OLD SCHOOL FRAME OF MIND

Brussel sprouts are still one of those vegetables people are not entirely open to experiencing.  I feel it is often attachments to their first experience trying something.  Childhood resentments may linger or even worse, the memory of a flavorless and improperly-prepared vegetable, can stick with some for years.  Lately, more people around me have become open to the idea of these tiny cabbages.  Whenever I see the brussel disdain face, I say the same thing, "You have not had them roasted, it's like popcorn…totally addicting---trust me."

Cruciferous vegetables may look or seem way too healthy for one's taste, or maybe something you can't imagine tasting decadent or tasty, but don't judge a book by it's cover.  It reminds me of my favorite judged vegetable, the celeriac (or celery root), which when prepared around others engenders gasps, and confusion---"WHAT IS THAT?" I may be a little dismissive in the kitchen, but it's for their own good.  "Trust me, it looks really rooty, but you will love it."  They always do.

So, in an attempt to "fancily" these veggies, I added some toasted hazelnuts, shaved fennel and an addicting and unbelievably flavorable cheese.  I promise, they won't even know what hit 'em.

CALIFORNIA CHRISTMAS

BK EATS: GIOVANNI'S

The brand new Giovanni's Brooklyn Eats just opened in my area of Park Slope.  On the corner of Prospect Ave. and 8th Avenue, it's one of the only restaurants in this area making it feel like a special neighborhood gem.  Their  $16.75 brunch includes Antipasti, Secondi and unlimited mimosas/bloody mary's, or of course, coffee or tea if you don't day-drink like me.  It also has yet to be officially "discovered" by the crazy 5th avenue brunchers, therefore, not yet a wait for this brunch spot.  For the intimate experience and a 5 minute walk from my house, this may be my new favorite brunch retreat.

SASSY HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE 2011

ARTISANAL GIFTS & FOOD GOODS:

{1} Fee Brothers Cocktail Bitters: Set of 6

{2} Yvette Van Boven's  HOME MADE Cookbook

{3} Fleur de Sel Hand-Harvested Salt

{4} La Tourangelle Gourmand Oils in Hazelnut, Walnut and Pistachio

{5} Tart and Sweet: 101 Canning and Pickling Recipes for the Modern Kitchen

{6} Rancho Gordo Great Grains Wooden Gift Box

{7} Blackbird Bakery: 75 Recipes for Irresistible Gluten-free Desserts & Pastries

KITCHEN GOODS & TOOLS:

{1} Molcajete Lava Stone Mortar and Pestle 

{2} Antique Gray Enamelware Colander

{3} Endurance Glass Spice Tub Kit

{4} 10" Jadeite Mosser Glass Cake Stand

{5} Theater Popcorn Popper 

{6} Rose's Pie Dish in Red

{7} Wusthof 7' Hollow Edge Nakiri Knife

ANTIQUES & PRETTY PROPS:

{1} Vintage Pink Melmac Dish Set

{2} Antique Mason Jar Kitchen Soap Dispenser

{3} Vintage Wire Storage Basket

{4} Eco Walnut Wood Cutting Board

{5} Kitchen Conversions Poster in Pumpkin

{6} Handwoven Homestead Plaid Kitchen Towel

{7} Seafoam Wooden Key Hook with Sweet Mint Vase

What are you lusting after/gifting this Holiday season?

THANKSGIVING RECAP

My Thanksgiving was unlike my others for a few reasons.  It was the first time I didn't go back to Los Angeles to visit my family, the first time I cooked an entire Thanksgiving alone, and the first time I decided not to prep anything out the night before (!!).  I love cooking on Thanksgiving with the challenge of getting it all done, but this time I might have been a little too confident.  Let's just say by 5 o'clock all I had was a fennel quinoa salad, and 2 pies.  Oops.  The next 2-3 hours can be remembered by lighting a dish towel on fire, dropping the gravy on the floor, breaking dishes, and burning myself with caramel.  That's Thanksgiving for you!  After nixing the stuffed mushrooms, I ended up getting everything I wanted to done...somehow.  Luckily, my Thanksgiving was a very small and intimate crowd, with those close enough to me that it didn't matter If I was a little kitchen crazy.

The final menu was a seriously unrealistic amount of food for THREE people, but I always over-do it and couldn't decide on anything less than this.  Most of these recipes were so simple I feel stupid posting the recipe, and there are so many.  If you want the recipe for anything, I will post! So, let me know.  Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving, with hopefully less wounds and kitchen fires.  

THE MENU:

Roasted Root Vegetables (Parsnip, Kabocha, Sweet Potato) in "Brown Butter" with Sage, Rosemary, Thyme

Gluten-Free Millet Stuffing with Roasted Hazelnuts, Medjool Dates, Fennel and Thyme

Classic Mashed Potatoes (I don't mess around with this recipe, classic, always)

Red Quinoa Fennel Salad with Black Pepper Roasted Pistachios, Marinated Fennel, Manchego Cheese in Lemon Balsamic Dressing

Kale Salad with Frisee, Avocado, Cherry Tomatoes, Alfalfa Sprouts, Sunflower Seeds and Grain Mustard Balsamic Dressing

Mushroom Gravy + Tempeh with Fried Sage and Cream Sauce

Salted Honeycrisp Apple Caramel Pie (Based off THIS)

Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp with Walnut Oat Crumble

OH SWEET CANNING

My love for mason jars is a very public obsession.  I think my second post on this blog was about all the ways I use them.  The funny thing is, I've never been a "canning" person who used them for maybe their most natural purpose.  I like using them as storage for bulk foods, leftovers, bringing tea and coffee to work, etc.  Only until recently did I get bit by the canning bug, and I have a new appreciation for my favorite vessels.

I recently discovered Marisa's Food in Jars, the most comprehensive canning blog and one with so much mason jar eye-candy, I knew I was bitten.  The best part about these two recipes is their "urban canning" aspect, alluding to the smaller quantity.  Most canning requires pounds and pounds of fruit and a cauldron size canning pot, but not these.  Maybe these are canning recipes for the more timid canner, or maybe just one who lives in New York and doesn't have space for 8 jars of apple butter.  Either way, these are the quickest, most delicious and rewarding canning combinations that only require 1 beloved mason jar each.   Don't think I stopped at "sweet" either, quick pickles and homemade whole-grain mustard are a-comin.  Stay tuned.

OCTOBER VEGETABLES

I can't believe it's October.  Although we can sit here and mourn the loss of fresh strawberries, peaches, rhubarb and the like, there are many reasons to look forward to Fall produce.  Have you ever had a Honeycrisp apple?  I think I make my point.  Even I will miss the picnics in the park and chilled summer cocktails, but Autumn is still my favorite season.  Maybe the first week or two, it's hard to switch from salads to soups, or iced coffee to hot, but October is a very transitional month, as we saw this weekend with the unexpected heat wave.  For me, it's never too early to start eating hot meals.  I mean, I eat pad thai even in the summer (yes, I'm that person), but I'm starting to crave it a little more now.



One forgets after months of making salads and light meals, how satisfying it is to make a huge pot of something great, filled with root vegetables and stewed over your stovetop for hours.  This month is the beginning of Fall/Winter cooking.  I am remembering my infinite love affair with kabocha squash, and the many ways I love to prepare it---this curry being one of them.  Festively colored in proper autumn shades, it will excite you again for the possibilities of cooking for this new season we're entering.  Unfortunately in NYC that "entering" is slow and schizophrenic, but I am still looking forward to crock-pot meals, coat-wearing and maybe a hot toddy or two.

IT FINALLY FEELS LIKE FALL

Now that it's finally getting colder, I'm finally feeling like using my oven is pleasurable again.  The idea of making something warm, dense and oat-y is somehow appealing again after months of barely wanting to be in my kitchen.  As much as I spend many days testing recipes, successfully or otherwise, there are times where I do want something simple.  After buying fresh raspberries and sour cherry preserves (yes, random purchases), I decided to try this very traditional recipe.

Many things I make never make it on to this blog.  Sometimes I don't feel it's fancy or original enough, but there's something to be said about simplicity.  One of my favorite restaurants, Franny's, seems to make dishes with three ingredients taste unlike anything I've ever had.  Just like I said never underestimate the classic and satisfying quality of a peach pie, the same goes for this recipe.  It's simple, classic and when done with quality ingredients, can taste just as good as new.

LAST SUMMER HEIRLOOMS

What to say about tomatoes...they're a common love for all of us, right?  Most of us have eaten a warm cherry tomato off the vine, or had heirlooms from the farmer's market, but that can only go on for so long.  Sometimes, you actually do want more than just a tomato.  One of my favorite snacks ie. the food I will never deny is any form of tortilla chips and salsa.  Instead of putting fresh tomatoes on yet another arugula salad, I decided to spruce them up for their final summer hurrah.  What better than stewed tomatoes, spices and corn chips? Did I mention charred bell peppers and freshly grated nutmeg?




So, while I have not been to Morocco nor plan to give you any history of why this salsa is actually Moroccan-inspired, I give you one more idea of what to do with those last tomatoes, and an addicting way to eat them.  Be sure to make this for a group only if you actually want to share, or like me, ate too much of it during preparation that you're no longer hungry.

GEORGIA PEACH

I was definitely a sassy Southern woman in a past life.  My craving for fresh peaches, and unnecessary amounts of pie has made staying cool in August an impossibility.  Although the oven is the last thing I want to turn on these days, this recipe has been made twice in the past two weeks, and I imagine once more before the season is over.  It is seriously addicting, good hot and cold, and worth the hour it heats up your kitchen for.

 The peaches right now are amazing, especially from the market in my new neighborhood!  As much as sometimes I want to quick-pickle garlic scapes and be *modern*, sometimes you just need to make a goddamn pie.  While the peaches are still in season, we're all just one step away from being Paula Deen.  I'm going to go make some sun tea...

(Cue Nina Simone's "Sunday in Savannah")