of the beans so they break open. Stir in the orange juice and simmer 5 minute more.

Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium pan over medium heat. Add the chicken, fennel, cumin, salt, chili powder, and allow the chicken to brown, about 5 minutes. Turn the chicken and cover. Reduce the heat and cook through, 10-15 minutes, depending on the thickness of your chicken.

Remove the chicken from the pan and dice; return to the pan with diced chiles, salt to taste, and a splash of orange juice.

Serve with warm tortillas and the toppings of your choice.

The Menu Series: Comfort Food

2010-10-11T19:43:00.000-07:00

Most of the time, Seattle rain is more of a gentle, misty rain. You might get slightly wet, but it's not wet enough to prevent you from going outside, going for runs, or doing yard work. Sometimes, though, we get solid, serious rain. This weekend, we had a few of those days back to back and it put me in a comfort food sort of mind.

Mashed potatoes and parsnips? Yes, please. Braised cabbage? Absolutely.

This week's menu is for unhappy weather when you need a little pick-me-up. As last week, as I make things and remember to take pictures, I'll come back and link to the recipe.

Also? This week? I bought half a goat. You read that correctly. Half a goat. I can't wait. It's pre-butchered and has about 7 different cuts. I can't wait to experiment and see the options available to me.

The Menu:
Chicken and Broccoli
Braised cabbage with apples and pork chops
Wild rice and mushroom pilaf
Chicken soft tacos
Pork medallions with roasted figs

The Grocery List:
chicken thighs
broccoli
white rice
1.5 lb apples
1 head red cabbage
pork chips
avocado
2-15 oz cans black beans
tomatoes
green chiles (canned)
1 lb mixed mushrooms
parsley
pork loin
figs
1.5 lb parsnips
1.5 lb yukon gold potatoes
heavy cream
chives

Rolled Eggplant

2010-10-07T08:01:00.000-07:00

Sometimes a recipe calls for a particular pan. Sometimes I ignore the recipe and use whatever pan is closest or prettiest. That is not always a good idea, because you'll get to the point in the recipe where you're supposed to be done, and your pan will be more than half empty. The pretty pan, you see, is quite a bit larger than the 9-inch pan called for in the recipe, and the eggplant rolls look sad and lost.

But the pretty pan is pretty. And the 9-inch pan is not as pretty.

This was so good. I'm pretty sure I could eat this once a week, and would, if it wouldn't likely have an adverse effect on my ability to fit in my pants.

Rolled Eggplant with Sausage and Mozzarella, adapted slightly from Cooking from the Farmers' Market
Serves 4
2 Asian eggplant, cut lengthwise into 1/4 inch slices
1/4 c plus 2 T olive oil
salt and pepper
5 oz Italian sausage, casings removed
2 c crushed tomato
1 t oregano
1/2 t salt
1 t pepper
1 c ricotta
4 T mozzarella, cut into small pieces
2 T Parmesan
1 T parsley, chopped

Preheat the oven to 450F. Brush the eggplant on both sides with the 1/4 c olive oil, then salt. Bake until lightly browned on the bottom, 10 minutes, then turn each piece and bake 7 minutes more. Remove from the oven and set aside. Reduce the oven temperature to 350F.

In a medium skillet over medium heat, cook the sausage until browned, 5 minutes. Stir in the crushed tomatoes, oregano, salt and pepper. Simmer 10 minutes.
In a bowl, mix the ricotta, mozzarella, half the Parmesan, and parsley. Season with salt and pepper.

Spread half the tomato sauce on the bottom of a 9-inch pan. Place a spoonful of the cheese mixture near the wide end of each eggplant slice, roll up, and place upright in the sauce. Spoon the remaining sauce between the rolls. Sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan.

Bake until bubbling, 30 minutes. Serve immediately.

Tuscan Bean Soup, the Happiest Soup Ever

2010-10-06T18:57:00.000-07:00

I've been making this soup for years. I don't remember when exactly, but a friend gave me the Food for Friends as a gift. I have a lot of cookbooks, but this is one that stays in the kitchen because there are some definite keepers in here, recipes that I come back to again and again, tweaking them here and there; adding this, trying that.

This is absolutely one of those recipes. It's delicious in its simplicity and so easy to adapt based on what you may have in the pantry. When the crisp fall air comes to visit, here's just something so comforting about soup, and this soup in particular.

If you have it on hand, this is also really good with thin curls of Parmesan on top. But cheese makes everything that much happier, doesn't it?

Tuscan Bean Soup, adapted from Food for Friends
Serves 6
1 T olive oil
4 oz pancetta
1 onion, diced
1 garlic clove, diced
2 carrots, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 can cannelini beans, rinsed
4 Italian sausages
1 quart chicken stock
1 bay leaf
bunch of parsley, chopped
salt and pepper

Heat a large dutch oven over medium heat; add olive oil, carrots, celery, garlic, pancetta, and onions. Saute over medium heat 8-10 minutes, until softened.
Add the beans, sausage, stock, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer 30 minutes.
Remove the sausages from the soup and slice on the diagonal. Return the sausages and their juices to the soup.
Add the parsley, remove the bay leaf, and serve.

The Menu Series: Fall is Here

2010-10-05T15:00:00.000-07:00

I make menus every week when I make my grocery list. It helps keep me focused and means I'm less likely to come home from the grocery story with cheese sticks and beer and call it good. It also means we seldom go to the grocery store more than once a week. That's a huge improvement from when we were going two or three times a week because we'd forgotten the baguette, or the pork chops, or the spinach.

I'm going to start tracking my menus here so that you can use them and so I can reference them on those days when I just can't think of any inventive meals. I'm also going to include my grocery list. If you choose to use the list, you might want to do some double checking against the recipes. If I have something in my pantry already, it probably won't make it onto the list.

As I make them, and if I post them, I'll come back and link to recipes.

The Menu:

Tuscan bean soup

Squash Risotto

Roasted Beet Salad with pork chops

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Rolled Eggplant

Scallops and Oranges

Grocery List:

mozzarella cheese

4 oz pancetta

1 can cannelini beans

spicy italian sausage

parsley

carrots

celery

chicken broth

pork chops

beets

4 oz goat cheese

1/2 c walnuts

spaghetti

2-28 oz cans tomatoes

1 1/2 lb asian eggplant

bulk sausage tomatoes

1 naval orange

1 blood orange

1 lb scallops cilantro

1/2 lb ground pork

1/2 lb ground turkey

squash

risotto rice

Ding, Dong The Witch is Dead

2010-10-04T15:00:00.000-07:00

Not that I'm celebrating overmuch, but I finished a quilt that has felt like an albatross around my neck for the last month. In May, I volunteered to make a quilt for a charity auction in October. In May, it seemed like I had plenty of time - more than enough time - so much time... Anyway, you get the picture. Things sound so easy when you're looking at them from five or six months out. Then October shows up and you realize that five or six months have become a week.
Not that I panicked or anything.
Ok. I panicked a little.
And then I sewed and sewed and sewed. And cursed the thread that kept knotting.

Usually I'm glad a quilt is done because I like it and I'm pleased when what I've made, that I created something.

This one, sadly, I have to say I was just glad to be done with it. Maybe that will teach me to be more efficient with my time and commitments.

Ha. Fat chance.

Chocolate Gingerbread

2010-10-03T16:39:00.000-07:00

There's a bite in the air that can only mean that fall is officially here. Fall is one of my favorite seasons. I love the changing leaves, especially on Japanese Maples, the flowers, and I love that since it's cooler, it's better running weather.
This is also one of the few times a year that gingerbread sounds really good. I'll almost always accept gingerbread on the off chance that someone offers me a slice, but I seldom make it. But when the air gets brisk, tea and gingerbread sounds perfect.

I don't remember how I stumbled upon it, but about two weeks ago, I found Lara Ferroni's blog Food Travel Life. Someone had linked to her chocolate gingerbread, and it sounded amazing. To ensure I wouldn't lose the recipe, I left the tab open in my browser over those two weeks (a habit that befuddles Clive).
Today, life calmed down just a little bit, and a two hour window of time was open before me. I made gingerbread. There are few things that make a house smell so amazing as gingerbread. It smells like the holidays, but without the stress and chaos (and without the mandatory deep cleaning).
If you are a fan of chocolate and ginger and having a house that smells divine, you should make this. I used a standard loaf pan, hoping to have gingerbread for breakfast for the next few days. If things continue as they started out, that might be wishful thinking, since the loaf is half gone already. If you suspect something similar may happen in your house, I'd recommend doubling the recipe; it won't go to waste.

Chocolate Gingerbread, from Food Travel Life
Makes one loaf

1 cup plus 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons natural cocoa powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
a pinch of ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup molasses
2 tablespoons crystalized ginger, diced
3/4 cup chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 and lightly butter a loaf pan.
Sift together the flour, baking soda, cocoa powder, cinnamon, ginger and salt. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and mix. In a small bowl, mix the buttermilk and molasses together and add all at once to the butter mixture. Don’t worry if the mixture looks a bit curdled.
Add the flour mixture and mix to combine. Fold in the crystalized ginger and chocolate chips. Turn the batter into the prepared pan.
Bake until a knife comes clean, about 1 hour. Cool on a wire rack before serving.

2010-09-20T11:14:00.000-07:00

One of the first food blogs I started reading was Gluten Free Girl. I read, and read, and kept reading, for a long time, almost four years now. I enjoy her writing style and I use a lot of her recipes as inspiration. Her cornbread is a household favorite.

I like what she writes and cooks, so I was excited to try some of the recipes from her new book. Not only because they were gluten-free (though they are) but because they looked brain-meltingly delicious. There were three recipes that were for the making: Seared Shrimp with Garlic-Almond Sauce; Pasta with Anchovies, Lemon, and Olives; and Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies.

I took the Seared Shrimp with Garlic-Almond Sauce to a Labor Day BBQ, where it received rave reviews. The garlic-almond sauce was so, so good and complimented the shrimp... and the grilled portobellos, zucchini, onions, and everything else we had on hand. There was no way we were wasting any of that sauce.

The pasta, I'll admit, I thought would be a harder sell. Pasta with anchovies, lemon, and olives sounds relatively innocuous, but I'm rather anchovy-averse. In the spirit of trying things out, though, I made this. Somewhere along the line, my thoughts on anchovies were entirely revamped. The anchovy, lemon, and olive had bright, happy, zesty flavor that combined so well and made such an impression. This pasta convinced me that anchovies deserve a second look.

And... brownies.
Yum.
I can be picky about brownies, and these Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies came in pretty high on the list. The crust was nicely crispy and the centers were fudge-y and soft and delicious. And perfect with ice cream. They didn't last long.

This food is good. None of what I made was met with a qualified "well, they're good for gluten-free" - they're just good. I, personally, am not gluten-free, and to be honest, I didn't make these simply because they were gluten-free. I made them because the food that Shauna and Danny make is amazing, plain and simple. These are recipes that will pop up again and again in my kitchen in various forms for years to come - as it should be with good food.

They're from Gluten Free Girl and the Chef: A Love Story with 100 Tempting Recipes.

Spicy Avocado Mango Salad

2010-08-31T16:00:00.000-07:00

This salad was a side dish to the Coconut Shrimp, but it would be a shame to limit it - it's a super adaptable salad. It would be delicious as a side - or as the base - with a Jamaican jerk pork loin, turkey burgers, chicken... You see where I'm going with this. Any place you might want to add a bit of crunch and gentle spice, this is a great option.

And it couldn't be easier.

There is jalapeño in this salad - I only used half, because I'm a bit of a spice wimp. If you're particularly fond of them, use a whole pepper. The spice in the jalapeño is really fantastic with the avocado and the mango and it strikes a great balance. That balance is part of what makes it so adaptable.

One word of caution: go easy on the sesame oil. A little goes a long, long way, and it's easier to add more than it is to start over.

Spicy Avocado Mango Salad
Serves 4 as a side dish
3/4 c mango, peeled and diced
1/2 c red pepper, diced
1/2 c avocado, chopped
1/2 c onion, diced
1 c bibb lettuce, diced
1/2 jalapeño, seeded and minced
1/2 t chili flakes
1 t sesame oil
1 T white wine vinegar
1 T olive oil
1/4 t salt
1/4 t pepper

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and stir to combine.
Devour.

Coconut Shrimp with Mango Rice

2010-08-30T04:00:00.000-07:00

While I was making these, I was getting a little frustrated. I was getting hungry, which means my patience was waning. I always forget how time-consuming it can be to bread thing; especially when those things are small and numerous. The words "these had BETTER be worth it" may have been muttered.

They are.

Panko is the perfect breading for these, because it doesn't overwhelm the subtle flavor of the shrimp, and the crispiness the panko brings to the party is a lovely compliment to the toasted coconut. To make these even more perfect, they're baked, not fried, so they're light and crispy with no hint of greasiness.

Like a lot of breading adventures, this is a three step process: flour, egg, breading. Try to use one hand for the flour and breading steps and the other hand for the egg step. If you use both hands for all three steps, as I did, you'll end up with a sticky mess of floury, eggy mess stuck to your fingers.

Learn from my errors.

The slightly sweet mango rice is a fun side dish. A note on the agave syrup. If your mango is more ripe, you probably won't need it. The mango that stumbled home with the produce this week was a little on the not-quite-ripe-enough side. I recommend you add the agave syrup at the last minute so you can taste the rice to see if you need it. (Honey would be a good substitute, but sugar will probably be gritty, since it won't have time to be incorporated.)

Coconut Shrimp with Mango Rice
Serves 4
16 prawns, peeled and deveined
1/3 c flour
1 egg
1 T milk
1 c coconut flakes
1/2 c panko
1/2 t chili flakes
1/2 c mango, peeled and diced
1 3/4 c water
1/4 c milk
1 c long grain rice
1/4 t salt
1 T agave syrup

Preheat the oven to 370°. Toast the coconut in a dry pan over low heat. Divide the coconut in half.
To bread the shrimp, add the flour to a shallow pan. In another shallow pan, sit together the egg and 1 T milk. In a third shallow pan, mix the panko, 1/4 t chili flakes, and half the coconut.
Pour the water, the other half of the coconut, and 1/4 c milk into a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Keep an eye on it as the milk will make it prone to boiling over. Add the rice and stir; turn the heat to low. Add the diced mango and stir, then cook the rice for 20 minutes, or until fluffy. Stir and set aside.
While the rice is cooking, butterfly the shrimp so they lay flat. Dip each shrimp first in the flour, then the egg mixture, then into the panko/coconut mix. Transfer to a baking sheet.
Bake the shrimp for 15 minutes, or until pink and curled. Serve with mango rice and salad.

Pizza: Spinach and Sausage

2010-08-19T07:07:00.000-07:00

Summertime is made for pizza and decks and cold beer. Ideally, that is. In a perfect world, Clive and I would have eaten this pizza on the deck late one evening while the weather cooled off and the dog hunted bees. We would have sat outside, chatting and watching twilight set in. In reality, however, we ate this on the living room floor as we huddled around the coffee table. Are we really that lazy that we couldn't have walked the extra 10 feet to get outside to glorious summer?

No.

No, we are not that lazy. We live in Seattle, and I made this pizza as consolation for the fact that it was August and raining. A lot.

So while pizza may be made for summertime, it's also good for rainy days.
This was a fun pizza to make, and it evolved as it went. There's a thin layer of roasted tomato paste on the bottom that intensifies the flavor, but doesn't overwhelm or compete with the other flavors. I used my (clean!) fingers to spread it around because the back of the spoon wasn't cutting it.

The tomato paste was followed by a thin, think layer of grated gruyere and a layer of tomatoes. That's the other wonderful thing about summer: fresh tomatoes. I have tomato plants on the deck, but they're ... a bit lackluster. I have five plants, and I'm on track to harvest four tomatoes. I'd like to blame the plants or the weather, but I'm getting closer and closer to acknowledging that perhaps, just maybe, I don't have a green thumb. The farmers' market, fortunately, fills that gap nicely.

I steamed spinach and cooked down onions and sausage and piled that on top of the tomatoes. Grated Parmesan topped it off.

When it came out of the oven, it looked like this. It didn't look like this for very long, though, because as soon as it was safe to eat without burning the roofs of our mouth, we devoured it.

Poof. Just like that, it's gone.

Spinach and Sausage Pizza
1 recipe pizza dough
1 T roasted tomato paste
1/4 c gruyere
2 heirloom tomatoes, sliced
1 lb spinach, wilted
3/4 lb sausage, casings removed (or bulk sausage)
1 onion, sliced
2 oz goat cheese, crumbled
1/2 c parmesan

Spread or roll our your pizza dough and cover the top with the tomato paste. Don't be afraid to use your hands to spread the tomato paste into a thin, even layer. Sprinkle the gruyere over the top, then evenly space the tomatoes.
In a pan over medium heat, sautee the onions and sausage until the onions are translucent and the sausage is browned. Add the spinach to the pan along with 1/4 c water and cover. Keep an eye on it, but cook until the spinach is wilted - 2-3 minutes.
Squish the excess water out of the spinach as you transfer the mixture to a bowl. (If you don't squish out the water, the pizza crust will end up soggy and icky.)
Spread the sausage, onion, spinach mixture over the tomatoes, and sprinkle lightly with salt. Crumble the goat cheese evenly over the top and grate Parmesan over the whole pizza.
Bake for 20-25 minutes until the crust is dark golden brown and the cheese is lightly toasted.

Project; Squares, Revisited

2010-08-14T13:00:00.000-07:00

This is what I've been doing lately on the quilting front:

Cutting out 720 little squares and 130 larger squares.

It took longer than I thought it would, though I can't imagine why I thought it would be a quick project to cut out sixty three bazillion squares. Let that be a lesson to me!

Also, I'm not liking this quilt much. I keep reminding myself that I rarely like them until they're all put together, but I have to force myself to work on it because it doesn't inspire me.

But I did cut out a million billion squares, so I'm going to call it good and be happy about that. Deal?

Deal.

Rice Cakes of Deliciousness

2010-08-13T21:26:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I found myself with about 3 cups of leftover rice. Leftover rice in our house is one of those funny things that either ends up in something delicious or sits in the fridge until I start to wonder if eating it would be A Very Bad Idea. Then it goes into the compost bin. I've never left it in there long enough for it to start growing things or changing color, though. I don't even know if that's possible. I would assume it is. Does rice turn colors if you leave it in the fridge long enough?

This rice had a happy, delicious end that was very loosely inspired by croquetas. If you've never had croquetas, they're amazing and you owe it to yourself to track them down. These honestly couldn't have been easier to make and the panko gave them a fantastically delicious and crisp crust.

The rice and goat cheese will come together much more nicely if you aren't afraid to get your hands dirty. It's just goat cheese; it will wash off.

Rice Cakes
2 c rice, cooked and cooled
1 oz goat cheese
2 T onion tops or scallions, diced
1/2 t salt
1 t olive oil
1 egg
1 T milk
1 c panko or bread crumbs
1 T grated cheddar
1 t dried parsley
1 tomato, sliced

Combine the rice, cheese, salt, and onion in a medium bowl and mix well.
In another bowl, beat the egg and whisk in the milk. In a separate bowl, mix the panko, cheddar, and parsley.
Form four patties from the rice mixture and dip them in the egg mixture. Flip them to coat the patties with egg; then move the patties, one at a time, to the panko mixture. Flip the patties and make sure they are coated with panko.
Heat a saucepan over medium-low heat. When the pan is hot, add 2 T olive oil and heat. When the oil is warm, add the patties to the pan. Cook them 5-7 minutes per side, until golden brown and warmed through.
Serve with sauteed kale or a salad topped with tomato.

Fishmongers know their stuff

2010-07-28T20:04:00.000-07:00

Have you ever asked your fishmonger what they'd recommend for a particular fish? If you haven't, you really ought to. I stopped at the store today to buy salmon for dinner tonight, but my eye was caught by the marlin. I've never made marlin before, and it looked good. Having never made it before, though I probably would have assumed it wouldn't stand up to strong flavors.

I asked the fishmonger what he'd recommend I do with it and he came back with two suggestions. Either a lime, chili, cumin marinade or something with rosemary. I don't really remember the second one because right after he "marinade," he said "mango salsa."

How could I not?

Chili powder, cumin, lime, mango salsa - those flavors stood there and yelled "SUMMER! It's SUMMER!" With an argument like that, I had little recourse.

For the salsa, if you don't like the spice of the pepper, scrape out the white ribs and the seeds. If you like heat, leave them in. The salsa does need a bit of kick, though, so don't skip it altogether. If you really don't like spice, choose a mild pepper - even green pepper.

A hearty thank you to fishmongers everywhere who know their stuff and give excellent advice to the curious and the new-to-marlin among us.

Marlin with Mango Salsa
1 marlin steak
2 limes
1 t chili powder
1 t cumin
1 t oregano
1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
1 mango, peeled and diced
1/4 c onion, diced
1/2 t salt
1 t olive oil

Mix the chili powder, cumin, oregano, and lime juice in a shallow pan and add the marlin. Make sure the fish is coated with spice on both sides and let it marinate for up to 15 minutes. (Beyond that and the lime juice will start to cook the fish.)
In a separate bowl, prepare the mango salsa by stirring together the mango, jalapeno, onion, salt, salt and pepper. Allow the salsa to sit and the flavors to meld.
Heat a saucepan over medium heat. When the pan is hot, add 2 T olive oil and heat. When the oil is hot, pour out 1/2 t and add to the salsa. To the remaining oil, add the fish. Cook 5-7 minutes on each side, until cooked through.
Serve with mango salsa.

You Should Make This Pork Roast

2010-07-19T22:02:00.000-07:00

Every once in a while, something sounds good, and then I try to make it, and it works. I mean really works. This is one of those things.
Not too long ago, I had a pork roast sandwich at Homegrown. The pork was made with a coffee rub and it was one of the best sandwiches I've eaten in forever. If you haven't gone to Homegrown, I totally recommend it.
I wanted to try a coffee rub, but I've tried making things with ground coffee once, and it didn't turn out well. It ended up gritty. Using actual prepared coffee seemed like a good way around the grit.

Seriously. Try this. It rocks.

This roast did dual duty; something I wish I could make happen more often. It was part of a meat and potato night last night with roasted beet salad, and shows up later in the week as shredded pork tacos.

Pork Roast
1 t ground ginger
1 t cumin
1 t salt
1 t garlic powder
1/2 t pepper
1/2 t dried oregano
1/4 t cinnamon
1/4 t smoked paprika
2 T prepared coffee
1 Pork Roast

Mix all dry ingredients together, then pour prepared coffee over the mix and stir to create a paste. Cover the pork roast with the paste, and put the roast into a plastic bag and refrigerate for 2-3 hours.
Preheat the oven to 400.
Heat a medium oven-proof pan over medium-high heat. Add 2 t olive oil to the pan and heat until just shy of shimmering. Sear all sides of the pork roast, then move the pan to the oven. Roast for 35 minutes, or until cooked. (A good rule of thumb for pork is 20 minutes per pound at 400.)

Random Pantry Meals, Tuna Noodle Casserole Edition

2010-07-16T21:19:00.000-07:00

There are a few foods that have the potential to be creepy and/or terrible under the wrong circumstances. Think chafing dishes or buffets. Tuna Noodle Casserole, Salisbury Steak, and Meatloaf are all really high on the list.

I had high hopes tonight for a cress pesto. When I went to look at the cress in the garden, though, I realized I'd be lucky to get a cup of leaves; let alone the almost 5 cups I needed. My yard is less than ideal from a food perspective. Kale grows really well. Everything else languishes and is sad and pathetic.

Since the pesto was a non-starter, I raided the pantry and came up with noodles, tuna, and panko. The fridge had half and half and pepper jack.

Tuna Noodle Casserole? It's actually really good. You can't really tell by the pictures, but we did actually use plates.

Maybe one of these days I'll feel particularly adventurous and I'll try Salisbury steak. I'm not going to hold my breath for that one, though.

Tuna Noodle Casserole
1 T butter
1/2 onion, diced
1 rib celery, diced
1 c crimini mushroom, chopped
2 T sherry
1 t soy sauce
1/2 t salt
1/2 t pepper
2 T butter
1/4 c flour
1 1/2 c broth
1/2 c half and half
1 t paprika
1 can tuna, drained
3/4 c pepper jack, grated
2 c panko
1 T vegetable oil

Preheat the oven to 375. Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and celery and heat until they start to sweat. Add the mushrooms and salt and cook 3-5 minutes. Pour in the soy sauce and sherry and cook 3 minutes more.
Push all the onion and mushroom mixture to once side of the skillet and add the remaining 2 T butter on the empty side of the pan. Sprinkle the flour over the butter and cook until the flour becomes golden, stirring occasionally. Once the roux has become golden, whisk in the broth and allow to simmer. Pour in the half and half and then stir the entire pan to incorporate the mushroom mixture. Add the paprika and tuna and season to taste.
Cook the pasta according to the package, then drain. Add the pasta to the mushroom mixture and stir. Turn into a medium baking dish.
Stir the grated cheese, panko, and 1 t oil in a small bowl, then pour on top of the casserole.
Bake 25 minutes until the top is golden, then bask in the awesome.

Quilt Top Done!

2010-07-09T07:38:00.000-07:00

As with so many things, this started with shopping, had a misguided detour through planning, and finally ends up done. Ish.

The quilt that I've been working on since (apparently) March (gulp) is finally mostly, almost, kind of done. The top is done, and I'm really pleased with how it turned out.

The remaining bits, of course, are to find a suitable backing fabric and binding fabric. I saw a fantastically hilarious pirate fabric at the store the other day, but a woman snatched it all up. Since she was muttering to herself about "the pirates, the pirates, the pirates come out to play!" I figured it was better to just let her have it.

The Calendar Says July but the Weather Says March

2010-07-01T20:00:00.000-07:00

It's July 1. We're definitely, officially, 100%, smack-dab in the middle of summer. And yet, today, in Seattle? 62 degrees. That was the high. The low was 54.

And so on this summer day, I had polenta and sausage, which can be found on the List of Things to Eat When It's Frozen Outside. It was wonderful and I loved it. In concession to the calendar, I did put mizuna, fresh tomatoes and avocados on top. I heart avocados lately. Mizuna belongs in the "green stuff" family, if you're not familiar with it. It's a little spicy like arugula, though it's technically in the mustard / cabbage family.

Polenta intimidated me for a good long while. It seemed like it was hard work and there was all that stirring.

If a recipe includes the words "stir constantly," odds are good that I'll skip it. Particularly if they're followed by the words "for 30-40 minutes." If I'm stuck to the stove for that long, there damn well better be chocolate involved. Fortunately, Alton Brown rescued me with a baked polenta. It does still require a whisk, but not 30 minutes of constant whisking, thankfully. I wholeheartedly recommend this recipe. I've never had polenta turn out with clumps, or burnt to the bottom, or icky in any way. It's always been delicious.

Once the polenta has been cheese-ified, stack on the sausage.

Tomatoes, salt, and pepper.

Delicious, happy mizuna and avocado.

I liked the difference in texture from the polenta and sausage and mizuna. The mizuna also made it a little more interesting.

Polenta and Sausage
1 recipe polenta
1 T olive oil
6 oz beer
4 sausages
1/2 c diced tomato
1/4 c diced avocado
1/4 c chopped mizuna
1/4 t salt
1/4 t pepper

Heat the olive oil in a sauce pan over medium heat. Add the sausages and the beer. The beer should just shy of halfway up the sides of the sausages. Cook over medium heat for 20-25 minutes, turning them periodically.
Slice the sausage into 1/2 inch pieces.
Layer the polenta, the sausage, the tomato, the mizuna, salt and pepper, and top with avocado. Serve.

Melted Onion Crostini

2010-06-11T20:00:00.000-07:00

Do you read Culinate? It's a magazine that might change how you think about food. It did for me. The recipes they post there are clean and simple and good. I will admit that neither of the shortbread recipes I tried worked, but millet cookies, polenta, and red sauce have been home runs. But more than that, the site provides an absolute ton of inspiration for me.

Not always, perhaps, the way it's intended.

I saw this recipe for Marmalade of Spring Greens not long ago and thought it sounded really good. Unfortunately, it was early in the morning before I was really awake, and I misread the title. The picture still made sense with what I read - Marmalade of Spring Onions - so I bookmarked it and went on with my day.

When I came back to it a few days later and read the ingredients, I was more than a little confused - there weren't even onions in the list. My way sounded better to me at the moment, though, so I pulled out the spring onions, a leek, a baguette, and a bit of salt. The onions and leek went into a pan on low heat. To melt.

Have you ever melted onions or leeks? It's fantastic. It brings out the sweetness and softness of the onion and makes the flavor deeper.

When I tasted it at the end, though, it needed cheese. Honestly, though, what doesn't taste better with cheese? A tiny sliver of pepper jack went on top of the baguette slice. I would like to tell you that the pepper jack was an inspired choice. The truth, though, is that pepper jack was what I had in my fridge. It did end up working out perfectly, though.

The verdict? I have been graciously permitted to make these whenever I want. In husband-speak, that's a euphemism for "These are really effen good and I love them and you."

You'll have to take my word on that one.

Melted Onion Crostini
6 slices baguette
1 T olive oil
1 T butter
1 bunch young red onions, sliced
1 small leek, sliced
1/2 t salt
6 slices pepper jack, thinly sliced

Heat the olive oil and butter in a sauce pan over medium heat.
Add the onions and salt to the pan and turn the heat to medium-low. Stirring occasionally, cook the onion mixture until greatly reduced in volume, 20-30 minutes.
Cut the baguette into six slices and top each with a thin slice of cheese. Mound the onion marmalade on top. Serve.

Shrimp Fra Diavolo

2010-06-09T20:43:00.000-07:00

The weather is very June-like. Only more so. I saw a bit on the news last week. As of June 4, we'd already met the average rainfall quota for the entire month of June. Four days in, we had 2.14 inches of rain mucking about. Most of it is in my tomatoes, and they're angry and yellowing and generally bad tempered.

But today, between the very un-Seattle-like driving rain, there were sunbreaks. And so I'm declaring it Almost Nice. And when it's Almost Nice, I can cook Food That is Good for Almost Nice Weather. It's a separate section of the food world and things like Shrimp Fra Diavolo and Stir Frys (Fries?) live there.

But I don't have a wok, because I have no where to store it. I had a spot, then I got a food processor, and so Stir Fry is out and Shrimp Fra Diavolo it is.

Because it was Almost Nice, I also went for a run (which was crap, because I know you're super curious). This dish is doubly fantastic because it's incredibly satisfying without making me feel like I completely invalidated all my running.

Unfortunately, we were too impatient to wait and so there's no picture of this on a plate. Rest assured, though, that we did eat this off plates.

Shrimp Fra Diavolo
Serves 4
2 T olive oil
1 1/2 c shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 large shallot, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 c chopped fresh tomatoes
1 (14 oz) can crushed tomatoes
1 c white wine
1 t oregano
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 oz spaghettini
2 T parsley, chopped
1 t dried red pepper flakes

Cook the pasta according to the package directions, then set aside.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add shrimp and cook, turning once, until just cooked through, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and set aside. Add garlic and both onions and cook until they're translucent.
Add the fresh tomatoes, canned tomatoes, wine, and oregano to the pan and stir to combine. Stir in the salt and pepper, and simmer on medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes are soft and sauce has thickened. Mine took roughly 20 minutes.
Add the parsley, red pepper flakes, spaghettini, and the shrimp to the pan and stir to combine.

Progression of squares

2010-06-02T06:38:00.000-07:00

Ages and ages and ages ago, I posted pictures of fabric. I didn't do anything with it until recently because my dining room table was covered in laundry or camping gear or any number of things I didn't want to be bothered with.

We don't often eat at the dining room table. We're more "sit on the floor by the coffee table" type people.

Then the laundry went away, and the camping gear went away and the table was clear. And bits of fabric became blocks for a quilt.

Bit by bit, I'm cutting them down and sewing them together again.

Because I'm a rebel, I'm not using a pattern (read: I can't be bothered to find a pattern I like). It might come back to haunt me, but for the time being, I'm happy with my progress.

There's been more since these, and there will be scads more before I'm done, but for the time being, I'm happy with the progress, and it's good to have a project going again instead of sitting there, mocking me for not clearing off the dining table.

Orzo with Three Onions

2010-05-20T20:43:00.000-07:00

You know why this meal is so awesome? Start to finish, it took me 15 minutes. Fifteen. Minutes. That's it.

And? And?

Totally good.

I went for a run tonight when I got home, and when I got back I got distracted by the dog.

She's cute and she likes to run around with squeaky toys. Also? Bat ears. It's funny. Also, I'm easily distracted. So, one minute turned into 45 minutes and suddenly I was starving. Three onions, you ask? Yellow onion, leeks, and chives, together in yumminess.

This was the answer to my hunger.

Quick. Easy. Cheesy. Delicious.

Orzo with Three Onions
Serves 4
1 T olive oil
1 T butter
1/2 c onion, diced
2 medium leeks, chopped
1/4 c chopped chives
1 head broccoli, chopped into roughly equal pieces
1/2 c peas (I used frozen)
3/4 c orzo
1/4 t red pepper flakes
1 t salt
1/2 t pepper
2 oz goat cheese
Boil a 3 qt pot of water with 1/2 t salt. When the water boils, add the broccoli, orzo, and 1/2 t salt.
Heat the olive oil and butter in a pan over medium high heat. Add the onions, leeks, and 1/2 t salt and saute for about five minutes until the onions and leeks are tender.
Add the red pepper flakes and peas and stir, cooking until peas are warmed through, about 3 minutes.
Once the peas are warmed through, stir in the goat cheese and chives, and 1/4 cup of the pasta water.
Drain the broccoli and orzo and combine with the onion mixture.
Serve; sprinkle with Parmesan if you like.

Stromboli. Or, I ignore the lovely weather and pretend it's winter

2010-05-14T15:00:00.000-07:00

I love pizza. When I was in high school, my brother and I were always so excited when Dad would make his homemade pizza because it was so much better than what we could order. It still is.

Homemade pizza is one of the happiest foods ever. Ever. No lie.

I was flipping through a magazine not too long ago and I saw a picture of stromboli. I don't remember why (probably because my brain is a giant sieve) but we used to sell stromboli in high school as a fund raiser. I remember them being pretty good. I'm pretty sure that high school is the last time I thought about stromboli, and that was about a million years ago.

But then there was a magazine, and it talked about stromboli. And I got the urge to make them. Since I'm making them, I make the rules, and to me, stromboli are pizzas that are rolled into logs. In case you're curious, I consider calzones to be pizzas folded in half. The pizza family is large, and it brings me great happiness.

This is stromboli. It is a happy, comforting food that you should make. Soon, before it's legitimately too hot to turn the oven on.

I made it in stages, browning the sausage and making a sauce of sorts, then laying out the dough and rolling the stromboli.

They certainly aren't the prettiest stromboli in the world, but they were delicious.

Sausage Stromboli
Serves 4
1 T olive oil
1 lb italian sausage, removed from casings
1 yellow onion, minced
1 clove garlic
1 t oregano
1 t salt
1 t pepper
1 T tomato paste
1 (28oz) can diced tomatoes
1 bunch kale, chopped
1/2 bunch spinach, chopped
4 oz mozzarella cheese, grated
pizza dough (recipe follows)

Heat oil in a medium pan over medium-high heat. Add sausage and brown, breaking it into smaller pieces as necessary. It's not necessary to cook the sausage all the way through. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Add 1 t oil to the pan and cook the onion until translucent.
Add the garlic and spices and stir until fragrant, then add the greens. Saute for 2-3 minutes.
Stir in the tomato paste and allow to cook for 1-2 minutes. As the pan starts to sizzle a bit, pour in the tomatoes and stir until combined. Simmer 10 minutes to meld flavors.
Pour the tomato mixture over the sausage and let it sit until you're ready to use it.
Divide the pizza dough into four quadrants and stretch then into 4x9 inch rectangles. Arrange 3/4 cup of the sauce in the center and top with grated mozzarella. Pinch the edges together, lengthwise, to create a log. Move to a parchment-lined cookie sheet.
Repeat for all four pieces of dough.
Bake at 375 for 40 minutes, or until golden and warmed through.
Pizza Dough
Makes dough for one pizza
3 1/3 c flour
1 t salt
3 t olive oil
2 t oregano, dried
1 t sugar 2
t yeast
1 1/4 water

Heat the water to 105 (about 35 seconds in my microwave). Stir in the sugar, then the yeast. Allow this mix to stand for 5 minutes, until foamy.
Add the flour, salt, 2 t oil, and oregano to a food processor. Pour in the water mixture on the dough speed as fast as the flour will absorb it.
Allow the mixture to combine, then process for 30 seconds.
Turn the dough out into a slightly oiled bowl and cover with a tea towel. Allow it to stand for 45 minutes, until risen.

Grilled Corn Salad

2010-05-11T15:00:00.000-07:00

I love grilling season. The weather, the sun, the warmth. The skies are so gray for so long that when the blue skies return, I feel like I shouldn't take one second for granted, That sentiment, unfortunately, lasts for about a month, then I start to take the weather for granted.

Our weather this weekend was perfect early season gorgeousness. The mountains were out and super clear and made my bike ride and run more than worth it. The sun wore a corona and the food was amazing.

Random fact: sun halos, like this one, are caused by particles of moisture in cirrus clouds located in the troposphere.

Not quite as educational random fact: grilled corn is awesome.

Shuck the corn and rinse off any of the corn silk that's still stuck to the ear. Using a great deal of care, cut the corn off the cob.

Once you put everything in a bowl, it looks like the beginning of summer.

This recipe is particularly enticing because it's endlessly adaptable for everything that summer brings.

Grilled Corn Salad
3 cobs corn, grilled
1 tomato, chopped
1 c arugula, chopped
1/2 c yellow onion, minced
1/4 c parsley, chopped
2 T tarragon, chopped
2 oz goat cheese, crumbled
1/2 c asparagus, grilled and chopped
1 t salt
1 t pepper

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and stir to combine. Pour dressing over the salad (recipe follows). Enjoy.

Cumin Vinaigrette:
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 t mustard
1/2 t cumin
1/3 c olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste

Harissa BBQ Sauce; or; Oh, Look! I Have a Blog!

2010-05-09T19:30:00.000-07:00

It's been a while.

Part of that is laziness. I made some things that I was going to share, and I took photos of them. But I never uploaded the photos from the camera.

Yes, that pretty much makes me lazy.

Tonight will be a different story. We had beautiful weather, perfect for grilling, a pork shoulder steak and a jar of Harissa.

Keep in mind that this sauce has sugar in it, so if you use it as a marinade, it's likely to burn pretty quickly. If you'd rather have it as a sauce, salt and pepper the meat and grill it as you usually would, adding the BBQ sauce at the end.

I like flavor, but don't care too much for intense spiciness, and this was perfect for me. This is a really balanced sauce - neither too spicy nor too sweet, and it has amazing flavor.

Harissa BBQ Sauce
Makes about 1 1/2 - 2 cups
1 T olive oil
1 c yellow onion, minced
1 allspice berry, smashed and chopped
1/8 tsp grated nutmeg
3 threads saffron
1/8 t ground black pepper
1/8 t ground cinnamon
1/8 t ground cardamom
1/4 t ground ginger
1/4 t salt
1/4 t turmeric
2 T Harissa
2 T tomato paste
1/4 c pineapple juice
2 T apple cider vinegar
2 T blackstrap molasses
1 T agave syrup

Heat the oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions cook until translucent, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic cook until fragrant, about a minute. Add the spices and cook for 1 minute to release the aromas. Add remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Cook approximately 3-4 minutes to meld the flavors. Let it cool before you use it.

Baked Eggplant

2010-04-14T20:16:00.000-07:00

Though the calendar said it was spring a while ago, the weather patterns took a little longer to catch up. Still, I'm clinging to a few last remnants of the colder weather and eggplant is definitely one of them. For some reason, this year I'm not quite ready for the light, airy, fresh bounty of spring produce. I want to hold on to stews and heartiness for just a little while longer.

Maybe it's because it's chilly in the mornings. Maybe it's because I'm stubborn and resist change. Any way you look at it, I couldn't be happier.

I went for a run after work. It's not quite 60 yet, which means that for running, it's hovering between light, long-sleeve top weather and heavier short-sleeve top weather. I'm choosing short sleeves because running is the ONLY time in my day-to-day existence that I'd rather be a little chilly.

That's really just a long-winded way of saying, "I went for a run and I was cold, so then I wanted something hearty and delicious for dinner."

Baked Eggplant
Serves 4
2 medium eggplant
2 T olive oil
1 (15oz) can tomatoes
2 oz feta
2 T oregano, divided
1 t salt
1 t pepper
1 t pepper flakes
2 T pine nuts (optional)
1/4 c parsley

Heat the oven to 375.
Slice the eggplant in half, lengthwise and cut crisscrosses into each face. Heat a large pan over medium-high heat until the oil is hot. Put the eggplant into the pan, cut-side down, for 4-5 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove and set aside.
To the same pan, add the tomatoes, salt, pepper, 1 T oregano, and pepper flakes to the pan and simmer for 10-15 minutes; remove from heat.
Put the eggplant into a 9x13 ovenproof pan and top with tomatoes, feta, and the remaining oregano. Bake for 45 minutes, or until browned and bubbly.
While the eggplant is baking, put a clean, dry pan on medium-low heat and add the pine nuts. Toast them for 8-10 minutes, until lightly browned, stirring occasionally. Be sure to watch them - pine nuts burn easily (and usually in those 4 seconds you turn away).
Remove the eggplant from the oven and top with toasted pine nuts and parsley.

Crisp Fennel Apple Salad

2010-04-07T20:10:00.000-07:00

While I try to decide what to do with the pattern I mentioned the other day, I've been looking forward to this salad. I'm good at that. When I don't want to make a decision, I flip completely to another topic and think about that. Yay, diversions!

This salad, though, is definitely worth looking forward to. Because of the way the flavors of the fennel, apple and onion come together, it's a great match for a meat and potatoes kind of dinner. It's a simple salad, and somehow, for the simplicity, that much better.

Fennel, apple, onion, an orange, walnuts, and vinaigrette. That's it.

We ate this with ribs and roasted potatoes. The ribs were amazing, but rich. The potatoes were crisp on the outside and creamy on the inside. And alongside was this salad - crisp and delicious with a tangy profile from the vinaigrette - a perfect foil to the ribs and a wonderful compliment to the potatoes.

In a perfect world, I like meals to have a variety of textures. I sometimes have trouble with risotto and macaroni and cheese for that very reason. This salad solves a lot of my problems.

I like it when things solve problems for me, don't you?

Fennel Apple Salad
Serves 4 as a side
1 bulb fennel
1/2 sweet onion
1 apple
1 orange
1/4 c. walnuts

Vinaigrette
1 t mustard
1 t lemon juice
2 T sherry vinegar
olive oil
salt
pepper
Italian seasoning

Remove the stalks from the fennel, leaving the bulb. Slice the bulb lengthwise, then into quarters. Cut out the tough, woody center and then slice the fennel into 1/8 inch sticks. Place them in a medium bowl.
Slice the apple into quarters, then remove the core. Slice each quarter into 1/8 inch slices. Add them to the bowl.
Peel the onion and cut it in half from top to bottom. Save half for something else. The half you're using for this you should slice into 1/8 inch slices and added to the bowl.
Put the walnuts in a pan and heat over medium heat until they're toasty. It should take 5-10 minutes. Be sure to keep an eye on these - they go from cold to burnt more quickly than you'd think.
To make the vinaigrette, put the everything but the oil into a small bowl. While whisking, add 4-7ish tablespoons olive oil until the vinaigrette comes together. Pour over the salad and stir to mix.
Serve with something yummy; though this is also really good in the summer by itself.

Squares

2010-04-05T19:59:00.000-07:00

Today, I have made you squares.

Many, many squares.

Squares within squares. Also a few rectangles, which are related to squares; a sort of distant second cousin, twice removed. Only not quite so ... off.

This is my first cut at a new quilt pattern. I have a few things I want to adjust now that I see it up here, but all in all, this is the pattern I'm going with.
Specifically, I want to adjust the bottom half so it's not quite so divided.

Because that explanation makes *total* sense.

Chicken Curry Noodle Soup

2010-03-31T20:56:00.000-07:00

You know what curry dishes are good for? Stopping the almost-cold from getting any further. (That, of course, is only one of the many good thing about curry. The bad thing about curry is that I am unable to spell and have spelled it 'currey' every time I typed it while writing this. Which is awesome. (Except not.))

And when curry meets soup on a cold, rainy, blustery, not-quite-spring day like we had yesterday? Then curry is even better. This soup warmed us from the inside out, thanks in part to the magic of soup and in part to the warmth of the curry. Spinach and purple cabbage made it colorful and fun to look at and the somen gave it heft and body that helped to make it a perfect gloomy day dinner.

Once you have the vegetables in the pan, scootch them all to once side and add the curry (currey!) paste, letting it cook for a minute or three. When you pour in the coconut milk, stir just that half until the curry is totally mixed in. This particular paste has a kick to it, so clumps can be particularly ... surprising.

Just before you pull the soup off the heat, it should look something like this - supremely colorful and aromatic from the curry, coconut, basil, and cilantro.

The last, and best, step is the eating.

This soup was also good in that it came together relatively quickly - about half an hour.

Chicken Curry Noodle Soup
Serves 4
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1/2 c crimini mushrooms, chopped
1 c chopped purple cabbage
2 c chicken thighs, chopped
2 T green curry paste (or to taste)
1 can coconut milk
4 c chicken stock
1/2 c basil, chopped
2 c spinach, washed and chopped
1/4 c cilantro, chopped
1 bunch somen noodles

Heat a large dutch oven over medium high heat with 2 T olive oil.
Once the onion is translucent, add the cabbage to the pan and stir.
Cook the vegetables for 3-5 minutes and stir in the chicken.
Push all the chicken and vegetables to one side and add the curry paste, allowing it to cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring the curry paste only
periodically. Once the curry paste starts to stick to the bottom of the pan, pour in 3 T coconut milk and stir the curry paste and coconut milk together until all the clumps are incorporated. Once the curry is incorporated, stir the curry mixture into the vegetables and chicken.
Pour in the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes, or until the chicken is thoroughly cooked.
Add the somen, spinach, basil, and cilantro, and cook 4 additional minutes.
Serve.

2010-03-28T20:02:00.000-07:00

I went shopping this weekend. I'm contemplating putting these into one quilt with the dark green floral as sashing or binding, but I'm not convinced it will really work. I'm going to spend some time over the next few days combining them in different ways and seeing what else I can pull out of my stash.

New projects are exciting!

Asparagus Farfalle

2010-03-23T20:36:00.000-07:00

I was so, so very close to just having cookies for dinner tonight. The weather is on the verge of turning into full-blown spring, and we've been eating on the porch lately. It's not quite warm enough, though, and at least one sweater is still required. I'm looking at it as points toward my BadAss badge.

Tonight, even though it's a bit chilly, I wanted to sit outside in the almost-sun and eat cookies. Fortunately (or unfortunately, I'm never sure how to read these things), the promise of roasted walnuts and asparagus pulled me away from the porch. The mushrooms, as they were cooking? Smelled amazing. This sauce made my house smell so good.

Adding the pasta and asparagus to the saucepan means that's one less dish to wash, and gets that much more sauce on the noodles. With this sauce, that's a very good thing.

This was delicious. The walnuts were perfect in this. They added a lot of depth to the flavor of the sauce and the crunch helped vary the texture.

Asparagus Farfalle
Serves 4
8 oz farfalle
1/2 c white onion, diced
1/2 c crimini mushrooms, chopped
1/2 c shitaki mushrooms, chopped
1 t fresh thyme, chopped
1 t salt
1 t pepper
1 T flour
1 T sherry
1/2 c half and half
1/2 c skim milk
1 bunch asparagus, ends trimmed, and chopped
1/2 c walnuts
1 oz goat cheese
2 T Parmesan, grated
Preheat the oven to 350 and put the walnuts on a rimmed baking sheet. When the oven is hot, bake the walnuts for 15 minutes, shaking the pan halfway through to keep them from burning.
Cook the pasta according to package instructions. When the pasta is one minute from being cooked, add the asparagus and cook for two minutes. Drain and set aside.
Heat a sauce pan over medium heat with 1 T olive oil. When the pan is hot, add the onions, mushrooms, salt, pepper, and thyme to the pan, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes until the mushrooms are tender.
Add the flour to the pan and cook for two minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in the sherry and scrape the bottom of the pan. Pour in the milk and half and half and reduce the heat; cook for 2-3 minutes until the mixture thickens.
Toss in the pasta, goat cheese, and asparagus and stir thoroughly.
Serve with Parmesan and additional pepper.

Cookies by Request

2010-03-21T19:48:00.000-07:00

I went to visit some friends yesterday, and when I got home, I made the mistake of mentioning that I had been offered (and accepted) two oatmeal cookies while I was there. I had forgotten that when it comes to the power of suggestion and sweets, someone I know is a goner.
Today, after a few hours, I caved to the "I wish I had some oatmeal cookies..." sighs that were coming my way. I measured and cracked and mixed and added and combined...

And for a comparatively small amount of work, I got cookies. Crisp on the edges and soft and chewy in the middle, and just a hint of chocolate. Also, please don't look too closely at the Tupperware mat I've got there on the cookie sheet. I promise you it's clean. It's just a little sad.

Look at the cookies instead. For my money, a lazy, somewhat sunny Sunday, can't get any better than fresh cookies, a glass of milk, and time on the porch.

Oatmeal Cookies
Makes about 4 dozen

1 c (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 c brown sugar, packed
1/2 c granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 t vanilla
1 1/2 c. flour
1/2 t salt
1 c. chocolate chips
1 1/2 t. baking soda
3 C. rolled oats
1 c. dried cranberries
3/4 c. pecans, roughly chopped

Mix the butter and both sugars until creamy.
Add the eggs and vanilla and mix well.
Add the flour, salt, and baking soda and combine.
Stir in the oats, scraping down the sides to make sure everything is incorporated.
Stir in the chocolate chips, cranberries, pecans and mix thoroughly.
Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes, until golden. Let them cook for a minute on the cookie sheet, then transfer these yummy cookies to a baking rack to cool.

Baked Rigatoni

2010-03-18T22:14:00.000-07:00

I love pasta. Pasta makes me happy. Pasta in red sauce, pasta in soups, pasta in salads with greens and good cheese. I could go on (but I won't, out of consideration for you and your attention span).

It's not just the pasta, though. I love making tomato sauces and playing with the flavors. I love how different the sauces can taste just by adding different elements or changing the cooking times on a core group of ingredients.
It wasn't that long ago that I made Spaghetti with Bacon and Fennel. This dish, which is also a tomato sauce with fennel, tasted completely different. Brighter, warmer. The vegetables add body and depth of flavor to the sauce. I wanted the sauce to be the highlight, so it's lighter on cheese than most baked pastas, which usually seem to be half cheese.

I used about 2 ounces of goat cheese in this, which made the sauce incredibly rich and creamy without being heavy. It may sound a bit odd, but give it a try, and let me know what you think.

Baked Rigatoni
4 serving
1 lb ground pork
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 medium carrot, chopped
1 bulb fennel, diced
3/4 c shitaki mushrooms, chopped
1 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1/4 c red wine
1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
1 T dried oregano
1 T Italian seasonings
1 T pesto
8 oz rigatoni
6 oz assorted grated cheese*
2 T grated Parmesan
*I used 2 oz Colby, 2 oz Monterrey jack, and 2 oz goat cheese.

Preheat the oven to 375.
Heat 1 T of the olive oil in a high-sided skillet over medium high heat. When the oil shimmers, add the ground pork and cook until browned, 5-7 minutes. Remove the pork from the pan and set it aside for now.
To the same pan, add an additional 1 T olive oil and allow it to warm. Add the onion, celery, carrot, fennel, salt, and pepper to the pan. Saute until tender and just slightly browned, 10 minutes.
Stir in the mushrooms and cook until slightly tender, 5 minutes. Once the mushrooms are slightly tender, pour in the red wine and scrape the bottom of the pan. Allow the mixture to simmer gently until most of the liquid has evaporated.
In a separate bowl, mix the crushed tomato, oregano, pesto, and Italian seasoning. Pour the tomato mixture into the pan and simmer for 20 minutes.
While the tomato mixture simmers, cook the pasta according to package directions and grate the cheeses. Drain the pasta and add the pasta and all the cheese EXCEPT the Parmesan to the pan and stir to combine.
Move the pasta to an oven-proof dish and sprinkle the Parmesan on top. Bake 20-25 minutes until browned.
Enjoy.

Dandelion Greens with Roasted Hazelnuts

2010-03-14T18:46:00.000-07:00

I love the sharp bitterness of dandelion greens. A friend told me once that dandelion greens remove the winter impurities from our systems. Whether that's true or not, I'll leave up to others. For me, it's enough to know that some things pair very, very well together. The sharpness of the greens blends with the creamy smoothness of the goat cheese and the rich nuttiness of the roasted hazelnuts. The pear and blueberries add more texture and flavor to round out the salad.

Dandelion Greens with Roasted Hazelnuts
4 serving
1/4 c hazelnuts
2 oz goat cheese
1 bunch dandelion greens
1 d'anjou pear, sliced
1/4 c blueberries
vinaigrette
Roast hazelnuts at 375 for 10 minutes, shaking the pan periodically. Remove from the oven and let them cool. As they cool, the skins will crack. Rub the hazelnuts in a clean dishtowel to remove the skins. Roughly chop the hazelnuts.
Wash the dandelion greens and remove the bottom third or so of the stem. Place the greens in a serving bowl.
Chop the pear into bite-sized pieces.
Add the remaining ingredients to the salad; toss to combine.
Serve with a plain or raspberry vinaigrette.

Smoothies

2010-03-13T07:56:00.000-08:00

Smoothies are wonderful weekend breakfasts. I suppose, technically, they'd be great weekday breakfasts, but I never think to make them unless I'm having a Lounge Around on the Couch Day. Since that makes me sound lazy, I'll also tell you that I really like these smoothies right after a run.

Usually, I use yogurt, but this time I happened to have some kefir in the fridge. Kefir is a yogurt-like beverage, and it made the smoothie a touch more tart, and that much more delicious.

The other reason I love this recipe is because I can use my immersion blender. I got it for Christmas and I love it so much that I look for recipes that require blending, just so I can use it.

Smoothies
1 serving
1/2 c plain kefir (or plain, unsweetened yogurt)
2 T peanut butter
3/4 c roughly chopped strawberries
1/4 c blueberries
milk, as needed

Pull out your trusty blender and combine the kefir, peanut butter, strawberries, and blueberries. Add milk, if necessary, to thin the consistency a bit.

English Muffin Pizzas

2010-03-11T20:00:00.000-08:00

I mentioned recently that when left to my own devices, I sometimes have cheese and crackers for dinner. This week will be one of those weeks. When Clive travels, I always have english muffin pizzas at least once.

My mom made these when my brother and I were little. I love the crispy edges of the english muffin and the happiness of melted cheese. For me, these are the definition of comfort food. They've become my go-to dinner of choice when I'm on my own for dinner and don't want to spend a lot of time cooking (or doing the dishes afterward).

These are endlessly adaptable, which makes them easy to love. Spinach, onions, kale, sausage, blue cheese - they're all candidates, though perhaps not at the same time. And the best part? They cook on a foil-lined baking sheet, so dishes? Not so much.

English Muffin Pizzas
1 serving
1 english muffin
1 T tomato sauce (or spaghetti sauce)
2 slices mozzarella
2 mushrooms, sliced
4 slices pepperoni
1/2 t oregano
Cut the english muffin in half and put it on a foil-lined baking sheet.
Spoon the tomato sauce onto the english muffins and add the oregano.
Turn on the broiler and heat the english muffins for 2-3 minutes, just to warm the sauce and add a touch of crispiness.
Remove the pan from the oven and add the mushrooms, pepperoni, and mozzarella. Return the pan to the oven, leaving the door ajar, and cook for 5 minutes, until the cheese is browned and the pepperoni is getting crispy on the edges. Be sure to watch them carefully; the broiler typically goes from 'warm' to 'blackened' very quickly.
Serve with a green salad.

Macaroni and Cheese

2010-03-09T21:06:00.000-08:00

For a long time, I didn't like macaroni and cheese.

I know.

I can't believe it either. I don't like things that are texturally the same. I have a similar issue with risotto. I get bored, then I start to actively dislike it, and before you know it, I've maligned two perfectly good dishes because I'm an oddball.

Meh.

Once I started cooking more regularly, though, I realized that I could tweak recipes and make thing however I wanted. Substitute this for that. Take out things I dislike and add things I do like. And that? That is why macaroni and cheese will forever be on my list of perfect foods.

This recipe originally came from my grandma, who introduced me to the idea that macaroni and cheese didn't have to come from a box. For that, I will be forever grateful. I took the recipe and tweaked it, because I'm contrary and like mushrooms.
Did I lose you? Sorry. I got sidetracked.

This macaroni and cheese has sauteed mushrooms and onions that add a depth of flavor and deliciousness. It also has bacon, because I seem to be a on a bit of a bacon kick lately. Make of that what you will.

Before the oven:

After the oven:

Macaroni and Cheese
1 t olive oil
1/2 c onion, chopped
1/2 c crimini mushrooms, chopped
1/2 c shitaki mushrooms, chopped
1 glove garlic, minced
1 t paprika
2 T flour
3/4 c whole milk
1/2 c monterrey jack cheese, grated
1/2 c mozzarella cheese, grated
1/4 c parmesan cheese, grated
spiral pasta

Preheat the oven to 375.
Cook the pasta according to package instructions, drain, and set aside.
Heat a Dutch oven over medium high heat, adding the oil when the pan is slightly warm. Add the onion and cook 2-3 minutes. Slide the mushrooms and paprika into the pot and cook until softened, 10 minutes. Add the garlic and heat until fragrant, 30 seconds.
Sprinkle the flour over the onion and mushroom mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until the flour is slightly browned, 2-3 minutes.
Pour the milk into the pan, scraping the bottom well, and add the cheese. Stir to combine and allow the milk to heat through. The mixture will thicken.
Scrape down the sides (if you're baking the macaroni and cheese in a different pan, transfer it now) and sprinkle the top with Parmesan. Move the pan to the oven and bake for 30-45 minutes until the top is browned and slightly bubbly around the edges.
Allow to cool for 10 minutes, then serve and enjoy.

Spaghetti with Fennel and Bacon

2010-03-07T20:48:00.000-08:00

Spring-like weather is here and all sorts of flowers are blooming (none of which I can name. Wait. That's not true. I can name daffodils. And dandelions. Those are flowers). Flowers aside, once the sun goes down, the temperatures do, too, so it's still safe to eat super hearty pasta. This one has fennel (that's the fennel on the left there). Crispy!

Sauteed until softened and just barely caramelized, the vegetables make the pasta decidedly hearty and awesome.

A giant handful of parsley brightens the pasta with happy little flecks of green.

This is a really delicious dish that does a nice job of being both hearty and just this side of spring-like. Plus, it has bacon in it. Did I mention the bacon? Looooove the bacon.

Spaghetti with Fennel and Bacon
Serves 4
1 strip bacon
1/4 c red onion
1/4 c carrot, chopped
1/4 c celery, chopped
1/2 c fennel, chopped
1/2 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1 (15 oz) can chopped tomatoes
1/4 c red wine
2 T parsley, chopped
1 T fennel fronds, chopped
spaghetti
Heat a dry pan over medium high heat for about a minute. Add the bacon and cook until crisp and most of the fat has rendered. Remove the bacon from the pan and set aside.
Add the chopped vegetables, salt and pepper to the bacon fat in the pan and saute until the vegetables are tender and slightly browned, 10 minutes.
Use the wine to deglaze the pan and scrape all the yumminess off the bottom. Cook until most of the liquid has evaporated, then add the tomatoes.
Reduce heat to medium low and simmer about 30 minute to allow the flavor to meld.
Meahwhile, cook the pasta according to package directions.
Serve with grated Parmesan and a glass of wine.
Because wine is good with pasta.

Evidence of Spring: Flowers

2010-03-06T20:46:00.000-08:00

Ok, that last one isn't technically a flower. It's something I bought to replace other plants that didn't fare so well under my care.

Three Bean Chili

2010-02-28T18:00:00.000-08:00

Sometimes, my willingness to cook doesn't extend very far beyond chop and heat...

...beyond running a can opener...

and stirring.

On days like that, I love chili. You will, too.

Three Bean Chili
I don't care for the super spicy, but if you do, add 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper and one minced, seeded jalapeno with the onions and peppers. Serves 6
1 lb ground pork
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 yellow pepper, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 t chili powder
1 t cumin
1/2 t paprika
1/4 t salt
1/2 t oregano
1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15 oz) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15 oz) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes

For topping (optional):
plain yogurt or sour cream
fresh diced tomato
avocado
green onion

Heat a large pan over medium-high heat, adding the oil. Heat until the oil shimmers then add the pork. Cook 3-4 minutes, until browned. Remove to a bowl.
Add the onions and peppers to the pan, stirring briefly. Add the spices and stir, cooking 5 minutes, until onions are translucent and peppers are softened.
Add the beans, tomatoes, and stock. Stir and cover, cooking for 15 minutes.
Add the browned pork and any accumulated juices back to the pot. Stir and cook an additional five minutes.
Serve with a dollop of sour cream or yogurt, green onion, fresh diced tomatoes, avocado, and a beer. Don't forget the beer.

Israeli Couscous with Vegetables

2010-02-25T18:00:00.000-08:00

I love couscous. That said, it's one of those things that doesn't make it onto the grocery list very often. If I had to give a reason, I would probably bring up the time I knocked over the measuring cup (which was full) and spilled couscous all over the counter, and floor, and stove. Couscous is so tiny and it rolls way faster than I expected. I found pieces of couscous for a month and a half after that.

Israeli couscous is less troublesome from the perspective of a clumsy cook. It's bigger, for one, so fewer pieces fit in a cup, which means fewer pieces to chase through the kitchen. The upside to couscous? It's really amenable to anything you throw at it and goes from season to season really easily. Curry? Can do. Soup? Check. Vegetable saute? Sign me up.

I sauteed onion and mushroom with zucchini, tomatoes, red pepper, and chili flakes until everything was slightly softened, but not fully cooked. I wanted bright, fresh flavors to go with our unseasonably sunny February day.

Add the couscous and feta and it became a nice bridge dish - not really a winter dish, but not quite bright enough to be a spring dish either. It was just what we were craving. Feta, for me, is one of those odd cheeses. When I think about it, it doesn't rank very high on the list of things I like. At all. But when I eat it, I like it. I'm pleasantly surprised every. single. time. I have to say; it's kind of nice. It's like getting a tiny little gift every time I eat a meal with feta.

Israeli Couscous
Serves 3-4, depending on appetites
1 c israeli couscous
1 t butter
1 c water
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 c crimini mushrooms, chopped
1/2 t salt
1/2 t pepper
2 zucchini, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
1 c collard or other greens, chopped
1 t chili flakes
1/2 c feta, crumbled
Add the butter to a small saucepan over medium heat and let it melt. Add the couscous and toast briefly, stirring. Add 1/4 c water and turn the heat to low, covering the couscous. After 2 minutes, add the remaining water and recover. (If it looks like it needs more water, add it. You can always drain it later.) Allow to steam for 10-15 minutes, until the couscous is only slightly firm in the middle. Remove from heat.
Over medium-high heat, warm a pan and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add the onion and mushroom and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the salt and pepper.
Add the collard greens, tomato, and chili flakes and cook an additional 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the zucchini to the pan and cook for 5 minutes.
Serve the couscous with sauteed vegetables and feta.

Hot Chocolate, for Reals

2010-02-23T18:00:00.000-08:00

Have you ever had hot chocolate? The good stuff? REAL hot chocolate? The amazing kind that is more pudding than beverage?

Clive and I went to Spain a few years ago. We were in Madrid for two days and went to Chocolatería San Ginés three times. (Obsessive much?) The Chocolatería San Ginés is amazing. And old - 1890. It also (nerd alert!) is mentioned in a really fantastic book - Luces de Bohemia (1924) (I mean that sincerely. I liked the book and that makes me like the chocolate even more.) In other words, this place has some history, and a lot of experience making excellent hot chocolate. And churros. Did I forget to mention the churros? They're to-die-for good. But today, I'm talking about the chocolate.

(Image from the internet)

The chocolate is so rich and so perfect for today's return to chilly, rainy weather. Today at lunch, I saw a picture of the Calle de Alcalá in Madrid at night, and it reminded me of walking down the street with friends, and later, on a different trip, with Clive. Fond memories of Madrid and friends ... and chocolate.

Hot Chocolate
This hot chocolate is no joke - it's extremely rich. This recipe will technically fill one mug, but we usually split it between the two of us. That usually ends up being a perfect amount.

1/2 c chocolate, chopped
1/2 c half and half, divided
1/4 c water
1 T cornstarch
1 t vanilla extract
1 generous tablespoon whipped cream

Put 1/4 cup half and half in a pan over medium heat. Put the remainder in a small cup with the water and cornstarch and stir until the cornstarch is dissolved.
Add the chocolate to the pan and heat until the chocolate is melted and incorporated with the half and half.
Stir in the sugar and the half and half/cornstarch mixture and reduce the heat to low. Stir constantly for 5 minutes until the chocolate has thickened.
Remove from heat and add the vanilla extract.
Serve with whipped cream.

Cauliflower and Mushroom Curry

2010-02-18T19:30:00.000-08:00

Remember the lasagna that I mentioned on Sunday?

Remember how I mentioned that I was on my own this week, with Clive headed to the fair-weather state of Pennsylvania? (That's a joke. This is a picture Clive sent me from sunny, fair Pennsylvania.)

Well if you remember all that, then you can probably pretty easily figure out what I've been eating for the last four days.

Lasagna.

Lasagna for lunch, lasagna for dinner. Lasagna is definitely delicious, but it loses its luster after four days.

Can I tell you how excited I was to make something ELSE? Something that wasn't lasagna? It was so wonderful, even though I had a (ahem) slight disagreement with a serrano pepper.

I walked around the kitchen coughing for five minute before I realized that I should turn the vent fan on so I could breathe properly. Once I got it all put together, it was delicious.

Cauliflower and Mushroom Curry
If you're not fond of spicy food, omit the pepper. If you like spicy foods, add a second one.
2 t shredded coconut
2 t canola oil 1/4 c red onion, diced
1 c mushrooms, chopped
1 1/2 c cauliflower, chopped
1 serrano pepper, seeded and diced
1 t tumeric
1 t curry powder
1 can coconut milk
1/2 cup frozen peas
3/4 cup chopped asparagus
2/3 c rice

Cook the rice per package directions.
Put the coconut in a dry pan and heat over medium heat until the coconut browns. Keep an eye on it - coconut goes from unbrowned to blackened pretty quickly if you're not careful. Set aside.
Heat the oil in the same pan and add the onion and mushrooms. Cook 3 minutes.
Add the cauliflower, and water to the pan. Cover and steam for five minutes.
Add the tumeric and curry and stir, cooking for 5 minutes.
Stir in the coconut milk and cover. Simmer the vegetables, covered, for 10 minutes.
Turn the heat to low and add the peas, asparagus, and toasted coconut. Stir and cook an additional two minutes.
Serve with rice.

Planning Ahead: Sunday Lasagna

2010-02-14T20:00:00.000-08:00

This will be a busy-ish week for me, and those are the weeks I tend to have cheese and crackers for dinner at least once. That wouldn't be so terrible, but since I try to take last night's leftovers for lunch the next day, it leaves me in a lunchtime quandary. Making dinner on Sunday makes it easy to reheat something on what would have been a cheese and cracker night.

Lasagna is perfect for planning ahead, since it's one of the foods that almost always tastes better the next day. This recipe is a fun one, too, since it's very easily modified to what you have on hand or what you want your lasagna to become. This time around, mushrooms and spinach combine with turkey and pork to yield a hot, bubbly pan of yumminess.

Since I'm cooking this ahead, once the pan cooled down a little, I covered it with foil and put it in the fridge. If you're going any more than two or three days in advance, I recommend saran wrap AND foil and putting the pan in the freezer. Defrost it in the fridge during the day and reheat it that night. Half an hour at 350 should do it. Just remember to take the saran wrap off before you reheat it.

Mushroom and Spinach Lasagna
This will easily fill a 9x13 pan. I usually put three lasagna noodles on each layer. That would mean 9 noodles; I call for ten because that give me some leeway to drop a noodle on the floor or otherwise render a noodle unusable.

10 lasagna noodles
2 T olive oil
1/2 lb ground turkey
1/2 lb ground pork
2 1/2 cup(s) sliced crimini mushrooms
1/2 c diced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup wine
1 bunch spinach, carefully cleaned
1 can(s) crushed tomatoes
1 t dried oregano
1 t dried italian seasoning
1 pinch salt
1 t ground pepper
1/2 t cinnamon
8 oz ricotta cheese
8 oz part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded, divided

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Boil water in a large pot. Add a pinch of salt once the water is boiling and cook the noodles in the boiling water until not quite al dente, about 6-7 minutes. Drain; return the noodles to the pot, cover with cool water, and set aside.
Add olive oil to a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add turkey and pork and cook, crumbling with a spatula, until browned, about 7 minutes. Remove the turkey/pork mixture from the pan and set aside.
Return the pan to medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to the pan and stir in onions and mushrooms. Cook until tender, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the wine the spinach to the pan, stirring occasionally. Cook until the spinach is wilted.
Add crushed tomatoes, turkey/pork mixture, oregano, italian seasoning, cinnamon, salt, and pepper. Simmer 15 minutes on medium-low heat.
To assemble the lasagna, spread 1/2 cup of the sauce in the baking dish. Arrange a layer of noodles on top. Place about 3/4 cup tomato mixture over the noodles. Continue with another layer of noodles, half the remaining tomato mixture, the remaining ricotta, and half the remaining mozzarella. Top with a third layer of noodles, the remaining tomatoes, and the last of the mozzarella.
Bake until bubbly and browned, about an hour. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Chocolate Souffle Cupcakes

2010-02-13T07:59:00.001-08:00

Seriously. Go make these chocolate souffle cupcakes with mint cream by Smitten Kitchen right now. They're so wonderfully rich and chocolatey without being too heavy, thanks to the whole souffle aspect.

They start with melted chocolate and end with meringue.

When they come out of the oven, the tops are perfectly puffed, and quickly fall. That's a good thing - it means there's somewhere to put the white chocolate mint cream.

Seriously. Go make these today. It's Valentine's Day, after all, the holiday of chocolate.

Cauliflower Gratin

2010-02-12T22:08:00.000-08:00

The last time I was at the grocery store, I found a head of cauliflower the bigger than a basketball. I knew I was going to need a few recipes to use the whole thing. When I saw this recipe, I was definitely interested. After all, 'gratin' means there will be CHEESE. I was won over because the recipe is Deborah Madison's. Every recipe of hers that I've ever made has worked like a charm.

Our weather lately has returned to the wet wintery weather, but a cream-based gratin seemed too heavy. Instead, this tomato-based gratin with a touch of feta sounded perfect.

And it was.

Cauliflower Gratin with Tomatoes and Feta
This was a huge hit. The serving size says 4, but this easily served four people, two of whom each had two giant servings. I added spicy italian sausage, which I cooked in a touch of olive oil and beer, then sliced, to the sauce with the honey and capers. It rounded out the meal. We served this with a side salad. Serves 4.

From Deborah Madison, Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, New York: Broadway Books, 1997.

2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
5 fresh tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and diced or 1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon honey
1 tablespoon capers, rinsed
4 links sausage, cooked and sliced
Salt and freshly milled pepper
1 large cauliflower, about 11/2 pounds, broken into florets
Juice of 1/2 lemon
2 to 4 ounces crumbled feta
Finely chopped parsley

Preheat the broiler and lightly oil a 2-quart gratin dish.

Heat the oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, oregano, and cinnamon and cook until the onion is wilted, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, cook for 7 minutes more, then add the honey and capers and season with salt and pepper. Slide the mixture into the dish.

Meanwhile, steam the cauliflower for 5 minutes. Set it on the sauce and season with salt and pepper. Squeeze the lemon juice over the top and add the feta. Place 5 to 6 inches under the broiler until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese is beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Garnish with the parsley and serve. (If you are assembling the gratin ahead of time, cover and bake it at 400 °F until bubbling, about 20 minutes, then brown under the broiler.)

Quinoa and Squash

2010-02-08T18:14:00.001-08:00

I'm crap at math, so even though it's just me this week, I'm still shopping and cooking like there's two of us here. Since my shopping week started Saturday morning, I'm knee-deep in leftovers already and it's only Monday. I had roasted squash and pork roast from the weekend, so I added bacon, quinoa and onions and called it dinner.

It doesn't look like much, but onions sauteing in bacon made the house smell amazing. When I added the squash, everything got nuttier and richer. Please excuse the dark, grainy photos - I had to use the backup camera.

It may look a little plain and monochromatic, but this was serious comfort food and can easily be amended to make use of whatever leftovers you may have lurking in your fridge.

Quinoa with Squash
The beauty of it all is that since I was using leftovers, this came together in about 15 minutes.
1/2 c chopped onions
2 strips bacon, chopped
1 t salt
1 t pepper
3/4 c quinoa
1 1/2 c water
1 c pork, chopped
3/4 c roasted squash
1 small tomato, roughly chopped
1/2 avocado, chopped (optional)

Bring the water to a boil, then add the quinoa. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook the quinoa for 15 minutes.
Put the chopped bacon into a saute pan and render until crisp. Drain all but 1 teaspoon of the fat. Add the onions and saute until translucent. Add the squash and allow it to get brown and slightly caramelized in places, 3-5 minutes.
Add the pork and tomato and stir. Cook 5 minutes, until heated through.
Serve with chopped avocado on top.

Squash and Mushroom Risotto

2010-02-05T15:18:00.000-08:00

Seattle has been overcast for a few days now, and I was in the mood for some comfort food. Risotto is already happy comfort food, but if you add squash? So much more comforting and filling. This one's a keeper.

I've only recently started using crushed sage, and I think I like it quite a bit. It's not that it's less sage-y-ness than fresh sage, but I think the flavor is a bit more subtle. And it's delicious with squash.

Squash and Mushroom Risotto

1 1/2 c roasted squash
2 c arborio rice
1 1/2 c mushrooms
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 c white wine
1 1/2 c onion, diced
2 t sage, crushed
1 t salt
1 t pepper
1 qt chicken or vegetable stock
olive oil

Heat a large pan over medium heat. Add 1 T olive oil. Once the oil is warm, add the onions and mushrooms and stir. Cook 5-8 minutes, until the onions are translucent. Add garlic and stir, cooking 1 minute.

Stir in the rice and lower the heat to medium-low. Allow the rice to soften, stirring periodically (about 3-4 minutes).

Add the white wine and stir to deglaze, making sure to scrape the bottom of the pot. When the rice looks mostly dry, stir in 1/2 c stock. Stir once and lower the heat to low (2 on a 1-10 dial). Stir in the roasted squash. Once your spoon will leave a trail in the rice, add 1/2 c stock. Be patient and let the rice absorb the stock slowly. Continue adding the stock 1/2 cup at a time until absorbed.

Serve with freshly grated Parmesan.

Did I just find my next project?

2010-02-05T08:25:00.000-08:00

I just got Material Obsession from the library. There are at least three quilts in here that I'd love to tackle, especially Cowboy Baby, which is seriously calling to me. (Image from the Material Obsession blog.)

Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Abbreviated

2010-02-04T18:41:00.000-08:00

I love Brussels sprouts. They're definitely one of my favorite vegetables, and I'm always beyond excited when my favorite farmers' market vendor has them on the table. Sunday was just such a day and I loaded up.

I went for a run after work tonight. When I got back and started to look for snacks, nothing sounded good - until I thought of crispy Brussels sprouts. When I make them as a side dish, I usually add a little pancetta or bacon, onions, and dried fruit - usually raisins or currants, whichever I happen to have. Tonight, I was too hungry and too impatient, and went the simple, but delicious, route.

Roasted Brussels sprouts

20 Brussels sprouts
salt
pepper
olive oil

Preheat the oven to 425, putting a rimmed baking sheet in the oven to heat up with the oven.

Trim the bottoms of the Brussels sprouts and cut them in half, removing outside leaves as necessary.

Put the Brussels sprouts in a medium bowl and add 2T of olive oil, 2 t salt, and a pinch of pepper and stir to distribute the salt and pepper.

Once the oven is preheated, spread the Brussels sprouts on the hot baking sheet. Be careful - they will sizzle and there may be steam.

Roast for 25 minutes, or until tender.

Devour.

The Elephant Comes to Life!

2010-01-31T07:55:00.000-08:00

Look! Look! Look! I made an elephant!

The other day, I mentioned that I was excited to make Peanut, the Wee Elephant but bummed because the pattern was missing from the library book. But Look! I did it! I used the pictorial that Amy was awesome enough to post (Thanks, Amy!) and pieced together the elephant based on her pictures plus some math and guesswork. The elephant ended up being a bit smaller than the 7" x 9" described in Last Minute Patchwork, but still seriously adorable. Also, I love that the last step in the book is "Hug elephant!"

I was really guessing on the size of the ears, and the first time I made them, they were probably only half this big, and they looked ridiculously tiny. I redid them, and I think they're a bit on the too-big side this time, but in a cute, Dumbo sort of way.

Most of the pictures I took look more like this, as someone seems to think that everything with stuffing inside belongs to her. (Have you seen what a couch cushion looks like on the inside? ...I have! Yay!) (Disclaimer: No stuffed elephants or boxer-dogs were harmed during the shooting of this photo.)

The Elephant

2010-01-26T22:31:00.000-08:00

I got Last Minute Patchwork and Quilted Gifts from the library, and I was so excited to see the Wee Elephant was included, and so disappointed when I realized the template sheet was missing from the back of the book. There are so many wonderful things about the library, but this is definitely one of the not-so-wonderful aspects.

That's why I was so excited to see During Quiet Time had posted step-by-step pictures of the process. I want to try to replicate the Wee Elephant because, seriously? That thing is freakin' adorable.

Macaroon Fail

2010-01-26T18:30:00.000-08:00

Yes. The lemon curd is wonderful. It's delicious. But it's not really meant to be eaten on its own. French macaroons seemed like the perfect foil for the lemon curd.

Ha!

I should have known something was up when I had to grind almonds then sift them. Have you ever ground almonds? They get all sticky and clog up the grinder. Then I sifted them with powdered sugar. It was less like sifting and more like mashing almond bits through the strainer. That poor strainer.

There was meringue and lemon zest and folding and piping...

Everything was going (somewhat) well.

Until.

Until the end. When I was supposed to take them out of the oven and they were supposed to be beautiful and macaroon-like. Did you see what French macaroons are supposed to look like? In stark contrast to that, I give you...The Macaroons of Fail:

So sad. So burnt on the bottom and sticky on the top.

We ate them anyway.

Lemonylicious Lemon Curd

2010-01-25T21:00:00.000-08:00

I had seen lemon curd. I didn't know precisely what it was, but it looked like it would have promise. It's yellow, to start with. But not normal yellow. More like a something went wrong with the nuclear reactor shade of yellow. But I heard it was sweet, and I like lemon squares, so when I stumbled across a recipe, it seemed like perfect alignment of all the lemon stars. Lemon curd starts with lemons. Lots of lemons.

Lemons are juiced and zested and mixed with many, many, many eggs and sugar, which is heated over the stove until it thickens. Once that happens, it needs to be strained. If you strain it, you should probably avoid turning the burner on beforehand. See that bubbling there in the pan? Yeah... I'm pretty sure that's a no-no.

I wasn't initially sure why I was straining it. But I went along with it, because that's what the recipe said to do, and I tend to believe recipes, unless they're clearly wrong. This seemed legit, and the closer I got to the end, the more apparent the reasoning was. You see those ...um...chunky bits? Those, my friend, are scrambled eggs. In my lemon curd. See why it's usually a good idea to listen to the recipe, even though it seems silly? Because if you ignore it, you'll have chunky lemon curd.

I heated the now beautifully strained lemon curd and added the butter, then let it cool a bit. Once it was a bit cooler, I put it in these containers and into the fridge.

So what do you do with lemon curd? I made the lemon lavender scones from the Macrina cookbook and served both the scones and the lemon curd to some friends for brunch.

Blue Baby

2010-01-23T18:00:00.000-08:00

The binding is finally sewn on to the blue and brown baby quilt.
A quick trip through the laundry, and it will be on its way to a new home. This one was a lot of fun to make, and went really quickly. I love that it's bright and colorful and has very distinct happiness all its own.I think that has a lot to do with the fact that I wasn't following a pattern, so it really kept me thinking. There were a few missteps, because I pretty much never managed to include the seam allowance when I was measuring. (Oh, hello again, seam ripper!)

But the monkeys! Look at how cute they are! And the giraffes! They're seriously adorable. That didn't stop me from cursing a blue streak periodically, but think of it as that little extra bit of love that keeps it together.

No? Not buying it?

But look how cute!

I stitched a semi-cute little octopus in the corner. You can see it if you squint. And maybe tilt your head. It's in the brown triangle there. See it? Squint more.

Quick Chicken Sandwich

2010-01-22T17:58:00.000-08:00

These chicken sandwiches, from Eat and Drink in the Northwest, were really good. I really like seeing and experiencing how other people envision food and how it should be put together. This sandwich isn't anything I would have put together on my own - three different sauces - but it came together really well.

Sneak Peak

2010-01-14T18:00:00.000-08:00

I started a new project in December, and at this point it's quilted and just awaiting its binding. I'm really pleased with it, and LOVE the fabric with the jungle creatures. It couldn't be more adorable.

It's a gift, so here's a sneak peak!

Wednesday Night Cookies

2010-01-13T19:23:00.000-08:00

It's cookie time again in our house. Cookie time is that random day - usually a weekday - where the rhythmic scooping, measuring, and pouring rights all the wrongs of the day and yields (hopefully) delicious cookies.

Inspired by one of the featured recipes in the Culinate Newsletter, but stymied by a lack of rolled oats, I started looking around. I wanted to replicate a cookie from eons ago. Crisp and crunchy, with soft chewiness from the chocolate chips and slightly-sweet-because-they're-just-a-bit-burnt raisins, I try now and again to recreate it.

Today's attempt started off as the infamous Cup of Everything cookies, so called because - yay for creative naming! - most of the ingredients are measured in cups. Somewhere along the way, they turned into something else, something soft and light and chewy and crunchy. It may not quite be the cookie I remember so fondly, but it's awfully close.

Everything Cookies
These cookies are rich and on the sweet side. I'm not a huge milk and cookies fan, but there was something about these that made milk sound like the best idea ever (probably all the sugar). This recipe makes 4-5 dozen, depending on how big you make the cookies.

1 c (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 c brown sugar
1 c sugar
3 eggs
1 c peanut butter
1 c. flour
1 c. chocolate chips
1/2 c white chocolate chips
1 T. baking soda
3/4 C. rolled oats
3/4 c coconut
1 c. dried cranberries
3/4 c. pecans, roughly chopped

1. Cream the butter and both sugars until creamy. Add peanut butter and mix to combine.
2. Add the eggs and mix well.
3. Add the flour and baking soda and combine.
4. Stir in the chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, coconut, oats, cranberries, pecans and mix thoroughly.

Bake at 350 for 15-17 minutes, until the edges are golden brown and the tops look done.

Cauliflower Soup?

2010-01-06T21:18:00.000-08:00

Cauliflower. Soup.

Not two words I typically think to put into the same recipe. I got an immersion blender for Christmas and have spent the last two weeks trying to find as many recipes as possible with the word "puree" in them. Today's find was a recipe from the self-published and completely amazing S.O.U.P.S cookbook written by the Hopvine's Michael Congdon.

I honestly can't say enough good things about this cookbook. I'd heard about it for a while, and stumbled on it in a now-defunct used bookstore. Every recipe I've tried has been phenomenal. As though the soups weren't good enough, his cookie philosophy is that there should be just enough dough to hold the chocolate chips and hazelnuts together. That right there? That's logic I can get behind.

The Curried Cauliflower Soup was no exception to the awesome. It's a pureed curry cauliflower base that's mixed with cauliflower florets, blistered jalapenos, and potatoes and then served with cilantro and diced tomato. This soup was so. very. good.

There was one rather large-ish 'however.' The soup? It took 2 hours to get it all together. I don't know how much of that time could be cut off by streamlining the process, but that's a long time. (Confession: I only read halfway through the recipe. If I had read the entire thing, I probably could have worked out that it was time consuming.)

Was it worth it? Absolutely.
Would I make it again? Maybe. But not for a while.

Curried Cauliflower Soup
(adapted from S.O.U.P.S) The original recipe called for five jalapenos, and after a misadventure with some habaneros last week, I'm a little pepper-shy.

2 T garlic, chopped
1 inch ginger, peeled and chopped
1 onion, diced
1 head cauliflower
2 T curry powder
2 jalapenos, seeded and chopped
4 potatoes, diced
1 can coconut milk
1 quart stock
cilantro
tomato

Saute the garlic, ginger, and onion in vegetable oil until golden. Add the curry powder, cauliflower stems and leaves and saute 5 minutes. Add 2 cups stock and simmer 20-30 minutes, until the cauliflower is softened. Puree and set aside.
Sautee the jalapenos in vegetable oil until just blistered. Add the potatoes and cook 10ish minutes. Add the cauliflower florets and cover, cooking 5-10 minutes. Add the coconut milk, the puree you made in step one, and enough stock so the consistency is to your liking.
Serve with cilantro and diced tomato.

Crispy Leaves

2010-01-04T18:53:00.000-08:00

My brother and his wife flew out to visit us last week. I took this picture during a walk we took with the dog. We don't get many frosts in Seattle, so I feel like it's important to memorialize it. Or something.

This thing

2010-01-03T20:50:00.000-08:00

So I've decided to start a blog so I can talk about the things I've made - crafty things and food things and other things. We'll see how it goes, shall we?