River Ego or River Entertaining?

Ah. Memorial Day weekend.  Sadly, this lovely 4 day weekend is over.  We went camping on the Russian River with some friends and had an amazing time. It's been a while since I've slept in a sleeping bag in a tent, in fact, I can't remember the last time BUT it was awesome.  We campfire'd, we smore'd and best of all, we canoed all day on Saturday.  On the river in a canoe, coasting and paddling. It was so fun.  Rory and I had a blast. 

Rory went on the trip last year without me, unfortunately, but I heard about all this amazing food everyone had eaten and I was bound and determined to make something that was amazing on a camping trip.  As I was frantically, yes it was frantic...did we not read "bound and determined"...looking for what to make on the river I hopped over to a blog I love, Cuisinerd, she always has great LA insights and is always working on fun projects. Anyway, her most recent post was about Bánh mì's...the sandwich of the summer and I knew that was it.  Contained yet fun and fresh and, lest we forget, impressive.  WHAT if I could bust out Bánh mì's ON THE RIVER when we stopped to eat?  What if?  How amazing would that be.  And let me tell you...it was awesome.  I was even asked, while I was constructing this little guys for everyone, "Was this for the group or your ego?" and, if I answered honestly...it was both.  I had set out to do a 'blow your mind' kind of meal and I thoroughly enjoyed making sandwiches for everyone.  I love this sh!t. So much.  I wish I could show you a picture but on the river, electronics get ruined.  Just know, I had 16 happy canoers on beach happily eating my fresh little sandwiches.

These are pretty tasty sandwiches, and they are pretty customizable.  You can make 'em as hot or mild as you want. I tried Cuisinerd's quick pickle recipe but used black radishes first and left them out overnight and they smelled and tasted funky...so I started over with a different recipe and they were awesome.

River Bánh Mì's
adapted from Cuisinerd's recipe here

Ingredients
French baguette
Sliced roasted Ham
Pâté of choice (we use chicken with black mushrooms and a vegan terrine)
Mayo
Quick-pickled julienne carrots & daikon radish (recipe below)
Sliced jalapeños
Julienne cucumber
Cilantro
Sriracha

Directions
1. Slice baguette leaving a hinge on one side.
2. Coat one side with mayo and the other with pâté.
3. Begin to layer - we went ham, pickles, cucumbers, jalapenos, cilantro then sriracha...you can put as little or as much on these guys.

Quick Pickled Carrots & Diakon's 
I used a modification of this recipe, we all know how I like to modify pickles! (I can't help it...I can, but don't want to)

 

Ingredients

1 medium daikon radish, julienned...which is hard, so get as thin as you can

3 carrots julienned, see above
2 whole garlic cloves

For the brine
1 tablespoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
1 1/4 cups cider vinegar
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 bay leaf

 

Directions

1. Layer your veggies tightly in a 1-quart glass jar, leaving about 1/2 inch of room at the top. We went carrots, radishes, carrots, radishes and so on.  I could have/should have used more veggies. Set aside.
2. Make the brine - I forgot to toast the mustard and the peppercorns, this would have added more flavor so I'd suggest you remember but if you don't, don't stress...pickles were still good. In a small saucepan add all of the ingredients and stir until the sugar and salt have dissolved. Bring to a boil.

3. Immediately pour into the jar, covering all the vegetables completely. Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature, about 1 hour. Seal the jar with a tight-fitting lid and shake or rotate it to really mix it all up. Store in the refrigerator for at least 1 day...then move to a cooler you hope will remain cold and hope for the best! (OR preferably leave them for 1 week before using. The pickles can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 1 month)

 

I can't forget to mention that we did pickle-backs with my leftover pickle juice. NOM. Do you know what a pickle-back is?  It's a shot of whiskey followed by a shot of pickle juice and it's AWESOME.  We used Bullet Rye.  Sheesh.  Adults on a camping trip!

 

What did you do for Memorial Day? 

new things

Fact 1: rory got a new lens on his camera (our camera) and he recently purchased final cut pro

Fact 2: i love to cook.  you, obviously, know this already

Fact 3: i'm an actress (maybe you didn't know this.)

Fact 4: I've wanted to make a cooking thing/video/project ... something

If we mix all these facts together we come up with a video of me that rory made!  it was fun to do.  being our first one, i think there's places we could improve for next time.  i'm hoping there will be a next time. also - i hope you enjoy the video and seeing me in my kitchen. :)  really, it all comes down to making food for people you love.  that love comes through and you can taste it.

Here's the original recipe I was using for the pasta.  The ingredients in GREEN i didn't use, if I used a replacement it's in bold inside of ( ) next to what was supposed to be in the dish.

Greek Spinach-Salad Pasta with Feta, Olives, Artichokes, Tomatoes and Pepperoncini

Recipe adapted from "The Fresh & Green Table" by Susie Middleton (Chronicle Books)

Makes 4 to 6 servings, ~45 minutes

ingredients
¼ cup mild extra-virginolive oil
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon white balsamic vinegar
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped (about 2 teaspoons)
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon (about 2 teaspoons)

1 teaspoon black olive tapenade

1 teaspoon honey (raw honey)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 small red onion, thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
1 can (14 ounces) artichoke hearts, drained and quartered lengthwise

8 ounces small grape tomatoes, halved (about 1¾ cups) (2 medium tomatoes, chopped)

½ cup pitted kalamata olives, quartered lengthwise

4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh oregano, divided (dried oregano)

½ pound dried gemelli or other curly pasta

5 loosely packed cups baby spinach (a big bunch of arugula)

⅓ cup chopped toasted walnuts
12 small whole pepperoncini, drained

 

directions
1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the olive oil with the vinegar, garlic, lemon zest, honey, ½ teaspoon salt and several grinds of black pepper. Add the onion, artichoke hearts, tomatoes, feta and 1 tablespoon of the oregano and toss well. Let sit for 20 minutes.
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain well in a colander but do not rinse.
3. Transfer the warm pasta to the mixing bowl and season with ¼ teaspoon salt. Add the spinach, the remaining tablespoon oregano, walnuts and pepperoncini and toss well. (The feta will loosen up and coat the pasta.) Season with additional salt and pepper, if desired. Serve immediately.

For the fish, you can see i just gave it an egg bath, dipped it in bread crumbs and pan fried it w. a little salt and pepper.

Here's my kale salad...obviously be a little more careful then I was on the slicing of the cheese...i used to massage this salad by hand and get reeeaaal messy, then my friend kirstin suggested doing it in a ziploc bag - GENIUS!

Kale Salad

ingredients
1/2 bag chopped kale
a few glugs of extra virgin olive oil
juice of one lemon
salt & pepper
a few slices of parmesan (you can use crumbled feta or goat cheese if you'd like)


directions
1. put the kale in a ziploc bag. add the olive oil, salt, pepper and juice of the lemon.
2. seal the bag - get all the air out of there.  massage the crap out of that kale - for like 10 minutes.
3. let the kale sit until you're ready to eat, once you're ready to eat slice some parmesan over the whole salad and serve.

brain operations

My brain works in an interesting way.  I guess all of ours do... I've been traveling for the last three weeks; touring with Rory, going to Bonnaroo, seeing the Wall for the last time, seeing college friends, and finally going to NYC for the first time in a year and a half for a wedding.  It was a very emotionally heavy trip, especially that last part...I had many expectations of what it would be like to be back, some were met, some were not.  What I did take away from the trip was that New York isn't my home anymore, it's a place that holds fond memories, growth and a lot of potential.  LA is my home now and being away from it made me aware that I do take comfort in that. I may not be fully rooted yet, but things are shifting and settling in.

One thing I am very glad I got to do a lot of was cook and sit around a table with a handful of very important people.  We laughed, cried, drank and ate. It was fabulous.  It reinforces the fact that sitting around the table sharing a meal with people I love is where I find my community. It's where I experience great joy with the most important people in my life. 

I'm currently on a plane, eager to get back to LA, and these thoughts came out of my mouth: "the key to  a roast chicken is to cut through the bone after it's cooked a little cooled." I mean, duh, right?  AND, "how can I make that curry rice pilaf with out using the box mix...what seasoning should I use...I think Rory would like it."  OR "I bet I could make a whole meal out of orzo, fresh parsley, tomatoes and some shredded gruyere or parm."  I'm excited to go home and set my table again, work in my kitchen, re-establish myself in MY home. 

What makes for a "home" moment for you?

lookie lookie

Say hello to my little friend....

thoughts and things

I baked last night, the post on that will be coming soon. I didn't love it and in fact, I'm going to bake something else before I go to this dinner party and bring both.  I don't think this is true, I hope this can never be true, but my first round had too much chocolate....too much!?  Really, Jordan?  That's not real space...that's fake person space... I also realized last night, I need new baking gear...pans, spatulas, etc.  On my list of things.

I saw an accident on my way to work today.  Like, not saw from a distance, but literally the car that caused the accident stopped (or made it happen) right next to me.  I'm so lucky.  I'm so lucky I didn't get hit.  This minivan rear ended a car at a stop light in the middle lane, which led to that car hitting another car, maybe another car hit the minivan and the far left lane also was involved in the damage...I'd say a total of 8 cars were involved.  I sat there, shocked (it was 7:30 in the morning) and I couldn't take my eyes off the guy in the driver seat of that blue minivan.  His airbag had gone off, someone was in his passenger seat, the minivan was full of stuff and he just stared forward...I think in shock.  The guy in the accident behind him got out of his car and yelled.  He yelled and yelled and yelled, the driver didn't take his eyes away from forward.  A few other people got out of their cars, a girl on the sidewalk on her way to school called 911 (I think).  I heard her say that there was a fire house just down the street and they were bound to be there soon. 

I kept thinking: that poor man.  How terrible.  What happened?  Was he not paying attention?  Was he having an argument?  I hope he's not drunk.  I hope his passenger is ok...I hope he is ok.

Then the light turned green.  The car in front of me went, so I went.  As soon as I could I pulled over and called 911.  It's the first time I have ever called 911 in my life.  I talked to the dispatcher, told him where the accident was.  He asked if I was involved in the accident, I said no, it just happened right next to me.  He asked if there was need for an ambulance, I said I think so, the guy who caused it looks like he's in pretty bad shape and in shock.  Then I was told that a call had already been placed regarding that accident and thank you for calling.  I hung up, I turned my car back onto the main street and drove to work.  I called Rory, I told him what happened, that I was ok, that I was lucky but I felt like I hadn't done enough.  I was holding back tears.  The whole thing really shook.  He told me that I did all that I could do and it was good that I had called 911. We said 'I love you.' and got off the phone.  I tweeted to my local NPR station about the accident.  I continued to work.

I've been thinking about it for 6 hours.  I even googled to see if I could find out if everyone was ok.  I can't stop thinking about that man's face.  About the look in his eyes as he just starred forward with his hands shaking.  Could he even hear the guy that yelled at him?  Why was that guys such and asshole?  Yeah, there was an accident and you were involved...but there's a need for common human caring.  What if he was in the that car, wouldn't he want someone to HELP him not YELL at him? 

I feel like I could have done more...I should have done more.

a friendship blossoms...

When someone new comes into your life and you're not 100% sure whether or not the two of you will gel the right way there's always some trepidation about the first encounter.  When that first encounter goes well...man it's f*cking exciting.


All I did was take it out of the box, plop it on my kitchen table and look at it for the first 4 days.  I was out for dinner, or I didn't know which shelf to put it on, or I didn't know if I should get rid of my other one, and I even wondered if it was too big to handle...cause, guys, 13 inches is huge.


Then tonight, I got a hankering for something quick (surprisingly simple) and good...thus was born my first attempt with my new cast iron skillet - skillet macaroni and cheese.


Dang.  It was so easy.  So good, it will be better this is why I'm not sharing yet, but I had to share the experience.  I was even eager to clean it immediately and re-season. Who does those things?  Oh, clearly I do!


Anyway, be prepared for more skillet meals 'cause this guy and I are going to be amazing friends and I got a feeling the relationship is going to last a long time.


What'd you make for dinner tonight? 

just another day

Yesterday started as a normal day.  It was Valentine’s day, I had a plan for my day – go grocery shopping on my way home from work and also pick up a gift or two.  The day did not remain normal.  Having expectations for things sometimes comes with its downfalls...things happen.  Life happens.  Clearly, it was nothing catastrophic.  Work was hectic, the interweb was down and I had to use my phone to do follow-ups, forgot my phone charger, no one had one at work...by the end of the day, I was dead.  Out of touch with any and everything.  The mister knew I was going to the grocery store before I got home, but he didn’t know I was going shopping – as he wasn’t supposed to b.c it was a surprise for him!  When I got home, an hour later than expected, he frustratedly left for an audition, an important one where an important person specifically requested to see him...think I'd feel the same.  He was expecting to be on a certain schedule.  Nothing wrong with it, we all do it.  I try to remind myself to “hope for the best and expect the worst.”  It limits the disappointment, or so it seems...sometimes.

14.feb.2012
Yo, DJ!

I was just having a conversation (read shared blog post) with my best girl friend about telling stories with points.  [Side note: she’s really the best, I’m like totally in love with her.]  I’m not very good at it.  Rory give me a hard time about it too...I tend to ramble and get lost in my details and tangents...which, sure, is good from time to time...but all the time?  I don’t know, maybe I will take a story telling class and get my points all lined up.  Or maybe I just accept that that's the way I work after 30 years.

Back to yesterday, while there were some let downs there were also total positives...it was Valentine’s Day after all.  It was also our mini-celebration of our 7 year anniversary.  Seven years!  Man.  It doesn’t seem like that long, or it doesn’t feel that long.  I guess that’s what happens when you fall in love and decide to spend the rest of your life with someone and that someone if the right someone.  Everything just sort of fits.  It works properly.  Even when there are problems, you work them out.  I’m glad to say that we don’t fight all too often.  When we get mad at each other, we’re typically able to come to common ground and we just don’t disagree on a ton of stuff.  I’m a lucky girl who’s madly in love with the man she’s going to marry.  That’s all.  A friend of mine tonight, after I said Rory was off for a whole month, told me I was "so understanding."  Sure, I am but that's also just part of what our relationship is.  We've learned to make it work.  It's very hard from time to time but I think it's also good for us.  It's made us value each other, everything about each other.  The good's, the bad's and even the ugly's.  In the end, I think it makes us love each other harder and fuller.  That's what I feel, full.  So cliche, but Rory kinda completes me. He makes my life full.  When he's not around or off on one of his distracted ways its hard but in the end, at the root of it all there is so much love and patience and kindness and joy and positive emotion that the good truly does outweigh the bad. Really.

Now on to the food!  Yes, it’s a recipe post.  I’m excited, it’s been FOREVER.  Plus it was my instagram yesterday so, even better. (Actually I had two, both in the post)  I made lamb with a yogurt mint sauce, broccoli rabe and hasselback potatoes. Then store bought pound cake w. strawberries and homemade vanilla whip cream. Delish.

14.feb.2012
Nom, nom, nom

Lemon-Garlic Lamb Chops with Yogurt Sauce

Slightly adapted from epicurious

For yogurt sauce:
1 cup plain yogurt
1 garlic clove, minced
a big handful of chopped fresh mint

For chops:

fresh lemon juice from 2 lemons
4 large garlic cloves, chopped
a good shake dried oregano
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 (1/2 to 1 inch-thick) shoulder lamb chops (I asked my butcher for shoulder chops and he sold me a whole shoulder, thought of roasting the whole thing but just ended up cutting my own pieces – I guess you could do the whole thing but think you’d need to increase the marinade)
1 tablespoon water (plus whatever you feel like you need, probably used ~ 1 cup)

Make sauce:
Put a cup of yogurt in a doubled up piece of cheesecloth, make sure you have enough to tie this up.  Then tie the lose ends to a spoon and rest the spoon over a large pot, be sure to put a bowl under the cheesecloth/yogurt concoction so you catch the liquid.  Recipe calls for 20 minutes, I did it for like 30-40 minutes…so worth it.  Mix in the garlic, mint, and salt and pepper to taste.  You can do this a day ahead of time if you want to, just make sure it comes to room temp before serving.

Prepare chops while yogurt drains:
Stir together lemon juice, garlic, oregano, and 2 tablespoons oil in a shallow baking dish. Add lamb chops, turning to coat, and marinate.  Recipe calls for 20 minutes, I did it for a little over an hour (I had the time) just be sure to take the lamb out of the fridge so it comes back to room temperature.  Remove lamb from marinade, reserving marinade, and season with salt and pepper.  Heat remaining tablespoon oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté chops in 2 batches, without crowding, about 2 minutes on each side for medium-rare.  I had to go back and heat these a little longer, so be sure to check the meat and do sauté to the appropriate done-ness for you.  Transfer to plates. Boil reserved marinade in skillet with water 1 minute and pour over chops.  Serve w. the yogurt sauce.

Now for the potatoes…so yummy, they were sweet and spicy from the pesto.  Rory doesn’t like pesto, I knew this and still made this…he even LIKED the pesto.  Goes to show you can’t judge all pestos by the cover...wait, what?! Oh, before potatoes, I really didn’t do anything to the broccoli rabe.  I blanched it, then sautéed it with olive oil, garlic and red pepper flakes until they were done.  Easy-peasy!

Hasselback Potatoes with Spinach Cashew Pesto
Barely tweeked from Joy the Baker

For the Potatoes:
4 russet potatoes
4 garlic cloves
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
coarse sea salt
olive oil for drizzling
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.  Thinly slice garlic cloves – try to keep them consistent, this is near impossible for me…just try to get them pretty thin.  Set aside.  Clean the outside of your potatoes well.  So your potatoes don’t slip around and you don’t slice off a finer, cut a small part off the bottom of the potatoes…I picked the wonkiest side. (You can do this with onions too so as to not have the onion roll around while you’re sobbing through your slicing)  Slice into the potatoes creating ribs, don’t go all the way through the potatoes, so everything stays connected.  Slide garlic slices in between potato slices.  This is a lot harder than it seems, you may have to be a little rough with these buggers, but not so rough that you break them apart.  End goal, keep them in original potato shape!

Put 'em on a baking sheet, salt them, well.  Put a tablespoon of butter on each potato and drizzle with oil.  Bake for about 1 hour. Every 15 minutes, baste the potatoes with the oil and butter deliciousness that is happening.  (When I was doing this, I wished that I had put the potatoes in a deeper dish, I kept fearing that the mixture would pour over onto the bottom of my oven, so...a suggestion?) When cooked through and crispy, remove from the oven, top with spinach pesto and serve.

For the Pesto:

2 loosely packed cups of spinach

3 garlic cloves

1/4 cup toasted cashews

juice from one fresh lemon

1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

salt and pepper to taste

1/3 cup olive oil

Put everything (sans oil, salt & pepper) in the bowl of a food processor.  Blend until spinach is broken down and, whiles still blending, slowly pour in the olive oil.  Taste and add salt and pepper as needed. 

Cook's note: this makes a TON of pesto, after dinner I grabbed a piece of parchment paper and put 4 globs (about the size of a silver dollar pancake) of pesto on it and put in the freezer.  I meant to grab them last night, but just put them in their own ziploc bags in the freezer.  These are perfect for a pesto pasta dinner down the road...now you don't have to make the pesto!

I hope you enjoy these recipes, it always makes me so happy to cook. To cook something I've never eat but have read about somewhere else that someone else tried...I always want to know what I can do with it.  

What'd you make (do) for Valentine's day? 

xo

the return - of sorts

I made this the other night.

It was so good. AND so simple.  Boil salted water, throw in your pasta (I almost got bucatini but opted for these guys).  After you've put the pasta in the water, start the sauce.  Melt some butter in a pan, throw in a few spoonfuls of capers, add chili flakes, saute for a bit.  Then squeeze half a lemon into this, add some parmesan cheese, stir, stir, stir.  Get yourself a cupful of that pasta water, be careful not to burn yourself!  Add it bit by bit to the sauce - not all of it yet.  When your pasta is al dente, drain, then put the pasta directly into the pan with the sauce to coat.  Add the reserve pasta water as you see fit, more parm as you see fit then when you feel (cooking it all about feeling and taste!) the pasta is coated and ready to go you are set to eat.  Dress with more parm if you want and some fresh parsley.

It was the best dinner I've had in a while.  I have a feeling that my fall is going to get really busy.  However, I am committed to this outlet so I will make the most of my return.
  
See you in a second.
xo

Long Month

Where did August go and what do i have to prove that it was busy?! Not much.  

Rory's sisters came into town, it was awesome.  We ate awesome food, took an amazing road trip to San Francisco and drove back down the Highway 1, taking our time.  It was so nice.  We stopped in Santa Cruz and picked up some cheese, bread, wine, honey and an apple or two.  Then we stopped at a roadside farm stand and picked up a few pints of strawberries.  When we were about 15 min away from the Hearst Castle we pulled off the road, walked out to the edge of the cliff and sat down and had a picnic.  We sat and talked and ate and looked at the ocean for about an hour. It was great, I think the best part of the journey.

I've cooked a few meals with my girlfriend Janell.  We've made salads full of summer veggies, talpia, steak, corn and there's been a lot of brie and baguettes with a side of wine. :)  I've started exercising more and I've made a point of having at least one day off from all of my many jobs. I think I might be turning a new corner here in LA.  I miss acting. I miss the creative process.  So...I have to make it for myself. I have to just do...even if that means no time to myself and no days off, I just have to do. 

What exactly does this all mean? I'm not 100% sure but I do know that I will have to take baby steps, one bit at a time. Mini goals nothing too terrifying.  Being terrified is what has stopped me in the first place. I know I need to do my research. I need to finish making my reel again - I have new things to add. I have to move forward. On anything. 

Well. There's August. Now comes September.  I might do the NaBPoMo (right?) again.  The theme for September is Return. Seems fitting.  (Oh yeah - and I have to start thinking about planning a wedding!)


How was your August? Did you survive the heat, the earthquake back east, Hurricane Irene? Fill me in.
xo

things and stuff and things

I made scones, but they weren't that great.  I also tried to make a Red Velvet cake but it stuck to the bottom and there was a huge FAIL stamped on the cake. UGH.

I'm making Flank Steak tonight and mashed potatoes and corn on the cob w. salad tonight.  This, I am looking forward to.   Rory's family is in town and we're having a feast!

I started doing this

 
Which is a great new distraction and I feel like a good way to organize wedding thoughts and ideas. You might get bored of it, but I think it's pretty darn cool.  Thanks to Joy & Tracy for talking about it on their podcast! (ps. if you haven't already, start listening to their podcast).

It's been a few of those days.  Life's on the lows but, as I have said before and I will say again, this too shall pass.

the best part is the grass people.

Double Celebration!

First of all - Rory has done it again!! Check out his most recent Land Rover commercial:

Pretty sweet huh!? And secondly, he proposed to me this weekend at an Explosions in the Sky Concert! Song. Ring. YAYAYAYYAAYAYAYAYAY!

 

xo

Friends and good ol' comfort cures

I just got back from a week out of LA. It was great, it was needed and even though I've come back a little sick (I think OR it's allergies) it was awesome.

We road tripped to San Francisco for my birthday and for Rory's CD recording. We stopped in Monterey, had a birthday beer.

Checked into our hotel, rested and relaxed and went out to celebrate my 30th birthday. Went to the Elbo Room in the Mission, a bar that has arcade games and a photo booth plus great cocktails. This is where Rory surprised me with one of my birthday presents.

Then we went to Delfina, a lovely Italian (DUH!) restaurant in the Mission. We had a lamb ragu, a spicy cauliflower pasta, roast chicken and a buttermilk panna cotta with balsamic strawberries. Yum. Yum. Yum. We also had a lesson in determining if our wine was good or not.  We got a bad bottle, thought it was okay and the sommelier wasn't so sure, so she tried it and brought us a different bottle. We were thankful that she was so honest. I enjoy San Francisco, a lot.  Rory had two awesome shows and I'm pretty sure he's going to be happy with his album. 

Then I drove 9 hours to Vegas - long long trip but I drove through San Luis Reservoir and it was gorgeous. Had birthday dinner with my family. 30 candles!

Hung out with this guy, Aadi. He's pretty adorable.

Got to hug my super pregnant friend, Tiff, while hanging out with a ton of friends.

And now, I'm home and a little under the weather, so, I made chicken soup. Easy and delicious. 

Old Fashion Chicken Soup 
slightly adapted from here
serves 12 or more

16 cups chicken stock (low sodium or not)
1 4lb chicken, cut into 8 pieces
1/2 onion, chopped
3 carrots, peeled and sliced
3 celery stalks, sliced
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 tablespoon lemon juice (I forgot this step!)
2 leeks, sliced
8 oz dried wide egg noodles (I poured the whole bag in...oops!)
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh parsley


Break down your chicken. I demolished my chicken...not the way I was supposed to I don't think. You can always buy pre-brokendown chicken or you can goggle breaking down a chicken and follow someones steps.


Combine chicken stock and chicken in a large heavy pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until the chicken is cooked, about 20 minutes. Take the chicken out, let it cool. Let broth cool and skim the fat off the top. Discard the skin and bones (you can keep the bones for your own stock! I forgot and put the bones into a freshly bleached sink), tear chicken into bite-size pieces and reserve.


Return the broth to a simmer, add onion, carrots and celery.  Simmer about 8 minutes.

Melt butter in a heavy skillet, add the mushrooms and leeks, saute until the mushrooms are a little brown.  Add to the broth, stir in the noodles, parsley and chicken.  Simmer until noodles are tender, season with pepper and salt if you need it. And enjoy. 


xo

project in mind...

Hey you.  You who read my blog. :) I have a project brewing in my brain and I'd love a little help.  Is there something you want to learn how to cook?  Or do you have a go to meal that delicious and satisfying that you make after a hard days work?  If you're willing to share, I'd love to know about it!!

nothing a little fresh squeezed orange juice can't help

These are from my backyard,

and they are awesome. And they made me feel better. I'm not gonna lie, I've been having a rough week. Didn't you notice all the blogging (distraction tactics!)?  

I'm enjoying my new home but, I think I've been on the go so much since I got here that now that there's silence, it's an overwhelming stagnation.  It's a stand still that I know is avoidable but I can't figure out how to break out of it. It stinks.  The city I live in is foreign, it's habits are different, it's in's and out's are all new.  I miss the old, I miss the familiar. I would even deal with the cold. Yes, new is an adventure, an exciting one nonetheless...sometimes it's just overwhelming.

Those oranges are sweet, juicy and perfectly ripe. I needed something to cheer me up. I feel better. I feel a little more motivated. We'll see what tomorrow brings, but tomorrow is tomorrow and today is now. In high school we had a substitute teacher, I can't for the life of me remember his name, but he was awesome. He always wore polyester pants, a stripped short sleeved shirt and a solid tie.  He had shaggy hair and big thick 70s style glasses. He was also the guy who would chat, we did the minimal work we were supposed to then it was chat about life time.  Which could seem creepy but he was never creepy.  When we would be going through any of those "teenage-crisis" moments, he'd always remind us to take it one day at a time and if that was too hard, one minute a time...still too tough? Go moment to moment. It seems pretty straight forward and obvious, but when you're a 16 year old girl it's advice gold. I remember it whenever I'm in this space...so, it's a day at a time for now.

Thanks for bearing with me.
xo

Breakfast!

talk about procrastination...

this is what i did today instead of those "adult" things i was supposed to.

oh, and i got the rest of the pins out of my hand!!
xo

slowly but surely.

Last night we got home from San Francisco late, we had the veggies from our farm share sitting in our fridge and we had an old roommate staying the night.  Of course I'm going to cook an awesome dinner for the three of us to relax with after the long journey. Like I have said many times prior, cooking for me is catharsis.  It's Jordan Time.  It's my space of relaxing with my brain, regardless of how difficult it can be.  

I had a wonderful time in San Francisco...on Monday we went into Muir Woods and hiked for 5 hours...it was incredible. The forest was amazing and peaceful and playful and quieting.  When we reached the top of the Ben Johnson trail and found ourselves in a huge clearing looking out over the mountains that finally fell into the sea there was a moment of complete and totally clarity.  I was all of a sudden ready to not take myself so seriously, nor anyone else for that matter.  I realized that all too often I hide behind my sarcasm and humor and don't let the moments of genuine interaction come out.  Perhaps I am doing this because I am in a new city, meeting new people, going on a new adventure, sorting out my career all over again; I don't know.  But I do know that I made a pact with myself on that mountain...don't stress, don't panic, really exist in the moments you have fully and always remember to find the positive and make the most of what I'm handed.  Here's to that new adventure.

And, here's to an awesome frittata recipe I made last night, please, take the liberty to add whatever you have in your fridge to this.  I had to share it with you, so please, share you additions with me. Enjoy!

Potato Frittata

     makes one 10-inch cast iron skillet ofdeliciousness

     adapted from Joy the Baker (seriously, if you don't read her blog, you should...she's a very cool girl.)

• 5 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 small yellow onion, sliced
• 1/2 fennel bulb, diced
• 9 small Russian banana potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/8-inch thick slices
• 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• 7 large eggs
• 2 Tablespoons minced flat-leaf parsley
• a hearty shake of dried minced chives
• 2 Tablespoons heavy cream

Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Heat a medium saute pan over medium high heat and drizzle with 2 Tablespoons of the olive oil.  Add the onions and fennel and cook until caramelized, about 8 minutes.  Deglaze the pan with 1/4 cup of water, scraping any brown bits from the bottom with a wooden spoon.  

Cook until the water evaporates and the onions take on a uniform brown color, very quick, watch your pan.

 

Transfer the onions to the roasting pan and toss with the raw sliced potatoes.  Add 1 tablespoon of butter and the remaining 3 Tablespoons of oil.  Toss with your hands.  Season generously with salt and pepper.  Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally - be careful!  You're oven is extremely hot right now. 

Reduce the oven heat to 350 degrees F.  

Meanwhile, whisk the eggs, herbs and cream together.  Season with salt and pepper.  

Heat a 10-inch cast-iron skillet over medium high heat.  Melt the remaining 2 Tablespoons butter in the skillet, making sure that melted butter greases the side of the cast iron as well.  Add the cooked potatoes to the pan.  Top with the egg mixture.  Cover the skillet with lid and bake for 30 minutes.  Remove lid and bake for 10 minutes more.  

Slice and serve directly from the skillet, warm or at room temperature. Serve with an easy salad for dinner. If eating for breakfast, have some oj and maybe a slice of homemade toast.

xo

o m god. pictures too!?

its been long and coming, but i am back. being back does come with some sadness. i no longer live in new york city, which is sad on many accounts and exciting on many as well. i've been 'preparing' for this for what seems like forever and, here i am. i am currently homeless and unemployed. which feels weird and amazing...i mean, i am on vacation buuut i'm bored and can't seem to enjoy it. however, this is not the point of my post, that's the point of an email i would write. the point of this post is: soup. 

soup. i haven't made soup in... a year. it was a nice re-introduction to my parents kitchen, well, quite frankly any kitchen that i could monopolize and use to my advantage. its nice to have a pantry full of food stuffs to play with, its nice to have a car to skip out and pick up an ingredient i may have missed, its nice to cook. its nice to be in the drivers seat in the kitchen. i know i've said it before but the kitchen is my place of solace. its the place that i go to to think. to process life and everything that being handed to me, pinch by pinch, cup by cup. its also lovely that in my parents kitchen they also have a table to sit at and read and relax and surf the net. it makes it more of a comfortable place. its something that draws me to the kitchen. the comfort of it, the community of it, the family of it. my family spends a lot of time, when we're all together in the kitchen. when i go to parties - and i know this is not phenomenon i'm just discovering - its the place people tend to end up hanging out. i love the kitchen. i hope that i am able to make my new kitchen perfect. well, not perfect, but mine. jordan's space.

i have decided that i would like to embark on meatless mondays. albeit when i decided this it was tuesday afternoon and i decided that for dinner, to be healthy and start on this new project i would make a veggie only meal. this soup, guys,...is so easy. and so tasty. i wish i had had this soup in my arsenal when we had our CSA in brooklyn. we were getting pounds and pounds of veggies by the week that we couldnt keep up with and i think this soup is perfect for that, if you find yourself with an excess of veggies or if you bought a lot for other dishes and just didnt end up using them - this is you meal ticket. 

fine, i'll shut up now. :)

Maggie's Vegetable Potage
adapted from Patricia Wells' at home in PROVENCE

4 tablespoons olive oil
1 leek, white part only, trimmed, scrubbed, and chopped
sea salt to taste
3 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
3 small golden beets*, peeled and chopped
2 zucchinis, peeled and chopped
2 rutabaga*, peeled and chopped
1/2 head of lettuce (such as Cos), washed, dried, and coarsely chopped
a handful of finely chopped cabbage
1 3/4 pints (28 oz) homemade chicken stock - or 2 cans low sodium chicken stock
one 2 oz chunk of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

1. put a tea kettle on low when you start the cooking process. in a large heavy-duty stock pot, combine the oil, leek and a teaspoon salt, and pepper to your liking and cook until lightly browned, about 4 - 5 minutes. add the carrots, beets, zucchinis, and rutabaga in small batches, cooking each several minutes before adding the next. (this was probably the most fun part of this recipe...watching all the veggies change...i bet it would have been more fun if i used red beets and i bet the color would have been so much more vibrant at the end!) 

once all the veggies are lightly browned, add the lettuce and cabbage and stir vigorously until wilted. there should be no liquid left by this point. add hot water just to cover veggies and simmer, covered, until the carrots, beet and rutabaga are soft, about 25 minutes. taste for seasoning. add the stick and simmer, covered, gently for 30 minutes more. taste for seasoning.
2. while the soup simmers, prepare the cheese. using the vegetable peeler, shave the cheese into long thick strips into a bowl. if the chunk of cheese becomes too small to shave, grate the remaining cheese and add it to the bowl. set aside.
3. remove the stock pot from the heat. using a hand blender or immersion mixer, puree the soup directly in the stock pot. alternatively, pass the soup through the coarse blade of a food mill or batch it in a food processor, return to stock pot. taste for seasoning.
4. to serve, ladle hot soup into warmed bowls and place the cheese shavings on top of the soup. serve immediately.

Cooks Note(s): what's so great about this is you can let it cook longer or probably shorter than it calls for...this is a feel-out soup. which can handle and probably benefit from more time on the heat.  whats also great is that you probably should add garlic, i will do that next time AND you can use whatever veggies you want to really. also, the cheese while awesome i might play around with using plain yogurt/sour cream or another type of cheese. *they called for turnips and potatoes, respectively*