Halloweeeeen...Boo!

Its hard to plan anything while you're planning a wedding.  My husband's birthday (on 10/23) though a fun day, was not half of the previous birthdays I'd planned for him and we really weren't able to put any thought into Halloween this year.  There are 3 sets of young kids in our apartment building and they, and their parents, enjoy trick or treating around the halls instead of house to house (they know the occupants and can trust the candy).  This year, while I could have just gotten them candy, they will show up and dreary old Mr. and Mrs. J.O. aren't going to have on costumes and I didn't want to disappoint so I baked cupcakes and decorated them with ghoulish and gross things to make the little people happy.  

I made the tombstones out of miniature Crackle and Hershey bars, the spiders out of black licorice ropes and jelly beans, the frogs are just candy frogs and the worms are just candy worms.  I made the green icing and dipped it in green sprinkles.  The green frosting and sprinkles reminded me so much of golfing that I had to make one golf cupcake:

The only problem I encountered was eating way to much frosting and candy and having way too much fun.  (Oh I made the flag out of a hershey's wrapper). 

October 29th, 2010...Yontiff

Shabbos is observed from a few minutes before sunset every Friday evening until a few minutes after the appearance of three stars in the sky on Saturday evening. Its a chance for families, jewish or not, to sit down as a family, appreciate life and each other and reflect on the week.  In my home, we do say all the necessary prayers, etc. but we also eat really really well, a precedent set by my mother in law.  Yontiff is the yiddish term for Holiday.  Normally one says Gut Yontiff to another during a jewish holiday like Sukkot, Purim or Passover.  In our family Halloween is also a Yontiff and a very important one, so this Shabbos needed to be extra special.  The meal was seasonal and halloween themed and I have to say, A SUCCESS!


The Menu:
Devilish Deviled Eggs: http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/devilish-eggs?backto=true&backtourl=/photogallery/halloween-recipes-and-appetizers#slide_19 
Mesa Grill's Pumpkin Soup: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/bobby-flay/mesa-grills-pumpkin-soup-with-mexican-cinnamon-creme-fraiche-and-toasted-pumpkin-seeds-recipe/index.html
Stuffing (per my husband's request): Mix and recipe from the Mrs. Cubbison's Box
Salad: Just threw together whatever veggies I had in the fridge (Iceberg, red pepper, tomato, avocado, crispy onions and craisins)
Crab Cakes: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Crab-Cakes-and-Baby-Greens-with-Lemon-Vinaigrette-5762


For our Shabbos table we like to fancy up the occasion and use our good dishes, utensils and glasses.  So many people have beautiful china that they maybe use once a year.  As far as my husband and I are concerned, everything is replaceable and there's no reason to have something if you're not going to use it.  Plus it makes the meal somehow feel more elegant.  We have a beautiful challah (bread) cover and kiddush (wine) cup that our cousins got us and stunning candle sticks for the Shabbos rituals.  

Unfortunately I don't have a picture of the soup.  I wish I did because I added the Creme Fraiche in the shape of spider webs on top of the soup.  The pumpkin soup was a little spicy but was calmed by the creme (as a Vegan alternative I used Toffuti sour cream for me soup which tasted very similar). While I prepared the soup I put the Devilish deviled eggs on the table.  The one change I would have made to the recipe is I would have added less salt and less cayenne, I adjusted by adding a little more mayo and two extra yolks.  They tasted fantastic and were a fun and easy way to add some Halloween flair.

The salad is my go to salad, and I make it pretty frequently. Just lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, crunchy onions and Craisins...I added red pepper this time because I had some left over after decorating the deviled eggs. I usually make the dressing from scratch using some aged balsamic vinegar, dijon mustard, olive oil, minced garlic, honey, rosemary and salt and pepper to taste.  It's a very tasty dressing and fairly healthy!

I got the crab for the Crab Cakes from a place called Santa Monica Seafood http://www.santamonicaseafood.com/  They have the freshest fish and if I had to get fish from anywhere it would be here.  Sometimes the budget doesn't allow for it, but on this special holiday I thought I'd splurge.I also substituted the breadcrumbs with Panko (which you should be able to get at any super market).  My dinner guest said that it made the crab cakes much less sawdusty because they didn't over power the crab. Some people prefer to bake the crab cakes and that works for a healthier option but I went with the oil in the pan.  They turned out absolutely delicious.  High marks from our dinner guest who is a crab cake aficionado. (I'm finishing this entry on Saturday morning, I used the leftover crab cakes and made crab cake benedict by putting a poached egg on top of the crab cake, it was uber yummy.)

It's important to note that for the majority of my recipes I use Margarine instead of real unsalted butter because I can't eat dairy.  If you use margarine you generally can use less salt because margarine is much saltier than butter.  Sometimes baked goods cook up differently but in soups, etc. it doesn't make much of a difference, to me at least, plus it means I actually get to eat the food that I cook.  I have very strange diet, I don't eat dairy or meat, but I do eat fish and eggs so I am not as limited as some.  There are ways to make most meals 100% vegan or close to it, so if you have any substitution questions feel free to ask.  


Now I just have to clean up...ugh. 

Thursday, October 28th, 2010

I went to the Santa Monica Farmers' Market on Wednesday (an amazing place for a great stroll, fresh produce, fun personalities and beautiful flowers).  I went solely for fall flowers to decorate my dining table and ended up coming home with Asparagus (not totally in season but their's was still delish!), Persimmons and multi-colored fingerling potatoes thus inspiring last night's menu (in the future I will include pics):

• Balsamic Chicken from Kosher By Design by Susie Fishbein http://www.amazon.com/Kosher-Design-Picture-Perfect-Holidays/dp/1578197074/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1288386252&sr=8-1
• Roasted Asparagus - Recipe by Alton Brown http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/roasted-asparagus-recipe/index.html
• Roasted Fingerling Potatoes with Fresh Herbs and Garlic - Recipe by Tyler Florence  http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/roasted-fingerling-potatoes-with-fresh-herbs-and-garlic-recipe4/index.html
• For Dessert: Broiled Persimmons with Mascarpone (and in my case, being the Lactard that I am, I used Toffuti Cream cheese instead of the Mascarpone)
  http://www.marthastewart.com:80/photogallery/persimmon-recipes
  

Yes, elaborate, and no real special occasion but I felt inspired by the fresh fruit and veggies.


How it turned out:


Everything was delicious!  I'm sure in the future there will be bad recipes or failures on my part but last night was great success, sans one element.  I don't think I really understood how to cut the persimmons.  Do I leave in the seeds? Do I remove the stem? Still a little confused on the matter.  Also, I don't think my broiler was hot enough because the tops of the persimmons never browned.  Ultimately they tasted great and the mascarpone/cream cheese mixes were tasty but I'd love some clarification on how to work with persimmons.  


The potatoes were beautiful, due in part to being multi-colored and having the lovely sprigs of fresh herbs mixed in.  


My husband ate a lot of the asparagus and he is not a veggie guy, so that was a good sign.  And he loved the chicken. I even got an, "MMM!".  


I think that the balsamic Vinegar I used on the chicken, 20 year aged by Bistro Blends (expensive but makes everything tastier from salad dressings to yes, chicken) definitely gave it more of an oomph than a store bought brand would have.  


Its also important to note that I halved the chicken recipe and the persimmon recipe because it was just the two of us and had a lot of left overs.


I would make all of these recipes again!  

My Kitchen

I am in love with my kitchen.  


We didn't always have the strong and loving relationship we have today. We fought constantly! If it wasn't the dull knives it was the f-ugly counters.  And well, cooking a meal was more of a chore than a delight.  But with a lot of work and compromise (Painting the cabinets to match the counters instead of replacing the counters: $50 and time vs. $1000)  we've become the strong, patient pair we are today.  Here are a few of the reasons I can safely say my kitchen and I are a match made in heaven:


1. My Organization System (I know its a little extreme, but it helps me and saves money so that I don't have to keep tossing expired goods or buying duplicates of things I already have!)


I know where everything is and can access it easily and instantly.  I bought a bunch of metal containers from a wholesale container shop online.  $50 (including shipping), 50 canisters from https://www.specialtybottle.com/ and some labels later my spices are uniform, alphabetized and preserved.


I bought a few acrylic, airtight canisters from Bed Bath and Beyond http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?SKU=13572526&RN=204& to hold my flowers, sugars, grains, anything loose and labeled them.  


Finally, a few absolutely remarkable devises that make cooking a pleasure instead of a chore.  I know that most people are not getting married and have the opportunity to register for some of these remarkable tools like I did.  But, as Ferris Bueller said about the 1961 Ferrari two-fift GT California, these things are, "So choice. If you have the means, I highly recommend picking [them] up. 


1. KithenAid Stand Mixer: http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/kitchenaid-artisan-stand-mixer/?pkey=cmixers-attachments%7Celtmixstd It makes baking anything and everything that much easier.  With its extra attachments like a dough hook and wire whip its the best thing since sliced bread.


2. Good Knives: I recently got a few global knives http://www.williams-sonoma.com/shop/cutlery/knives-global/?cm_type=gnav they are sharper then sharp so be careful but they truly make slicing, chopping ,etc. easy and a delight. 


3. Non-Stick Pots and Pans:  I don't have a gas stove, I would love one, but I live in an apartment and thus, do not.  That said with some high quality pots and pans like All-Clad's http://www.williams-sonoma.com/shop/cookware/cookware-all-clad/?cm_type=gnav (I know I sound like an advertisement but I mean every word), it still cooks everything evenly and thoroughly.  It's amazing what you don't know your missing till you get it.


4. A Bad-Arse CuisineArt:  http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/cuisinart-elite-die-cast-12-cup-food-processor/?pkey=cfood-processors%7Celtfodfull.  Like the KitchenAid it makes cooking a faster and easier process.  I've used mine for soup, juice, slicing, you name it.  Its great.


There are loads more tools that I love to use.  You'll have to experiment and see what brings you joy and alleviates angst, these are my faves.

...Is Through Their Stomach

I love to cook.  I am by no means a chef but it feeds my "mini-martha" soul (minus the prison part).  I get to be creative, experiment and most importantly, please and impress those who get to imbibe/munch on the fruits of my labor.  There are a number of awesome perks that come with being a grown-up, in this case, the relevant perk is having graduated from my Easy Bake Oven to a real oven, real knives, real ingredients, really my own, REAL kitchen that I get to play house in!  I have a day job and other hobbies of course, but I find cooking fun, meditative and an outlet.  If I've had a lousy day I'll bake to sweeten things up.  If I'm in the mood to feel sexy I'll make something with a lot of spice.  This blog is a record of my exploits in the kitchen, what works, what doesn't and the recipes I like most, so I can look back and re-make some, toss others and record some of the best moments in life, when my new family (I got married on 10/10/10) can sit down together, share some laughs, life and good (or possibly bad) food.