Monthly Archives: January 2011

January 31, 2011 · 3:16 PM

I Feel Honored

Last week a very nice thing happened!  Two fellow bloggers honored me with the Stylish Blogger Award.

Stylish Blogger

First to honor me was Cher at The Not So Exciting Adventures of a Dabbler…

The next day Katiebe over at Prof Who Cooks awarded me as well.

Both are fellow French Fridays with Dorie participants.  It has been a lot of fun getting to know other cooks and bloggers by making the same thing together each week.

As as fairly new blogger, it sure is nice to know there are people out there enjoying my blog!

So, there are a few “rules” to this award thing.  I’m going to follow some of them and not others!

1. Thank and link back to the person who awarded you this award:

This one’s easy!  I truly appreciate the honor.  Thanks to both Cher and Katiebe for thinking of me!

2. Share 7 things about yourself:

  1. I currently live in Reno, NV but I grew up in Seattle, WA.
  2. I have a degree in Mathematics and a minor in Computer Science.
  3. I have  a secret addiction to chocolate-hazelnut spreads (like Nutella, but I prefer higher quality products)
  4. While I enjoy all the days of sunshine we have in Reno, I always like it when it rains because it reminds me of home.
  5. I danced ballet all through my school years.
  6. Even though I live so close to all the great Tahoe ski resorts I don’t ski or snowboard and have no desire to.
  7. Cleaning house is not my forte.

3. Award 15 recently discovered great bloggers.
4. Contact these bloggers and tell them about the award!

I’m not going to do these last two. I have a bunch of new-to-me blogs (both cooking and sewing) bookmarked for further perusal, but I just haven’t had the time lately to check them out.  I don’t feel like I could honestly pick 15 to award at this time.

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January 28, 2011 · 8:30 AM

Chicken B’Stilla

Chicken B'Stilla

There used to be a Moroccan restaurant in Seattle called Mamounia, located on Capitol Hill.  My high school friends and I went there once or twice.  It was so long ago, I can’t remember if we went when were actually in high school or as young adults.

Going to Mamounia felt very exotic!  There were belly dancers, and we sat on cushions on the floor and ate with our fingers. As I recall, we weren’t very adventurous with our menu selections…three out of four of us picked the “safest” item: chicken.

Eating at Mamounia was a multi-course affair.  The thing I remember most about eating there was something called Bastilla.  It was a savory chicken pie wrapped in phyllo, and the top was sprinkled with cinnamon and powdered sugar.  The whole pie was set in the middle of the table and we dug into it with our hands.  I loved the flaky phyllo crust and the contrast between the sweet cinnamon-sugar topping and the savory filling.  Off and on over the years I have thought about this Bastilla and wanted to go back to Mamounia just for that.

B'Stilla

Imagine my delight when I found a recipe called Chicken B’Stilla in Around My French Table!  I was even more excited when it was picked as a selection for French Fridays with Dorie.  Wait!  A Moroccan recipe in a French cookbook?  Just like in the United States, French home cooks are inspired by flavors from around the world, with Moroccan flavors being fairly common.

Making Chicken B’Stilla is pretty involved process with a lot of steps.  The smells of the spices (saffron, cinnamon, ground coriander) while cooking were heavenly!  I have never enjoyed working with phyllo, and making this did nothing to endear me to it.  Let’s just say it’s a good thing there was a round piece of phyllo placed on top, otherwise my pie would have not been pretty!

It’s been so long since I ate Bistilla at Mamounia that I can’t remember the flavors well enough to compare to the B’Stilla I made.  I do recall a stronger cinnamon-sugar flavor.  If I make this again, I may sprinkle cinnamon and powdered sugar on the pie after baking rather than before.  I really liked the flavors of my pie and the crispy, flaky phyllo crust.  Dorie mentions in the book that this dish is best served the day it is made.  While I agree that the crust was a little better the first night (though I found it crisped up pretty nicely while reheating), I actually enjoyed it even more the second night.  Perhaps the flavors had a chance to blend a bit.

Overall, a fun trip down memory lane!

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January 21, 2011 · 8:00 AM

A French Table Feast

My mother-in-law was out of town for Christmas and well into the new year, so we did not get a chance to celebrate Christmas with her.  This past weekend we had her over for dinner for a mini post-Christmas celebration.

Tapenade Batons

Tapenade Batons

I decided to make the entire meal from Around My French Table.   My mother-in-law spent a good couple of hours pouring through it last week, so I knew she would be up for a French feast.  Also, I am still excited about my new cookbook and there are so many recipes I want to try.

We started off with Tapenade Bâtons, a variation of Mustard Bâtons.  Delicious and so easy to make!  I had leftover puff pastry in the freezer and tapenade in the fridge, so this one was a no-brainer.

Roast Chicken

Just Out of the Oven

For the main course, I made Roast Chicken for les Paresseux (Roast Chicken for Lazy People) and Brown-Sugar Squash and Brussels Sprouts en Papillote.  The chicken was fabulous with crispy brown skin and tender meat.  My husband especially loved the garlic that roasted along with the chicken.  My mother-in-law and I both enjoyed “the bread trick” (the chicken is roasted on top of a piece of bread which soaks up the cooking juices and gets wonderfully carmelized).  The squash and Brussels spr0uts were also a big hit – even my seven year old daughter ate her share.

The grand finale was also this week’s French Fridays with Dorie recipe: Michael Rostang’s Double Chocolate Mousse Cake.

Mouse Cake

Double Chocolate Mousse Cake

I had a few issues making this cake.  The biggest issue was that I did not have the right size pan.  The recipe calls for an 8-inch springform pan.  The pan I used measured 9½ inches.  I also have a 6-inch springform pan.  In retrospect I wish I had used the smaller pan and put the extra batter in a ramekin or two.  There was also a problem with the egg whites that are folded into the mousse.  I’m not sure if I over-whipped them or if I folded them in too vigorously, but the resulting batter did not seem “light” enough and kind-of seemed to “liquidy”.  When baked, the cake did not rise as much as the recipe described.  Finally, the recipe has you place the pan without its bottom on a baking mat or parchment paper.  I noticed some pretty big gaps under my pan, and my batter was fairly thin, so I decided to use the pan bottom to prevent seeping.  The cake would have been difficult to move to a serving platter, but luckily I did not care about that.

Despite the few issues, the cake was delicious!  It was met with rave reviews.  The recipe provides three ways to serve this dish.  The first night we went with the warm option: part of the batter is baked and then cooled, then the rest of the batter is poured onto the chilled base and baked again, then served warm.  The next night we had the baked and chilled option.  While I enjoyed both versions, I preferred the texture of the chilled one.

I will certainly be making this one again.  I’d love to resolve my egg white issues and I like to track down an 8-inch springform pan or try it with my smaller pan.  This cake is definitely worth perfecting!

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January 20, 2011 · 3:40 PM

I Was Bad (But Not Too Bad)

I haven’t purchased fabric just because I like it for a long time. I haven’t been sewing much the last couple of years, so I was able to curtail my fabric-buying habit. Now that I’ve been sewing a bit again, I’m starting to feel the pull of the fabric!

I have Dawn over at Two On, Two Off to thank for today’s fabric purchase.Yesterday she posted about a sale on ITY Jersey knits over at Fabric.com.  I decided to take a look…  I’ve been envisioning a semi-dressy summer knit dress lately.  One that I can wear out to dinner or to my June girls weekend in Vegas.  My vision included a print fabric.  Well, these fabrics are exactly what I was envisioning!

To make this story worse…  The fabrics were on sale until Midnight Eastern time last night.  I missed the sale price by a few minutes (thanks to a little girl who had trouble falling asleep).  I decided not to buy any fabric.  Well, I couldn’t get this fabric out of my head, so today I went ahead with my purchase.  To my credit, there was a third piece of fabric in my shopping cart that I decided not to get.

So, what did I get?

This print will (hopefully) be used to make the dress I have been envisioning.  One pattern I am considering is McCall’s 6032, view A, with the cap sleeves and front loop.

Blue Medallian Fabric

I bought a yard of this fabric to make a dressy summer top to wear with black pants, something I’ve been missing in my wardrobe.  Perhaps the sleeveless top from Simplicity 2603?

Purple/Black Fabric

Bad or not, it felt good to buy some fabric!

Photos courtesy of Fabric.com.

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January 19, 2011 · 11:09 AM

BBQ Meatballs

BBQ Meatballs

 

The first time I made these meatballs for my family they became an instant family favorite.  They are SO good!  And the house smells wonderful while they cook.  My daughter especially loves these.  She loves them so much I have considered making a batch just to freeze them, so I will always have some on hand for her.

BBQ Meatballs come to us courtesy of The Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond.  I first ran across this recipe on her website, and then was pleased to find them in her cookbook (under the name “Comfort Meatballs”).

The original recipe uses 1½ pounds of ground beef, but I have adjusted the proportions to use just one pound of meat.  I’ve done this for two reasons: 1) we bulk buy our beef a quarter cow at a time and the ground beef comes frozen in one pound packages; and 2) one pound is more than enough to feed my family of three.

The recipe below uses my adjusted amounts.  You can find the original recipe here, or in the cookbook The Pioneer Woman Cooks.

BBQ Meatballs

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Meatballs

  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1/2 cup quick-cooking oats (I have also used regular rolled oats with no problem)
  • 2/3 cup milk
  • 2 tablespoons finely minced onion
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 3 tablespoons canola oil
  • ½ cup flour

Sauce

  • 2/3 cup ketchup
  • 4 teaspoons sugar
  • 2 tablespoons white vinegar
  • 4 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 4 tablespoons finely minced onion
  • Dash of Tabasco

In a bowl, combine the ground beef, oats, milk, 2 T. minced onion, and salt.  Add black pepper to taste.  Stir well to combine.

I never make meatballs without my cookie dough scoop!

Form the mixture into tablespoon-sized balls and place on a baking sheet.  Refrigerate for 30 – 45 minutes, or freeze for 5 – 10 minutes, to firm them up and make them easier to work with.

Preheat oven to 350°.  Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Place the flour on a plate (I like using a pie dish) and dredge the meatballs in the flour.  Brown the meatballs in the skillet until lightly browned.  You will have to do this in batches.  Place the browned meatballs in a 7×11″ baking dish.

Stir together the sauce ingredients in a separate bowl.  Spoon the sauce evenly over the meatballs.  Bake for 45 minutes and serve.

Serves 4

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January 14, 2011 · 8:00 AM

French Comfort Food

Gnocchi

If rich and creamy is the definition of comfort food, then this dish delivers!  It’s Gnocchi à la Parisienne from Around My French Table, and is this week’s selection for French Fridays with Dorie.

Gnocchi

The Boiled Gnocchi

It’s unlike any gnocchi I’ve ever had before.  In place of the traditional Italian potato dumplings, pâte à choux (cream puff dough) is used.  The dough is scooped by teaspoonfuls into boiling water and simmered briefly.  It is then smothered in a rich béchamel (white sauce), topped with grated cheese (I used Grèyere) and baked until brown and bubbly.

I did run into a few things while making this.  The gnocchi was a little difficult to drop into the boiling water.  I used a measuring teaspoon and a butter knife to drop them in.  My first few were a little big and took a while to cook through.  Also, none of them are the same shape or size.  The béchamel ended up being really thick.  It is supposed to be poured over the gnocchi, but instead I had to spread it over the top.  As a result I believe the béchamel didn’t enrobe all the dumplings as much as it was supposed to.

The word that kept coming to my mind while eating this was “ethereal”.  The gnocchi were amazingly light and airy.  How can something so rich be so light on the tongue?

Plated Gnocchi

My Daughter's Plate

I thoroughly enjoyed this dish, but my husband wasn’t quite so sure.  He said it seemed “less like a main dish and more like a pseudo dessert”.   It was only after this statement that I told him the recipe used cream puff dough!  I don’t think he cared for the texture – I’m guessing he was looking for something with a little more bite.  My 7 year old daughter seemed to enjoy it – although she loves any kind of carb baked with cheese!

While I enjoyed both making and eating this dish, it’s not something I will be making very often.  It was a lot of work to make the dumplings and assemble all the components, and I ended up with a lot of dirty pots and bowls.  I would like to try it again with a thinner béchamel.  I had fun making this – I learned some new techniques and I got to try something different to eat!

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January 12, 2011 · 2:10 PM

Kwik Sew 2257 – Men’s Pajama Pants

I mentioned last month that I was making two of my Christmas gifts this year.  The first was a knitted “crown” hat for my niece.  The second was a pair of pajama pants for my husband.  He asked for a robe for Christmas this year, so I decided he needed a pair of matching pajama pants. I somehow managed to get these made without him knowing I was sewing something for him.  I even worked on them while he was home one day!

Pajama Pants

To make the pants I used Kwik Sew 2257.  What a great pattern!  Easy to sew with very professional results.  This is the third time I’ve used this pattern.  I first made these pants back in 2002 when I had been sewing for only a few months and they were a big hit.

Pajama pants make a great gift because they don’t require a lot of fitting.  All you need to know is pants size, and you will get a good fit (at least with this pattern!).  I purposefully left these pants unfinished so I could refine the fit after Christmas.  When I made these before they were a little long, so I wanted to get the length just right this time.

For the final touch, I added one of my personalized labels:

Label

See my original pattern review here (note: you may need to be a paying member of PatternReview to view this since it’s such an old review).

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January 8, 2011 · 9:40 PM

Easy Southwestern Chicken-Tomato Soup

Southwestern Soup

 

One of our favorite quick, “I don’t feel like cooking” meals is Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato soup. We like both the Pacific brand and the Trader Joe’s brand.

Soup

Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup

I hadn’t ever thought to “enhance” the soup until the other day when I was shopping at Trader Joe’s.  The sample of the day was the Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato soup with some corn and brown rice in it.  The woman handing out the samples was talking about all the ways she adds to the soup, and she told me about her “Mexican-inspired” version with corn, green chiles and chicken.  That sounded really good to me!

Saturday nights are often one of those nights where I’d like something quick to prepare for dinner.  I decided to create this “Mexican-inspired” soup while it was still fresh in my mind.  I definitely can’t take credit for the idea, but the proportions are all mine.

This is one of those dishes where you can keep all the ingredients on hand, so you can make the soup whenever you need something quick and easy to put on the table.  I poached a chicken breast, but this would be a great way to use up leftover chicken.

Easy Southwestern Chicken-Tomato Soup

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  • 32 oz. box Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup
  • 1 cup frozen corn
  • 4 0z. can diced green chiles (my husband thought there were a few too many, so adjust to taste, if desired)
  • 1 cup diced or shredded cooked chicken
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • crushed tortilla chips, optional

Combine soup, corn and diced green chiles in a 3 quart saucepan.  Heat the soup on medium and bring to a simmer.  Add the chicken.  Reduce heat to low, and slowly stir in the shredded cheese to melt.  Serve with a sprinkling of crushed tortilla chips on top, if desired.

Serves 2 – 3

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January 7, 2011 · 8:00 AM

Paris Mushroom Soup

For Christmas this year I received the cookbook Around My French Table by Dorie Greenspan.  It’s a gorgeous book and so many of the recipes sound wonderful.  The problem is, it’s a vast book, and trying to decide what to make is difficult with so many good-sounding recipes to choose from.  I feel like there are whole chapters in the book that I have hardly even looked at yet.

To help myself get to know the cookbook, I have decided to participate in French Fridays with Dorie.  The idea is this: all participants cook a selected recipe each week and then post about it on Friday.  This week’s recipe was Paris Mushroom Soup (page 72, for those who have the book).

I really wanted to love this soup.  Dorie’s description makes it sound so good and I have always loved mushrooms.  I didn’t hate the soup, but it didn’t wow me and I doubt I’ll make it again.

Paris Mushroom Soup

Paris Mushroom Soup

For those who don’t have the cookbook, here is a bit about how the soup is made and served:  First of all, chopped onions, garlic and mushrooms are sauteed and then simmered in broth.  At the end, the whole thing is pureed to make a smooth soup.  To serve, a little salad is made with fresh mushrooms and some herbs.  The salad is placed in individual bowls and the hot soup is poured over it, slightly cooking the raw mushrooms.  The recipe suggests a dollop of creme fraiche on top.  While I didn’t do this, I think it would add a lot.

The first night we ate this I thought the problem was that between the raw mushrooms and my shallow soup bowls the soup cooled off too quickly.  I prefer my soup piping hot.  Also, I didn’t care for the contrast between the pureed soup and the mostly raw mushrooms.  The next night I made some adjustments: I sauteed some sliced mushrooms to replace the raw ones and I used different bowls.  It still didn’t do much for me.  I actually think I would like this soup a lot better served as a small portion at the beginning of a meal rather than as a main course.

So, this was a disappointing start to French Fridays, but I am looking forward to trying more!

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January 3, 2011 · 11:26 AM

Macaroon Cake

Macaroon Cake

For Christmas Dinner this year I made Macaroon Cake.  I normally like to make something a little “grander” for Christmas Dinner, but this year it was just the three of us and I had a lot of other cooking I wanted to do, so I settled on this cake.  It is quick and easy to make and not too big.

One thing I love about this recipe is that it was my great-grandmother’s recipe.  I love the idea of a recipe being enjoyed and passed down from generation to generation.

There are a lot of other things to love about this recipe.  As I mentioned already, it is quick and easy to make.  The cake is nice and moist and keeps for several days.  Although I made it for Christmas, it is a good everyday kind of cake.  I love the crunchy, chewy, sweet macaroon topping and the flavor of the vanilla cake underneath.  Oh, and did I mention the coconut?  This is a cake for coconut lovers only!

Macaroon Cake

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  • 1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
  • 1 cup sugar, divided
  • 2 eggs, separated
  • 1 cup sifted flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla, divided
  • milk, if needed (I always add 1/4 cup)
  • 1 cup shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 350°.  Prepare an 8×8 inch cake pan by greasing lightly.

Cream butter and sugar together.  Mix in two egg yolks, one at a time, scraping down the bowl if necessary.  Mix together the sifted flour and baking powder in a separate bowl.  Add  to the butter/sugar mixture and beat to combine.  Beat in 1 teaspoon vanilla.  Add a little milk if the batter is too stiff.  Spread batter in the greased cake pan.

Beat 2 egg whites until stiff peaks form.  Gently stir in 1/2 cup sugar, coconut and 1 teaspoon vanilla.  Spread on top of the cake batter.

Bake for 30 minutes.

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