Grace is getting better at using utensils. Well, sort of!
Cherry Tomato Tart with Burnt Scallion Ricotta
2 weeks ago
Sunday, January 31, 2010
A few mintues in the life of a toddler...
Grace started taking her first steps this last week. I actually captured a video of it!
This video is quite long and she does not walk until the end, so be patient. I decided not to clip the video, as I thought she was pretty funny before the walking part.
This video is quite long and she does not walk until the end, so be patient. I decided not to clip the video, as I thought she was pretty funny before the walking part.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Greens and Shrooms Please
It has been a cold, wet and windy week this week in CA. Staying indoors with my students and my child is quite tiring. I think we are all ready for a little break so that we can get outside and enjoy some fresh air. I need to pull the many, many weeds that have sprouted since the rain began.
So what is there to do when you are stuck indoors? Cook! I think that one of my favorite foods is greens- any kind of greens, although I tend to crave the more bitter ones like mustard greens. When we started making Grace baby food, she would gobble up the pureed kale and spinach and even loved it chopped in pasta when she began finger foods. These days it is a little harder to get her to eat those greens. They need to be chopped fine, put in a frittata or disguised in something else. I came up with this recipe to help to get more greens in her diet and it worked!
Southern Greens Pesto
1 bag southern greens (or 2 bunches of your favorite greens, washed chopped and tough stems removed)
Boil the greens in plenty of salted water until tender. Remove greens but save the water to boil the pasta. In a food processor combine the garlic and nuts. Add the cooled greens and pulse until chopped. Add a stream of evoo until the pesto is thinned out but not drowning in olive oil. Mix in Parmigiano Reggiano (about 1/2 cup). Taste for salt and season with pepper.
Bring the greens water to a boil. Add more water if necessary. Add the spaghetti and cook until al dente. Reserve about 1 1/2 cups of the water before draining. Return the pesto to the pot and thin it out with the reserved water (add about 1/4 cup at a time). Toss with the spaghetti. Add more water to get it to the consistency you like. Taste for seasonings. Serve in bowls and top with chopped olives, lemon zest and more cheese. Ricotta salata would also taste good on the top.
My favorite cookbook is Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone By Debra Madison. I love her approach to food and we have yet to make a recipe that we did not like. Her food is simple, nutritious and seasonal.
The next recipe is definitely a weekend meal. For one, it takes some time to prepare, and it has butter in it (don't you know that calories don't count on the weekend?). I think you could substitute olive oil, and it would taste great, but you really can't get the same flavor without the butter. I have added a * to parts of the recipe to include some of my notes.
Winter Portobello Mushroom Stew
from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone
Serves 4
1/2 cup olive oil
1 large onion cut into 1/2- inch dice
2 teaspoons chopped rosemary
salt and freshly milled pepper
2 pinches red pepper flakes
1/2 lb portobellos, sliced 3/8 inch thick, gills removed
1 lb large white mushrooms, thickly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp tomato paste
1.5 cups quick mushroom stock, or water *
1 tsp sherry vinegar* (we used balsamic as we did not have)
2 tbsp butter, optional
2 tbsp chopped tarragon or parsley
*if you have the time to make the stock, I highly suggest it. It gives the stew a rich flavor that you just won't get from the water. I ended up using about 2 cups of the stock as I found that 1.5 cups was not enough liquid. We have used prepared mushroom stock in this recipe before. We added dried porcini and some wine to give it the flavor of the homemade stock.
Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and rosemary and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 12 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes and remove to a bowl.
Return the pan to medium heat and add half of the remaining oil. When it's hot, add the portobellos and saute until nicely browned, about 5 minutes. Add them to the onion and repeat with the remaining oil and white mushrooms. Return everything to the pan and add the garlic, tomato paste, stock, and vinegar. Simmer gently for 12-15 minutes, then swirl on the butter. Add the tarragon, taste for salt and season with pepper.
Quick Mushroom Stock
1/4 cup or more dried porcini
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 onion, coarsely chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 large garlic clove, sliced
2 teaspoons tomato paste
1 tbsp fresh marjoram, or 1 tsp dried
1/2 cup dry white or red wine
1 tbsp flour
salt and freshly milled pepper
1 tsp red wine vinegar
Cover the dried mushrooms with 1.5 cups of hot water and set aside. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over high heat. Add the onion, carrot, garlic and fresh mushroom trimmings. Saute, stirring occasionally, until well browned, about 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium, stir in the tomato paste, marjoram and wine and sprinkle on the flour. Cover the pan and cook until the wine is reduced to a syrupy glaze, about 3 minutes. Add the porcini and their soaking water, 1/2 tsp salt, a little pepper, and the vinegar and simmer for 20 minutes (*I added a little more water about 1/2-3/4 cup so that I could make more stock without having to double the ingredients. It was still very flavorful). Strain. Remove the dried mushrooms and add them to the stew.
*We served the stew over soft Polenta , which I think pairs perfectly with the mushrooms. We used stone ground polenta and cooked it in vegetable stock. We added butter and 1 cup of Parmigiano Reggiano to the polenta before serving it under the stew. Debra also suggests serving it over pappardelle (wide egg noodles) which would be nice too (though I personally like the combo of the polenta and mushrooms).
Enjoy! We would love to hear your comments if you decide to make either recipe.
Grace is all dressed up in a hat and sweater. The same hat and sweater that my Nonna made for me when I was a baby. I love that my Mom saved it all those years.
Grace is learning to play baseball on her new toy.
This is what Grace's room looks like after a mere 5 minutes of being alone in it!
Purple potatoes from Rainbow Grocery
Russian Kale from Rainbow
Southern Greens Pesto
You could really use anything bunch of greens for this, but I opt for the Southern Greens from Trader Joes because they are already washed and chopped, which is a plus in my book. I use the same technique for making basil pesto, with a few changes. I tried to keep the pesto a bit more healthy by using less olive oil and adding the greens water to thin it out. You could easily make this recipe dairy free by omitting the cheese and adding more nuts and salt.
1 bag southern greens (or 2 bunches of your favorite greens, washed chopped and tough stems removed)
Parmigiano Reggiano or a combo of p cheese and Pecorino Romano
nuts: I have used a combo of slivered almonds and pine nuts, but have made it with walnut and pinenuts too)
chopped garlic to your taste- (2 cloves)
extra virgin olive oil
1 lb of whole wheat spaghetti
toppings: sliced kalamata olives (or any briny black olive), lemon zest, p cheese.
Boil the greens in plenty of salted water until tender. Remove greens but save the water to boil the pasta. In a food processor combine the garlic and nuts. Add the cooled greens and pulse until chopped. Add a stream of evoo until the pesto is thinned out but not drowning in olive oil. Mix in Parmigiano Reggiano (about 1/2 cup). Taste for salt and season with pepper.
Bring the greens water to a boil. Add more water if necessary. Add the spaghetti and cook until al dente. Reserve about 1 1/2 cups of the water before draining. Return the pesto to the pot and thin it out with the reserved water (add about 1/4 cup at a time). Toss with the spaghetti. Add more water to get it to the consistency you like. Taste for seasonings. Serve in bowls and top with chopped olives, lemon zest and more cheese. Ricotta salata would also taste good on the top.
Here is Grace enjoying the greens pesto! It was a messy business!
My favorite cookbook is Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone By Debra Madison. I love her approach to food and we have yet to make a recipe that we did not like. Her food is simple, nutritious and seasonal.
The next recipe is definitely a weekend meal. For one, it takes some time to prepare, and it has butter in it (don't you know that calories don't count on the weekend?). I think you could substitute olive oil, and it would taste great, but you really can't get the same flavor without the butter. I have added a * to parts of the recipe to include some of my notes.
Winter Portobello Mushroom Stew
from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone
Serves 4
1/2 cup olive oil
1 large onion cut into 1/2- inch dice
2 teaspoons chopped rosemary
salt and freshly milled pepper
2 pinches red pepper flakes
1/2 lb portobellos, sliced 3/8 inch thick, gills removed
1 lb large white mushrooms, thickly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp tomato paste
1.5 cups quick mushroom stock, or water *
1 tsp sherry vinegar* (we used balsamic as we did not have)
2 tbsp butter, optional
2 tbsp chopped tarragon or parsley
*if you have the time to make the stock, I highly suggest it. It gives the stew a rich flavor that you just won't get from the water. I ended up using about 2 cups of the stock as I found that 1.5 cups was not enough liquid. We have used prepared mushroom stock in this recipe before. We added dried porcini and some wine to give it the flavor of the homemade stock.
Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and rosemary and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 12 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes and remove to a bowl.
Return the pan to medium heat and add half of the remaining oil. When it's hot, add the portobellos and saute until nicely browned, about 5 minutes. Add them to the onion and repeat with the remaining oil and white mushrooms. Return everything to the pan and add the garlic, tomato paste, stock, and vinegar. Simmer gently for 12-15 minutes, then swirl on the butter. Add the tarragon, taste for salt and season with pepper.
Quick Mushroom Stock
1/4 cup or more dried porcini
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 onion, coarsely chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 large garlic clove, sliced
2 teaspoons tomato paste
1 tbsp fresh marjoram, or 1 tsp dried
1/2 cup dry white or red wine
1 tbsp flour
salt and freshly milled pepper
1 tsp red wine vinegar
Cover the dried mushrooms with 1.5 cups of hot water and set aside. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over high heat. Add the onion, carrot, garlic and fresh mushroom trimmings. Saute, stirring occasionally, until well browned, about 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium, stir in the tomato paste, marjoram and wine and sprinkle on the flour. Cover the pan and cook until the wine is reduced to a syrupy glaze, about 3 minutes. Add the porcini and their soaking water, 1/2 tsp salt, a little pepper, and the vinegar and simmer for 20 minutes (*I added a little more water about 1/2-3/4 cup so that I could make more stock without having to double the ingredients. It was still very flavorful). Strain. Remove the dried mushrooms and add them to the stew.
*We served the stew over soft Polenta , which I think pairs perfectly with the mushrooms. We used stone ground polenta and cooked it in vegetable stock. We added butter and 1 cup of Parmigiano Reggiano to the polenta before serving it under the stew. Debra also suggests serving it over pappardelle (wide egg noodles) which would be nice too (though I personally like the combo of the polenta and mushrooms).
Enjoy! We would love to hear your comments if you decide to make either recipe.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Grace's New Hiding Place
Grace gets around quick nowadays. She seems to finds every interesting thing in our house, and every not-so-interesting thing as well. This week she found her new favorite spot.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Like my Moves?
It is so hard to get a video of Gracie these days because by the time we get out the video she is done! We have also noticed that she is hyper aware of the camera as in this video...
*You can scroll down to the playlist at the bottom of the blog and press pause so that you can hear the audio on this video (or likewise, if you are just plain tired of hearing the music I have chosen!).
*You can scroll down to the playlist at the bottom of the blog and press pause so that you can hear the audio on this video (or likewise, if you are just plain tired of hearing the music I have chosen!).
Thursday, January 14, 2010
etsy
I am super addicted to Etsy.com. Have I spoke of it before? It is a website where people sell their handmade creations. A time sucker (but well worth it). You can find unique gifts, which is why I like it so much. It is where we found the nursery letters that we ordered for Grace and Siena.
I went a little crazy over Christmas and ordered Grace the cutest little clips to hold her hair back. They are darling. I can't wait to order more in the future.
I went a little crazy over Christmas and ordered Grace the cutest little clips to hold her hair back. They are darling. I can't wait to order more in the future.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Happy 2010
We celebrated the New Year in style this year with a very relaxing and quiet evening at home. It was the first time Todd and I decided to stay home for New Years and let me tell you it was so nice and just what we both needed after the collective chaos of the holidays.
We decided to cook a nice meal and dessert and enjoy each other's company for the evening. We felt thankful for such an amazing year in 2009 and I could not have imagined spending the year end any other way. I hope that you all had pleasurable times ringing in the new year, albeit much more exciting than ours.
I decided that I would devote a little more time this year to writing about recipes that we cook. I am often amazed that I am able to get food on the table in time for Grace's dinner at 5:30pm, but I always seem to manage. One of our stategies is to begin the meal in the morning. I will often chop, prep and measure things for a recipe, so that I only have a few steps left when I get home.
We decided to cook a nice meal and dessert and enjoy each other's company for the evening. We felt thankful for such an amazing year in 2009 and I could not have imagined spending the year end any other way. I hope that you all had pleasurable times ringing in the new year, albeit much more exciting than ours.
I decided that I would devote a little more time this year to writing about recipes that we cook. I am often amazed that I am able to get food on the table in time for Grace's dinner at 5:30pm, but I always seem to manage. One of our stategies is to begin the meal in the morning. I will often chop, prep and measure things for a recipe, so that I only have a few steps left when I get home.
We recently purchased this candle wall art from Pottery Barn to cover the large wall space in the dining room. It is gorgeous lit up at night, but also looks quite nice in the day too.
Potato Torte- We made this AMAZINGLY delicious, rich and buttery torte on New Years. I can't say enough good things about it. It is definitely a special occasion food and not one for the New Year's diets.
It is supposed to have bacon in it, so we just put extra gruyere in it instead. You cannot go wrong with extra gruyere, that cheese is heaven.
We made it along with this simple salad- the dressing was really delectable and simple and it is the addition of soy sauce that does it: Cafe Salad
I made a coconut chocolate cake with coconut drizzle for dessert. It was in the January issue of Bon Appetit. It was not a very sweet cake and could be eaten for breakfast. We served it with a little lightly sweetened whipped cream. If I were to make it again, I would eliminate the orange zest (or reduce it by at least half). I realize that I am not a fan of orange and chocolate. I have linked all the recipes in case you want to make them.
Grace prefers shoes when they are off her feet
We walked to the store on New Years Day. Gracie loves going places in her car. It was a VERY cold and gloomy day that day. It was the kind of day that you stay in watch movies and stay warm under blankets. I love those days.
getting a ride in her wagon
Grace loves her dog Violet
Carter and Grace at Carter's First birthday. Last weekend we attended Anthony's 3rd Birthday in Napa and we did not take ANY pictures. We vowed not to let that happen at Carter's. I can't believe he is one already.
Here is Grace with Carter when he was just born..already so cute together!
It wasn't long before Alyssa needed to join in. Carter doesn't even know what a ladies man he is already!
Remember this one taken back in June. They all were so small back then.
Remember this one taken back in June. They all were so small back then.
Todd and I have been following a food blog called 101 Cookbooks for awhile now. The writer, Heidi, lives in SF and features healthy, simple and delicious Vegetarian Recipes. We usually try to make one of her recipes a week and have yet to be disappointed. I love the way she writes her recipes and the stories that she shares about the food she cooks. She is a skilled photographer and her food looks more like a work of art, not because she has perfectly arranged it, but because she allows the richness of the colors from the food shine through. We recently made this Broccoli Cheddar Soup- it is the best. Heidi always uses lots of condiments on her food. In this soup you top it with whole grain Dijon crotouns made out of rustic wheat bread, smoked paprika, a drizzle of creme fraiche and aged cheddar. It is a fantastic version of broccoli cheddar soup mainly because the soup is rustic and chunky, allowing you to taste the individual flavor of broccoli and the sharpness of the cheddar. Todd seems to recall that I already spoke of this soup... If I did, I blame it on Mom brain. I wouldn't be surprised if he was right.
Here's to 2010!
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