jaunts and jerk sauce

So, my expectations for yesterday seem to have been a bit overblown. Not because I didn't have an amazing time, but because I spent the entire time focusing in on my friend, laughing, talking, and catching up with her, and ended up taking exactly 0 photos. Oh well. It was gorgeous though you'll have to take my word for it. The drive alone was trip worthy, down PCH past Santa Monica to Malibu, and then up a windy road through the canyon, I definitely recommend. Once we arrived at Topanga Canyon State Park we made the unfortunate discovery that the park is closed now, except for on weekends. Of course we didn't let that stop us, and ended up parking in a small dirt area next to the park and walking right in. Sadly, we didn't have much time as it was nearing sunset so we had to settle for a rather short hike (more of a jaunt we decided) but it was beautiful, and I hope to go again soon when I have more time. After the hike we changed our clothes in the car and then drove back to Santa Monica for dinner. We had planned at eating at a vegan Thai restaurant but when we got there it ended up being more of a to-go/counter type of place so we walked down the street and enjoyed delicious Caribbean food here, we both ordered the Salmon Negril, which is marinated in garlic and curry and then grilled and covered with a mango-pineapple-jerk sauce, sooo good. The only downside of the place was that they didn't serve alcohol, though you're allowed to bring your own in so I went down the street to a liquor market and bought us a bottle of white wine. Just to warn you though, we were charged one dollar for the two plastic cups we drank the wine out of. I hope you all had a wonderful Friday! What are you up to this weekend? Later today Dusty and I are going to the REI sale to look for hiking boots and then after we're going to hang out with my brother and his girlfriend and hopefully just drink some beer and hang out. Enjoy your weekend! Xo.  

(Photograph by Mitch Epstein, 1974 of some ladies hanging out (with a snake) in Topanga Canyon)

meals and mother's day

S A V O R Y   F R E N C H   T O A S T!!!

Hello friends, I hope you all had wonderful weekends! What did you do for Mother's Day? I had a very gluttonous day. First, we made a Parisian-themed lunch for Dusty's mom, grandma, and other family. Dusty and I made croque-monsieur french toast (recipe from this blog), greens with vinaigrette, and mixed berries with citrus whipped cream. (Recipes below, except for the greens and vinaigrette which can be found here).

After the huge lunch we went over to my mom's house where her boyfriend had cooked up loads of lamb, chicken, and beef kabobs, as well as an assortment of other goodies. By the end of all the eating I was totally stuffed so I tried to work off some of the calories by playing Just Dance (for Nintendo Wii) with my little sisters. The game is super fun-- and as long as you're okay with looking like a complete fool then I highly recommend it. All in all in was a wonderful day. Happy Monday! (image from this blog)

Croque-Monsieur French Toast (From A Cup of Jo)
Serves: 4-6 (Makes 6 sandwiches)

Ingredients
12 slices sliced country bread
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1/4 cup French mayonnaise
12 slices cheddar cheese
6 slices prosciutto cotto
12 eggs
1 tsp. salt
1/3 tsp. grated nutmeg
2/3 cup full-fat milk
1/2 cup grated Gruyere cheese
Special equipment: 1 ovenproof dish, 11 x 8.5 x 2.5 inches

Spread 6 slices of bread with mustard and the remaining 6 slices with mayonnaise. Layer each sandwich, beginning with a slice of mustard bread, then two slices cheddar cheese, then one slice prosciutto, and top with the mayonnaise bread. Repeat to make 6 sandwiches. Cut sandwiches diagonally in half. Place the sandwich triangles into the ovenproof dish.

Beat together the eggs, salt, nutmeg and milk. Then, pour the mixture over the sandwiches, tightly packed in the dish. Cover the dish with cling film and let it soak for one hour.

Preheat the oven to 400F. Sprinkle entire dish with the grated Gruyere. Bake in oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Serve warm.

**Note: I used Trader Joe's rustic country sourdough bread and regular mayonnaise and it came out great! Also, I topped the dish with fresh basil (which I think is what that green stuff is in the photograph).

Mixed Berries with Citrus Whipped Cream (My own recipe)


Ingredients
Serves 8-10
3-4 cups fresh mixed berries (I used strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, and raspberries) washed, and cut as desired
1 pint whipping cream
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice (or to taste)
1 tsp orange zest (or to taste)
1/4 cup sour cream

1. Put berries in a bowl and place in refrigerator to chill.

2. Pour the whipping cream into a mixing bowl, using an electric mixer beat cream on high speed. As the cream thickens add the sugar, vanilla, orange juice, and zest. Beat until the whipping cream becomes whipped cream, or until stiff peaks form.

3. Fold in the sour cream, serve the berries on dishes with a healthy dollop of whipped cream. Enjoy!

hasty tasty lasagna

the layering process: sauce, noodles, cheese, sauce, noodles, cheese...

So, a couple of weeks ago I decided that I wanted to try to make lasagna. Though I've had lots of experience in the kitchen, I'm ashamed to admit that I'd never tried to make this classic dish before. Unfortunately, I was quite limited in time and so I had to develop a recipe that would be quick to make but also (hopefully) taste delicious. So, I did what I always do in these situations and googled easy lasagna, the first thing that popped up was this recipe. At first glance (sorry to the creator of the recipe) the recipe seemed lacking. First, I don't eat beef or like to cook with it and second, canned mushrooms? Gross. However, the "bones" of the recipe seemed good, so I reworked it a bit (recipe follows below) and now I've made my version twice, both times with excellent results. Once again, all of the ingredients I used were purchased at Trader Joe's, so I suggest going there to obtain ingredients if you have the choice. Also this lasagna can be prepared, cooked, and ready to eat in about an hour and a half. (Photo Credit: Me)

Hasty Tasty Lasagna
Serves 6-8

Ingredients
1 pound uncooked Italian seasoned chicken sausage, removed from casings
3 large garlic cloves, crushed or minced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 pound sliced brown mushrooms
1 28 oz. can tomato sauce (I used Trader Joe's Tuscano Marinara Sauce)
1/2 cup fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
2 15 oz. containers of ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated fresh parmesan cheese (divided)
3/4 cup part skim mozzarella cheese (divided)
3/4 cup chopped chives
1 package no-boil lasagna noodles (you'll probably only need 1/2 the package)
Crushed red pepper, salt, and black pepper to taste.

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large skillet or saute pan, cook chicken sausage over medium-high heat, breaking chicken up into pieces as you go until sausage in cooked through, and lightly browned on the outside. Add the garlic, onion, and mushrooms to the pan, and saute until the onions are translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the can of tomato sauce and cook until sauce is heated through. Stir in the parsley. Season with crushed red pepper, salt, and black pepper to taste.

2. In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, 1/4 cup of the parmesan cheese, 1/2 cup of the mozzarella cheese, and the chives. Season with black pepper to taste.

3. In the bottom of a 13x9" baking pan, spread a thin layer of the tomato sauce mixture. Place the lasagna noodles on top of the sauce mixture, and then layer some of the cheese mixture on top of the noodles, then layer more of the tomato sauce mixture. Continue in this way until all of the sauce and cheese have been used up. I did three layer of noodles for mine a layer of cheese and small layer of tomato sauce over the very top (see photos if this doesn't make sense). After that, sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese and the remaining 1/4 cup of mozzarella cheese on top.

4. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and continue to bake for an additional 15 minutes. During the last 5-7 minutes of cooking time I cranked the oven up to 500 degrees to allow the top to get lightly brown and crispy which I highly recommend (but make sure to monitor closely while doing so). Remove the dish from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Enjoy with greens and bread.

*Variation: The second time that I made this lasagna, during the time that I was cooking the meat, garlic, mushrooms, onion etc. In a second saute pan I wilted some kale which I then layered on top of the tomato sauce mixture while assembling the lasagna. When the lasagna was cooked the kale added a delicious flavor and was slightly crispy around the edges---certainly a welcome addition.

Ginger

I've always loved the flavor of ginger, there's something so intriguing about its unique spice and the scope of versatility it offers. Besides that though, ginger has several healing properties. Did you know that ginger helps with nausea, morning sickness (during pregnancy), digestion, feeling down (consumption of ginger releases dopamine in your brain), and works as an anti-inflammatory medicine? In celebration of ginger I made this delicious gin and ginger based beverage the other night. I've also used ginger when I made this roasted corn and edamame salad the other day, and lately I've enjoyed simply thinly slicing fresh ginger and adding it to my tea for extra flavor. What do think? Do you enjoy ginger as much as I do? Have you ever found it to be medicinally helpful? (Image credit: Joyful Belly)

what's for dinner

I'm making carnitas for dinner tonight, using this recipe from Smitten Kitchen. I'll also be making this jalapeno-cilantro slaw from Homesick Texan. I was a vegetarian for several years, and I have to say that the thing I missed the most was pork. What are you making for dinner tonight? (image from Smitten Kitchen)

Mean Streets and Meatballs

Look at baby DeNiro!

Tonight Dusty and I are planning on watching Mean Streets--I'm a huge Scorsese fan and the sound track is perfection, I highly recommend (by the way the film is currently available on Netflix Instant Play). The only thing that could make watching a good old Italian mobster movie better is having a good bottle of wine and some delicious pasta to go along with it. My go-to recipe when it comes to Italian is spaghetti, homemade (or doctored up store bought) sauce with tons of mushrooms, and these meatballs from The Joy of Cooking cookbook. The only changes I make to the recipe are that I substitute turkey (I recommend Jennie-O Italian Seasoned ground turkey) for the beef, and sometimes use cilantro instead of the parsley because I use cilantro more often and therefore it makes more sense to buy a bushel of it. What are your plans for tonight?

French Toast

I have a question for you-- what are your feelings on French toast? I used to think it was sort of gross and that it just tasted soggy, however last Sunday my dad made some on sourdough bread (maybe that was the difference) and it was divine. What's your favorite breakfast treat?

Wine Find

If you're having a dinner party, or just looking to get tipsy off of something that doesn't taste like sour grapes, an oak tree, or as Dusty and I experienced a few weeks ago---the far from pleasing taste of what could only be described as a mixture cat pee and grapefruit, I would highly recommend this wine (available at Vons and Pavillions as well). It may not be the cutest of bottles, and at nearly twenty dollars a bottle it has a less than cute price, but for an occasional treat it's certainly worth it. Have you tried any good wines lately?

Savour Fare

I just discovered a new foodie blog, check out Savour Fare. I have yet to try a recipe from here, but it all looks amazing. Have you cooked anything delicious lately? Let me know if you try any of these recipes!

Muffins

Every Thursday Dusty has a twenty-our hour shift at the La Habra Heights fire station and so as often as I can I try to send baked goods with him to share with his buddies. This last week I decided to make muffins so I made three different kinds: blueberry, cinnamon, and pumpkin. He told me that the guys really liked them (which usually means that Dusty really liked them too) so just now I made some caramel apple ones just for us. I haven't tried them yet but they really look delicious. I got the recipes from this cookbook and they'rce all been really easy to make. The other thing that I really like about these recipes is that each one only makes one dozen muffins, which is the perfect amount really (I don't think that I'd like to have 48 or so muffins around me at once). Do you like muffins? What is your go-to baked good?

St. Patrick's Day

Tomorrow, as I'm sure you're aware, is St. Patrick's Day. This means that you have free license to drink as much Guinness as you can and eat meat pies and/or corned beef and cabbage until your stomach is distended.


I haven't decided exactly what I want to do with the kids at work tomorrow, we've been doing some fun St. Patrick's Day themed crafts including a rainbow made of kindergartener's hand prints (adorable). Though I do know for certain that I'll be reading them Clever Tom and the Leprechaun, by Linda Shute. 


On a similar note, don't forget to wear green (lest ye be pinched)! If you don't have anything green maybe you should stop by Target and pick up this green, Isaac Mizrahi for Target dress (pictured above), isn't it adorbale?

Foodie Find: culinate.com

Today I found what appears to be an excellent website for people who love food/cooking/healthy eating/eating locally grown fare. Check it out here. What do you think? 

Farmer's Markets

An image from a farmer's market in Portland, Oregon

I'm sad to admit that I haven't been to a farmer's market in quite some time. For some reason I've been dying to go lately! Perhaps it's the fact that I feel that spring is just around the corner and nothing beats delicious fresh fruit! Are you a regular at a farmer's market? Are there any good ones where you live?

Lent

Easter will be here in less than forty days and as such it is currently Lent (for Christians). It is traditional to give something up for Lent and this year I have decided to give up chocolate (gasp!). It is proving more difficult than I imagined. Chocolate is just in so many things that I love-- like cookies, ice cream, and Nutella! I'm sure that my waist line will thank me in the end but this is really hard! Are you giving something up for Lent? 

Trader Joe's

So I love Trader Joe's, and you probably do to. I can't think of a single person that I've ever met to be like, "I hate Trader Joe's!" It's like hating puppies. Anyway, for Christmas I recieved the book Quick and Healthy Meals from Trader Joe's I have to admit that I have yet to try any of the recipes in it. However, I'm thinking of trying one today. The book is sectioned off by type of protein (chicken, seafood, vegetarian) and then sub-sectioned off by cuisine (Asian, Mexican, etc.) Also there are nutrition facts printed next to each recipe so you know exactly what you're eating! I'll let you know how the recipe comes out if I end up trying it...

Taco Night

It's taco/tostado night over here and I am sipping a skinny girl margarita as I type...so DELICIOUS! Please make one, I swear it will lift your spirits. Hope all is well with you, what are you having for dinner?

Nutella

                                          

I completely understand.

It's going to be the death of me. I just can't help muh-self. It's so good, I mean I really can't think of any other spread that I would willingly eat an entire container of---not that I have, but I'd be lying if I said that I hadn't considered doing it. Do you enjoy Nutella as much as me? What do you spread it on? I just learned how delicious it is atop Ritz Crackers--it's that perfect salty/sweet combination..

Eric Carle and Tangerines

Art by Eric Carle

I've been reading a lot of Eric Carle to the kindergarteners lately and they love it, so I decided that I wanted to find out some more info about the man behind the colorful and thoughtful children's books. Click here for the official Eric Carle website, and here for his charming blog. By the way, I just ate the most delicious tangerine, I highly recommend eating one it'll brighten your day.

Little Cooks

Isn't this little girl's apron, available here, the cutest?! It would be perfect for a tiny sous chef making these sugar cookies for valentines day!

Happy Sunday

I hope you are doing something nice this morning, like having brunch or going to the park. I woke up with a sore throat this morning so all I've been doing is drinking hot tea and watching reruns on Bravo. If you're ever looking for a place to brunch and you're in the Orange County area please try The Rialto in downtown Fullerton. My friend Michelle introduced it to me about a year ago and I've loved it ever since. After brunch there you could walk over to the lovely Hillcrest Park and work off your meal.