Category Archives: Recipes

04.05.20
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Parking Violations, Blueberry Champagne, and a Ninja in the Living Room: more shenanigans as we enter week 3.

Let me tell you who’s not minding the “shelter at home” order. These guys.  In spite of the fact that I live 7 feet from my parked car, and have a visitor’s pass (the story of why I don’t have a permanent sticker is for another day,) these little pesky parking dudes are still leaving the comfort of their homes to disrupt the pollen on my car long enough to add a fresh ticket to the old one I still have under my wiper. For awhile, my “trick” of leaving the last ticket in place worked, but now that it’s spring in “the city of trees” and construction is still stirring up layers of dust, the grime on top of my last ticket isn’t fooling anyone. And, I’m back to using my Georgia driver’s license because I lost my California one on my last business trip, so that complicates things…I mean, I’d go take care of these things, but we’re supposed to be sheltering, right? As I’ve mentioned before, I follow the rules.

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I’m just hoping there’s going to be some “parking forgiveness” at some point, though my Google searches thus far don’t turn up any forgivable loans for the good citizens at 1700 20th street. Sigh.

Meanwhile, the 8 food magazine subscriptions around the house are finally getting some page-turning. Every time I get hit up for another school fundraiser, I opt for the magazine subscription, so while I certainly don’t have the ingredients I need for most of the recipes, I’m working through all kinds of interesting substitutions. (Don’t worry, no mystery meat has been thawed yet this weekend.)

My typical MO with a new recipe is to substitute half the ingredients for whatever I have on hand anyway, but with the current situation (and unlike the Sacramento street patrol) I AM minding the rules to stay home and feel like that gives me a pass on following a recipe properly. That said, I made this awesome goat-cheese cream sauce with truffle spaghetti this week.  I swapped the pappardelle pasta for truffle spaghetti, the peas for roasted broccoli, skipped the chives and lemon in trade for extra leeks and diced chicken from take out leftovers. Delish.

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Broccspaghetti

Fun fact–did you know you can regrow leeks in water with no dirt? They’re already re-sprouting in the living room window, right next to the garlic I’m attempting to grow..stay tuned.

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In other breaking news, I brought back a little plant based eating yesterday, to undo other damage from the week. Nothing finer than butternut squash, halved, sprinkled with kosher salt and pepper, a little olive oil and a slow bake…heart happy. Meanwhile, Nicholas was making barf noises in the background, but as my dear friend Brandon would say, “Don’t Yuck My Yum!” I’ll eat both halves, thank you very much.

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Today I woke up feeling a little Gatsby in my soul, so since it was shower day anyway, I put on what I’m positive would have been Daisy Buchanan’s Sunday best: a sleeveless black flapper dress, pearls, and glitter eye shadow. I’m sure she wouldn’t have sported a knee wrap and orthopedic sneakers, but my fashion has its limits.  I poured some Spumante in one of my favorite Atlanta-Map glasses, added some frozen blueberries, and felt really fancy for a Sunday in quarantine.

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I got up to refill my champagne and literally thought I was about to be taken hostage by a Ninja type character in my living room; turns out it’s just Nicholas, living his best life in some sort of iridescent head wear that allows him to teleport or something. I don’t know what it’s supposed to do, but I hope it can at least kidnap an egg laying chicken.

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Keep some levity, friends; have some really cold, sweet champagne.  Make cupcakes and inject frosting into the center with an icing tip. Call someone you haven’t talked to in awhile. Write a thank you note for your mailman. Buy a couple fresh daisies the next time you brave the grocery store. Plan your Easter menu.  And send as much love into the universe as you can. And pray for me and the alien in my living room.

XOXO

04.01.20
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Sister Wives & A Head-Shaving Campaign: Ruminations After Week 2

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I put on jeans yesterday, just to make sure they still fit, and got really fancy today with blue sneakers (not orthopedics!) a dress, and…..even earrings. It’s funny the things I used to do every day that make me feel like it’s a special occasion now. But that’s the thing for good headspace–I think we have to start back into our normal routines with some adaptations–you can’t go to the gym? Do a video at home. You can’t get your hair done? Wash it and style it yourself. Your house keeper isn’t coming to scrub? Break out some gloves and DIY cleaner and get your house smelling fresh…light a candle, take a bath, put on earrings, and as Rachel Hollis would say, “Girl! Wash your face!”

I know there’s enough doomsday out there already, and I can’t change that, so let’s continue some levity conversation instead. Like Sister Wives (SW). For real: what an awesome time to be a polygamist. I’d have women to hang out with, help with house chores, and just keep up good energy. (Because of course I would screen them first for high vibes and a proper work ethic.)  One of my favorite people, who shall remain nameless, I’ve been referring to as my SW for a minute now jumped on a FaceTime call with me the other day….I HATE FaceTime….I’m all awkward and double chins and can’t get the angle right, and am too consumed with vanity to actually have a conversation. But this time, I didn’t care–we had our “quarantinis” and covered the spectrum of petty to heavy life stuff. This is the connectivity the world needs, and we’re always “too busy” to stop and really take the time to connect on a level that matters. At least that’s how I often operate…not putting this on anyone else, so I’ll be honest to say that even in a life without kids, I often prioritize incorrectly and claim I’m too busy (or the time change is too hard) to connect with some of the people that I love most in life, and are most to be credited for who I’ve become.

PSA– no disrespect or offense intended with my SW commentary–another reason that I regularly sport my “I’m Not For Everyone” sweatshirt as a fair warning to the public.

In spite of my great dislike for FaceTime, I got on a Zoom call with my family last night for my niece’s baby-gender reveal (not sure how to word that one?) and it was big fun to see my siblings and parents on camera, and find out that, “It’s a boy!” in live time. If we weren’t under this pandemic, I imagine there would have been a local gender reveal with close relatives, but in this case, we all got to be a part of it. How cool is that? And afterwards, I got to FaceTime my youngest brother to see the disgusting amount of game he’s shot and mounted in his office, the 50+ pounds of catfish in his freezer, and well, you get the idea….we got to catch up on life stuff, though that life is pretty different from what I deem normal. (Not even a “new normal”…just normal). He marches to his own fantastic drum, full of guns, bows, dead animals, and plenty of protein in the freezer. If I could still fly right now, I’d probably hunker down at his house and give up on being “mostly plant based.”

I’ve been texting with my aunts, cousins, and friends more often than I normally do, and while I feel so far away from my family, it’s the part of technology that is SO awesome to help me feel connected, relevant, loved, and needed.  I think if we really take a moment to either be thankful for the connections we have, and/or try harder to connect with folks we have on our mind, we could heal our souls in this process of “quarantine” and “new normal.”

So let’s get back to the “you can’t get your hair done?” situation. I know that most women are about 2 weeks from the whole world knowing their real hair color and/or the amount of gray…so I did a little coupon clipping on home hair dye and highlight pens, and then got to thinking…when my face was skinnier, it wasn’t terrible, and make up can transform some stuff. I still have plenty of makeup… and the time to try new tricks.  So if I just drop some weight, I should totally shave my head. Hence, I’ve only eaten edamame today and think I’m on my way to a buzz cut.

With a bald head, I’d have more time to focus on make up solutions and could totally contour and work some magic there. I think it’s a really viable option for consideration. Plus, my cleaning would reduce because I wouldn’t be shedding all over the house and vacuuming up my own mess. That feels like really winning to me.

In other news, Nicholas woke up on Monday craving his aunt’s 2 best recipes–teriyaki kabobs and cinnamon breakfast cake. While the kabobs where pretty easy and we rocked a little rooftop party with the grill Tuesday night, the breakfast cake was another situation. Who knew I needed to have some egg-laying chickens on my rooftop right now? Coming from a kid that grew up next to my cousin’s egg farm and smelled like chicken poop most days, I can’t even believe I can’t get eggs. I’ve called every grocery store on the grid for the last 8 days asking about eggs and delivery times….nothing. I finally sent a desperate text to my neighbors to barter TP, sanitizer, homemade lotions, and paper towels. I got a dozen (no contact!) delivery to my door with no request in return. That’s pretty rad. And even radder (is that a word?) that our day started with the aroma of cinnamon breakfast cake; anything hard after that is softened by a warm, gooey, piece of goodness. Thank you, Aunt Loni.

Stay home if you can. Hug the peeps you’re already exposed to, friends. FaceTime your family from a distance, make a new recipe, and play a no-screen game with your kids. We’re going to be okay. And maybe on the other end of this we will have better perspective about our priorities, and be better than okay. I know I will.

And if you have a Sister Wife??? Be SO grateful. And if you want to join my bald-head campaign, let me know, and I’ll start sewing T-shirts.

XOXO

coffeecakecake recipecoffeecake bites

03.15.14
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Peanut Butter and Banana Go-gurt

I don’t know when go-gurt emerged and improved the world of yogurt eating, but I discovered it in college and used to keep my freezer stocked. I saw a homemade version of this frozen goodness on the Food Network the other day, so instead of drinking my protein shake this morning, I made an attempt at an oldie but goodie.

The verdict? Delicious. I’m a texture person, and I’d much rather eat these frozen yogurt puddles than drink a protein shake, and while the ingredients are the same, the flavor is richer. Double bonus.

Ingredients: (this is for two servings)
2 T peanut butter
1 C vanilla or plain Greek yogurt
3 small bananas
1 packet Splenda
(Use skim milk if you want it thinner)

Directions:
Blend ingredients, pour into ziploc bag, trim the corner, and use like a pastry bag to squeeze “puddles” in whatever size you wish onto parchment paper. Freeze for about 15 minutes before eating.

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02.16.14
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Truffle French Toast

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I’ve developed quite an affinity for truffle oil these days, and have been sneaking it into every recipe I can muster. Truffle macaroni and cheese and truffle bur rata have become pretty regular dinner fare, but his morning, we started “Sunday fun-day” with truffle french toast and left over filet mignon. Delish.

Truffle French Toast
(I don’t typically measure much, so these are all approximate. Blame my mom and grandma for teaching me about pinches and handfuls instead of teaspoons and cups!)

Whisk the following in a shallow bowl:
2 eggs
1 cup milk and 1/2 cup half and half
1 t vanilla
1 t truffle oil
1 t cinnamon
Pinch of salt

Dip bread until completely saturated, then pan fry until browned on both sides. (I used a baguette, so my French toast was in small, 2-bite pieces.)

I plated it over strawberry jam, and topped it with powdered sugar and syrup.

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Of course, I had to get weird and layer it up— this plate’s mine. 🙂

01.30.14
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Christmas Cookies in January

This past Christmas, one of my favorite students brought me these ridiculous holiday cookies–I remember tasting them, and after one bite, I threw caution to the wind and ate all three without even stopping to breathe.  (I know you’re not supposed to play favorites with students, but cookies always help.) I asked him for his mom’s recipe, and finally made them tonight. I’m infamous for not having certain ingredients and improvising, and tonight was no exception—the recipe calls for crushed peppermints and white chocolate morsels; I didn’t have either, but I had crushed Andes white peppermint baking chips, so I used those.  Delicious.  Here’s the deal:

Peppermint Melt Away Cookies
Active Time: 30 minutes.  Total time: 1 Hour

Ingredients:

Pam cooking spray
1 8oz. package cream cheese
1/2 cup unsalted butter 9 (1 stick)
Large zip-top bag
1 cup starlight mints (or candy canes) finely crushed
1 large egg
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 box white cake mix
1 cup white chocolate chips

Directions:

  1.  Preheat oven to 350.
  2. Coat baking sheets with spray.
  3. Cut cream cheese and butter into small pieces, place into large bowl to soften and crush mints in zip-top bag.
  4. Add egg, vanilla, and half the cake mix to the cream cheese and butter.  Mix with electric mixer for 1-2 minutes.  Stir in remaining half of cake mix, white chocolate chips and ½ cup of the mints.  Place remaining ½ cup of mints in  shallow bowl.
  5. Shape dough into 1-inch balls and press tops of dough into mints.  Place on baking sheets, mint side up and 2 inches apart.  Bake 10-12 minutes or until golden and center is barely set.  Let stand 3-4 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool.

Making these cookies tonight connected me with an awesome moment at the end of the semester, and I’m thankful to feel this sense of connection to a world that already feels like a distant memory.  And, as an added bonus, I love that my whole house smells like Christmas now, and I have the perfect midnight snack.

 

meltaway cookies

07.18.13
by

Brebis Chicken and Hot Pepper Jelly

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Herbed Brebis goes in the center of the chicken.

Herbed Brebis goes in the center of the chicken.

Hot pepper jelly

Hot pepper jelly

Ready to top with jelly!

Ready to top with jelly!

While I grew up in the kitchen and knew the basic cooking rules, I haven’t always enjoyed being in the kitchen and sort of battled the whole domestic idea. The first time I cooked for Nicholas, I made an Alfredo sauce from a packet, and I’m quite positive it was the worst meal he ever had–well, my over-cooked pork chop casserole was pretty bad, too. I learned and embraced canning and baking from my mom, but cooking came much harder for me. I can’t follow a recipe to save my life and I’m infamous for substituting more than half the recipe because I didn’t plan ahead and don’t want to take off my apron and go to the store. The point is, learning to cook well, and master more than my basic five recipes has been quite a journey–a ten year journey, that is, as I think my culinary side was really inspired when I met Nicholas, and his family. The best part about being in the kitchen is having someone to share in the tastes, fun, and catastrophes along the way, and while the end result is, of course, a great meal, cooking is a lot like life; it’s not always about the end result but the journey and the lessons along the way that make the end even possible. Nicholas and I cook together every chance we get, and it’s an integral part of our relationship and down time together. The only rule is that the kitchen has to be clean before we start, as Nicholas claims he needs a “clean slate” in order to begin a masterpiece. Beyond that, we throw caution to the wind and stir up lots of great dinners, often without following a recipe. We may get an idea from a recipe or picture in a magazine, but it’s much more fun to add what we think will taste best, and then sample and add a little of this and a little of that until we have a finished meal. Our chicken a few nights ago is a perfect example. We shopped at Grant Park farmer’s market and bought Brebis cheese, a really creamy sheep’s milk cheese https://www.facebook.com/manyfoldfarm. We heard someone mention using the cheese inside chicken, and we recalled a recipe we made a few years ago with chicken, goat cheese, and dates. We copied the idea and created a pan seared chicken filled with fresh herbed Brebis cheese, wrapped in pancetta and topped with homemade hot pepper jelly. Here’s the basic idea:

Ingredients:
2 Chicken breasts
3-4 pieces of pancetta
fresh herbs, minced (we used basil and rosemary)
Brebis cheese (or similar soft chevre-type cheese)
skewers
hot pepper jelly (recipe below)

Hot Pepper Jelly
You can make jam with almost any vegetable or fruit. Just puree the produce you want to use, and combine equal parts puree and sugar in a large pan on the stove. Bring to a soft boil, and boil for about 20 minutes, stirring frequently.
In this case, I took about 10 sweet peppers (the small colorful ones from Costco) a couple of sweet peppers from the farmers market, and one jalapeno. I pureed all of them together (including the seeds, just cut off the stem). At this point, I had about two cups of puree, so I added two cups of sugar, stirred together and boiled for 20 minutes. I then let it sit on the stove while I made the chicken; by the time my chicken was done, it was thick enough to use for a topping.

Side note–use the left over pepper jelly to top cream cheese and spread on crackers for a snack or appetizer.

Chicken directions:

Pound (with a mallet) or filet two chicken breasts so that they are thin enough to fill and roll. Marinate in olive oil and Italian seasoning. Add fresh herbs to 3-4 oz. Brebis cheese, and spread thinly in the center of the chicken. Loosely roll the chicken and add a slice of pancetta to the outside. Crisscross skewers through the chicken and pan sear until browned on each side. Put your chicken in a glass pan and bake (covered) for 10-15 minutes. Top with pepper jelly and serve. 🙂

07.17.13
by

Breakfast in Bed and Italian Chicken Salad

Breakfast in bed.

Breakfast in bed.

Our picnic lunch platter.

Our picnic lunch platter.

Italian Chicken salad.

Italian Chicken salad.

There are few rules at our house. We aren’t clean freaks, don’t use coasters except for cute table décor, and scoff at the idea of shoes off at the door. We don’t have a set dinner time, as a life with no kids allows us to be flexible and spontaneous, and selfish, of course. There are no restrictions about food or drinks beyond the kitchen–in fact, we recently placed a coffee maker about ten steps from the bed. I’m not a stellar morning person, so the proximity of Chai Latte certainly helps me meet the day. This is all to say, we don’t discriminate against breakfast (or lunch) in bed, but lately it has been mandatory.

See–we have this little predicament with our air conditioner, and I’ll spare you the details except to say that we have had intermittent air (everywhere except our bedroom) since we bought the place on April 14th. That said, contractor number 2 was here on Monday to replace the unit and I was ecstatic at the idea of reclaiming the remainder of my house, primarily the kitchen. Needless to say, the one day project turned into two, and yesterday I decided to sweat it out in the kitchen anyway, prepared a yummy breakfast and lunch and served it up in bed. Breakfast was pretty ordinary–potato rosemary hash, boiled eggs, mixed fruit and a couple of farmer’s market cheeses, but I wanted to share a recipe from lunch.

Nicholas typically doesn’t do chicken salad (especially if it has fruit in it) and I had already cooked some chicken in tarragon in order to make my favorite chicken salad with grapes and celery. I had planned to serve this when my girlfriend came over for our peach and strawberry jam session, but alas, we weren’t going to have a marathon jam day with no air. I needed to change my chicken salad plan, and figured the only way he might eat it is if I served it up Italian style. So, I essentially made a pesto mayonnaise (with fresh basil and rosemary) and added the chicken. It was super easy and…drumroll…he ate to his heart’s content and has round two packed in his lunch for work today. 🙂 Here’s the basic idea and approximate amounts, as I kind of pulled a Grandma Rocke with the measurements (next time, I’ll measure everything out so it is more precise):

Ingredients:
1 lb chicken breast (I buy in bulk at Costco for 2.99 a lb)
1 T balsamic vinegar
2/3 C mayonnaise–enough to moisten the chicken entirely (we like Hellmann’s)
8-10 fresh basil leaves, minced
1 sprig fresh rosemary, minced
salt and pepper to taste

Directions: Boil the chicken lightly (I left it on medium-low for about 15 minutes) in chicken broth and any type of Italian seasoning (in my case, I had already done it in tarragon). Dice the chicken after it has cooled and add the remaining ingredients. Stir with a fork, as it helps to break up the chicken a bit more. Ready to enjoy! (I served it with the new rosemary olive oil saltines http://www.facebook.com/PremiumSaltines)

Tip: run your fingers down a sprig of rosemary, and the needle-leaves will fall right off. Minced them until they are almost dust-like, and that way you have the flavor without getting them stuck in your teeth. As for basil, if you stack the leaves and kind of roll them up, you can mince it with the back of a sharp knife.

Our picnic in bed added a little magic to the otherwise sweaty day, and by dinner time, we were able to reclaim the kitchen in time to create a new recipe together: Pan seared chicken breast filled with herbed Brebis cheese, wrapped in prosciutto, and topped with homemade pepper jelly. Recipe and pictures coming!