Who's worried about heart attacks?

Here's the delicious result of my first official Julia Child recipe. Yummm. Garlic, butter, potatoes, onions, heavy cream, s&p, parmesan. Repeat. Eat. Enjoy.

Et la pièce de résistance... an apple-cranberry galette with custard, in pâte brisée. Happy Monday!

Soup!

Quinoa with roasted vegetables and cranberry sauce

I've been lucky enough to make two great soups this week, with all the lovely root vegetables and squashes I've kept lying around. One, a curry pumpkin soup topped with toasted pumpkin seeds, really shone because of the home-ground curry powder.

The other, a potato-onion-parsnip-apple mystery, just tastes healthy and warm and is exactly what I needed with this cold I've been coming down with.

You can find all the recipes--as soon as I write them down--on the Recipes page. But I wanted to sneak some photos in here.

Ginger-Cranberry-Dark Chocolate Biscotti

Chai custard pie

Cornbread muffins

Quinoa (close up, with feta)

One final picture

I think, in the case of Sunday brunch, it's worth at least a thousand words.

Still "pudding" things off...

Re: post title: Sorry. Seriously, I'm sorry. But I had to.

Coming home late last week, I realized that I had a lot of leftover rice. Like, a ton. So I made a trip to the grocery for some extra milk, and dug around for a suitable rice pudding recipe. In the end, I came up with something that I think will need some tweaking, but which is nonetheless pretty delicious and not too difficult.

Here's the final photo, when I moved some of it into ramekins to take to a girlfriend's house for dinner. Keep in mind, there was easily half the recipe left over.

Procrasti-baking, Pt. 2

Yes, I know I'm recycling this post name. But in all honesty, there's just not another way of describing it. It's the time of semester where, even if the immediate projects are taken care of, you can feel the term papers looming in the distance. This year, it's compounded not only by job search deadlines, but by writing and grading term papers. There may be a lot of elaborate desserts in my future... or a lot of rice-cooker recipes.

But for now, I took some time to myself this weekend to bake a pumpkin that's been sitting around lonely for a few weeks now. I stole the recipe from NPR, and tweaked it just enough to reflect what I had lying around and what was on sale at the farmer's market. Except for the bacon, which I gave in and bought at Sparrow, from a very cute butcher.

My proudest find was the biggest bunch of kale EVER, which I bought at the end of the day for $1.50:

Isn't it pretty?

Unfortunately, I don't have any photos that do the pumpkin justice. Because the cool thing is, once it's cooked, even with everything scraped out, it still looks like a pumpkin. Genius, and saves you a serving dish. I think it worked particularly well with this one which, since a bit older, had very firm skin that was a nightmare to pierce in the beginning, but held up really well in the oven. Also, I love that you can work with the pumpkin seeds too, reducing waste.

Maybe more pictures later--this will make another appearance for Thanksgiving, I'm sure of it.

One of those weeks

There's a commercial I've seen for frozen food: "Food myth 101: Chopping vegetables at the end of a long day is fun!" Well...um.... yes, it is. It's one thing I know I can come home to. And it does wonders for stress levels. Crying at the end of a frustrating day? Nope, just chopping some onions.

I hadn't time to post recipes or pictures this past week, but I came up with some pretty delicious things to do in 20 minutes, late night. You'll notice that I still haven't gotten rid of my apples--I'm working on it--but thre are some other yummy things in the fridge. Also, I've found that there are reasonably priced dried mushrooms on sale at Whole Foods. Shiitake, cremini, portabello, oyster... and more! These are super handy to keep around the spice cabinet because they do double work--after reconstituting, they can be sauteed like fresh mushrooms, but they also give a great stock.

Coming soon: mystery dessert. I think with coconut milk?

Things are blossoming...

Today was a difficult day. Not that I had a lot of work to do... I mean, I did, but I'm only just now getting started. But that the ways I found to distract myself were way more satisfying than doing the schoolwork I ought to.

1. I went to the gym, started on the treadmill, and found myself all of a sudden running down the stairs and into the sunlight. A light breeze, maybe high 60s. It was beautiful. My pain, however, less so.

2. Have decided--for real this time--to stop looking at vacancy announcements in Geneva. At least for the next month. Found one from an organization where I interned, that I know I might have a fighting chance at getting... where I not enrolled, generally happily, and about to get my degree, and in a great apartment that might be harder to sublet in January than in May.

3. But the cooking! Roasted kale in olive oil with coriander and cumin seed and garlic (that got eaten too quickly--no photo evidence.) And the piece de resistance, my first attempt at squash blossoms. Stuffed with herbs and feta. Just.... wow. Impossible to describe, but almost like fried okra in taste, without the slimy texture (which I happen to like, but know is about the most offensive thing in the world to others). Light, but filling. Check the recipe, dodge the flying drops of canola oil, and indulge.

Lazy day.

It's a nice, quiet day. Not a lot of work done, but not a lot of craziness. I think I needed a rest. And then, when I finally felt like doing something--into the kitchen!

There was a stall at the farmer's market this morning with the cutest little cabbages. I couldn't help but buy... umm... three. So that left me with little choice but to make an old favorite, South Indian-spiced cabbage with coconut. Best "slaw" ever.

Also, I have been trying to get rid of pears, apples, and the last of my whole milk. That meant more apple/pear sauce, and an exploration into cooking with a bain marie and my new set of ramekins: Earl Grey flavored custard with half a pear.

Les trois mousquetaires

Welcome, fall. Is there really anything that can't be roasted and made immediately more delicious?

Nothing I'd rather be doing.

I can now officially claim to have lived in Michigan, having gone to an orchard/cider mill/tourist trap. I have to be honest--I've never had donuts quite so delicious. But donuts + cider = serious spike in blood-sugar levels. I think all the parents who came with their toddlers were either incredibly brave or incredibly regretted it.

But the moral of the story is, I have more apples than I really know what to do with.... or, rather, than it is humanly possible to consume in a reasonable amount of time. Submitted for evidence (after lunch and mid-afternoon snacks):

To counterbalance some of this fruity goodness, the last dinner while my mother is here has brown rice, tempeh in Thai peanut/red curry sauce, and kale sauteed with whole cumin, coriander, and garlic. Quite the simplest recipe, and while it might be a bit "granola," I think that's ok. We're pairing it with a Vouvray :)

And five days late...

A few friends inquired as to my Facebook status the other day. I hope they got the subtle hint to my Christmas present wish-list..... "Seriously need a Springform. Cake magic? Cake mess."

After getting really excited about some delicious lemon-ricotta cake, I had to compromise... delicious cake pieces, in a less-than-appealing pile.
But immediately after it all fell apart, and before I scooped it all into a Tupperware:

My girlfriends didn't complain one bit... but then again, it was kind of one of those weeks.

Gimme a (fall) break!

Yep, it's that time again. Thank lord.
The mother's coming up for some farmer's market/apple-picking/fall-color-appreciating action. To alleviate some of my stress, and give her something to eat when she gets in, I made a potato and onion gratin. Really, it's also all about showing off my cookware. At the risk of offending my French friends, I included ricotta.... but also herbes de Provence! The blend I have now includes lavender, which is definitely a winner. Find the recipe on the recipe page, but here's the result:

As you can see, I couldn't wait to take a picture.... had to take a big bite first :)

Success!

As promised, today was a day for cooking. Please see the recipes page for new and exciting updates. Furthermore, as a friend totally called me out on this, I will include the recipe for curry powder. I owe much thanks for it to Hossam's wife's dad's... uncle? Something like that.

I've been wondering lately, why does someone who likes food so much eat it so fast? I used to laugh at adults who said, "Now take a small bite, and chew 20 times before swallowing." Doesn't it just start to taste... well, tasteless, by that point? That being said, however, I have a great respect for the European culture of sitting and lingering for hours over a meal. This was my experience at a cute little restaurant in Divonnes-les-Bains:

• Salmon terrine in cream sauce with leeks
  
• Roast chicken with gratin dauphinois and summer vegetables
  
• Cheese plate
• Creme brulee

It didn't end up being all that much, in the end, but the food, the conversation, and the atmosphere certainly left me feeling pleasantly full :)

Late night, long day.

I promise to be less negligent in the future. But I would like to make some very brief remarks about how, as the Wilskillers used to put it, "hunger is the best condiment."

Dinner tonight (12 hour day, 1/3 of which was Excel spreadsheet nightmare):
grilled brie cheese sandwich with arugula and "superfruit" jam

Dinner last night (12 hour day, but lesson planning for Friday done!):
patatas bravas with Sriracha and rice&bean soup

In the works and upcoming:
ginger-cranberry-orange biscotti
port-poached pears
roast butternut squash with feta and balsamic reduction

I am in love with the farmer's market

Check out the full frigo--that should speak for itself :)
Will be lazy today, but plan to try out a curry soup recipe from a friend later tonight. Will definitely report back.

Procrasti-baking, Pt. 1

I have a list of things I ought to be doing / have done today. Certainly, none of them got done yesterday. And yet, to be honest, the only things I wanted to do today were on this list:
1. Dance, dance.
2. Turn in circles.
3. Cook cook cook.

Despite this procrastination, I've been thinking a lot about the word (and concept) of intentionality. Maybe it was thinking back to yoga, maybe it was something Ra said. In any case, I'm interested in thinking about how I can be more intentional in my actions. Sa might say "mindful," but that doesn't imply the forward thrust of intentionality. Kundera might say the "es muss sein," though that's a bit more meta than I'm going for.

This attention to the directed meaning in action is something I want to work on. Sometimes, you don't need to flirt with the guy in eyeliner just because you can. Sometimes, you don't have the presence, mindfulness, intention to realize that it's not something you want at all. So I'm working. Sometimes, this involves making lists and crossing things off. Sometimes it involves sitting really still. Today, it just took a moment of clarity in the middle of a completely unrelated (but no less enjoyable) conversation. I've decided to take time out of my night and *intentionally* bake.

I tweaked some recipes, combed my cabinets, and ended up with dark chocolate pistachio biscotti. They're going in gift bags tomorrow as a big THANK YOU to Beth and Rebecca.

Kitchen appliance love.

Tuesday. One of those days where I'll be going going going for 12 hours. Which would make me feel very productive... if I could even focus on that thought. This is another way of saying, damn it feels good to have a rice cooker. I loaded it with lentils, an extra splash of chicken stock, and a pinch of turmeric, and let it do its thing while I did mine (first Y trip of the school year). Not only was I reminded what a nice, small community I live in while working the stationary bike, but I came home to wafting wonderfulness with just a few more minutes left to go.

Threw some more things together while chatting with the sister, and end up with a balanced meal: a pulse, some greens, a bit of oil/fats, lots of veggies, and a tasty, store-bought starch (a "masala burger," last minute impulse purchase at TJ's).

PS. Who had a piece of quiche for lunch? And snacked on the crumbs in the afternoon? And totally was tempted to break out a frozen piece tonight? Hmmm.... I wonder...

New project, new post.

"There's a polar bear in my Frigidaire. He likes it 'cause it's cold in there." Opening lines to a classic Shel Silverstein poem that has stayed with me from the time the four-year old Sarah received A Light in the Attic. And unfortunately, a close approximation to the situation in her refrigerator when, at 25, she last moved. If there wasn't quite a polar bear in there, there were certainly other things that were white. And fuzzy. And just as scary.

Thus was born the beginnings of this blog. It evolved for several reasons, some of which I may come to later. But above all, it arose out of this desire: I want to know what I eat. This means, on the one hand, trying to buy as local / organic / fresh as possible. On the other hand, and more fundamentally, it means being smart about what I buy, and using it efficiently, so there is as little waste as possible.

So I will figure out, among other things: what to do with what's left in the pickle jar? How long will "seconds" from the farmer's market last? What are the perfect proportions for a must-use-these-eggs-before-they've-expired quiche?

And I will make it really obvious when I do (and don't) use things. On the sidebar, you will see a list of everything in my fridge, except for a few basic condiments that should last the next year or so. I'll update that each week after trips to farmer's market and store, so you know exactly what has been "at the back of the fridge"... and for how long.

Some weeks you may notice a prevalence of chocolate and French cheese in the sidebar. And personal questions or compelling issues in the posts. I think that's fine--there's no way that cooking can or should be impersonal. Some methods are just more explicit than others, and with blogs, well... suffice it to say that "navel-gazing" may not in this instance refer to oranges.