happy weekend!

i'm still figuring out film processing here so i don't have any texas photos yet, but they're coming. until then i love that this photo looks like a portrait. this was a beautiful sunset. while ive already seen some incredible ones here i do miss the water.

fort worth has changed alot since i've been gone. i can't wait to check out the food truck scene. there's an event this weekend called texas toast that i'm hoping to go too.

we're also going to make dinner with my brother and his fiancee. i've attempted to make popsicles but they won't come out so far so it might just be a snow cone. but i think it will still be tasty.

i'm also working on a new project that i'm excited about so its keeping me busy as well.

what are yall up to this weekend?

cafe love: nash baker

no this is not a cafe but one of my favorite things to enjoy at a cafe. these pastries, and many more, are served at readers cafe and at the summit. i did not previously think much of croissants. i didn't really understand the fuss, except that they sounded french. i'd tried the pastry before but did not really understand the allure until trying nash baker's. with a gibralter it is perfection, the sweet milk and espresso mixing with the crunchy flakiness of the bread to form the perfect start to a day. i've had customers come in and compare these treats to the likes of Tartine, the standard itself here in San Francisco. i think you'll agree that they're the best and feel that this is one more reason to come by in my last week at reader's cafe.

chez panisse anniversary

i love how the light in my photos inside chez panisse is incredibly different from outside. they capture how i felt, all glowy and delicious and in a different world. it was wonderful to talk and eavesdrop and taste so many different and delightful flavors. we made a mission statement for this year and reminisced about the incredible nature of this last one. its been wonderful and i can't wait to see what we experience in year two.

happy weekend!

i know this weekend will require some recuperation after such a big week with our dads but I already have some plans in the works. we're going to have to go back to bun mee, where i had the most amazing carmelized citrus rice bowl with jacob and my dad. i'm also going to continue to perfect this strawberry shortcake recipe with my favorite berry ever. i'm excited about hearing the MAIS capstones this saturday. i remember being super nervous and excited last year for my own and i can't wait to hear the culmination of their work. i hope this spring weather continues to stick around.

out and about

we enjoyed a beautiful sunset, some more spring flowers and ate macaroni and cheese with onion rings on top with this amazing pair. it was a perfect spring weekend in the city.

adventures in normalacy

i wanted to share these photos from our week here in the city by the bay. we hit up the farmer's market, hence my obsession with spring recipes, hung out on haight street and picked up some amazing records as well as puerto rican food, and enjoyed a delicious homemade (jacob made) brunch. i love enjoying where we are and spontaneous adventure.

Chorizo, Red Pepper and Potato Gallette with Argula

Well that title is a mouthful, but i guess it fits the dish itself which is ridiculously filling and delicious. it all started when i got my new sunset magazine and i was pleasantly surprised by their savory pie section. I love savory pies. i made a butternut squash one in the fall and was very happy with the results. so this one, (though it doesn't seem in line with a seasonal theme, i probably would rather have had it in the fall,) is even better. when i saw that it had chorizo, one of jacob's favorites, i knew it must be made. so i used the smitten kitchen pie crust recipe. and my new pie crust cutter upper, made it so much easier, i love tools. and got to work.

unfortunately this is probably not a dish that promotes my ideology that cooking at home is cheaper or healthier. chorizo and manchego cheese are pricey people, but for a weekend splurge or week day pick me up its perfect, i just wanted you to know what you were getting into.

i would normally just link you to the recipe online but was shocked to find that they did not have the pie section of the magazine on the internet, its like they want you to buy their paper copy or something. so here it is, your welcome.

13 inch round pie crust( see link above or they suggest pillsbury refrigerated pie dough)

1/3 lb or manchego or other basque-style sheep's-milk cheese, thinly sliced

3 ounces spanish style chorizo, thinly sliced

1/2 lb cooked and thinly sliced yukon gold potatoes

1/2 cup thinly sliced roasted red bell peppers patted dry

2 cups baby lettuce

(your favorite salad vinegar, i used white balsamic, they suggested sherry vinegar, and oil)

Roll out pie crust, leaving a 2inch border.

layer the filling ingredients. i did 1/2 of the potatoes, then cheese, then chorizo, then more potatoes, so that the cheese melted down and through everything.

fold the dough around the filling, then bake until crust is golden 20-25 minutes.

toss the lettuce with vinegar and oil, you can place it on top for a nice contrast, but i just served mine on the side.

there are no pictures due to poor lighting and hunger, but if you are confused about the folding issue here's a pic of the butternut squash gallete i mentioned earlier. its very rustic looking. nothing too complicated i promise.

also this says it serves four to six, they must not have meant people with any appetite or tastebuds or are assuming its all dieters because i made us stop eating it 2/3rds of the way through due to the afore mentioned health issues, cheese/chorizo/ and pie crust need i say more? but we could have easily finished it just the two of us.

i would bring this to a potluck dinner or serve it with a larger salad next time.

enjoy!

i love alabama

its been hitting me lately, the desire to see red mountain, let my southern drawl out a bit and of course see my lovely birmingham friends. while i can't jump on a plane sadly, i hunted down some alabamian barbq. to do this we headed to oakland and everett & jones. the founder moved here from alabama in the 70s and realized if she was going to eat well she'd have to make it herself. i'm sure glad she did. the sauce was what was truly amazing followed by the tender meat and incredible baked beans. it was a wonderful afternoon, only made perfect if i'd really been in birmingham.

tastespotting

i discovered this amazing new site today via my friend sadie. it is a collaboration between food bloggers and the best recipes and pictures are featured on the website. it is now impossible to run out of ideas for things to cook only very possible to not have time to do anything else. i already found an incredible looking pancake recipe. the pictures alone make me drool. yum.

popovers

this puffed treat and i have had a long and rather gruesome history. it started off with awe. i knew of these bread delights that were served at Neiman Marcus but only saw the restaurant when we walked through the mall and never had one. i just knew they were very difficult to make rise and often thwarted the baker. but when i started working upstairs they were a regular treat. they even had popover pans and so i quickly realized i was going to have to master them. easier said than done. i have mentioned my inability to read recipes sometimes and i used a whole stick of butter instead of 1 tbs one time. those were inedible as they simmered and i couldn't figure out what was different. but i must add that this recipe is hand written and a few different girls have written temperatures and timings and its made the whole thing very complicated. but then, i came across a popover recipe in the Gastronomy of Marriage. A book i read a while ago and was revisiting now that i'm married. the recipe was simple and clear and added a tip about refrigerating the dough before baking. it worked brilliantly. try it, i think you'll be impressed with yourself.

good times

its been a big weekend, my family came into town and we've been eating and sightseeing like crazy.

i've been wanting to share a couple of recipes with you though so i'll start there. this no-knead bread is incredible, though i've been using the wrong yeast, active, not instant, its still delicious. and since i had extra yeast i would no longer be needing i decided to use it for this cinnamon roll recipe i've been wanting to try. they were perfect after i froze them for a couple of days i let them thaw and rise overnight so they were very easy and fun for a saturday morning.

yesterday we visited one of my favorite places in the world, point reyes. we explored the lighthouse, looked for whales and i got free range eggs from marin sun farms.

on our 8 month anniversary we enjoyed our kara's cupcakes once again. they even had a heart on them this month. what a wonderful celebration!

butternut squash soup with a hint of apple

via food52.com

my first encounter with butternut squash soup occurred at the urban standard during college. it was lovely, sweet and savory with a drizzle of sour cream on top. but since cooking butternut squash for the first time this year, i have stayed away from similar recipes knowing that it would not be the same, and i would only hold it to a now impossible standard. but then i received this recipe in my email from food52 and couldn't resist. it has apple cider for the sweet and sour cream for the savory and was very simple. its delicious but i would suggest doubling it, as i did, because it did not make as much as i expected, though it says it serves four. doubled it served three with maybe one bowl left over and we each had cheese toast as well. i used sparkling cider instead of plain, and i'm not sure if that's why the apple flavor was a bit overwhelming, or if i just like it a bit savory than most. either way next time i'm going to cut back a little and use plain not sparkling, adding more to taste later if necessary. also, i did not think there was enough chicken broth so i added more and i just know looked at her step by step picture instructions and she warns that it looks like it won't be enough but it is, so next time i'll put in the smaller amount. let me know what you think.
as it was it warmed us up and made the winter evening a little brighter.

a foray into dried beans

ive heard they're better but its been hard to convince me that soaking and boiling are worth my time. but i bought some white beans and tried it last week to make this hearty minestrone soup and it was a feat i'll repeat again. it lasted a while even though it said it only made four servings, and it tricked me as well because the cook book, food and wine 2010, had two recipes for minestrone soup one with a picture and one without, and while i thought i was making the one in the picture i soon realized that it was actually the one without. obviously this soup and i were fated to come together and i am very glad we did.

1 1/4 cup dried white beans, i used cannelli
3 tblsp extra virgin olive oil
2 oz pancetta, finely diced
2 medium shallots, i left this out
2 large celery ribs, finely diced
1 medium onion, finely diced
1 large carrot, finely diced
1/2 fennel bulb, cored and diced, i'd never used a fennel bulb but it smelled like licorce and was a nice addition
1/2 teaspoon crused red pepper
2 bay leaves, i also left this out , i don't understand why you put something in only to take it out, i just don't feel it must be very necessary, but i should give it a try one of these days
2 tblsp tomato paste
1 14 oz can plum tomatoes, juices reserved
1 qt low-sodium chicken broth, i used half this amount maybe, and substituted water
salt and pepper

in a large pot, cover the beans with 2 inches of water and bring to a boil. simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, until tender about two hours, add water as necessary to keep the beans covered. ( i soaked them for longer so i only boiled them for 1 hour)

meanwhile, in another large pot ( i hate using another pot so i did the beans before and then put them in the bowl they'd soaked in and used the original pot for the next steps)heat 2 tblsp of the olive oil. add the pancetta and cook over moderate heat until the fat has rendered and the pancetta is crip, about four minutes. add the shallots, celery, onion, carrot and fennel and cook, stirring occassionally until the vegetables are softened, about 6 minutes. add the garlic, crused red pepper and bay leaves and cook, stirring until fragrant about two minutes. add the tomato paste and cook. stirring, until it sticks to the bottom of the pot, about two minutes. stir in the plum tomatoes and chicken broth, bring to a boil. simmer over low heat until the vegetables are very tender and the soup is flavorful, about 1 hour. add the beans and enough of the reserved cooking liquid to thin out the soup. discard the bay leaves and season with salt and pepper. now that the weather is changing its the perfect winter soup.

my butternut squash addiction continues

i love smitten kitchen. i've said this many a time in know but i can't get enough of her recipes accompanied by her candor and humor. not to mention that she's been blogging for awhile now so she has many different variations of key ingredients, such as butternut squash. this is one such recipe. delicious, savory and sweet. the perfect combination without being a typical soup. it was a bit complicated but worth the time as she states in her description.

here's my input on an already perfect recipe. i substituted gruyere cheese for fontina and would suggest that you try the orginal, while gruyere was good, fontina might add more flavor, i just had some on hand already.

and then we get to the pie crust. i've tried a few different pie crusts lately but this was perfect for savory items, with the lemon and sour cream it fits wonderfully and is worth the effort. though i did skip some of the more mundane steps, i do keep my flour in the freezer, which helped things along.

my biggest pet peeve with recipes lately though is serving size. many online don't have them at all or i feel that they are very arbitrary. who sets serving sizes anyway? for example this says it serves 6, jacob and i ate it for two meals and he ate accompanying food as well, and my stomach's a little weird so i didn't eat as much as usual. i think it would serve three maybe with a salad or sausage as the case may be. There should atleast be a differentiation like, for dinner this serves two but as a side you can easily serve six, or 1 hungry man but 3 girls at lunch. atleast the arbitrariness of this would be identified and i think it would relieve a lot of frustration.

sparks

i've joined a group that encourages each other to take risks to make themselves a better person or the world a better place. i have felt strongly about the importance of where food comes from and how for awhile. it became most evident since reading animal, vegetable, miracle by barbara kingsolver in my contemporary biology class.

but i've been a coward about acting on the conviction. i don't want to spend too much, i don't want to go out of my way and i definitely don't want to be a problem or make other people uncomfortable. but i can no longer push away the inevitability of taking action. i have to act on the knowledge i have and not live in ignorance of the system in place. its daunting sure, but i want to make known that i don't like how animals are treated in our factory farming system, nor do i deserve to pay only pennies for the food that fuels my body. its a luxury to have access to ethically raised, organic food yes, but its also a luxury to shop around and buy the cheapest food possible. i don't want to be apart of this system of food anymore and i want to make other options more available by talking about it here, not too much i hope, don't worry, and asking for it in stores. this is definitely outside of my comfort zone and already at a store today my wallet gasped in horror at the prices of well tended food but i'm beginning to think that that's my false assumptions about food not the overpriced butcher's fault and talking about it is a step in the right direction. we'll see where this risk takes me.

cheesy bread

this week has been out of the ordinary since the family i work for has been out of town. we've had a little more free time in the evenings but varied constraints throughout the day, and the dogs sleep with us. enough said. but its been feeling like fall, and we've spent some time in the east bay where some of the trees are actually changing color, and had good times with friends old and new. my soup this week was butternut squash, it was very savory, almost to much since i adjusted the spices for dried and overcompensated i think, as in i dumped in what looked right and so i'd just stick to her measurements if at all possible. it was a good twist on a normally sweeter soup. we didn't try the croutons but i did make this recipe for gruyere cheese, pull apart bread. here's the recipe from food and wine 2010:

1 1/2 sticks cold, unsalted butter, cube 1 stick
1 lg onion, finely chopped, i probably did about a 1/4 of the onion which wasn't quite enough but still really flavorful, i might suggest trying 1/2 an onion
1 tblsp poppy seeds
kosher salt and pepper
3 onces Gruyere cheese, coarsely shredded, {1 cup}
2 cups all purpose flour, plus more for dusting
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspon baking soda
1 cup buttermilk

preheat the oven to 425. butter a 9 by 4 1/2 inch metal loaf pan. In a large skillet, melt the 1/2 stick of uncubed butter, pour two tbls of the melted butter into a small bowl and reserve. add the chopped onion to the skillet and cook over moderate heat. stirring occassionally, until its softened, about 8 minutes. stir in the poppy seeds and season with salt and pepper. scrape the onion mixture onto a plate and refrigerate for 5 minutes, until cooled slightly, then stir in the coarsely shredded gruyere cheese.

meanwhile in a food processor, or i just used a fork and then my hands, pulse the 2 cups o flour with the baking powder, baking soda and 1 teaspoon of salt. add the stick of cubed butter and pulse until the butter cubes are the size of small peas. add the buttermilk and pulse 5 or 6 times, just until a soft dough forms.

this is the tricky part guys.....turn the dough out onto well- floured work surface and knead 2 or 3 times. pat or roll the dough into a 2 by 24 inch rectangle. spread the onion mixture on top of the bread. cut the dough crosswise, in as close to the same width strips as possible. mine weren't and began to wobble in the next step. stack 9 pieces onion side up then top with the final piece onion side down, after about the 5th piece it began to wobble, so i put it in the loaf pan sideways and added the other pieces side by side. carefully lay the stack in the prepared loaf pan and brush the top with the reserved melted butter.

bake the loaf in the center of the oven for about 30 minutes, until it is golden and risen. let the bread cool for atleast 15 minutes before unmolding and serving.


this was amazing, super filling and perfect with the soup, worth the time for sure. especially if you don't have a dog in the house and leave it on the counter. you fill in the gaps.

and i must credit jacob's amazing skills as dishwasher to make this kitchen possible.

i'd love to hear anyone else's twist on their favorite soup...

julie and julia

i read this book in approximately two days last week. it was amazing. i love female memoirs and she is hilarious and honest and of course a good eater. i am now slightly obsessed with julia child as well. i have a few videos of her cooking and learned how to cut an onion finally. what julie seemed to learn and what i took away is julia's joy for life and desire to share that with others through food.

lunch dish

photo via 3191 miles apart
i began a quest this week fueled by the desire to make more accessible lunches and expand the options from sandwiches, combined with a new empanada fixation from work and this quick lunch option here, topped off with a desire to make nigella lawson's lunch dish for some time. culminated in a delicious savory lunch turnover that i want to share for many reasons. not only because its amazing but because this is the third pie crust i've made in the past two weeks and its my favorite,i can imagine it with most anything, its perfectly flaky and it has cream cheese in it,yum, and you have no need for ice water or cold butter or any of the other persnickity crust issues that force you to the store to buy it in a box.

Cream Cheese Pastry
8 tablespoons (1 stick unsalted butter) at room temperature
4 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
1/4 cup half and half
1-1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt

*i would double this next time because i only made four turnovers and had extra filling. and i would suggest throwing some grated cheddar in it and seeing what happens i think it would be an extra kick that would put this dish over the edge.

Mix butter, cream cheese and cream to thoroughly combine. Add flour and salt and mix until combined and a ball forms. Divide the dough into two disks and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before rolling out.

lunch dish
2-3 (about 12 oz) tomatoes, or same amount of drained, chopped or canned ones
2 small onions
2 eggs hard boiled
4 ounces pitted black olives
2 tablespoons olive oil, not extra virgin
9 ounces ground beef
fat pinch all spice, (i used cinnamon and nutmeg, probably a bit too much cinnamon but it was still varied)
salt and pepper
{i'm thinking about adding a few chopped red bell pepper and maybe some ground chipotle pepper because it was a bit too even keeled for us around here }
serves 6
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Cut an x in the bottom of your tomatoes, place in a bowl and cover with boiling water from the kettle and leave for 5 min. drain, run under the cold tap and the skin comes right off,thanks smitten kitchen, cut into quarters and remove seeds and chop roughly. peel and chop the onions, hard boiled egg and olives too.

in a large frying pan over medium heat, warm the oil. cook the chopped onions until softened and beginning to color, turning the flame down to low if they look as if they're sticking. turn the heat back to medium and add the chopped tomatoes and cook, stirring a minute or so before adding the beef. stir well, breaking up the clumps of meat with wodden spoon as you go, then, when the meat's browned, stir in the chopped eggs and olives and season with the allspice salt and pepper. cook over gentle heat for about 20 minutes, stirring.

remove pastry from fridge and roll out thinly. cut into 5 inch diamater circles. i used the top of a bowl for a guide. place filling in center and fold over pinching into a half circle, turnover shape. place on baking sheet and cook for 25-30 minutes.

wrap and freeze for a quick lunch on the go or we enjoyed them with roasted potatoes last night.

beef stew with blue cheese

in the same vein as the carrot and sweet potato soup, aided again by sunset magazine
{the recipe is actually submitted by one of my favorite food bloggers molly watson}.
i made beef stew with blue cheese and chives to help with jacob's GRE this past week.
{he aced it by the way and i think we all know why....}
i've been disappointed with stew before, tender meat but flavorless broth, not so with this one. i think its the full bottle of wine, but maybe its the blue cheese, you be the judge.

*i halved the recipe so it serves four technically but after we ate the first batch we were low on broth so i simmered it with leftover chicken stock, approximately a cup, for the second meal.


about 1 tbsp vegetable oil
1.7 lbs of beef chuck, trimmed of excess fat and cut into 1 1/2 in pieces
2 slices hardwood-smoked bacon, chopped
1 large onion, cut into 1/2 inch wedges
about 1 tsp salt
1/8 cup flour
1/2 tbsp. paprika, it suggests smoked Spanish paprika but this did not come with my spice kit and the plain paprika was great
1/2 tsp chipotle chili powder
1 bottle (750 ml ) dry red wine, we bought ours for 2 bucks at trader joe's but i'm sure the better wine the tastier, and of course because it cooks for over an hour the alcohol content is neglible
1 lb yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4s or smaller, they suggest large pieces but some of our potatoes did not cook all the way through initially
1/2 lb baby carrots cut into rounds
1/2 tbsp butter
1/4 cup or more crumbled blue cheese
pepper
1/8 cup minced chives or green onions

* its especially important to have all your spices etc measured out before beginning because the pan gets hot and everything starts to move fast or else burn and i was scrambling, just a tip.

Heat a 3-4 qt oven proof pan over medium-high heat. add 1/2 tbsp oil. when its hot, brown a fifth to a quarter of beef at a time, turning meat and adding remaining oil as needed, about 5 min per side, and adjusting heat so meat sizzles but doesn't burn. transfer meat to a bowl.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. add bacon to pan and cook until fat renders{ don't know what that means, it got soft for me } and starts to brown. with a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to bowl with beef. add onions to pan and stir in 1/2 tsp salt. cook, stirring until onions begin to soften, about 2 minutes. transfer onions to bowl with beef. add flour to pan and cook, stirring until it starts to turn golden, about 2 minutes. add paprika and chipotle; cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 seconds.

add wine and increase heat to high. scrape up any browned bits from bottom of pan. add reserved beef, bacon and onions. bring mixture to a boil. cover and bake until meat is tender, about 1 1/2 hours.

return pot to stove. {this is where my oven proof pan was not big enough and jacob transferred it to larger pot} add potatoes and bring to a boil. add carrots and return to a boil, then adjust heat to maintain a simmer. cook, uncovered, until veggies are tender, 30 minutes. stir in butter and salt to taste {now that i'm reading this i don't think we did that, but i bet it would be good} serve hot, topped with blue cheese, a few grinds of pepper, and chives.

apple pie with gruyere cheese crust

ever since pushing daisies,the beautiful yet dark tv show about love and pie, came out a couple of years ago, i have wanted to try the pie man's apple pie with gruyere cheese in the crust. as its fall and i'm baking more now i decided to attempt it at last. when i googled this pie a blogger had fortunately already come up with the recipe.
it was amazing. i love anything sweet and savory and this hit the spot. in the future i would slice my apples up thinner, i used a corer and slicer tool, and i used Golden Delicious but really want to try some of the varieties she mentions. also i need a pastry brush because when i poured the egg over the pie crust it fell off the sides and made an overall mess. but a delicious mess in the end, one you should definitely try.