Halloween Candy Of Course!

Yup, I am sure that I am not alone in that a substantial part of my evening meal was, in fact, comprised of candy.  Candy and a strange spiced wine called "Witches Brew" which was heated on the stove, as directed, to a quite comforting warm temperature but not boiled.  The hint of cinnamon and clove was actually nice, initially, but quickly became icky. I then abandoned the Witches Brew for the much more upscale Beringer Pinot Noir which was my mothers contribution to the Halloween feast hosted by my brother.  

In addition to the Twix and Witches Brew, I did actually make a substantial and quite tasty submarine sandwich for all of us to enjoy in between trick or treating and answering the doorbell.  The photo, however, is the tiny piece I was able to wrap up for next days lunch.  I totally forgot to take a photo which really bums me out because it was a nice sandwich!  I purchased these enormous 2 feet long sandwich rolls from Jimmy Johns for less than $1, a bargain by any measure.  A healthy heaping handful of turkey, ham, salami, baby swiss cheese, lettuce, onion and tomato made this picture perfect and, were it not for the Witches Brew, I would have remembered to snap that photo to prove it.       

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Cristina Ferrare’s Big Bowl of Love

Before I review Cristina Ferrare’s cookbook, Big Bowl of Love, I should make it clear that I dont do cookbook reviews. First, it would mean having to read one, and thats an exercise Ive never acquired a taste for. Oh, Ill flip through one; Ill flip through one with the best of them, but Id be lying if I told you it was anything more than to look at the photos, and skim some of the text.

So, when publishers pitch me to review the new hot cookbook, I usually decline politely, not wanting to waste their time and inventory (unless its near the holidays and I need a couple of things to re-gift - hey, weve all been there).

This request was different for one, actually two, reasons; Todd and Diane. They are the dynamic duo behind the fabulous feast for the eyes that is White on Rice Couple. Youve seen some of there amazing video work here before, and when I heard they had done all the photography for this cookbook, I couldnt say, "please send me one," fast enough. Predictably the pictures were gorgeous – technically excellent, and beautifully composed.

Then, something very odd happened. I started reading the cookbook. Not just glancing, actually reading and examining the recipes carefully. It seems as though Christina and I have very similar tastes, and it was apparent that this book was full of simple, delicious, and easy-to-make recipes that would actually come out as described and shown.

This is not always the case with celebrity chefs. I dont want to name names (like David Chang), but many times these big name books are long on style and short on performance. One read through Cristinas "Chicken Roasted to Perfection" recipe (pictured here), and I knew we were kindred spirits.

So, Im giving this book an enthusiastic thumbs-up. Its user-friendly, has a casual, relaxed feel to it, and features a nice collection of great-sounding dishes, presented beautifully. Anyway, dont take my word for it, go and check out the book for yourself, and as always, enjoy!

Images from Cristina Ferrare’s Big Bowl of Love (c) 2011 by Cristina Ferrare. Photography by Todd Porter and Diane Cu

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Nigel Slater Dish of the Month January Round Up

Many thanks to all the wonderful bloggers who entered Januarys Dish of the Month. This is the first blog challenge I have run, other than occasional hosting for others. My co-host Sue from A little bit of Heaven on a Plate has been very active tweeting and pinning to our shared Dish of the Month Pinterest board.  Im not promising that there will be a round up every month but as this is the first month of the challenge, I wanted to say thank you and feature the amazing variety of Nigel Slater recipes you have all made.

One of the things I like best is that many people have made the dishes their own by adapting them to the ingredients they had or their own personal tastes.  This is a feature of Nigels cooking philosophy, which I think makes his recipes so appealing to me and it seems to you too.

First up is Camilla from Fab Food 4 All with this tasty looking Bacon Wrapped Salmon

A creamy parsley risotto and delicate parmesan crisps is the offering from my co-host, Sue at A little bit of heaven on a plate

A soup of bacon and celeriac is my recipe which comes from The Kitchen Diaries II is my offering from Farmersgirl Kitchen.

This Mincemeat Cheesecake attracted the attention of Mr Nigel Slater himself when Claire at Foodie Quine tweeted about it.

 In Elizabeths Kitchen, a beautiful dish of Shetland lamb was slowly cooked, to Nigels instructions,  until it fell off the bone. 

Choclette at Chocolate Log Blog made Nigels Chocolate and Hazelnut cookies which she describes as "chocolate brownies in biscuit form".

 Karen at Lavender and Lovage made a Winter Salad and said "My salad is a VERY loose adaptation of Nigel Slater’s recipe from “The Kitchen Diaries”, the first one."

 Rachel at Marmaduke Scarlet made these delicious looking Almond, Marzipan and Berry Cakes from The Kitchen Diaries II.

Chickpea Fritters with Beetroot Tzatsiki is the entry from Jane at Onions and Paper, its a recipe in Nigel Slaters Tender volume 1 and was found by Jane in her search for a different recipe altogether!

The fabulously named Hangover Salad is the recipe made by London Busy Body which was served as an accompaniment to venison rather than with the beef in the original.

The lovely Dish Dom over at Belleau Kitchen made his own version of Nigels aubergine and bean hotpot, adding a cheesy broccoli and cauliflower crust.

These tasty looking rolls are made with wholemeal Spelt Flour from one of Nigels Guardian Lifestyle online recipes and were added to the challenge by Kate at Turquoise Lemons

Dal and Butternut Squash Soup is the warming Dish of the Month for Karen at Use it up, wear it out.

 

I love the way Kavey of Kavey Eats,  has made this Beef Stroganoff from Nigel Slaters Real Fast Food and served it in Yorkshire Puddings, I think this is such a great dish.

This zesty Lime Tart comes from Susie at Fold in the Flour, who found the recipe in the January Chapter of  The Kitchen Diaries 1.

Laura of Laura Loves Cakes was having a bit of a crisis with her new oven but came up trumps with this no bake Tropical Tumbler Trifle

Making Plans with Nigel was the clever title of this article at edible things and features a version of Nigels Bright Vegetable Stew

Cream of Mushroom, mustard and tarragon soup is a combination of two of Nigels recipes, you can find out which ones by visiting Linzi at Lancashire Food.

Maggie at Kitchen Delights whipped up a Creamy Crunchy Fruit Sundae which Nigel featured on Simple Suppers.

 

At Nyssapod blog we were treated to Onion Soup without Tears from Kitchen Diaries.

Honey and Mustard Sausages and Carrot Mash  is another Simple Supper dish, this time from Jo at Jos Kitchen.

Marzipan and Berry Cakes were featured along with Mincemeat Hotcakes and Brandy Butter at Cookies Cakes and Bakes and dont they look great, obviously a popular choice.

The February Dish of the Month Linky will be posted on 

Saturday 2nd February.

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Cream of Cauliflower with Blue Cheese Fritters – The Best Soup Ive Ever Made

I arrived back to San Francisco late last night, weary from traveling, and my very busy week in NYC, and despite planning to sleep in, I woke up very early, excited to finish this amazing cream of cauliflower with blue cheese fritters video recipe.

Either that, or Im still on east coast time. Soup is not usually a subject associated with thrilling culinary experiences. Soup is comforting, soothing, soul-warming – not something that chefs normally day-dream about. This soup was a different story. It may be the single greatest soup I have every made.

Sometimes an idea for a recipe pops into my head and even before I make it, I have a pretty good idea on what the results will be like. But, when I went over this combination in my head, I really had no idea how successful it would be. To say I was happy with the results would be a serious understatement.

I was pretty sure blue cheese would be a nice addition to cauliflower soup, but the challenge was what would be the best delivery system for the sharp, funky cheese. I looked at many fritter recipes, but nothing was inspiring me. Then, for whatever reason, I thought about Pâte à choux.

Pâte à choux is an old-school, eggy pastry dough used to make things like éclairs and cream puffs. I though this would make a much lighter fritter than the traditional flour and baking powder versions, and that certainly turned out to be the case.

The dough fried up perfectly – beautifully golden brown outside, yet tender and moist inside – the perfect enclosure for the molten blue cheese. The combination of these light puffs and the earthy soup was magnificent. I cant remember ever being so happy eating a soup.

I really hope you give this a try, and even if you cant summon the courage to make the fritters (whats wrong with you?), I still think the soup alone is well worth making. Enjoy!



Ingredients:
For the fritters (a small batch - about 12 fritters):
1/4 cup water
2 tbsp butter
1/4 cup flour
pinch of salt
1 egg
2 oz crumbled, very firm blue cheese

For the soup:
1 onion
2 tbsp butter
1 clove garlic
salt to taste
1 head cauliflower
1 quart water or stock
nutmeg to taste
cayenne to taste
1/2 cup cream

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Cloudy with a Chance of Big Bird and Glitter

{Mark + James dress, Steve Madden heels, Zara clutch, H&M ring,
Express and Forever 21 bracelets, Express earrings}

Im hoping you wont be able to tell how overcast it was when Kyle took these pictures. Im also hoping youre blindly unaware of how critical I was being of, well, everything around me as we were taking these. "That angle is unflattering." "Im cold." "I hate everyone on the New Jersey Turnpike!!!" What I AM hoping youll notice is how amazing I look in this yellow dress.

I realized I looked good in yellow some time in high school after I started coloring my hair red. Something about the culinary color combo of ketchup and mustard works even in the absence of a cookout. So when I started evaluating options for Kyles roommates wedding this weekend, I knew I wanted to wear something yellow. Bonus points if it had sequins. 

After browsing nearly the entire breadth of the womens dress selection on NeimanMarcus.com, I found the perfect dress. I knew I could do far more justice for this dress than the sad sap, frail, blond thing modeling it online. Despite its $400 price tag, I was ready to make my purchase. Its called an investment piece, yall. Also, thats how I justify everything I buy. "Oh, this orange rhinestone turban?? Its an investment piece. Timeless, really. I imagine it will be passed down shopaholic generation after generation."

So anyway, Im going to tear my AmEx from the grips of Kyles callused hands when I was faced with a scenario unfamiliar to me: I could not have it. The damn dress was sold out!! 

"But who else could wear this as well as me?!," I lamented. No one, thats who. I scoured my standby stores to find the dress elsewhere, and yet again came up empty-handed. Down, but not defeated, I explored one final option: Rent the Runway. 

{Sneakin a peek}

If you havent had the eye-opening experience of being introduced to RTR, allow me to explain. Its like Netflix for designer duds. Dresses, bags, jewelry, its all there and ready to rent for 4 days at a far more reasonable price (generally between $50-$100 per item) than purchasing your own. But wait, theres more! Not only will they send you your (freshly dry-cleaned) dreamy dress in a really chic garment bag with a prepaid return envelope, but theyll also send you a second size totally free. There is literally nothing more genius than this concept. NOTHING!!!

This marked my first experience using RTR and Im delighted to report it went off without a hitch. Well, ya know, except for the part where I got bitchy at my boyfriend. Hes real patient. Im real crazy. We work well because/in spite of this. 

The dress arrived exactly when it was supposed to and the garments were immaculate. For anyone with a busy wedding-going-to season, RTR is an amazing option to consider. It certainly beats shelling out a couple hundo for a new dress for each event. Im planning on using them again in September for Kyles brothers wedding. 

{Chanels Particuliere underneath OPIs Only Gold for Me top coat. I felt compelled to share with you. Youre welcome.}

And btw, in case you couldnt tell, the look I was going for was if Liberace and Big Bird had a baby and that baby went on to be Vegas showgirl (minus the headdress). I feel pretty good about the whole effect, really.

I mean, with a mug like this, how could I not?!?!

So, the question is, what color should I wear next? Have you ever used RTR? Did you have as great an experience as me?? Do you think you could look better in yellow than moi?!?! Tell me everything in the comments!

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John the Chef Arrives in Las Vegas the City No Signs of Joe the Plumber

Ive arrived safe and sound after a short, uneventful flight from San Francisco. I almost won the airport shuttle drop-off challenge, which is a little reverse psychology game I play coming from the airport.

There were 14 people on my shuttle, all going to different hotels, and I pretend I win a huge cash prize if Im the last one dropped off. But, it wasnt meant to be, as I was dropped off second to last. They never remember who finishes second in the imaginary airport shuttle drop-off challenge.

Here you can see my "please dont turn on that black light!" hotel room. Its actually looks very nice and clean (in natural light), and for the price of an all-you-can-eat buffet, I can’t complain. You can also see the lovely view from my hotel window. When they say "off the strip" they really mean it. Stay tuned!

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The Sincerest Form of Flattery

My sources in LA tell me that when actor Christopher Walken heard that a certain George Clooney look-a-like was doing cooking videos online, he became enraged and demanded his personal assistant film him making his “famous” roast chicken and pears. And to think, all this time I thought Mr. Walken was a great actor. After seeing this surreal and somewhat disturbing cooking clip, I realized that he hasn’t been acting at all. He really is the creepy, monotone-voiced character we’ve seen him play all these years.

What’s even worse than this guy blatantly stealing my act, is the fact he cuts off the video just as a cat jumps up on the counter and heads for the chicken. What happened next? Is there going to be a sequel? By the way, on the very rare chance Mr. Walken sees this (or his people see it and call my people), I’d like to say I’m just kidding and please don’t hurt me.

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4th of July at Joe and Dianes

After a whole night of "bombs bursting in air," I finally settle down to post up a few pictures from today. Well, technically yesterday because it is currently 12:44 AM on July 5th. If you live in the United States, Rick and I both hope that you all had a fun and safe Independence Day! If you dont, then maybe we can show you what this holiday is all about.

Theres Rick with his oldest brother Joe. Every year, Joe and his wife Diane throw a 4th of July barbecue at his home in Chino. I am glad to be able to join them this year. 

Rick and Joes mom Alice, in a lovely pink dress. She loves seeing her kids! 4th of July is a lot about family and community. I believe Alice is 89 this year, and she sure has lived through a lot!

Rick going to grab an ice cold beer. 

"Moose Drool" was what he had. Shout out to those who live back east!

Joe and Diane did a beautiful job decorating their country home. 

There were even pretty bows on the swing set. 

Which I had to test out, of course. Wheeeee!

To the right is Doug, Ricks long-time best friend. Theyve known each other since middle school. Doug told me some crazy stories about Rick... Apparently, Rick isnt the "angel" he leads me to believe. ;-)

Joe and Diane showing their mother Alice the pomegranate trees they grow out back. 

And the lemons. 

In addition to all the pretty sunflowers.

Dont know what these are called, but they were shockingly bright. 

Diane showing Alice more plants in her garden.

Like daisies... 

And rosemary, which we forgot to bring some home with us. 

Diane has a cute little shed to store all her gardening tools. 

It was lovely walking among the trees, fragrant and full of fruit. 

Joe hard at work on the grill. 

Then it was time to eat! Fourth of July is THE holiday for barbecue. Joes short ribs were delicious! 

I didnt have any chicken, but Rick did! As you can tell, theres a lot of eating on Fourth of July.

One of the best things about summer is fruits like cherries, watermelon and peaches. We also had corn on the cob, which was as sweet as can be!

Fourth of July is also about celebrating new beginnings. Congratulations to Ricks youngest brother Bob and his new wife Shelly! 

And you cant have a party without cake-- better yet, ice cream cake!

Even the cat and her kittens came out to play.

Shellys baby grandson, wondering about the weird lady who keeps taking pictures of everything.

Then Rick and Joe took one last walk out into the garden, just before the sun came down. 

Not sure what this was, but I guess theyre trying to remove some seeds?

Then it got darker and colder outside. Were having a very cool summer in California, so far. 

So then we drove our butts home, and watched the fireworks color and light up the sky in all directions. ;-)


On Independence Day, close your eyes and remember the thunderous and fateful birth of our country. 

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