peanut butter & jenny

i've moved.

2010-01-13T19:28:00.001-05:00

i started working on a new blog for a class that i'm TA'ing, and i've thus moved my blog so that i can manage both more easily.

go here! http://jenntwentyten.wordpress.com

on achieving.

2010-01-13T16:52:00.000-05:00

my academic schedule for the past 19.75 years (i went to "moms and tots" when i was two, for crying out loud) has been grueling. even in pre-school, my teacher was my mom's best friend so i was already the favorite. my mom dropped me at kindergarten on her way to work (across the parking lot at the pre-school), so i was 30 minutes early every day. (i remember sitting on the floor with my teacher, playing with the cash register -- the coveted toy that i got all to myself -- learning how to count money... ironic that i now work for an accounting firm?) since day 1 of elementary school, my mom put me in gifted classes where i carved mayan heiroglyphs and invented a new spoon to eat spaghetti (it had a little bag in the bottom... it was ridiculous) while the other kids read books, one chapter at a time, and did word searches. in middle school, i took advanced art (i still have my collage in my bedroom at home) and a music composition class. in high school, i suffered through all honors/AP classes and one year even took two math classes at once because moving put me behind. it was insane. i was insane (i still might be). needless to say, the past 7 semesters here have been jam-packed with 16-19 credits, summer internships, volunteer positions, and enough leadership roles to fill an entire page on a resume.

this post wasn't meant to brag. i want to shout my joy and celebrate my new take on "achieving." i don't consider myself "underachieving" because that implies doing less than is necessary to just succeed. i define "overachieving" is doing way more than necessary for the task at hand. for college, the goal is graduating and getting a job. to graduate, you need 1 major, to do fairly well in that 1 major, and to have a bit of experience (an internship and a leadership role). i feel that i've gone beyond the minimum for quite some time (1 major, 2 minors, 3 internships... you get it), and now, because of all of that hard work, i can finally just "achieve."

i need 1 law class, 1 political science class, and 2 science classes to graduate (and to keep my job). this semester, i am taking 1 law class, 2 science classes, and dropped my 400-level political science class down to an intro-level course. hey, i just need 3 credits, there was no level requirement here.

being an achiever feels really good. i'm going to make some soup. =)

guess who's back?

2010-01-10T19:00:00.000-05:00

here i sit, on my lopsided bed, hunched over my laptop (using my spiffy new laptop pad with slide-out mouse pad), on the last night of my last winter break. ever.

exclude, for the moment, the fact that i might go to graduate school some day... this is the end of my last bit of childhood. no longer will i be given nearly a month off to celebrate christmas, seven days of mindless leisure in march, a few days here and there at thanksgiving, and definitely not four months in the summer. while i never really did get my summer off (three internships, which probably contribute to the job i have after graduation making sure i don't have breaks), i did enjoy every mindless, cozy moment spent on my couch at home not thinking about school or economics or about how i have to walk nearly a mile in frigid weather.

ahhhh.

so, i will end my winter break with a few pictures to remember the lovely past 4 weeks.

the output of a very efficient, very fabulous pizzelle assembly team (mom and me):

my hallmark ornament for 2009:

my hallmark ornament from 1988:

this is a little embarassing to admit, but that's for five people. don't judge me:

oh, canada! eaton center, which is like times square if it cared about its electric bill:

and we've saved the best for last. my father's first attempts at flying this remote-controlled helicopter (my mom regrets giving him this):

tomorrow is the beginning of the end. sort of. i don't have classes on mondays, but shh. =)

the new year starter

2010-01-07T11:57:00.001-05:00

i think it was 2 years ago that i saved a glass jar from used up tomato sauce (about the same time we stopped buying tomato sauce and started making our own) to make sourdough starter. i carried the glass jar with me to my sister's house where i stayed for the summer and it stayed unfilled. it migrated with me to my townhouse, where it emptily watched me complete my junior year of college. i wrapped it up in newspaper (probably a remnant of my crossword puzzle ~~habit~~ ~~addiction~~ serious, life-consuming problem) and brought it back to vp's house, determined to fill it during my second summer there.

yesterday morning, i got the incredible urge to fill the jar. i thought about it, sitting idly, waiting for me to put some yeast and water inside to grow happy, yummy bread (so to speak). i also thought about how i had no idea where it ended up. i vaguely remember not bringing it back to school with me, but i also vaguely remember seeing it in my baking box... i searched the black-hole of all the crap that's fallen off my moving truck on trips between school, summer housing, and breaks. to no avail, my poor little jar is gone.

luckily, my father has an array of jars full of old paint from our various houses on a shelf in the basement. as if just waiting for me to come, one sat clear and clean between the "taupe 03" and "light summer forest 06." happiness.

after doing some googling, i came across a few pretty solid, reputable, well-tested recipes. i combined parts, but the general form is based mostly off of this wild yeast sourdough starter, using regular unbleached flour instead of whole grain or rye. we had a spiral ham with grilled pineapple on sunday, so i strained out some of the juice from the leftover pineapple.

today and tomorrow, i will add another 2 tablespoons of water and 2 tablespoons of flour to sally (yes, i've named her sally). on saturday (day 4), i am supposed to stir it down (assuming it does something), reserve 1/4 cup of the glop, and mix that with 1/4 cup water and 1/4 cup more flour. i should repeat that step on days 5, 6, and 7. by that point, i will be able to store it in the fridge and feed it (day 4-like) once a week! i'm very excited. progress will be noted.

before i made sally, i tried out the basic white dough recipe from the dough book i mentioned earlier. easiest dough, and i used the easiest rolling. mine looked a little bit like naked mole rats when they baked, but they tasted fantastic!

thoroughly pleased. and, BONUS, these rolls fit in the new "12g of sugar a day" thing that mom and i are trying out. apparently you have to limit your carbs, too, but if you're going to make me stop eating cookies and fruit (FRUIT! what kind of diet eliminates fruit!) and my kashi go lean, i will need bread. happy, happy bread.

=) please think good thoughts about sally! she would like to be very yeasty. and tall. very tall.

welcome, twenty-ten, only a few days late

2010-01-04T16:02:00.000-05:00

i'm not even going to try to apologize for not posting in so many days. nor am i going to try to explain what i did. because that's long.

buttttttttttt. happy new year!

i do not like to make year-long resolutions. i am resolving one thing each day.

today's resolution was to make croissants. but my mom wanted me to make split pea soup out of the ham bone from last night's dinner, so i decided to make crusty rolls instead (i got a bread book for christmas). they're hot and steamy under a towel right now, waiting for another hour for us to eat them.

i also got some other cookbooks christmas that i'm dying to try out. i know how to cook and julia's kitchen wisdom should keep me busy while i'm not having class (oooh, yeah second semester senior!) on mondays, wednesdays, and fridays. and i <3 macarons will be a fun adventure in perfect little desserts.

on the non-food front, santa surprised me with a gorgeous kate spade purse, a new burberry scarf, and the most fabulous strand of tiffany's pearls. i didn't expect any of that. thank you, santa and mrs. claus... i will miss christmas at home.

it was my last christmas at home, per se, and decidedly my last winter break. the latter depresses me. i want to grow up and be an adult in the real world, but i do NOT want to give up my vacations. i'll have to make the most of my 25 days off. shh. i know that's 5 weeks. shh. let me wallow.

i am tired from all the baking/cooking (though soup and bread are two of the least involved and demanding things you can make). i think it's time for my daily nap.

photos from christmas/toronto up soon.

days whatever and 23:

2009-12-23T09:12:00.000-05:00

yeah, being home makes me a slacker. but just a computer slacker... because i don't think i sat down other than dinner in the past 2 days. i've baked 3 types of cookies, made 2 dinners (really good pork loin inspired by bobby flay and salmon i made up last night), celebrated christmas with two different sets of neighbors, and worked part of my growing butt off at the gym.

no, seriously, only my butt is growing. i've NEVER had a butt. and suddenly, POOF, it's there. and it's round. and it's not fitting into jeans.

anyway.

i will be taking a hiatus (again) for a few days. tonight begins the epic marathon christmas. leg 1: our little immediately family opens 400000 pounds of presents, making us all feel a little embarassed but secretly thrilled. tomorrow we leave for pittsburgh, thursday night it's off to akron, come back on sunday, and leave for toronto on tuesday. all driving.

maybe i'll finally finish making that scarf i've been crocheting for a year.

merry christmas and happy new year!!

days 18 & 19: home, sweet, thundersnow?

2009-12-19T10:24:00.000-05:00

i failed to post yesterday because i had to wake up early, finish packing, clean out the fridge, clean up the kitchen, pack up the car, take a final, eat the waffle shop (if that place can poach an egg when there's a line 100 yards around the building, then the freaking deli in silver spring can poach an egg..), and then drive home. i then had to lay on the couch, watch 4 hours of law and order, go to wegmans, eat chicken, help mom and karen make 2 pans of lasagne and a pan of stuffed shells, drink coffee and eat cookies, watch 2 more hours of law and order, and go to sleep.

so you see, i just didn't have time.

but this morning, i've already gotten up, eaten some toast and cranberry juice, elliptical-ed for 30 minutes, biked for 20, did 100 sit-ups, showered, had a cup of coffee, ate an apple, and just got this lovely picture from my sister:

that is the view of vp's snow-covered snowman. yay for thundersnow. i don't care how it comes down, i just want my white christmas!!

day 17: fall back in time

2009-12-17T00:36:00.000-05:00

tonight i racked the very depths of my brain, tried every password-username combination i could think of, and finally resorted to google searching strings of text from memory to dig up my old "blog" from highschool. i say "blog" because "blog" wasn't a word 6 years ago.

SIX. six years ago i started that thing.

and, to my surprise, i really haven't changed: i'm still way too obsessed with gilmore girls, despise capital letters, study harder than i probably need to, stress out over everything, love thanksgiving and christmas, and define my life by song lyrics.

a few things have changed for the better: the number of people i consider my "best friends" has dropped to three (and i actually trust them with my life); a 7-page paper is no longer the worst thing ever; and all of my emotions and psychological well-being no longer reside in the hands of someone else.

i kind of miss a little bit of that last point, though... i ~~think~~ know i'd be a lot more careful now. i know that my entire life doesn't need to revolve around someone, and that someone else can't always (and shouldn't be the only thing that can) make everything better.

on a lighter note, i love how some things come full circle (ie. fulfilling a late night, "i'll never admit this outloud" dream 4 years later), and how happy i was about everything. even on my worst days, i wrote it down and felt better.

i want to do that again. i am going to do that again.

i have to say, though, for as fun as it would be to live in those moments forever, i kind of like being able to cook myself dinner, go to bed at 8pm or 8am, accept a job offer and start looking for apartments, and drink wine. legally. at restaurants. with people who don't think these things are stupid and share my penchant for goldeneye =)

yeah, i don't think growing up is so bad at all.

*relax silly boy, i'm an excellent driver

day 16: what?

2009-12-16T15:10:00.000-05:00

i have no idea where i was going with last night's post. perhaps deciding to blog after dinner and splitting a bottle of wine wasn't the best plan.

but dinner was a GREAT plan. the great thai restaurant here in state college, cozy thai, moved across town to a much bigger space, and i love the new location. it's more open, not FREEZING, and fits the style of the food much better. plus, it's still BYOB, which i clearly support.

i can never remember what dish is my favorite, and last night i was confused AGAIN. i'm starting to think they took the spicy mushroom thing off the menu, but everything else i get instead is just as good. i began my love relationship with their pad thai, but i've moved on to lots of other noodles and stir fry. i don't think i really have a favorite, except for the green papaya salad that we usually get as an appetizer. it's SO spicy, but it's SO good.

my favorite thing about asian restaurants is eating with chopsticks. it takes skill and makes me feel very accomplished.

=)

day 15: wine, anyone?

2009-12-15T21:56:00.000-05:00

miraculously, i managed to stay out of the kitchen all day, save for pouring cereal and slicing a grapefruit. whoever invented the double-pronged grapefruit separator that williams-sonoma sells is a genius. legit. when i took the knife skills class 2 summers ago, the only thing i couldn't do was supreme (soo-prem) a grapefruit. i ended up just eating it. it was a mess. but every morning, without fail, i manage to make perfect segments of graprefruit to enjoy along with my lovely bowl of kashi go lean. not crunch. i kind of love those weird little "fiber sticks." hold your "she's 90" jokes, please.

that's really all i have to say. my mother just set the dinner table for dinner on saturday. val and i have a crazy mother.

=)

day 14: sharing the wealth

2009-12-14T18:16:00.001-05:00

today i dropped off all of my christmas cookie gifts =). getting to this point, however, was intense. let me take you on a little trip.

it started with biscotti -- double-dark chocolate biscotti with dried cherries, using the dark chocolate cocoa powder i bought at hershey park over thanksgiving. i relied on trusty david leibovitz for this one.

and then we had the great cookie debate...

followed by fantastic gingerbread (click here for a pdf of my recipe. it's divine.) in 3 shapes (the reindeer were not feeling photogenic):

(how much do you love my pink christmas tree?)

and then there was assembly...3 types of cookies (well, 4, if you count the two batches of chocolate chips), little cardboard boxes, a lot of parchment, tiffany's blue ribbon, handmade labels, and the greatest christmas mix ever blasting from my mac.

and tada! the final product, all ready to go to the professor that I've TA'd for the past 2 semesters (and will be again in the spring). lovely, dontcha think?

mm. i like to give a variety of flavors, textures, and sophistication. the biscotti was rich, crisp, and decadent; the gingerbread was spicy and elegant with frosting and silver pearls; chocolate chip cookies remind everyone of their childhood. i also stepped one of my boxes (my room might be a bit messy), so i had to eat the broken cookies (remember, broken cookies have no calories). i think they were all quite a success!

(oh right... and that thing called a final that i had in econometrics today was a piece of cake, i'm pleased to announce. two more to go, plus a paper! wooohooo.)

day 13: fire escape.

2009-12-13T20:53:00.002-05:00

tonight i decided to take a break from writing my paper to actually do more than microwave something for dinner. the result? i nearly caught the apartment on fire.

note to everyone: do not put parchment in an oven that you cannot determine the heat of. the end. =)

day 11 & 12: the verdict.

2009-12-12T16:58:00.000-05:00

yesterday was my last day of class for the fall semester! seven down, just one more to go. i really can't believe it. so after my last class, i took a nap. and then kayla and i had dinner and went out... so i didn't get to post.

but, i do have a verdict on the cookies!!

kayla saw the cookies sitting in baggies with labels (A & B) on the counter. inquiries get you responsibility.

obviously, she didn't get the labels on hers, and she also didn't know what was different about them. her conclusion was that the second one definitely had butter and the first one didn't, which was correct! there wasn't really a ranking involved; she liked both, i assume!

personally, i was impressed with both of them. they had a good rise, minus the fact that i over-baked them a little bit. they were crispy on the outside, and then all full of fluffy holes on the inside.
the butter ones were shinier than the non-butter ones, for obvious reasons. they looked more like chips-ahoy, which made me excited. i definitely supported the use of sea salt in both. you can actually taste the salty flavor, and it went really nicely with the bittersweet chips! definitely would make both again. it's nice to know that i can whip up cookies quickly with olive oil if i don't have any sticks of butter on hand. thanks to the bloggers who posted the recipes for my test. =)

and then the night devolved into an absurd mix of beer, champagne, top gun, and kings. as you can see from below, it was glorious.

tonight i'm off to the basketball game against VT with alyssa and her family. her mother is fulfilling her 4-year wish of taking us to the phyrst. now that we're old enough to go, we're hoping she lives up to the stories she tells. i'm just excited for guinness =).

day 10: the great debate

2009-12-10T21:50:00.000-05:00

tonight was an experiment. there's been much bloodshed (not really) over the best chocolate chip cookie recipe. everyone claims that their grandmother is the only one who does it right. or the nytimes.

for reasons unknown, i've convinced myself that tollhouse cookies were the only way to go. its not like we every really made chocolate chip cookies when i was little... at least not from scratch. i have one fleeting memory of eating globs of raw dough from the bowl while my grandma wasn't looking, which sticks more for the fact that she yelled at me about getting salmonella than about the actual recipe. i also used to just eat the little frozen balls from the market day orders in elementary school. wooo. pop a few of those in the microwave on a paper plate for 30 seconds, and, to an 8 year old, it solved mom's problem of the "raw" eggs, and was a gooey, sticky wonder from heaven.

now that my culinary skills have advanced beyond the microwave and my palate beyond lucky charms and cocoa puffs, i'm going to work this out. i know that creaming butter and sugar will make my cookies flatter, and that the ratio of butter to flour to eggs matters. i also know that liquid butter makes them more fluffy. i do not approve of nuts. i also do not approve of milk chocolate. sea salt is a must.

and so it began. i entered the kitchen armed with 1 bag of chocolate chips, 2 recipes, and recipients in mind.

up first, deb's favorite chocolate chip cookies, as posted on smitten kitchen. she cites david leibowitz, and since i trust them both (in a weird, "i've-never-met-you" type of way), i have faith.

it's a pretty standard recipe:
1/2 c white sugar
1/2 c packed light brown sugar
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (this is where i get excited -- something new!)
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt or 1/2 teaspoon flaky sea salt (i choose the latter)
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
(i remove the 1 cup of toasted, chopped nuts)

she advises baking them in a 300*F oven with racks at the top-third. i also line my sheets with parchment, as prescribed.
i beat the butter and sugars until smooth, mix in my egg, vanilla, and baking soda (not with the dry? interesting!). in a separate bowl, i combine the flour and salt and mix them slowly into the batter. i then stir in the chocolate chips.
i use my handy cookie scoop and drop 16 (twice what she said) balls on one sheet, and then 16 smaller-sized balls on the other half-sheet pan. i need more mileage out of these than the recipe calls for.
i set the timer for 18 minutes, but because my oven is insane, fickle, and completely unreliable (oh, yes, college apartments!), i have to open the door a lot and check them. i air on the side of under-done, which is better in my opinon.

while they cool, i start on the second batch.

for this to be a true experiment, i feel that i have to go in a completely different direction, not just a different ratio. i opt for the olive oil chocolate chip cookies from sydney of crepes of wrath. it's been on the "try this!" pile for quite some time, and i finally had an excuse. (i halve this recipe, since i only have 1/2 cup of chocolate chips left, but i'll post the full recipe because halved yields odd measurements.)

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup EXTRA VIRGIN olive oil (the light flavor is key)
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar (i assume light and packed, as above)
2 eggs
1 or 2 tablespoons of milk
1 cup chocolate chips

i turn up the oven to 375 with some hesitance... will the initial higher heat make a difference? i mix my flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl and set them aside (as always). i then beat the sugars, vanilla, and olive oil with my mixer, and then add the egg (remember, i halved this). i slowly add the flour, and only need half of a tablespoon of milk to firm the dough. i planned on using the trusty spoon-ball-rolling method this time (like my mom does for snicker doodles and thumbprints), since the directions call for little balls, but the dough was too sticky for that. i opted for the spoon glob again onto parchment-lined baking sheets. she urged 10 and a half minutes, so i set the timer for 8 and checked them repeatedly.

the jury is out (literally -- i'm home alone), and i want a non-biased taster, unaware of the internal differences of the cookies. you'll have to wait until tomorrow to find out!

day 9: just kidding

2009-12-09T09:05:00.002-05:00

i lied about the new blog. i've grown too fond of this one. new layout, but i'll be sticking around for awhile =)

day 8: snow day?

2009-12-08T08:56:00.001-05:00

thanks to pennstatelive, i am brought back to my childhood (or highschool) memories of sitting 6 inches in front of the tv, which was way too bright for dialated eyes, squinting, because i forgot to put on my glasses, to see if my school would scroll across the screen:

"The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm watch for several counties across Pennsylvania from this evening (Dec. 8) through early Wednesday. The storm that currently is over the southern plains will move northeast, crossing the Great Lakes region to bring a wintry mix of precipitation to the region. According to the advisory, significant snow and ice accumulation are possible tonight through early Wednesday. Forecasts are calling for between 2 and 4 inches of snow to accumulate before the changeover, with the potential for a significant coating of ice accumulating on top of the snow before the precipitation changes to rain later Wednesday morning.

Penn State officials are tracking the storm and preparing crews to respond. No determination has been made at this time regarding the potential delay or cancellation of classes; that decision will be made very early Wednesday morning, based upon current conditions and the ability of work crews to clear snow and ice from campus roads, sidewalks and parking lots."

http://live.psu.edu/story/43374

day 7: making up for yesterday

2009-12-07T20:57:00.002-05:00

yesterday was intense. i had the NRHH banquet and then a migraine that sidelined me for much of the evening. standing up caused nauseating flashbacks to the magic kingdom teacups on my 14th birthday, less the laughter.

but, before i fell ill, there was a pretty cute picture snapped:

i was going to make today's post about how much i love my friends, and christmas, and celebrating christmas with my friends... but this most recent ichat conversation tops it all:

me: YOU HAVE A BOYFRIEND.
kayla: BUT HE'S SO FARRRR AWAYYYYYY
me: BUT HE'S SO HOT
kayla: hell yes he is

zing.

(lyss and i are also ichatting each other from separate rooms in the same apartment. you just wish you had best friends like mine.)

day 6: I wish

2009-12-06T08:59:00.000-05:00

wouldn't it be great if we could bottle the christmas spirit to unleash in.. oh.. the dead of february? i think so =)

day 5: st. nicholas day!

2009-12-05T21:00:00.000-05:00

According to both my mother and encyclopedia britannica, tomorrow is St. Nicholas day! The latter describes today as follows:“Little is known of the life of the historical Nicholas. He was the bishop of Myra (now Kale in southwestern Turkey) in the 4th century and developed a reputation for generosity. In 1087 Italians stole his remains from the church in Myra, by then under the control of Muslims, and took them to Bari for reburial, and during the Middle Ages he became extraordinarily popular. After the Reformation, St. Nicholas was largely forgotten in Protestant Europe, although his memory was kept alive in Holland as Sinterklaas. There St. Nicholas is said to arrive on horseback on his feast day, dressed in a bishop’s red robe and mitre and accompanied by Black Peter, variously described as a freed slave or a Moor, to help him distribute presents to good children or lumps of coal, potatoes, or switches to bad ones.”

A few comments:
* I don’t know what a “switch” is, other than some sort of railroad prop.
* I don’t know why someone would steal remains.
* Perhaps Black Peter is the same as the black wise man we have in our manger set.. along with the twins (no, the backstory isn’t funny).

Happy St. Nicholas day!! Put something in your shoe tonight, take it out tomorrow, and celebrate!

day 4: good morning

2009-12-04T08:01:00.000-05:00

while brushing my teeth this morning, i heard the famous folgers jingle coming from my tv. i have to agree, the best part of waking up IS coffee. while it isn’t folgers in my cup, i don’t appreciate coffee nearly as much during the rest of the day as i do in those first 30 minutes of being awake.

day 3: tacos.

2009-12-03T12:01:00.000-05:00

my sister isn’t the kind of person to buy into those “it’s either spend $4 on a microwave meal or eat mushed peanut butter and jelly” commercials. she doesn’t eat peanut butter and jelly, refuses to clean the microwave, hates mac and cheese, and will never touch a hotdog. you’d think lunch at work would be a disaster, or expensive.. but no.

me: what’s up?
val: eating lunch.
me: what’s on tap?
val: i had tacos.
yep. tacos. at her desk. i love my sister.

day 2: give yourself a christmas gift!

2009-12-02T19:53:00.002-05:00

today i was going to post something about how it's raining in december, but then i got this email from food service warehouse. they're running a contest, giving away an elegant 12 place table setting set to one lucky person just in time for the holidays. this set includes high quality dinnerware, glassware, and flatware that will look great on any holiday table. who doesn't need more dishes? you get 10 dinner and salad plates from 10 strawberry street, 12 wine glasses from libbey, and 12 5-piece place settings from walco. quite a deal!

you can check it out here. just click on that link, fill in your info, and you're all set!

good luck!

twenty-five (plus 6) days of sparkle and shine

2009-12-01T22:25:00.001-05:00

amanda over at slow like honey has a great idea to slow down and savor the happy days of december. she's going to take the time each day to post a picture or a thought, just a little something to stop the frantic mess that this time of year usually brings. for me, it'll be a great way to get back into my blog and keep a sane, level head while winding down the semester, studying for finals, finally finishing my thesis, and getting ready to celebrate with my family.

i took this photo when i walked back into my room after making dinner and saw my candle on my desk. i really wish i could keep all of christmas in a little jar on my desk and preserve the feeling of it for the rest of the year.

and nearly a semester has gone by..

2009-11-30T22:30:00.003-05:00

the proof is in the date stamps that i've been quite remiss in updating this project. i'd like to say it's because i've been off gallivanting and doing all sorts of exciting things, but, sadly, i've been babysitting, cheering loudly at football games, getting my hopes of a big 10 win out crushed, making a lot of pumpkin pie, taking 4 classes (i decided for the sake of my sanity and the lives of everyone around me to drop astro), finishing my thesis, and having way too many extra-curricular things to do.

i also haven't been cooking nearly as much as i'd like. the most advanced thing i've made (besides the pies, and those weren't hard) in the past month was probably chicken stir-fry, and that was only difficult because i had to remember to thaw the chicken when i woke up. chicken stir-fry is not exotic. it's not remotely asian. it's been my favorite meal since i was a baby, and something my mom made me all the time even though she ~~hated~~ loathed it. i consider it proof that she loves me a lot (i love you, mommy!). literally, you cube up a chicken tenderloin or breast, saute it in some oil in a pan, and douse the hell out of it with Season All (which is, in fact, a spice mix). since we always, always, always, had it with canned peas and uncle ben's chicken-flavored rice, i cooked a small helping of brown rice and finished it off with a handful of frozen peas. it was childhood on a plate, and it was awesome.

and because i don't feel like recapping my entire life since the last post, i will only discuss the most recent of adventures: Thanksgiving 2009, the epic. Yes, it was epic, in every sense of the word. My mother bought a 20 pound fresh jaindl (yep, the same farm as the Presidents' turkeys!) beast, which adam stuffed with traditional onion/celery/bread cubes stuffing, served alongside a more gourmet cranberry-walnut stuffing, steamed green beans, sauted carrots, riced mashed potatoes, sweet potato rolls, val's fancy-schmancy cran-raspberry sauce, complete-with-the-ridges canned (NOT whole-berry) cranberry sauce, and wine. despite our "foodie" appearance, we don't mess with tradition on thanksgiving. i want my slice of jelled cranberry-like substance, damnit. we had hors d'vour of humboldt fog and blue cheese with honey and walnuts, goat cheese stuffed dates wrapped in proscuitto, and another bottle of wine. oh yeah, and there were 2 picture-perfect pumpkin pies, complete with cute little leaf and acorn cut-outs. and this was for a family of 5, none of whom belong to a football team or the lumberjack union.

i also have to mention that after a round of cocktails and dinner at grille 3501 on wednesday night, my mother questioned the validity of a light-up horse in a lights display (the more troubling aspect of this was not the horse, but the fact that this house probably could rival the lights of beaver stadium, and it was BEFORE thanksgiving), to which val and i both immediately responded by bursting into, simultaneously without prompting, i may add, a rousing round of "jingle bells," taking extra care at the "ONE HORSE open sleigh." my mom also expressed her desire to wear panettone on her feet as "slippertone." you WISH you were shoved in the back of the subaru for this one, i know.

i don't have any pictures of the feast, but i do have some lovelies of the finale of the epic: the christmas card picture. since i was merely 6 months old (born in june), we have sent a wonderous picture of my sister and i (sometimes with mom and dad, recently with adam) to 100 of our friends. and every year, the picture fails to capture the HELL that was the process. all that the public sees are the pristine angels, smiling, sometimes in matching outfits, backgdropped by christmas splendor. they don't see the screaming, laughing, tickling, injuring, fighting, yawning, eye-rolling, dad farting, more screaming, hair-fixing, plastic-smile-slapping reject pictures.

you're a lucky bunch, really. this year, i have possession of the outtakes, and i think it's time for the world to see just what a truly fabulous family i have =).

"this hurts and i'm mad at you, but because you're squeezing my stomach, you think i'm laughing and enjoy it. you are wrong. also, thank you, parents, for not reprimanding your daughter."

"okay, everyone else looks normal. i appear to be blissful. i really want to cry."

2 seconds after this, i collapsed into a heap on the floor.

my dad thought it'd be entertaining to put "terrible" over my mom's head. good call, popsicle.

the truth: my dad is crazy, my mother has a really good evil-eye, my sister takes things seriously, and i don't pay attention and have constant, persistent issues with my jeans.

and adam finally makes it in.

merry early christmas from the "you'd never believe this wasn't the first take, and mom likes it that way" family!

we don't have much room to live.

2009-10-11T23:07:00.000-04:00

it seems that this jack's mannequin concert just caused my life to collapse upon itself. it's funny how small of a world it is. we really don't have much room to live.

while the concert was good, it wasn't something corporate.
i miss this.

and that cd will be on repeat while i stay up all night studying for econ and astro.

ciao,

i will be late...

2009-10-08T08:41:00.000-04:00

i will be late with my barefoot bloggers post first post this month. i'm making the cheddar corn chowder, chosen by jill of my next life, for the tailgate on saturday. i don't have a big enough pot to make it now, but it's coming! don't worry!

you can check out the recipe on food network's website (click the link above) or on page 74 of the barefoot contessa cookbook.

i'm planning on nixing the bacon and using yogurt instead of half-and-half, due to a vegetarian roommate and my own personal problems. look for a post soon!

ciao,
j

2nd place?... feels like first!

2009-10-06T14:03:00.000-04:00

first one to name the movie quote gets cookies! i promise!

i was a runner-up on the endless simmer "smallest kitchen" contest! that's sad, really sad. but the happy thing is that i no longer live in that apartment, and my new kitchen is spacious, clean, and well-equipped. =)

i also failed to report that i signed up to participate in the Eating Down the Fridge challenge on true/slant hosted by Kim O'Donnell (the former WaPo food blogger). i also kind of forgot that i was in it, but my sunday grocery trip with the parents stocked me up, and my monday night dinner came straight from the fridge!

i didn't take any pictures, but i went with my old stand-by for fridge-usage: eggs! i made myself a fried egg topped with the last few dregs of the salsa bottle that i always refuse to throw out (read: i love salsa). i mixed up some cottage cheese with honey, and spread some blackberry jam on the remaining 2 slices of toast from my freezer.

i'm excited to make something tonight, now that i actually remembered that i'm supposed to be creative! look for fun things the rest of this week!

ciao,
j

success and failure...

2009-09-27T12:15:00.001-04:00

as i may have hinted at previously, the greatest thing about fall semester is football. and the greatest thing about football is 8pm games, under the lights, against a bitter rival. enter yesterday's blood bath versus iowa state.

as of 11:44pm yesterday, we were up 11 wins to 10 losses with iowa state. by 11:45pm, we were tied at 11-11. it was miserable, disgusting, and an all around disappointment on the part of the psu. we beat ourselves.

so while we may not be the greatest team on earth, we are still the greatest student section on earth, and last night was no exception. a little EPIC DOWNPOUR never hurt anyone...

like true all-stars, we began the morning with nothing short of a fiesta. 6 bottles of champagne, 2 gallons of orange juice, 5 pounds of potatoes, 1 loaf of bread, 24 eggs, and a dozen really hyped up fans, ready to brave the rain and hold our title high.

although the night ended in failure, i still had a blast.

and always remember, we are penn state, and they are not.

ciao,

one tiny cupcake

2009-09-24T20:35:00.001-04:00

september was cake month, and i am not complaining about it (there's still a tiny, tiny sliver of the birthday cake on our counter -- no one wants to be the evil person to eat the last slice and make all the roommates jealous).

i've never been a huge fan of chocolate cake (unless it's dark, fudgy, and actually a brownie, not cake), but i've never met an ina recipe i didn't like. i assumed this one would change my mind. i was right. since i was planning on making them into hostess-like cupcakes, i opted just to use the leftover frosting from the birthday cake and not attempt the one associated with her recipe. it seems rather fantastic, though.

my problems with depth perception leach into my baking periodically, causing me to overfill cupcake tins (remember the epic guinness cupcake failure of july 4th?). and it happened again. though no one else really gets to enjoy the cake, lyss and i thoroughly enjoy sampling all the goopy bits that end up all over the pan. like broken cookies, messed up globby cupcake overflows have no calories. if these weren't going to the tailgate, i wouldn't have cared that after i cut them the cupcake papers were brown. but i couldn't bring surgically demented cupcakes to the tailgate, so i had to start over. as you saw in the previous post, my batch of hostess look-a-likes turned out just fine.

somewhere in all of the mess that happened in my oven, one, lone little cupcake decided to defy the man and stay within his boundaries. he was defiant, not breaking ranks to join the sloppy party of crazy kids. i like this one. he doesn't go out on tuesday nights or dye his hair on a whim. he drinks espresso and reads books and likes good beer. he ties his shoe laces and zips up his coat and combs his hair. if you find him in real-life form, and he's 21 and single, please send him my way. for now, i'll just be friends with an inanimate object made of flour, sugar, and chocolate. sigh.

beatty's chocolate cake
chosen by mary of passionate perserverance
also found in Barefoot Contessa at Home on pages 165-166

Butter, for greasing the pans
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans
2 cups sugar
3/4 cups good cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk, shaken (i made my own with milk + vinegar)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee (extremely strong, because my roommates and i are addicts)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter 2 (8-inch) round cake pans. Line with parchment paper, then butter and flour the pans. (i used paper cupcake tins in 2 pans)

Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. With mixer still on low, add the coffee and stir just to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely. (if cupcakes, cool them upside down on the rack. no soggy bottoms!)

Place 1 layer, flat side up, on a flat plate or cake pedestal. With a knife or offset spatula, spread the top with frosting. Place the second layer on top, rounded side up, and spread the frosting evenly on the top and sides of the cake.

i hope yours are full of perfectly buttoned up little cupcake boys, and not rowdy over-flowers =)

ciao,
j

why i love fall semester

2009-09-22T09:37:00.000-04:00

fall semester at psu is arguably better than spring. there is football, which means tailgates, screaming with 110,000 friends, joepa face stickers, pom-poms, tailgates, pins with witty slogans, tailgates... =)

our tailgates are far more than a way to pump up for the game... they are an opportunity to out-cook, out-create, and out-eat eachother. the overall theme for last week's game against syracuse was "classics day," where all the students were encouraged to wear tie-dye tshirts and sing 60's songs. natch, we chose to celebrate at our tailgate with a plethora of retro recipes.

lyss made a fab green bean casserole, which, unfortunately, isn't as photogenic as it is delicious. my homemade hostess cupcakes, however, turn out a little better for the lens:

i have to admit, i used a boxed cake mix for these. friday night baking sessions require short cuts... especially when the game on saturday begins at noon. the icing was the same chocolate ganache from ina's birthday cake (previous post -- a barefoot blogger challenge), and i filled them with the fool-proof seven minute frosting. it kind of got absorbed into the cupcakes, but that kept them moist and good as leftovers.

the other great thing about penn state fall that's non-football related are the weekly farmers' markets held downtown. every friday (and a smaller version on tuesdays), local farms come and shower us with their goods. if i saw a zucchini over a foot-and-a-half long at wegmans, i'd be worried about crazy growth hormones, but the little mennonite boy can't possibly do anything but sing to it to make it grow that big.

this eggplant stew is a favorite fall recipe of mine. it takes advantage of the fresh produce in abundance in PA, and it's full of fresh flavors. it has an italian flare, pulling flavors and ingredients from a traditional panzanella (the inclusion of the crusty bread makes it hearty). it makes me want to pull out my scarves and boots and jump in some leaves.

farmers' market eggplant stew

1 medium-to-large eggplant, chopped in 1" pieces

1 large green bell pepper, diced

1 large yellow onion, diced

1 can fire-roasted diced tomatoes

1 to 2 red tomatoes, chopped and de-seeded

1-2 tablespoons olive oil

salt and pepper

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar (may substitute 2 of these with red wine)

1 teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning (i use chunky california style)

1 teaspoon crushed dried rosemary

2 slices crusty bread, diced

1 clove garlic, chopped or pressed

3-4 leaves fresh basil, chopped

pinch red pepper flakes

heat the oil over medium heat in a skillet (i used cast iron). add the onion and bell pepper, and cook until medium soft and shiny. add eggplant, can of tomatoes (with the juice!), diced tomatoes, salt, pepper (to taste), lemon pepper, and rosemary. cook until tender, but make sure there is still liquid in the pan. add the garlic, fresh basil, and balsamic vinegar (and wine, if using). turn down the heat and cook until almost all of the liquid has gone. stir in the bread cubes and continue cooking. sprinkle in the pinch of red pepper flakes and cook for 2-3 more minutes. remove from heat and let sit for 3-4 minutes. then you may immediately devour.

makes a lot, depending on the size of your eggplant. it's great as leftovers... and you can serve it with polenta, rice, potatoes... i find that the bread cubes make it starchy enough, but i do love carbs.

<3 ciao,

a fun giveaway and a sweet shop

2009-09-13T10:28:00.000-04:00

i was browsing around today, and i found this cute etsy shop, zoetropa. i then stumbled over to her blog, and behold! she's having a giveaway! who doesn't need some cute, hand printed stationery items?!

<3 leave a comment on her blog to enter. she's fab.

more about me later. its homework time.

ciao,
J

finally

2009-09-11T00:06:00.000-04:00

and, folks, this is what working your (almost non-existant) butt off for 3 and a half years leaves you with:

plus a web class... 12 lovely credits to be followed by a medal and a diploma.

senior year is fantastic.

let them eat cake

2009-09-10T19:05:00.001-04:00

first barefoot recipe of september: birthday cake! it's not my birthday, nor is it anyone else's birthday that I know, but birthday cake is still a happy addition to any thursday.

my first attempt at this downright failed. the outside burned while the inside didn't cook. i blame my oven.

luckily, the 2nd shot turned out perfectly. the cake was a bright, golden yellow with the right amount of crumb to moisture, even though i used yogurt instead of sour cream. i'm usually a white cake fan, but this just might be my new favorite.

head on over to Susie's blog, Everyday Gourmet, for the recipe.

ciao,
J

no words, just food.

2009-08-30T20:54:00.000-04:00

local tomatoes, thyme, and olive oil.

simple and divine.

barefoot... another late entry

2009-08-28T17:07:00.002-04:00

i'm sorry, i'm sorry, i'm sorry.

i actually made this recipe like 3 weeks ago (the same day as the mango smoothies) because i knew it was the first week of classes and i'd have NO time or ambition to make it. i suppose i forgot to take into account that i'd probably not have the ambition to blog about it, either.

not that it's any consolation or even a good excuse, but i was out from 6pm until... sometime early this morning... celebrating my first thursday night out at psu. it was hilarious, and today's rainy weather was a very good excuse to stay inside and cook warm, tangy pasta sauce and make homemade spinach pasta. yum.

but back to the matter at hand.. my white pizza with arugula turned out fabulous, and i even created a fantastic dip/spread in the process.

though my lactose intolerance is much better, i wasn't ready to take on that load of cheese. improvisation was necessary. i ended up mixing a can of cannellini beans with a few garlic cloves, some thyme, parsley, and a wedge of the laughing cow light garlic and herb cheese. after a few whizzes in the food pro, it spread nicely on the perfect dough. it was also great on crackers as a snack and for a sandwich the next day.

winner.

check out andrea's blog, nummy kitchen, for the recipe, and head over to the BB blogroll to see other lovely creations.

ciao,
j

you say goodbye, i say hello

2009-08-26T16:04:00.004-04:00

the past week has been a giant tornado of suitcases, boxes, plastic bags, unpacking, repacking, unpacking again, unloading, stairs, elevators, sticky-tack, and 4 thousand trips to wegmans/target/bookstore. moving back to campus early, staying with a friend for 3 days (sleeping on the floor, may i add -- thanks for no cot there, shc), and then moving into a new apartment is stressful. i'm still stressed. and i still can't find my gray tanktop.

but, the beacon of light in the middle of all of this mess:

carrot cake cookies with white chocolate chips and candied ginger

on tuesday night, after a very long day of packing for 2 separate move-ins (one set of luggage for the dorm stay and another room-full of luggage/boxes/bags/uhauls/spaceships/ufos... for the apartment move-in), i needed a release.

i have four therapy options that range on a spectrum of health effects:
healthiest: gym/running and a solid round of stretching/pilates/yoga to cool down
slightly less healthy: baking (health level varies by product, ingredients, amount of raw input consumed, and amount of baked output consumed)
not at all healthy: lemon-drop martinis washed down with whiskey sours.
effect unknown: assuming slug position on the couch.

i'd already gone to the gym, and i needed to run 400 errands between 8am and 2pm on wednesday, so the not at all healthy option was out of the picture. not wanting to resort to being a complete waste of life, i chose to bake. i really wanted to make carrot cake, but transporting it up to school would be hard with icing, and seriously, what's the point of carrot cake if you can't go into a sugar-coma from the cream cheese frosting? none. that's right.

i browsed through my macgourmet files and found a recipe for carrot cake cookies from gourmet magazine. my roommate is adamantly opposed to raisins, and i don't like walnuts in my carrot cake... so i had to adapt. i still had some candied ginger left over from the nyc trip and the ginger cookies, and i found a bag of white chocolate chips from god knows when in the pantry. awesome.

they kind of stuck together in the box because i didn't use wax paper between the layers, but i assume that the sticky crumbs and pieces left in the box are a testament to their fabulousness. i'm all about self-promotion. i'm a damn good cookie maker.

tommorow there will be bare feet.. and pizza! yum.

carrot cake cookies
adapted from gourmet
makes about 30 cookies

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
⅓ cup plus 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
⅓ cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 large egg
½ teaspoon vanilla
2-3 medium carrots, peeled
1/4 cup candied ginger, whole pieces
3 ounces white chocolate chips

Using a food processor (or a grater, if you feel like being manual), finely chop the carrots and ginger together. The ginger is sticky, and trying to chop it by hand or alone in the food pro is an absolute mess. I don't know how grating it would work, so let me know.

Whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt in a bowl.
With an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar for 1 minute, then add egg and vanilla. Mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add in the carrot/ginger mixture and mix to combine. Working in batches, incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet until a sticky dough forms. Fold in the white chocolate chips.

Place the bowl in the fridge for 20 minutes while you preheat the over to 375* (you can skip this step and just preheat the oven before you start). Using a scoop or 2 spoons, drop the dough in roughyl 1 tbls mounds onto prepared baking sheets (I love my mom's silpat). Don't try to squeeze more than 12 onto one regular-sized sheet; they spread a bit.

Bake for 12-15 minutes, turning halfway through and switching racks if necessary, until the edges are browned and they're springy when you touch them. Cool on sheet for 1 minute, then transfer to a baking rack to cool all the way. Eat immediately, but if you want to be civil... store in an air-tight container with wax paper between the layers to avoid the mess I ended up with.

ciao,
J

un dîner français

2009-08-17T08:52:00.002-04:00

because i'm a slightly masochistic overachiever, i only got 10 days at home between my internship and going back to school to help with orientation. i kept these 10 days as open as possible, allowing plenty of time to lay on the couch, read, and coach my mom at the gym (my parents joined the new fitness center! i'm proud!).

but laying around on the couch gets boring, and i inevitably turn to the kitchen, use up my mom's ingredients, and fill the fridge with food. my mom and dad work all day (both at home, usually), and i like to make them dinner so they can relax.

last monday, i decided to take them on a trip back to my second favorite meal of the summer (et voila was easier to duplicate; nora would have been significantly more pricey): steamed mussels in white wine with crusty bread, lettuce soup, and crepes (i had macarons at the restaurant, but i didnt feel like fighting the august humidity in pennsylvania).

all four components of this meal were new adventures in cooking for me, and i was excited for the challenge. with the help of many of my trusty online food "friends" (i clearly do not actually know any of these people), the dinner was mostly a success.

i started with mark bitman's recipe for french bread from how to cook everything. the recipe couldn't have been easier. i may have overcooked it slightly, so be careful with that. french bread should be crusty, but my dad had to cut it for me. once it was dunked in the soup and mussel broth, however, it basically melted in our mouths.

the soup was inspired directly by the first course v and i had at et voila. it wasn't on the menu, but as soon as the waitress described the dish, we both looked at eachother and decided instantly we had to try it. mine didn't turn out quite as vibrantly green (it's in the background of the bread above), and i think a foodmill would have produced a better texture than the immersion blender (still my favorite kitchen tool!). regardless, the flavor was spot-on.

but the pièce de résistance was the mussels (click for recipe). thank you, my idol ina garten, for not letting me down. wegmans had 2-lb bags on sale for $5, and i took advantage of the ridiculously expensive vile of saffron threads in my mom's spice cabinet (yes, most college kids steal liquor from their parents... i steal saffron). they were cooked perfectly, and we only lost one to an early death. the little bits of shallot, tomatoes, and garlic stuck to the juicy mussels, and the wine and saffron mixed together for an extremely savory, vibrantly orange, tangy broth.

devine.

we celebrated the bounty of delicious summer berries by wrapping them up in a not-too-sweet blanket of pastry, topped with a drizzle of honey and dusted with powdered sugar. no need for any whipped cream or pastry filling... just ripe blackberries, strawberries, and blueberries. a very simple ending to an elegant dinner.

i'm hoping to be able to enjoy this meal (or something like it) IN france next summer... the stars are aligning and making my dream trip even more closer to reality. the psu scheduling gods have smiled upon me, and there is a french 001 class being offered monday-thursday afternoons in the spring: NO FRIDAY CLASSES! i'm signing up.

and even better than speaking the language, i'll be able to EAT!! (runs around the room excitedly) i've been holding out on this news, not wanting to jinx my sensitive system, but.....
i can eat dairy again!!! the first sign came from the malted milk martini, strawberry tirimisu, and pounds of chocolate i inhaled at the bw 10th anniversary party at coco sala at the beginning of the month. it was further supported by the addition of laughing cow cheese to my sandwiches, trader joe's lobster ravioli (in the sauce, may i add), queso dip at mangos, sour cream and onion potato chips, and cream cheese with my smoked salmon. no side effects. i feel fabulous... and, to add to the excitement, i've gained at least 10 pounds since may and don't have to go see dr. parkman again for a WHOLE YEAR!

i'm going to complete the test with a taste of creamery ice cream. cross your fingers, please!

recipe:
potage de pere tranquille

1 large head boston lettuce
4-6 cups chicken stock
4 sprigs fresh thyme
1/2 cup milk or cream
salt and pepper

carefully separate and wash the lettuce leaves and slice into ribbons. in a large soup pot, cover the lettuce with chicken stock and bring to a boil. meanwhile, tie the thyme sprigs together with kitchen twine (may wrap in cheesecloth). reduce the heat on the soup, add the thyme sprig, and simmer until the leaves are tender, about 20 minutes.

take soup off of heat and remove the thyme bouquet. puree (food processor, blender, immersion blender, or food mill) in batches until no stringy pieces of lettuce remain. return to pot and season with salt and pepper. stir in the milk or cream and cook until warmed through. serve warm or chilled with crusty bread or croutons.

ciao,
j

barefoot thursday.. err, friday

2009-08-14T16:13:00.004-04:00

okay. i'm a day late. but i have good reasons! it was the first night of preseason! we were replaying the cardinals in an epic rematch to prove that yes, we were supposed to win the superbowl.

anyway.

this month's first barefoot recipe was a great nod to my 21st annual summer of existence: mango banana daquiris, chosen by veronica of Supermarket Serenade. once again, my failure to check what we actually have at home before going to the grocery store (no, we did not have bananas) forced an adjustment to the recipe (original found here). i omitted the bananas, used frozen mangos, changed up the liquor, and made it into a sorbet!

my dad is working at home this week, and he was on a conference call at the kitchen table-turned office all afternoon. like the quick-thinking, adaptable chick that i am, i simply took my operations to the laundry room and closed the door.

my recipe: reduce 1/2 cup of dark rum mixed with 1/4 cup of coconut rum in a small saucepan over medium heat by 1/3. working in 2 batches, combine rum, 2 bags of partially thawed frozen mango chunks, 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, and honey to taste in a blender until smooth. transfer to ice cream maker. churn for 30 minutes, transfer to a freezer-safe bowl, and chill for a few hours.

the alcohol in the sorbet will keep it from freezing solid, which i found to be a problem with my last sorbet.

i don't have any photos of the sorbet, as we haven't eaten it yet. i'll post something fun once it's consumed.

ciao,
j

2009-08-14T08:45:00.002-04:00

don't worry... i didn't die. on the contrary, i'm feeling much better than i have in over a year.

my barefoot post will be a day or so late, but it was an adventure in making and i will share once i upload my pictures and have a few minutes.

J

foodie fight!

2009-07-26T21:15:00.004-04:00

because a barefoot challenge, baking club, bworld (explanation to follow later this week), and the epic sinus infection weren't enough, i decided to go to atlantic city this weekend and then come home and make my entry for foodie fights!

i've been rather busy and ignoring my blog email for awhile, and i decided to catch up on it while in the car on the way to atlantic city on friday night. lo and behold, i'd missed a notification from food fights that'd been chosen for the july battle of eggplant and white wine. OYE.

my karma is out of control; i bought 2 baby eggplants at the farmers' market last weekend and only used on one my pizza this week. so i didn't have to worry about the ingredients, but coming up with a recipe that i could make on sunday night after a weekend in AC was a bit daunting.

luckily, irma never lets me down. i tweaked the recipe for chilled eggplant from the joy of cooking and came up with a pretty solid version of babaghanoush in roughly 40 minutes. the recipe follows the photo, in paragraph form as per irma's style.

bring a pot of water to boil and cook until smushy, about 15 minutes:

one small eggplant, about 5-6 inches long

while the eggplant is cooking, saute in 2 tablespoons olive oil until brown and tender:

1/2 medium yellow onion

1 garlic clove, pressed

remove the eggplant from the boiling water and dice into 1/2 inch cubes.

once the onion is brown, add:

1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

eggplant cubes

salt

pepper

deglaze the pan periodically with water and mush up the vegetables with a potato masher or a large wooden spoon. continue to cook.

after 15-20 minutes, deglaze the pan one final time with 3-4 tablespoons dry, white wine. stir in 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil, 1 tsp red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. cook for 5 minutes more, mushing up the vegetables until almost like a puree.

chill in the fridge overnight before serving.

if i had the time, i would have made pita bread to go with this. considering how freaking easy it was, a remake and some pita bread is totally probable.

stay tuned later this week for an explanation and mouth-watering photos from my adventure into my heritage with the zwetschgenkuchen i made for the cultural potluck at work =).

ciao,

barefoot thursday: peach and blueberry crumble

2009-07-23T21:34:00.005-04:00

whether by coincidence or by design, this month's second barefoot bloggers challenge was perfect for the fruits in season. way to go, aggie (of aggie's kitchen) for being so on par! peaches and blueberries are 2 of my favorite fruits, and the takoma park farmers' market had a lovely variety to suit my needs.

i'm still battling my sinus infection and the horrendous side effects of the antibiotics, so no witty stories or musings. just a few pictures and a recipe. the only tiny

detail i changed was tossing in a tablespoon of vanilla rum. everything is better with rum.

Peach and blueberry crumble

from the barefoot contessa at home

For the fruit:
2 lbs firm, ripe peaches (6-8 peaches)
2 tsp grated lemon zest
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
(1 tbsp rum, vanilla or plain)

1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup fresh blueberries (1/2 pint)

For the Crumble:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 lb (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, diced

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Immerse the peaches in boiling water for 30 seconds to 1 minute, until their skins peel off easily. Place them immediately in cold water. Peel the peaches, slice them into thick wedges, and place them in a large bowl. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, granulated sugar, (rum) and flour. Toss well. Gently mix in the blueberries. Allow the mixture to sit for 5 minutes. Spoon the mixture into ramekins or custard cups (i used one big casserole dish).

For the topping, combine the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, and the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until the butter is the size of peas. Rub the mixture with your fingertips until it’s in big crumbles, then sprinkle evenly over the fruit. Place the ramekins on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and back for 40 to 45 minutes, until the tops are browned and crisp and the juices are bubbly. Serve warm or at room temperature (with blackberry ice cream, obviously). If you want to make these early, store the unbaked crumbles in the refrigerator and bake before dinner. (it also goes back in the fridge and reheats very well. Serves 5 to 6.

ciao,

brown paper packages, tied up with strings

2009-07-20T22:07:00.003-04:00

i've been derailed like a dc metro train thanks to a killer sinus and upper-respiratory infection. i can't breathe; my head is throbbing; my body is somewhere around 9000 degrees; and my voice sounds like a 2-year-old. however, i kept my end of the bargain in our weekend meal plan and tackled tamales while adam took on pupusas. we like to pretend we're hispanic, even though we're all straight from germany and the ukraine.

fue muy impresa con los resultados. aqui esta unos fotos de nuestra cena el domingo:

muy rico, que no?

hasta,

let them eat tarts

2009-07-18T10:35:00.007-04:00

it just so happened that my first real "baking club" entry was due the week of bastille day. given my current francophile leanings, i was thrilled. i took this as the perfect opportunity tackle the previously-feared pie crust, and while it was an ooey-gooey experience, i was pretty impressed with the results.

i used a recipe from patricia wells, reprinted by the new york times. the original article ran on july 31, 1988, 2 months after the most glorious day on which i entered the world. it was fate, and who am i to mess with that?

the crust was a lot stickier than i had thought it would be, perhaps due to the fact that i had to use earth balance vegan buttery sticks instead of the impossibly-good french buerre i'm sure the original relied upon. i made the crust on sunday night. i basically had to rearrange the entire fridge to fit the two pans in there to chill over night, and i was worried about the whole "removable bottom" tart pan thing messing up the dough if bumped. i stacked them with a wooden cutting board between, which solved that problem.

i had to make 2 tarts to meet the 30-person baking club requirement, so splurging on the $10 for 4 ounces of ridiculously good chocolate from whole foods was out of the question. the ghirardeli bittersweet baking nibs worked out great and fit the budget much better. i covered one with sliced almonds before baking it, and left the other plain to be allergy-friendly.

the best part about recipes that require tempering chocolate is that it is impossible to get every bit out of the bowl. getting to stick my face into the chocolate-coated bowl takes me back to my childhood when i'd barely let the beaters stop spinning before i licked them clean of mom's magical brownie-batter. raw eggs, you don't scare me.

while i didn't win the challenge (derek's "gorilla bread" -- a monkey bread variation using cream cheese that was well worth the stomach ache i got after eating it... you think i'd learn that simply insisting that i'm not lactose intolerant does not actually make it true), i really liked my tarts and am no longer scared of crust! thanks, patricia wells!

Tarte Au Chocolat Amer (Bitter-Chocolate Tart)
adapted from The New York Times

for the pastry:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup sugar
6 tablespoons (3 ounces) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into pieces
1 small egg, lightly beaten

for the filling:
5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, perferably Lindt or Tobler
1 whole egg
2 egg yolks
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon confectioners' sugar, for garnish
(1/2 cup sliced almonds)

To prepare the pastry:

Place the flour, salt, sugar and butter in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Process just until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs, about 10 seconds. Add the egg and pulse just until the pastry begins to hold together, about nine times. The dough will be very soft and supple, like a cookie dough. Turn the pastry into a 10 1/2-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Using a spatula, and working quickly, evenly distribute the dough in the pan. (i covered the pastry with wax paper and used my fingers to press it in... it will stick. be careful.) To avoid problems with shrinkage as the pastry bakes, build the dough a bit higher than the height of the pan. Prick the bottom of the shell with the tines of a fork. Chill, uncovered, for one hour (or overnight, covered with plastic wrap).

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Line the shell loosely with aluminum foil, pressing well into the edges. Fill with weights of rice or beans -making sure you get all the way into the edges - to prevent shrinkage. Bake just until the pastry begins to brown around the edges and seems firm enough to stand up by itself, about 20 minutes. Remove the foil and weights and continue baking until the pastry is lightly and evenly browned, about 10 more minutes. Watch the pastry carefully, for ovens vary tremendously and pastry can brown very quickly. Cool for at least 10 minutes before filling.

Place the chocolate in the top of a double boiler. Stir and melt over medium heat. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, combine the egg, egg yolks and granulated sugar and beat until thick and lemon-colored. Add the chocolate and whisk until thoroughly combined (do this slowly and in small bits so as not to cook the eggs).

Pour the chocolate mixture into the prebaked, cooled tart shell, spreading it evenly (sprinkle with almonds if using), and bake just until the filling is set, about 10 minutes.

ciao,

barefoot thursday and some photos

2009-07-09T07:00:00.000-04:00

i'm not going to apologize for not updating since the last barefoot post. i am going to link you to my photo album of adventures to serve as my excuse:

summer adventures in and out of the district

as you can see, i've been busy going to artomatic, eastern market, calvert cliffs, new york city, and atlantic city. i don't like to sit still.

and now i will detail the culinary happenings since the last post:

i joined the baking club at work and had an "initiation bake" last week. while in nyc, i snagged some candied ginger for super cheap, so naturally ina's ultimate ginger cookies were a must. i shook things up by adding in some dried apricots (leftover from the couscous) and dried papaya (homemade from the same source as the ginger). while the initiation round wasn't voted on, i still maintain i won. they were fantastically chewy, sweet, and spicy. a perfect combination. bonus: the whole house smelled like christmas, and every time someone came by and opened the box on my desk, so did my cube =).

we had a bit of an overflow problem with the guinness cupcakes for the 4th (cake recipe from here), but the oozing just forced me to eat all of the extra bits before frosting them. i consider this a serious perk and not at all a problem.

martha's seven-minute frosting covered up any snags from the overflow and added a marshmallow-y goodness to the boozey cake (though it turned into foam the next day -- not good for leftovers). next time, i'm going to try reducing the guinness to give it a stronger flavor and possibly replacing some of the water in the icing recipe with the stout. perfect chocolate cake texture, though.

and finally: it's BAREFOOT THURSDAY! i was excited to see an easy dish that didn't include three pounds of butter and chocolate (i'm still recovering from the outrageous brownies). i've also maxed out my baking and summer bbq palate for awhile, so pasta was right up my alley. i omitted the mozzarella (obvious reasons) and olives (v doesn't like them), and i added chopped tomatoes into the pureed sauce instead of whole in the pasta. the sundried tomatoes gave it an almost meaty texture, and serving it warm right out of the pot made it a very substantial dinner (note the bruschetta in the photo: sundried tomato and basil bread from panera mimicked the pasta ingredients; what a great compliment -- thanks a!). the sauce would be great on chicken or fish, and i'm sure the recipe would make a really good cold pasta salad for a picnic or tailgate. head on over to Cat's blog, Delta Whiskey, for the recipe =)

thank goodness it's almost friday. i'm going sailing on saturday with the other summer consultants (yes, i'll be on a boat with my flippy-floppies), and my parents are coming down for a visit on sunday. looking forward to a fun weekend =).

ciao,

barefoot thursday: gazpacho

2009-06-25T22:34:00.002-04:00

i really didn't mean for this blog to become so intermittent, but i've been putting in really long hours at work and the last thing i want to do when i come home is stare at the computer some more. don't believe me? between 7am yesterday and 7am today, i was only in the house for 6.5 hours, 5.5 of which were spent asleep and the other one spent getting ready for work today. granted, 3 of the 12 hours i spent at work were at a dinner with the partners/principals, most of my day consisted of importing and manipulating excel tables, sitting in a meeting, and riding public transportation.

if you don't happen to live near dc, you may have missed the epic metro crash that happened on monday. one in-bound train slammed into the back end of another, and 10 people died. it's the worst crash in the history of metro, and the first fatal crash since the early 1980s. my belief in karma is even stronger now, because had i not felt compelled to wash out my coffee mug and take 5 minutes longer to leave, i would have been on the red line when it happened -- going in the opposite direction, but still. while my heart goes out to everyone involved, and i'm thanking my lucky stars that no one i know was hurt, i can't help but curse it all just a little for adding 45 minutes to my commute this morning and evening, making me not get home until 12:15 last night, and keeping me from going into work on tuesday (okay.. so that wasn't that bad). i just got an email from metro that everything is cleared. let's keep our fingers crossed.

on to happier things.

i mentioned my birthday party a couple of posts ago... turning 21 was fab, and i've been enjoying the benefits of having a legal id. more on that later. back to the birthday. i served grilled shrimp tacos, spicy slaw, and chips and guac, but i needed a good appetizer. barefoot bloggers to the rescue!

the day before my birthday, the recipes were announced, and i wanted to hug meryl of my bit of earth for choosing ina's gazpacho. it was fate.

served in a martini glass, obvi.

gazpacho is probably my favorite summertime food. my "sponsor" took me out to lunch on my first day of work, and i had a gorgeous yellow tomato gazpacho with crab. whenever we splurge and go to whole foods, i have to stop myself from buying the whole shelf of it from their prepared foods section. last summer, i would duck down to marvelous market and indulge at least once a week -- what's more perfect than soup you don't have to heat?! but by far, the gazpacho at mon ami gabi is my favorite. ina's came dangerously close.

i made a few changes [in italics], trying to get it just like mon ami:

gazpacho
adapted from ina garten’s “the barefoot contessa cookbook”

servings: 4 to 6 [i got filled 10 juice glasses with half]

1 hothouse cucumber, halved and seeded, but not peeled
2 red bell peppers, cored and seeded
4 plum tomatoes [two cans of whole, peeled tomatoes, drained with juice reserved]
1 red onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
23 ounces tomato juice (3 cups) [made up the difference from the canned tomatoes with clamato]
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup good olive oil
1/2 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

[1 tablespoon fresh minced cilantro]

[a few dashes of tabasco]

[juice of 1 lime]

1. roughly chop the cucumbers, bell peppers, tomatoes and red onions into 1-inch cubes. put each vegetable separately into a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse until it is coarsely chopped [i failed at the "each vegetable separately part... turned out fine, just a really full food pro]. do not overprocess!

2. after each vegetable is processed, combine them in a large bowl and add the garlic, tomato juice, vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper [plus lime and tabasco]. mix well and chill before serving. the longer gazpacho sits, the more the flavors develop. [add cilantro just before serving]

my camera is full, and i'm waiting until i buy some new photo software with my paycheck next week to unload it (i'm actually just really lazy, be glad you got a picture). i'm going to atlantic city this weekend, and after that i promise, promise, promise to update. 6am tomorrow morning is going to come too quickly. it's time for some sleep.

ciao,

welcome to the real world

2009-06-16T21:31:00.003-04:00

as dc prepares for the arrival of mtv's the real world, i myself have been experiencing the arrival of the real real world. it barged right in and emptied it's giant bag of crap all over the place, taking up all of my living space with its 40+ hour work weeks, less than 6 hours of sleep a night, blistered feet from too-tight (but oh-so-cute heels), reading case documents on the metro, conference calls, understanding why people drink heavily after work, and SUPER HUGE PAYCHECKS.

=) that last point is awesome. this is my first paid internship, and getting rewarded for putting in long hours and intense brain power feels fantastic. not to mention that it'll make funding that IV drip of caffeine i've installed in my cube a little bit easier.

i'm in the process of trying out new photo software, so you'll have to wait for pictures of last week's adventures: a trip to the ultra-indie, ultra-hip artomatic, a hike through calvert cliffs, and a trip to eastern market. i promise good things.

i finally got my haircut yesterday, after a very long run of steelers AND penguins playoffs. (by the way, PENS WIN CUP. v and i are holding our breath for the pirates to win out. we're believers. don't hate.) i managed to make my way back to my favorite salon in dupont circle that i found my first summer here. it's full of fantastically gay (and talented) stylists. the boy who shampooed my hair was wearing cut-off jean bermuda shorts with knee-high black wellies. gotta love it. he also gave a killer scalp massage.

and since i trekked ALL THE WAY out to dupont circle, we just had to go to lauriol plaza for dinner. i also had to order white wine sangria. i went for my old stand by of ceviche, but decided to try a tamale, too. i've been dying to have one, and i figured lauriol was the closest to authentic mexico i'm getting for awhile (swine flu, anyone?). it was stellar. once the weekends away die down (NYC this weekend to visit my favorite love, atlantic city to hang with jim the next), i'm going to buy me some corn husks and whip up some of my own. alton brown did a show on them, so obvi i have to try.

v and a went back to dupont tonight to the brickskeller to say hello to their friend's little bro who's in the army and going back to hawaii soon. i decided to opt out and save my liver for my company dinner at the city club on thursday and a weekend of debauchery with my lyss.

and i just heard the really ridiculously strange beeping noise indicating that the dryer has decided my clothes are done. this means i have to go turn it back on for another 45 minutes.

ciao,

barefoot thursday: curried couscous

2009-06-11T08:14:00.000-04:00

as a college student with limited access to a grocery store and even more limited access to time, i became quite a fan of one-pot rice dishes this year. many, many of my dinners consisted of putting some sort of grain or pasta on the stove and adding in whatever ingredients i could gather up in the time it took to boil (which is longer than you think when your electric burners are crooked and from 1600 A.D.) this month's first barefoot recipe, curried couscous chosen by ellyn of recipe collector and tester, was a happy reminder of the comfy food i'd eaten all year and a nice break from the grill/bbq/drinking fest i've been on since moving down here:

not that such a fest (see more at silver spring foodies) hasn't been enjoyable, but sometimes all the effort and time of making an elaborate meal is lost on me. most of yesterday was spent staring at the computer converting pdf tables into excel and trying to act casual when i walk past the same person's desk for the 15th time because i've gotten lost in the maze of the 7th floor again. by the time i got home, i just wanted something warm, cozy, and immediately on my plate.

enter curried couscous. the recipe (found on ellyn's blog, here, or on p. 94 of the barefoot contessa cookbook) is simple and quick. i managed to make the whole thing while V and A re-heated up the stir-fry from tuesday. i down-sized it to make a single serving, but a large quantity would keep nicely for lunchtime leftovers. i added in some baby zucchini from saturday's farmers' market trip and used dried apricots instead of raisins. the sweetness from the dried fruit is key.

it's also convenient that my favorite color is yellow =)

ciao,
j

epic failure of posting, but lots of pictures

2009-06-09T20:26:00.004-04:00

my apologies. it seems that i've fallen a bit behind in the blogging, but by no means in the cooking or adventuring.

since moving down to silver spring, md a little over a week ago, my non-food adventures have included:

turning 21 and ordering 2 drinks without getting carded
going to the beach
starting my first real internship and working 2 hours of overtime in the first week
drinking my first legal pint of guinness and doing a lemon-drop shooter at murphy's (again, not carded)
meeting 9 incredibly awesome kids i'll be working with all summer
buying 2 cases of beer from the shadiest liquor store ever in college park
going to my first happy hour with 6 of the 9 above mentioned cool kids and ordering my favorite glass of wine (got carded this time)
celebrating the end of my 21st birthday week with a party that merged my high school, college, and summer program friends plus two new acquaintances
watching the pens try to take the stanley cup (game 6 currently in progress)
going on a SEGWAY TOUR of DC (and getting paid for doing so) with other summer consultants
lost my phone to an epic technological failure and had to argue with the at&t store as they tried to give me a $100 refund that i couldn't accept without the original credit card and ended up buying a $100 blue-tooth headset to be shipped home and returned by my mother (oye)
out-driving a torrential downpour/thunderstorm this afternoon with a plastic bag stuck to the grill of v's car

as you can see, i have plenty of excuses for not blogging. the excessive alcohol content of my adventures was due completely to the fact that i turned 21. i do not take my milestones lightly. in addition to celebrating with drinks, i also have gotten to do a lot of fun cooking:

before moving down here, i made black-pepper brown-sugar salmon with grilled pineapple for my parents
i made my own birthday cake: a pink-lemonade double-layer cake with raspberry filling and almond buttercream icing (topped with sprinkles and candles, and enjoyed with a toast of 1+2=3 cava)

i used a's antique kitchen-aid to mix up a batch of margarita cupcakes (a vctotw recipe) with a tequila-lime glaze (adapted from the vctotw green tea glaze)

i served the cupcakes at my first ever dinner party (point 8 on adventure list), along with grilled shrimp tacos, a spicy slaw, tomato gazpacho, and mojitos with mint fresh from the garden. it was a huge success.

and i have been staring at the computer (with a break for the segway tour, the ride home, and dinner) since 8:10am. i am tired, my eyes are sore, and i need to watch the pens keep the series alive (go black & gold)!

this week is a barefoot week, so another post is coming. it promises to be yummy, and i promise to update more.

happy june!

ciao,

i'm still alive!

2009-06-02T23:42:00.003-04:00

in case you have been concerned... no, i did not die. i moved down to dc on saturday and started my internship (and turned 21!!) on monday, so life has been very hectic since thursday's post. but don't worry, i'll have a fantastic post or two all about my birthday week (yes, a full week) coming soon! hold tight!

ciao,

barefoot thursday and memorial goodies

2009-05-28T09:29:00.002-04:00

i'm only slightly embarrassed to admit that i was scared of ina's outrageous brownies. i give props to eva of i'm boring for choosing it as this month's barefoot bloggers second recipe. she's far more ambitious than i am. this fear leads me to my confession: i was going to lie this month. we hosted a birthday party for my neighbor last weekend, and i made brownies for the kids. my mom is known around the neighborhood (and the neighborhoods in naperville and pittsburgh, too) for her brownies, and i couldn't disappoint the kids. i thought it was a perfect out. i'd just whip up my mom's recipe and pretend they were ina's. a box of pillsbury brownie mix with a few tweaks, a tub of frosting, and my new icing tips would save me!

while the results were pretty fantastic, i felt dishonest and gross (maybe because i basically licked the entire bowl of batter and ate all of the crumbs stuck to the pan after doling out the leftovers).

so after the gnawing guilt i was feeling, yesterday i mustered up some courage, cracked open the cookbook, and trucked through. obviously, i cannot consume any part of this recipe, especially after my changes. i halved the recipe, which still required 2 sticks of butter and almost a pound of chocolate (i used semi-sweet chocolate chips and a 3oz hersheys extra dark with almonds bar). i'm bringing them to a cookout tomorrow as dessert for a 3 and 5 year old, so i omitted the coffee (my mom is making ina's lemon yogurt cake again for us big kids).

we didn't have a good rectangular pan for the halved recipe, so i went for a 9-inch cake pan. bad, bad choice. these aren't supposed to be massively thick, and thus they didn't cook in the center well before i thought the edges were starting to burn. my mom was okay with this, as my cutting them out of the pan produced a lot of chunks and breaks for her to sample. i sneaked a tiny taste (i'm sorry, intestines!). fantabulously undercooked and gloriously chocolatey. i think i'll probably just stick to my mom's brownies from now on, as they caused a lot less gastrointestinal distress (both in making and in my consuming), but these were fun to try.

i spent my memorial day weekend, fittingly, at my sister's house in dc. we're finally almost finished with the re-building of my bathroom and the laundry room, and we celebrated our hard work with a great cookout, best shown through photographs because (1) outdoor photos turn out well and (2) i need to go for a run soon.

grill master v

mmm sangria

tiny little weber

grilled chicken with spicy apricot glaze

smashed baby red potatoes with homegrown chives

the family that eats together stays together

we celebrated the hanging of really ridiculous split-frame doors with a bonfire, more sangria, and mm mm s'mores. i was rather bored last week and decided to make homemade marshmallows. my roommate (whose NYC internship started two weeks ago) now thinks i am officially crazy. she's busy working. i'm busy making things that no one ever really makes. or so you'd think. there's a gazillion recipes out there for homemade marshmallows, but i went with david leibowitz. he used 3 packets of gelatin, while all the others called for only 2 with the same quantities of other ingredients. i don't know what difference it makes, but he didn't let me down. the process wasn't hard at all, just sticky. my mom came into the kitchen to find me with my head in the mixing bowl, face covered in little marshmallow strings like a cobwebbed three year old. it was yummy. and homemade marshmallows make the best s'mores. plus the recipe made like 500 billion, so i think we're stocked for at least another week =). i highly recommend making yourself some. it'll impress all of your friends, and it offers the perfect excuse to eat melty chocolate and crunchy graham crackers.

we're officially on the countdown to my last weekend of underage. we're not commenting on the fact that i got carded buying a powerball ticket yesterday at wegmans. i will be 21 on monday, and i will celebrate.

time to go run. hope you all enjoyed your memorial day weekends and are looking forward to june!

ciao,

hello, my name is jenny.

2009-05-21T14:35:00.003-04:00

in high school, i spent two and a half hours every friday morning scanning, sorting, cleaning, and reshelving books at the parkland community library. the library is actually an old ranch-style house in which all of the front rooms have been converted into a big open space, the rest used for offices for the librarians and a kitchen area. i overexaggerated my duties. on a good day, twelve people will come into the library. seven of those twelve people will be under the age of six and illiterate for all intents and purposes, completely undermining the reason for going to check out books. as such, i actually spent most of my time sorting out dried-up markers and deformed paper clips from the "summer reading club" desk drawer, occasionally pausing to stamp a little kid's reading log and hand him a coupon for a free kid-sized rita's, which i took two of as payment at the end of each shift.

one of my favorite ways to pass the time, especially when it rained, was to "spot check." i'd wind my way through all of the shelves, checking to see that the books were in the right location (by subject and type) and then all in alphabetical or dewey-decimal order. you would have thought i'd have gotten really stellar at the dd system and, obviously by the age of sixteen i should know my alphabet, but every four seconds i'd repeat the alphabet song in my head or look down at the dd cheat-sheet i'd printed off one of the ancient computers in the backroom. these pauses allowed me ample time to study the titles and covers, two things you are NOT supposed to use in judging books. my dad will open a book to a random middle page and start reading. after a few pages, he'll either keep it for check out or move on. this baffles me. not only do i think that a few pages hardly does the book justice, i also can't fathom ruining a potential winner by reading the middle before it's time. it's like biting into a tootsie pop. you can't do that. you can't get to the chocolate center without at least making an effort at the outside. if i just wanted the middle, i'd have saved the trouble and opened a tootsie roll. i want all of it.

so while the old adage exists, i don't see how you can judge a book any other way than its cover or title without reading the entire thing, which can only be done if the title or cover is particularly interesting. and that is how i came to discover the never-ending world of editorial non-fiction and memoirs. during one rather boring morning at the library, i had made my way to the biography section of the library and stumbled upon a title out of place: another bullshit night in suck city by nicholas flynn, who i later found out is a poet or writer or something like that. excuse me? a library is a quiet place for contemplation and education, not expletives and anger. as this was before the first of two very painful high school break-ups (the same kid teice, i may add), i had not yet developed my angry vocabulary and was still mocked for saying things like "darn it" and "what the heck?" this book stood out, and with no prior notions of anything between its artfully titled, dark green with yellow printed covers, i checked it out (myself, a perk of being a volunteer) and headed home.

and thus my obsession was born. i had a brief haitus with some dan-brown-esque fiction involving hidden codes in books and whatnot (read the rule of four and the secret of the rose) followed by a stint in economic-based nonfiction, but i've always returned to the memoir, biography, or autobiography. i'm a sucker for nostalgia, and reading about other peoples' memories, struggles, and far more interesting experiences fuels that need. i also find it's much easier to get connected to the characters and the story when i know they're mostly real (yes, harry potter does exist, so clearly my obsession with the boy wizard series is not an exception to this rule).

in the past year, i've devoured all of michael ruhlman's books, become very close with barbara walters and alan greenspan (who dated, btw), sat down at molly wizenberg's table, and am currently embarking on a journey into the world of julia child with julie powell. david leibowitz is on deck, probably to be started tomorrow because i can't put julie and julia down.

all of these stories have started to stir the ambitious journalist/writer lion that i've been habitually pelting with tranquilizers since middle school. he's yawning, stretching his legs, and itching to get out. my blog, thus far, hasn't really been a good outlet for him. it's not very editorial, mostly because i've been lazy and unwilling to let it all out. it's been a slow trickle up until now. but i've gotten hung up on a line on page 96 of J&J: "What I think is that Sam Pepys wrote down all of the details of his life for nine years because the very act of writing them down made them important, or at least singular." it mysteriously echos a line from amy tan's saving fish from drowning (side note: i keep a small journal in my nightstand that is filled with lines from books that i can't get past. sometimes all it takes is one sentence to get me hooked. i read this journal when i need to be inspired), something i've taken to heart recently.

now after that very lengthy, verbose, and seemingly unrelated anecdote about the library and all that jazz, i introduce my new chapter. chapter one. it will still be peanut butter & jenny, meaning that food will inevitably be a large part (the peanut butter) because it is a large part of my life, but i'll be adding in much larger quantities of jenny. i keep it jenny, not only because it fits better in place of "jelly," but also because that's my essence. i've only been "jenn" since i got an attitude in high school and felt the need to "grow up" my name. but my family, neighbors, and childhood friends still know me as "jenny," and i'd like for everyone else to know her, too.

youthful wishes...

2009-05-18T15:31:00.005-04:00

i've been reading house: a memoir by michael ruhlman. i loved his books about the CIA, eric ripert, michael symon, and even digested some of his newest, ratio, while down at my sister's last weekend. memoirs are my favorite genre, so i figured i couldn't go wrong with this one.

the book is basically about the adventure he and his wife take on with the purchase and restoration of a turn-of-the-century house in cleveland, ohio. it's filled with stories about all the horrors of a reconstruction project, from contractor mistakes and long-passed deadlines to unexpected projects and hidden problems. it's also sprinkled with the history of suburbia, the modern american neighborhood, and the development of cleveland as a city. ruhlman weaves this expository line into the personal story of his struggles, carefully adding in emotion and personaility where appropriate.

one of the things i really like about the book is how he incorporates social philosophy and anthropology when he talks about his personal connections. there's a whole section on nostalgia, started by the question "can you ever grow up if you never leave your house?" (paraphrased, the book is upstairs). i loved that idea.

i've moved houses three times, live at college now, and am about to spend my third summer away from home. we've lived here for seven years now, but i've been at school for three, so i really only consider it four years here for me physically. other than that, i suppose i technically lived in bethel park the longest, but the first six years of my life are largely lost in my memory. i think i "grew up" most in chicago, as first to fifth grade are the years you're shaped most by your surroundings. i loved everything about naperville, and i someday hope to return, possibly to raise my own family.

one thing i remember vividly from my childhood are the fieldtrips we took to naper settlement, the historic village in the downtown section set to look like it did at different periods throughout naperville's long life. there was a one-room school house and a log cabin where we learned what pre-revoluationary life was like. we churned butter and used homemade chalk to do math problems. there was a farmhouse with cows (even at the young age of seven i knew better than to grab on to an udder, as they tried to make us do) and chickens, and a horse stable with a blacksmith.

my favorite place was the victorian-era house with an afternoon tea service. the house was white with light purple shudders, intricate molding, and a big, wide wrap-around veranda with wrought-iron furniture. every window had sheer curtains and a window-box teeming with gorgeous flowers. the rooms were full of poufs and settees with ornate feet and beautiful rugs. i'm not particularly prissy or girly, but anything pink, lacey, and european gets me all excited. i chose the victorian american girl doll, had three tea sets, and still dream of traveling to france. so while my classmates liked the rope braiding or cow milking (again, gross), i reveled in sitting with my hands folded and my ankles crossed, listening to someone teach me manners.

before the tea service, we learned how to make finger sandwiches with cucumber and herbed cream cheese. it's something i still love today, and it always brings back memories of that lacey afternoon in the tea house. it's quite simple. mix some herbs-de-provence into a few tablespoons of softened cream cheese. spread this on lightly toasted bread (crusts optional), and top with cucumber slices. i like to eat mine now open-faced with fresh tomato slices, but they're perfect sans tomato as sandwiches, too. i also love loose-leaf tea, and any time we pass a specialty store i have to buy some. capital teas in annapolis, maryland, is super cute and quaint. i bought chocolate creme (above) and apple strudel. sadly, i finished the apple last night. looks like a return trip is in order.

now that it's getting springy outside, these sandwiches are perfect for an afternoon snack with a glass of iced tea or lemonade outside on the veranda... i mean back patio. i long for a veranda.

ciao,

barefoot thursday: tuna salad

2009-05-14T10:06:00.004-04:00

i'm SO GLAD to be done with school for the year. the end of the semester and finals pretty much took over my life for the past month. i did manage to eat well, though:

individual edamame packets (spongebob for some humor), a veggie-laden brown rice risotto, dark chocolate pudding made with green & black's organic dark chocolate with cherries, and pesto eggs in a blanket with mango and blueberries provided just enough fuel to keep my brain charged. i'm happy to report that i ended up with a's in everything (YES! EVEN STRATEGY -- which is the mess sprawled out under my eggs up there) and an a- in mass comm law, leaving me with a whopping 3.98 cumulative for the past 3 years. i'm proud. very very proud.

and now no more school for 3 months. yay. and what a better way to celebrate than with a lovely barefoot thursday!

i was totally stoked that kate of warm olives and cool cocktails chose ina's tuna salad for the first may recipe. i didn't use the whole tuna steaks that the recipe calls for, going for the more economical air-packaged kind. i like ahi tuna, but regular tuna steaks don't do it for me. my version was thus considerably cheaper and less work (not that the original was really all that taxing). i used only 1 teaspoon of oil to make the dressing with all the other ingredients listed, and then mixed it in with the tuna, red onion, and scallions. i chilled it in the fridge for an hour to let it "develop," and then served it over a bed of a butter lettuce with the diced avocado (a bonus MUFA for my mom's "flat belly diet") and grape tomatoes. my mom loves that i'm in this blogger group. ina is her favorite, and she gets a great dinner without doing any work =). i like getting to share it with her, too. with my dad traveling a lot, it's nice to spend time with my mommy.

yesterday was a pretty taxing day. i had my spring appointment with dr. parkman, and it really didn't go very well. i haven't gained (or lost, i'd like to point out) any weight since december, and that really worried him and vanessa, the other doctor on my "case." she mentioned the words "j-tube," which sent me into an emotional whirlwind. i basically burst into tears. the thought of something in my stomach totally and completely freaks me out beyond words. my dad, who is the biggest wimp when it comes to his girls, couldn't handle it either and got really upset at the sight of my breakdown. it was an emotional visit.

after that episode, vanessa pretty much forced dr. parkman to do SOMETHING for me, since he really hasn't treated my symptoms and just runs a lot of tests. he upped the dosage of my enzyme pills, added nexium to "maximize" the enzymes (we don't know what this means, since he doesn't explain what he's doing), and prescribed an antibiotic to treat the intestinal bacterial overgrowth that he found A YEAR AGO with the lactulose test. ridiculous that i was never treated for that before.

it's incredibly irritating to sit there and say over and over again how much i actually eat. my plates are as full as my moms' are; i eat 3 regular meals and 2 or 3 large snacks everyday; i obviously don't throw up or take diuretics. i only exercise 20 minutes 3 times a week, and even that is just light elliptical or a slow, easy "run" (people can walk faster, for real). he doesn't ever come out and say that he thinks i have a problem, but i know it's in the back of everyone's mind. so now i have to drink these strange "enlive" protein drinks, eat a clif bar everyday, and document what i consume to prove to him that i'm trying to gain weight. 5 pounds would make a world of difference, and i'm now on a mission.

and the first step in my mission was a HUGE plate of onion strings, warm crusty bread, and angel hair with marinara at maggiano's immediately following my appointment. i also went home with 3/4 of my pasta and a large vat of sauce, thanks to a very generous waiter. king of prussia shopping is really the only good thing about going down to the hospital. to prove even further that i'm not starving myself, we made some ridiculously good crab cakes for dinner.

the recipe was straight off the tin of old bay seasoning: 2 slices of bread, cubed and moistened with a little milk. mix in 1 egg, 1 tablespoon each of mayonnaise, worcester sauce, and dried parsley, 1 teaspoon of old bay, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1 pound of crab meat. i added in a few dashes of hot sauce and a little lemon juice, mixed it all up with my hands, and made 8 hearty-sized patties. we grilled them on the stove-top pan with no oil. my mom and i were a bit concerned that they would stick, but the trick is to let them cook until they're completely seared on one side before flipping. once that brown crust forms completely, they don't stick at all. it's like a built-in timer. i made a mayo-dijon-horseradish dressing for mine and spread some mushed-up avocado on the other side of the bun. they tasted just like summer, especially with the corn on the cob as a side. we're definitely having the leftovers tonight.

the one thing i can count on when i'm home is that my mom will buy bananas and they will go bad. it never fails. we buy them every week, and then we never eat them. obviously, this presents the perfect opportunity for banana bread, and since the over-ripening happens often, we've tried a lot of recipes. this low-fat version i mushed together is so moist and full of nuts and raisins that you'll never know the difference. next time i make it, which will seriously be like next week when the bananas go bad again, i'd like to try a mix of whole-wheat and white flour and sub in brown sugar for some of the white. but for now, go out and buy some bananas RIGHT NOW and let them ripen. you definitely need to try this out:

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
¾ cups sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¾ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup walnuts, toasted and chopped
½ cup golden raisins
2-3 very ripe bananas
6 ounces vanilla yogurt*

2 large eggs, beaten lightly
1-2 tablespoons milk
cinnamon and sugar for dusting

*if you can't find vanilla yogurt, use plain and add 1 teaspoon of vanilla to the wet ingredients

Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9" loaf pan with parchment and grease the sides uncovered in parchment.

Toast the walnuts over medium heat in a skillet until brown and fragrant. Once cooled, chop the walnuts and whisk with the flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl; set aside.

In a medium bowl, mash the bananas. Add in the yogurt and eggs, and stir in the raisins with a wooden spoon. Lightly fold the banana mixture into the dry ingredients with a rubber spatula until just combined and the batter looks thick and chunky. I only had 2 bananas, so my batter was a little bit on the thick side. If it looks too thick, add in 1-2 tablespoons of milk. Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Sprinkle the top with cinnamon and sugar

Bake until the loaf is golden brown and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 55 minutes. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature. The bread can be wrapped with plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for up to 3 days or frozen for 3 months.

that little fox tester has been a kitchen staple for as long as i can remember. i have no idea where it came from or why we have it, but it's been stuck in every pan of magic brownies, every white birthday cake before the chocolate frosting, and every quick-bread. i'm convinced that it makes all baked goods better. it's never let me down.

i added a bunch of photos to my flickr pools; check it: http://www.flickr.com/photos/pbjenny/

now i have to go through the daunting pile of crap that has accumulated from 3 trips home from college. part of me just wants to throw it all away, but i doubt that would be a good idea. sigh. fun looms ahead, i'm sure.

ciao,

mother's day is every day

2009-05-12T09:19:00.002-04:00

the latest issue of bust magazine (my newest addiction) had a great article about how mother's day came to be. contrary to popular belief, it was started by woman who wasn't even a mother! she just wanted a day for everyone to celebrate mom's greatness, and the commercial companies took off with it. she was incredibly upset by the consumerism and the men who tried to make the holiday about greeting cards and candy, insisting that these things don't show appreciation.

we always buy my mom something for mother's day, but she's getting increasingly more difficult to shop for. val got her a couple of books, and she already had one of them (see!). i splurged on these cute little bud vases from red envelope, another tschotsky for our house... she liked them, but i see where this consumerism-backlash comes from. neither vases nor books seem enough.

since we were down in dc working on the bathroom renovation (by we i mean my dad; my mom and i did a lot of sitting. and we went grocery shopping), we got to celebrate as a family. instead of spending the money on an expensive dinner or something, we made a really good red-pepper pesto chicken with grilled corn and baby potatoes. but brunch took the cake. we whipped out the big guns and tried the smoked-salmon and goat cheese quiche recently posted on simply recipes, paired with peppered turkey bacon and fresh fruit from whole foods (the whole thing, with the dinner the night before, ended up setting us back like $100, which was still less than one meal in dc -- victory). oh yeah. and belinis with peach nectar and bebe prosecco. i also probably ate an entire watermelon, which left me feeling like a very happy oompa-loompa.

but all of that aside, i wanted to post a little tribute to my mommy. she's put up with me for 21 years, and she deserves all the praise in the world for that. i can be exhausting; i would know -- i live with me everyday. i've also had my share of problems that my mom's had to deal with... i tried to be born like 2 months early; i sustained a few injuries as a child; i cried and protested school for an entire year; i chose an expensive hobby (dancing); i picked an expensive college with expensive internships; and i got this crazy illness that's been the biggest headache for the past 2 years. and that's just me. i also have a dad and a sister and a whole, crazy extended family that have made my momma's life harder than necessary.

i also like to think we've made it better, too. but this isn't about us. it's about mommy. mommy who sees my name on the caller id for the fifteenth time in one day and answers anyway. mommy who sorts through the mountain of socks and always knows which ones are mine (and always finds the matches). mommy who pays my credit card bill (this is big). mommy who has EVERYTHING in her purse (seriously: i needed q-tips, splenda packets, bandaids, and something else this weekend and she had ALL of it)... i think the card i bought her from afavorite on etsy really summed it up:

this was epic. i couldn't pass it up.

i'd like to end with a little montage of my favorite mommy moments:

hershey park chocolate world. no, this ride doesn't really move. we just like to put up our hands and scream.

those are the same egg cups we've been using since we were little. and even though we're 20 and 26, my mom still gets them out, boils 2-dozen eggs, and lets us dye them. she won't hide them anymore, but i still get to be offensive and make my "yay jesus" egg, much to her dismay. i might be going to hell. it's okay.

sharing the tradition of baking the non-dairy pumpkin pie. i got to cut out the crust decorations;

mom divulged her technique for the perfect crust:

and the day that mom gained a son. a rare moment of perfection in our usually hectic lives.

thank you, mommy. though you don't read blogs and the internet beyond google freaks you out, this is out there. and it's for you :).

go. love your mommy.

ciao,

(oh yeah, i'll be posting more later. i just got home late friday, was in dc all weekend, and had to unpack all of my clothes yesterday. that nearly killed me. look for some goodies -- and a barefoot thursday!! -- soon!)

i'm a pepper, you're a pepper.

2009-05-03T15:43:00.005-04:00

i always have bell pepper problems. i buy them, and then i never use the whole thing and it goes bad. i know it's completely non-economical to buy produce pre-packed by the store (especially wegmans), but the little baby bell peppers were so cute. they follow the intuition of those "choose-a-size" paper towels, letting me pick if i want 1 or 2 or 3 in my recipe. oh yeah, did i mention that they're adorable?

i had some tofu to use up, so my first foray into the baby pepper world was with my standby of tofu-paprikash, which turned out significantly better than last time. i let it simmer for almost an hour and added way more paprika and chili powder, amping the color and flavor. this is such a solid dish. go make it.

friday night i decided to break into the canned veggies i've had stocked for the apocalypse (going home next week = pantry reduction!) i found the fresh olives i bought after the iron chef olive episode last weekend (things get lost in the fridge when 4 people have to share) and immediately knew that a puttanesca of sorts was in order. behold: balsamic mushroom-olive ragout.

it was so ridiculously simple that posting a recipe would be absurd. diced tomatoes with basil and oregano, f sliced mushroom pieces, a few sliced kalamata and green olives, a tablespoon each of balsamic vinegar and minced garlic, a few dashes dried basil, oregano, salt, pepper, and marjoram. bam. done. fantastic. (i know i was talking about peppers, but they seemed a bit out of place in here. i spared the babies from this one.)

though you can't tell from the picture, my set polenta attempt number 3 failed. i follow all the recipes perfectly, let it cool on the counter, in the fridge, in the freezer... no matter what it just won't set! PLEASE post some suggestions. all i want are baked polenta squares!

last night i had the worst craving for chinese. i've been spending a lot of money lately, and the end-of-semester need to eat up all the food in the kitchen deterred me from calling up uncle chen. i also have a problem with take-out chinese in that it's way too oily for my lack of lipase. sesame oil and i don't get along, so i always have to order off the "diet" menu where they steam everything and give you the sauce on the side... watery cabbage and steamed tofu is foul. trust me. it's also way more expensive than the specials, making take-out a really silly dinner choice. unfortunately, i eat the mushy cabbage and steamed tofu dipped in brown sauce more than it's lack of appeal should merit.

so last night, i went old-school. i found an orange in the back of my fridge (it's a magical place; first the olives, now the orange) and took off. from now on, i'm making my own chinese food. the result was much, much healthier, cheaper, and 100% tastier (don't worry, uncle chen. you're still the best for spring rolls and hot&sour soup).

spicy orange stir-fry

2 servings

for the sauce:

1 medium navel orange

1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce

1 teaspoon thai chili sauce

1/2 teaspoon honey

zest from 1/2 orange

for the stir-fry:

1-2 cups broccoli spears

1 cup sugar-snap peas

1/2 cup sliced mushrooms (mine were canned and rinsed)

3-4 baby bell peppers, seeded and sliced

(dry-fried tofu would be a perfect addition -- i forgot to drain mine in advance and was too hungry to wait)

prepare the sauce: cut the orange in half the long way and squeeze out the juice from one half into a small bowl. peel the other half (save the peel!) and chop finely. combine the orange mush with the juice and other ingredients.

heat a skillet over medium-high heat (if you have a wok, break it out!). add in the vegetables and warm for a minute. pour the sauce over and stir to coat. bring the sauce to a simmer and allow to cook until the sauce is reduced and very thick. you may add in a dash or two of sriracha (i used tabasco) if you like it hot.

serve over rice (to sop up the rest of the yummy sticky sauce) with the orange zest (and sesame seeds or scallions if you have them).

ciao,

surprise barefoot thursday

2009-04-30T14:37:00.002-04:00

i no longer have any classes as a junior. let's have a party. a crab-salad party!

the barefoot bloggers went a little crazy this month and added another challenge to the traditional 2 recipes AND the bonus.

we voted on making ina's lobster cobb salad rolls for the "barefoot on a budget" challenge. any modifications were fair game (ie. not even using lobster!), but the end result had to somewhat resemble the original. and since it was "on a budget," frugality was key.

i spent a whopping $3.99 on a can of jumbo lump fancy crabmeat, $.69 on a cucumber, $1.23 on a red onion, and $2.99 on a pint of cherry tomatoes. since mustard, vinegar, and spices are all pantry staples, i ignored them in my calculations.

1 can of crabmeat =$3.99

1/4 cucumber = $.18

1/4 red onion = $.31

1/4 pint of cherry tomatoes = $.75

total = $5.23

so for $5.23, i managed to get 2 fantastic crab salads and 2 fantastic lunches. i win =).

lobster salad remix 1: maryland-style crab salad

1/2 60z can of jumbo lump fancy crabmeat, drained

2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion

2 tablespoons chopped cucumber

4-5 cherry tomatoes, halved

1 tablespoon old-bay seasoning

1/4 teaspoon dijon mustard

1/4 teaspoon mayonnaise

1 teaspoon white-wine vinegar

few splashes of lemon juice

salt & pepper

mix. taste. season. taste. i recommend refrigerating this for an hour (or overnight) to allow flavors to develop. i also think it's better cold.

i ate this one wrapped in a lettuce-lined tortilla. the lettuce adds some texture and also keeps the tortilla from getting soggy. i hate soggy tortillas.

if you're not feeling so maryland-y, keep on reading.

lobster salad remix II: dijon-dill crab salad

1/2 6oz can jumbo lump fancy crabmeat, drained

2 tablespoons chopped cucumber

4-5 cherry tomatoes, halved

1 heaping teaspoon dried dill (or more fresh if you're so endowed)

1 1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

lemon to taste

salt & pepper

mix. taste. season. taste.

as above, i recommend a little chilling. i made this one when i made the other, but didn't eat it until the following day for lunch. i went with some wasa fiber-rye crispbreads instead of the lettuce-lined tortilla. i love the crispy texture and the nutty flavors of the oats and other things attached to the flats. i often crumble them on salads instead of croutons. yum, yum.

today is rather gloomy.. no rain, but no sunshine either. sigh. i need to get down to business with this finals studying, so i suppose the weather is trying to keep me inside. it's working.

i should be working, too.

ciao,

baking, blue & white, and beautiful flowers

2009-04-29T12:48:00.001-04:00

i feel that my weekend is best summed up by pictures (check out the food and blue&white albums on the side for more).

first, there was the baking extravaganza:

toll-house cookies (straight out of the joy of cooking), oatmeal cranberry muffins (a take on my bur-berry muffins with "obscenity asterisk" sprinkles for my media law class), oatmeal chocolate chippers (thank you, mark bittman), and classic sugar cookies with rainbow non-pareils (another j of c recipe) .

and then there was the blue&white day-long tailgate party. i delighted our crew with blue velvet cupcakes (a psu-ified adaptation of these from elise) with cream cheese-marshmallow glaze.

besides the cupcakes, there was also a lot of sangria, taco dip, falafel balls, yogurt dip, homemade beer, washer-toss, absurdity, and sunshine. we never made it into the football game, but we found ample other ways to occupy ourselves:

that's taco dip (compliments of allyson and a direct cause of my horrible stomach ache later that night), results of sangria, the SHOE HOUSE pretzel hut, and beaver stadium + a ferris wheel. oh, i love penn state.

on sunday we had our final econ thesis class, complete with party at d.shap's house. i made joy the baker's famous flourless peanut butter cookies, which have been traveling the blogosphere lately. there are no pictures. they went quite well with clem's bbq and lots of beer. as we were all sitting around shapiro's deck swapping hilarious stories from the weekend and before, it hit me that all of those kids are leaving. goodbye, seniors? i'm too sad.

and the good times kept on rolling into monday. i had to pick up flowers for our ARHS adviser, and this little lovely peeked out at me from behind the counter. i had to buy her.

i came home on monday night to find her wilted over, but nothing that some wire and a stake couldn't fix. she smells absolutely fantastic and brings the springy-goodness into my room (because throwing my window open isn't enough).

tomorrow i'll have a fun barefoot post, as well as some fun pictures from the ARHS dinner, olive garden with some loves, and a whole lot of whining about my 2 impending finals. boo finals, but yay for spring.

for now it's time to go enjoy the sunshine before the rain takes over.

happy spring!

ciao,

shoes on barefoot thursday

2009-04-23T15:30:00.003-04:00

today is happy on not one, but TWO, feet-related happenings:

1) my new shoes came from zappos

2) it's barefoot thursday!

but back to number 1. i love zappos. i love how i select free 4-5 day shipping, but i know that in a few hours, i will get an email from the site telling me that i'm so fantastic that they've decided to expedite my order: "Although you originally ordered Standard (4 to 5 business days) shippingand handling, we have given your order special priority processing in our warehouse and are upgrading the shipping and delivery time frame for your order. Your order will ship out today and be given a special priority shipping status so that you can receive your order even faster than we originally promised!" and tada! my shoes came! sadly, i had just left for the gym so i'm stuck waiting until tomorrow to test them out. however, i do plan on wearing them all around the apartment tonight to break them in.

now onto number 2 of foot-induced happiness. kathy, over at all food considered, chose croque monsieur as the second recipe for april. i was particularly worried about this, since i rarely eat ham, can't have cheese, and substituting for either would be an entirely different recipe.

and then came easter. the easter bunny brought a copy of go dairy free! i can't sing enough good praises about this book. for anyone who avoids dairy, this is a fabulous collection of original recipes from various bloggers, chefs, friends of the author, and the author herself (she has a lovely blog) that use normal ingredients to recreate the melty, gooey, salty goodness of cheese-laden dishes. i'm in love. i'd probably marry the book if i could.

easter also brought ham leftovers (you saw how much we had!), which worked nicely into the plan.

as soon as i got back to school, i got to work on my own version of this decadently-dairy-licious creation. since fat is still an issue no matter what i sub out, i had to make some "healthy" modifications as well as for the cheese. i also don't have "good bread" in my apartment, so a plain old sandwich had to do.

i used alisa's recipe for "grilled cheese," added the ham slices, sprayed it with my olive oil spray bottle, and tucked it in for a nap in the toasty george foreman. it was perfect along side some grilled asparagus with lemon. i enjoyed it so much that i made myself another for lunch the following day with tomato soup.

we have one more barefoot challenge for april (even beyond the bonus in which i didn't participate because recreating savory coeur a la creme really wasn't going to work out), which i'll be making next week. it's a "frugal" challenge, so i'll be whipping out the math skills. watch out. i'm a beast with a calculator.

tomorrow kicks off the 3-day fiesta of blue&white weekend here. there's a carnival, complete with shoddy rides and deep-fried everything (and cotton candy!!!), a football game between the 2 psu squads (hence blue v. white), and TAILGATING for no apparent reason except that it's awesome. i also have a picnic for ARHS and a party for my last thesis seminar. that means tons of baking.

you can look forward to: blue velvet cupcakes, palmiers, and an array of cookies (toll-house, sugar with sprinkles, peanut butter, oatmeal cranberry...), provided that they all turn out. i'm so pumped to get to use 'the joy of cooking!' it's been lying dormant for way too long.

tonight is my thesis presentation. wish me luck!

ciao,

ketching up

2009-04-19T09:32:00.002-04:00

ha. i'm witty.

i'm making up for the lack of posts last week and doing 2 in one weekend! oye!

yesterday was positively gorgeous. it's amazing what happens to campus when the weather suddenly turns nice. all 40,000 students magically wake up from their dazed existence and decide to join the living. the hub lawn, old main, the pollock quad, the tiny little patch of grass next to a garbage can... EVERYWHERE is covered with students, mostly wearing too little clothing for central PA in april. i can't complain about shirtless boys, though.

i decided to take baby ike (yes, i named my camera) for a little spin. across the sidewalk from my apartment is this lovely tree with bright pink flowers. it was dormant all fall and winter, so i didn't realize it's potential to be such a beautiful plant.

the wonderful outside actually managed to seep through the grime on our windows and turn my living room into something remotely livable! roommates bought some mint (probably for mojitos; we're predictable college girls) and placed it on the windowsill in hopes that it wouldn't die like everything else we try to keep growing. our apartment is NOT conducive to plant life (unless it's mold in the shower, but i won't get into that).

the nice weather made me crave something fresh and cold for dinner. i bought another pack of those wonderful tofu noodles at wegmans last week, and they were begging for some peanut sauce. i immediately turned to my trusty bible of basics and enjoyed a cold noodle salad with tofu in under 15 minutes.

cold tofu noodle salad with peanut dressing

(adapted from how to cook everything by mark bittman)

1 package shiratake or 2-oz other noodles of choice

1/4 package extra-firm tofu, drained and pressed

1 medium carrot

1/2 small zucchini

peanut sauce:

2 tablespoons peanut butter

1/2 tablespoon sugar

1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce

1/2 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

1/4 teaspoon thai chili paste

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

sprinkling of scallions

drizzle of sesame oil

drain and rinse the shiratake noodles in cold water. soak in a bowl of cold water while you prepare the sauce. if you're using regular noodles, prepare them according to their instructions and rinse them in cold water. you want them to be cold for the salad.

after pressing and draining the tofu for about 20 minutes, slice it into cubes and then triangles. in a dry pan on medium heat, cook the tofu, flipping each tiny piece when it has turned slightly brown and almost crispy. remove from heat, transfer to a bowl, and store in the fridge until ready to serve.

combine the peanut butter, sugar, rice wine vinegar, chili paste, and 1 tablespoon of soy sauce in a small bowl. using a fork or a whisk, stir vigorously until the peanut butter dissolves completely in the liquid. i used the back end of a spoon to smush the peanut butter against the bowl until it was fully incorporated. you can add up to another 1/2 tablespoon of soy sauce if you want a thinner dressing. toss a spoonful or two in with the tofu in the fridge, and keep the rest aside until you're ready to serve.

using a julienne peeler or a mandolin, shred the carrots and zucchini into little ribbons. drain your soaking pasta and add the veggies. pour on half of the dressing and toss to coat. add the tofu on top and pour on the remaining dressing. if you have such luxuries, sprinkle on some chopped scallions and a drizzle of sesame oil (the original peanut sauce recipe calls for both of these to be mixed in, but i had neither).

serves 1 very hungry me.

next weekend is blue&white, which means i'm baking and making cute little appetizers for the tailgate. this week is also a barefoot week, so get pumped for fun photos and recipes.

enjoy what's left of the weekend, and don't let monday get you down!

ciao,

sunny days

2009-04-18T09:43:00.005-04:00

going home on a non-break weekend always throws off my schedule. while i'm on vacation, i forget that the rest of psu isn't. i abandon all responsibility, and it's extremely difficult to get back into the swing of routine. it's taken me all week to refocus after going home for easter, especially because i drove back on monday morning and didn't have a day to catch up. it was also doubly-hard because i had such a lovely time at home.

i left early on thursday and spent the whole weekend hanging out with my family. val, adam, and dan came up on friday, so we had a full house (well, i suppose we could have fit 2 more people on the pull-out in the living room...). we're a family of holiday traditions; val and i will never be too old to dye eggs or get easter "baskets" with that annoying plastic grass (this year they were big gift bags, but still full of goodies). i always get sweet tart chicks and bunnies, and val always gets gummy bears. we're creatures of habit.

it's also important to note that i have ~~beaten~~ destroyed val in the easter egg hunt every year since i could walk (roughly age 3 -- i was crafty and figured out that if i didn't learn to walk, people would just carry me everywhere. this approach to life failed). i'm not sure when the competitive traditions emerged (the christmas jesus-people war is highly intense), but i live for the glory. i remember one year when we lived in chicago and no one took the eggs out of the fridge on saturday night before bed. when the easter bunny came in the morning he couldn't find them. we didn't have a hunt. i was devastated. since i went to college, my mom has tried to insist that we don't need to hide the eggs anymore. sadly, this year she finally won. she also totally dropped the ball and didn't buy ANY PEEPS. in her defense, we did try to get some on friday and saturday, and everywhere was completely out. i'm totally jealous of all those kids who are enjoying their week-old stale peeps (the only way to eat one, duh).

i guess the hot cross buns from the april issue of martha stewart living (with currants subbed in for the cherries and raisins) made up for it, though. they were a great centerpiece for our light breakfast of smoked salmon on pumpernickel toast and fruit. obviously we needed to save room for the feast:

it wasn't particularly fancy, but it's the meal we've had every easter i can remember. we've vamped up a few of the oldies for better dishes, but the flavors and components are still there. spiral-sliced honey baked ham, a green vegetable (it was probably peas or spinach when my grandma cooked), potatoes (recently au gratin with gruyere; i remember little boiled red ones), and pepperidge farms dinner rolls (always. forever.), and my mom's magical carrots. i finally learned the secret to these magic carrots: there is no secret. these carrots are val and my most-requested dish. i always thought she sprinkled them with magic fairy dust, but this year i learned that there's not even butter or salt! they're just carrots, peeled and cut into little coins and cooked in a little bit of water until they're soft but not mushy. if you doubt, try it tonight. i made them last night for me and allyson -- she's now a believer.

no ham dinner is ever complete without pineapple. when my great grandmother was alive, she served a tiny little juice glass (apparently we can only drink juice from shot-sized glasses in my family) of pineapple juice as the appetizer to the meal. we have bagged this tradition in favor of the most fantastic dish i can explain: pineapple stuffing.

the recipe could be featured easily on paula deen's show, meaning that just reading it is likely to clog your arteries and reduce your life expectancy by at least 5%. however, you'll be so much happier that you've eaten this that dying early won't matter. heaven will undoubtedly be full of pineapple stuffing. it's the easiest thing to make, and it involves cubing bread, which is one of my favorite kitchen activities (this is something i can't explain and makes me weird).

pineapple stuffing

(we doubled this, to give you a sense of how much it makes from the picture)

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, at room temperature

1 cups white sugar

4 eggs

1 20-oz can of crushed pineapple

5 slices of white bread, crustless and cut into 1/2" cubes

preheat the oven to 350* and butter a small casserole or glass baking dish.

drain the pineapple in a mesh strainer. you want to get out all of the liquid, so repeating this might be necessary. you won't use the juice, so save it for dessert! cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. beat in the eggs, one at a time. add in the bread cubes, and mix a few more times until everything is incorporated. pour the batter into the pan and cook for 1 hour, until the top is lightly browned and bubbly, and the edges are crispy. allow to rest for a bit before serving.

my additional tip: always be the person to package up the leftovers; the crispy bits will get stuck to the edges of the dish, and you get to pick them out and indulge.

we finished off the meal with ina's lemon yogurt cake with fresh berries in framboise, which my mom has been meaning to make for like 5 years. it was excellent, even as a leftover from the fridge 3 days later.

you can see the rest of my easter pictures (some taken by adam, some taken by me) here. i've also updated my food album with some pictures of what i've been munching on this week. nothing super interesting, but still good.

the weather is gorgeous this weekend, and i'm going to take advantage of it by going for a run outside instead of at the gym before talking up the SHC at an offer session this afternoon.

happy spring!

ciao,

quick contest announcement

2009-04-15T11:26:00.002-04:00

don't worry, i'm working on a good post about all my easter goodies. but quickly, i wanted to give a little nod to a fellow blogger who's having a particularly fantastic contest:

alisa at One Frugal Foodie, and author of my new favorite book Go Dairy Free, is offering the chance for you to win a fabulous natural foods giveaway from Navan Foods. check out the post on her site, leave a comment by this friday with your favorite product, and cross your fingers!

barefoot thursdays: chinese chicken salad

2009-04-09T07:10:00.000-04:00

yes, it's incredibly early -- 7:08am here in sunny (!!) happy valley, pa. i have class from 8-11 (well, 8:-12:30 but i'm skipping that last one to have lunch with my daddy -- shh!), and then leaving for home after, and i wanted to be sure i got this in!

the first april barefoot recipe was something i was incredibly excited about. i love fresh salads, especially with interesting ingredients and light dressings. i was also pumped because it finally didn't involve cheese (i'm still working on how i'm going to do the second recipe so that i can eat it...), so my variations were because of what i had in the fridge, not because i can't eat it!

thank you, McKenzie of Kenzie’s Kitchen, for picking this lovely chinese chicken salad. you can see the full recipe there, but i'm going to give you my personal variations. in stead of cooking chicken, i used pre-cooked turkey strips. i'm not a huge chicken fan, and these little pre-cooked turkey things are my go-to for salads, fajitas/wraps, and rice dishes. i grilled them lightly on a grill pan and decided just to throw on the asparagus instead of blanching it. the grilling gave it a really good texture and a fantastic nutty flavor, which ended up being a great compliment to the peanut butter in the dressing. i forgot to buy green onions, so i just grilled a few white onions (i hate raw onions in salad) and added them in. i followed her directions for the dressing, omitting some of the oil (necessity) and sesame seeds (forgot these too -- i even made a list and left it on the counter at home... such is my life). i tossed all of the veggies and turkey in the dressing and then spooned that on top of some mixed greens.

it was a perfectly crisp salad; just spring-y enough, but the warmth of the asparagus and turkey with the peanut dressing kept it a little homey and cozy. next time, i'd like to try shredding the turkey and dicing the vegetables smaller to make a really great salad for sandwiches or wraps. it'd perfect for a little weekday lunch with some lemonade and a juicy, crisp apple.

i'm heading home for easter, so look forward to lots of posts about peeps and eggs and pineapple souffle. =)

ciao,

pottery!

2009-04-08T18:22:00.002-04:00

i picked up my pottery from allyson last night:

it even came with cute little wooden chopsticks! i was so proud of how good the fleur de lys turned out (there's one on the inside, too)! props to moi.

i filled it with my favorite eggplant with spicy ginger sauce (link is a picture) from the nytimes and some brown rice. last time i made this, i used tofu and broccoli instead. tonight i added asparagus, but i think i'd definitely use broccoli again in the future. nothing else can soak up the sauce the way the little fuzzy broccoli heads can in chinese stir-fries. it's my weakness.

check back tomorrow for barefoot thursday!

ciao,

pretentious is my middle name

2009-04-06T12:36:00.004-04:00

in high school, my 4 best friends and i often referred to ourselves as the "pretentious party," wearing our popped collars, polka dots, pearls, and hair ribbons. we went to a public school in allentown, pa. we were so elitist.

some things do not change. just took the "food snob" quiz on time out new york, and after answering 30 questions about my cooking, dining habits, and pop-culinary cultural knowledge, i scored this:

Your Score: 57
Sorry to break it to you, but you’re a Bona Fide Foodie Elitist. Looks like your love of fancy foods has given you a bit of a tude, hasn’t it? Go sit in the corner with your shad roe.

i've never had shad roe, but i do know what it is. i also wouldn't have been happy with anything less than that result. =)

and to continue the theme of pretentiousness, i'm going to remind you that i made the most exquisite dessert this weekend.

i used the recipe straight from molly wizenberg's new book, a homemade life, as reprinted on deelish dish. it's long, so i'm not going to repost it. i will note, however, that i only had 4 eggs, so i used a little less of all of the ingredients and only drizzled my chocolate on top (using a tablespoon or so of lactaid instead of heavy cream), and they turned out perfectly fine. i'm basically in love with them. i'm planning on making them for easter with a twist, so look for that.

last night i made polenta for the first time, and though it turned out quite differently than i had intended, i was pleasantly surprised with the result. i cooked up a single serving in a sauce pan with some water, salt, pepper, and dried rosemary and refrigerated it in a little ramekin for a few hours. i then popped it in the oven at 350* for like 30 minutes, expecting to be able to remove it from the ramekin as a little, solid hockey-puck. but when i opened the oven, bubbles and oozes were trying to pop through the crispy top layer, and running a spoon around the outside revealed that it was still pretty much goopey on the bottom. when i inverted it onto my plate, it held its shape for a few seconds and then kind of glopped into a blob. it was thicker than when in the pan, but by no means a solid.

i topped it with the frozen leftover sauce from the tilapia with pimentos (from elise at simply recipes) that i made over spring break. since i had orginally cooked the fish in the sauce, it still had some of that flavor left over, which added a great element to the dish. i love leftovers.

tonight i'll be working on the next barefoot recipe. it'll be posted on thursday, so get excited!

ciao,

my week in review

2009-04-05T16:43:00.004-04:00

these past few days have been eventful, in both good and bad ways. on tuesday, after meetings, phone calls, future life considerations, and various levels of tearful bursts, i decided not to turn in my thesis (well, it was more or less decided for me, but i'm claiming responsibility to give myself some shred of personal credit) in may and continue working on it at bw this summer. it was a strange decision involving, as mentioned, a lot of opinions, a few of my tears, some encouraging words from my mom, and a good epilepsy joke from my dad. ultimately, i think this is what i want and it will be much better for me career-wise. i guess that's the goal, right?

because i had such a horrendous day, thursday night required some comfort-food. i've been meaning to try out some of the vegan "cheese" recipes highlighted in so many blogs, and i even found some nutritional yeast at a little co-op last time i visited my sister in dc. i mustered (pun) up my courage and decided to tackle a cheesy baked potato mash with broccoli. i combined a bunch of different recipes because i didn't want any gooey sauce, just the seasoning to mix into the potatoes before mushing them up. some tumeric, nutritional yeast, oregano, seafood seasoning (my addition), salt, pepper, garlic, and onion salt all went into a bowl, and then got sprinkled on top of my potato mash with a few dabs of dijon mustard. the result was a strange color, and after i poured on my green-grey steamed frozen broccoli, the whole thing looked utterly unappetizing and weird:

fortunately, i don't let appearance affect my taste-buds. it wasn't the cheesy goodness i really wanted (like what i used to get at the mall food court from the potato patch), but spice mix was really good and paired excellently with the potato and broccoli. i think i'll try the goo-sauce next time and make some mac and cheese... i think the liquid of the pasta water and such will make it better.

so after thursday's school-related headache, a serious lack of sleep, an exam, and babysitting, i finally got to relax on friday with my future roommates and 2 best friends. lyss, allyson, maha, amy, and i went to the green bowl for dinner and then down to 2000* to paint some pottery. the green bowl is one of those awesome stir-fry restaurants where you fill your (green) bowl with a cornucopia of veggies and other goodies, add some stellar sauces to make a really great combo (i'm a hoisin, plum, peanut, and pinapple curry kind of girl), and then wait for them to grill it all up on a the giant flat-top hibachi and bring it piping hot to your table with a cute little cup of brown rice. it's all you can eat, and i usually go for 2 small bowls. but friday night, i splurged on the first one and couldn't stuff down a second. it was so good.

lyss and i had gone to 2000* last year and painted really cute little cupcake-shaped boxes. we've been meaning to go back all year, but never got around to it. a fun girly-night was the perfect excuse. i'll have pictures once we get back what we painted after it's fired -- no hints until then!

yesterday was supposed to be a thesis marathon (that got pushed back to today), but ended up being a smorgasboard of unrelated events and impromptu actions. i went to the gym, helped with the big concert on the hub lawn, met up with my cousin who was up to visit the MBA school, took a trip to wegmans and michaels, and.. oh yeah... made the MOST AMAZING MACAROONS EVER!!

that's a little preview. i'll update with more tantalizing photos and a recipe (plus my dinner tonight) later.

stop drooling.

ciao!

ps i love u

2009-04-02T20:25:00.004-04:00

before i continue, i'd like to make it clear that i was in no way involved in "march madness" of any kind. i didn't follow the ncaa basketball tournament, not because psu wasn't involved, but because i have never understood basketball and have never liked it. i'm sure this is a direct result of pittsburgh not having a pro basketball team for my father to get me obsessed with; though, we did live in chicago during the 90's michael jordan - scotty pippin - dennis rodman extravaganza... but even then i don't think i cared. i might have a shirt.

that intro was longer than intended.

in any event, this is a recent post from the (award-winning) student-run blog about my lovely alma mater. i couldn't help but laugh and had to repost.

thank you, fellow staters, for spreading the love around our great nation. though i couldn't care much less about basketball, i still have my psu pride.

ciao,

april showers

2009-04-01T18:53:00.005-04:00

i suppose it's fitting that april kicked off with a good dose of showers, making sure that it lives up to its promise to bring us flowers in may.

rainy days don't really bum me out (unless i have to be outside for long periods of time), especially in spring. today seemed a perfect example of my favorite poem, in Just by e.e. cummings. to quote, "it's spring when the world is puddle-wonderful."

today was puddle-wonderful.

looking out of my window, though no raindrops are stuck to the screen, reminds me of "raindrop races." having moved a few times while growing up and having a mother who's afraid of flying, i got used to the long car rides at a young age. we made the trip from pittsburgh to chicago (8+ hours of corn and soybeans... i wrote a song once) multiple times a year, and florida, virginia, and other southern locations were my vacation spots. i loved the dull hum of the tires on the pavement, and i loved when it rained. i'd stare at (not out of) the window, mesmerized by the raindrops that quickly slid across the glass. i'd start in the top right corner, pick one, and watch it skate diagonally to the left, hoping it would beat out all the others. i'd root for one, and then start all over again.

i miss raindrop races.

yesterday was a particularly horrible day, even though it was sunny and warm. i was pressed for time with dinner, and i wanted soup but not from a can. i opened macgourmet, and a clip from mark bittman's blog caught my eye. i'd been meaning to try his egg noodles in soy broth, and i remembered the pack of tofu shiratake noodles i picked up at wegmans on saturday. i can't say enough about how much i love these noodles. they're made from tofu and yam flour, and as long as you rinse them really well (they have a funky smell in the package), they're fabulous.

i went for the ketchup option. i didn't have any sesame oil or sriracha, so i used a dash of tabasco and added in a dot of ginger paste. the broth doubled as a perfect dipping sauce for my little individually-wrapped sponge bob square pants organic edamame as a side. this is SUCH an easy recipe, and it's absolutely delicious.

due to the hell-ish nature of this week, i'm in serious need of some baking-therapy this weekend. i'm going to tackle the croissants from the joy of cooking. wish me luck!

guilty

2009-03-30T21:11:00.001-04:00

i'm guilty. i lied in my last post. i did not make poached eggs and toast for dinner. i did toast the bread for my sandwich at lunch, so i guess that counts.

my dinner tonight was so yummy that i had to share. we learned about protein and vegetarianism in nutrition this afternoon, and it got me salivating for some hearty grains and veggies. the whole dish took about 20 minutes from start to finish, and that includes boiling the rice. i had the onions leftover, but they can be cooked concurrently to keep time to a minimum. excuse the punny name... i was inspired. my recipe is for a single dish, but it can be doubled, tripled, bazillioned easily.

nut-ritiously delicious brown rice bowl

⅓ cup brown rice, uncooked
1 cup water
½ cup onion, sliced
¼ cup mushrooms, chopped
½ teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning
½ teaspoon dried basil
lemon wedge

a handful of mixed greens (mine included arugula, parsley, radicchio, and spinach)
2 tablespoons slivered almonds
salt & pepper

saute the onions and mushrooms over medium heat until tender. they can be slightly undercooked because you'll add them to the rice and cook them more.

meanwhile, combine water, rice, and spices in a small pot. bring to a boil, then allow to simmer, covered, for 15-20 minutes.

toast the almonds in a dry pan over medium heat until brown. chop and set aside.

add the mushrooms and onions to the rice, and allow to cook for another 3 minutes. you may need to add a little more water if the rice is sticky. rice is finicky; it will tell you what it needs. tear the mixed greens and add them to rice. when greens are wilted, stir in the toasted almonds. squeeze the lemon wedge over top and season with salt and pepper to taste.

and i got macgourmet! so now you can download the file! woohoo!

ciao,

a toast to toast

2009-03-30T16:28:00.003-04:00

mondays are inherently crappy. any work you have to do seems far worse in comparison to the recent memories of weekend loafing or super-fun festivities.

but today's monday, though cloudy, grey, and cold, is a cause for celebration:

the toaster turns 100!

i am a huge fan of my toaster. i've never had a toaster oven (except for the fake one in my kitchen set that i used to "bake" my playdoh peanut butter "cookies" in), and i will argue with anyone who tells me they're better than toasters. can your plain old toaster oven shoot toast into the air? i think not. and how else do you intend to live up to the "pop" part of the pop-tart if you lay it on a rack.

no, no. i love the toaster.

my toaster is pretty intense. it probably cost less than $20, but it has 4 magnificant settings: toast, frozen toast, bagel, and frozen bagel. i think this is genius, given that i freeze bagels. as long as you follow the little pictures and put the bagel in the correct direction, it heats the outside differently than the inside, giving you the perfect balance of crust to crumb. and the frozen bread setting is ideal for reheating the extra waffles leftover from one of my dad's awesome breakfasts.

but the 4 settings on my toaster pale in comparison to THIS g

enius invention. i'd probably have toast for every meal if i had this. hint. my birthday is june 1st.

i have gotten my fair share of food products stuck in the toaster, i must admit. and as tempted as i may be, i always remember that putting the metal fork or knife in to get it out before unplugging would be a really bad idea. that's my one qualm with the toaster; it does have the ability to kill me.

but anyway, i think i'll celebrate by toasting some bread as a good accompaniment to eggs for dinner.

happy birthday, toasty!

ciao,

beta carotene love

2009-03-28T20:13:00.005-04:00

if i somehow found myself what most would deem the horrible situation in which i was forced to pick just one dessert to eat for the rest of time, it would take me, oh, .000003 seconds to answer: carrot cake.

i would gladly give up all chocolate (most chocolate desserts don't impress me... i only like dark chocolate and in small amounts), say goodbye to pie (mom's pumpkin is the reason for the miniscule delay in answering), wave off custards, cremes, tortes, and all other cakes and creations if i could have carrot cake after every meal.

i think i fell in love with it, sadly, in elementary school when my mom bought things from market day, the frozen-food fundraiser company. i'd open the box in the freezer to find little individually wrapped 3 by 3 squares. they were the perfect shade of orange-y brown, covered with a thin layer of sweet-tart cream cheese frosting, and topped with a decoratively piped carrot. i'd unwrap the gem, pop it in the microwave, and savor the goodness.

i don't ever remember having homemade carrot cake... neither my mom nor grandma ever made it, and i can't really think of a restaurant that served it up. but somehow, those little market day frozen wonders stuck with me, and i've harbored this affinity for the vegetable-laden baked good.

after i was diagnosed with lactose intolerance and the myriad of other digestive disorders, i pretty much kissed all dessert goodbye, unless i baked it myself. but after a little bit of searching, i found one beacon of hope to which many, many of you should be jealous: i live in allentown, which is right next to bethlehem, which is the home of the famous vegan treats bakery. yes, that one; praised by VegNews (veggie awards, 222 best reasons to be vegan) as the home of the legendary peanut butter bomb and the most ooey-gooey sticky buns i've ever seen.

as i stood at the counter, excited by the idea that i could pick anything i wanted without fear of getting sick, my eyes immediately found the bright orange-and-white triangular prism of amazing. it was 2 layers of moist, carrot-studded cake, oozing with cream "cheese" frosting in between, on top, and coating the sides.

and it didn't disappoint. i ate froze half, at the other, and went to the freezer and finished it off before the sun went down on day two. this october for my sister's wedding, my mom got me a slice so that i could have dessert with everyone else.

tonight, after a thesis and stat all day marathon, i needed carrot cake. since i don't have the luxury of vegan treats or market day in my freezer, i was on my own.

i was a little disappointed when i scanned the joy of cooking and didn't see my favorite cake in the index. i did, however, find a sour-cream spice cake, which i figured i could easily adapt by subbing yogurt for sour-cream and adding in some carrots. but then i remembered that my brown sugar isn't arriving until my parents come tomorrow, and i wanted it now.

apparently, over winter break, i had anticipated such a calamity when i purchased a box of simply organic carrot cake mix. it's gluten and dairy-free, doesn't call for oil, and has a nice vegan adaptation recipe on the back. since my egg-less baked goods never work out, i used 1 (instead of 2) and 3 tablespoons of yogurt (the vegan recipe switched the eggs for 1/4 cup of applesauce). i used my cute little mini-bread loaf pans, making 1 with raisins to give to my sister (she's coming tonight), and the other without so that lyss and i could have one (she hates raisins). obviously, it's not complete without cream cheese frosting, so i made a glaze by mixing some marshmallow fluff and tofutti cream cheese (my bagel-saver) with a little bit of warm water.

perfecto. i think i shall have another slice as i try to tackle more algebra and round out the thesis marathon. oye.

ciao,

inspired art

2009-03-27T13:40:00.002-04:00

mark bitman twittered this a few hours ago, and i just checked it out. it's a fantastic piece on of the NYTimes blogs by Maira Kalman. art, prose, social commentary, and inspiration rolled into one.

since coming to college, especially after dealing with the politics of certain student organizations, and interning in dc for two summers, i often find myself feeling jaded and cynical about civility, democracy, respect, and basic human dignity. the collegian is filled with stories about robberies, riots, assaults, frats losing charters, corrupt administration, sweat shop laborers... etc.

but today in the HUB there is a knit-a-thon for darfur. i was also asked to donate blood on monday. penn state has invited underprivileged kids to come and stay with students for the weekend to get to experience what they could get if they decide to go to college.

it's these little things that restore my belief that decency isn't lost.

take a look at Maira's work and go pass on some positive energy.

ciao,
J

barefoot thursdays!

2009-03-26T21:25:00.002-04:00

unfortunately, it's cold and rainy here in happy valley, so actually going barefoot is out the question. i actually think i need to stop sleeping with my window open because i'm catching the chills. i'm currently rolled up in my nap blanket (seriously, get yourself one of these. i also have a pillow and socks) in my bed, wearing a sweatshirt and slippers (and pants, duh).

the weather made tonight's trek all the way to kern for an hour and a half of thesis discussion followed by another trek back really unpleasant.

that's basically all of campus, minus a few of the halls in east (but really, who cares about them?). and after i walk all the way up there, i have to walk up 4 flights (or 6, if i'm going to get my self-esteem mashed) of stairs because i have a (very reasonable, i might add) fear of elevators, especially those that are ancient and shake violently (i've twittered about this frequently). the length of the route does allow for a rather nice chat with my mom, however. i've called her everyday this week. i miss my mommy.

but there are things about today that make me excited: it's barefoot thursday (as my opening mentioned)! today's recipe is for tomato and goat cheese tarts, chosen by anne of anne strawberry. the recipe is available on her site, foodnetwork.com, and many other bloggers posted it, so i'll save you the space. i'll just talk about my edits.

obviously i can't eat goat or parmesan cheese (dairy) or puff pastry (fat and usually dairy, though the pepperidge farm brand uses margarine) in excess, so i had to modify it a tad. instead of consuming half a sheet of puff pastry, which would undoubtedly send my colon into shock, i used my cute little heart cookie-cutter and made tartlettes.

lyss and i opened the bottle of wine last weekend, so i actually had some left over to cook the onions and garlic (excitement)! to make up for the lack of cheese, i added some arugula and parsley to the pan when the onions were almost done (totally not a substitute, i know). i topped it with sliced cherry tomatoes (you try slicing those babies). cute, quaint, and bite-sized.

i served it up with a salad with more of the greens, some more cherry tomatoes, and a handful of greek olives, all topped off with my new favorite dressing. i mix a teaspoon of blackberry jam with a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar, a teaspoon of dijon mustard, and some olive oil. yum!

so even though my tartlettes were only really half of ina's intended recipe, i liked the outcome. i thought about making it into a mini crustless quiche instead of using the pastry by mixing the onions and tomatoes with some eggs and baking them in ramekins, but i thought that'd be stretching it a bit too far. i have some leftover onions, though, so i think i'll try it tomorrow night for dinner. i need to use up the eggs and the rest of my salad mix before they go bad.

i was really excited to try the peppery brown sugar salmon recipe i mentioned yesterday, but i opened the tupperware container to find a rock-solid mass of brown sugar. i ended up just throwing it out and using maple syrup instead. not quite the same, but still peppery-sweet. i'm hoping someone can offer some help, though. is there any way to revive dried out brown sugar?

if it's rainy where you are and you're curled up with your laptop, keep yourself occupied by checking out the other barefooters on the blogroll. i'm sure they're all fantastic, too!

tomorrow promises sunshine and 60 degrees. i'll believe it when i'm outside in sunglasses, barefoot =).

cheers,

a good dose of karma

2009-03-25T16:15:00.001-04:00

i started this post on monday, and then a strategy midterm and an extreme amount of work plus the onset of a sinus infection (a result of some karma issues, i'm sure) kept me from finishing and updating.

my brain has been on overload with a random assortment of thoughts and opinions, mostly reactions to really ridiculous things going on around me. it's been that kind of week.

it starts with last thursday, when i was basically accosted in my econ strategy class by this kid who i've never seen before asking to borrow my notes. yes, i am that girl. i get to class early; i sit right up front with open seats on either side; i answer questions when no one else responds (and the prof just stands there staring at us); i ask questions when i'm confused instead of assuming i'm an idiot; and i take immaculate notes. and not just in strategy, but in all my classes. it's a well-known fact that my notes are often better and more thorough than the teacher's lesson plans or anything you could buy from cliff-notes (or nittany notes, to which i briefly offered my expertise for payment until i had to drop the class because i couldn't understand the professor enough to take notes). so right. this kid. he sits down next to me (ahem!) and then, even after i explain that i really need my notebook and have a really busy schedule and really can't give it to him, pities me into giving him my notes by promising that he'll meet me at 11 (it's 9am) to give them back. so at 11,he's not there. i text him; he'll meet me after my next class at 12:45. nope, not there again. now he'll meet me at 3:30. at 4:15, he shows up with my notes, gives a casual "thanks!" and peaces out. i am fuming.

so i've been bad-mouthing him since 9am when i gave him the notebook, and i continue to bad-mouth him until around 6:15 when i'm walking to my night class. i get a phonecall: "hi. this is the state college police (at this point i stop walking and start thinking about anything illegal i'd done ever in my life). we found _____ (i still don't know his name) passed out in his car and were wondering if you could give us any information on him." "excuse me, but I don't know who you're talking about." "______; your number was the last in his phone and text mesages." "oh! the kid i leant my notes to! i actually have no idea who he is. i'm really sorry, but i just met him this morning and didn't even know his name." a few more exchanges and then hang up.

so that's what i get for being totally mean to this kid all day. he passes out in his car. i still assume it was from overdose of some illicit substance, since i'm more than 90% he was of that variety... i sent an email to the univ. police about it, so we'll see what happens.

so that was karma-harming event number 1.

number 2 i can partially attribute to my mother. we both have an issue with my gynocologist. we think she's overly-concerned about my hormone levels, and since i've had a ton of problems taking hormone pills before, we're sick of dealing with her recommendations. so when she ordered that i get a bone density test and the insurance wouldn't pay for it, my mom was really annoyed that she wanted to fight it and get them to pay. eventually it worked out in her favor, and i got my test. we hadn't heard back from her (it had been almost a week), so my mom figured nothing was wrong. and we were feeling rather cocky about it. we spent a full 15 minutes bashing her on the phone. and 20 minutes later my mom calls me back and says that the doc called and said that i have osteoporosis.
smack. thank you, karma.

so after that ordeal on monday, i decided that i REALLY needed to be nicer to people and stop thinking mean thoughts because i can't afford any more bad karma. my super-nice efforts must have paid off, because i'm fairly certain i aced my strategy exam. this isn't confirmed by anything other than me looking over the posted answers and convincing myself that i put the same (though i really think i did), so i'm not off the hook yet.
if you have tips for restoring favorable karma conditions, i'd be willing to burn incense and jump around 15 times while holding my ear and singing the abc's. i'm desperate.

on a happy note, i have another reason to get excited for my summer internship: pret-a-manger
apparently they've opened a chain on the 18th block of I (Eye?) Street. I work at 1300. STELLAR. this was the cafe lyss and I stopped into after our gorge-fest in NYC, and i loved their coffee and cute photographs of food resembling animals/people (like above) on the wall. their sandwiches, soups, and desserts all looked so tasty, and they provide nutrition info (which is a perk when you have an infinitesimal amount of issues that require you to know exactly what you're putting into your body). this serves as a serious upgrade from my previous lunch haunts: cosi and corner bistro. i love cosi, but i got totally sick of trying to figure out how to eat chunks of turkey between 2 pieces of ruler-shaped flatbread. weird. corner bistro does have good chicken salad and the scrumptious pretzel rolls, but since csis used it as their only catering source, i maxed my quota after like 2 days of "work."

i don't think pret can replace the gazpacho from marvelous market, though. that will be the true test. i'll let you know in a few months.

tonight lyss and i are making salmon for dinner. this is exciting because we haven't cooked an actual meal in quite some time. i'm going to try the peppery brown sugar salmon from ezra pound cake, paired with some broccoli. i'm sure it will be fabulous.

tomorrow i have to re-do the tomato tart for barefoot bloggers. my last attempt (which i had to modify) failed miserably. i'm still making modifications, but i hope this turns out much more appetizing and inspired than the previous. no, i won't tell you about it. i'm ashamed.

spring blogcleaning

2009-03-21T21:33:00.004-04:00

okay. i'm done tweaking the layout.
i'm also way too sick of looking at this to update anything substantial.

i do have one thing to note:
rikki of diet, dessert, and dogs is holding a contest! she's asking for feedback on her new site (layout, features, etc.) as a trade for a chance to win (honestly) the biggest bottle of maple syrup i haven't seen yet but can assume takes the cake for that category in my life. just click on that link and tell her your thoughts!

oh right.
<3 happy spring.

christmas in march

2009-03-18T20:16:00.003-04:00

it came! (from irma and merion)

it came! (from 1953)

it came! (actually from floraandflossies on etsy)

suggestions for the first dish? i'm thinking croissants. =)

it's easy being green

2009-03-18T18:05:00.006-04:00

are those flipflops in state college in march? yes, yes they are. my dashboard weather says it's 70. i love 70. oh, please ignore my horribly chipped toenail polish. i haven't gotten around to fixing it yet.

somewhat ironically, all my meals for the past 3 days have been green. this wasn't intentional because of st. patrick's day, but the coincidence adds a little something to my life. on monday, i served up some fresh spinach linguini with that tomato sauce i made over break. fab.

last night i tossed some romaine and olives with a fig-yogurt dressing from food & wine. i bought an artichoke at wegmans on sunday, and since it takes a little bit of time to prepare, i needed to wait for a night when i didn't have any meetings or time constraints. tonight was perfect.

i love, love, LOVE steamed artichokes, but it's so hard to find one not stuffed with things in a recipe. i turned to my trusty friend mark bittman and his bible how to cook everything. it's really easy to prepare artichokes. just trim off the stem and peel off some of the gross outer leaves at the bottom. cut off about an inch from the top, just to expose all the leaves. using kitchen scissors, trim off the tops of the leaves and pull them apart gently. you can leave in the middle and the choke if you're going to be pulling it apart to eat it. just don't eat those.

steam it over boiling water, covered, for 25-30 minutes until it's tender. i threw in a couple of the leaves i ripped off to test the doneness. (it is not remotely cooked in the picture above. it will turn brown almost immediately, like below.)

i needed a dip, and since i opened the yogurt, i had to use it again tonight (and will be using it again tomorrow and friday, i'm sure). what a perfect excuse. hot baked crab dip is a great accompaniment for artichokes, other crudites, chips, pita, or just eaten with a spoon.

hot baked crab dip

yields 1/2 cup (2 servings)

½ cup fancy white crab meat (from a can, not lump)
1 small stalk celery
1 tablespoon plain yogurt
1 ½ teaspoons dijon mustard
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon dill weed, (dried)
2 tablespoons saltine crackers, crushed
salt & pepper

preheat the broiler. drain the crab meat. finely chop the celery and add to crab meat in a small bowl. mix in the yogurt, dijon mustard, vinegar, and dill. mix thoroughly, and season with salt and pepper to taste. divide between 2 6-ounce ramekins (or 1, it will fit, if you're eating the whole thing yourself) and sprinkle the cracker crumbs on top. bake under the broiler for 10 (15 if your broiler is absurdly unbalanced and an antique, like mine) minutes, until the crackers are browned and the edges of the dip is all bubbly. remove and serve carefully, as the ramekin will be wicked hot.

the area residence association i belong to is having a st. patrick's day event tomorrow, and i was asked to bake cookies. over christmas, i bought some adorable mini cookie-cutters in various shapes (including card suits) from williams-sonoma to make dog treats, and i loved the excuse to use them again. i went to the adapted version of my favorite chocolate cookie recipe from martha stewart (natch). if i don't want "thin mints," i just swap vanilla extract for the peppermint and don't coat them with chocolate (i made these at christmas, photo here). i punched out the center with my little club cookie cutter. yum yum.

a cold front is supposed to come in tomorrow, bringing rain and 40 degrees, so no more sandals. alas, i guess i will just savor it for tonight by going for a run outside and keeping the window open while i truck through some econ homework.

ciao!

backtracking

2009-03-16T10:56:00.000-04:00

okay, i've finally updated my picasa food album with my cooking adventures over break (starting with the paella). go look.

and now on to more important things.

spring break is over. i am now back at school, but it is warm (not so sunny) so i can't complain too much. i also restocked the fridge, so i'll be a cooking fool (no more "what-can-i-throw-together-out-of-the-fridge" nonsense. back to real, planned meals) for a few weeks.

i spent the last few days of break (thursday-saturday) in new york city with best friend roomie. we stayed with her cousin at her uptown apartment (GORGEOUS and HUGE), so we felt less like tourists and more like natives. we were born to live in the city, and as soon as our diplomas are in our hands, we're peacing out of the small town pennsylvania!

so i got in late thursday night, and we were both tired from traveling and whatnot. curled up on the couch with some food ordered from downstairs (tuna melts from the city diner at 10pm? stellar), hot tea, and a REALLY bad movie. do not see the house bunny.

friday morning we woke up early, enjoyed some hot and crusty sesame bagels, and headed into town by way of central park. someday, we, too, will walk our little burberry-sweatered puppies through the park, but for now we just sipped coffees and admired the sunshine.

we spent the morning ducking in and out of shops, taking a small starbucks break at trump tower, and went to find 'blanc de chine,' the designer/clothing store where lyss will be interning this summer. it's right next to debeers. we're set.

by now we'd worked up an appetite from schlepping all the way from 90th street to midtown, and we were WAY excited to try out tom collichio's 'witchcraft (obvi huge top chef fans). it was perfect -- pretentious enough to satisfy our egos, but not ridiculous. i got the marinated anchovies with salsa verde, frisse, and carmelized onions on sourdough, and lyss enjoyed a grilled cheddar, pear, and mustard on cranberry walnut. absurdly good.

we made our way to times square to kill some time before getting in line at tkts. it being barbie's 50th birthday and all, we had to go into toys 'r us and see her palace. we're both quite a fan of the vera wang wedding barbie and 'i can be a tv chef' barbie. ohh boy. my barbie was a pilot.

after an hour of waiting in line, we snagged allegedly 5th-row tickets for guys and dolls with LAUREN GRAHAM. considering that i have all 7 seven seasons of gilmore girls on dvd, and we've seen every episode at least three times each, we clearly couldn't pass up lorelai's broadway adventure (more on this later). needless to say, we were way more than pumped at our good fortune.

so we went back to the apartment to freshen up for dinner, which is now on my top 5 list of most favorite italian meals ever consumed (maggianos, lia's, la tomate, and melt). after checking some reviews and blogs, i ended up making us reservations at scarlatto. it was underhyped, but got rave reviews, and close to our theater so we decided to give it a try. STELLAR. we started off with some fantastic crispy calamari and zucchini, which looked like potato chips. they weren't heavily breaded, and the perfect texture. i made lyss a believer in the wonder of calamari. i am proud. she got pumpkin-ricotta ravoli with a brown-sugar butter sauce and asparagus, which would kill me, but looked fabulous. the mmm's and eye-closings from her side of the table make me think it was pretty damn good. i got thin linguini with mushrooms sauteed in garlic and truffle oil. no cream, no butter, no frills. i'm a huge mushroom fan, and this was the best mushroom dish i've ever eaten. it was salty, creamy, and perfect in its simplicity. we felt bad because our bill was so cheap (the downfalls of only being 20 years old), but neither of us could feasibly consider an espresso, let alone dessert. we walked off some of our coma and chilled with some cappucinos in a little cafe near bryant park until the show.

THE SHOW! so the box-office man told us we had 5th row. WRONG. FAIL. FIRST ROW, BABY! it was AWESOME. we were so pumped. i can't go into all the details because it would just be a lot of exclamation points and excited slurs, but the show was amazing. we rushed out to the stage door right after and snagged some autographs and photos. and lauren graham has our pen. it was our proudest moment =).

saturday morning we again hit the city diner (this time we actually went downstairs) for eggs (yum yum) and then headed down to the fashion district to go to mood (yes, that one, from project runway -- we're not obsessed with bravo or anything). i also wanted to see the NYTimes building, since my dream is to work there someday. but yeah, back to mood. it was so shady, upstairs in this building, but it was SO FUN! we bought buttons and i got some supplies to make a hip, rugby-inspired belt. totally pumped.

after mood, we ventured over to chelsea market to be even more obnoxiously tv-obsessed and drooled over the cupcakes and chocolates and fresh produce galore. we rounded out our tour with a stop into pinkberry for fro-yo. lyss enjoyed a lovely pink pomegranate variety with raspberries and coconut, and i went plain with blackberries. i will be indulging in this daily this summer. thank you for bringing one to dc!

and then our adventure ended, and we trekked with our MASSIVE bags to the port authority and headed to allentown. sushi with my parents, watched casino royale, and headed back to state college yesterday morning.

the rest of my pictures are on picasa, too.

trips into the city make me so anxious to get out of college and into the real world. i can't wait to be a native, not a tourist. to have my little personal delis and coffee shops and takeout joints where the waiters know what i like to order... to knowing how to navigate the busy streets and finding the lesser-known bars and clubs and where to find the best old books and vintage clothes and cooking supplies.

but alas, i am trapped in the end of my junior year in the middle-of-nowhere pennsylvania. at least i'll have a brief stint this summer. can't wait for that.

and speaking of getting out... i turned in my thesis rough draft one hour ago! it still really needs some work, especially on the end, but i've reached the peak and it's all downhill from here. i'm not quite coasting yet, but we're almost ready to let go of the handle bars and finish out the ride. let's hope it doesn't end with me in the hospital.

ciao!

barefoot bloggers!

2009-03-12T12:04:00.002-04:00

today is my first barefoot bloggers post! excitement!

Lindsey of Noodle Nights and Muffin Mornings chose chicken piccata (from Barefoot Contessa at Home) as the first recipe for march. I changed the recipe a little bit by not breading the chicken in breadcrumbs and adding some capers to the sauce. this was actually a FANTASTIC recipe because it fit really nicely into my "eating down the fridge" challenge, too!

i've made other Ina recipes before, and i'm always really impressed with how well they turn out. i think i needed to brown the chicken a little longer in the pan, but the sauce was awesome. definitely a winner -- and totally easy and cheap! who doesn't have some lemons, flour, butter, and white wine lying around?!

i served it up with some boiled baby yukon potatoes, steamed green beans, and my mom whipped up a nice salad (you can sort of see my dad's in the background up there) with tomatoes, olives, and cucumbers. quite an enjoyable family dinner.

i'm looking forward to the next recipe... but i'll keep that a surprise.

ciao!

2009-03-11T21:29:00.012-04:00

though i haven't been posting as promised, by "eating down the fridge" challenge has been going quite well! i must say it's a lot easier when you start off with good food to begin with =). eating down the college fridge means canned beans and tuna; eating down the home fridge means waffles, tilapia with olives (from simply recipes), seafood paella, homemade pasta sauce, chewy brownies, bur-berry oatmeal muffins, and matzo-ball soup!

i won't overload you. you can check out the picasa album for all the photos when i upload them tomorrow.

i have to share a few of these winners, though. who doesn't love pasta with marinara and some freshly-baked muffins.

seriously. nothing is easier than my homemade pasta sauce. you need this:

heat a tablespoon of oil in a good-sized pot. throw in 2 tablespoons of minced garlic. mush up 2 (1 lb) cans of peeled plum tomatoes with your fingers in a bowl and add them to the pot. throw in roughly 1/4 cup of freshly chopped basil, a teaspoon or so of oregano, salt, and freshly cracked black pepper. stir it up. and here's the secret: 1 teaspoon of sugar (i used a splenda packet because they sit next to the coffee maker next to the stove). it makes such a difference. allow to simmer over medium-low heat for 2 hours until it's thick and gloopy. it freezes wonderfully. i'm taking a vat back to college.

and as for these muffins. get ready now, because as soon as they're out of the oven you'll probably eat half the pan. obviously, i couldn't even get a picture of a baked one that i hadn't already eaten half of (i justify this by saying that the inside looks better than the outside).

i'm calling them my burberry oatmeal muffins because they have 2 types of berries and i made them on the day i got my second pair of burberry glasses. i'll admit it. i'm pretentious. i have 2 pairs of prescription burberry glasses (and most days i wear contacts...), an umbrella, and a scarf. i look ridiculous in public. it's fantastic.

anyway. the muffins. i adapted these from joy the baker, subbing plain non-fat yogurt for the applesauce because i bought this massive container and it really needed to be used (i bought it to make the yogurt scones off of chocolate and zucchini, but i don't want to talk about that experience). my version follows the pictures.

1 ¼ cups whole wheat flour
1 ¼ cups oats
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup yogurt
½ cup low-fat buttermilk (mix 1 tbl vinegar with plain milk)
½ cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 large egg, lightly beaten
¾ cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)

1/4 cup dried cranberries or raisins

Preheat the oven to 375*F and line or spray 12-15 muffin tins.

In a large bowl, mix the flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. if you're making your own buttermilk, combine the 1/2 cup of milk (minus 1 tablespoon) with a tablespoon of vinegar and let it sit for 5 minutes. in a small bowl, mix together the yogurt, brown sugar, oil, and egg. add in the milk when it's done.

make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet. stir lightly with a spatula until all the wet ingredients are absorbed, but don't over-mix.

sprinkle some flour on a paper plate and roll the berries around to coat lightly. this prevents them from sinking to the bottom of the muffins. fold them gently into the batter. fill the muffin cups about 2/3 full (i have a little tablespoon scooper and used it twice for each) and bake for 14-18 minutes. my mom's convection had these babies done at 12, but test them with a toothpick to be sure.

let them cool for a minute or two in the tins, and then invert them onto a wire rack. alton brown says this prevents gooey, soggy bottoms. i concur. plus it looks funny:

on a non-food-related note, i FINISHED THE ROUGH DRAFT OF MY THESIS about 40 minutes ago. it's definitely by no standards done completely, but i'm taking advantage of rough as the operative word in the assignment title. i am ready to hand it in by 1pm on monday. i should have thrown a party, but instead i'm uploading pictures of muffins and watching the american idol results show with my mom.

i think i'll celebrate by eating one of those muffins.

check back tomorrow for my first ever barefoot bloggers post! sneak preview: it was a success!

enjoy your wednesday night (without top chef).

ciao!

2009-03-09T09:33:00.003-04:00

And so it begins. I did this a week or so ago at school (see "Operation Liquidation"), but Kim O'Donnel's "Eating Down the Fridge" Challenge on A Mighty Appetite starts today, and I thought I should participate! I'm home for break, obviously, and my parents' fridge needs to be eaten.

Look for some updates. I'll be posting later. I have to do some thesis work right now, but there's a big pot of marinara sauce cooking on the stove =). Get excited.

Ciao!

so close i can taste it

2009-03-04T15:36:00.004-05:00

my spring break starts tomorrow at 12:30pm, and i could not be more excited to go home! i miss my family and desperately need a rest. i've been sprinting this leg of the junior-year marathon. my legs are tired, i'm out of breath, and i really need some new running shoes (these or these?).

i had a comm exam this morning, during which i was struggling not to let my head fall onto the desk and succumb to the wave of unconsciousness that was trying to overtake my brain. i had that dizzy, nauseous, headache feeling, and i just wanted to crawl back into bed and not fill a bluebook with answers about censorship in schools and intentional infliction of emotional distress. these are 2 ironic topics, given that i wanted to swear profusely instead of answering the questions and felt seriously harmed by the exam.

i'm exaggerating. the exam was fairly easy and straightforward, and i was done in an hour. after running a few errands, i made it back to the apartment and whipped up some vegetable soup to ease my swirling stomach and use up my vegetables and broth before break.

yum.

i have my homecoming captain interview tonight. i'm not nervous, and i hope they make their decisions quickly because i'd love to know if i got the position. i think i'm well-qualified, and the fact that i was one of three people at the "brainstorming meeting" last week shows my obvious dedication to the cause. cross your fingers!

start getting excited. my mom got a new CONVECTION OVEN (!!!!), and i have big, big plans for using it in all sorts of delicious ways. i also joined the barefoot bloggers, so i'll be posting some yummy ina recipes, too!

hopefully spring break brings equal parts of break AND spring -- i'm loving the sunshine (you can see it streaming in the window in my soup photo), but could use some warm weather! bring on the allergies; they're SO worth it.

ciao. J

cheater

2009-02-28T18:24:00.004-05:00

all right. i've cheated. we went shopping yesterday.

but, but, BUT before we went to wegmans, i did make 2 more "operation liquidation" meals! we had a leftover pizza crust (because packs come with 2, which i think is ridiculous), and after seeing (and smelling) what happens when those go bad, i decided we needed to devour pronto.

on thursday i swiped a few pieces with some dill hummus and popped them in the oven. i tossed some halved cherry tomatoes, garlic, and basil in a skillet, mushed them up with a fork, and spread it on the baked crust. i topped it off with some sliced cucumbers. mediterranean flatbreads = yum.

friday night i went mexican, topping the rest of the crust with refried beans (from a can), diced tomatoes (not from a can), red pepper, and red onion. after baking, i sprinkled on some taco sauce and shredded lettuce. ole!

but tonight, we cheated. while wandering the produce aisle, lyss spotted some wonton wrappers, and dumplings were born. we chopped up some mushrooms and scallions, mixed in some ginger and garlic, and tried our best to form good little dumplings. apparently lyss got a real lesson from her host-fam when she was in shanghai last summer, but it didn't carry over so well. since we're both hardcore european, we are pretty proud of our showing:

From food

i found some miso soup packets in the organic aisle, and voila (i can't say that in any asian language) -- a lovely saturday night feast.

it was a good ending to a very long day of orientation.. uh.. orientation. i had a 6-hour meeting regarding my position as a mentor for honors orientation in the fall. it was at the letterman's club at the stadium, which is GORGEOUS. vp and adam thought about having their wedding there -- it would have been so pretty (but bear creek was pretty fantastic). that was probably the only redeeming characteristic of the day. they informed us that in order to get our 1 honors credit, we have to make a blog about our shc experience. feel free to follow mine here. i'm sure it'll be censor-ifically fantastic, since all of the shc administration will be checking it regularly and me posting about my disdain for certain people in certain positions of power in certain organizations wouldn't be welcome.

the first amendment does not protect me from the wrath of egomaniacal jerks.

=) i'll be nice.

tonight allyson is coming over to watch junebug with me and lyss. excited for girls' night and some wine =). we're celebrating the weekend in our own special way.

oh! and if you want ANOTHER way to be updated on my mildly interesting life, i've joined twitter and i'm addicted. you've been warned.

enjoy yourselves! ciao!

being an honors student is hard

2009-02-27T19:45:00.006-05:00

so it's night number 1 of state patty's day (read: a sponsored excuse to drink excessively, as if we need one here), and i'm sitting at my computer staring at excel files.

i'm starting to doubt that the scholarship money from the shc is adequate compensation for the thesis requirement... though i do get another lovely ash-tray (to add to the president's freshman award of 2007) in honor of evan pugh and being in the top .5% of my class with a gpa of over 3.98 -- i got a letter today!

wait. back to grumbling. this is my friday night:

i'm going to the gym to destress before starting on my nutrition project. my eyes and brain need a rest.

identity crisis and operation liquidation tres

2009-02-26T00:31:00.000-05:00

clearly i'm having a blog identity crisis, noting the number of times i've changed my layout in the past month. i think this one will stick, though. i'm a fan. thoughts?

as my "operation liquidation" continues, today featured 2 very yummy meals (and a breakfast that wasn't all that special). for lunch i thawed some of the maryland crab soup i saved from christmas-eve-eve. thawing soup is always fun. when about half of the brick was melted, i maneuvered the still-frozen portion back into the tupperware to save for lunch on friday. one of my roommates was in the kitchen during this time (the physics of this is remarkable, given the size of my kitchen), and i have no doubt that she thinks i'm disgusting and weird. the frozen chunk of crab/broth/veggies was really strange. but it tasted like magic. and christmas.

so then for dinner i reheated the batch of tofu paprikash i made last night. it was a inspired by a chicken paprikash and a tofu gumbo... a hybrid of veg, non-veg, creole, and polish goodness. i'm a huge fan. i don't really recommend making enough for leftovers, since the tofu loses its texture when soaked in the sauce overnight. my suggestion is to make an ample amount of sauce, but only prepare the tofu for what you're eating that night. since the tofu doesn't take very long, it's still a quick heat-up.

tofu papri-gumbo

1 tsp. canola oil

1/2 large onion, thinly sliced

1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced

1 celery stalk, diced

1 garlic clove, minced

1 - 2 tbl. sweet paprika (i only had regular, so i added 2 tbl. of sugar)

1/2 tsp. ground caraway seeds (do NOT skip these)

1/4 tsp. dried bay leaves (or 1 and take it out later)

1/4 tsp. dried marjoram

1/4 tsp. chili powder

3/4 tbl. flour

1 1/2 cup vegetable stock

salt and pepper to taste

4 oz extra-firm tofu, drained and cubed

make the sauce: heat the oil in a saucepan. add the onion, peppers, celery, and garlic. cook over medium heat, stirring continuously until the onions begin to brown. add in the spices and flour. quickly stir to incorporate and heat for another minute. add the vegetable stock and season with salt and pepper. bring the sauce to a boil. turn down the heat and allow the sauce to a simmer for 30 minutes to 1 hour, until the sauce is thick and the veggies are very tender.

when the sauce is just about done, spray a skillet with oil and heat over medium-high to high. add the tofu in one layer. flip the diced pieces after about 2 minutes, until a nice brown crispy skin covers the sides. transfer into the saucepan and stir to coat. can be served with rice or a nice piece of crusty bread... whatever you've got lying around and want to "liquidate."

IT'S TIME FOR TOP CHEF SEASON FINALE!

ciao!

operation liquidation

2009-02-24T21:30:00.000-05:00

so there's this new trend around the blogosphere (here, for example), inspired by eGullet, about cooking with only what you have in the pantry... a liquidation of stock-ups, if you will.

i'd like to give a big, warm, enthusiastic welcome to everyone involved in this new endeavor: you are now officially filling the role of a car-deprived college student in the middle of february when there is no local produce in PA.

=) it's a great place to be.

about every 2-ish weeks, the bread starts to go stale, the lettuce starts to wilt, the egg carton starts to have more empty spaces, and the canned veggies and tuna start to be opened and mixed with various spices, grains, and other things on the verge of shelf-life.

i've decided to relish in the foodie world's newfound appreciation of this event (which i am naming "operation liquidation") by forgoing the grocery store until saturday (i was going to go tonight) and participating! it'll be a good way to hear about some new "staple" recipes and ways to use up canned corn, as well as an excuse for me to share my less-than-glamourous recipes.

i will go retro-post with 2 meals from the past few nights:

operation liquidation dish numero uno: ginger-garlic tofu with broccoli (adapted from NYTimes)

ingredients:

1 tsp. olive oil

1/2 cup chopped yellow onion

1 tbl ground ginger

1 tbl finely minced garlic

4oz extra-firm tofu

2 cups broccoli florets

2 tsp thai chili sauce

1/2 tsp dried cilantro (2 tbl fresh if you have it)

1 tbl soy sauce

1 tbl rice wine vinegar

1 tbl water

1 tbl lime juice

1 tsp sugar

about 20 minutes before you want to start, drain the tofu and wrap in a paper towel. wrap this in a clean dish towel and press under heavy cans or a pot or something. don't touch it for 20 minutes. unwrap, and dice the tofu into 1" pieces.

heat oil over medium-heat. add onions, ginger, and garlic until sweaty (the onions, not you). add the tofu. cook and stir until almost done, then add broccoli.

mix the soy sauce, vinegar, water, lime juice, and sugar in a small bowl. pour into skillet, add the cilantro, and stir all ingredients until coated. turn down heat and allow to simmer until sauce is thickened and mostly absorbed.

tada!

operation liquidation dish numero dos: gnocchi with garlicy spinach and tomatoes

ingredients:

2 oz frozen gnocchi

2-3 cups baby spinach

1/4 cup diced yellow onion

1 garlic clove

a good handful of cherry tomatoes, halved

mash the garlic clove into a paste. spray a small skillet with oil and add garlic, onions, and tomatoes. cook until tender.

meanwhile, bring a pot of water to boil. salt the water and add the gnocchi. cook until they float to the top. drain them and reserve a bit of cooking water.

add the spinach to the skillet with a few spoonfuls of the cooking water. toss in the gnocchi.

mmmmmm.

tomorrow we tackle another tofu dish (in honor of fat tuesday/ash wednesday), because tonight we need to finish researching the national income accounts of western europe and sector industry data from 1970-2007. you're jealous.

ciao!

dreaming forward

2009-02-22T19:11:00.000-05:00

THON always puts things in perspective for me. after 46 hours of thinking about the families' tragedies, struggles, heartbreaks, and miracles, i can't help feeling like my life is easy and blessed. i'm so thankful that my health problems were not cancer or anything truly serious, and that my family has never experienced anything so hard or troubling. i'm also thankful for the ability to go to bed every night not wondering if tomorrow will be too hard to get through.

but i admire the spirit, persistence, and love that these little kids have for the beauty of the world. they appreciate blowing bubbles and playing with water guns, anything to take their mind off their pain. they go through each day loving every minute, while their parents hold their breath and thank god for each passing day.

thon reminds us all that the four diamonds (courage, honor, wisdom, and strength) plus a little bit of love, hope, and family will get us through anything.

and this weekend, penn staters and generous people from the whole world came together to give 46 hours and $7.49 million to make sure that every person touched by childhood cancer gets the fighting chance to dream forward. thon 2009. for the kids.

view the rest of my photos here:

THON 2009 * Dream Forward

my secret baking adventure

2009-02-18T17:44:00.000-05:00

i'm not ashamed to admit that i've never had red velvet cake. the thought of eating something not quite chocolatey and an unnatural color never really appealed to me, though i do love cream cheese frosting. but lyss constantly sings its praises, along with the rest of the world.

she's dancing in THON this weekend, and i wanted to bake something to put in her bag of fun to keep her occupied for 46 hours. THON (if you were overwhelmed by the link) is a 46-hour no-sitting, no-sleeping dance marathon to raise money for the 4 Diamonds Fund, which works to fight childhood cancer. it's the largest student-run philanthropy in the world, and last year PSU raised over $6.2 million. it's incredible.

so yeah. lyss is dancing this year and needed a baked good, obvi. since she's in love with it, red velvet was on the menu. but cupcakes would be useless without frosting, and i didn't want to give her a mess. joy the baker came to my rescue with her red velvet cookies! i didn't modify the recipe at all, since i am not at all versed in this southern tradition. i also tend to ruin cookies when i try to change things.

i used regular milk, so i can't taste them, but if looks and smell are any indication of goodness, i think we're solid. i had to rush back from class and bake them while lyss was still out. i also had to cool them on a rack on the floor in my bedroom. it smelled glorious =). i may have to do secret baking adventure #2 with lactaid and make them into cupcakes. perhaps i'll be a convert to this strange, strange dessert.

good luck, lyss! FTK <3.

i'd win a gold medal

2009-02-17T23:17:00.000-05:00

tonight's episode of "chopped" on foodnetwork makes me want to go on a cooking show and beat up some over-zealous, loud, rude contestants with my food. top chef doesn't do that to me; it just makes me so damn mad that whats-her-face leah made it all the way to last week. now that she's gone, i can finally enjoy the show. thank you, crazy judges.

continuing the competition theme... i submitted my scone recipe on the foodbuzz quaker oat's recipe contest. wish me luck! i really liked those scones. you should try them. i had the last one for breakfast this morning and just might have to make some more. i'm thinking cinnamon and honey this time. and vp got hers in the mail today. i hope they held up!

i only used half a can of green beans tonight and am stumped as to how to use the rest tomorrow. pureed green bean soup with mushrooms? frittata? (i just like that word)

i did have a hilarious text-message moment today that further affirmed my beliefs that i'm actually 25 and just stuck in a 20 year old's life. oh yeah, and that i should be in grad school and done with college. and college boys.

oye.

i need to go study more about absorption and weight control -- i should be a poster-child for this class. seriously.

i'll let you know how my soup goes.

happy valentine's day

2009-02-14T11:44:00.000-05:00

share some love.

a pre-valentine's day treat

2009-02-13T11:27:00.000-05:00

since there's no hope in me getting a real valentine, i decided to take matters into my own hands and make myself a pre-valentine's day treat to ward off any gloom i may feel later.

it's friday the 13th, and i was hesitant to turn on the oven for fear that the bad luck would cause my apartment to explode (the oven is temperamental on normal days). however, karma is my friend and not even the unluckiest of days (2009 has 2 more, too!) could ruin these babies.

the bonus about these scones is that they are incredibly versatile! while i used cherries, pink sprinkles, and cut them into hearts, you could easily sub in blueberries, chocolate chips, nuts, etc... and cut them into whatever shape you'd like! they'd even be good with just a dash of cinnamon and a cup of tea.

yum. i'm mailing the extras to val and adam because i'm nice like that.

cherry-vanilla ginger scones

makes 10-12

2 cups flour, sifted

1 tbl sugar

1/4 tsp grated ginger

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 cup chopped frozen cherries

4 tbl unsalted butter, cold and cut into pea-sized chunks

3/4 cup milk

1 tsp white vinegar

1/4 tsp vanilla

3 tbl milk or cream

sugar for sprinkling

Preheat the oven to 450* and line a baking sheet with parchment. Sift the flour into a bowl, and add the sugar, salt, and baking soda. In a separate bowl, combine the 3/4 cup milk, vinegar, vanilla, and ginger. Add the butter to the flour mixture and combine lightly with fingers until it resembles coarse cornmeal (you could break out the food pro, but i don't like to dirty more dishes than necessary). Add in the cherries and quickly pour in the milk mixture. Using a fork, mix until just combined and dough sticks together. DO NOT over-mix! Some lumps and pieces of butter should remain (you also don't want to smush all of the cherries!).

Turn out the dough onto a floured surface and work into a 1/2" thick round. Using a cookie cutter, cut out shapes (or use a knife), re-rolling scraps. I got 12, but this depends on the size of your cookie cutter. Place on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush with milk or cream and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 12 minutes, rotating halfway through, until tops are golden. Allow to cool completely before serving.

stay tuned. tomorrow is eggs-in-a-heart-shaped-hole for breakfast!

ciao!

a rant

2009-02-11T20:28:00.000-05:00

this happened yesterday, but i'm still not over it. when i'm sick and tired, things tend to bug the crap out of me and i need to vent.

senior year of high school, we studied existentialism and read satre's no exit as part of the unit. after reading, we were instructed to write, in satre's style, a paper describing our own hell, complete with the 2 other people who would be there. i turned in a rather well-crafted essay detailing some claustrophobic SAT setting with my 2 least favorite people.

i take that back.

my personal hell is such:

it is 7:35am. i am sitting on the blue loop, mentally preparing myself for the 75 minutes of economic strategy followed by 75 minutes of regression equations followed by 75 minutes of statistics ahead. there is a smelly boy next to me. and a girl gets on. she is on the phone with her long-distance boyfriend (who probably hates her for calling him at 7:35am). she is talking loud enough to wake those sleeping in the back of the bus and quickly enough to power our bus should the natural gas run out. she is chronicling the previous night's events, which apparently underline the fact that her "best best friend" is in a "shitty and ridiculous" relationship. she then "oh, rewind! back up!"-s and explains how the fire alarm in her pollock (read: sorority) dorm went off at 3:30am, and thus she couldn't have gotten more than 3 hours of sleep and is "so, so, so f*ing tired."

well, honey, it's 7:35am. i have 75+30 (break)+75+75 minutes of economics ahead of me and then a meeting about my thesis with my adviser. oh yeah, and it poured and i didn't have an umbrella.

i hate people who talk loudly on cell phones on the bus.

that was a bad rant, i know. but i needed to get it out.

consequently, i think that the karma deity felt bad for me and thus made today record-breakingly warm, sunny, and relatively stress free. i had a productive tutoring session and now understand strategy; i had time to go to the gym; i had yummy lunch in kern and shrimp for dinner.

thank you.

that's it. i need to study stat. ciao.

just add love

2009-02-08T15:22:00.001-05:00

while some bakers may scoff at the thought of pre-bought cookie dough or boxed cake mixes, i praise their existence.

can you honestly beat that for under $3?

as for the cake mix, i decided to add a bit to make it happier than just plain white cake. white cake with fudge icing is my favorite, but i thought i'd jazz it up for the ARHS party. oreo cupcakes with happy teddy bears? i think yes. i crushed up 10-12 mini oreos and stirred them into the dry cake mix before adding the wet ingredients. the batter was this weird grey color, but it baked okay. i suppose next time i wouldn't pulverize the daylights out of the oreos and maybe fold them into the batter once it was mixed. they baked into the color of cardboard, so that was okay. you can really taste the oreo creme in them, which is stellar. they'd be really good with a layer of peanut butter before the fudge. i love oreos and peanut butter.

next weekend, in honor of valentine's day, lyss, allyson, and i are baking, watching girly movies, and only eating things that are pink or in the shape of a heart. pancakes, toasty-eggs, and cupcakes for sure. =)

superbowl goodies!

2009-02-01T16:58:00.000-05:00

one of the best parts about the steelers getting to the superbowl was that it gave me a really great excuse to throw a party with FOOD! normally college parties don't involve anything more gourmet than ordering pizza when we're drunk-hungry, so this was super exciting.

obviously, the theme is black & gold/pittsburgh + tailgate-y foods, so it wasn't too hard to come up with a good game plan to satisfy the appetites of a lot of hungry boys and my own creative requirement.

the menu:

hydration: yuengling, lion's head, and guinness

pregame: allyson's 7-layer taco dip (she's bringing this. promises goodness. there are refried beans involved. enough said.)

first-half snacks: popcorn chicken (frozen from a bag. i don't do this) with pennsylvania mustard (herlocher's, duh)

half-time extravaganza: pizza (gumby's), homemade pierogies, in honor of pittsburgh polishness

hold me over til the end: pretzels, football-shaped jello jigglers

VICTORY DANCE: chocolate pretzel cookies with yellow "salt" sprinkles, auntie's re-vamped rum balls

i started on friday with the rum balls, which is by far the easiest recipe ever. my aunt mary ann makes them for me at christmas, and it's the only time i ever eat them. they make me think of pittsburgh, since she lives there and you can see the city from her house in south side. her recipe is the same as anyone's, but i didn't have walnuts so i substituted almonds instead. they turned out quite well, i think.

then yesterday began the marathon of pierogies! it started at 9am, right after a heaping bowl of oatmeal and a large cup of coffee to get me going. i worked with a recipe from gourmet, but tweaked it a bit to fit my needs and my pantry. it was totally easy, just incredibly time consuming. it's 100% worth it, though. mrs. t's cannot stand up to these!

I won't post the recipe because it's REALLY long. I basically went straight from Gourmet, but made them dairy-free so that I can have some. I didn't make the onion topping, but put the onions INSIDE instead. So on the ingredients list, for the filling I took out the cheese and added 1 medium onion chopped, which I sauted in some oil and then mashed in with the potatoes. I also added a little bit of dry mustard to the mix for some tang.

A word of **CAUTION: DO NOT PUT THEM ON TOP OF EACH OTHER after you form them. As I am stupid, I didn't realize they would stick together. Pulling them apart was a mess and resulted in a few losses and some really, REALLY ugly pierogies. Do not ruin your hard work.**

They also stick after they are cooked, and I wasn't serving mine right away, so I stored them between wax paper in a pyrex dish in the fridge. As we speak, they are I reheating them in a low oven (the same that is keeping my pizza warm) and they will be served with heinz (the only acceptable kind of) ketchup.

--***--

I wanted to start off in the same fashion this morning with the cookies, but I slept until 9 and didn't finish my breakfast/coffee until close to 10. I was planning on making lemon-poppy seed cookies, but as I went to pull out the recipe card, these little lovelies from deb at smitten kitchen caught my eye. I'd written down the recipe a while ago, wanting to make them because they're cute and I love pretzels, but just never got around to it. I bought some yellow sanding sugar for the event (I was also going to make cupcakes; that died), and knew I couldn't pass it up. Black and gold pretzels? a must.

Late start aside, these were super fun to make and I even coerced the roomie into helping me. She was far better at rolling the little balls into logs than I was, so we tag-teamed and bonded. I love baking chocolate things because it makes the whole apartment smell amazing. The scent just wafted itself up and over the loft and into our bedrooms. Glorious. My only change to the recipe was to use 3 tablespoons of coffee (stolen from the shared pot I made for me and the other roommate this morning -- she hadn't woken up yet) instead of the instant espresso powder. I hardly doubt that qualifies as a change.

They turned out magnificent, and I even put them on a black and yellow plate =). I know, I'm so cute.

I'm really excited to get to use my camera for something other than food tonight. Stay tuned for a victory post, complete with pictures of my hilarious friends.

HERE WE GO, STEELERS!

hooray for eggs (and turkey burgers)

2009-01-29T18:07:00.000-05:00

i wasn't going to post any recipes with this post because a) i am lazy, b) my book is downstairs, and c) they are not complicated, but the turkey burgers were just so damn yummy that i feel you should get to experience their greatness.

but first, the eggs. these pictures turned out really well (so did the eggs, come to think of it), and i had to share.

the eggs are both adaptions from mark bittman's how to cook everything; i sprinkled paprika on my poached egg, and i put some spinach in the bottom of my baked (shirred) egg. my cooking time on the baked egg was out of control because my oven doesn't get hot. ever. yay for appliances from the 80's.

the turkey burgers are really simple. usually people complain about them being too dry or flavorless, and my almost no-fat dietary restriction compells me to use only 98-99% fat free turkey, i generally have to concur. but i found a way around that: APPLES! i LOVE apples. i pretty much have one a day, sometimes two if i forget i ate one. i've been in this habit ever since i was little, always making my dad peel and cut it into tiny little slices. now i just eat them whole, but sometimes i slice them (keep on the peels, though, because of time and taste!). anyway, the apples make the burgers really moist and juicy, plus add a really nice flavor. te sugar also gives a good little crust when they're grilled. mmm mmm. (recipe follows picture)

Apple-Onion Turkey Burgers

makes 6

1 - 1 1/2 lbs lean ground turkey

1 medium granny smith apple

1/2 medium yellow onion (about 1/2 cup)

1-2 tbl dijon mustard

1/4 tsp celery salt

1/2 tsp crushed fennel seeds

1/2 tsp dried rosemary (crush between fingers)

freshly ground black pepper

salt

optional toppings: tomato, red onion, lettuce, dill pickles, more dijon mustard, pepper and onion relish (!!)

Peel and cut the apple into 4 quarters, cutting down the diagonal to remove the core. Using a box grater, grate the apple into a bowl. Finely dice the onion and add to the apples. Add in mustard, celery salt, fennel, and rosemary. Stir with wooden spoon.

Before you get all messy from the turkey, cut out 6 squares of wax paper. Lay one piece down in a shallow dish, and keep the others close by.

Add the turkey to the bowl, and before you mix with your hands, add salt and pepper (season to your liking). Combine the ingredients with your hands. It will be VERY sticky. Divide the meat in half, and then each half into 6 patties, roughly 2 1/2 - 3" in diameter and 1/4" thick. Layer in the dish between pieces of wax paper and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. (at this point, you could also freeze them).

Heat a grillpan (or your grill) over medium-high heat and spray with oil. Grill the burgers until cooked all the way through (when you touch them with a fork or spatula, they should feel firm like the inside of your palm by your thumb), about 5-7 minutes per side, depending on the heat and thickness.

Serve on buns (I'm in love with the Arnold Select Multigrain Sandwich Thins) with none, any, or all of the optional ingredients. The picture includes the red onion, tomato, lettuce, dijon mustard, AND the onion/pepper relish (my mom bought me a cute little sampler pack of different harry and david spreads for Christmas, and I've been putting this on my sandwiches all week).

Stay tuned. This weekend I'm throwing a Superbowl Party, menu to include homemade pierogies (in honor of Polish Pittsburgh!), lemon poppy-seed cookies, and YELLOW JELL-O FOOTBALL HELMETS!!

Here we go, Steelers!

Ciao!

beyond facebook

2009-01-24T08:25:00.001-05:00

i was just tagged on facebook to post 25 things about me, but that seemed stupid because most of the people on facebook who would read that already know 25 things about me. i'm doing it here instead.

1. my favorite color is yellow

2. sometimes i feel like a 30 year old stuck at age 20

3. my family is more important to me than everything else

4. i haven't had a best friend since elementary school

5. i wish i had thicker hair

6. i come off as more ambitious than i am in reality

7. i think i like my major

8. i played the flute for 9 years

9. i danced for 13

10. i cannot sleep past 10am, no matter what time i go to bed

11. i love peanut butter but rarely eat it

12. i really, really, really want to go to paris

13. berkeley law is on my list of things to do

14. i was a vegetarian for 1 year

15. i'm addicted to crossword puzzles

16. when i can't sleep, i create recipes in my head

17. i'm fairly good at drawing

18. i wish a lot of people would grow up

19. i caught the washington d.c. bug

20. maggiano's angel hair with marinara sauce is the best meal i've ever eaten

21. i wish i had the endurance to be a runner

22. i have a great deal of respect for my mom, even if she doesn't believe that

23. i'm incredibly lucky to have a dad who was (and still is) always around

24. i'm jealous of my sister and her husband for finding each other so young

25. there is absolutely no way i am marrying a man who cannot poach an egg

i came home this weekend to escape the illnesses going around state college and to work a bit on my thesis. i plan on showing my parents the pictures on my new camera tonight, so look for some new food tomorrow.

cheers,