Thursday, June 20, 2013
Room with a View
My husband just started a new job about a month ago and had to make a quick run to the office on a Sunday to take care of a time-sensitive task. I tagged along so I could check out his new work space and then we got brunch at the Rutledge Cab Co. (yum!). I have to admit that the views of historic downtown from his office are pretty hard to beat!
Thursday, June 13, 2013
Pasta Primavera
This is a great 'clean out the fridge' dish that is always tasty. I was afraid of sauces for a long time, making them from scratch just seemed like crazy talk. But this one is easy and the trick is to keep tasting it until it's flavored just right (adding salt, etc.).
Ingredients:
1 lemon (juice + zest)
2 sticks of butter
1 cup white wine (Chardonnay is good)
Sea salt
1 tablespoon garlic (a few fat cloves minced)
1 small onion, diced
Assorted veggies (I used green beans, broccoli, peppers, carrots, squash but anything works)
Mozzarella (I usually dice up one big ball of it)
1. Cook pasta, set aside.
2. In large saute pan (I use our wok pan), cook down the white wine over medium heat. The liquid should reduce by about half. When it has, stir in butter, lemon juice/zest, onion, sea salt, and garlic. Keep cooking down and tasting until it is seasoned to your liking.
3. Drop in the assorted veggies and let them cook in the sauce for a few minutes, until tender.
4. Turn heat off and stir in pasta, then add mozzarella chunks. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
1 lemon (juice + zest)
2 sticks of butter
1 cup white wine (Chardonnay is good)
Sea salt
1 tablespoon garlic (a few fat cloves minced)
1 small onion, diced
Assorted veggies (I used green beans, broccoli, peppers, carrots, squash but anything works)
Mozzarella (I usually dice up one big ball of it)
1. Cook pasta, set aside.
2. In large saute pan (I use our wok pan), cook down the white wine over medium heat. The liquid should reduce by about half. When it has, stir in butter, lemon juice/zest, onion, sea salt, and garlic. Keep cooking down and tasting until it is seasoned to your liking.
3. Drop in the assorted veggies and let them cook in the sauce for a few minutes, until tender.
4. Turn heat off and stir in pasta, then add mozzarella chunks. Enjoy!
Bagels & Bialys
Last semester I missed bagel making day because of a work trip. Lucky me got to make it up this summer! We made regular bagels (with various toppings), and bialys ('bee-ah-leez'), which are basically bagel dough that is punched down in the center and filled with onions that have been sauteed in butter (along with some poppy seeds). They skip the boiling water and go straight to the oven for baking. I was skeptical because it seemed like onion overkill but they were very good. Now I need to dig up the recipe and post it because bagels were much easier than I expected!
Sunday, June 9, 2013
ZZ Ward
The flight home from Austin was not nearly as glamorous as the trip out. The plane was delayed by an hour, so everyone missed their connections in Atlanta and I had to spend the night at the ghetto fabulous Delta-sponsored hotel near the airport. Despite having to talk to five agents before getting a comped room and waiting in a huge line to get checked in, I actually slept really well and flew out fine the next morning (despite being seated next to twin babies on the final flight--that would be five people in one three-seat row of the plane, two of whom were shrieking and flailing most of time--UGH).
I decided when I got home that it was time to do something fun, so I met the husband for sushi at Osaka, then we walked over to Half Moon Outfitters, where they frequently have musicians in town for the weekend play a short (free) acoustic set before their big evening show. This weekend it was ZZ Ward, who has an amazing bluesy voice. We tested out sleeping bags in one of the store tents before hanging out on the balcony to hear her play. It definitely took the edge off of my jet lag and was a nice little afternoon date :).
Here's one of the songs she played, probably her biggest hit so far:
I decided when I got home that it was time to do something fun, so I met the husband for sushi at Osaka, then we walked over to Half Moon Outfitters, where they frequently have musicians in town for the weekend play a short (free) acoustic set before their big evening show. This weekend it was ZZ Ward, who has an amazing bluesy voice. We tested out sleeping bags in one of the store tents before hanging out on the balcony to hear her play. It definitely took the edge off of my jet lag and was a nice little afternoon date :).
Here's one of the songs she played, probably her biggest hit so far:
Soup & Sammie
In bread class we made a Pullman's loaf, which was basically a square white loaf of yumminess. I brought home half of one and decided that some grilled cheese sandwiches were in order. I buttered the bread, then added some muenster and provolone cheese with sliced tomato and grilled it in a cast iron skillet. Then I whipped up this fast easy frozen veggie soup, which will soon become part of the regular repertoire because it is THAT easy. Fast and delicious!
Ingredients:
10 oz. frozen veggies (I used broccoli)
14 oz. vegetable broth
2-3 Tbsp. Greek yogurt
1/4 grated cheddar cheese
1-2 minced cloves of garlic
Drizzle of Sriracha sauce
1. Cook down frozen veggies in the broth on medium heat.
2. Using an immersion blender, blend together the veggies and broth until creamy. Stir in remaining ingredients and cook over medium-low heat for another 10 minutes (until warm). Enjoy!
Ingredients:
10 oz. frozen veggies (I used broccoli)
14 oz. vegetable broth
2-3 Tbsp. Greek yogurt
1/4 grated cheddar cheese
1-2 minced cloves of garlic
Drizzle of Sriracha sauce
1. Cook down frozen veggies in the broth on medium heat.
2. Using an immersion blender, blend together the veggies and broth until creamy. Stir in remaining ingredients and cook over medium-low heat for another 10 minutes (until warm). Enjoy!
Brown Butter Salted Rice Krispy Treats
My friend Laura and I followed the Smitten Kitchen recipe and boy were they good.
Makes one 8 inch pan.
1 stick unsalted butter, plus extra for the pan
1 10-ounce bag marshmallows
Heaping 1/4 teaspoon coarse sea salt
6 cups Rice Krispies cereal (about half a 12-ounce box)
Butter (or coat with non-stick spray) an 8-inch square cake pan with 2-inch sides.
In a large pot, melt butter over medium-low heat. It will melt, then foam, then turn clear golden and finally start to turn brown and smell nutty. Stir frequently, scraping up any bits from the bottom as you do. Don’t take your eyes off the pot as while you may be impatient for it to start browning, the period between the time the butter begins to take on color and the point where it burns is often less than a minute.
As soon as the butter takes on a nutty color, turn the heat off and stir in the marshmallows. The residual heat from the melted butter should be enough to melt them, but if it is not, turn it back on low until the marshmallows are smooth.
Remove the pot from the stove and stir in the salt and cereal together. Quickly spread into prepared pan. Let cool, cut into squares and get ready to make new friends.
Recipe from Smitten Kitchen: http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2009/11/salted-brown-butter-crispy-treats/
Makes one 8 inch pan.
1 stick unsalted butter, plus extra for the pan
1 10-ounce bag marshmallows
Heaping 1/4 teaspoon coarse sea salt
6 cups Rice Krispies cereal (about half a 12-ounce box)
Butter (or coat with non-stick spray) an 8-inch square cake pan with 2-inch sides.
In a large pot, melt butter over medium-low heat. It will melt, then foam, then turn clear golden and finally start to turn brown and smell nutty. Stir frequently, scraping up any bits from the bottom as you do. Don’t take your eyes off the pot as while you may be impatient for it to start browning, the period between the time the butter begins to take on color and the point where it burns is often less than a minute.
As soon as the butter takes on a nutty color, turn the heat off and stir in the marshmallows. The residual heat from the melted butter should be enough to melt them, but if it is not, turn it back on low until the marshmallows are smooth.
Remove the pot from the stove and stir in the salt and cereal together. Quickly spread into prepared pan. Let cool, cut into squares and get ready to make new friends.
Recipe from Smitten Kitchen: http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2009/11/salted-brown-butter-crispy-treats/
Friday, June 7, 2013
Jackpot!
Today was a good day. Like, a REALLY good day. My flight to Austin was delayed, which was fine because it gave me more time to walk the dogs and get stuff done around the house. Delta originally had me waiting five hours at the Atlanta airport for a connection, but I got there and they got me on a earlier flight in first class. Which I could totally get used to :). Great flight, then I get to the hotel and they give me a complimentary upgrade to a king suite (what-the-what?!). Then, just when things can't get any better, the front desk staff informs me that the ATX Festival is going on and that there are lots of celebrities staying at the hotel. Now maybe this makes me shallow, but I love me some celebrities!
So I wander to the check in area for the festival and passes for the weekend started at $150 (totally out of my price range). They give me a schedule of events and the opening premiere happens to be starting right next door at the Paramount Theatre. I go over and talk to the volunteer manning the door, and she tells me to sit tight, and after about five minutes they let me in for free!
The opening night features a screening of "Arrested Development" and the actresses who play Maeby (Alia Shawkat) and Ann aka "Her" (Mae Whitman) held a Q&A with the audience afterwards. Score!
There was also a "Boy Meets World" reunion scheduled, so I saw Ben Savage (sorry for the unflattering picture, I was trying to be inconspicuous with my picture taking and not appear like a total stalker) and the rest of the cast (minus Topanga). I also ended up in the ladies room with the show's mom at one point.
During the Q&A, Alia pointed out the "Friday Night Lights" cast sitting one row behind me. Look! It's Joey Lawrence's little brother on the right ("Whoa!")!
The Q&A was really interesting and it was funny to see ultra religious "Ann" chugging Bud Light during the interview.
I'm not sure how all of the stars aligned, but what started as a pretty average day turned into a pretty freaking awesome adventure. I love that about Austin--there is always something cool going on!
So I wander to the check in area for the festival and passes for the weekend started at $150 (totally out of my price range). They give me a schedule of events and the opening premiere happens to be starting right next door at the Paramount Theatre. I go over and talk to the volunteer manning the door, and she tells me to sit tight, and after about five minutes they let me in for free!
The opening night features a screening of "Arrested Development" and the actresses who play Maeby (Alia Shawkat) and Ann aka "Her" (Mae Whitman) held a Q&A with the audience afterwards. Score!
There was also a "Boy Meets World" reunion scheduled, so I saw Ben Savage (sorry for the unflattering picture, I was trying to be inconspicuous with my picture taking and not appear like a total stalker) and the rest of the cast (minus Topanga). I also ended up in the ladies room with the show's mom at one point.
During the Q&A, Alia pointed out the "Friday Night Lights" cast sitting one row behind me. Look! It's Joey Lawrence's little brother on the right ("Whoa!")!
The Q&A was really interesting and it was funny to see ultra religious "Ann" chugging Bud Light during the interview.
I'm not sure how all of the stars aligned, but what started as a pretty average day turned into a pretty freaking awesome adventure. I love that about Austin--there is always something cool going on!
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