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....

return-schmetrn

Where'd I go!? Sorry.  Busy is busy is busy is busy. (I'm sure some of you have eagerly been anticipating this return of sorts. :) ) Ugh. Sorry.  Not much to say about it, I've been making things and eating things and watching things and thinking things and shooting things.


A friend sent this to me, so I thought I'd share.  And, I'm going to pickle some carrots and green beans later, maybe I will fill you in on the process. :)

10 Days

I've been asked to compile meals for 10 nights for a family of 6, I was given a binder FULL of delicious recipes. I love it. I love the organization aspect of the whole thing.  And when have I ever denied loving food?!

While I am excited about this, it's organizing someone else's life - not mine.  I keep coming back to what exactly is it that I want and how do I want it.  And the answer never ceases to be difficult to muster up all I know is that I have to keep moving forward, one foot in front of the other.  And maybe, like I always try to do when I am seeking something from someone else and they can't seem to find an answer, ask it a different way.  Come at this whole thing from a different angle.  We shall see.

On another note, I think I've eaten more corn this summer than I've ever eaten in a summer!  I love corn. :)

xo

Light on the dressing

I just received my fruits and veggies from the farm share...Fridays are always great days.  What I love about summer produce is that most of it is best when raw and fresh.  

I just cut 2 cucumbers, a peach, and a tomato up.  Combined them in a bowl with a handful of micro greens, a splash of olive oil and balsamic, a smidgen of salt and pepper.  Voila - have myself a nice fresh salad for lunch. Thank you earth :) 

How's your summer eating?

simplicity

It's been an emotional roller coaster recently.  

I haven't felt like doing much of anything.  My running isn't helping and I've even been bored in the kitchen. That's no good...that's supposed to be my place of solace and it hasn't been.  I've let my dishes pile up, I've eaten more bread and cheese than I should.  Sigh.  These are just the ebbs and flows of life, I guess.  

I did stumble upon a few things tonight.  A marinade that's great for pork or chicken and doesn't take too long to settle into the meat....ew, that can kinda sound gross.  Whatever.  It's easy.  You need, a ziplock bag, whatever meat you are using and here's how it goes: Put your meat into the ziplock, pour in a healthy dose of olive oil, salt and pepper, a good pour of low sodium soy sauce, about a tablespoon of honey and a big spoonful of chile sauce...found next to the Saracha at the grocery store, same brand but in a smaller bottle w. a green top...seal and let sit in the fridge for an hour (or more, I did three b.c I was doing stuff) and then broil your meat until done.  Or if you have a grill, I bet it would be great grilled.

I also stumbled upon this and it made me smile, so I leave you with it and hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

may my heart always be open to little
birds who are the secrets of living
whatever they sing is better than to know
and if men should not hear them men are old
   
may my mind stroll about hungry
and fearless and thirsty and supple
and even if it's sunday may i be wrong
for whenever men are right they are not young
   
and may myself do nothing usefully
and love yourself so more than truly
there's never been quite such a fool who could fail
pulling all the sky over him with one smile

- e.e. cummings

Oh my meatballs

Dang guys...I made meatballs tonight and they were INCREDIBLE. Restaurant good. I would, for sure, order these a second (or third) time if I ate them somewhere other than my house...extra bonus!?!? They are easy to make and now are my go-to meatball. Everyone needs one, right? I think Emily Post wrote about it at some point in her life.

If you don't eat meat, I understand, well I don't but I respect it and I'm really thankful that I love veggies too. But, I'm not sure I get it...back to the main objective here...meatballs. The reason these might be so good is that they are from 'the Frankies Spuntino's' cookbook. I'm sure I've talked about this before...Rory's sister (my future sister-in-law!!!) gave me this book for Christmas and it's awesome. It's so great. If you are as much of an Italian food fan as I am, you might do yourself a favor and go buy this cookbook. Seriously.

So, I didn't follow the recipe to the T because I didn't have everything I was supposed to, and if I'm 100% honest...I don't know how I feel about raisins in meatballs. Here's my version of the Frank's meatballs. Enjoy 'em!! (oh, and if you want the original recipe email me and I will get it to you!)

Jordan's version of the Frankie Spuntino Meatball

Makes about 15 meatballs; 4 servings

Ingredients

2 slices of wheat bread (about 1 packed cup)

1 pound ground beef

2 garlic cloves, minced

A hardy handful of chopped flat-leaf parsley

Almost 1/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano, plus more for serving

A hardy handful of chopped walnuts

Salt

20 turns on your pepper grinder

2 large eggs

1/4 cup dried bread crumbs

Tomato sauce (you can make your own or use store bought, I used TJ's marinara)

How Ta Do It

First, heat your oven too 325 degrees. Then put the bread in a bowl and cover with water. Let sit for about a minute or so. Pour out the water and squeeze out as much water as you can, then crumble and rip into small pieces. (by the way...this is one of those use your hands and get dirty kinds of recipes!)

Next, in the same bowl combine all the remaining ingredients (sans the tomato sauce). The original recipe said to combine them in the order listed, however, I added the meat right before the eggs. The whole mixture should be moist wet, not sloppy wet so your breadcumbs may very...you might need more, you might need less.

Shape the meatballs in your hands to a little bigger than a golf ball size.  Space these puppies evenly on a baking sheet. You may want to line the baking sheet with parchment paper or something similar...I ended up with a messy pan. Bake them for 25 to 30 minutes, I only baked for 25 minutes. The meatballs should be firm yet still juicy and gently yielding when they are cooked through. (Feel free, at this point, to let these guys cool and pop them in the freezer for some later date.)

Meanwhile, heat whatever tomato sauce you have choose in a sauté pan large enough to accommodate all the meatballs.

Dump the meatballs into the pan, simmer for about 10 minutes (original recipe calls for 30...I was way too hungry.) you want to make sure that they have had the opportunity to mingle with the sauce.

Serve the meatballs 3 to a person with a generous helping of sauce AND cheese! Yum. I ate 4 and had asparagus and a poached egg...I like food. Please try these and let me know what you think!!

Xo

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

things to remember

50 WAYS TO COPE WITH STRESS

Get up 15 minutes earlier. Prepare for the morning the night before. Don’t rely on your memory ... write things down. Repair things that don’t work properly. MAKE DUPLICATE KEYS. SAY “NO” MORE OFTEN. Set priorities in your life. Avoid negative people. Always make copies of important papers. ASK FOR HELP WITH JOBS YOU DISLIKE. Break large tasks into bite sized portions. Look at problems as challenges. Smile more.  Be prepared for rain.  SCHEDULE A PLAY TIME INTO EVERY DAY. Avoid tight fitting clothes. Take a bubble bath.  Believe in you. Visualize yourself winning.  Develop a sense of humor. Stop thinking tomorrow will be better today. Have goals for yourself. SAY HELLO TO A STRANGER. Look up at the stars. PRACTISE BREATHING SLOWLY. DO BRAND NEW THINGS. Stop a bad habit.  TAKE STOCK OF YOUR ACHIEVEMENTS. Do it today. Strive for excellence, NOT perfection. LOOK AT A WORK OF ART. Maintain your weight. Plant a tree. Stand up and stretch. Always have a plan B.  Learn a new doodle. Learn to meet your own needs.  BECOME A BETTER LISTENER. Know your limits and let others know them too.  THROW A PAPER AIRPLANE. Exercise every day. Get to work early. Clean out one closet.  Take a different route to work.  LEAVE WORK EARLY (WITH PERMISSION).  Remember you always have options. Quit trying to “fix” other people.  GET ENOUGH SLEEP. Praise other people. RELAX, TAKE EACH DAY AT A TIME ... YOU HAVE THE REST OF YOUR LIFE.

got this from cup of jo and she found it here. easy enough, right.

what do you get

When you put a rutabaga, a fennel bulb and a celeriac root together?  SOUP! Simple, simple soup.  I'm home alone, it's later than making dinner time, I'm hungry. I have the last of my root veggies from the CSA so, I made soup.  It was a little nippy today, why not?

This is similar to that soup I made at home awhile ago.  I think you could probably throw anything in a pot cook it up and eat it. Sometimes it tastes good, sometimes its terrible...this soup is AWESOME. As awesome, if not more awesome was my garnish.  I made a sorta tzatziki, this I could eat by itself every morning, it's fresh and simple. Yum!

Ruta-celer-nnel Root Soup w. Simple Tzatsiki

Makes 2 bowls of soup

• 1 medium celeriac root, roots & dirt removed, roughly chopped
• 1 small/medium rutabaga, rough chop, sans skin
• 1 small fennel bulb, rough chop
• 2 garlic cloves, whole & smashed
• red pepper flakes
• olive oil
• salt & paper to taste

First, heat a saucepan on medium heat, add olive oil and garlic, let this crackle a bit, shake in enough red pepper to give it a kick.  You know your palate I don't, so, if I told you how much, it might be too much.  Then add the fennel, rutabaga and celeriac root and saute for maybe 10 minutes.  Then add water (or broth, if you want) to cover the veggies.  Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 20 minutes or so.  Just keep checking to see when the bigger pieces of veggie are soft.

While the soup is simmering, in one bowl put 1/2 cup of plain greek yogurt, a small Persian cucumber with the skin cut off and diced teeny tiny.  Add the zest of a quarter of a small lemon, then the juice from that quarter and stir. That's it!

Once the soup is done, pour into a big enough bowl that you can put your emulsion blender into and blend until smooth.  Put in your favorite bowl add the simple tsatzki and eat up. So good!!

Unfortunately, I ate two of these after!

sweet and simple

Why haven't I ever made candied orange peels before? So simple and so sweet.  I don't know if I've mentioned it before, but we're part of a CSA here in California (which is still weird to say) and it's one of the best decisions we could have made. Oh the bounty each week! As it is winter, we've had a lot of root veggies, as expected. What I wasn't prepared for was all of the citrus, I know it's the season but on the East coast everything is shipped in so, if you're buying locally you don't have total access to it. 

For the past few weeks, we've been getting pound of navel oranges and like I pointed out, we have an orange tree in our backyard and man are those puppies good. Long story short, I candied some orange peels and here's how.

I took two medium to large oranges and peeled them, I washed the oranges before I did any of this, duh. Take a small paring knife and get rid of some of pith, that white stuff on the inside of the peel. Then into a pot of cold water that just covers the peels. Bring to a boil for about 15 minutes, then drain and rinse and do this again, they need a bath BIG time. Then, three cups of water, two cup granulated sugar and one cup light brown sugar bring this to a boil.  Stirring often so that the sugar dissolves. I think next time I do this, I might divide the sugars (1.5 of each), the brown sugar gives the orange a real hardy flavor. Once this comes to a boil, put peels in pot and bring back to a boil then reduce and simmer for about 45 minutes.  While this is boiling, mix together 1/2 cup granulated sugar and 1/2 cup light brown sugar. Cooks note: I would use 1/4 cup of each...this time around felt like a lot of sugar.  Drain the peels, don't rinse them, then put them back in a bowl and toss with the sugar.  Go on, toss 'em with your hands...it'll make you feel very connected with your sugary sweets. Once coated, spread the peels out on a cookie rack over a baking sheet.  

The drying process will take a day or two, you can try them as they are drying to make sure they aren't dry yet. Then, pop them in a cute mason jar you have lying around the house and snack on or chop up and add to oatmeal, yogurt, whatever. You can also add them to muffins or quickbreads. Sweet - and I mean seriously.

Finished product

projects

I like projects, I love them actually. For their distraction, their passion, their involvement. I like making, creating, playing. I should make my life a project...thanks to a certain someone, I'm on a mission.

I had a real 'kick-in-your-ass' conversation with one of my big sisters the other night. It worked. She shook me in the way I needed to be shaken. I love her for that. I love her for her support, her encouragement, her honesty and especially her candor.  She's not afraid to said the tough stuff just to help make her point, to help me realize her point.  Both of my sisters have a way making me 'realize' things. I think that's sort of the point of a big sister, they lead the way and show you what to do or, not do. The love I have for the two of them is that deep unconditional love that won't ever subside, regardless of those dumb silly fights we may have or things we might not agree on,

I love, love, love 'em.  How are you feeling on this lovey day?!



xo 

busy bee

So, maybe I didn't get the "adult" things done I was supposed to today, like, look for a job, research agencies...I will. I promise, however, I have to catch you up with the progress I am making in the kitchen! (yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!!!)

[Also. I just realized I never posted about my candies I made for the holidays.  What. Is. Going. On. Jordan. FOCUS. I will get to that later.]

Right. Catching you up: braised cabbage - um, incredible and topped with a poached egg, duh, loved it! Then there was the fudge I made for the Super Bowl. So easy and so good! And tonight, I roasted garlic, made a beet puree (which was okay but not great), and kale sauteed with roasted garlic, and an awesome pork chop...and, get this...I made roasted garlic butter. !!! So much. Picture and recipe of the cabbage to follow and the fudge recipe, do try it out. It's so easy and so good.

 

Braised Cabbage, adapted from Orangette 

Makes enough for dinner and a few meals after that

• 1 medium head green cabbage
• 1 large yellow onion, sliced into rough 1/3-inch slices
  1 large carrot, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 egg, poached

Preheat the oven to 400, position a rack in the middle of the oven.

Get rid of the bruised and beat up outer layers. Rinse the cabbage under cold water quickly, dry lightly. Cut it into 8 wedges. Arrange the pieces on a baking dish. Try to get them all flat in the dish, if they overlap, that's okay but not preferred.

Add the onions and carrots to the dish, pour the water and oil over everything. Season with some salt, a bunch of pepper, and a few pinches of red pepper flakes. Cover the dish with foil pop it in the oven. Cook the veggies for 30 minutes; gently turn the cabbage wedges. Cover the dish, and return it to the oven to cook until the vegetables are very tender, about 20 more minutes.

When the cabbage is completely tender, remove the foil over the baking dish and continue cooking another 10 or so minutes.

Serve warm, topped with a poached egg and sprinkled with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

-----------------------------

The fudge guys...the fudge. Oh man, try this.

Cinnamon-Chocolate Fudge, from Giada De Laurentiis

• Butter, for greasing the pan
• 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 pound (about 2 cups) bittersweet chocolate chips
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces, at room temperature
• Kosher or flake salt, optional

Butter the bottom and sides of an 8 b 8-inch baking pan. Line the pan with a sheet of parchment paper, set aside.

In a medium glass or stainless steel bowl, combine the condensed milk, cinnamon, and vanilla. Stir in the chocolate chips and butter. Put the bowl on a saucepan of barely simmering water and mix until the chocolate chips have melted and the mixture is smooth, about 6 to 8 minutes (mixture will be thick). Using a spatula, scrape the mixture into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle with salt. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours until firm.

Run a warm knife around the edge of the pan to loosen the fudge. Remove the fudge to a cutting board. Peel off the parchment paper and cut the fudge into 1-inch pieces. Store refrigerated in an airtight container or freeze.

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*

spiciness

(i'm laying in a hammock in my apartment. jealous?)

but that's not the point the point is i read ree drummond's blog today (the pioneer woman) and she was talking about what it takes to be a good blogger. she points our that you have to write and write often. you have to push through 'blogger' blocks and just produce and, don't talk about the same thing twice! most importantly, make sure you have a perspective, a point of view, a personality...what's you voice? i think i do this. i hope i do. i hope it's not too boring on here. 

okay. real point! last night i made my own homemade hot sauce. there was a great post on food 52 about homemade sriracha and there were so many great comments about how easy it was and how good it was. and...lucky me, i just happened to have almost a 1/2 pound of red and green jalapenos. so. task accepted. and its quite simple and pretty good. i didn't follow the recipe fully, which might be better than mine, so if you want it it's here.

jordan's okay hot sauce
adapted from the year of eating consciously
ingredients
almost a 1/2 pound of jalapenos
1/2 cup cooking white wine
1/2 cup apple cider
4 cloves of garlic (i didn't have garlic and sort of wish i had)
teaspoon salt
pepper
2 tablespoons sugar (the recipe calls for palm sugar, clearly, i didn't have it...)
a few pinches of brown sugar


first, you roughly chop the jalapenos. (don't touch your face, eyes, mouth, better yet, wear gloves?) put them in a jar. roughly chop the garlic, add to said jar. pour the liquid over the peppers and garlic. add the salt. cover the jar, this should sit overnight. sort of like a brine. 

after those 24 hours have passed the fun begins. place the mixture and the sugar into a medium saucepan, bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce and let simmer for 5 minutes. this is the part in the process that stinks, literally. it smells bad and it burns your eyes and throat so i suggest keeping the top on the pot. once 5 minutes has passed, let the mixture come to room temperature.


once cooled put the mixture in a blender and puree for about 5 minutes or until basically all liquid. then push the mixture through a strainer to get as much of the liquid out as possible into a jar that you can seal tightly and refrigerate.

i took the leftover mush (seeds and bits of peppers) put them in a jar and added a little salt and olive oil. chili paste-ish. had it on the eggs this morning. awesome.


do you like hot sauce enough to make your own?
xo

new kitchen, lots of eggs

alright. for now...its just writing. my bowl-full of white rice did not suck all the moisture out of the camera, if it did...to no avail. i'm still hanging on tot he fact that i may be able to charge the battery.

some long overdue posts (which were waiting for images...here's to using my adjectives!)

so i've been in my new kitchen for a week to the day. i love it. there's so much natural light and the room is so spacious. i've tried to make dinner every night and a lot of those dinners have included, yup, poached eggs and greens. (i've eaten 6 eggs, at least) i even made myself brunch on saturday (before spending the day laying in a park in long island city reading my script). it was so good...


i had asparagus and my boss had mentioned that she had shaved white asparagus because thats what you do. (they are much tougher than normal.) and consuming raw asparagus has been mentioned a lot in the last week, so i thought, maybe i can make a salad of shaved regular asparagus. and that was all i did, shaved it with a carrot peeler and placed it on the plate. i think they may have been better if they were colder and fresher or maybe even blanched and really cold (but then its not raw).  i just drizzled olive oil and balsamic and some salt + pepper and that was that.  i poached 2 eggs.. and then. i. made. magic. guys...i've never really be very good at making hash browns or breakfast potatoes or they take too long, whatever, its just not been good. but i cut 1/2 a russet potato into small squares, chopped a few cloves of garlic and threw some olive oil into a pan (that had a glass top). this i think was the key. i sauteed the potatoes and garlic for a bit and then, i turned the heat down and put the top on the pan. that did it. that steamed them a little to aide their cooking. i know its not revolutionary and i know it makes sense - i just had never thought of it before. i threw in the bit of asparagus near the end and put it all on the plate and added a few cherries. it was brilliant. 

my roommate and i also made dinner last night...yum. we had pan seared chilean sea bass, trader joe's harvest blend of cous cous/lentils/quinoa and a salad of watercress, pears, and orange pieces w. a citrus vinaigrette. i made the vinaigrette and i was disappointed.  no pictures, sadly. lexi and i were wondering what was missing...and i think we needed salt. plain and simple. we just needed to give it a little more flavor. 

that was my first week.
xo

i made bread, ya'll. i made bread

i have been thinking about making bread for a while. for a real long time. a girlfriend of my embarked on this adventure by buying a baguette pan (!) and she made french bread ya'll. i think i'm a little nervous to try that, but what i wouldnt give to be able to make french bread. i think a crusty warm baguette may be one of the best things in the world. and, for that matter with nothing on it because it just tastes that good. 

i digress. so. i made bread. it was an interesting process. i didnt have active yeast, i had instant yeast, so i was worried about my ratios. but, all in all. i think it turned out pretty great. the bread was a little dense and tough...the dough was tough to knead. i wonder if i kneaded it too much...i will have to do some research on that. i cannot tell you how happy it made me to have made bread. the anticipation as the wet dough rises created this palatable energy in the apartment as i busied myself doing other things....reading lines, surfing the inter-web...i just wanted it to get bigger so i could knead again and wait again, so that it would finally be ready to put in the oven! and the smell! as the bread turned a beautiful shade of golden brown, the whole apartment smelled of wonders! i think i just love bread. i could be a carb-a-vore. seriously.  

please try this. the satisfaction you have when  you bake your own loaf of bread is ridiculous. so, why not, give it a shot.  i cannot wait to start playing around with bread recipes! 

 

Two Crusty Round Loaves

Ingredients

• 4 cups bread flour (the higher gluten content in important)
• 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/2 cups warm water

Preparation

1. Measure out 1/4 cup of bread flour and reserve a the clean counter top.  Place the remaining 3 3/4 cup bread flour in the bowl of a stand mixer fit with a paddle attachment.* Measure the salt and place on one side of the flour and add the yeast to the opposite side of the flour.  Pour the warm water in the middle and mix on low speed (with the paddle attachment) until the dough just comes together. 

2. When the dough forms a mass, switch to the dough hook and mix on medium speed for 2 minutes.  Dough should clear the sides but may stick to the bottom a bit.  If you feel like the dough is too sticky or too dry, feel free to add a touch more water or flour by the tablespoonful.  After 2 minutes, let the dough rest for five minutes.

3. After the five minute rest, mix the dough again for 3 minutes.   Place the dough on the counter and, using the 1/4 cup of bread flour we reserved in the beginning, hand knead the dough.  You may not need to incorporate the entire 1/4 cup.  If the dough feels firm and solid enough, just knead for a few minutes and prepare it to rest.  You should have a satiny, smooth compact ball.

4. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, and turn the dough over to coat the entire dough lightly in oil.  Cover with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel and place in a warm spot to rest for 1 1/2 hours.  The dough should double in size.  Remove from the bowl, punch down and reform into a ball.  Return to the bowl, cover and allow to rest for another 30 minutes.

After the second short rest, place the dough on a lightly floured surface and cut into 2 pieces.  Form each piece into a smooth, round ball, tucking any haggard edges on the underside of the dough.  Leave to rest, covered with a damp cloth, on the lightly floured surface for 45 minutes to a hour.

5. During the last 20 minutes of the resting period, preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Place a baking rack in the lower third of the oven and leave either a baking stone or an upside down baking sheet in the oven to heat as well. 

6. Just before the boules are set to go in the oven, slash the top of the loaves with 2 to 4 slashes, using a sharp knife.  This will allow the bread to expand in the oven.  Remove the super hot baking sheet from the oven.  Carefully transfer the dough onto the baking sheets and return to the oven.

7. Here’s some fun!  Just after you put the bread in the oven, take 1/4 cup of water, open the oven door, quickly poor the water onto the hot oven floor and immediately close the oven door.  We’re creating steam here people… it’s exciting.  Wait 2 minutes and repeat the process.

8. Bake loaves for 20-25 minutes.  They’ll be golden and gorgeous.  Remove from the oven and insert a thermometer.  The temperature should be between 190 to 210 degrees F.

You should wait until its totally cool to slice into it...i couldn't, but you should try. 

xo

 * I don't have a stand mixer, so i followed some instructions for another way - You should be able to follow the directions as listed but instead of using the mixer to do the mixing do this instead: Put your dry ingredients (minus yeast) in a bowl. Make a well in that hill and pour your luke warm water into it. Sprinkle the yeast over the water and wait a minute or so. Then start to mix in the flour with the water until you get it together into a doughy gloop. Then knead the dough until it gets the nice smooth consistency and it stops sticking to the bowl as much–you may need to add a smidge of flour to get it to this consistency.

but baby its cold outside.

i know i know i know. its freezing in nyc. the snow came. covered the city for a bit now there's piles of grey wet ice and mush covering the streets and sidewalks. its gross really. typically on these cold gross days all i want is a big bowl of something warm....but i made this salad the other night and it was the best thing i could have ever done. it was what i needed. what reminded me that fresh crisp food is so fulfilling. i love this salad, like big much.

i found the recipe while scrolling through molly's recipes. molly has this amazing blog, orangette, her blog was my first foray into the cooking blog world and i guess inspired all of this. i even bought her book, which is also fabulous, you can borrow it if you want. she's a great writer who's life has been shaped by food. its wonderful and romantic. 

anyway, she bastardized this recipe from the Balthazar Cookbook.  i must admit, i have yet to actually eat there, i've gotten coffee and croissants from the take out place but havent graced the chairs. i'd like to go, it feels like a SoHo experience everyone should have....

Balthazar Salad, Slightly Bastardized

even more bastardized from here

the following quantities make a good-size salad for two, enough for a very satisfying dinner, preferably with a hunk of crusty bread and some butter or olive oil and pepper. i ate it for 3 days by my lonesome. the quantities of romaine, frisée, and radicchio purposely ambiguous, because any proportion of the three is delicious. just prepare enough greens to have a couple of handfuls each, and dig in.

Ingredients

• ¼ lb skinny asparagus spears, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
• A handful of skinny green beans or haricots verts, trimmed
• A dozen or so thin strips of lemon zest
• 1 medium fennel bulb, sliced paper-thin
• A half-dozen red radishes, sliced paper-thin
• Romaine lettuce, cut into ½-inch strips
• Frisée, ripped into bite-size pieces
• Radicchio, cut into ¼-inch strips
• Lemon-Truffle Vinaigrette, to taste (see below)
• 4 ¼-inch slices from a wedge of ricotta salata, cut into matchstick slivers (THIS IS AMAZING CHEESE!!!!)
• 1 small raw beet, washed, dried, and cut into matchstick slivers
• A few thin slices of avocado (optional)
• Maldon salt or fleur de sel, as needed

Preparation

1. blanch the asparagus, green beans, and lemon zest. fill a medium saucepan with water, and bring it to a boil over high heat. add a pinch or two of salt, and add the asparagus. while the asparagus is cooking, make an ice bath by filling a medium bowl with ice cubes and cold water. cook the asparagus until it is bright green and barely crunchy, about 3-4 minutes; then, using a slotted spoon, transfer the spears to the ice bath. add the green beans to the boiling water, and cook them until they are bright green and barely crunchy, about 3-4 minutes. remove them to the ice bath with the asparagus. finally, add the lemon zest to the pot of boiling water, and blanch the strips for 1 minute before removing them to a cutting board. Blot the zest dry with a paper towel, and mince it finely.
2. remove the asparagus and green beans from their ice bath, dry them well on paper towels, and place them in a large salad bowl. add the fennel, radishes, romaine, frisée, and radicchio, and toss to mix. add vinaigrette to taste and toss again to coat each leaf and green with a thin sheen. serve, topping each portion with a few fingers full of ricotta salata, a few slivers of beet, and a slice or two of avocado, if you like, and cap with a light sprinkling of minced lemon zest. season with salt to taste.

Lemon-Truffle Vinaigrette (I didn’t make it lemon truffle, I made it lemon vinaigrette and it was just as good!)

Ingredients

• 2 Tbs fresh lemon juice
• ¼ tsp salt, or to taste
• 1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 6 Tbs mild olive oil
• 2 Tbs white truffle oil (did not use!)

Preparation
in a medium bowl, combine the lemon juice, salt, and pepper. slowly add the olive and truffle oils, whisking constantly. continue to whisk until the dressing is thoroughly emulsified. the vinaigrette will keep, refrigerated in a sealed container, for one week.

ps. i cannot tell you wonderfully yummy this salad is. its like a week later and i'm still thinking about it.

words of wisdom from Jamie Oliver

i just watched Jamie Oliver's TED prize wish speech.  that guy, knows his sh*t. he's smart, he's well informed, he's resourceful, he's inspiring.  when i was in high school i used to watch the food network like it was my job. i didn't really fancy MTV and all the popular shows that people were watching, i watched the food network, bravo and...i'll admit it, TLC. as my boyfriend likes to say, i'm a nerd, what can i do. i would watch Jamie Oliver's Naked Chef religiously, i went out and bought his cookbooks when i was 17. sure, maybe i also had a wee crush on the brit, but it was the way he handled his food. it was raw. the food that you put on your plate and in your mouth was good, natural and simple. there's really no bells and whistles about what he did. and none about what he's trying to do. he is empowered to make a change. to save live how he can, through what we eat. he is trying to empower each and every one of us to make a change, bit by bit, so that we live longer, so that our children live longer. so that we become a more sustainable country...planet, really.  i think he's so right, the kitchen in your home is where tradition is passed from generation to generation.  i learned how to cook from my parents and i couldnt be happier. the stage and kitchen are my safe havens. they are my go-to de-stressers. some people run to get out of their heads, i find something i've never made and always wanted to try and i make it. i dont think when i cook, i just do. it just happens. i know its different for everyone but i think there is so much worth and value in what Jamie is tying to do.  i'm not sure what you and i can do, but we can effect change some how. towards the end of his speech, and i am paraphrasing, he made the statement that if one chap, teaches three of his mates to cook, and they teach three of their mates to cook....its the whole country.  lets be the generation that helps change, thats brings us back to the basics. that brings us back to the ground.  i will gladly teach any of my friends anything i know. i'm no expert but i know my way around the kitchen.  eat organic. eat locally. as often as you can.

enjoy Jamie's talk.  xo

pesto

there's nothing simpler than pesto. its easy, tasty and quick. last night after rehearsal i didnt want to cook a huge, time consuming meal, i just wanted to eat. so i went and bought spinach, pine nuts, garlic, lemon and Parmesan cheese. spinach? thats right, i substituted spinach for basil; a) basil is not in season and b) spinach sounds like its healthier, right? sure. and, there's really no difference in taste, which is good, 'cause when you want pesto you want the flavor.

i dont measure when it comes to pesto, i just throw it all together. i dont have a food processor, and i recommend using one rather than a blender, but use what you have.

ingredients

makes a lot, i always make too much, use what i want then freeze the rest. i read somewhere a long time ago that you could freeze pesto in an ice cube tray, then you have a small amount of what you need, when you want it.

• a big handful (and more) baby spinach
• garlic, 3 colves (ish), minced
• a handful of pine nuts (or walnuts, chopped)
• half a lemon
• salt and pepper
• olive oil

preparation
1. throw your spinach and pine nuts into your blender (food processor), pulse until combined

2. add garlic, pulse

3. squeeze in as much lemon as you'd like

4. slowly drizzle in the olive oil while blender is on mix/whatever speed you're using, mix for a bit. keep pouring in the olive oil but take a few breaks to make sure you're not over adding; you dont want your pesto to be too oily.

5. when satisfied with the consistency, add approximately 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese and salt and pepper to taste, mix a bit more.

6. add to your pasta - that you already began cooking before you even started making the pesto, so it was all ready at the same time.

additions: i added grape tomatoes to my pasta and pesto, you can also throw in some chicken, other veggies or even a few toasted pine nuts. get creative - thats the fun part of cooking. i even toyed with the idea of adding some hot pepper (surprise, surprise).

xo