born and raised

Vegan Treats

2012-02-16T16:04:00.003-08:00

After I started eating meat two and a half years ago, I felt a sense of food liberation- I could eat anything! It made me a snob and I turned my nose up at vegetarians and especially vegans. Those poor limited saps, I thought while nibbling on sausages.
The truth is there is a lot of food I choose not to eat, for health reasons as well as ethical reasons. We try to avoid meat from CAFOs (we always buy local and responsibly raised while at the market, and try to avoid meat in restaurants unless we know where it comes from). We try to buy local and organic produce. We never eat fast food, though we frequent our neighborhood taqueria. We eat very few processed foods, many of which we process ourselves... and so on.
These days I have nothing against my vegetarian and vegan brothers and sisters, in fact we try to cater to them at food events. Cooking that way is pretty easy, and (aside from loving to add butter and cheese to everything) we cook that way most of the time.

Baking is another can of worms altogether.

Homemade applesauce!

Vegan baking is so scary! No eggs? No butter? It's not natural! In fact my biggest complaint/ concern when it comes to vegan baking is the use of highly processed substitutes. I wanted to bring some muffins to my sweet vegan friend Ash, so I did some searching, I found a recipe that looked pretty good, and I adapted it to fit my needs (no way was I going to buy margarine).

As it turned out these were some of the best muffins I've ever made! So moist and delicious.

Vegan Blueberry Muffins
2 cups all purpose flour, (1 C whole wheat)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup applesauce
1/2 cup melted coconut oil
1 cup soy buttermilk, (soy milk combined with 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar)
2/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups blueberries (fresh if they are in season, I used frozen not thawed)

Crumble Topping:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped nuts (I used hazel nuts)
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup melted coconut oil

Heat oven to 350.
Mix crumble topping ingredients and set aside.
Mix dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt) in a large bowl.
In a separate bowl, mix applesauce, soy buttermilk, sugar, melted coconut oil and vanilla.
Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and stir until the dry ingredients are just moistened. Add the berries. Don't over mix.
Pour the batter into muffin tin, sprinkle with the crumble topping and bake for about 17-20 minutes. Let cool before serving. Yum!

Commitment

2012-02-14T09:44:00.000-08:00

It's been two months sense we've posted anything here. I'm so embarrassed. I have so many excuses... Shop Party kept us busy, and it was a great success!

Shop Party. Photo by Zohn Mandel

Photo by Zohn Mandel

Holiday festivities made us dizzy, what with all the fancy cocktail parties, Cioppino feeds, our open house, NYE candlelit dinner, and our annual New Years Day brunch. Unfortunately this out of focus picture is the only thing to show of it.

This year I went against tradition and made some new year resolutions, one of which is to take more pictures.

Then we made hundreds of cookies a dozen cakes for a dreamy Descry event in San Francisco.

We Dream in the Daytime Too event at Photobooth. Photo By Photobooth

Devoured dreamy cakes and cookies. Photo by Photobooth

All of a sudden I came to- and it was February!

Nick and I celebrated Valentines day early and went to Sea View for the weekend. I prepared a dream lovers menu for us.

Day 1

Mimosa

New Mexican Pinon coffee

Real Belgian Waffles with maple syrup, strawberries, and pancetta

Oeufs en Cocotte

Cheese plate

Roasted fennel & pancetta salad

(this is where the camera battery died)

Roasted balsamic cinnamon pears with vanilla ice cream

Day 2

Broiled grapefruit

Coffee
Toast

Valentines Day has me thinking about commitment... I'm prepared to re-commit myself to this blog. I'm prepared to share what I'm eating and cooking with greater success. I hope we haven't lost you for good.

LOVE

b&r

Gearing Up

2011-12-09T12:27:00.000-08:00

So much to do, so little time!
It's time for Shop Party again, and we will be there with tamales, preserves, zines, and art!

Come out and support your local artisans!

Crumbs From Our Weekend

2011-11-29T12:09:00.000-08:00

Green and red tomato chutney

Pickled green tomatoes for an amazing Bloody Mary

Back to the grind!

Thanksgiving

2011-11-22T14:22:00.000-08:00

I love Thanksgiving. I love getting together with so much of my family, I love the warmth, I love the food. The whole family loves the food, and we don't skimp or pace ourselves. It is not uncommon to be stuffed with all the delicious hors d'oeurves before dinner is even ready. I am bringing an easy cheese plate with crackers, caramelized onions, crusted squash, nasturtium greens, and homemade jam. There will be multiple other starting dishes, wine, and cocktails- last year my cousin, the hostess, made incredible cranberry martinis.

When diner is ready in the late afternoon I take a deep breath and dig in. Oof! After dinner I give thanks for the tradition of serving Akvavit, a digestive, because dessert is not far behind.

I was inspired to bring a dessert this year too, but I wanted to bring something to brighten us up after all the rich food. I decided to make cranberry sorbet.

This sorbet is tart and bright and the color makes me so happy. I can't wait to share with my family.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Taco Tuesday

2011-11-09T10:34:00.000-08:00

We love tacos. I was excited to receive some fresh fish from my dad and prepare a taco spread for Nick's homecoming.

Nick likes his fish breaded and fried for a fish taco, I prefer grilled fish. I compromised by lightly seasoning and flouring this fish and flash frying it.

Now a good fish taco needs not much more than fresh fish, maybe some cabbage and lime, but I made a whole mess of food for snacking and lunch the following day. Black beans, Spanish rice, fresh salsas!

It has been so damn cold in the mornings and evenings it wouldn't be a leap to suggest I was trying to remind us of warmer days, or perhaps a trip to Mexico!

Transition

2011-11-08T09:02:00.000-08:00

The time between summer and autumn is magical. The first rains come as if to clean the slate, and the rain is warm. There are still tomatoes in the garden and summer squash to be consumed. The leaves are just beginning to turn and drop.

I love to get tomatoes from the garden, cut in half drizzle with a little olive oil, and roast for a quick and delicious roasted tomato soup.

It is so easy and satisfying. I will roast some garlic (do not peel) and herbs on top of the tomatoes, cut side up, at 400f for 45 minutes until soft and browning.

Then I run everything through the food mill, and voila! soup! I would eat it just like that, so full of tomato flavor! It is nice cut with chicken or veg stock too.

We are busy cleaning gutters, preparing the garden, putting up the season (jam!)... warm soup makes it all worth it.

Ritual

2011-11-01T16:06:00.000-07:00

Simple mornings are very important to me.
I have a ritual.
During the week, I pour the hot water over the Ecco coffee in the french press. Nick will press the coffee and have a cup before rushing off to work. I will pour a cup for myself while I make breakfast. My favorite breakfast is a poached egg salad.

Recently however, Nick has taken a job in San Francisco and a few day a week I am on my own. I make my own coffee, and with the mornings as dark and cold as they have been I'm hooked on oatmeal.

I like mine with dried blueberries and raisins, milk, and (a tiny bit) of maple syrup.

Squash n' Cheese

2011-10-15T11:48:00.000-07:00

My comfort food is typical American comfort foods; potatoes, cheese, bread, sausage... where I may differ is my deep love for braised greens, such as kale or chard. Macaroni and cheese is just about as "comfort food" as a food can get.

I made a simple bechamel sauce; 2 tablespoons butter, 1 tablespoon brown rice flour, 1 cup milk, a grate or two of nutmeg, and salt to taste.
For the macaroni I used squash sliced thin.
I mixed the squash and bechamel together, then poured it into a buttered baking dish.

Grated sharp cheddar on top and into the oven for 30 minutes at 350.
Let it rest for five or ten minutes before you dig in. Pile some braised kale next to your squash n' cheese. Everything is beautiful and nothing hurts.

Facebook

2011-10-07T11:30:00.000-07:00

We are gearing up to get back in the kitchen. We are cooking up schemes and incredible food!
Like us on facebook in the mean time.

SOON!

b&r

Summer Lovin'

2011-09-10T10:37:00.000-07:00

Summer is winding down. The heat in no indication, but the plants can tell. The trees are turning. The summer fruit is attracting flies, because no matter how we try we can't seem to eat it all. The Naked Ladies are even starting to drop their petals.

I'm a summer babe through and through, yet I am ready for the change. I'm looking forward to (indoor) fires, and root vegetables. I'm not rushing though. I'm going to enjoy summer until the very last drop. We are canning and making ice cream and making giant figs our main course for dinner.

Slice a ripe fig in half, stuff with soft cheese, such as fresh goat cheese, wrap with bacon, fry... EAT! This is improved upon fig is a favorite summer snack, but we made some polenta and a salad and it became dinner. Voila!

Odd Bird

2011-09-02T11:22:00.000-07:00

Our dear friends Odd Bird are (finally!!) having their album release party! We are so excited they invited us to be a part of the celebration.

We will have waffles and ice cream AND vegan waffle and sorbet available!

This event is not to be missed. You can buy advance tickets at The Last Record Store, or just show up Saturday. The North Bay Bohemian put it this way:

Odd Bird: Indigo children birth crystalline thought-poems and utopian hymns to godself.
Most high rock and rollers John Courage & the Great Plains, brilliant recluse Painted Animals and organ-jamming expatriates You Are Plural open minds; Born & Raised opens mouths.
Sep 3 at 7. $8-$10. 99 Sixth St, Santa Rosa. 707.528.3009.

See you Saturday!

Futures

2011-08-13T18:43:00.000-07:00

We have four plum trees on our property and another neighboring tree which drops on our yard. They are all small wild plums, or cherry plums. Pink flesh, yellow flesh, juicy, ripe, ripe, going, going, gone... one (silly) summer anxiety is letting these little guys go to waste. We can't possibly eat them all straight from the tree! They have little to no shelf life. I'm more than happy to share with friends, neighbors, birds, and bees. Still they fall to the ground. I know I should be canning them- wild plum jam is one of my favorites! But time hasn't been on my side. So in an act of love, and desperation, I turned to booze.

I sterilized a variety of canning jars and lids. I picked a basket of little plums from two different trees, washed in cool water, then pricked their skins with a fork before dropping them in the jars. When I couldn't fit another plum I added sugar to the jars (I filled the jars about 1/4 to 1/3 the way up), then BRANDY to the top! Lid, shake, store in a cool dark place, and patiently wait at least two months. Yum, I will be eating brandied plums while I carve my pumpkins and cozy up by the fire.

That is all the preserving I can muster for now, but I do have my calender circled for Monday, I've given myself the whole day. I certainly won't be lacking plums.

Inspiration

2011-08-08T18:04:00.000-07:00

We have very talented friends. Vanessa Davis is a wonderful comic, a sweet and beautiful woman, great dancer, and a foodie! She made this great recipe comic for Saveur. Enjoy!

The Backyard Benefit Brunch

2011-07-21T18:23:00.000-07:00

Good vibes galore at the Benefit Brunch. We had a delicious meal with old friends, new friends, plenty of baby friends and four-legged friends. Odd Bird, Little Lost Boys, Chris Grabill, and Oona & Co played rotating three-song sets as we sat in the straw and basked in the sunshine.

There was something special in the air that mixed with the music. I think it was the love we all show each other in this community. Such incredible talent is fostered here, and we are proud to be a part of it.

Secret Dinner

2011-07-13T16:42:00.000-07:00

Oh, neglected blog,
summertime is difficult
(real life is too fun).

We have been very busy. The high point of the summer (so far) was a secret dinner in Todd and Spring's lush backyard in Santa Rosa. We served a three-course meal to friends, family, and new acquaintances in a wonderful, laid-back atmosphere.

Gwen's menu was a bit more sophisticated than our usual fare, but everything came off without a hitch- no, better than that: the food was marvelous. Our guests were wonderful and appreciative, the kids were world-class servers, and the setting couldn't have been more pleasant.

We are so lucky to live in this place! The community here is outstanding. After dinner, we all walked down the street to Brian Fitzpatrick's house to watch his band play. Our good friends You Are Plural opened. Both bands are phenomenal, and will give you a sense of the great things that come out of Santa Rosa. We are proud to be a part of it.

Since then it's been pretty mellow. We have been camping, hiking, biking, working, playing, eating, drinking- but rarely cooking. This hot weather makes me want to just eat fruit and tacos all the time. In the next update, we'll add a recipe and some pictures from our fundraiser brunch and backyard show (t h i s s u n d a y).

Thanks for checking in. Until next time... Bon Appetit!

Teaser

2011-07-02T11:09:00.000-07:00

Banh Mi and Bikes

2011-06-25T12:45:00.000-07:00

We will be slingin' vegetarian banh mi sandwiches from a food bike tomorrow! Come on down, ride your bike, see all the pretty bikes! EAT! See why Nick and I have been so busy neglecting this lovely blog!

Summer Soup

2011-06-02T15:12:00.000-07:00

In the same way we push our heavy coats to the back of the closet, come May I like to retire my huge soup pot, and use it exclusively for large batches of berry and stone fruit jam. The warm days mean less stove and oven time, more fresh veggie time. Yet it is now June and we still have an extra blanket on the bed, our wool jackets at the ready, and we are having chicken noodle soup for dinner.

When it comes to a hearty soup I use the chop and toss method. Onions, celery, and carrots taste good and feel good, so they go in the pot to dry roast before I pour in chicken broth and water. I add the chicken and cook. When the chicken has fully cooked, I pull it out, shred the meat and remove any skin and bone. Put the meat back, spice, taste, spice... I think most folks have a tried and true chicken noodle soup recipe laying around.

Oh but the noodles! Fresh pasta is so easy and so special and so delicious. For noodle soup a nice wide egg noodle is perfect.

Combine two eggs and two egg yolks, set aside. Place two cups of flour in a bowl or on a work surface. Make a well in the center, add your eggs and work your flour into the egg with a fork. when the dough comes together enough to use your hands, kneed together, shape into a disk, and let rest for at least an hour.

When it is time to roll out your dough, I suggest working a quarter to a third at a time. You can roll pasta dough by hand with a rolling pin. I am very modern and fortunate to have a pasta roller, so I just feed it through the machine.

When you have reach your desired thickness, you can flour, fold and cut into your desired with!
Gingerly pull apart and add your pasta to your soup. Your pasta will only take a few minuets to cook (depending on how thick it is) after three minuets I will usually check it.

Hearty and warming soup, perfect for a winter meal... or a rainy June I suppose. I'm not complaining, I love noodle soup! I'm just ready for river trips and tee shirts. Until then, stay dry and warm.

Life's a Bowl Full of Strawberries

2011-05-13T13:26:00.000-07:00

I've been drooling at all the new and beautiful veggies, and especially fruits showing up at the farmers markets. Berry season can never seem to get her quite fast enough. Finally we have strawberries!

My favorite way to eat strawberries is off the vine, slightly warmed from the sun. When I was little, and it was my turn to pick the strawberries, I would often make myself sick, eating berries by the handful before my basket was even half full.
On occasion I will control myself long enough to make some jam or bake them into something... eggs and cream perhaps.

Cherries Clafoutis is one of my favorite desserts, or breakfasts, or snacks. Traditionally baked with the cherry pits still in, I like to work (a little) for my dessert. I also like to remember to SLOW DOWN. I have an incredibly simple and tasty clafoutis recipe, adapted from The San Francisco Ferry Plaza Farmers Market Cookbook. Sadly we don't have a cherry tree. We do have a strawberry patch.

~~Cherry~~ Strawberry Clafoutis

Preheat the oven to 400F.
Butter a shallow 10 inch baking dish.
In a bowl whisk together 1/2 cup sugar, 3 large eggs and zest from one lemon until combined.
Add 1 cup heavy cream (on this occasion we used half and half because that was in the ice box) and 1t vanilla extract. Whisk until combined. Add 1/2 cup flour and a pinch of salt, whisk until frothy.
Pour about half the batter into the prepared baking dish then add a pound(ish) of (stemmed cherries) trimmed strawberries. Ours were quite large so I cut them in half.
Bake until golden and puffed up. Devour!

Remember: If you are serving this dish cherry pits and all remind your happy guests before they dig in. It would be a sad dessert if some unsuspecting friend chipped a tooth.

Busy Bees

2011-04-28T09:16:00.000-07:00

We have hardly had a moments rest.
Shop Party was another success, we made the mistake of only making enough food for 150 people and we sold out after only two hours! We were able to buy ourselves a new point and shoot camera with our earnings! You have beautiful food photos and (hopefully) more frequent postings to look forward to!

We have been busy working one event after another, and we are loving it! This week started off right with an incredible show at the Arlene Francis Theater. We were hired to make dinner for the touring bands, Why Are We Building Such A Big Ship?, Y La Bamba, and Dark Dark Dark. Our local heroes Odd Bird played too and the show was fantastic.

We made mini calzones and a roasted carrot and barley salad.

The highlight of the evening for me was Dark Dark Dark gushing over the "best carrots they have ever had" from the stage. I'm still excited about it!

Next up a Birthday bash! We have been hired by the wonderful folks at Oak Hill Farm to cook for a 50th birthday party!

Photo by Zohn Mandel

In the meantime, I hope Nick and I will get a chance to have some delicious spring time dinners to share with you. Thanks for continuing to read and support.

Up 'til Now and for the Future!

2011-04-12T21:46:00.000-07:00

Spring has brought good fortune and lots of work to us. We have been quite busy lately with Born and Raised, and it feels great to make our pleasure into a small business.

First there was a local show featuring our good pals Odd Bird. We made Macaroni and Cheese with sweet peppers, caramelized onions, and bacon, and Golden Beet and Citrus Salad with fresh greens and toasted pine nuts, and we got a great response (and sold out, which we were quite pleased with).

Next there was a wedding at the newly-restored DeTurk Round Barn, for which we prepared two types of ice cream: Malted Milk, which is the best ice cream we have ever tasted, and Coffee (using Ecco beans roasted just blocks from the wedding locale).

Next up is Shop Party at the Arlene Francis Theater. This is a really incredible event featuring local artists, craftspeople, and small businesses, and we are really looking forward to spending time with (and making good food for) everyone who will be there. Our menu for that day is a surprise, but it will be, as always, locally sourced, well-made, and delicious. We'll also have preserves on-hand (Gwen just made some fantastic Lemon Curd) and some other goods. We will be happy to see you there.

Farewell Papas and Pollo

2011-03-29T08:55:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time there was a Southwest meets Humboldt County restaurant in Sebastopol California. I did love the cabbage salsa and the marinated tofu. Unfortunately it seems the inconsistency of both the food and the hours has finally done them in.
In truth I'm not exactly sure when they closed, but as soon as I realized I would never get a Papas Tofu again I got a craving I couldn't shake. I decided I had to make my own. Papas Tofu is simple enough in concept. It is a baked potato that acts as a vessel for everything you would have in a burrito. Rather then meat there is tofu, and the tofu is the mystery. For may years there has been speculation about what the marinade is, some say soy sauce, others swear it's yeast. I fried ours in soy sauce. It was good, not perfect, but it hit the spot.

For Papas Tofu at home:
Start with a baked potato, pile black beans on top, followed by cheese.

Then the tofu!
To make this tofu, you need to cube and marinate firm tofu for at least an hour, you can design your own marinade. I just used some garlic an soy sauce. Then fry the tofu with a little olive oil until golden.

I always ordered mine with extra lettuce, so I add a lot of greens and fresh salsa (hot house tomatoes are finally at the farmers market, and they will do for now)

Papa tofu at home is a nice substitute for the real thing, and incredibly filling dinner!

Make Do

2011-03-19T19:33:00.000-07:00

Hello! It's me! Tonight's dinner was Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Golden Beets with Speck and Gruyere!

Improvising a meal is easy. You take two (or more) of your favorite meals and you put them together in one bowl and hope for the best. As my dad says, "It all looks the same in your stomach." In some cases that could be a really bad idea (like hamburger milkshakes or broccoli ice cream), but in this case it was awesome. The sweet dirtiness of roasted brussels sprouts and beets complimented the smokey speck, and the gruyere was sharp enough to keep it interesting. Here's what you'll need:

10-20 Brussels Sprouts
4 Golden Beets
1/4 lb. Speck (or Proscuitto)
A handful of Gruyere
Some Olive Oil

Preheat the oven to 425˚. Cut the Brussels Sprouts in half lengthwise and put them on a pan. Peel the Golden Beets and cut them to be roughly the same size as the Brussels Sprouts, then put them on the same pan. Drizzle Olive Oil over the vegetables, sprinkle some salt on top, and put them in the oven for 30-40 minutes. Cut the Speck into 1/2" squares. Grate the Gruyere. When the B.S. and Beets are done, put everything in a bowl and mix it all up. Serve warm. It's pretty good cold too.

Improvisation is probably the most important skill for home cooking, so use it often and don't be afraid to screw it up! Thanks for reading! Peace!

One End, One Beginning

2011-03-15T11:06:00.000-07:00

A month or so before the official start of spring, after the trees have started blossoming, and all the daffodils have come up I start to crave peaches and peppers something fierce. The end of February/ beginning March is a pretty bleak time for food. Not as bleak in Northern California then most other places in the US, as we have a year around growing season, we always have plenty of greens, but I want squash!
We got lucky the other night and found the very last of the winter squash at our local farm stand. We love butternut squash. We eat them all winter. As with anything delicious we don't need to do much to it, our favorite way to eat butternut squash is simply roasted, usually in a warm butternut squash salad.

Roasted Butternut Squash Salad
Peel, cut in half, and scoop out the seeds
Slice the squash and toss with a little olive oil and a little maple syrup (the maple syrup is optional, but the syrup really helps to bring out the sweet butternut flavor) just enough to lightly coat the squash
Spread out on a baking sheet or two and roast in the oven at 400 until tender, and browning on the edges (I usually check every 20 minutes or so)

When the squash is done we lay them over a bed of greens lightly dressed with some kind of mild vinaigrette, sometimes with a soft cheese, whatever we have and whatever sounds good.

Now for strawberries and fresh peas!

Kale!

2011-03-08T11:57:00.000-08:00

I just can't turn down fresh produce. How could I? One of the great joys of living in Sonoma County, is our gardens. Almost everyone I know is growing something (or trying to). Walking around my neighborhood you can spot: lavender, mint, tomatoes, peas, and chard growing in tiny containers on front porches, or sometimes (literally) in cracks in the sidewalk. Chelsea takes advantage of her bay windows and grows herbs and tomatoes in her San Francisco apartment. Folks with more land tend to be more ambitious, back yards you could easily waste a day in, perhaps eating from it the whole time. Quince and sour cherry trees. Berries and greens. Even now as we prepare for the new season they are eating large delicious kale leaves and they are offering some to me!

Our friend Theresa has that beautiful garden, and I gladly accepted her kale.
I love kale. I like to eat it just wilted with a little olive oil and lemon. I would be happy to eat it just that way for dinner any night. However, this time I set some aside for something different.

Kale Chips!
Remove the stem and cut the leaves into bite size (chip size) pieces. Toss the leaves with olive oil and some lemon juice.

Place the leaves in a single layer on a baking sheet (salt if you like) and pop in the oven for 8 to 10 minutes at 350 degrees, until crisp.

Kale chips are simple and taste good, and might be just the thing to have for lunch along side a sandwich.

When Life Gives You Lemons... Part II

2011-02-23T11:49:00.000-08:00

We have a counter full of lemons. Our neighbors give us lemons, my mom gives us lemons, and now our little lemon tree has flower buds on it. Our friends down at Blue Label restaurant (can't wait to try their fixed menu for restaurant week) recently hosted a Meyer Lemon cook off, and Nick and I had the day off, so we used the opportunity to make some wild things we have never made before (lemon ravioli, lemon coriander vodka, lemon steak noodle salad, lemon candy...) and still we have a ton of lemons, not to mention very full bellies.
Experimenting is really important, as well as really fun, unfortunately it's not always palatable (my raviolis were too bitter, and my vodka was not as lemon-y as I would have liked). After experimenting for days, I just want something easy, classic, and promised to be delicious.

Lemon Bars!

Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9 by 13 by 2-inch baking sheet.
For the crust, cream 1/2 lbs. butter and 1/2 cup sugar.
Add 2 cups flour and 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt and mix until just combined

Gather the dough into a ball. Flatten the dough (with floured hands) and press it into the greased baking sheet, building up a 1/2-inch edge on all sides. Stick it into the refrigerator to chill for 10 to 15 minutes.
Pre-bake the crust for 15 to 20 minutes, until lightly browned. Take the crust out of the oven to let it cool off and leave the oven on.

For the lemon, whisk together the 4 eggs at room temperature, 1 2/3 cups sugar, 1+ tablespoon lemon zest (3 or 4 lemons), 2/3 cup lemon juice, and 2/3 cup flour. Once smooth pour the lemon mix into the crust and bake for 25 minutes, just beyond the when the filling sets. Let cool to room temperature and dust with powdered sugar.

A good lemon bar can't be beat. They are so easy to make, easy to transport, everyone seems to like them, AND four more lemons bite the dust!

Salads For Breakfast, Breakfast For Dinner

2011-02-17T19:26:00.000-08:00

I like a big breakfast, and I have one almost every day. Eggs in the morning are more essential than coffee, which I love, but believe it or not, I could take or leave. My love for breakfast extends beyond breakfast and can easily spill into lunch or dinner.
One of our favorite anytime breakfasts is tonight's dinner : poached egg salad.

Make any sort of simple green salad, fry some bacon and then chop it up. Dress your salad with whatever dressing you like (we make a vinaigrette), then toss in the bacon. Poach an egg and place it on top. Toast a hunk of your favorite bread, serve it on the side, and voila: ~~Breakfast~~ Dinner is served.

I Love, Love And Apples

2011-02-15T10:23:00.000-08:00

Apples are so romantic. There are dozens of myths and lore and superstitions all over the world involving apple, yet I find them romantic because they are candy sweet and common place. If you have been reading this blog you know I love simple things. It is the simple and common that can be so extraordinary when it is, what it is. For example, the satisfaction one experiences when biting into a ripe, beautiful, apple.

Apples are a wonderful dessert. I wanted to make, a really special dessert without doing anything to our perfect apple. An apple tart. It looks incredible, and the apple is truely the star.

Preheat the oven to 400
Peel, core, and thinly slice approximately 3lbs of apples (make sure your apples are ripe and delicious, I like mine slightly tart)
Roll out some of the best tart dough (see previous post). I rolled mine into a rectangle, but maybe you prefer circles, or maybe even a heart shape? In any case, transfer the dough to a baking sheet, and put it in the icebox to firm up (10 minutes or so)
Remove from the refrigerator and arrange the apple slices fanned out overlapping each other
Brush the top of the apples with melted butter and lightly dust with sugar.
Bake for 45 minuets.
When the tart comes out it is quite common to brush the apples with an apricot jam glaze, I didnt have any (but if you have an apricot tree, I would be happy to help you use your fruit, let me know!) so I decided to brush the apples with my apple rosemary jelly.
Simply warm the jam or jelly in a water bath to make it runny enough to brush on.

Once cool offer a slice to someone you love (yourself, maybe?). These are sexy apples.

LOVE

Joyeux Anniversaire

2011-02-05T15:25:00.000-08:00

French food is easy. All you need is butter and thyme.

We were happy to have my aunt and uncle over for dinner to celebrate my aunt's birthday. I decided to make a savory tart, a "French" onion tart.

My aunt loves France- she used to live in Paris, and she taught me to (maybe unintentionally) associate delicious, fashionable, and lavender (the herb) with France. When I was younger we would have tea parties with rose tea and cream, little cakes, and pastries. When I got older we had tea parties with stinky cheese, mustard, rosé, and violet liqueur.

French food had a long and complicated reputation. I'm not so interested in soups, sauces, and meats that take days to prepare. I'm interested in the fresh, simple, and delicious French "bistro" food. Easy, hearty, and served with wine. The way real French people eat.

My onion tart starts with a simple pastry dough:

2 cups flour
1 1/2 sticks of cold butter
1/4 (or less) cup of ice cold water

Mix the butter and flour together until it is crumbly, I do it in the stand mixer for less than a minute.
With the mixer still running, slowly pour ice cold water into the flour mixture until it just comes together. Let the dough rest for at least an hour in the refrigerator.
The secret to good tart dough is keep it cold before you cook it. The cold butter creates steam in the oven and that gives you a lovely flaky dough.

Nick cut 4 beautiful onions for me, because they were making me cry, and then I sauteed them with some olive oil, salt, and herbes de Provence. When the onions were soft I piled them on a very cold, rolled out tart dough. Then I dotted the onions with fresh goat cheese and prosciutto. Then they went into the oven at 350 for 20 minutes. Until everything looks golden and delicious.

Bon Appetit!

Give Me A Beet

2011-01-25T18:47:00.000-08:00

Perhaps it's a result of years and years of not eating meat, but when I make dinner the vegetable still seems to be the main course.
For dinner we invited our dear friend John and his visiting guest. I broke rule number one for having dinner guests and I made something I had never made before.
I roasted whole beets encrusted in salt. Preparing beets this way brings out a truly delicious beet flavor and a velvety texture (supposedly).

I heated the oven to 375 ish and buried large beets in sea salt, though I probably should have used a coarser salt.
I slow roasted the beets for about two hours.

When they were tender (I just stuck a skewer in to test), I pulled them out and cracked the salt open cut into these precious beets. Thank goodness for my sweet guests they were, as reported, delicious! The texture was superb.
As side dish (or back-up) I roasted a chicken.
Nick and I make a really simple chicken. We pat dry the bird, sprinkle with salt and roast at 450 for an hour. That's it. It's amazing.
I also made a cheesy polenta with chard.
Prepare polenta on the stove top (1 part polenta to 3 parts water)
I usually saute some diced onion and garlic before adding the water, then bring the water to a boil and stir in the polenta. Stir. When the polenta is thick and creamy I will add cheese, chard, and any other spice to taste. Pop it in the oven and bake for 20 minutes or so, until the cheese starts to brown.
Dinner came together beautifully, roasted beets, with a side of chicken and polenta.
When our guests arrived I was sadly informed that John hated beets. He agreed to taste a little, then he ate an entire beet.

I'd say that's a successful dinner.

When Life Gives You Lemons...

2011-01-18T17:28:00.000-08:00

The lemon tree on our front porch is still too tiny to be fruitful. Luckily for us, I found a Meyer lemon tree around the corner from our house that was heavy with ripe, fragrant lemons. Our neighborhood is rich with citrus, so during the winter I feel like a jewel thief. I ride around on my bicycle and when those bright orange or yellow orbs call out to be plucked from their perches, I do. I always ask first if the fruit tree is in someone's yard- more often than not I've asked for a few lemons and ended up with bags full of fruit from a neighbor's backyard.

In this fashion, I often end up with surplus foraged lemons. As the old adage goes, when life gives you lemons, make lemon meringue pie.

Lemon meringue pie was one of the first pies I successfully made over and over again. It was one of my mom's favorites, and one of her father's favorites too. It is a classic dessert, simple enough for a home cook, and a mile-high meringue is sure to impress the guests.

You can find a lemon meringue recipe in just about any decent cookbook. For this pie, we made an Italian meringue, which uses boiled sugar-water rather than granulated sugar. This creates a meringue that doesn't deflate as quickly and will not sweat.

The lemons gleaned from our neighbor's tree were delicious in pie-filling form. The lemon pie was so good, it could've been served all by itself. It was tart and lively, a lovely yellow hue.

Our lemon meringue pie was not long for this world. I ate it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Something so light isn't meant to last.

So Cold We Eat Our Salads Warm

2011-01-09T09:28:00.000-08:00

It has been so cold that all I seem to think is warm warm warm, especially when it's time to prepare dinner.
It is easy to neglect our leafy greens and vegetables when you think like that. So I made leafy greens and vegetables dinner, only warm.

Peel and chop some carrots and beets (and garlic), drizzle with olive oil and roast until tender, 30 minutes or so.

When they're ready and still hot, toss them with arugula- so the leaves wilt just a little- and fresh goat cheese. I drizzled the whole mess with a little balsamic and served it warm (alongside a sausage, of course).

Happy Circling The Sun

2011-01-03T19:53:00.000-08:00

It is important to start the year off right. On January first our guests and ourselves slipped out of bed for breakfast. I boiled and baked some bagels, roasted some root vegetables left over from dinner the night before (Chelsea had made us a delicious beef stew), John cleaned up the kitchen, Ashley and Judah poured us all mimosas, and Derrek brewed us cups of coffee in his Chemex pot in the living room (as now the kitchen was overflowing). Along with bagels and roasted veggies, we had eggs, bacon, and potatoes left over from the night before (Ashley had made potatoes au gratin). Lastly, and perhaps most important for the new year, everyone was made to eat black eyed peas. Black eyed peas are to be consumed on new years day for luck and prosperity, and we could all use a bit of both.
It is my hope that all of our meals in the new year are as abundant and auspicious.

As luck would have it, my dad offered Nick and I some crab. As if we would ever turn down crab. I wasn't sure how we would eat the crab, seeing as Mondays usually leave me feeling less than inspired and it is so very hard for me to resist eating the crab right out of the shell. We did manage to fill a bowl with crab meat, and we decided to make crab cakes.

There are dozens of crab cake recipes out there, ours went like this:
Roughly a pound of crab meat
A few slices of green onion (I used the ends of the onions)

Salt & pepper to taste
A splash of white wine vinegar
A heaping spoonful of mayonnaise
Several tablespoons of panko breadcrumbs
One egg
I mixed all the ingredients together.

I then made small patties of crab on a baking sheet and popped them in the 500 degree oven for about 10 minutes. I decided to also fry a few cakes in bacon fat. both ways of cooking the crab cakes were effective and delicious. I mixed up a little spicy sour cream sauce for the cakes, though they didnt need anything, and we simply devoured them.

These crab cakes would make outstanding crab cake tacos, and I would highly recommend eating them that way if you can make it to a tortilla with enough crab to put in it.
Happy New Year!
Eat well!

B.Y.O.A.

2010-12-30T19:40:00.000-08:00

Tortillas. Say it with me. Tortillas.

Just the name alone should conjure up warm memories of your Mexican grandmother in the kitchen, the sweet smell of corn on the griddle as her worn hands patted together those disc-shaped wonders. You were a child and she handed one to you, still steaming, perhaps with melted cheese or fresh butter on top, and you sank your baby teeth into it, firm and browned on the outside and so so soft inside, and you could tell: your Abuelita loves you very much.

Unless, like me, you didn't have a Mexican grandmother. Some of us just aren't born that lucky, so we must make do with what we've got.

In this case, I became my own Abuelita when I made fresh corn tortillas. You can do it too. Here's how:

Ingredients:

2 cups Masa de Harina (we used Maseca brand)
1.25 cups warm water
A pinch of sea salt
1 tsp shortening or lard (unnecessary, completely optional authentic touch)

Directions:

Mix everything in a bowl with your hands. The shortening or lard, if used, should be melted before it's mixed in. The consistency of the dough should be fairly dry, just enough to stick together without falling apart. Add water or flour to adjust consistency.

Use wax paper or a plastic bag on the tortilla press to keep dough from sticking to the metal. Form a golf-ball-sized ball of dough, put it in the tortilla press, and press that sucker down.

Now carefully peel off the tortilla and throw it on the hot griddle or in a pan. Tortillas!

If you don't have a tortilla press, that's okay. You can use your hands, a rolling pin, or a plate to flatten the masa balls into discs. Gwen got our tortilla press from a local Mexican market (Lepe's on Sebastopol Road), and it was cheap and has been more than worth it, considering how often I bust it out for a quick quesadilla, tacos for lunch, or just to show it off.

When I was a kid, our family was very close with Jose Perez, owner of the Perez Family Restaurant in Roseland. It was a truly old-school family-style Mexican restaurant, with fresh pozole and menudo on the weekends prepared by Jose's wife, Josie Perez, in the small kitchen in the back. Each huge bowl of soup was served with a stack of fresh, hot corn tortillas. Now I can bring that experience to my own kitchen and revive the memory of the Mexican grandmother I never had. I can be my own Abuelita.

Round Like The Sun. The Days Are Getting Longer!

2010-12-22T10:50:00.000-08:00

Where are the best bagels in Santa Rosa? Small bagel chains in Sonoma Valley simply don't cut it for me. Nick and I were talking about how a good bagel is SO GOOD, and we couldn't figure out the best bagel place in town. We mean the best of the best, not-just-good-but-great bagels. So I decided to try to make them myself.

I had invited my dad and Midori over for a birthday breakfast, and I thought what better Solstice birthday breakfast than a round like the sun bagel. Also, it is good to try out recipes on your family, because if it is unsuccessful they will still be your family.

Bagels should be golden and shiny to look at, with a crunchy crust and chewy inside.
I gave it my best shot; knead, wait, roll, boil, bake. The hardest part was keeping my "O" together, the ends didn't want to stick. However, we noticed they were "G" shaped and decide it was intentional.

I made a few poppy seed, and a few sesame seed varieties, why not?
I think they turned out pretty damn good.

I made quite a spread; cream cheese, lox, capers, onions, butter, jelly, jam...

I wasn't keeping track or anything, but I did happen to notice a few people helping themselves to seconds and even thirds.

They were good. Really good.

Just Thrown Together

2010-12-14T09:27:00.000-08:00

One of the most annoying things about good food- or good cooks, or family recipes, or whatever- is biting into something delicious and saying to the cook, "Can I get the recipe?" just to get a reply like, "I just sort of threw it together, there is no recipe"
Now I will freely pass recipes, after all, good food should be accessible to everyone.
Yet I am guilty of "throwing food together" with fabulous results (I am probably equally guilty of throwing food together with inedible results). I have also gotten familiar with what certain food is suppose to look or feel like, so I "just know" to add more or less flour, for example.
Throwing ingredients into a pot with no rhyme or reason, just to say "dinner was wonderful" does not make for interesting reading, or writing, and we hope people continue to read our humble blog. So what do I say then, when for dinner I threw it together?

I should start by saying early in the week we usually cook from scraps. That is, we don't want to go to the market, so whatever is lying around the house becomes dinner. On Monday night we had green chilis, cheese, and eggs on hand, so I made a chili cheese pie with black beans.
I based this concoction on a dutch pancake, with more eggs and cream, and less flour.
I cooked the green chili's in a oven proof skillet with a few tablespoons of butter
whisked together ABOUT five eggs with PERHAPS a cup of cream, MAYBE a few tablespoons of milk, and AROUND 1/4 cup flour.

I poured the batter into the skillet, sprinkled a handful of cheese on top and popped the skillet into the oven for ABOUT 25 minuets, until the top is golden.

I had cooked up some black beans, so with a dollop of sour cream, there was dinner. No recipe, but no secret either.

I Say Potato

2010-12-12T18:04:00.000-08:00

I love potatoes. I love them cooked any way, I love any variety, I love them all. Potatoes are not just tasty; they are my favorite comfort food. Cooking dinner after dark slows me down, and makes me less ambitious. I want warm and simple meals, because what I really desire is to cozy up by the fire and go to bed unreasonably early. This time of year all I want is comfort. This time of year all I want is to eat potatoes.

Baked potato, creamed spinach, and a sausage. Warm, flavorful, buttery... all my winter food requirements.

I blanched some fresh spinach and then tossed it with chopped onions and garlic that had been sauteing in butter. I added a little cream and a little hard Italian cheese, let it cook down for a few minutes. Ta da! I don't usually make creamy food, but I couldn't get creamed spinach out of my mind.

This is perfect comfort food. Rich, easy, potato.

Carrots Are Good For Your Eyes, Better To See Art With

2010-12-07T10:39:00.000-08:00

Thank You Thank You Thank You! Shop Party was an amazing and successful event. We sold out of everything (minus a few vegetarian sandwiches). It seemed all the vendors did really well, there were a ton of people that came through, and everyone seemed really happy and excited. We got so much positive feedback and encouragement, it was wonderful! We are still giddy.
We are also still busy!
We were asked to make some food for this art show, six artist have created wonderful Xmas cards you you to admire and purchase, THURSDAY!
We are making a carrot soup perfect for a cold night.

Bring your thermos, we will be happy to fill it up! Stock up on Xmas cards! After the show you can go home and address them to your far away friends and family, and have the most original cards around in the mail before the weekend.
See you Thursday!

For Our Next Trick

2010-11-30T08:56:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving was lovely, we finally digested. We are back to the grind, and looking forward to the weekend. It is true we always look forward to the weekend, but this weekend is really something to look forward to.

Nick and I are participating in our friends Meredith and Olivia's second Shop Party.
Shop Party if a craft bazaar, there will be over twenty vendors, from local business to crafty people who make incredible stuff. Two bands will be playing, there will even be cocktails! We will be there with our now much requested banh mi (Vietnamese sandwich)

We will also be scooping up some cà phê sữa đá ice cream (Vietnamese coffee ice cream).
To take home with you we will have a variety of preserves for you to try and purchase.

Apple Rosemary Jelly, Pear Fennel Butter, Sweet Roasted Beet Relish, and the amazing Tomato Jam

We are busy, busy, busy until then and really hope you come on down. You can get all your holiday purchasing done in one fell swoop, and have lunch, and hear local music, AND support local business and the local arts and crafts community. It seems like money well spent to me!
See you Sunday!

Thanks

2010-11-25T11:39:00.000-08:00

It's not hard to be thankful, even when we are so spoiled. Nick and I are blessed, our lives are charmed, our home is warm, our bellies are usually (too) full, our chickens are happy and healthy... We are happy and healthy. Our dog and cats are playing as I type in bed. We live in such an amazing, abundant, and beautiful place.

I am tempted to go over the top and describe the sun shining in through the window and the crisp morning garden, but I will not.

I will only say Nick is up making coffee, and soon I will pick some spinach from the garden, eggs from the coop, and make an omelet.

But this is our everyday routine. As much as we try, we sometimes forget how much we have to be thankful for.

Spinach, cheese, and turtle bean omelet

Nick and I do remind ourselves all the time how lucky we are. We take deep breaths, we admire our skyline, we ride our bikes, we sit down to eat, we eat. Like I said, we are blessed, and we are not alone. We have the support and love of our friends, family, and community, and they have our support and love in return.

My family always gets together in Marin for Thanksgiving, I look forward to it every year. All of us, over twenty people usually, gather around to catch up with each other and eat the hors d'oeuvres everyone has contributed (we are going to bring some kind of cured meat, soft cheese, homemade jam concoction). I have the good fortune of coming from a family of talented cooks and amazing palates, so everything on the table is so good that by the time dinner is ready I am already full. I am not even going to try to pace myself this year, I am going to be thankful for everything I eat, and wear a full skirt, and maybe even take a nap.
I hope everyone is mindful of their abundance today. Feel deeply, feel grateful, eat good food with good people, remember that we are all good people.
Happy Thanksgiving!

When You Do Feel Like Cooking

2010-11-18T09:27:00.000-08:00

Now that we are rested, I wanted to cook. I was also craving ravioli. I have made ravioli from scratch before with various levels of success, but each time I seem to get better.
Making the pasta is easy enough, it is 2 cups flour, mixed with 2 eggs and 2 egg yolks.
For this pasta I added some finely chopped (pulverized) dried sage.
The filling was easy too, my favorite, butternut squash!

I roasted a beautiful squash with olive oil and some salt and pepper, when it was ready I mashed it, and mixed it with ricotta cheese.

I rolled out the dough in golf ball size proportions, and that is easy too because I use my handy dandy pasta rolling attachment for my KitchenAid mixer. The difficult part for me, is cutting and stuffing. There is nothing uniform about this process for me. Part of me loves the beautiful inconsistency, even messy look of (my) fresh pasta. There is another part of me the worries about the inconsistency of my pasta for cooking and presentation. Perhaps someday I will have a ravioli stamp, or maybe higher counter tops to streamline this process, as for now, it's a little (delicious) mess.

It is fastest, and easiest for me is to make ravioli pockets, that is cut a rectangle of rolled pasta, place the filling on one side, dampen the edges and fold over, press to seal. I only do it this way because I then don't have to cut identical pieces of pasta. :)
Once I made all of my little pockets I dropped them into a large pot of boiling water. Like all fresh pasta cooking these ravioli only takes a few minuets.
I dressed the ravioli with fresh basil pesto, tomato jam (I may be a little obsessed, I am incorporating this into every meal) and fresh goat cheese.

The garlic in the basil, the sweetness of the squash and tomato, with the tangy-ness of the tomato and goat cheese was a winning combination.
Our sage and butternut squash ravioli with pesto, tomato jam, and goat cheese dinner was a delicious success.

When You Don't Feel Like Cooking

2010-11-18T08:39:00.000-08:00

Over the weekend we went up to Sea View to celebrate Nick's birthday. We had a wonderful, relaxing, adventurous time. The weather was unbelievable, warm and clear. I promised Nick I would make him anything he wanted for his birthday dinner... I think he has moved entirely into adulthood, as he requested sauerkraut soup and roasted Brussels sprouts for his special meal. The soup was really wonderful and hearty, I forgot the Brussels though. We ate the soup with crusty cheesy bread and salad. A friend of ours arrived before dinner with a roast chicken and so I roasted some potatoes and we really feasted.
When we got home the next morning we were all exhausted. Back to work we went, and for dinner we didn't feel like cooking. Our solution was simple, snacks! We love bread, cheese, smoked fish, smoked meat, jam, mustard, anything you can pile on or glop together in a convenient and wonderfully satisfying bite sized taste.

We dined, or snacked, or picked at a sourdough baguette, a lovely soft cheese, pickled anchovies, smoked oysters, smoked sprats, and some (mind-blowing, if you don't mind me tooting my own horn) tomato jam I made awhile back. To round the meal up we made a simple salad of greens and herbs.

Dinner was amazing, and we didn't have to lift a finger, other than to pop a piece of fish in our mouth.

The Great Collapsible Paving Stone

2010-11-10T11:07:00.000-08:00

This is Birthday week times two.
November 6th was my mom's birthday, and the 9th was Nick's birthday. Truth be told between eating out and eating leftovers we have not been cooking very much. On Monday however we had my mom and Gary over for a birthday dinner. We grilled a bunch of pizzas, had a simple pear salad, and drank plenty of wine.
As for a birthday cake I decided to make a flour-less cake because this particular flour-less cake is amazing, and because we nearly used all the flour we had making double batches of pizza dough.
As far as we know, we have no allergy to gluten. In fact we eat a lot of gluten rich foods. I have often said I could live on bread and cheese. So the motivation behind baking gluten-free is a delicious product, not necessarily for any health benefit. If you do have an allergy to gluten, bake this cake! Even if you don't! Just please, please be patient!

The cake is a Chocolate Pave, pave is the french word for paving stone, and call so because this is a rich often dense cake. This particular recipe is rich, and seemingly dense, but light as air at the same time. The texture is amazing!

Chocolate Pave
Preheat the oven to 350
In a double boiler heat until melted and smooth
7 1/2 oz. GOOD dark chocolate and 15 T unsalted butter [ :) ]
Set aside to cool
separate 6 eggs,

Whist the yolks with 1/2 cup sugar, whisk until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture ribbons, 10 minuets or so (my right forearm is still sore, maybe use the kitchen-aid mixer) fold the yoke into the chocolate.
In a separate bowl whisk the egg whites, gradually add 1/4 cup sugar, and a pitch of salt. Whisk until the whites look shiny and hold shape.

In three parts fold the whites into the chocolate, just until combined. Pour the mixture into a cake pan that has been buttered and flowered (I used cocoa powder)
Bake for 35 to 40 minuets, The top will crack and it is done when the sides our set up and the center is still slightly soft.
This is where the patience comes into play. It is important to let the cake cool completely before you remove it from the cake pan. This particular morning I was a little over eager and this beautiful cake kind of collapsed.
Before my mom came over for dinner I lightly dusted the cake with powdered sugar in attempts to disguise my "ambition", not that it mattered, we all devoured large sections before giving the cake much of a second glance.

Pumpkin Bread

2010-11-02T08:41:00.000-07:00

We get so excited for trick-or-treaters; we dress up, arm ourselves with full size candy bars, light our jack-o-lanterns, and wait. Unfortunately we only get about ten kids, maybe, so there is some down time and we wrap up early. While we wait it is important to have some spooky music on and something warm and spicy to eat and to drink. This time of year I rarely put away my crock pot, it is full and steaming with apple cider. To eat, of course something pumpkin...
Spiced Pumpkin Filbert Bread (adapted from The New California Cook)
Preheat the oven to 350, spread 1/2 cup chopped filberts (hazelnuts) on a baking sheet and roast for 5ish minuets, until lightly browned. Set aside.
Beat 4 T soft unsalted butter with1/2 cup brown sugar and 1/2 granulated sugar until well blended. Add 2 eggs, 1 ts orange zest, 1/2 cup orange juice, and 1 cup pumpkin puree. Blend well.
In another bowl mix 2 cups flour, 1/4 ts salt, 2 ts baking powder, 1/2 ts baking soda, 1/2 ts cinnamon, 1/2 nutmeg, 1/2 ginger, 1/2 allspice. Add the dry ingredients and to the pumpkin mix, mix until just blended. Add the filberts and 1/2 cup golden raisins. Mix just enough to combine.

Butter two 4x8 loaf pans, and divide the batter evenly between the two. Bake for 45 minuets, until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cook for 15 minuets before turning out and cooling completely (or however long you and reasonably wait).

We hope everyone had a safe and happy Halloween!

The Great Pumpkin

2010-10-26T08:27:00.000-07:00

Chelsea's Descry launch was amazing, fun, and there was a great turn out. Nick and I warmed folks up with boozy beverages, and welcomed them in from the rain with scoops of ice cream, and boy were they happy to see us. I happily scooped until there was nothing left to scoop. We were very well received and are so grateful to be apart of such a wonderful night.
The pumpkin ice cream was a delight, and I was pleased to have some leftover pumpkin. What to make next?

I decided to make a lovely pumpkin gnocchi. I love gnocchi and every once and awhile I try my had at a perfect gnocchi, and they usually turn out OK (as good as store bought) but there is always room for improvement. It may just be the Italian gene I lack, in which case there is no hope for me.
In theory though, like all pasta, gnocchi is very simple to make.
It starts with a baked potato.
When your potato has baked through, pull it out of the stove and scoop out the hot insides and run through a food mill.

Spread the potato in a single layer onto a working surface and let cool completely. Once the potatoes have cooled, sprinkle 1 cup of flour and a few teaspoon of salt over the potatoes. Gather the mixture together to form a well. Add the pumpkin puree (I used about 1/3 cup) and an egg into the middle of the well,

lightly knead the mixture together just until all ingredients are combined and it forms a ball. If the gnocchi are too wet, add more flour a little bit at a time only until the dough comes together and doesn’t stick to your fingers easily. It’s important not to overwork the dough, as this will make the gnocchi heavy and tough.
Roll out your dough into finger with worms, and cut into bite sized pieces. I will often roll a fork over them to give them a little texture for sauce.

Plop them into boiling water for 3 to 4 minuets, until they come to the surface looking like little pillows. Drain and add your favorite sauce.

For our sauce:
This was a "chop it up, throw it in" light tomato sauce. I diced a handful or cherry tomatoes from the garden, some garlic, some onion, a spoonful or so of leftover pumpkin puree, sauteed with butter, a little olive oil, salt and pepper. Not too shabby.
We served our gnocchi with a dollop of pesto on top, and a simple apple and cheese salad.

Saturday night we carved pumpkins, and reserved the seeds, and gunk. We have more roasted pumpkin seeds then we know what to do with, the chickens have been pumpkin feasting, AND I roasted and pureed five pints of pumpkin...
In the posts to come you may note a theme. Hey, it's what's in season.

Descry Presents

2010-10-20T09:59:00.000-07:00

I've been busy making ice cream and shaking jars or hooch.
Chelsea is hosting Descry Magazine's second issue release party, and she asked us to make sure everyone had something sweet to eat and/or drink.
Gladly I agreed.

I've been roasting pumpkin for pumpkin ice cream and crushing up cardamom for a batch of cardamom saffron.

To drink I've put together a peach vanilla brandy that has been infusing for a month now.
For the last week or so vodka has been infusing with honey and oats.
The finished product should be something quite special.
I suggest you taste for yourself!

CATALOGUE OF THE NIGHT

3641 Main Street Gallery, Occidental CA

October 22, 7-11pm

Issue No.2 Release

Art Exhibit

And Silent Auction Featuring Work By:

Elena Zavala

And Chris Weller Presents:

A Magnificent Microcosm- The Smallest Circus in Western Territories

Performance By: Odd Bird

Homemade Ice Cream and Infused Beverages By: Born & Raised

With Toppings By: Produce to the People

Hope to see you Friday!

Folklore and Figs

2010-10-13T09:19:00.000-07:00

When I was little I hated figs. Now I LOVE figs. I love the way they taste, their texture, and the way they look.

Figs are one of the oldest fruits enjoyed by humans, and one of the best for us (I suppose this is just my opinion, but they are high in potassium, iron, fiber and especially plant calcium). In Buddhism the fig tree is a symbol of enlightenment. In Greek mythology, figs are associated with Dionysus, the god of wine, and with Priapus, a satyr who symbolized sexual desire. Ancient Egyptian priests ate them at consecration ceremonies and figs show up a lot in the Old Testament as well as the New. The beautiful innards, full of seeds, signify unity and knowledge as well as fertility.
What I am trying to say, what history proves, is these are damn good eatin'.

I got a handful from Midori, and decided I would make a fig cake. A fig cake with cinnamon, to give us unifying knowledge and prosperity (cinnamon is ruled by Aphrodite, Greek goddess of love, but also has a long history of use as a herb used for business, attracting wealth abundance). A cake for writing a business plan.

Get Down to Business Fig Cake

2 cups flour
1 T baking powder
1 t salt
16 T unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 eggs
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup chopped figs
For the top:
1/2 cup sliced figs (or however many needed to cover the surface)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
ground cinnamon

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 13 by 9-inch baking pan.

Whisk two cups flour, baking powder, and salt together in medium bowl. Beat butter and sugars until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until just incorporated into butter & sugar. Beat in one-third of flour mixture; add and mix in half a cup of milk. Add half of the remaining flour mixture, then remaining milk, and finally the rest of the flour mixture. Fold in the chopped figs.

Spread batter into prepared pan. Arrange sliced figs on the top, sprinkle the sugar, and then dust with cinnamon.

Bake until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool in pan 20 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Making friends and family feel more abundant, one slice of cake at a time.

Stuffed and Stacked

2010-10-12T12:30:00.000-07:00

I suppose we are moving into Autumn, but this 90 degree weather certainly is no indication of that. I can tell that the seasons are shifting- I am all of a sudden waking up before the sun, and the plants are starting to shed. The plants seem a bit confused. We are still getting tomatoes and summer squash, even though the plants look like they are ready to be composted. We are still getting basil too. I want to make the most of this strange growing season, but I really want to be eating soup and starch and fungi.
For now we are combining the two, and embracing our summerfall limbo.
Stuffed mushrooms. Or, rather: Stacked mushrooms.
I started by caramelizing red and yellow onions with a little olive oil and a little maple syrup.
When the onions looked beautiful I piled them on the upturned underbellies of portobello mushrooms. On top of that a thick slice of tomato, and some fresh local goat cheese. I drizzled a little balsamic and and olive oil over all of it, and of course, salt and pepper.

In the oven they go at 375º-ish, for 30-ish minutes, until the cheese browns a bit.

We ate our mushroom with fresh greens and some garlic bread.

Nick gave dinner two thumbs up. Success.

Goodbye Sweet Summer

2010-10-06T08:53:00.000-07:00

Blackberries and blackberry picking are quintessentially summer. There was a short blackberry season this year, and we picked more then we could handle at the time, so Nick and I froze some to use later. Here they make their end-of-season debut in a Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn cake.

Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn Yogurt Cake

1 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
1 cup sugar
3 eggs (thanks chickens)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cup blackberries (you can use any berry, fresh or frozen, ours were frozen and not completely thawed)
1 pear cored and thinly sliced

Preheat oven to 350, grease a 9 inch pan of some kind
Mix flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the yogurt, sugar, eggs, vanilla and oil. Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Fold blackberries gently into the batter. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and arrange the sliced pear on top. bake for about 50 (+) minutes, or until a cake tester placed in the center of the cake comes out clean.

Hello Autumn!

Pizza Pie in the Sky

2010-10-05T09:38:00.000-07:00

Finally, pizza!
As I've mentioned before we love pizza, and we eat a lot of it. It has been awhile though. This summer has been so busy for us and we have been eating other things... like eggs.
The key to pizza success is good dough and high heat. We have aspirations to build a wood-fire oven in the backyard, but we just haven't gotten to it. The next best thing is on the grill.
It is true that everything tastes good if you grill it, but is especially true with pizza. Grilled pizza is crispy, chew, smokey, perfect.
There are a few tricks to grilling pizza; thin crust is ideal (always, right?), and less is more when it come to toppings.

Nick makes the most amazing dough,
1/4 tsp active dry yeast
11/2 cup warm water
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp salt
4 cup flour
Add yeast to warm water, let proof for 10 minuets. Yeast should become a frothy paste.
Stir in olive oil
Add flour and salt, knead for 10 minuets
Refrigerate overnight
Take the dough out and punch and flip dough, then put it back in the icebox for at least 4 hours

We have found that making the dough a few days ahead of pizza night give the dough a really beautiful sour flavor.

Pizza night! Prepare your grill, you want your coals to be medium hot, not too low, the point it to quickly cook on high heat (without burning)
Roll out or pull out your dough, we usually keep our pizzas on the small side because it is easier to work with.
Brush your dough with olive oil and grill for 3 minuets
Flip over and add toppings, sometimes we pull the pizza away from the grill to add toppings so we can grill another dough.
When you have the toppings on cover the grill an check every few minuets. Remove when your cheese has melted or underneath is golden.

Experiment with toppings. We love the classic Margarita pizza, fresh tomatoes, fresh basil, fresh mozzarella. If you can afford it (we usually can't) get yourself mozzarella di bufala. It's not local but it is the best. We opt for Belfiore mozzarella from Berkeley.

On this night our second pizza was sliced pears from my dads tree, fresh local goat cheese, spinach, and a little bit of Gruyere.

It's never too late in the year for using the grill!

We All Scream For Ice Cream

2010-09-29T08:45:00.000-07:00

It's SO hot.
Last week when we had some colder days, even a little rain, I started canning. Now of course it feels like winter will never come and what should I do with those cans of caramelized pears?
Dollop them next to ice cream of course.

To make a simple vanilla ice cream pour 1 cup cream in a sauce pan with 1/2 sugar, a pinch of salt, and one vanilla pod sliced open and scraped into the pan. Heat until the sugar has dissolved, then remove from heat, add two more cups cream and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract. Thoroughly chill before freezing in ice cream maker.
Simple and delicious.

Caramelizing pears was fun, and a bit more complicated. I used this recipe. I'm not sure how to tweak it, as I don't know enough about pH when canning, and these pears are delicious but a bit too sweet for my taste. They taste like candy!

Try to stay cool!

BLTE

2010-09-28T09:20:00.000-07:00

Our chickens have not been phased by the heat, they keep giving us eggs, we seem to be up to four a day! They are so beautiful too, light brown, dark red, and blue. They beg to be eaten and it is hard to resist. They are slyly incorporated into otherwise egg-free meals such as the classic BLT. Now the BLT comes with a poached egg.
During the summer heat (or rather autumn!?) it is hard to muster up the energy to cook dinner. It is hard to want to turn on the oven, or stand in the kitchen, or think about what to prepare. The standby in our house is the sandwich. Simple, satisfying, seasonal what else could you ask for in a meal?

One of our absolute favorites is the BLT. In late spring we start to crave tomatoes like nothing else (if there is one thing I wouldn't not wish anyone to eat out of season in is a tomato, they are disgusting) and our first BLT of the season is something we slow down to savor, and then usually make ourselves seconds. We are well into tomato season (but it's not over!) and still not sick of BLT's.
For dinner I cooked up some Black Pig bacon, which we cannot get enough of, and feel great about eating because they use happy hogs from the first sustainable hog operation in the United States!
I poached some eggs*, sliced some beautiful fresh tomatoes, picked some lettuce, smeared some mayo on our favorite toast, and piled it all up. Voila! Dinner!

For an extra indulgence I made some oven fries. Simply cut potatoes into wedges, coat with olive oil, pop in a 400 degree oven for 25 to 30 minuets until golden (check on and flip after 15 minuets).

Our meal was accompanied by a glass of sparkling wine, of course. I cant imagine a more perfect meal, everything on our plate was fresh, in season, came from withing 30 miles of our house, and was incredibly simple to prepare. PERFECTION!

*The key to poaching a perfect egg if you don't have a fancy egg poaching device, is to used just enough water (you don't need a lot just enough for the egg to float to the surface and not touch the bottom, a few inches). Add a few table spoons of vinegar to the water. The vinegar will keep the egg together, also the fresher your egg the easier it is to keep together. When the water boils crack egg into the water (some folks crack the egg into a ramekin and then slide it into the water, but I don't like to do dishes). Cook for 3 to 4 minutes and then remove with a slotted spoon.

Let Us Eat Mouth Fulls of Cake

2010-09-20T10:24:00.000-07:00

I've long held that I am not much of a baker. Baking is science, where cooking is art. I have thrown together all sorts of powders and goos and liquids and out of the oven came salty cookies, rock hard bread, runny gratin, popovers that didn't pop anywhere... just to name a few. It's the measuring of just the right ingredients that held me up.

I've been persevering though and I've had some successes. The main reasons for my success is I've slowed down and I've had faith in my books. I know if I read the instructions, and take my time following them, something magical happens.
I like sweets. I believe sweets should be beautiful. Receiving them and eating them should be precious, like a little gift. I really romanticize baked goods. Pie fresh from the oven! Scones filling the morning with there salty sweet aroma! Hardly being able to wait until the dish has cooled before you burn your tongue on... whatever it is, it's worth it!

I wanted to make something simple, and suitable for dessert or breakfast. I also didn't want to go to the market (baking usually requires a trip, as we are often fresh out of butter or cocoa or milk). I picked up "How to Be a Domestic Goddess" turned to the index and saw Apple Walnut Cake. Without even flipping to the recipe I had made up my mind, I had apples and I had walnuts, it was settled, my mouth began to water.
When I turned to the recipe I realized I did not have many of the ingredients needed, and without batting an eye I went to pealing apples. I knew that I could make some very simple substitutions without compromising the integrity of the final product. When did this happen?! When did I learn enough about the ingredients in my pantry to know how to use what, when? And to make a cake! I felt creative, clever, artistic! I have to say I impressed even myself. I hope you enjoy this cake as much as I did.

My Apple Walnut Cake
Adapted from Nigella Lawson's "How to Be a Domestic Goddess"
1/2 cup raisins
4 T hot water
4 T port
1/2 plus 2 T canola oil
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 1/4 cup flour
1 tea cinnamon
1 1/2 tea baking soda
1 tea baking powder
1/2 tea salt
1 lbs. apples, peeled, cored and cut into cubes
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
Put raisins in a bowl with port and hot water
Preheat oven to 350
Beat the oil and sugar, add eggs one at a time, beat until mixture looks like mayonnaise. Add the dry ingredients, until combined. Add apples, walnuts, and drained raisins. Put the cake mix (which will be fairly stiff, almost like a cookie dough) into a buttered 8-inch spring-form pan. Bake for 1 hour, or until the toothpick comes out clean. Let cake stand for 10 minuets, then turn it out and let it cool completely (yeah... good luck).

It turned out delicious! It was nice with a pad of butter fresh from the oven, and the next morning with coffee, or on it's own, by the mouthful as I was passing through the kitchen.

We Drink What We Like

2010-09-15T20:46:00.000-07:00

I think it is a shame to sit down to a meal without a glass of wine. Wine is a condiment, the same way a twist of lemon is. The right pairing of wine and food can make once-subtle flavors and nuances sparkle, refresh and balance a spicy or rich meal, or be the perfect accompaniment to a great meal.

There are two rules to pairing wine with food. The first rule is don’t choose a wine that overpowers your meal, and don’t choose a meal that overpowers your wine. The second rule is drink what you like.

If you are in my house, you drink your wine from a jar (most likely an old Hector's Honey jar), just as my grandfather and John Steinbeck did. Some may consider it tacky. They may even say it depreciates the aroma or is an insult to the wine. It is true that there is a purpose to the elegant body of a proper wine glass, but we eat most of our meals outside, we move around the kitchen while we cook, we are clumsy, and we break glasses so we use multi-use durable jars. The wine tastes fine in a Ball jar.

I like to have a glass of rosé on a hot day as I start to prepare dinner. Sweet rosés are usually covering up some undesirable flavors, and are generally why people are afraid to drink pink wine. I like dry rosé, a lively, bright, refreshing summer drink.

For dinner Saturday night we were lucky enough to have a surprise visit from Chelsea. We really wanted to re-invoke the summer, as we has reluctantly said goodbye to it only the weekend before, so we decided to barbecue. Nick went to the farmers market for pork ribs, but as it is nearing slaughter season there was none to be had from the previous season (yes, meat has a season too). Instead he brought home riblets and leg of lamb. He also picked up some of our favorite bread, Costeaux Multigrain, a few peaches, and some greens and garlic.
Nick made a simple and beautiful rub for the meat, and we grilled 'em up along with thickly sliced peaches and squash from the garden brushed with olive oil and salt and pepper. In the house I quickly rolled three small disks of goat cheese in coarsely chopped walnuts and roasted them for a few minuets in the oven on high heat. I laid the cheese over a bed of fresh, undressed greens, we laid the grilled peaches and squash over that, and when the meat was ready we nuzzled them all together on our plate.

It was amazing, the meat was sweet and tender, the flavors of squash, peach, cheese, nuts, and greens created an unbelievable synergy.

With dinner we drank a nice red wine, a local Syrah.

You cannot see from this picture (we are still using a ancient camera that only works with a glaring flash, or not at all), but the wine was a beautiful dark plum color. Syrahs tend to be more purple than red as the grapes are dark purple. They tend to be fuller bodied, so they are a good choice for the bold flavors of grilled meat. This particular wine had a jam flavor, also a earthy leather flavor which was especially lovely with the lamb.

S T R E T C H summer! Don't even bother clearing off the table!
Skal! Sante!

Every Morning is a Gift

2010-09-07T11:57:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, when feeding the chickens and filling up their water, I saw it. A perfect little egg, light brown and beautiful. I literally shrieked, "Nick, Nick, the chickens laid an egg! It's a birthday miracle!" Perhaps that was going a little overboard but I was excited.

This is our little egg sitting in the amazing chair Chelsea made.

I blew the innards out of our first one so we could save the shell, and to my delight this morning there was another beautiful brown egg waiting for me, still warm.

So Nick had it for breakfast.
It seems to me only one girl is laying right now, but it is only a matter of time before we are up to our ears in fresh beautiful eggs.

End of Summer

2010-09-07T08:31:00.001-07:00

My birthday celebration came to an end on Sunday in the most amazing way.
We threw a brunch at our house and invited a few friends.
Chelsea made this delicious raspberry-blackberry crumble from berries she'd picked the same day.

I went to the farmers market Saturday for eggs and spinach, and I came across the most beautiful peppers.

I sauteed the peppers with onions and squash from the garden.

Then I filled a few buttered casserole dishes with fresh basil, spinach and goat cheese, added the sauteed veggies and eggs (about 18, which I had beat with a little heavy cream). Then I baked the dish for about 30 minuets (until the eggs were set) at 425˚.
When they came out of the oven they were fluffy and beautiful.
I also tossed some potatoes in olive oil and rosemary, salt, and pepper and roasted them until golden.

We made some sausages, some friends brought fresh tomatoes from their garden, pastries, melon, orange juice, champagne, and iced tea. Nick prepared a Bloody Mary bar with all kinds of fixins, and we had a giant thermos of New Orleans style coffee with chicory.
We had no leftovers.

We ate and talked and laughed and I opened a few presents, most notably a chair Chelsea made with deer and moose antlers and leather. It is incredible, a museum piece. Pictures to come. My friend Danica, a poet, wrote a beautiful poem for me that when she read it aloud I was moved to tears.
It seems Labor Day is the unofficial end of summer. It feels that way for us. We are slowing down, getting back to work/school/life, and the days are noticeably shorter. We had a wonderful summer with a wonderful end. We are dubbing this summer the "Summer of Love and Adventure". It was magic, and I am looking forward to a magic autumn with plenty of warm bread and hearty soup.

Birthday Week Continues

2010-09-04T14:29:00.000-07:00

Three nights a week I must work late, so Nick and I don't get to make dinner together. These are my least favorite nights. I especially look forward to Wednesday night dinner. I like breaking up the week, getting ingredients from the farmers market, having leftovers for lunch the next day, and spending the evening at home.
This last Wednesday we had to forgo our night a home to wine and dine at the amazing Zazu. My dad took Midori, Nick, and me out for a gastronomic birthday celebration. We ordered many little dishes and shared everything(my favorite way to eat), and it all started with their farm raised, house made salumi with fennel pollen. It is the best cured meat I have ever had. Although I didn't eat it for a good twenty years I have tried my darndest to make up for lost time, i.e. I have had a lot of amazing charcuterie as of late and this is the best.
After the salumi we ate amazing cheese, roasted peppers with Spanish almonds, a BLT salad, fried zucchini spears, pizza... as we were licking our plates we overheard the server mention a starter they had just added to the menu and we knew we had to make room for more. The last dish was mission figs stuffed with foie gras, wrapped in bacon, then broiled. It may have been our favorite part of the meal. Dessert was a flight of ice cream; we had a sample of all the menu had to offer (we ordered five and our server took it upon himself to wish me a happy birthday with two extra).
Thanks dad, dinner was incredible!
Wednesday night Chelsea came up for an extended stay in our messy guest room (my mess, I didn't want to birthday clean). It has been so nice to have a full house. This weekend we are all getting ready to finally close my birthday week on Sunday with a backyard brunch. I went to the farmers market this morning to buy eggs and 8 lbs. of potatoes! Yum!

A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words

2010-08-31T10:57:00.000-07:00

Nick and I had an amazing start to birthday week!
We went to Sea View Saturday night, had a hearty breakfast of potatoes, sausage, and a poached egg salad.

After we cleaned up, we got in the car and made our way to Mendocino.
We stopped at Glass Beach, where the weather was gorgeous, warm and sunny. While admiring the beach we discovered our camera was broken so unfortunately, we are unable to show you how magical it was. From Glass Beach, we drove to Ricochet Ridge Ranch, where Nick treated me to a ten mile beach ride. We couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day, and part of the ride was through the forest where we were able to snatch blackberries as we rode by.
My horse was a retired race horse who was still very competitive and didn't like it when Nick's horse tried to walk in front of him. Throughout the whole ride I had the most ridiculous grin from ear to ear. I really felt wrapped in love, it was such a beautiful day, such an amazing experience, and such a special and thoughtful birthday gift. Experiences are so much better then things.
After our ride it was time for dinner, so we got a bite in Mendocino, and headed home. We had to stop twice on our way home, once to climb onto the roof of our car to admire all the stars we can't see living in town, and once to admire the giant orange moon low on the horizon. Perfection.
Yesterday, I was gearing up for today, cleaned the house a little and making a carrot birthday cake, sorry no pictures, but it was delicious,
(the recipe is adapted from Smitten Kitchen):
Carrot Cake:
2 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ginger (I used fresh but you can use ground)
2 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups canola oil
4 large eggs
3 cups grated carrots
1 cups coarsely chopped walnuts
1 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Whisk flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger in medium bowl to blend.
Whisk sugar and oil in large bowl until well blended. Whisk in eggs. Add flour mixture and stir until blended. Stir in carrots, walnuts and raisins.

Butter and flour two 9-inch-diameter cake pans (I don't have any two cake pans that are the same size so I did a slightly smaller cake for the top layer). Divide the batter between the prepared pans, and bake the layers for about 40 minutes each, or until a tester inserted into center comes out clean. Cool cakes in pans 15 minutes. Turn out onto racks. Cool cakes completely. And frost with cream cheese frosting.

Frosting:
16 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
Beat all the ingredients until fluffy. Chill the frosting for 10 to 20 minutes, until it has set up enough to spread smoothly.
I have frosting left over so I am going to fold in some whipped cream and use that to fill my birthday cream puffs!
I am feeling particularly blessed this birthday, thank you all for the love, support, and sweet wishes.
AND bear with us as we may have either very few or very crude pictures, until we figure out what is wrong with our camera, or we get a new one.

LOVE

The Vegetables Will Not Be Ignored

2010-08-28T12:58:00.000-07:00

My friend Tobais and his girlfriend Janne made this wonderful little short.
Happy weekend, eat your vegetables!

Hot Child on the Birthday

2010-08-27T19:33:00.000-07:00

It had been too hot to cook.
We went to the river with some figs and some salami, and ate at the farmers market, and took a lot of naps.
Now it has cooled off and I look forward to getting back in the kitchen.

My birthday is on Tuesday, and I am officially kicking it off tomorrow, and the celebration will last until September 6th!
Tomorrow Nick and I are off to spend the night at Sea View because he is taking my horseback riding on the beach in Mendocino on Sunday, and I am making a birthday carrot cake for our after ride snack.

Expect a slew of birthday related food posts, a week long indulgence!
Until then, eat well.

If You Can't Take the Heat

2010-08-24T08:27:00.001-07:00

We have been sweetly promising our tomato plants that they would surely see some hot sunny days. We have been hoping we would have some nights in witch we could walk around jacket-less. Our dreams came true... and then some!
Our outdoor thermometer obviously doesn't quite work, but it sure felt this hot.
Olive did this most of the day.
We did too, to be quite honest.
We were invited to a barbecue for dinner, which we were grateful for because I was dying to make a peach cobbler, yet there was no way I was staying in the house after I turned the oven on.
These peaches are amazing. You just cant find ripe peaches in the stores. Sweet peaches with soft flesh that juice and drip all over your face and down your arm when you take a bite. They are so perfect, I did almost nothing to them for this simple cobbler.
Biscuit dough. Whatever your favorite recipe is, for mine I used 1 1/2 cup flour, 6 T cold butter, and 3/4 cup heavy cream as well as a pinch of salt and a pinch of sugar.
Peaches were my favorite as a child, and when I have a good one now all the desire for that particular sweetness I craved as a kid comes back.
Romance your peaches, then slip off there skins. Slice.
I mixed a tablespoon or so of flour with my peach slices, and a tablespoon of brown sugar. You could add more sugar, but I felt these lovely peaches really didn't need much, and I wanted there own sweetness to shine.
Arrange peaches in a dish, I used a pie dish.
Arrange your biscuits on top. Bake at 375 for 40 minuets or so.
Until the peaches are bubbling and the biscuits are beautifully browned.
We have an abundance of squash so I decided to bring a summer squash dish too.
I simply thinly sliced some squash, thinly sliced an onion, added some fresh basil in layers. I poured 1/2 cup heavy cream and 1/2 cup milk over the top, salt and lots of fresh black pepper and baked also at 375 for 40 minuets or so.
While you are waiting for that to bake find a cool spot, bring a large glass of ice water and relax.
When it was ready we brought our baked goodies, as well as some wild plum sorbet, and cold white wine to our neighbors house. We sat outside, ate too much, talked too loud, and very much enjoyed ourselves.

Sunday

2010-08-23T08:47:00.001-07:00

I love Sundays. They are sweet and slow, and ours started with a delicious mess of a breakfast, Blackberry Dutch Pancake.
We walked across the street for the Northern California Bike Expo and then we made our slow way to sweet peaches.
We bought a flat of soft sweet yellow peaches, and a few tomatoes.
Today it is my task to transform our peaches. I'll let you know how they turn out.

Art of the Tart

2010-08-19T08:37:00.000-07:00

We love pizza. We eat it once every two weeks, maybe once a week. We usually decide Tuesday night to have pizza on Wednesday. Nick makes the pizza dough Tuesday, and then I go to the farmers market Wednesday morning for toppings. The only problem with having pizza for dinner, is we need a day for the dough, so it is not exactly something you can trow together day of (I suppose you can, but I wouldn't want to mess with Nick's dough for an inferior product).
We didn't make any dough Tuesday, but we were hankering for pizza so I decided to make a few savory tarts, the flaky cousin of the pizza. Tart dough is easy as pie (forgive me), and it only needs an hour to rest. This dough was two cups of flour, a stick of butter, salt, and a little water to bring it all together.
We have many happy squashes in the garden, we have been using them in every meal.
Our tomatoes are still green, but a friend left a bunch of sweet delicious grape tomatoes at the bookstore, I was eager to use. Squash, tomato, garlic, and feta on the first tart.
On the second tart I thinly sliced a potato and an onion, fresh garlic, and feta. I brushed both with a fresh egg, and decided to only turn the sides up on one, but I recommend turning up the sides.
Bake for 40 minuets...

I piled the tomato squash tart with fresh spinach before we cut into it.
Both were delicious, simple, and filling. A fine substitute for pizza night.

Blackberry Fingers

2010-08-17T09:44:00.000-07:00

Sunday Nick and I went blackberry picking!
I made a tart, and several jars of blackberry sage jam.
I love blackberry season. I feel a particular kinship with the berry, as we "ripen" at the same time of year.
More berry picking, and pie and jam making to come...
I love summer.

Tawanda!

2010-08-17T08:56:00.000-07:00

I love the South. At least I think I love the South, I have spent very little time there, but I would like to spend a lot more. Last summer my dear friend Chelsea and I went to Tennessee for a week, we realized the sweet Southern summer on a drive to Chattanooga, and a swim in the river. Later on our way to a cabin in the beautiful Smoky Mountains we stopped at a farmers market for green tomatoes, honey, and Amish butter for frying.
Chelsea and I had made fried green tomatoes before, we made it up as we went along, they were wonderful, and we were looking forward to making them again, in the South, like Jessica Tandy. Traditionally, to make fried green tomatoes you are supposed to bread your tomatoes with cornmeal, which we did, however apparently we used the wrong kind of cornmeal, because we were nearly breaking our teeth with each bite. Our tomatoes were awful, but we were enjoying them on the porch with thousands of fireflies, so it wasn't that bad.
I always fantasize about the South in the summer, maybe because I've only been to the South in the summer, and because that is the way I romanticize it.
I made fried green tomatoes this weekend, my way, and they were amazing.
I was thinking a lot about the movie Fried Green Tomatoes so I really wanted to incorporate honey into the dinner. I decided I would caramelize some onions in honey. We always get honey from Hector the Honey Man (and we go through it very fast), although someday I hope to be a bee charmer myself.

I made mashed potatoes with truffle butter, to accompany the caramelized onions. I use truffle butter on everything, but I really love the flavors of honey and truffle together.

Rather than cornmeal, I used bread crumbs. I sliced the tomatoes, salt them, coat in flour, then an egg/milk mixture, and then breadcrumbs.
Fry until golden.
I've only had corn a few times this summer, and nothing makes a meal seem like a summertime meal, like sweet corn on the cob.
I threw some broccoli rabe on to the plate as well, because I have a guilty conscience if I serve a dinner without any green on the plate.
Success! Dinner was amazing, although it tasted decidedly Northern California rather than Whistle Stop, Alabama, and that's OK. After dinner we got cozy and watched Fried Green Tomatoes.

Tawanda!

Three Long Days

2010-08-13T11:00:00.000-07:00

After I jarred up all the applesauce (our freezer contains nothing but ice cream and jars of applesauce) I decided to make some ice box pickles. It seems the only reason we grow cucumbers is to pickle them, and we had just run out.
I like dill pickles, and I add some garlic, because I add garlic to just about everthing. Simple is better for these guys. Stuff everything into a jar, top with vinegar, and put it in the refrigerator. The hardest part is trying to leave it alone for a few days. It seems every time I open the door, for whatever reason, the beautiful jar is glowing, begging me to open it.
Today is the day!

Forbidden Fruit

2010-08-12T19:49:00.000-07:00

It is beginning to look like apple season at my dad's house, and I lovingly accepted a large paper bag overflowing last week.
Apples are such simple and delightful fruits. There are over 7,500 varieties know, unfortunately we usually see about 12 at the farmers market, and maybe only four or five at a supermarket. I would love to try an Arkansas Black, with dark red nearly black skin and yellow flesh. Or a Pink Pearl with light green skin and bright pink flesh, what an amazing looking applesauce that would make.
I had so many apples I decided to make applesauce, and one apple crisp, I couldn't resist.

I had never even heard of a food mill until a few years ago, and it is one of my favorite kitchen contraptions. I cut my apples in fours and cook them until soft, scoop them into the food mill, twist, and voila, applesauce. You don't need to core!
I like to add a little cinnamon to my sauce, and I made so much that I added some maple syrup to some, some vanilla to others, and strawberries to more still.
Nick mentioned pork chops might be in our near future.

For the apple crisp I rarely stray far from the tried and true Gunheim recipe.

Although, I may have grated some very sharp cheddar on to the crisp before I put it in the oven.

Unfortunately there was not an after picture, as we ate it all.

Dreaming of pork chops and applesauce.

Screaming Ice Cream

2010-08-11T09:23:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned in the last post- we were asked to make food for an event, which took place last night. I made two kinds of ice cream, lemon and apricot pistachio, as well as two sorbets, plum and chocolate coconut. The ice cream was amazing, the venue unfortunately was not.

The show was primarily made up of high schoolers and early twenty-somethings, young folks who spent their money on the cover and had some left over to buy cheap beer or cigarettes (god bless 'em, we were there once too). We are looking for folks who would gladly shell out to watch their friends’ band play with some money left over for a locally sourced, handmade snack.

We are torn between doing every gig we are asked to be at in order to have a presence, or only do gigs we want to do, where we will be received by our target audience.

Nick and I decided at this point we simply can’t afford to work every gig. We certainly don’t expect to make money on our little ventures, but we would like to break even, and most importantly be well received.
On that note, the friends who did buy scoops were very pleased and impressed, which I suppose means our night was a success.

Until next time!

Hiccup

2010-08-07T12:25:00.000-07:00

I guess we are not off to a very good start, as we have not posted in a week.
Trust me we have been eating, cooking and gardening... only the latter two have fallen to me for now as Nick broke his right collar bone so he cannot contribute the way he normally does, in face he cant do much without hurting and typing left handed takes forever...
I just have not been able to keep up on my own, especially right now because I am getting ready for a show where we will be selling scoops of my homemade ice cream.
Nick and I have made and sold Banh Mi sandwiches for a few local events now and we were very successful . We have always sold out, and people seem to really love them! After our last event (a local craft fair) we were asked to make food for an upcoming art and music show. We decided to make ice cream because the show was after dinner time.
Nick's broken bone is not slowing us down, just making us work a little longer and harder (we only have three arms after all).
I am making two ice creams, lemon and apricot pistachio, and two sorbets, plum and chocolate coconut.
yum.
I promise next week there will be many posts! Stay tuned.

It's It... Fresh Mint!

2010-07-30T10:27:00.000-07:00

I've been experimenting with ice cream lately. My KitchenAid ice cream attachment and I have so far produced several flavors, some so-so (strawberry-rose), others revelatory (fresh lemon ice cream!) .

Like most things we create in our kitchen, I went to the garden in the backyard for inspiration. The first thing to catch my eye was our herb barrel overflowing with electric-green mint.

I steeped two cups of fresh mint leaves in cream for an hour and was delighted to find a beautiful emerald infusion. The rest was simple*.

After tasting this mint ice cream, I don't think I have ever had fresh mint ice cream. It's an amazing grassy mint flavor. It tastes like it's growing.

I chopped some good dark chocolate and added it to the ice cream, and then decided to go one further and make chocolate ice cream sandwiches.

We are off to Sea View for four days and the sandwiches will be a good way to transport the ice cream, and share something special with our guests.

*If you're looking for an excellent book on making ice cream, I recommend David Lebovitz's The Perfect Scoop.

What Looks Good

2010-07-29T09:55:00.000-07:00

In Santa Rosa we are blessed to have two Farmers Markets a week, year round, rain or shine. During the summer we have three a week. We try to go for produce and/or meat at least once a week. There is something immensely satisfying about buying from the Farmers Market rather than the supermarket. I love to walk through, look at what everyone has, then walk through again shopping, talking to farmers, asking them about each of the dozens of different kinds of tomatoes they have or how to cook the cactus they have.
My favorite thing about the Farmers Market, and my favorite way to shop there, is to go with no list and no idea of what's for dinner and to get inspired by what looks good. Yesterday there was a pile of beautiful Italian sweet peppers that immediately caught our eye and it was settled, stuffed peppers for dinner.

I mixed some fresh ricotta with spinach, differend kinds of basil from the garden, onion, garlic, and a little bit of grated cheddar we had in the icebox.
We have been waiting all winter for good tomatoes so we always have to buy them when they trickle into the Farmers Market as our tomato plants only have flowers on them.
I cut these little guys in half and drizzled them with olive oil, salt, pepper, and a few sprigs of thyme.

I popped it all in the oven for 45 minutes or so, I made a simple polenta on the stove top, and voila!
The fresh beautiful food available at the farmers market allows one to cook a beautiful dinner without really doing anything.

Bon Appetit!

Salut!

2010-07-27T11:09:00.000-07:00

Welcome!
As many of you may know we have a food truck dream. We have been researching, writing business plans, and day dreaming. We decided to start a food blog to get you interested in what we grow (fingers crossed) and cook and eat, as well as update you on our business venture. It won’t hurt to keep us positively motivated too.
We are calling ourselves Born and Raised because we were both born and raised in Sonoma County (we are blessed!), and because our goal is to cook and eat food born and raised in Sonoma County.

For those of you who don’t know our plan, briefly, it is to own and operate a mobile food truck in Santa Rosa. We would like develop business relationships with our local farmers in order to support one of the most important aspects of our community and all of our livelihoods (shop at farmers markets!), and to provide our hungry friends and family with the highest quality seasonal and local menu. We would like to work Santa Rosa's farmers market ourselves and otherwise cater primary to the lunch time crowd (in our dreams we would park near grassy parks so we could offer picnic blankets for long lounge-y lunches).

Currently we are looking for a commercial kitchen in Santa Rosa, and any business guidance, words from the wise, we are polishing our business plan, and filling out all kinds of forms.

Our plan for this blog is to share at least two meals a week (though we may not always include recipes). To share our passion for food, and our dedication to fresh and local sources. We will be sure to include our own food raising experience/ experiments, and you will probably get to know our dog and cats quite well too although their food is much less interesting.

We hope you enjoy reading and eating with us, be sure to check in regularly, and share us with your friends (especially friends that might want to fiscally support a local business start up!). All questions, comments, and concerns are welcomed and appreciated.

Bon Appetit!