Artisinal LA

Last weekend I made a trip to the fashion district in LA for Artisanal LA - a tasting event featuring local, handmade foods, drinks and crafts. The event was in the penthouse of the Cooper Building in downtown LA, a space that is home to various showrooms, designers, artists, etc. There was a fair share of jams, bacon spreads, chemical free honey, BBQ sauces, and cupcakes, but Chocovivo and SoNo mustard stood out above the rest. The salted almond chocolate and the cilantro lime mustard are worth trying and reasonably priced. Amazing building and view of downtown LA also!

Easy Raspberry Cobbler

This is not exactly made from scratch, but it's really good and easy to make for a last minute dessert.

Ingredients:
1 Box Yellow cake mix
2 Cans Raspberry pie filling
1 Stick Butter

Directions:
Pour pie filling in a 13x9 inch pan. Pour the cake mix over the pie filling (no need to smooth out, lumps are OK). Melt the butter and drizzle over the cake mix. Bake at 350 for 35 minutes. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Also, notice the new china! My boyfriend has tried to impose a "one in, one out" rule to keep the flea market finds under control, but I couldn't pass this up. A full 12 piece set of china including dinner plates, dessert plates, cups, saucers, creamer, gravy boat, 3 platters, etc. for $80 at the Long Beach Flea Market! It was $100, plus $20 for each platter, but, I am a master negotiator (and, as I learned later, the top two buttons of my shirt had come undone which may have helped) and was able to talk him down to $80! Timeless, not too feminine, and a full set for about the cost of a new sugar bowl on any wedding registry....such a great find!

Granola

I just finished A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg a few weeks ago and loved it! The best food journal, cookbook, diary, romance novel, or whatever else you want to call it. I can't stop re-reading it, planning meals, looking up specific restaurants she referenced and trying the recipes. I probably make the caramelized cauliflower with salsa verde about once a week. So, I decided to take a break from her recipes and try a new granola recipe I found in the June issue of Bon Appettit magazine. It wasn't until after I made it that I realized the recipe and article were written by....Molly Wizenberg!

I've been hugging trees and making granola for a while now, but this is the best recipe I've found.
Ingredients:
3 cups old fashion oats
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut (I omitted this)
3 tablespoons packed brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (I use a little more)
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup honey
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup assorted dried fruit (I don't care for dried fruit in my granola, so I left this out)

I added flax seed and walnuts and left out the fruit.

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 300. Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Mix first 7 ingredients in a large bowl.
3. Stir honey and oil in a pan until smooth.
4. Pour honey over oat mixture and toss.
5. Spread on a baking sheet and bake until golden, about 40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.
6. Let cool. Mix in fruit. Enjoy.

Ginger Cilantro Rice

This recipe is from the June issue of Bon Appetit. It is meant as a side dish but I added some roasted some brussel sprouts and carrots and made it a full meal. It's easy and really good!
Ingredients:

1 cup long grain white rice (I used brown rice)

2 inch long piece of fresh ginger, peeled, and cut into rounds (not too small b/c you will be removing them later), plus 1 teaspoon minced peeled fresh ginger

1 2/3 cups low salt chicken broth

1 1/3 cups chopped fresh cilantro

1 green onion, thinly sliced

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 tablespoon Asian sesame oil

1 teaspoon (or more) rice vinegar

Directions:

1. Combine rice and ginger rounds in a large saucepan.

2. Add broth, and sprinkle with salt

3. Bring to boil, stirring often.

4. Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer until rice is tender and broth is absorbed, about 18 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, combine chopped cilantro, green onion, and minced ginger in food processor. Add both oils and vinegar (I didn't have sesame oil and used olive oil instead and it turned out fine).

6. Season with salt and pepper.

7. When rice is cooked, remove from heat. Remove ginger rounds, and mix in cilantro mixture.

I added chopped carrots and cooked them with the rice. Delicious.

David Sedaris

Last night my boyfriend and I went to see the smart and funny David Sedaris. I love his books, love listening to him on NPR and always wanted to go see him live, so I was very excited to get tickets for my birthday!

First, we stopped at a really cute, new wine bar that just opened down the street and had a glass of wine and tasty mixed bar nuts. When I ordered them I was expecting a glass bowl filled with generic mixed nuts from a warehouse store, but these were delicious! I'm not sure how much of each ingredient to use or how long to toast them for, but they were a good assortment of nuts, mixed with brown sugar, cayenne pepper, salt and rosemary. The rosemary and the cayenne pepper together was so good! The dark chocolate on the plate was a perfect addition.

After the wine bar, we walked down the street to the performing arts center and there was David, happily signing books in the lobby. All 5ft. 2 of him. OK, I didn't measure, but he seemed really mini and cute and was really nice to everyone in line. I brought a book just in case I had a chance to talk to him. As I walked up to the line, the security guard told me he had just cut the line off. I begged and pleaded and asked in several different ways but he held his ground and would not let me get in line. I waited 1o minutes and asked again. He said, "If you get in line, I am not going to physically remove you, so...". I took that as a yes and got in line.

I was the last person so it was a little rushed, but I gave him my book and he asked me what my favorite animal was. I said "dog" and then felt dumb because I'm sure 38 other people gave the same response. He drew a dog, looked at it and said, "Well that isn't very good. Hmmm......Oh, I know, I'll make it a dog that is bleeding from the anus," and added red dots to the dog's rear end. He then rushed off and reappeared 5 minutes later on stage. A fork lift dropped him off at the podium. He is wacky and his sister is wackier, but I love the Sedaris'!

Templeton Rye

I realize this blog needs some work. The pictures are dark and not very good (I passed on the $900 blogger photo class by food stylist and local Long Beach resident Matt Armendariz a few months ago) , the before and after projects are few and far between, and the last few meals I've made were not blog worthy, hence the sporadic posting, but.....despite all that, I still have the best followers in blog world!

You may remember the Whiskey 101 post a while back. In the comment section I mentioned to one of my Midwest followers that we can't get Templeton Rye (only sold in Illinois and Iowa) in California. And look what showed up in the mail yesterday! Modern day bootlegging! I love it! Can't wait to try it at the next whiskey club in May!
Interesting factoid: The term bootlegging comes from the prohibition era when people would hide flasks of alcohol in the legging of their boot. Maybe everyone knows that, but I just read it and thought it was interesting.

Candied Carrots

These carrots are delicious and almost impossible to screw up. My brother has been making these for years and I think he got the recipe from Martha Stewart but I'm not sure, and I don't have any measurements. Cut about a pound of carrots or so into 1/2 inch circles. Add carrots, a cup of water, butter (about 1-2 tablespoons), brown sugar (I use about 1/4 cup), a pinch of salt, a teaspoon of pepper and a 1/2 teaspoon or so of cinnamon and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until done. Add more salt, pepper or sugar (or any of the other ingredients) to taste. They are delicious, cheap and so easy! A friend of mine invited a new suitor over to her apartment for dinner and made these carrots. The suitor said they were the best vegetable he ever had. He then had to leave for his late night shrink appointment(true story). They never did go out again, but the facts remain, that they are still the best vegetables ever.

Honey

A friend of mine just came back from a vacation in Tignes, France and brought me back this cute little jar of honey. I love the European food labels! They are so simple and cute. I was in Brussels a few years ago and came across this cute little honey store and had to take a picture. I love little specialty shops like this!

Ginger Chicken and Crispy Sesame-Crusted Brussels Sprouts

It is only when Native Midwesterners move to other states and enjoy colorful, cooked vegetables full of life, can they crack jokes about the grey, limp counterparts they grew up on. They will say things like, "The broccoli is almost done, let's put the turkey on!" And then they all laugh and reminisce about grey asparagus and broccoli of Christmas past. So, growing up with Midwestern parents and bad vegetable stories, I didn't think I liked brussels sprouts. But, they have have become my new favorite vegetable. For one, they are about $1.99 at Trader Joe's, two, they are on the very short list of fruits and vegetables my boyfriend really likes, and three, really easy to make and delicious. I normally roast them in the oven with a little salt and pepper for about 30-45 minutes around 425 degrees, but I found a good recipe for Crispy Sesame-Crusted Brussels Sprouts in Rachel Ray Everyday while at the hair salon last week. They are easy and really good.
Ingredients:
6 Tablespoons butter
3 Tablespoons toasted sesame oil
3 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 pounds brussels spouts, halved
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
Salt and pepper
3 Tablespoons sesame seeds
Directions:
1. Cut sprouts in half. Melt the butter, sesame and vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
2. Add the crushed red pepper and season with salt and pepper.
3. Cook, stirring frequently until golden brown. Recipe says 25 minutes but I cooked for less.
4. Sprinkle the sesame seeds on top and cook until the brussels sprouts are dark brown and crunchy, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and serve hot.
To go with brussels sprouts, I made chicken and brown rice. This basting sauce is delicious and so easy!

Ginger Basting Sauce for Chicken
Ingredients:
3/4 Cup brown sugar (yes, that much)
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
2 Tablespoons minced ginger root
3 cloves garlic
1/4 Cup wine vinegar
1/3 Cup soy sauce

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Marinate chicken for an hour, stirring frequently. Cook however you like. In the oven, BBQ, etc.

Green Chile Enchiladas

Enchiladas are one of those meals that are pretty hard to screw up. I make it a little different every time depending on the ingredients I have. The key is to cook everything together so all the flavors blend, and then fill the tortillas. This recipe is a little lighter on calories because the only cheese is on top, not inside.

Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 cup bell peppers, chopped (optional)
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 can black beans, drained
2 cloves garlic
1 heaping Tablespoon flour
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 lime
1 cup chicken stock
2 Tablespoons diced green chiles
1 teaspoon cumin
1 large can of Las Palmas Green Enchilada sauce (there may be a little left over)
1 - 1 1/2 cups of white cheddar cheese (or whatever you like best)
1 chicken breast, cooked (If I don't use chicken, I just add more mushrooms and black beans and a cup or so of cooked rice)
Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Heat oil in a saute pan. Add onions, bell peppers, mushrooms and cook until soft.
3. Add garlic and cumin and stir. Add chicken to reheat.
4. Sprinkle flour and add chicken stock. Stir.
5. Add black beans, diced green chiles, juice from the lime, and a dash of salt and pepper. Mix in cilantro. (You can also add salsa or a little enchilada sauce here if you like). Continue to cook and stir until desired consistency.
6. Pour enchilada sauce in a 13 x 9 inch pan. Enough to coat the bottom. In a separate pan, heat tortillas individually. (If you don't heat then, they will tear as you fill and roll tortillas).
7. Fill tortilla with about 1/4-1/2 cup of mixture. Roll and place in pan. Repeat.
8. Once you've filled all of your tortillas, pour enchilada sauce over the top so all enchiladas are well coated. Top with olives, jalapenos or anything else you like and bake in the oven for about 25-30 minutes.

This will make at least 6 large enchiladas, more depending how many mushrooms, veggies and rice you added. They're really good the next day also! Enjoy with a little sour cream.

Easy Curry Dinner

This is a really easy dinner and a good way to use any vegetables you have. I'm not normally a fan of sauce mixes or pre-made flavor packet type of things, but this Golden Curry mix is really good! You can find it in the ethnic food aisle of any grocery store for about $4.

Directions:
1. Cut up all your vegetables. I used a red bell pepper(yellow and orange are also really good), onions, potatoes and carrots.
2. Heat a little olive oil in a large pot or saute pan on medium heat.
3. Add the chopped onions (I didn't use chicken but if you do, cut the chicken in cubes and add here. Cook until lightly browned).
4. Add 2 1/2 cups of water to the pot.
5. Add all of the chops vegetables and cover and cook for about 10 minutes.
6. Add curry mix and stir well. Simmer for 5 minutes.
7. Serve over brown rice.

This also tastes good with tofu. Prepare separately and add to the individual servings.

Fume Salad

My family has been making this salad for years and it's always a big hit at parties, potlucks, etc. I thought it was an old family recipe until last summer I saw it a friend's BBQ. Confused, I asked the woman that brought it where she got the recipe. Come to find out, it's all over the Internet and even has it's own Facebook page. So, this is not an old family recipe and I'm probably the 195th person to post this, but here it is.....
Ingredients:
1 head of cabbage
2 Tablespoons of sesame seeds
3 green onions sliced
1/2 cup almonds
1 package top ramen noodles
3/4 cup oil (olive, canola or vegetable)
4 Tablespoons sugar
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. salt
6 Tablespoons rice wine vinegar
seasoning from Top Ramen
Directions:
1. Toast sesame seeds and almonds in a pan. (they will burn quickly so keep an eye on them)
2. Chop cabbage and mix in a bowl with the onions, toasted seeds and almonds.
3. Break up the Top Ramen and add to bowl.
4. In a small bowl combine the remaining ingredients for the dressing. (Sugar, oil, salt, pepper, vinegar and seasoning packet)
5. Pour dressing over the salad, mix and enjoy!
This can be made ahead of time and eaten the next day as leftovers. The cabbage won't get soggy.

I realize the last two posts included box cake mix and Top Ramen which generally would not be considered fine ingredients or found in Saveur magazine, but I do plan on redeeming myself and making french baguettes tomorrow.

Spinach Salad and Easy Peanut Butter Cookies

For my readers that have been running to the store and then making all of my recipes as soon as I post them, you will notice that you have some extra bean sprouts, bacon and eggs from the Thai pizza and baked egg breakfast. Solution: Spinach Salad. Really easy.

For the salad, mix together:

2 bunches spinach
A handful of bean sprouts
1 small can of chopped water chestnuts
5 strips of bacon cooked and crumbled
2 hard boiled eggs

For the dressing, mix together:

1 cup olive oil
1/2 onion grated or chopped
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
3/4 total of sugar and vinegar (either 1/2 cup sugar and 1/4 cup vinegar or the other way around depending how you like it)
salt + pepper

Then, if you have a sweet tooth and realize you have already eaten all the chocolate in the house, make these easy peanut butter cookies. They will not win a blue ribbon at the state fair cookie contest, but they are good and easy.

Mix together:

1 cup sugar

1 cup peanut butter

1 egg

Form in small balls and press down with a fork to flatten. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes. If you didn't eat a good portion of the dough, it will make 24. Sprinkle with sugar.

Valentine's Day Eggs

For a special Valentine's Day breakfast, I made Baked Eggs with Cheese from Gourmet magazine. It is so easy and really flavorful! (Click on the link above for the recipe on Epicurious) I didn't have cantal cheese so used a white cheddar, didn't have any chives so I used green onions. And I didn't have any creme fraiche or sour cream so I just did without. OK, so maybe I should have gone to the store before making a new recipe, but it was still good even with all the substitutes.The recipe says to drop the egg yolks into the fluffy egg whites at the beginging and cook both together for 10-14 minutes, but my friend Whitney has made this for me several times and she bakes the eggs whites for about 6 minutes and then pulls them ramekins out of the oven and then drops the yolks and bakes for the remaining 4-8 minutes so the yolks are a little runny. I followed her suggestions.

Serve with oven toasted bread cubes (good rustic bread or sourdough is best) and bacon. So good!

Orange Juice or Cake?

I am lucky enough to know one of the few people in Southern California with a fruit tree in their back yard. I was at their house this weekend for a 40th birthday party and asked the host if I could take home a few oranges. He is nice, generous guy to begin with, but after consuming several birthday Basil Hayden's, he was extra generous and sent me home with a huge bag!

My good friend Whitney just gave me the book, "A Homemade Life" by Molly Wizenberg. I haven't made anything yet from the book but there are so many good recipes that I want to try! There is a recipe for Vanilla Bean Buttermilk Cake with Glazed Oranges and Creme Fraiche. I can either continue to use the oranges for fresh squeezed orange juice and try to offset the weight gain from the bread and butter I have been eating, or I can try making the cake with the glazed oranges. Hmmm...For those of us that live in cities and don't have a yard or any space to grow anything, we have to head to the farmer's market. I happen to live by a really cute one!

Don't get too jealous of us out here in California though. We've got a 12.4% Unemployment rate and our state is bankrupt! But, we do have good produce and sun year round!

Good Guacamole

I hate to rub it in to my readers in DC and elsewhere on the east coast (I do yet have these readers, but I expect they will come around) that are currently experiencing the worst blizzard in 90 years, but, it is another warm, sunny day in Southern California.

Another benefit of living in Southern California, aside from the great weather, is that Hass avocados are in season and wonderful year round. I picked up two avocados yesterday for a $1 each.

I wouldn't think a recipe is necessary for guacamole, but I have to remember, not everyone lives in California and eats Mexican food several times a week. Being the wonderful person that my Mom is, each year she hosts several college choir students from Minnesota as they travel the country singing in different churches. The first night they arrive she makes a nice, big dinner. This year she made tacos with all the fixings. When she placed the guacamole on the table they didn't touch it. They also looked at the black, roundish items in her fruit bowl and asked what they were. Avocados she said. They had never heard of them. Suddenly, feeling like an exotic chef, my Mom explained to the Mid Westerners about avocados, how they grow, ways to prepare them and what they go well with.

My sister lives on Long Island in New York and once made nachos for her kids and all the neighbor kids that were over playing at her house. The other kids went home and told their parents of the wonderful nachos they had had. My sister later received a phone call from a mother asking for the recipe. "Recipe?" she said. "Chips and melted cheese. Salsa on the side if you want."

Because of these two instances, I now realize that some may appreciate a recipe.

Everyone has their own recipe for guacamole, this is how I usually make it.

2-3 ripe hass avocados
2 tablespoon of cilantro
1/4 cup white onions, chopped
1/2 teaspoon of course salt (taste and add more if you like)
1 or 2 tomatoes, depending on size
1 glove garlic, minced
2 teaspoons diced jalapenos (some omit this)
a pinch of pepper
a squeeze of lime
Mix all together in a Molcajete. Some people mix the onions, cilantro, salt and garlic together first and then add the rest, that works well. Mix and serve.
I seldom have anything from the "itos" family in my house, so I made my own chips. Cut tortillas in triangles, spray a baking sheet with cooking spray or oil and lay tortilla triangles flat on baking sheet. Spray the top of the tortillas. Bake in the oven for about 5-7 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove from oven and lightly salt.

While eating this today, all I could think about was Rosa Mexicano's in New York. I love this restaurant! My sister and I plan our days in Manhattan so that we are in a neighborhood that has a Rosa's around lunch time. The LA location opened this year, and it's good, but just not quite the same as New York. Have one of their delicious pomagranate margaritas and you will be feeling good and happy. Have two and you will be feeling really good and spend much more money then you intended to at Kate's Paperie down the street. Dont miss either next time you are in NYC.

Whole Wheat Bread

Recipe from Cook's Illustrated.

I'm new to blogging and not sure exactly what the rules are for posting other people's recipes. To be safe, I give all credit to Cook's Illustrated. I don't add my own twist to this recipe, just follow the directions and you will get an excellent, perfect, round loaf of delicious bread. Seeing as I have zero followers, no RSS feeds and the only person that has visited my blog is the same person that gave me this recipe, I don't anticipate that I will be whisked away to Folsom anytime soon.

I stayed away from this recipe for a while because I didn't have a fancy dutch oven. I tried it a deep dish saute pan (I don't have one of those either but I borrowed from a friend and have been using it for months) and it works great.

There are several versions of this bread. Regular, rye, olive-rosemary-parmesan, whole wheat and cranberry-pecan. Below is the recipe for whole wheat.

Almost No-Knead Whole Wheat Bread

Ingredients:

2 cups unbleached all purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 teaspoon instant yeast

1 1/2 teaspoons table salt

3/4 cup, plus 2 tablespoons water

1/4 cup mild flavored lager

1 tablespoon white vinegar

2 tablespoons honey

1. Whisk flour, yeast, and salt in a large bowl. In a small bowl, mix water and honey. Add to large bowl. Add beer and vinegar. Using a rubber spatula, fold mixture, scrapping up dry flour from bottom of the bowl until a shaggy ball forms. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let it sit at room temperature for 8-18 hours.

2. Lay a 12 x 18 inch sheet of parchment paper inside a 10 inch skillet and spray with non-stick cooking spray.

3. Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead 10-15 times. Shape dough into a ball by pulling the edges into the middle. Transfer dough seam-side down to the parchment-lined skillet and spray surface of dough with a nonstick cooking spray. (I actually skip the 10 inch skillet step and just put it in the 4 qt. saute pan I cook it in. See picture below).

4. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until dough has doubled in size and does not readily spring back when poked with finger, about 2 hours.

5. About 30 minutes before baking, adjust oven rack to lowest position and place 8 qt. dutch oven on rack and heat oven to 500 degrees. Lightly flour top of dough and with a sharp knife, make a 6 inch long, 1/2 inch deep slit along top of dough in an X shape. Remove pot from oven, reduce oven temp to 425 degrees and pick up dough in the parchment paper and place in dutch oven. Cover. Place in oven. Bake covered for 30 minutes.

6. Remove lid and continue to bake for 25-30 minutes uncovered until loaf is golden brown and instant read thermometer inserted into the center registers 210 degrees.

7. Remove bread from pot, transfer to a wire rack and cool at room temperature, about 2 hours.

Eat large quantities of this bread and herb butter (recipe below) and you are sure to have that spare tire you've always dreamed of in no time!

Compound Butter

Adapted from Alton Brown/Food Network's compound butter recipe

Compound butter is basically butter with added ingredients for extra flavor. The varieties are endless. Today I made an herb butter. The original recipe calls for 2 tablespoons of chives and one tablespoon of sage, plus rosemary and thyme. I didn't have chives or sage so I used rosemary, thyme and garlic.

Ingredients:

1 lb. butter (4 sticks) softened

3 -4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon of thyme, chopped

1 tablespoon of rosemary, chopped

1 glove garlic, minced

Equipment: Stand up mixer and food processor.

Directions:

1. Cut the butter into small cubes and place in the working bowl of the stand up mixer.

2. Place oil and herbs in the food processor and blend until herbs have colored the oil, about 1-2 minutes.

3. Using the whisk attachment on your stand up mixer, using a medium speed, whip the butter until soft and light, about 5-7 minutes.

4. Add herb oil to butter and beat another 2 minutes.

It will look like this:

5. Remove the butter and spoon onto parchment paper and roll into a log. Chill for 2 hours before serving. Enjoy!