March 1, 2011

Sun-Dried Tomato Arugula Pasta Salad

Just when I thought I couldn’t love a salad more, I went and tried this one! After posting what’s on my coffee table the earlier this week, my friend Erica tipped me off on this superb recipe from the cookbook I’m slightly obsessed with– Appetite for Reduction. All she had to say was that it tastes like pizza and instantly, a grocery shopping list was made. Thanks Erica!!

There’s a lot to love about this pasta salad. I love how the dressing coats the pasta…getting into every little nook and cranny of the fusilli I used. Look at that picture. Do you see what I’m talking about?? There’s something absolutely magical about the combo of walnuts & fennel. It actually mimics the taste of sausage! I could probably eat the entire batch of the dressing-plain. It’s THAT good. When added to this pasta salad it’s killer! The tang of red onions…the sweetness of roasted peppers…that peppery bite of arugula…the creaminess of the cannellini beans…and the crunch of toasted walnuts…oh dear. I think I’ve fallen in love with yet ANOTHER salad. I’m totally looking forward to leftovers for lunch tomorrow!
CONTINUE READING

around the home, Uncategorized

March 1, 2011

Spring Decor 2011

Over the weekend I took down my Valentine’s Day decorations off the mantle. IT. WAS. TIME. I eventually want to put a pop of color on there…but I am not sure what color yet. This is what I came up with!

Everything is black & white…..just the way I like it.

around the home, Uncategorized

February 27, 2011

What’s on my coffee table?

There’s nothing that excites me more than a big stack of books & magazines waiting to be read. In the past few weeks I’ve been seeing more of my UPS man because I went on a little Amazon binge! I thought it might be fun to share with you what I’m reading; you can see what I’m up to!

1. The Food Matters Cookbook, by Mark Bittman (I can’t wait to get cracking! I’m so excited!! I love Mark Bittman)

2. Appetite for Reduction, by Isa Moskowitz (I already have made 3 recipes!!)

3. Power Foods, from the editors of Whole Living (GOOD food- organized in a great fashion. I want to eat it all!)

4. Potty Training Boys the Easy Way, by Caroline Fertleman & Simone Cave (yup, we’re in the middle of THAT)

5. Commited, by Elizabeth Gilbert (Checked out from the library. A fascinating look at marriage & commitment)

6. 3191 Quarterly (I love seeing glimpses of Stephanie & Mav’s lives)

7. Stress-Free Potty Training, by Sara Au & Peter L. Stavinoha Ph.D (you figure out what approach to take based on your child’s personality. Neat! Cross your fingers.)

1. Donna Hay (STUNNING food photography, simple recipes, a lovely Australian publication)

2. Jamie (very cool layout, the recipes intrigue me & I love anything Jamie Oliver)

3. Food & Wine (a magazine that Casey & I can enjoy together)

4. Martha Stewart Living (do I really need to say more?)

5. Sunset (great ideas for trips, quality recipes & great gardening tips! I’d love to work there one day!)

6. UPPERCASE (graphic design, cooking, FUN FUN FUN stuff!)

7. Anthology (living, style, design, interior decor, GORGEOUS photo styling)

8. Everyday Food (the magazine I thank for igniting my passion for food!)

Photography, Uncategorized

February 26, 2011

365- Week 8

A food related photo every day til 2012. Here’s week 8:

56/365 Insalata di Spinaci with my parents & Cooper

Uncategorized

February 25, 2011

Asian “Cool Slaw”

Two facts you might know about me:

1. I am a Leo & I’m pretty proud of it. But then tell me a Leo who isn’t…

2. I hate mayo and cringe at the mere sight of the word mayonnaise. I didn’t even know how to spell mayonnaise (THANKS, spell check!) because there is simply no reason for me to. EVER.

OK so I’m a Leo. Let’s discuss this briefly because I tend to go ON about astrology– especially at parties where I’ve been drinking too much… Being a Leo means that I live by the code “Productivity fueled by laziness.” As a result, I spend most of my time searching for recipes with ingredients I already have sitting in my pantry. I wonder if my incessant need to stockpile food is a Leo thing too? My grandmother who is a Leo does it… But then again I have a Capricorn mom so that could be the reason why. So yeah… I test out a lot of recipes that don’t require me to go to the grocery store more than twice a week. I also love coming up with things on the fly. I love tinkering with recipes because it fuels my pride when I get it right. This salad is definitely a product of that. I’m a Leo. RAWR.

And then the mayo thing…Uggh the mayo thing. You can imagine how repulsed I was to see Richard Blais DEEP FRY MAYO on Top Chef this week. I turned my head and plugged my ears like a 2 year old until the Quickfire challenge was over. Barf! There are thousands of recipes I pass by the instant I see “mayo” as an ingredient. It’s a shame because there are SOO many good ones out there…that are ruined by mayo. When I found this “cool slaw” recipe that uses cashews as the creamy base, I was intrigued. If the Everyday Chickpea Salad I recently made & fell in love with had the same cashew base, wouldn’t I love this one too? After mixing up the ingredients & letting it sit, I took a taste and thought it needed something. Because I set out to eat a substantial salad for lunch, I couldn’t see myself eating a whole bowl of the “cool slaw,” like I planned. Back into my pantry & fridge I went and came up with a few additions of my own–soy sauce, green onions, toasted sesame oil & toasted slivered almonds. A pretty fricking delicious Asian inspired coleslaw was birthed and it maintained the “vegan” status on the original recipe. Although I’m thinking of dipping into my freezer stash and adding shrimp or chicken…just cuz.

recipes, Uncategorized

February 23, 2011

Mini Ginger Almond Cheesecakes

“I’ve never had almond cheesecake before!” my neighbor exclaimed after she stuffed her THIRD mini ginger almond cheesecake into her mouth. “Same here,” I muttered through my mouth full of cheesecake. We were standing around a plate of mini ginger almond cheesecakes on my kitchen island as if we were two college students huddled over a bong. You can be rest assured, we were just making sure to test each and every cheesecake for quality assurance! One bite after the next, I fell in love with the whipped cream & cream cheese ALCHEMY. Oh the fluffiness! The creaminess! And that thick spicy salty gingersnap crust? It slayed me. How many minis add up to an actual slice of cheesecake? Who cares!?

So…another faux cheesecake recipe that prevents me from making an official cheesecake! I’ve never made a real cheesecake and I kind of have no desire to when I find simple recipes like this one. I love the cream cheese aspect of cheesecakes….how it’s subtly savory and a little thick. But the thought of eating a whole slice of cheesecake makes my stomach turn. It’s just too rich and dense for my bones. I like creamy desserts that are light & fluffy with a little bit of savory crunch, and these little minis do just the trick! Now you’ll have to excuse me. I have one last mini cheesecake calling my name……
CONTINUE READING

around the home, Uncategorized

February 22, 2011

Learn how to do latte art!

Cross another item from my 31 comes before 32 list!

#28. Learn how to do latte art!

We’ve had our espresso machine since August, my birthday month. It came while I was away at IFBC, so Casey had a whole weekend to tinker with it and practice while I was away. He is now the main drink maker in our house simply because he excels at it. He makes me cappuccinos while I work on breakfast for us; we’re a good team! I’m still working on perfecting my espresso shots & latte art, but I’ve learned how to do it! Some days I make myself a fancy cappuccino with my breakfast and other days I opt for a strong Americano because I have no time to deal with it. I’m lucky to get coffee in me with my work schedule. There are some mornings where I feel like I need coffee to MAKE coffee, but in all honesty I don’t miss our french press that much.

Did you know that latte art is HARD? You need to pull a really good shot of espresso and your milk foam is CRUCIAL. Apparently it’s easier to achieve all of this on a big honking machine you see at a coffee shop. Not an easy feat for a home machine. I wish I had known that sooner.

You need “micro foam” in order to make pretty rosettas and swirls. It’s not super duper frothy; it looks like wet paint with teeny tiny bubbles. It’s super creamy and it makes your cappuccino EXTRA decadent. It really makes a difference, trust me.

The marriage of a good shot & good foam can be temperamental. Sometimes I pull a great shot and then the milk is bad…and then I get swoon-worthy milk with a terrible shot. It’s definitely a hard balance because there are many factors to consider- temperature, beans, tamping down hard enough, getting the wand in at the right angle for the milk steaming…and the most important part- THE GRIND of your beans. It also took us awhile to find the perfect espresso bean that produced the taste we were looking for. We use a lot of Barefoot Coffee Roaster’s beans (a local company) but my friend Christine got us HOOKED on Intelligentsia’s Black Cat Espresso. We get it shipped to our directly to our house!