Valentine's Day 2009. That holiday for all the unlucky people who don't have a birthday on Feb. 12th or 13th. Nice consolation prize I guess. Kev and I never pay too much attention to V-Day, since we are still stuffed to the gills from our birthdays and there's only so many Hallmark cards two people can exchange. Kev had projects to do all day and I had some much needed lounge lizarding to do. It's tough, I know. Oh, but I did get a 4 mile run in, so I guess I did something productive. I wanted to do some work on the veggie garden, but the rain put a serious dampener on that.
I wanted to make a nice dinner at home since it's rare that I have time to spend the afternoon in the kitchen. That has to be one of my favorite ways to pass time -- in the kitchen, cook, cook, cookin' away.
Valentine's Day Menu
French Onion Soup
Roasted Asparagus
Butternut Squash Gnocchi with a Sage Brown Butter Sauce
French Onion Soup:
Outstanding! I got the recipe from the Barefoot Contessa Parties cookbook. Ina never stears me wrong. Her recipe called for equal parts fennel to onions. Oh, it was so very delicious, and easy! I'll definitely be making this again.
Roasted Asparagus:
Nothing out of the norm. Asparagus spears with a little olive oil, salt and pepper. In the oven at 375 for about 20 minutes. Crisp and tender at the same time. Delightful!
Butternut Squash Gnocchi with Sage Brown Butter Sauce
The gnocchi were super easy to make. I guess I just always assumed gnocchi were going to be a pain in the a$$ to make like ravioli or tortellini, but surprisingly no. The sage brown butter sauce was good. I was kind of winging it as I never cook with butter, but I'd say for a first attempt at the whole thing it came out pretty good. It needed a little tweaking...the gnocchi should have been smaller; I should have put the sage in a little closer to when the sauce was almost done, but I didn't hear any complaints from the peanut gallery of one.
Monday, February 16, 2009
we ate, and we ate, and we ate
The stars aligned for Kevin and I and blessed us with back to back birthdays. Kev is Feb. 12 and I'm Feb 13. Since I've recruited Kevin to the dark side of the foodie kingdom, we usually spend our birthdays eating good food! This year was no different. Hey, if it aint broke, don't fix it, right?
Kevin woke up Thursday morning, one year older and still three years and a day older than me. I wanted to make his day full of special moments, so we started the day with breakfast. I made french toast, eggs, and bacon. Nothing fancy, but definitely not a typical weekday breakfast. I'm usually in the car chowing down a whole wheat english muffin and Kevin cleans out the Cisco Cafe with a double espresso macchiato, a big bowl of fruit, sometimes cereal, or egg whites and/or toast and bacon. Yeah, I know, it shocks me every time I think about it too. Anywho, back to birthday breakfast. Once Kevin left for work, I waited patiently for the best bakery this side of the western hemisphere to open so I could pick up a cupcake for him (and one for me too!). Icing on the Cake had these fun single cupcake boxes and cute ribbon. So for the price of three cupcakes, I got one box and a cupcake for Kev....vanilla with a strawberry/raspberry frosting. He's a berry guy, I'm a chocolate/peanut butter gal. I picked up a peanut butter cupcake with peanut butter frosting dipped in milk chocolate. Talk about a sugar roller coaster...I was kinda dead weight after taking that thing down.
Okay, this is getting a bit long-winded as my blogs tend to do. SOOO, I'll shorten this puppy up.
Delivered cupcake to Kevin's work. Kevin ate cupcake instantly (about 1 1/2 hours after big'ol breakfast). Kevin went to Chinese food for lunch with coworker/friend. We went to dinner at Bistro Basia in Palo Alto. Delicious little bistro, will definitely go back soon. The wait staff was incredibly friendly and attentive. I started with a wild mushroom soup and had cornish game hen with wilted spinach for dinner. Kevin was allowed to have a couple bites of my soup and had an asparagus and pancetta risotto (Kevin has a new thing for risotto....it's a little scary.). I brought a bottle of Amici Cab do go with dinner because the birthday thinks that Napa Cabs are about the best thing since, well, probably risotto. I tend to think otherwise, but it was Napa Cab/Risotto boy's birthday, so Napa Cab we shall drink. It was delicious, I must admit. Anywho, we finished dinner with two deserts, an apricot souffle and the second courtesy of the chef, a choclate citrus mousse that I think will be with me for the next three years. Damn you decadent dessert!
We ate, we slept and we did it all over again the next day for my birthday. Oh sweet reward! I had to be in the office early so no special breakfast for me. I did go to lunch with my coworkers and finally had the bean and cheese burrito I'd been crazing for about two weeks. Yes it's simple, but some of the simplest things are the most enjoyable! (see spring vegetable garden post) For dinner, Kev and I went to Trevese in Los Gatos and had an amazing meal! We will definitely go back for a special occasion meal. We started with the winter root vegetable salad. I had the braised short ribs for my entree and Kevin had the vegetarian sampler. He was going to go for the suckling pig, but I think we both got a little freaked out. From one extreme to another! For dessert we had a yummy flourless chocolate cake with a birthday candle. (candle not edible) Thanks for the special touch at the end of the dinner Rob, Dawn, and Jake! ;)
Two birthdays down, about 10,000 calories each, and on we go to another year of life, love, and happiness. Crystal ball says this is going to be a wonderful year for us both!
Kevin woke up Thursday morning, one year older and still three years and a day older than me. I wanted to make his day full of special moments, so we started the day with breakfast. I made french toast, eggs, and bacon. Nothing fancy, but definitely not a typical weekday breakfast. I'm usually in the car chowing down a whole wheat english muffin and Kevin cleans out the Cisco Cafe with a double espresso macchiato, a big bowl of fruit, sometimes cereal, or egg whites and/or toast and bacon. Yeah, I know, it shocks me every time I think about it too. Anywho, back to birthday breakfast. Once Kevin left for work, I waited patiently for the best bakery this side of the western hemisphere to open so I could pick up a cupcake for him (and one for me too!). Icing on the Cake had these fun single cupcake boxes and cute ribbon. So for the price of three cupcakes, I got one box and a cupcake for Kev....vanilla with a strawberry/raspberry frosting. He's a berry guy, I'm a chocolate/peanut butter gal. I picked up a peanut butter cupcake with peanut butter frosting dipped in milk chocolate. Talk about a sugar roller coaster...I was kinda dead weight after taking that thing down.
Okay, this is getting a bit long-winded as my blogs tend to do. SOOO, I'll shorten this puppy up.
Delivered cupcake to Kevin's work. Kevin ate cupcake instantly (about 1 1/2 hours after big'ol breakfast). Kevin went to Chinese food for lunch with coworker/friend. We went to dinner at Bistro Basia in Palo Alto. Delicious little bistro, will definitely go back soon. The wait staff was incredibly friendly and attentive. I started with a wild mushroom soup and had cornish game hen with wilted spinach for dinner. Kevin was allowed to have a couple bites of my soup and had an asparagus and pancetta risotto (Kevin has a new thing for risotto....it's a little scary.). I brought a bottle of Amici Cab do go with dinner because the birthday thinks that Napa Cabs are about the best thing since, well, probably risotto. I tend to think otherwise, but it was Napa Cab/Risotto boy's birthday, so Napa Cab we shall drink. It was delicious, I must admit. Anywho, we finished dinner with two deserts, an apricot souffle and the second courtesy of the chef, a choclate citrus mousse that I think will be with me for the next three years. Damn you decadent dessert!
We ate, we slept and we did it all over again the next day for my birthday. Oh sweet reward! I had to be in the office early so no special breakfast for me. I did go to lunch with my coworkers and finally had the bean and cheese burrito I'd been crazing for about two weeks. Yes it's simple, but some of the simplest things are the most enjoyable! (see spring vegetable garden post) For dinner, Kev and I went to Trevese in Los Gatos and had an amazing meal! We will definitely go back for a special occasion meal. We started with the winter root vegetable salad. I had the braised short ribs for my entree and Kevin had the vegetarian sampler. He was going to go for the suckling pig, but I think we both got a little freaked out. From one extreme to another! For dessert we had a yummy flourless chocolate cake with a birthday candle. (candle not edible) Thanks for the special touch at the end of the dinner Rob, Dawn, and Jake! ;)
Two birthdays down, about 10,000 calories each, and on we go to another year of life, love, and happiness. Crystal ball says this is going to be a wonderful year for us both!
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
sadness
It's been an emotional week and it's only Tuesday. I should probably be sleeping right now, letting my body rejuvenate itself, letting the exhaustion pass, but I can't sleep right now with my mind and heart in an emotional tailspin.
On Sunday, I found out that a very, very dear family friend's brother died. I didn't know him, but the sadness and heartache I feel for my friend is unending. Her brother drowned in the ocean. The search teams will continue to look for his body for 10 more days. At first, when my mom shared this unimaginable news, I didn't know how to react. I didn't know what to say or do. I sent my friend a card the next morning, expressing my deepest sympathies, but I now feel that the card was juvenile; it didn't say exactly what I felt; it wasn't enough. I received more information about her brother's death today via an email and it hit me like a brick wall. I cried, and cried, and cried, and cried because I never ever wanted her to have to write those words. I never wanted her to have to sit down at her computer and tell us the details of her brother's death. No one should ever have to do that. It's not fair. It's not fair that the Lord can giveth and taketh away in an instant. Why her? Why one of the most beautiful, most strong, most honest women I know? And why in such a cruel way? It's not fair.
I was instantly homesick. I wanted to be around my family in San Diego, who love her as much as I do. I wanted to be with them, to see them standing in front of me, to hold them, to tell them I love them. It pains me to the core that at times like these I can't be there and whatever I say in a email or on the phone isn't enough. It never feels like enough.
I know that in time, my friend's deep wounds will begin to heal despite the scar that will be left behind. I know that she will find a way with her family to fight through the sadness, confusion, and emptiness. But I wish that I could instead take all of that and suck it into a bottle and seal it, never to be opened again. I wish life worked that way. I don't feel like we should ever have to learn or grow from loss and I never want to experience that in my life, even though I also know that I will.
On Sunday, I found out that a very, very dear family friend's brother died. I didn't know him, but the sadness and heartache I feel for my friend is unending. Her brother drowned in the ocean. The search teams will continue to look for his body for 10 more days. At first, when my mom shared this unimaginable news, I didn't know how to react. I didn't know what to say or do. I sent my friend a card the next morning, expressing my deepest sympathies, but I now feel that the card was juvenile; it didn't say exactly what I felt; it wasn't enough. I received more information about her brother's death today via an email and it hit me like a brick wall. I cried, and cried, and cried, and cried because I never ever wanted her to have to write those words. I never wanted her to have to sit down at her computer and tell us the details of her brother's death. No one should ever have to do that. It's not fair. It's not fair that the Lord can giveth and taketh away in an instant. Why her? Why one of the most beautiful, most strong, most honest women I know? And why in such a cruel way? It's not fair.
I was instantly homesick. I wanted to be around my family in San Diego, who love her as much as I do. I wanted to be with them, to see them standing in front of me, to hold them, to tell them I love them. It pains me to the core that at times like these I can't be there and whatever I say in a email or on the phone isn't enough. It never feels like enough.
I know that in time, my friend's deep wounds will begin to heal despite the scar that will be left behind. I know that she will find a way with her family to fight through the sadness, confusion, and emptiness. But I wish that I could instead take all of that and suck it into a bottle and seal it, never to be opened again. I wish life worked that way. I don't feel like we should ever have to learn or grow from loss and I never want to experience that in my life, even though I also know that I will.
Monday, February 9, 2009
spring's vegetable garden...a tribute to the past
I've kicked and fought, but I've finally given in. I'm going to plant another vegetable garden this year.
Kate and I planted one last year in my backyard. Although we had a very fun time with the planting process (aside from finding a double bagged something in the soil), we had beginners bad luck. The spot I mapped out was just too small for what we put in. The lemon cucumbers and the zucchini quickly towered over everything. The chives never had a fighting chance against Lucy's footsteps, the eggplants were too heavy on the vine, I forgot to put a trap around one of the tomato plants, etc., etc. Once everything was gone, I vowed I was never going to do another vegetable garden and instead was going to plant the area of the yard with low maintenance perennials and shrubs.
Then our economy took a big 'ol dump! In an effort to save money and my waistline, I've been planning out our weekly meals and doing the grocery shopping once a week as opposed to taking torturous quick trips to the market during the week or picking up food on the way home from work. (I love you and miss you deeply Rongoli, Aldo's, and Chipotle.) This past week, I heard a piece on NPR about growing vegetable gardens and how it's a great way to save money and some would venture to say patriotic. I've never been big on patriotism; amongst other wonderful things, that's what my sister is for, but, I really started thinking how aside from the money factor, a vegetable garden would be a wonderful tribute to my past, to a simpler, cleaner way of living. From Grandpa's nasturtiums growing in the desert (followed by a nasturtium sandwich at lunch), to his grapefruit trees, his homemade raisins that us cousins would throw in the deep end of the pool by the handfuls just to see if we could go all the way to the bottom without the pain in our ears getting to us first, to the blackberries in our backyard at the Rancho Vista house where we'd find the neighbor's turtles hiding, and the chickens in our coop and those delicious eggs they produced if Big Red, the rooster didn't break them first.
All these wonderful things were a part of my youth and the nostalgia is too great to ignore. It's these simple things that I look back on with such fondness. Not my barbies, tv, video games, or all the other battery operated toys that kids of today simply must have. So, a vegetable garden we shall plant!
I spent this Sunday mapping out the garden. The space is much bigger this year, about 7'x12' although it's kind of a funny shape. The curves of the area will blend in well with the rest of the yard. I went to my favorite nursery, Green Thumbs, in Los Gatos and picked up several types of spring vegetable seeds. Having about an hour of good daylight left, I went ahead and planted some Honey Gold Sunflowers and California Poppies. Yes, I know these aren't vegetables, but they will be part of the border and filler while the veggies are getting big and glorious.
The Suburban Foodie's Spring Vegetable Garden
Gold, White, and Purple Beets
Radicchio Lettuce
Butterleaf Lettuce
Spring Mix Lettuce
Heirloom Carrots (white, purple, orange)
Edamame
Blue Lake Green Beans
Leeks
Red Onions
Purple, White, and Green Cauliflower
Broccoli Raab
Basil
Parsley
Cilantro
Oregano
Coriander
Thyme
Sweet Peas
Sunflowers
Nasturtiums
California Poppies
Kate and I planted one last year in my backyard. Although we had a very fun time with the planting process (aside from finding a double bagged something in the soil), we had beginners bad luck. The spot I mapped out was just too small for what we put in. The lemon cucumbers and the zucchini quickly towered over everything. The chives never had a fighting chance against Lucy's footsteps, the eggplants were too heavy on the vine, I forgot to put a trap around one of the tomato plants, etc., etc. Once everything was gone, I vowed I was never going to do another vegetable garden and instead was going to plant the area of the yard with low maintenance perennials and shrubs.
Then our economy took a big 'ol dump! In an effort to save money and my waistline, I've been planning out our weekly meals and doing the grocery shopping once a week as opposed to taking torturous quick trips to the market during the week or picking up food on the way home from work. (I love you and miss you deeply Rongoli, Aldo's, and Chipotle.) This past week, I heard a piece on NPR about growing vegetable gardens and how it's a great way to save money and some would venture to say patriotic. I've never been big on patriotism; amongst other wonderful things, that's what my sister is for, but, I really started thinking how aside from the money factor, a vegetable garden would be a wonderful tribute to my past, to a simpler, cleaner way of living. From Grandpa's nasturtiums growing in the desert (followed by a nasturtium sandwich at lunch), to his grapefruit trees, his homemade raisins that us cousins would throw in the deep end of the pool by the handfuls just to see if we could go all the way to the bottom without the pain in our ears getting to us first, to the blackberries in our backyard at the Rancho Vista house where we'd find the neighbor's turtles hiding, and the chickens in our coop and those delicious eggs they produced if Big Red, the rooster didn't break them first.
All these wonderful things were a part of my youth and the nostalgia is too great to ignore. It's these simple things that I look back on with such fondness. Not my barbies, tv, video games, or all the other battery operated toys that kids of today simply must have. So, a vegetable garden we shall plant!
I spent this Sunday mapping out the garden. The space is much bigger this year, about 7'x12' although it's kind of a funny shape. The curves of the area will blend in well with the rest of the yard. I went to my favorite nursery, Green Thumbs, in Los Gatos and picked up several types of spring vegetable seeds. Having about an hour of good daylight left, I went ahead and planted some Honey Gold Sunflowers and California Poppies. Yes, I know these aren't vegetables, but they will be part of the border and filler while the veggies are getting big and glorious.
The Suburban Foodie's Spring Vegetable Garden
Gold, White, and Purple Beets
Radicchio Lettuce
Butterleaf Lettuce
Spring Mix Lettuce
Heirloom Carrots (white, purple, orange)
Edamame
Blue Lake Green Beans
Leeks
Red Onions
Purple, White, and Green Cauliflower
Broccoli Raab
Basil
Parsley
Cilantro
Oregano
Coriander
Thyme
Sweet Peas
Sunflowers
Nasturtiums
California Poppies
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
super bowl, super party!
Sorry for the delay in blogging; I've been at a conference for the past three days (with icky hotel food). Kevin and I hosted a Super Bowl party at our house on Sunday. Really it was for the new tv's sake. We wanted to announce it's arrival in style. So we threw it a party. Graham came over earlier in the day to hook us up with HDtv since we're too cheap to get it on our own. I came home from a pre-game calorie burning run to find Kevin and Graham walking around on the roof with cables. It all got set-up with ease and we were up and running.
We had about 16 friends over for the game. I cooked and cleaned all day on Saturday while Kevin & Lew were in Chico. I've decided there really is no better way to get ready for a party than when your husband's out of town. It just makes things so much easier. Sorry honey. Below is the game day menu.
Super Bowl Menu
Turkey Chili (I'll elaborate)
Hot Chicken & Artichoke Dip
Pizza Pouches (I'll elaborate)
Veggies & Dip (thanks Julie!)
Pigs in a Blanket (Thanks Nancy and I'll elaborate)
Roasted Red Pepper Dip (Thanks Nancy!)
Popcorn, chips, asst. nuts
Brownies (Thanks Ellen!)
Football shaped Rice Crispy Treats (Thanks Nancy!)
Turkey Chili:
I've been perfecting my recipe. The most recent addition was a a can of beer. The can itself was not in the chili. I don't think I'll add a whole can next time because it overpowered the chili way too much. Although, Khash, an official Palo Alto Chili Cook-off judge said it was a viable contender. It's possible he was just being nice!
Pigs in a Blanket:
Never made theses suckers before because I probably turned my nose up in the air just at the thought of allowing such a thing in my kitchen. Now...I think it's retro. (It's a much better way of saying "white trash.") Instead of making these with the Pillsbury Crescent Rolls, I made them with puff pastry...thanks Nancy for supplying the puff pastry! I cut each sheet into sixths lengthwise, then then thirds crosswise to end up with 18 narrow strips of dow. I cut Ballpark All-Beef hot dogs into thirds and wrapped a piece of dough around each mini-dog. I then brushed an eggwash on each and sprinkled finely grated parmesan cheese on top. They baked at 375 for about 20 minutes and were abolutely delicious. I'll definitely be serving these again for an sports related parties.
Pizza Pouches:
These little things are good, but are somewhat labor intensive. Well, when you think about it, they aren't really, maybe because I made a bunch it felt like it took forever. Get your favorite pizza dough from Trader Joes. I'm partial to the whole wheat one. One bag of dough makes about 12 mini-pouches. Roll it out to about 1/4" thick. Spray mini cupcake pans with non-stick spray. Slice the rolled dough into squares, large enough so the dough hangs over the sides of the individual cupcake section. Does that make sense? You want enough dough to seal the pouches once all the good stuff is inside. Place about 1 1/2 tsps. marinara sauce inside the dough, then a sprinkle of grated mozzerella, and either a slice of pepperoni, italian sausage, or diced and sauteed veggies. This is at least what I put in mine. The combos of flavors are endless. Seal the pouches with the dough that's hanging over the sides. Brush with an egg wash and back at 375 for about 18-20 minutes. If you ended up with a little too much dough to filling, simply serve with some extra marinara. You can also make these in the larger cupcake pans; just increase all the ingredients accordingly.
We had about 16 friends over for the game. I cooked and cleaned all day on Saturday while Kevin & Lew were in Chico. I've decided there really is no better way to get ready for a party than when your husband's out of town. It just makes things so much easier. Sorry honey. Below is the game day menu.
Super Bowl Menu
Turkey Chili (I'll elaborate)
Hot Chicken & Artichoke Dip
Pizza Pouches (I'll elaborate)
Veggies & Dip (thanks Julie!)
Pigs in a Blanket (Thanks Nancy and I'll elaborate)
Roasted Red Pepper Dip (Thanks Nancy!)
Popcorn, chips, asst. nuts
Brownies (Thanks Ellen!)
Football shaped Rice Crispy Treats (Thanks Nancy!)
Turkey Chili:
I've been perfecting my recipe. The most recent addition was a a can of beer. The can itself was not in the chili. I don't think I'll add a whole can next time because it overpowered the chili way too much. Although, Khash, an official Palo Alto Chili Cook-off judge said it was a viable contender. It's possible he was just being nice!
Pigs in a Blanket:
Never made theses suckers before because I probably turned my nose up in the air just at the thought of allowing such a thing in my kitchen. Now...I think it's retro. (It's a much better way of saying "white trash.") Instead of making these with the Pillsbury Crescent Rolls, I made them with puff pastry...thanks Nancy for supplying the puff pastry! I cut each sheet into sixths lengthwise, then then thirds crosswise to end up with 18 narrow strips of dow. I cut Ballpark All-Beef hot dogs into thirds and wrapped a piece of dough around each mini-dog. I then brushed an eggwash on each and sprinkled finely grated parmesan cheese on top. They baked at 375 for about 20 minutes and were abolutely delicious. I'll definitely be serving these again for an sports related parties.
Pizza Pouches:
These little things are good, but are somewhat labor intensive. Well, when you think about it, they aren't really, maybe because I made a bunch it felt like it took forever. Get your favorite pizza dough from Trader Joes. I'm partial to the whole wheat one. One bag of dough makes about 12 mini-pouches. Roll it out to about 1/4" thick. Spray mini cupcake pans with non-stick spray. Slice the rolled dough into squares, large enough so the dough hangs over the sides of the individual cupcake section. Does that make sense? You want enough dough to seal the pouches once all the good stuff is inside. Place about 1 1/2 tsps. marinara sauce inside the dough, then a sprinkle of grated mozzerella, and either a slice of pepperoni, italian sausage, or diced and sauteed veggies. This is at least what I put in mine. The combos of flavors are endless. Seal the pouches with the dough that's hanging over the sides. Brush with an egg wash and back at 375 for about 18-20 minutes. If you ended up with a little too much dough to filling, simply serve with some extra marinara. You can also make these in the larger cupcake pans; just increase all the ingredients accordingly.
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