Ratatouille ...

Finally got a chance to check out the movie Ratatouille & let me say, I was inspired by that Rat, to make his favorite dish for dinner tonight! I made a roasted layered Ratatouille which was fantastic! Served it with a simple green salad with radishes and pomergrantes and lightly drizzled with simple french vinaigrette. Last week I was inspired by Jaden over at the Steamy Kitchen, to make her perfect coconut rice - which is easy & fantastic. Tonight, I took it to another level ... made the rice and then turned it into Coconut/Cardamom Rice Pudding - YUMMY!

End of a long week ...

Friday night found us both exhausted. I tried to come up with something good for dinner but did not have it in me, we were two tired souls for dinner. All I could come up with was Eggplant Masala (into Indian food lately) and a caramelized shallot Quinoa. Simple and good!

Not Cooking ...

I have not had a chance to get behind the stove all week, hence the reason for no new stuff! L. is traveling (which is not the excuse) and I have been working over-time! I have some great ideas brewing, though, and can not wait to WOW my man when he gets back with some great meals. Hoping to hit the kitchen, again, tomorrow. So please keep checking in & dine with us soon ......

I can not wait ..

to know what the October Challenge is! I was hoping it would be announced before I start my day. I am an addict now - an addict to the DB group! Someone, Help Me!

The 3 Ps' for Dinner

Plums, Pizza & Pinot Noir and some Lamb (yes, I know, more meat); but, we did cut down portions! We have been waiting to open up this bottle of Pinot Noir, that our friend I. and company (Dept. C) are making but we needed the right dish.

Recently, there was an article in the SF Chronicle on Pinot Noir and what to serve ... there it was Lamb, Plum & Smoked Mozzarella Pizza , so we whipped up a mini, tossed together a simple mixed green salad with radishes (just like grandma use to make) and popped up the Dept. C. Point Noir - the meal was great, the pizza was interesting (I will make again but add more spices to it) and the Pinot was smooth and definitely complimented everything in the pizza. As well, this was the last meal for our Eat Local Challenge - everything was local this time!!!

Hot Buns on a Sunday Morning ...

When The Daring Bakers were presented with our September challenge by Marce from Pip in the City, I kind of cringed ….. I do not consider myself a baker at all. L. & I were chatting it up early one morning and he asked me why? My response was that the technical parts and the amount of time I have to put into it kind of irks me, I want instant gratification. So, I got myself out of bed, made some espresso and started Cinnamon (mine are Cardamon) & Sticky Buns.

WOW – half way through the challenge I was having a blast. My dough was silky, smooth and rising to the occasion. My cardamom sugar was sweet & spicy and my pecans and dried California (to add some local into this challenge) Apricots were chopped and my caramel/bergamot glaze was so tasty that I was afraid I was going to eat it all before actually glazing. Overall, it was a pretty good time so far and I was feeling damn good! Next came the part of baking I always hate … putting it all together. I usually do it so quickly, because I want to see what it is going to be like, that it does not come out the way the picture shows – I like to call it “natural looking”, to make myself feel better about it. This time around, I took my time, kneading, rolling, measuring, sprinkling, rolling, cutting and putting these sweet little buns into the right spots! I then covered them up and put them into the fridge to spend the night. I thought about them all night! I got up at 4am, put them next to the nice warm stove, covered them with some warm cheesecloth & let them rise until 8am, at which time I put them in the oven and …… They did just what they were supposed to do – I was so excited!

I could not wait for L. to see them! I set the table, and made the espresso. L. woke up to fresh cardamom & bergamot smells mixed with Italian Roast espresso … sleepy eyed he made it into the kitchen and all he could say was “Jesus Christ, this is great!” I gave some to our neighbors as well; E.’s response was that Sticky Buns were “OUTRAGEOUS” with the nut/fruit combo and Bergamot caramel glaze!

I faced my fears & I conquered this challenge and I can honestly say I am pleased, excited and can not wait until the next one …. Bring it on!!!

Didn't We say NO MEAT ..

L. rode 100+ miles today & NEEDED a sausage or two (shouldn't that be my line (wink wink)) with his veggie dinner I had planned. Since we are on the tail end of our Eat Local Challenge, we did a quick run to pick up some wonderful Niman Ranch HOT Italian Sausage (once again, I am a sucker for the packaging). Earlier in the evening I had roasted some zucchini, dry-farmed tomatoes, shallots, garlic and fresh pimento (which was picked up at Farmers Market today). Tossed together some HOT pasta with some fresh and local Ricotta, I found, and spooned the roasted veggies over the top. Nice Italian comfort food.

Friday Night

I am a bit behind on posting.... was beat last night and swamped today! I am all caught up now & we are excited to have you back over to dine with us! As I mentioned previously we are trying to push away from the table - We don't believe in diets or cutting out the things we love so I am doing portion control and upping the old exercise program for us. As well we are trying to eat more veggies and less meat - we'll see how that goes - maybe once a week meat, chicks or fish? WE are in love with these mini eggplants, so I scooped up a few more last week. They are almost too cute to cook but when you do cook them up, they taste great. Tonight I sautéed them with some yellow onion & red peppers I had on hand and then I simmered them in a nice bath of Malaysian Rendang Curry, which I found at Wholefoods. We wanted rice to eat with this dish but did not want ordinary boring rice, so I searched high & low. Thanks to Jaden, over at the Steamy Kitchen , I found this great recipe for Coconut Rice. Let me tell you a little secret - I can cook a 5 course meal but when it comes to rice, I suck! I usually use a rice cooker!! Since her recipe said I would not need one, I gave it a whirl. Guess what?! It was super easy and the rice was perfect! Back to our meal ... it was fantastic, the eggplants were all warm and spicy in the Rendang Curry sauce and the coconut in the rice complimented the curry very nicely! Great way to end a long week.... As well the eggplants, peppers and onions were local but everything else was only organic - we are trying!

Risotto Relay!

Sathya & Liz of The Baker & The Curry Maker are hosting the Risotto Relay this month and since we love Risotto and make it very often we decided we HAD to do it! We made Abalone Mushroom Risotto for dinner last night. Abalone Mushrooms, you ask yourself, what is that? We had no idea until we hit the grocery store last weekend (they sell them at Wholefoods) & we still really did not have an idea even after bringing our prize home. Here is a description that I found online: "Abalone mushroom is a delicate white sphere with soft spines and no stem. It has a mild, sweet taste and pleasant texture that has been compared to lobster or very tender veal. It's appearance has earned it many interesting common names including Monkey's head, Lion's Mane, Bear's Head, Old Man's Beard, and Satyr's Beard. Among its other medicinal benefits pom pom is best known for its traditional use in treating ailments of the stomach and digestive tract, as well as nervous system disorders." I love abalone, L. has never had it and this mushroom was very much like the real thing. Same texture and the same flavor. The risotto was creamy (and I do not use cheese) and bursting full of flavor!

49 Days! 57 Days!

until we will be doing some serious beach time in Costa Rica. Serious beach time means serious swimsuit time, which in turns means some serious pushing back from the kitchen table! L. will be heading down before me for a big bike race - coast to coast and then I will join him a week later for some much needed R & R. Now a girl and guy can not live on carrots alone, so we are cutting back to smaller portions and many more veggies! I loaded up the old veggie bin with some great local things and will we will be hitting the stove big time! You can expect some new easy veggie recipes to be seen in the next few weeks! We got pretty excited about an Abalone mushroom we found, so we got it. Now, it pretty much smells, looks and even tastes like Abalone - weird! Sauteed it with some shallots, garlic, white wine, Meyer Lemon juice and made Risotto, served roasted asparagus on the side. I am a sucker for food packaged in interesting ways. I found, this Bubalus Bubalis Mozzarella and had to get it for two reasons: 1. I liked how it looked and 2. have heard how great it is! So, to finish off our meal, we had a mozzarella and tomato (these were from our garden - how much more local can you get) salad. Now, this Mozzarella, is outstanding - ultra creamy, smooth taste, mouth-watering goodness - would be fantastic on a grilled pizza as well!

We are crying .....

L. is crying for home-cooked food and I am crying as I want to get my hands dirty in the kitchen again .... this has been a loonnnggg couple of weeks of entertaining. The last of our company left today. We had a great meal planned for tonight but are beat! All we are going to do is pour a couple big glasses of wine, turn on the new James Blunt (super moving), put our feet up & turn off this computer! Come back tomorrow night - we'd love to have you for dinner!

She put de lime in de coconut ...

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I love cupcakes for many reasons: they are super cute, easier on the diet, they seem to always make people smile and maybe, probably a little, because my grandfather use to call me cupcake. Anyhow, it became my thing a few years ago after scoring the recipe from Magnolia Bakery, to make cupcakes for those I love (who do not live near us)on their birthdays and to send off a surprise package! Anyhow, once I saw that Laurie of the Quirky Cupcake was hosting an event I had to participate. I made a Coconut Cupcake which was frosted with a Lime Cream Cheese Frosting. Before frosting them, I did lightly brush the tops with more of the Lime simple syrup. The lime is suspect in these. You only expect coconut and then you bite into it and WOW, you are suddenly on a white sandy beach sipping a tropical drink!

Cute Eggplants

These were the cutest eggplants I have ever seen, I just had to buy them! I found them at the new Wholefoods Market near our neighborhood. Okay, so they are cute and you ask yourself, "but, were they good?" They were delicious! We sauteed them with a little oil, chili peppers from our garden, lemon zest from our neighbors Meyer lemon tree, and basil from our garden. Served with brown rice - not local rice, don't think I can get local rice - but it was organic - all of it was!

Veggie Lasagna

We are back on the local train. While it was great having L.'s mother cook Portuguese food for us for a week we are both happy to be eating Local & Organic again! Made one of our favorite dishes today ... Grilled Veggie Lasagna sitting in a pool of Basil Oil, the recipe is one of Emeril's and it is - YUMMY!

The Last Supper .....

this is how it felt tonight and how sad it was. I always hate long sad good-byes and I wish there was a way to make it all better! Why, let's eat, everything feels better with food! L.'s mother made a few more of his favorites tonight, sweet peas with chorizo, salted cod fish croquettes with peppers and of course wine! I love the salted cod fish croquettes as much as L. does, a definite must learn to make for our home! ps.... was not local but we will be hitting the local trail more faithfully starting tomorrow!

Portuguese Comfort Food

L. loves this dish called "favish" - I am sure I have spelled it wrong - and can not wait until he is back home to have his mother make it for him, I make it but not like Moms! I have to admit, hers is very good - old country style. Reminds me of a dish my great grandmother, grandmother and great aunts use to make, a basque bean dish that they made using red beans. Lucky, for us both we have had it while she is visiting, got to love moms!

Salt Cod

Also, known as baccalá, bacalao, bacalhau, and morue. Cooked with potatoes and served with eggs, olives and spicy peppers. L.'s mom made this special treat for us for dinner .... as always it was Very good unfortunately, not very local though.

Our first Portguese Feast in our home

L.'s mother started cooking up a storm for us early in the day & some of the good news most of it was local and /or organic, so we were able to keep up with the challenge. As her cooking always is, it was very delicious. L. was very happy (7 chicken legs later)to have a home cooked meal that reminded him of home - having his family next to him made he even more happy - this in turn made me happy. (we are all a bunch of happies now). We started with a rice based soup which we added bits of chicken as well as a squeeze of lemon. Very light and refreshing. Reminded me of a dish my grandmother and great-grandmother made, but with rice and garlic - we usually got it when we were not feeling well. The main course was a baked chicken dish with potatoes (I love these guys) and chorizo - spiced with peppers, wine and tomato.

We are back ...

but not cooking yet. Cleaning like bangies instead. L's parents are coming to town tomorrow to visit for a week. L.'s mom is a GREAT cook and she is Portuguese, so there will be lots of great food in our house the next few days. And, it will or most of it will be local, too! Come dine again!

Local Eating ......

We did not cook at home as some good friends were in town tonight. We wanted to dine responsibly, locally and organic as much as possible, so we hit the Blue Plate. Which was perfect as we have been dying to check it out! You should too ~ The Blue Plate . We are hitting the road today, for the rest of the weekend, a little camping and r & r! Don't worry we will be dining locally as we are bringing our own stuff! Come dine with us soon!

Bok Bok ...

We have decided to take part in the Eat Local Challenge. I do not believe I realized how hard it was going to be, when I talked L. into it, until I actually signed up for it - eeks!! I say this next statement in a few deep breaths; I hope we don't fail, I hope we live up to my expectations as well as the local challenges and ....I can not believe I committed to this without shopping first. It was be a challenge as well as we have family in town for a week and a half, which will require some eating out but we will be trying to have them over for our "local cooking" as much as possible as well! Anyhow, tonight I had to go with what we had in the house, which I am proud to say was "organic", not sure how local even though I did purchase at Wholefoods. Regardless, we are committed to giving this challenge our best! Tonight, I sauteed bok choy with some shallots, garlic, some hot peppers (from our garden) and Portbellas. Light, yummy and somewhat (a very little) local!

Ratatouille and not the movie!

I use to make this all the time; but, it has been awhile, such awhile that I forgot the recipe, so I had to wing it. I put layers of Italian eggplant, zucchini, sweet Italian peppers, shallots and garlic and heirloom tomatoes in a roasting pan. Each layer I sprinkled with herbs de Provence and drizzled with olive oil and then baked long and slow. It was delicious and L. gobbled it up. Dessert was more of that wonderful vanilla ice cream with Scharffenberger Ganache on top - L. hate it so fast we never got a photo and our Ratatouille photo came out blurred ... but it was good!

Sea Beans? Roasted Strawberries?

Went to the Ferry Plaza today, with my little friends, M., E., & M. and we played the game, "pick out something new, exciting and fun for me to cook for L. for dinner. They found Sea Beans! Sea Beans are also known as Glassworts. They are crunchy and salty - the kidlets LOVED them! So we picked up a 1/2 pint of Sea Beans! Dinner was left over Portabella Stroganoff, sauteed Sea Beans, and a wonderful Heirloom Tomato Salad with shaved Parmesan. For dessert I served what I had hoped to bring to the Festa Al Fresco but it was not ready ... Vanilla Ice Cream using my favorite recipe by David of The Perfect Scoop (a must for any ice cream lover)& we topped it with Roasted Strawberries! Can you say, "Heaven"??? These roasted little morsels are to die for - caramelly (is that a word), lightly sweet and ever so yummy!!!

La Festa al Fresco

We were so excited to be part of the La Festa al Freso 2007. So excited that we could not decide on what to bring to Cream Puff's and La Mia Cucina's; so, we brought it all! We started with a beautiful Zucchini Carpaccio (our first time making one - YUMMY) and then moved on to a Portabella Stroganoff and Belgium Endive salad with roguefort cheese. We also brought along some of the wonderful homemade butter that we are getting fat on! As well we decided to tote along a bottle of one of our favorite wines, Block 45! Tutti a tavola!!

Super Sexy ...

We had a long day at the office yesterday, a long night at the gym and were starving! What to do! Why Mambo!! We opened up a GREAT bottle of bistro style wine - the only way to describe this find "Sexy"! Smoky on the nose and smooth on the palate. I had a feeling when I saw the label that they may be the guys behind another favorite of mine, Plungerhead Zin, which is fantastic - super spicy and loaded with nice jammy flavors, a must for your b-b-q! Anyhow, Mambo is about to become a staple in our house & we are hoping we can grab a case later today! Now, we could not live on wine alone, so we tossed together some cherry tomatoes, fresh basil, sliced garlic, Spanish olive oil and pasta to chow on. For dessert, homemade Fig ice cream from "The Perfect Scoop"! By the way, the ice cream gave the wine a soft vanilla taste ... long flavorful finish! Can not wait to get home tonight and drink more!

Corn & Shiitakes???

We were inspired by this light and easy recipe ~ Sauteed Corn & Shiitake Frittata. We will say this ... needs to be KICKED up a notch. Add more salt, pepper, or hot sauce or maybe a nice sauteed shallot with a little garlic. Good comfort food recipe just needs to be twisted up a little. Served with a simple green salad with plump cherry tomatoes and a warm hunk of bread!

Chocolate & Caramel, Oh My!

This is not the usually dinner that we serve around Chez but instead it is my second challenge with the Fabu DBs. This particular event was hosted by Veronica & Patricia and it was for a Milk Chocolate and Caramel Tart. Now, I am not a baker by any means. I can whip up a mean multi-course dinner but when it comes to baking I am usually a flop; therefore, I was pretty darn excited when I was invited to become part of this group. I loved their inspiration and I needed the challenge to get me away from the norm. This was my second challenge & in all honesty, I was scared. Much to my surprise, it was fun and easy! Here are my exact words to the group once I finished it ... "Perfect! I finished my challenge yesterday & I was pleasantly surprised how easy it was! Served it to L. and a guest for dessert. I was doubting it big time, for a few reasons: I don't usually make tarts, I felt the caramel filling was some what suspect, my milk chocolate topping disappointed me (maybe my cream had to high of a fat content? even though my melted chocolate was cooled down, it started melting the whipped cream)and I tried it twice, finally had to use the last batch. I put it in the fridge to cool while we had dinner and I thought for sure I was going to hate it. I told L. and W. to be really honest, that they would not hurt my feelings - L. said he would had preferred Dark (we both love dark), but that it was very good and W. said it was f----- great (sorry for the profanity, but those were his words and he is somewhat reserved)! My thoughts: it looked awesome even though the cream topping was not that pretty and I loved the caramel filling and the crust: but, would had preferred a darker chocolate!" Take a risk and challenge yourself. Enjoy!

Tomato & Goat Cheese Sandwich

Long night & tired ........ grilled up or actually we broiled up some goat cheese and cherry tomato sandwiches and sprinkled them with some Tuscany enhanced salts (we are crazy for these salts Whole Foods sells), simple & delicious! ps.... the noodles from the other night, the next day they are even better served as a cold salad for lunch!

Sweet Sweet Prunes

This was dessert tonight! I have to say, I love love love these cute little guys! I discovered them last summer and fell in love. Now, they are back in my life! Not to mention .... they are so good for you!

Soba Soba Soba ..

I found this recipe sitting on my friend's counter and I swiped it! It was really outstanding in my opinion ... sweet, spicy and full of tantalizing flavors! I gave it a 5 out of 5 and L. gave it a 3, too sweet! I did make some adjustments, I cut the honey to 1/4 cup and I used fresh ginger, which I sauteed in the olive oil before adding the chicken. Overall, it is a keeper! PS.......... UPDATE, these are GREAT the next day as a cold lunch time salad!

Sunday Night ...

Back from a wonderful weekend & HUNGRY, what to make with an eggplant, some pasta and a few staples? Why, Spaghettini with Eggplant and Fried Capers served with a nice hunk (bread, not only L.) ;) ~ We also had some of that wonderful homemade butter left, which was unsalted so I gave it a twist by adding some of this Divine smoky salt I picked up a couple of weeks ago.

We picked up ..

and went to Mammoth for a much needed weekend away! It was kind of planned and kind of last minute. Definitely was nice to get away to some warm weather and it was simply beautiful down there!!! Needless to say I did not pick up a knife or pot and pan all weekend and L. had to eat out! We are almost settled in & will be in the swing of it starting tomorrow! Come back and dine with us then!