Madame Munchies

Livin' on the Edge.

2012-01-27T20:24:00.000-08:00

When you think of Friday nights, you probably think of grabbin' dinner with a friend, maybe meeting up with someone for a drink or even a hot date. When I think of Friday nights, I think of baked kale chips. Please insert the phrase," foodie" nerd now.

I have had Smitten Kitchen's recipe for baked kale chips bookmarked for well over a year and finally made a batch tonight. No excuses this time around. What inspired me to make it is the fact that Whole Foods sells bags of them for around $4.50 and while I was tempted to try a bag, I knew I could make it at home for less than 50% the cost (kale at the farmer's market is around $1.50-2.00 for a bunch). I'm all about saving the "mighty" (or maybe not so mighty these days) dollar.

I deviated from the recipe slightly - I used less olive oil (about 1/2 a tablespoon) and I sprinkled on a little cayenne before popping them in the oven to crisp up and meet their maker. The beauty of this recipe is that you can really make it your own, season it up with some cajun spices or maybe some garlic powder. Get crazy with yo' bad ass self and yo' kale chips, go on now!

Beet you to the punch.

2012-01-16T11:00:00.000-08:00

I am going to "beet" you to the punch with what turned out to be one of the highlights at an intimate gathering of friends who craft, converse, eat, drink and were spreading merriment all on an overcast Sunday afternoon. This past week, Clothilde, from Chocolate & Zucchini posted a recipe for beet hummus. I am a sucker for hummus, whether it's homemade or I pick up a tub from Trader Joe's. It's a staple in my fridge and my heart.

I wish I had taken a picture of the beet hummus I made yesterday, but thanks to the original blog post, you can find the recipe and an image, here. I bought my beets at the farmer's market yesterday morning and the beet hummus turned out bright and cheery looking, a real showstopper on the table. Tah-dah! It screamed, "look at me, over, here, yeah, the pretty purple dip, yeah that's me, aren't I purty?" The fact that it was pretty wasn't only appealing, it was a real sweet treat to spoon on top of pita chips or dip baby carrots in. It would probably make an incredible spread on a grilled veggie panini too. Hmmmmm.....now I can't wait to finish the rest of what's left off.

Cooking in Paris: Part Tres

2012-01-01T20:53:00.000-08:00

The moment of truth. The moment you all have been waiting for. And I supposed the moment I've been waiting for and I didn't actually know it! Remember in Part Une, I mentioned that Paule was featured on David Lebovitz' blog for her secret family tart dough recipe? Click here for more info. To say my jaw nearly hit the floor when I watched her combine butter, sugar, oil and water in a glass bowl and then placed the glass bowl in a hot oven for 15 minutes. Need to read that again? Say what? Double take? This goes against every pastry recipe you've ever read. I know, pick up your phone, make an emergency call to your sponsor, therapist, mother, boyfriend, girlfriend or anyone who cares. Carefully removing the bowl from the oven, Paule worked quickly to add the flour to the mixture until a ball was formed. Paule added the dough to her tart pan and lined the pan with the dough. She pierced it with a fork and baked it for about 15 minutes.

While the tart crust was in the oven, we made the almond cream and sliced 2 pints of the most beautiful figs you've ever seen. Generously, we spread the almond cream into the tart shell and baked for about 10 minutes, just until the almond cream set. Then we put the final touch on the tart, the fresh figs and popped it back in the oven for another ten minutes.

Before slicing into this heavenly tart, we sprinkled the tart with crushed pistachios for a finishing touch. Presentation is everything.

The texture of the tart's crust was sandy, crumbly and oh so buttery. The nuttiness of the almond cream complimented the natural sweetness of the figs, it was married together beautifully. What's beautiful about this recipe is that the figs could easily be replaced with a variety of other fruits. In the summer, fresh raspberries or blackberries will be fantastic (if you choose fresh fruit, you have to cook the almond cream in the tart for longer). It was so much fun making and even more fun devouring.

Cooking in Paris: Part Deux

2011-11-09T09:59:00.000-08:00

My last post featured our stroll through the markets and the cheese souffle we made and devoured. This week I wanted to spend some time talking about the cheese plate we munched on while other ingredients were simmering, sauteing, and otherwise being prepped for the next steps.

A fair warning.....because of all the cheese I ate in Paris, I am forever changed. It's like I encountered Cheese Jesus firsthand and I have a hard time going back to just my usual routine when it comes to purchasing and eating cheese. Truth be told, when I got back from Paris, I took a break from the cheese aisle. One of my intentions is to become more acquainted with the local cheese folks in my neighborhood, particularly the folks at The CheeseStore of SilverLake in hopes that I can come as close as possible to what I smelled, ate and loved in Paris.

To accompany our heavenly cheese plate, we sipped on a delicate white wine from Touraine, these grapes are grown in the center of the Loire Valley. The wine was crisp, fruity and fresh.

We had two different chevre (goat cheeses) - St. Maure de Touraine and Crottin de Chavignol, a Camembert, blue cheese (Fourme D'Ambert) and a Comte. Prior to eating cheese in Paris, I thought I "knew" goat cheese, that my friends, was a grande illusion. The goat cheese in France is not to be messed with, it's rich and creamy, yet subtle. It's three-dimensional. I learned so many things about cheese - the fact that it has a seasonality to it, that the milk milked in the spring is different then the milk milked in the fall. Also, like wine pairings, when indulging in a cheese plate, there are "rules" to enjoying more milder cheeses and working your way toward the more intense cheeses. It was hard to resist the plate, but we needed to save room for the rest of our French meal.

For the main course, we made stuffed veal with spinach and mushrooms. I'm not going to entertain a debate about veal and the "cruelties" associated with how veal is raised, it's a touchy subject and I can respect all sides, but dude, I was in France....I had to eat and help make the stuffed veal!

We sauteed chopped mushrooms, shallots and spinach in a generous pat of butter and seasoned the mixture with salt and pepper. Paule shared a fantastic tip about cooking mushrooms - mushrooms are known for absorbing and releasing alot of water. Consider them fungi sponges. Paule began sauteing the mushrooms in the pan without any fat. Yes, you read that correctly, NO FAT. Cooking the mushrooms without any fat allows the mushrooms to release their water content and you let them cook until a majority of the water is absorbed, then add your butter or oil. By doing this, when you add the fat, you will fully infuse the mushrooms with all the FLAVOR. Genius!

We put about a tablespoon or so of the filling onto the veal cutlets and rolled them up. Then we trussed them together with some kitchen twine.

These bad boys were cooked in a pan, in yes, more butter, til golden brown of both sides.

While the stuffed veal cutlets were cooking, we had numerous other pots and pans bubbling away with goodness. On a whim, Paule bought celeriac (celery root) to make a puree) and we braised endive in maple syrup. The celery root was boiled with some potatoes - after they were drained, we mashed the celery root and potatoes together, then added creme fraiche, butter, salt and pepper.

Maple syrup is the "hot" ingredient to use right now in Parisian restaurants - mainly because it's not available to source in their country. Usually endive is braised with butter, sugar and a little lemon, but we were being spontaneous by substituting the sugar with Canadian maple syrup. Who thought braised lettuce would taste so good, but it was divine, melted on your tongue, the sweetness of the maple syrup and the char of the endive leaves.

And we finished off the stuffed veal cutlets with a pan sauce. Deglazing the pan with white wine, we added dijon mustard and creme fraiche. Brought to a boil and reduced to perfection, we seasoned it with salt and pepper to finish. This sauce is so versatile and would work beautifully with poultry as well as other cuts of beef.

Of course, you have to save room for dessert, stay tuned for Cooking in Paris: Part Tres featuring a fig tart with almond cream.

Cooking in Paris: Part Une

2011-11-06T16:24:00.000-08:00

Typing the title of my post fills me with glee, yet again! Yes, I took a cooking class while I was in Paris. Wouldn't it have been a sin against God had I NOT taken a cooking class there?!?! I think so. That's why months and months before I went, I started researching cooking classes. My research led down the foodie road to Promenades Gourmandes and Paule Caillat. Paule has been teaching cooking classes in her home for several years now, thanks to a blog post written by David Lebovitz. In this post, Paule shares her family secret for french tart dough. I'll write more about that later on in the post!

I booked several months in advance and on the day of class, 5 students (including me, the only American, I might add) met in front of Patisserie Stroher for a priceless stroll through the open-air markets to purchase some ingredients for the meal we were set to prepare. This particular street is loaded with history, Patisserie Stroher is the oldest store front patisserie in Paris (opened in 1730).

Based on questionnaires that we completed before our class, Paule composed a menu, fir for the French: cheese souffle, stuffed veal with a dijon creme fraiche sauce, pureed celery root, braised endive and a fig tart. Oh, and a cheese tasting too. After picking up ingredients for our meal, we headed to the Marais arrondisement where Paule works and lives. It's so stinkin' Parisian! :)

The first dish we started working on is the cheese souffle (my first savory souffle).

The base of any cheese souffle is a bechamel sauce, a classic French sauce. The bechamel sauce is made of butter, milk and flour. You melt the butter in a pan, add the flour and whisk together, until it comes together as a paste. Then you add warm milk and continue whisking until it thickens (should cover the back of your spoon). Add the cheese to the bechamel sauce and incorporate til it melts. In this case, our souffle was made of gruyere, comte and parmesan cheese.

Egg whites are separated from yolks and the whites are whisked together in a separate bowl until stiff.The egg whites were then folded into the bechamel sauce before added to individual ramekins and baked for 20 to 25 minutes. To give our cheese souffles a little crust, we sprinkled some grated cheese all around the ramekins before we added the souffle batter.

And......Voila! I was quite surprised by the texture of the souffle - so light, airy and the luscious notes of the three cheeses perfumed your palette ever so gently. A beautiful first course to our meal! Stay tuned for Cooking in Paris: Part Deux.......

A Foodie in Paris.

2011-10-24T18:41:00.000-07:00

Paris - it's been a dream destination for me (for quite some time) and how can it not be? It's a foodie mecca. What I loved about visiting many speciality food shops and open air markets is how much love, creativity and pride oozes out of each creation. The storefronts alone are mini museums, displaying their crowned jewels of culinary perfection.

Of course, Paris isn't exactly the new kid on the block, every major city in the world takes it cue from the French when it comes to food and drink. For example, Patisserie Stroher is the oldest storefront patisserie in Paris (it's 281 years old and she looks good for her age). On one side of the store you can find every sweet delight and on the other, the savory treats beckon your taste buds.

Pierre Herme, macaron king, is a place not to be missed. Extraordinary chocolates, speciality desserts, and above all else, the macarons. A small, sleek shop, it was packed with those suffering from a bout of sweet-tooth. You know what I'm talking about. The presentation is a work of art. Picasso eat your heart out.

La Maison du Chocolat (The House of Chocolate) is another worthwhile indulgence, chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate. Studded in bronze, deep chocolate brown, and creams, this store looks good enough to eat. I indulged in a box of their chocolate macarons and brought home several chocolate bars for those late-nights.

Poilane is one of Paris' finest boulangeries. In fact, Karen, from McCalls Meat & Fish Co. recently pointed out to me, that there are some photos of Poilane in the book My Life In France (a fabulous foodie read all about Julia Child's experience living in France and later intertwined into the film Julie & Julia). I bought a croissant here and a pain au chocolat for later. I am convinced that croissants are the epitome of happiness woven together with butter.

La Grande Epicerie is the specialty grocery store across from Le Bon Marche in St. Germain. It's the kind of experience that beckons you to deter yourself from ever shopping in a regular grocery store ever again. It's like Whole Foods on an Hermes level, but better. I was so overwhelmed with all the goodness here that I managed to forget the semi-snobbish attitudes of the cashiers (aside from the cashiers everyone else at the store was lovely).

E. Dehillerin was a lovely cookware store near O Chateau where I attended a wine and cheese tasting. Julia Childs used to shop at this tiny shop for all of her tools and other culinary accoutrements. And the guys who worked here were so friendly, helpful and overly excited about my tattoos. I went here with something very specific in mind to purchase, these top notch hermetically sealed food storage containers (will keep foods fresh for days longer).

P.S. - Many of these specialty shops were recommended in Clotilde's Edible Adventures in Paris, a must-have foodie destination guide should you find yourself hungry in Paris.

A Preview to Paris.

2011-10-15T14:56:00.000-07:00

I don't think there are adequate words to describe how I feel about Paris. Photographs will have to suffice for now. This city is dreamy, magical and mysterious. It's ancient, modern and everything in between. I spent the first two days pinching myself to make sure it was actually REAL. After seeing the city of lights as a backdrop in so many films, it was hard to believe I wasn't on a movie set. Here's a little taste of Paris for those who have been anxious to see some of my Parisian adventures (more posts in detail to come in the next few weeks, including an in-depth post on the cooking class I attended!).

Notre Dame from the bridge entering the Ile De Cite.

The street up to our apartment in the Latin Quarter.

The fountain at Place Monge on market day (5 minute walk from our apartment).

The Eiffel Tower, breathtaking. I couldn't stop taking pictures of it.

A typical Parisian meal at a brasserie around the corner from the Eiffel Tower.

St. Sulpice Church.

Heaven at Pierre Herme. The most beautiful desserts and the best macarons on earth.

The Pantheon from our terrace. Roughin' it.

A view of Sacre Coeur from the Metro station, Anvers.

I'm a Snicker, You're a Doodle

2011-09-10T20:04:00.000-07:00

I can't tell you the last time I made a batch of snickerdoodles and in all honesty, I wasn't a big fan of snickerdoodles. I have a slight issue with "too much" cinnamon. Don't get me wrong, I really like cinnamon, but in minimal doses. So this cookie hasn't been on my "favorite" list.

I was talking to one of the attorneys I work with about cookies and the snickerdoodle came up in conversation. Something along the lines of...."Teryll, what's the status of this very important legal document, you know, the one about the history and legalization of snickerdoodles?". Okay, maybe the conversation didn't exactly flow that way, but it sparked my interest to give them another try and bake a batch over the weekend.

I've recently been turned on to The Tasty Kitchen and have found great success with several other recipes. The snickerdoodle recipe I tried can be found here. Friends, the snickerdoodle has been resurrected. I chilled the dough for about 15 minutes in the fridge so that it was easier to roll into balls and roll into the sugar-cinnamon mixture before popping them into a 400 degree oven. The key is also not to overbake them, no more than 8 minutes. This cookie is soft, buttery, sweet, with a slight hint of cinnamon. It's divine and addictive. Perfect alone, with coffee, tea or milk. They would be delicious in an ice cream sandwich too. Go bake a batch, you know you want to.

Crowned.

2011-09-05T21:29:00.000-07:00

Some of you may be following me on Facebook and Twitter - if so, you know that I've been gearing up for a lil' family competition that took place on Labor Day. My family (dad's side) held it's second cook-off, this time the theme was pizza. There were 6 contestants, 5 savory pizzas and 1 dessert pizza. The game was on!

Earlier this year, we held a lamb burger competition and sadly, I came in third place. I tried to take the blow with my head held high, but my culinary ego was slightly bruised. I vowed to make my comeback next time around when we planned our pizza cook-off.

The competition was tough this year, all the contestants amped up their game, we were all pretty serious about making delicious pizzas and the hard work all paid off. When I initially began putting together my game plan for pizza, I was heavily focused on the pizza dough (note I was the only contestant who made their pizza dough from scratch), so I relied on Jim Lahey's recipe in one his brilliant book called My Bread. There are tons of sources, but this recipe was simple, straight-to-the point and I trusted his skill set and bread making skills.

About a week and a half ago, The Cooking Channel (my latest telly addiction) featured a week's worth of shows dedicated to the art of pizza making. Was it a sign from the man upstairs? I stumbled upon a show on pizzas that were creative, "out of the box", so to speak and was instantaneously inspired as a result. I've praised the Argentinians here in my post all about chimichurri sauce - it was this that sparked my imagination when creating my winning pizza!

Chimichurri sauce is a fresh herb sauce - it's made with parsley, oregano, red wine vinegar, garlic, olive oil, salt and red chili pepper flakes. And it goes with everything! With chimichurri as my finishing sauce, I worked up the foundation on my pizza. I made a simple tomato sauce with San Marzano tomatoes, pureed and simmered in some olive oil with garlic, salt and a teeny tiny bit of sugar.

With a couple spoonfuls of the tomato sauce spread around my pizza dough, I then topped it with caramelized onions, fresh mozzarella, feta and skirt steak. I actually the pizza with the skirt steak until the last 5 minutes or so. This kept the structural integrity of the melt-in-your mouth skirt steak. After I removed it from the oven and let it sit for a few minutes, I drizzled the chimichurri sauce all over it.

As I mentioned before, the competition was certainly not lacking, what I loved about the competition was how different and unique all of the pizzas actually were, nothing fell into the same category. It actually blew me away.

Samantha made a rustic pizza with garlic olive oil, grilled onions and tons of feta! She served it with a variety of dipping sauces - baba ganoush, olive tapenade, cucumber yogurt, jalapeno yogurt, red pepper and walnut. It was straight up divine! A perfect appetizer pizza for any party!

Dorothy made a pesto sauced pizza with roasted chicken, grilled red onions, sun dried tomatoes, mozzarella, pecorino romano and pine nuts. All of the ingredients were layered to perfection. The sun dried tomatoes were sweet and juicy, the pesto was fresh and floral. I could easily see this on a menu!

Clarissa was inspired by Thai cuisine - she made a peanut sauce pizza with Thai chicken meatballs, carrots, green onions, bean sprouts and cilantro. Savory and out of this world, it was a decadent pizza!

Dad took a more traditional route, he's always made a fabulous chicken parmesan and he decided to turn it into a pizza! Tomato sauce, chicken parmesan, mozzarella and pecorino romano.

Harrison took on the challenge on dessert pizza. He used nutella as a base, added coconut flakes, marshmallows and crushed graham cracker crust. Then he took a blow torch and melted the marshmallows - a fancy Smores inspired treat!

It was such a fun day and we look forward to the next food competition! I hope your Labor Day was just as much fun!

Cardamom Coffee Cake.

2011-08-31T22:07:00.000-07:00

The end of summer is drawing near and I've been relying on trusted recipes to see me through these final long summer nights. The summer heat drives me away from the oven and toward simple, low or no heat cooking. But what I miss most during the summer is baking and I won't allow the heat to deter me from my beloved stove, so I decided to bake you something.

I recently made one of my favorite treats, it's one I learned in cooking school. It takes coffee cake to a whole new level. Hold on to your horses, cowboys and cowgirls, this coffee cake honors the blessed spice, cardamom. Other coffee cake recipes cry out, "We're not worthy!!! We're not worthy!!!!" and it's hard to argue with them.

Cardamom Coffee Cake

2 1/2 c. all purpose flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. cardamom

1/4 tsp. ground ginger

1 c. brown sugar

3/4 c. white sugar

3/4 c. canola oil

1 c. chopped walnuts

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1 egg

1 c. buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl or bowl of Kitchen Aid stand-up mixer, mic the flour, salt, 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, 1/2 tsp. cardamom, ginger, brown sugar, white sugar, and canola oil. Remove 3/4 c. of mixture, and add it to nuts and remaining cinnamon and cardamom. Mix well and set aside.

To remaining batter, add baking soda, baking powder, egg and buttermilk. Mix to combine.

Spread the batter in a prepared 9" square baking pan. Sprinkle with the topping and bake 40-45 minutes until done.

Honest writing.

2011-08-04T09:37:00.000-07:00

I shared this through e-mail with friends who are writers, visual artists, sonic artists, and creators by nature, but I realized this is something I'd like my friends in cyberland to also check out. If you have followed Madame Munchies for a while, you know I think the world of Molly Wizenberg, food writer extraordinaire and the creative force behind the blog, Orangette. While the topic speaks to her own struggle to write I think the theme permeates throughout all of our journeys, escpecially for those who create. If you have some time, snuggle up with your favorite mug of tea/coffee or other beverage and soak this post in. You won't regret it.

This very topic has been of particular interest to me for quite some time - I find myself wanting to spend more time creating, whether it's writing, singing, playing the piano, making food, working on new zine ideas, knitting, etc. but have chosen to spend my free time doing other things instead (for various reasons, my friends). But I've noticed too that when I do create, my overall outlook and mood is much more positive. Reading this post also nudges me to finally read Bird by Bird. Thought this was kinda odd, considering I was discussing Anne Lamott over the weekend with some new pals at a BBQ. Coincidence?!? I think not.

Ice Ice Baby.

2011-07-17T22:26:00.000-07:00

Alert:: This post is not intended for those who abhor coffee. After typing that statement I realize that was an abomination. Fellow coffee lovers, short and tall, grande and venti, I found a simple recipe for iced coffee. It's not rocket science, but there is an art to the making of the perfect iced coffee. Now I won't get into the particulars and snobbery associated with coffee beans and where you should be purchasing them, but I will recommend you give this iced coffee concentrate a try, if you're an iced coffee lover.

The Pioneer Woman is a blog (really a well-rounded website) I've known about and have visited occasionally, but this past week I've been paying close attention to it. I feel ashamed for not having "plugged" this sooner because this is a site worth of plugging, drooling, and lusting over. I've managed to print several recipes, one of which, was her recipe for the perfect iced coffee.

I'm the kind of girl who can't drink hot beverages on hot days. Sue me, I'm a temperamental lady. I'm making a conscious effort not spend so much money at coffee shops unless I'm buying coffee beans so finding this recipe was immediately of interest to me. I made half a batch of the concentrate over the weekend and have enjoyed several glasses of this refreshing beverage. I chose to use a lesser quality of beans for it, but I'm quite happy with the results. I sweetened my iced coffee with lowfat milk and sweetened condensed milk, because I'm a caffeinated gangsta.

Spicy Cucumber Salad.

2011-07-13T10:03:00.000-07:00

Lately I think I've failed as a blogger, it's been slim pickins' around here and I'm not quite sure why. I need to fill up my blogging tank I suppose. Anyhow, I've been wanting to share this gem of a blog I found and one recipe that I have been making consistently since I stumbled upon this fine blog.

One of my new favorite foodie blogs is Bap Story – devoted to Korean cuisine, two L.A. dwellers demystify Korean food in their own kitchen. Simply laid out, they shoot beautiful photos of ingredients and dishes in various stages. For obvious reasons, you are intrigued and less intimidated by said recipes as a result. I've loved trying Korean food, but often am not familiar with names of dishes and all of the components.

The recipe I want to plug is the spicy cucumber salad, also known in Korean as Oee Muchim. Persian cucumbers play the leading role in this refreshing salad. The perfect side dish for a hot summer evening. It's the perfect no fuss side dish to accompany grilled fish or a bowl of white rice and it will take you all of less than 10 minutes to throw it together. Who can argue with that? And it's better the next day. If you're staying away from that big white box in your kitchen due to heat or humidity, this recipe is sure to become your new best friend. Give it a go, you'll be going back for more, again and again.

Jive Talk.

2011-07-06T12:10:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I wish there were enough hours in the day to enjoy all the simple things in life and thank God for blogging because we can share them with one another. Here are some things I've been jiving on lately. Feel free to share your favorites too!

Jen Lee's latest blog post is priceless. She has a way with words and every time I read her posts I get the sense that I should stop whatever else I'm doing because it isn't nearly as important as soaking in her inspiration and humble words.

The Wednesday Chef's latest blog post will make you smile. It's nice to be reminded again and again of the simple pleasures in life even in the midst of a "perfect" day as a wedding can be.

I will never get bored looking at Etsy's home page, which features different sellers practically on the hour. The handmade world is so under-appreciated.

I have yet to try the recipes but I am constantly saving recipes from Melissa Clark's column, A Good Appetite featured in the NY Times.

Finding out that Tori Amos has finally shared her U.S. tour dates, you'll know where to find me on December 17th and 18th.

** Flower arrangements above are my first ones. I learned how to do it when I visited my mommy in May. Thanks Tracy!

Delancey Part Deux.

2011-06-13T16:22:00.000-07:00

Weeks after opening in late summer of 2009, I made a pit stop at Delancey in Seattle. For a recap of my first meal there, please visit here. Nearly two years later, I had to go back and see how things were cookin' up while visiting my mom in the Seattle area. The joint is still hoppin' and there was a line of eager diners waiting for their doors to open on a Saturday night (they only take reservations for parties of 6 or more), so we knew we were in fine company. The specials were written on the blackboard, just like a teacher writing her name on the board or this week's homework assignment. Instantly, I was drawn to the special pizza - nettles pesto, bacon, onion and lots of grated grana padana.

The salad was mixed greens with roasted beets from the farmer's market in a creamy buttermilk dressing. Lightly tossed, it was a salad worth fighting for - come on, let's duke it out in the street. Okay maybe you're not the fighting type, but this salad was a dream starter. Yes, you already know I ordered the "special" pizza and my mom opted for the mushroom pizza. We could debate great pizza til we are blue in the face, but I've had a religious experience eating pizza recently. I like mine cooked to perfection in a hellish fire, with semi black spots on the crust and an even keeled crust. I prefer amazing ingredients thoughtfully placed onto my pizza. Pizza like this isn't something to scarf down because you're stoned or you're starving, it's pizza you should enjoy, mull over, let your eyes roll back in your head - it's that good. It's probably good that we don't have that one on tape. Having saved some room for dessert, we had the butterscotch pots au creme with banana infused whip cream and these lovely shortbread cookies. Light and sweet, but not overly doused with butterscotch or banana, this pot au cream was a pot au ecstasy.

Since opening Delancey, owners Molly and Brandon have recently opened a new project known as The Pantry. Think of it as a communal cooking space, a place to learn and be inspired.If you live in Seattle or are planning on visiting, look it up, there may be a cooking class or a family style dinner you'd like to sign up for!

Run, Don't Walk to Canele.

2011-05-13T10:48:00.000-07:00

I should've run to Canele the moment I heard about this gem several months back, but like all L.A. based foodies, sometimes we aren't able to run fast enough to check out a "new to me" restaurant. I'm not quite sure how long Canele has been around, but it's tucked into the up-and-coming downtown part of Atwater Village. I would describe Canele as a Neo-American/French bistro - the space is small, intimate (hence they do not take reservations) and the kitchen is open - in plain view for all to see. The tables are sparsley decorated with a votive candle and a teeny tiny glass jar of fresh flowers. But as you're about to find out, the flavors are anything but small here. The menu even had a nice touch - the dishes were arranged under the headings: beginning, middle, and end.

I met my dad there for dinner and we couldn't have been happier with the low key but attentive service and the delectable dishes. To start, my dad ordered the jamon serrano plate - served on a cheese board. It featured serrano ham (sweet, nutty, melt-in-your mouth and your roll-your-eyes back kinda way), pitted dates, toasted bread, marinated almonds and garrotxa cheese. The garrotxa is a Spanish sheeps milk cheese - easily compared to a manchego, but I found it milder. This plate reminded me of how I'd like to eat that dish on a regular basis, in fact, it inspired me to create my own little plate this weekend. I picked the dandelion salad with capers, parsley, garlic, croutons and a sherry viniagrette. This salad is not for the faint hearted, its pungent, bitter and should you dine with a date, I don't recommend kissing after eating it. Nonetheless, I loved it for its bold and unapologetic flavors all around.

Dad had the pancetta pasta with parsley, parmesan, pistacho and of course, pancetta. Very flavorful and light for a pasta dish. I went with the bistro steak - bordelaise sauce (a red wine sauce), creamed spinach and pommes anna (which is essentially a thinly sliced potato pie). I was easily transported to my future in Paris later this year, where I hope to leisurely dine at a bistro and enjoy a properly cooked steak. The meal was comfort food without the heavy qualities associated with these dishes. One could easily tell how much TLC was put into each dish and it shined throughout the plate.

Last but not least, we split the profiteroles with vanilla ice cream and homemade chocolate sauce (which had more a consistency of pudding, thick and luscious). Of course, I forgot to document the profiteroles before we dived into them, but there's proof of it's existence! :)

Buried Treasure.

2011-04-16T09:24:00.000-07:00

I should be concentrating on work related tasks, e-mails, files, projects, etc. but I’m on overload. It’s been a couple weeks of non-stop action at my day job and I have since forgotten how to a) relax and b) enjoy. Now that, my friends, is a real shame, because relaxation and the ability to enjoy (aka pleasure) are prerequisites if you intend on labeling yourself as a foodie.

So for that, I ask for forgiveness and I hope these Buried Cherry Chocolate Cookies will do the trick. Or at least you’ll consider it my first attempt at penance for falling off track.

This recipe has been in my box for nearly ten years – a roommate in college shared it with me and for some reason I allowed this gem of a recipe to collect dust since. Again, double shame on me because these cookies are special. I don’t want to hurt other cookies’ feelings but it’s true. This is not your average cookie on the block and it’s proven to be a real show stopper at social engagements.

In fact, I recently attended a craft party and made these cookies to share with friends as we allowed our creative and crafty juices to flow. I was a wee bit nervous because I had not made them in nearly ten years but after test-tasting one before the party, I knew I would spin a few new converts into my web of pleasure!

Buried Cherry Chocolate Cookies

1 10 oz. jar, maraschino cherries
1/2 c. unsalted butter, softened
1 c. sugar
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 c. flour
6 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 c. sweetened condensed milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Drain cherries, reserving the juice and cut the cherries in half (more than likely you will not need all the cherries, I would cut up 20 to start).

In medium mixing bowl, beat butter on medium speed (if using hand mixer or stand-up mixer) for 30 seconds. Add sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Then incorporate egg and vanilla until combined. Last but certainly not least, add the cocoa powder and flour. Shape dough into 1 inch balls and place 2 inches apart on cookie sheet (lined with parchment paper or silicone mat). Press thumb in center and place one halved cherry.

To make frosting, in a saucepan, combine chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk. Over low heat cook, stirring regularly until combined and melted. Stir in 4 tsp. of the cherry juice and spoon about a tsp. of mixture over each cherry. Bake cookies for 10 minutes.

Don't Be Scared.

2011-03-28T11:54:00.000-07:00

Every home cook has a number of recipes under their belt - they are cool, calm and confident when in the kitchen dolling these dishes out. But.....there are also a few recipes where we've scratched our heads or perhaps shied away from making them because there's fear or uncertainty.

When I pick up a latte at a coffee shop, sometimes I pick up a scone. And let's face it, most of us have experienced what certain retailers define as a "scone" but when in actuality it should be marketed as a "dry, flavorless piece of cardboard". Hmmmm....I wonder how the marketing gurus at Starbucks would come up with a smart marketing campaign for those?!?

Anyhow, I've been on a scone rant lately (an internal rant) and I realized that I've avoided baking scones for a while. Back in the day, I made them every so often, but never was overly thrilled with the results. No matter how many articles I digested, there wasn't a recipe that turned out exactly how it should. One could argue there are a variety of reasons for that - badly written recipe, oven temperature issues, over-handling of the dough, butter wasn't chilled enough, etc. Really and truly, I hope one doesn't go into therapy over this, but as you can tell a failed batch of scones can send someone into a deep depression.

Alas, this wasn't the case on Sunday. In between recuperating from helping out with a fundraiser on Saturday and cleaning my kitchen, I got the energy to make a batch of scones and I do have to say I was a happy girl. I didn't spend too much time pining over recipes, I relied on my trusty copy of The Art & Soul of Baking. The recipe is for Cream Scones and I added a scant 1/2 cup of dried cranberries.

Cream Scones with Dried Cranberries (adapted from The Art & Soul of Baking)

2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 c. sugar
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 stuck unsalted butter, cut into cubes and chilled
1 c. chilled heavy whipping cream
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tbs. sugar
1/2 c. dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 425 degrees and position an oven rack in the center. Line the baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Place the flour, 1/2 c. sugar, salt and baking powder in a food processor and process for 10 seconds to blend well. Add the cold butter and pulse 5 times at 1-second intervals, or until the butter is cut into medium pieces. Add the cream and cranberries and pulse another 20 times, or until the dough holds together in small, thick clumps. Use a spatula to scrape the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Gently squeeze together until they form a cohesive dough.

Pat the dough into a circle about 7 inches in diameter and about an inch thick. Use a chef's knife to cut the dough into 8 equal wedges and transfer to the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart.

Brush the tops with a thin coasting of the lightly beat egg. Sprinkle evenly with the sugar and bake for 14-16 minutes, until firm to the touch and golden brown. Transfer to a rack and let cool for 5 minutes.

Lamb Meatballs 101.

2011-03-21T16:24:00.000-07:00

I think it's safe to say, you either fall into the "I love meatballs" camp or you fall into the "I can live without meatballs" camp. For most of my life, I believe I fell into the "I can live without meatballs" camp, but every now and then a recipe will rear it's cute lil' face and entice me into trying it. One thing is for sure, I'm more into the non-traditional meatball as opposed to the typical spaghetti and meatballs (for an example, I wrote a post about two meatball recipes that were to-die-for here).

Years ago I started a project, organizing recipes I had pulled from magazines and newspapers - recipes I had the noble intention of trying at least once. Recently, I looked at the growing pile of magazines and the folder project and decided to come up with a more technologically saavy way of organizing said recipes. I spent a portion of a weekend going through the recipes I had collected and weeding out the ones that still tripped my trigger. One of those recipes happened to be a recipe for Northern Indian lamb meatballs featured in a Martha Stewart Living magazine circa January 2005.

So I spent Sunday evening making these delectable balls of juicy lamb which simmered in a tomato based sauce fragrantly spiced with turmeric, cayenne, coriander and garam masala. The method was a tad different then my prior experience with making meatballs, but the results absolutely yielded the most tender, flavorful meatballs I have ever made.

To accompany the meatballs I heated up some garlic naan from Trader Joe's and I made an impromptu yogurt sauce from scratch. Here's my very own yogurt sauce recipe:

1/2 c. greek yogurt (plain)

1/4 tsp. kosher or sea salt

1/2 tsp.-3/4 tsp. garam masala

1/4 tsp.-1/2 tsp. cayenne

1 shallot, minced

1/4 c. flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

Mix together in small bowl and chill prior to serving with meatballs and naan.

YOU'RE ALL WINNERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2011-03-14T14:33:00.000-07:00

Hello friends, well since 8 lovely individuals took the time post something on Madame Munchies, you all will get a copy of my zine!!! Thanks for continuing to support my blog, much love to all!

P.S. - E-mail me your address (pumpkingrl_1031@hotmail.com) and I will mail you a copy of the zine this week!

HOT OFF THE PRESSES!!!!!! A ZINE GIVEAWAY!!!!

2011-03-09T21:53:00.000-08:00

For the last 9 months or so, I've been stewing and brewing up my very first ZINE!!! What's a zine you ask? It's an independently published magazine. They can be about anything you can imagine and it's a unique subculture amongst the zinesters out there.

So without further ado, Bitchin' Kitchen presents Cake Geek Volume I - my first foodie zine dedicated to cake recipes! These are easy cakes, perfect for any occasion!

Want to win a copy for FREE???? Just post a comment below on the blog and be entered to win! Comments can be posted until Sunday night 11:59 pm PST. FIVE WINNERS WILL BE SELECTED and (using www.random.org) will be revealed on Monday, March 14th! SPREAD THE WORD!!!!

Lime Cilantro Dressing.

2011-03-07T19:02:00.001-08:00

A couple weeks ago I wrote about my slight obsession with a tahini dressing that Jessica Hilton turned me onto and now I want to "twalk" more dressing. This time it's a recipe from Rick Bayless - his lime cilantro dressing. It's one of those dressings that needs no introduction, and is the star of the show. Just tossed with romaine lettuce is a perfect side dish to any Latin inspired entree. Mr. Bayless even recommends tossing over steamed veggies (which I'm going to give a try this week).

In the salad pictured above, I added julienned peppadew peppers, sliced scallions, diced tomato and cucumber, topped with crispy tortilla strips.

Lime Cilantro Dressing (adapted from Rick Bayless' recipe)2 1/2 tbs. fresh lime juice
zest of one to 2 limes
2 small cloves of garlic
1/2 hot green chile (jalapeno or serrano)
1 1/2 tbs. chopped fresh cilantro
2/3 c. canola oil
3 tbs. feta cheese
salt, about 1/2 tsp depending on saltiness of feta (I bought my feta from Trader Joe's and I use 1/4 tsp. salt)

O is for Osteria and M is for Mozza.

2011-03-05T15:21:00.000-08:00

Brace yourself friends, after reading this post, you may find yourself salivating, drooling at the corners of your mouth and/or hungry. You may also wish to sue me for taunting and teasing, but let's hope that's not the case. And being that I am a legal professional, I'm confident that taunting and teasing is not a felony or misdemeanor, but you take that up with California statutes.

If you follow Madame Munchies you are aware of the "list". This isn't just any list, it's my restaurant list, which I started well over a year ago. It's where I keep track of restaurants I want to try out and last night I crossed Osteria Mozza off that list. I hate to admit that it's been sitting on that list, dusty, like an old pair of shoes, but it wasn't for not. This joint is so popular, getting a reservation is like going to war.

The benefits of going to OM with a party of seven is getting to taste a variety of dishes and we definitely ordered a larger variety of dishes, some of which will be pictured but I may not write about. I will focus on the dishes I ordered for time management's sake.

To start, I ordered the red endive, fennel and parmigiano reggiano salad with an anchovy-date dressing. It's the stacked salad pictured above. A beautiful presentation, the crunchy endive was layered with paper thin slices of sweet fennel and rectangles of a nutty parmigiano.

Prior to visiting OM, I had spent a considerable amount of time studying the menu and scheming exactly what I would like to order and when I scrolled to the pasta section, I knew I wanted to try the gnocchi with duck ragu. The last place I had gnocchi was at Angeli Caffe and I had a hard time believing that OM's gnocchi would surpass my expectations. The gnocchi were miniature and were lovingly dressed with a rich, comforting duck ragu. The gnocchi weren't necessarily better, they were just different. The best way to describe them is ultra-potato-ey. They were hearty, but not heavy.

The sauteed broccolini with vinegar and chiles were addictive. Tart, bright flavors with a splash of heat, easily devoured by all sitting at the table. For dessert, I had to go with the bombolini with a huckleberry marmalade and vanilla gelato on top of a lemon mascarpone cream. The bombolini are fried donuts tossed with sugar. The warm fritters of dough with the tangy huckleberries and lemon mascarpone were amazing.

It was definitely a night to remember, I'm looking forward to trying out the pizzeria next.

Cabbage Cravin'.

2011-02-28T21:13:00.001-08:00

I've tooted the horns of Molly Wizenberg and Matthew Amster-Burton's radio program, Spilled Milk. The topic of the last episode was spouseless eating and Molly mentioned that she braises a lot of veggies, and cabbage is one her favorites. And while I'm temporarily spouseless, I thought I'd give this recipe a whirl. I adore braising, it's so effortless and all it requires is good ingredients.

Braised Cabbage with Apples and Caraway Seeds is a super simple recipe - red cabbage, diced red onion, shredded tart apple, apple cider vinegar, salt, honey and caraway seeds. Braise for an hour and voila, something sweet and a lil' zingy too. So good solo, but Molly recommended serving it with pork chops or a grilled cheese with sharp cheddar. I think it would also be a great side dish along with a farro salad.

Gaga for Tahini.

2011-02-19T16:59:00.000-08:00

How many bottles of dressing are sitting your fridge? Come one, fess up. Dare I ask how old some of those bottles are??? If you were to open mine, you'd find one bottled dressing - ranch ( I can't help it, I need it for pizza). Aside from the ranch, I've dedicated my dressing/vinaigrette ways to making them myself, it's easy peasy. You rarely need to purchase exuberant ingredients for such an item and it makes all the difference in the world. It takes a salad from standard to life changing. Okay, maybe, that was slightly melodramatic, but it's the truth.

I wish I could claim this recipe as mine all mine, but I give credit to where credit is due. Back in January I took a healthy cooking class from the "one and only" Jessica Hilton (personal self and holistic nutritionist) and one of the recipe gems that I learned was a tahini dressing. The dressing was featured in a Mediterranean salad but also was suggested that we toss with steamed kale (which I have done and is amazing). Since that fateful day, I've made this dressing religiously and I think you should join this tahini-loving cult too. You will thank me.

Tahini Dressing

1 garlic clove, smashed and chopped
1/4 c. tahini (sesame paste)
zest of lemon
scant 1/4 c. fresh lemon juice
2 tbs. olive oil
2 tbs. hot water
scant 1/2 tsp. fine grain sea salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional - I added this to the dressing and it gave it a nice kick)

I blended all together with my immersion blender, but you could use a regular blender.

Muffin Mania.

2011-01-26T12:24:00.000-08:00

I guess you could say I've been on a "muffin" roll this month. Last week Molly Wizenberg of Orangette featured a post on ginger muffins from Marion Cunningham's book entitled The Breakfast Book (which I am squeamishly trying to be patient for as I placed it on "hold" at the library). In the meantime, though I was pleasantly pooped after attending a book club meeting, Sunday evening I made a batch of these spicy and energetic little muffins.

At first I was a bit concerned with the amount of fresh ginger used in the recipe. I kept reminding myself, that if Molly used that amount, I should use the same amount too. Trust Molly, trust Molly, trust Molly. After this mini-meditation, I plowed through the simple recipe and this is how they turned out:

Allowing them to cool, I sliced one muffin in half and slathered some softened butter on top each half. I have to say it wasn't what I was expecting. Though the batter included a substantial amount of ginger, it wasn't over the top (or over the muffin top, if you're up for a pun). They definitely had a kick to them, but they were bursting with citrus and spice notes (an not overly sweet, which I like). Easy to see why popping another two into your mouth takes no effort. The batter could easily be turned into a quick bread too. Accompanied with a cold glass of milk, these muffins are a great way to start your day or start someone else's day. Consider serving them at a brunch or party as a dessert too.

Cookie Cult Winner - Revealed!

2011-01-23T09:27:00.000-08:00

Drum roll please.................................................and the winner is KASSIE!!!!!!!!! (Please note that the winner was determined using www.random.org).

Thank you everyone for participating on Madame Munchies' very first giveaway! I am so glad there are a few new faces around here and I hope you all continue to come back and join me on my various adventures!!!

Cookie Cult Giveaway!!!

2011-01-17T21:47:00.000-08:00

Madame Munchies is having her very first giveaway, and what’s better than a “cookie” giveaway! It doesn’t matter if you’re local or out-of-state everyone can participate and be in the drawing for a batch of my addictive and delicious chocolate chip cookies (pictured above)! All you have to do is post a comment on my blog!

If you’re already a follower, thanks, but if you’re not, become a follower and you’ll be entered again into the drawing. Twice the fun and twice the opportunity to win some cookies!!! Contest ends Saturday, January 22, 2011 at midnight. Winners will be posted Sunday, January 23^rd!!! Good luck readers!

Tomato Soup.

2011-01-17T15:04:00.001-08:00

I've been making a lot of soups lately. Not only are they good lunch choices, but it's a one pot meal that can't be beat. I can't remember the last time I made tomato soup, but I think it was when I was still living in the midwest. It's also been a while since I've made a grilled cheese sandwich and what goes better with grilled cheese, then the perfect bowl of homemade tomato soup?!?!?

Without time to peruse all of my cookbooks, I opted for a "google" search and ended up selecting Michael Chiarello's tomato soup featured on the Food Network site. A few red flags upfront, this recipe calls for 3/4 c. evoo and 2 tbs. butter. That's alot of evoo and alot of butter, even for my taste buds, let alone arteries. Given that the recipe calls for only 1 14-oz can of diced tomatoes, I highly recommend cutting the amount of olive oil by at least 50% (if not a little more) and if you're going to use cream, I'd leave out the butter. It's decadent enough with one or the other. But it's your call and your arteries.

Now tomatoes are not in season this time of year, it's a great recipe for using canned tomatoes (just make sure you get a brand that is organic or at least super high quality like San Marzanos, it really does make all the difference). What's different about this recipe is that M.C. instructs you to roast the canned tomatoes (after draining and reserving the liquid), which intensifies the sweet, subtle nature of these apple-red jewels. In under 40 minutes, four servings of homemade creamy tomato soup are ready and all you need is that grilled cheese sandwich, of course. I made mine on sourdough with asiago, fontina and mozzarella.

Susan Feniger's STREET.

2011-01-13T10:20:00.000-08:00

Susan Feniger's STREET has been on my ever-growing restaurant list and with a coupon in hand (thanks to Open Table), several weeks ago, a friend and I hit the streets of Hollywood and spent an evening at STREET. Feniger is known for her artful approach and her homage-paying to all foods Latin in nature. If you've eaten at Ciudad (no longer) or Border Grill, you know what I'm talking about. Feniger definitely delivers her same approach, but in my opinion, has stepped up her game at STREET. Take street food from around the world and make it playful, inquisitive and you've got a fantastic menu.

Off the bat, each dish stands on its own and each as very complex layers, but it's not overpowering. In fact, there were several dishes, that we were pondering and brainstorming which certain flavor or note we were picking up. As if we were drinking a really expensive wine. I felt like a little kid in a candy store.

Dish#1 - Sashimi with spicy sesame mayonnaise, yuzu ponzu, smoked salt, pink peppercorns and wasabi radish sprouts - I could've easily ordered another round of this dish, highly recommended by our server, I was succumbed to temptation. Sweet, smoky, salty, each element complimented the fish. The perfect expression of balance and respect for beautiful ingredients.

Dish #2 - Broiled scallops on the half shell with Peruvian aji amarillo cream, chorizo breadcrumbs, lime and fresh picked cilantro - I'd have to say this was probably my least favorite dish, and it has nothing to do with taste, it just wasn't a show-stopper quite like the others and I would've preferred the scallops were bigger. They were bay scallops.

Dish #3 - Sauteed brussel sprouts with apples, hazelnuts, and goat cheese - Prior to going to STREET, I had just seen a recipe for brussel sprouts sauteed with apples and immediately I wanted to make it. I love brussel sprouts and when I saw this dish listed on the menu, I just knew it was fate. This would get any child or adult to eat brussel sprouts.

Dish #4 - Black kale with refried white beans served with toasted olive bread and white anchovy butter - Have you noticed my slight obsession with KALE??? It's Jess' fault, she's the one to blame. This was so satisfying, a dish that makes you feel like you're being truly good to yourself.

Dish #5 - Braised short ribs Korean style with a scallion ginger cream and arugula - Nothing says comfort food (when it comes to meat) quite like braised short ribs. Tender, sweet and slightly dangerous.

Dish #6 - Thai tea creme caramel - this dessert takes the cake and there's no cake. It's been a while since I've had dessert somewhere that BLEW my mind and this night was the exception to the rule. I love custard and thai iced tea. The infusion was so delicate and flavors were sumptuous, I felt like I had my very first kiss.

2011 Entertaining.

2011-01-10T13:30:00.000-08:00

Like most folks I fail at keeping resolutions when it comes to the "new year" and the past couple of years, instead I have resolved to making a list of intentions. A list of intentions does not quite have the same "effect" in that there isn't a looming dark cloud of pressure surrounding you. And at the end of year, when you reflect on that list of intentions, it's pretty neat to see how much you have accomplished.

One of my intentions for 2011 is to entertain more - last February I moved into my place, but I haven't christened it with many gatherings of friends and family. So I kicked off the new year this past weekend by hosting a small brunch and crafty party with two girlfriends. There was laughter, storytelling, crafting, bubbly, sharing, and of course, dining. The menu included a frittata, hash brown casserole, and banana nut muffins (as depicted above).

Frittatas are fun, inventive, and have a mind of their own. I understand the irrational fear of omelette making, but I'm still puzzled by those who are afraid of a little thing called a frittata. Not only are they easy to make, there are an infinite number of possibilities when it comes to ingredients to add to this baked egg wonder. I added ribbons of kale, purple asparagus, sundried tomatoes and shredded pecorino romano cheese.

The hash brown casserole was a recipe I found online (the link above will take you there) and turned out to be a carb/cheese lover's dream. This isn't exactly "healthy" but it sure did fit the bill and makes a great side dish for breakfast, lunch or dinner!

The super moist banana nut muffins were from one of my most reliable baking books, The Weekend Baker. What's great about this book is its layout. Abigail (the author) separated recipes based on timeframe. So if you're looking for quick last minute baking recipes, there's a section devoted to that. if you're looking for more labor-intensive baking, there's a section for that. And her recipe writing skills are hands down some of the best.

Heart n Soul Soup.

2011-01-01T15:35:00.000-08:00

Like all foodies, I look forward to my monthly subscriptions to various food publications, but Bon Appetit has to be my most favorite (especially since the untimely death of Gourmet). This month's issue includes a section devoted to LEAFY GREENS!!!! I'm trying to include more leafy greens in my cooking and every recipe in this section will make your mouth water.

I'm a soup groupie. Especially living on my own, I find making soups and stews on the weekends is a great way to save money on lunch during the week and most of them freeze well. And I look for recipes that are substantial enough as an entree. It's the kind of soup is warms your heart and soul. Your body will thank you.

Recently, I gave the Mixed-Greens and Sausage Soup with Cornmeal Dumplings a good ol' college try. I made it with chicken andouille sausage I found at Trader Joe's and think it turned out fabulous. The cornmeal dumplings are sweet and savory, without feeling heavy in your belly. The chicken sausage added a lil' kick and paired nicely with the mixed leafy greens called for in the recipe. Take advantage of the all the leafy greens available to you this season and give this recipe a whirl!

Holly Jolly Christmas 2010.

2010-12-30T12:43:00.001-08:00

Christmas 2010 was definitely holly and jolly. Not only did I have four days off, but I got to spend time with family and friends, socializing, cooking, and eating - what we do best! And isn't that part of the blessing of the holiday season??? Weeks before Christmas, my dad, stepmom and stepsister started planning the Christmas meal. I offered to make dessert and my Nana's traditional stuffing. We settled on a menu and at the last minute a few additional changes were made, but here's what we ended up with:

BBQ chicken and ribs (made by Dad and served with a traditional BBQ sauce and an apricot mint spicy sauce (Bobby Flay recipe);
Potatoes Au Gratin (made by Clarissa);
Traditional Stuffing (made by yours truly);
Green Bean Casserole (made by Clarissa);
Creme Brulee (made by Uncle Stormy); and
Molten Lava Chocolate Cakes (made by Madame Munchies).

Everything turned out fantastic, each dish was flavorful and complimented one another very well. Prior to making the stuffing, I had consulted my Nana about a few steps she didn't include in her recipe and I ended up tweaking it and making it my own. There's nothing like my Nana's stuffing and I think I actually improved it.

Nana's Traditional Stuffing (adapted by Madame Munchies)
Serves 8-10

2 large white onions, chopped fine
3-4 celery stalks, chopped fine
1/2 pint of button mushrooms, chopped fine
3-4 carrots, peeled and chopped fine
4 tbs. unsalted butter
3-4 tbs. fresh thyme, chopped
15 oz. seasoned croutons
1 head of roasted garlic
1 lb. turkey necks
1 lb. turkey giblets
water
salt and pepper

In a large stockpot, add the turkey necks and giblets, cover with water and bring to a boil. Skim the foam and reduce to a simmer for 2-3 hours. Continue to skim as it simmers. Add more water to the pot, if any of the turkey parts are no longer submerged in water. When the stock is ready, strain and save the turkey necks. Discard the giblets. When cool to the touch, pull apart meat from turkey necks and chop finely.

While the giblet broth is simmering, heat a large skillet and add the butter. After the butter has melted, add the chopped onions, celery, carrots, and mushrooms. Saute until soft and add the fresh thyme. Season with salt and pepper.

In a large mixing bowl, add the seasoned croutons, sauteed veggies, turkey meat, and roasted garlic. Mix together well. With a ladle, add the giblet broth to the crouton mixture and incorporate. Add additional broth, until the mixture is moist but not super soggy. Season to taste.

Put the stuffing into a lightly greased 9x13 pan and bake at 350-375 degrees for 30-40 minutes.

I failed to get a picture of the molten chocolate lava cakes, but the link above gives you the visual as well as the recipe. A super easy dessert and it's also rather impressive for entertaining. Instead of serving it with it freshly whipped cream, I bought a pint of vanilla bean ice cream. Decadent, rich and uber chocolately, it was the perfect ending to an already coma-induced meal.

Trip Down Mediterranean (Sorta) Lane......

2010-11-22T11:01:00.000-08:00

Has it really been over two months since my last post? Yikes, I should be put in a corner -"bad blogger". The truth is my mind has been elsewhere and personally speaking, I've been in a major funk since October, but I'm beginning to see the light of day again and well.....here I am. I hope you'll take me back with open arms! Otherwise no holiday cookies for you!

Before I left for Oregon to spend Thanksgiving with family, I invited my dad and his wife, Clarissa, over for a Sunday supper. It's the first time I've had them both over for dinner and I was jazzed about my menu, which I faithfully planned all week long. Have you ever just been in the mood for lamb? I mean, there's something about it - delicate, fragrant, tender and if you're able to source amazing lamb, it's not gamey at all. Luckily, I've been spoiled rotten the last ten months living in Los Feliz, with McCall's Meat & Fish Co in my neighborhood. I chose to go with rack of lamb (Colorado rack of lamb to be exact) and I was a bit nervous. I've cooked many cuts of lamb before but there's something about the rack that is intimidating. Thanks to Nathan (co-owner at McCalls) for putting my worries at ease, he shared secret society tips on how to roast that rack to perfection and I'm not lying kids, it was perfection.

Seasoned with salt and pepper, I seared the lamb in a super hot pan with a swig of olive oil for about 5 minutes. Then I transferred the lamb to a roasting dish and put in a 400 degree oven for about 30 minutes (to obtain medium rare temp). Nathan recommended checking it at around 20 minutes (which depending on your oven at home, I agree is the best policy). Not pictured above, I made an apricot chutney to accompany the lamb. It's a Mark Bittman recipe and is easy-peasy to make - sugar, vinegar, chopped dried apricots, cloves, ginger, star anise and bam, you've got magic. Dad and Clarissa really enjoyed the chutney.

I served the lamb with cinnamon scented basmati rice (all I did to achieve this was stick two cinnamon sticks in with the rice wile it cooked)- it was so fragrant, warm and inviting you to taste every morsel. I've been a big fan of Luisa Weiss, The Wednesday Chef, and several weeks ago, she posted a warm zucchini salad with harissa dressing, kalamata olives and feta. Click here for the recipe. Instead of steaming the zucchini I opted to saute the, but I think this would be delicious if you roasted the zucchini too.

Needless to say, it was one of my finer meals that I've served and I was smiling for days. I hope during this holiday season you are finding something to smile about!

Fall....a misnomer in L.A.

2010-10-03T23:14:00.001-07:00

We haven't exactly had fall weather here in Los Angeles. We experienced one of the most mild summers and by default, we've had a sizzling heat wave entering the "fall" season, however my palette is definitely yearning for some fall favorites.

I'm back on the cookbook hunt for cookbooks devoted to seasonality. I'm becoming more and more interested in cooking and eating seasonally, however it can be intimidating. I mean, where does one begin?? Sure, it's a good idea to start strolling through farmer's markets, but for some (including me), it can be slightly daunting. You will find hidden treasures, troves of hearty vegetables coming into season and you will find the last fruits of summer hanging on for dear life, but like many, one can easily become overwhelmed when it comes to preparing meals involving these beautiful ingredients.

That's where a book like Earth to Table comes into play. I recommend you curl up on your couch, accompanied by your favorite glass of wine, while perusing this well-loved cookbook. It's easy to see where and how inspirations rears its playful little head throughout this book. Seasonal cooking is about allowing the ingredients to shine, letting them take center stage and show off their best. Perhaps even allow them to take a solo or perform a classic monologue. Either way, seasonal cooking shouldn't be about racking your brain, but taking the time to step back and let the ingredients speak for themselves.

This braised short rib dish was no joke. Gently simmering in beef stock, a hearty red wine, herbs and mirepoix, these short ribs were singin' for MY supper. What's great about a dish like this is that while it takes time, it doesn't take alot of "active" time. In fact, while the short ribs were having a party in my Le Creuset dutch oven, I was busy preparing a side dish to accompany the short ribs. Trusting the authors behind Earth to Table, I made a parsnip and apple puree, which to the common eyeball looks like another mound of creamy mashed potatoes, but you would be surprised. It was a first for me and I was pleasantly surprised, the juicy apple made a handsome couple with the rooty tooty parsnip. Creamy, slightly sweet with a lil' tang, the puree complimented the braised short ribs without overpowering them.

Get Your Juices Flowin.

2010-09-22T08:40:00.000-07:00

There are moments. Moments where all is right with the world and especially moments where all is right in the kitchen. Last night was one of those precious moments (and I'm not talkin' about those cheesy figurines some of you collected back in the 80s, no offense to those who are still collecting). Most nights I have a plan for dinner and if not, I have some go-to items for those nights when cooking isn't realistic.

On Monday night, I made a pit-stop at Whole Foods to pick up a few veggies and fruits for the week. I tend to stay clear of packaged veggies but there was a pre-packaged container of stir fry veggies that caught my eye. Chunks of portabella and crimini mushrooms, leeks, napa cabbage, ginger, and bok choy. I was caught up in the "moment" and figured what the hell....I'll give it a whirl. I decided to make a stir fry of these veggies and for the main course I was going to make a piece of halibut (which I purchased from my favorite butcher/fishmonger, McCall's).

So last night was D-day. Earlier in the day, instead of working, I was day dreaming about how to prepare the halibut. I came up with a lemon panko crusted halibut. Added lemon zest, salt and pepper to some panko bread crumbs. Made a egg eash and a plate with all-purpose flour. Three steps - put fish in egg wash, then flour, then panko bread crumbs mixture. I seared the piece of fish in some olive oil before finishing it off in a 375 degree oven for 15 minutes.

My biggest dilemma was a sauce for the stir-fried veggies. I would not be satisfied with soy sauce alone. So I made a little concoction while the veggies were cookin' and the halibut was roasting. The concoction consisted of chili garlic sauce, sesame oil, soy sauce, and chili paste in soybean oil. I didn't measure, I just played around with amounts and found the perfect consistency (but if I were to guess-timate, I would say, 1 tbs. chili garlic sauce, 1/2 tsp. sesame oil, 1/2 tbs. soy sauce, 1 tbs. chili paste in soybean oil). About two mintes before I took the halibut out, I tossed this concoction with the veggies and let it simmer. Squeezed some lemon juice over the fish and the meal was complete. Sweet victory!!!!!!!!

Just Golden.

2010-09-15T09:28:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, a bunch of friends went up to Big Bear Lake for a mini getaway. Because of work schedules and the volume of food we were bringing, we ended up taking separate cars to mountains. My pal, Richard and I, made a pit stop at Jonathan Gold's beloved Golden Deli in Alhambra. Hey, we had to kill some time avoiding nasty traffic and what better way then to have a lil' foodie adventure on the way?!?!?

Golden Deli has been on my list for quite some time now. Richard has mentioned it numerous times to all of us and Gold of the L.A. Weekly swears that Golden Deli has the best Vietnamese Spring Rolls. I'm a huge fan of pho and Vietnamese spring rolls, so I was really looking forward to trying this place out.

It's a hole-in-the-wall in a small strip mall and from what Richard was telling me, it's always packed. There's always a line, but for whatever reason we summoned the foodie gods and were able to get a table quickly. It was hustling in there, everyone was intent and focused on their menus and dishes. This isn't a place you screw around, you are there for the food and everyone knows it.

Richard suggested I try their fried pork with steamed rice and this scallion compote. I was game. The fried pork with short-grain steamed rice was tantalizing. Crispy, peppery without feeling heavy in your tummy, I could've devoured all of that pork. The perfect ratio of fat to meat, topped with a compote of scallions - it brightening the pork and your tastebuds.

I had to order a traditional bowl of pho and of course, the spring rolls. Piping hot, crunchy, delicate rolls, stuffed with pork, pepper, and julienned vegetables. One could eat the rolls all by themselves alongside that not-so-powerful fish sauce for dipping or swimming, whatever you prefer. Wrapped in a piece of lettuce with bean sprouts, cucumber, mint and basil, these rolls are worth living and dying for. If you forced me to only order one thing at Golden Deli, it would have to be the spring rolls. They are addictive in every sense of the word.

Pho is a tricky dish, you either love it or you don't. I can't use that four-letter "h" word because my feelings for pho are quiet the contrary. The beef based broth simmers with flavors of anise and other warm spices and the rice noodles swimming in this complex broth are as happy as can be. In terms of protein, your options are plentiful, however, I went a fairly traditional route and had the rare beef and tendon. Paper thin slices of beef garnish the top of your bowl of pho, immediately forcing you to swirl the meat around in the broth so that is properly cooks. A plate full of various condiments and toppings is always served with pho. Each pho joint may do things a lil' different, but the essentials include, sliced onion, jalapeno, lime, bean sprout, basil and mint. It's your choice, add a few tablespoons of hoisin or chili paste too, if you want to kick it up a notch. There isn't one way to do pho, unlike Burger King, YOU CAN HAVE IT YOUR WAY! I've been told pho is the great cure for a hangover, Lord, knows it definitely hits the spot on a rainy day or if you've got the sniffles. Pho is an ironic dish, it's simple and complex.

Portland: Pratically Perfect in Every Way.

2010-09-08T10:00:00.000-07:00

Two weekends ago, I took a jet plane to Portland - met my mom there for a glorious and jam packed weekend and the main purpose was to attend the 2010 Zine Symposium. Portland is a hub of zinesters and aficionados when it comes to all things, zines, do-it-yourself publications and independent publishing. For more info on what a zine is, click here and for a mini tutorial, click here.

Mom and I had a grand plan from the time she picked me up at PDX until she dropped me off Sunday night. The first plan of attack was heading to Powell's Bookstore, downtown Portland. Powell's is a book lover's paradise, it covers several blocks of downtown Portland and there are color-coded rooms where various sections live. Of course, I was hunkered down in the cooking section, which was so well-stocked, it blew my mind.

My friends, Pete and Sarah, Portland ex pats (only for a temporary time though, they will return one day), recommended several restaurants, including The Farm Cafe where we dined Friday night. Farm Cafe is quaint home converted into a charming, cozy restaurant. Local, sustainable and carefully selected ingredients are worshipped and adored at this highly praised restaurant. It continues to win the hearts of locals and boasts a number of accolades. Mom had the pleasure of dining here last summer with some gal pals (thanks again to Pete and Sarah for the suggestion) and she ordered the pan crusted tofu with caramelized onions, mushrooms and mashed potatoes. As if that isn't enough to make your tummy happy, it's all surrounded by a sweet marsala sauce. We also shared an appetizer of halibut fish cakes that were served with a sundried tomato aioli. We could've eaten these alone for dinner and I would've been satisfied. I was torn between several dishes on the menu, but the call of goat cheese ravioli was too overwhelming to pass up, so I succumbed like an alcoholic. Mom and I shared the blueberry and peach cobbler for dessert, and left the Farm Cafe in quite a deliriously happy state.

Saturday marked the beginning of the Zine Symposium which was located at Portland State University (also located downtown) and lucky for us, the gym was a hop skip and a jump from the Saturday Farmer's Market which is held at the university every Saturday. Your eyes would pop out of your head at all the farmers and various of foodie vendors. Hypothetically, one could do all of their grocery shopping here at the market - flowers, cheese, bread, oils, jams, pickles, veggies, fruit, seafood, poultry...the list goes on and on. In addition, there are some amazing breakfast/lunch options while buying some groceries at the market. I had a homemade artichoke heart and cotija stuffed tamale and my mom had a savory french crepe stuffed with cheese and grilled veggies. When visiting another city, I always try to stroll through their local farmer's market, if they have one, it says so much about the city and gives me an excuse to take tons of great photos!

The Laughing Planet Cafe is a eclectic cafe that serves healthy quesadillas, burritos, tacos, bowls, salads...in other words, the works! Funky and electrically painted and decorated, this cafe automatically puts you in a good mood with their friendly staff and rockin 70s tunes. I had a yummy chicken burrito filled to the max with grilled veggies and my mom ordered a quesadilla stuffed with tons of veggies too. The trio of salsas each brought a unique aspect to each bite and neither of us felt "guilty" about eating our meals. We even sat outside on a picnic bench and enjoyed the cool weather as we dined and caught up on life and all we experienced at the first day of the Zine Symposium.

No trip to Portland would be complete without a pit stop at two of Portland's most famous places - Stumptown Coffee Roasters and Voodoo Doughnuts. Stumptown to Portland is what Intelligentsia and LA Mill is to Los Angeles, a coffee connoisseur's haven. Urban hipsters unite for good coffee, mellow vibes and hanging out at Stumptown, and of course a cup of java that will blow your mind. Now Voodoo Doughnuts is a very special place too, open 24 hours, this sugar fix joint thrives on its delicious donuts but also on its quirky menu, including donuts topped with your favorite childhood cereal and "adult themed" donuts for your wedding or bachelor parties (I kid you not). Voodoo has been featured on Man vs. Food and several other foodie t.v. programs. No wonder we waited 30 minutes for a donut, but the wait was absolutely worth it!

There were so many other wonderful memories, my mom and I shared while in Portland, this city is a very special place on so many levels and I can see why people choose it as a home base. It's beautiful with trees, trees and more trees, the river is close. Portland is a hub of culture, creativity and diversity. Magical place, it really is and I can't wait to go back someday.

Party Favors.

2010-08-23T12:10:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I haven't posted anything here in a month, bad blogger, bad blogger!!! My apologies to all of you devoted followers. It's been quite a busy month, between work, birthday parties, going away parties and this past weekend my dad got married. Several months ago my dad and his wife asked me to bake party favors for their guests. We settled on 2 cookies each of the following cookies: my famous chocolate chip cookies, lemon clove cookies (a recipe by Alice Waters) and linzer cookies (the best recipe from Martha Stewart, of course). So I decided to share these with you all, even though none of you can take a bite. I know I'm such a tease.

I decided to package them in Chinese take-out boxes and tie a bit of red tulle for some color. They turned out great and I received several compliments from guests at the reception. The chocolate chip cookies are one of my go-to recipes, it's actually a recipe from a vintage Better Crocker cookbook for kids. These cookies are ridiculously soft and the real key to doing these justice is two fold: 1. the combination of oil and butter and 2. letting the cookie dough rest overnight in the fridge.

I've been an avid fan of Alice Waters' work at Chez Panisse and came across her recipe for Lemon Clove cookies many moons ago. This citrus infused butter cookie is bright and cheery, like sunshine on a crisp morning. Accompanied by a hot cup of java or tea us the perfect accoutrement for this delicate cookie.

When I was in college, I was a devout fan of Martha Stewart and developed a deep respect for linzer cookies, especially her recipe for them. This is another butter cookie rolled in ground hazelnuts and then dolloped with a thumbprint of seedless raspberry jam in the middle. It's one of my dad's favorites and he requested it for the party favors.

I'm seriously considering offering a cookie take-out box for parties, etc. Depending on the request and number of cookies, each box will range from $4-6. If you're interested, please send me an e-mail at madamemunchies@gmail.com for more information.

My Lamb Pita-wich.

2010-07-31T09:18:00.000-07:00

I've raved and ranted about McCall's Meat and Fish, several times since it's grand opening in February of 2010. Ever since I've been a foodie, it's been one of my mini-dreams to have a local butcher in my neighborhood. Call it divine intervention, this randomly occurred when I moved to Los Feliz in February too. It was the joining of two loves and I've been devoted to this neighborhood joint ever since.

Nathan and Karen (the dynamic owners of McCalls) are passionate about what they do, both have A+ resumes in the restaurant industry, and are committed to serving only the best, primo cuts of meat, fowl, game and seafood. I kinda feel like I won the foodie lottery to be honest. Every other weekend when I make my morning grocery run, I stop by to pick up a few essentials and a few non-essentials. About two months ago, I broke down and tried their homemade lamb sausages (mind you, all of the sausages they sell are made there at the shop). It's safe to say, I've got a slight addiction, because since then, I always order 4 lamb sausages. They are made with some harissa and other spices and I've come up with this recipe, that is quick, easy and uber mouth watering.

I call it the Lamb Pita-wich. Insert laughter here. And here. And here again.

Depending on hunger factor, I cook up one or two lamb sausages in a skillet over medium-ish heat with a smidgen of olive oil. Because these sausages are skinny, they are done in about 4-5 minutes. While the sausages are cooking, I heat up my oven and throw in one piece of the Middle Eastern Flatbread from Trader Joe's (another addiction) just to warm it up (for about a minute or two). I slather the flatbread with some hummus and tahini sauce, some arugula, the sausage and a sprinkling of feta. There are infinite possibilities here, sometimes I add a layer of tapenade too. This pita-wich is fit for anyone with an appetite. So the only thing you have to do now is jump your car, head over to McCall's and TJ's, you will send me a thank you note and maybe some flowers, I promise.

Summer Fruit Reigns Supreme!

2010-07-28T18:18:00.000-07:00

Several years ago, I hosted a Christmas dinner party for a group of 20 people. One of my dear gal pals has pestered me several times since I've been back in LA regarding one of the desserts I made that night. I've been scratching my head over this one for months, only remembering that it was a fruit crisp and that raspberries were part of the delectable equation.

Call it a sign of age, but about a month ago I was flipping through one of Ina Garten's "Barefoot Contessa" cookbooks and came across a peach and raspberry crisp recipe. Immediately, I remembered, that this was it, the one my gal pal was referring to - the great dessert mystery had been solved. Without a moment of hesitation, I texted my gal pal and told I thought I had solved the great mystery and offered to make it for you her birthday (which falls on the 4th of July).

This fruit crisp stars the ever-so-loved summer berries, raspberries and summer's favorite stone fruit, peaches. What's great about this recipe is that you can easily substitute the fruit depending on personal preference as well as "what's in season". Given the fact that the farmer's markets are overflowing with berries, I decided to add a pint of blueberries to the mix. The chewy, crispy topping is made of oatmeal, flour, sugar, butter, and cinnamon (I also took some liberties and added some cloves and nutmeg). The birthday girl was definitely pleased and so was everyone else. For once, there were leftovers and I have to say, this crisp gets better with age.

Meatball Mania.

2010-07-27T20:41:00.000-07:00

I have a pile of recipes (no joke) that I've been collecting for what feels like eons. Meatballs are one of those treats that you either love or hate. For me, I forgot how much I enjoyed a good homemade meatball. But thanks to Luisa Weiss, I'm once again, a believer. This isn't your typical meatball recipe, there is no marinara sauce and it's made completely with ground pork.

Mediterranean is the flavor base, this meatball recipe features two "dressings" - one with yogurt and one with mint. The yogurt dressing is spiked with cumin and a little sugar and the mint dressing is really more of a vinaigrette with shallots and red wine vinegar. Both dressings really complemented the juicy meatballs. The yogurt sauce cooled your palette and the cumin added a subtle bold hint of woodsy perfume. The mint vinaigrette was fresh and cleansing. I'm adding this one to my book, I think it will make a great appetizer for a dinner party.

Budget Bustin' Weeknight Meal.

2010-07-13T20:53:00.000-07:00

Like the rest of the U.S. population, I too, am trying to be creative in my kitchen. Not only creative in a culinary sense, but also when it comes to my pocketbook. We all have our "go-to" recipes, a few winners that we know we could bust out at anytime. It's been quite some time since I've made this one myself, but it's one of my most favorite chicken dishes. It's great during the week or if you're planning on inviting a few friends over for a feast.

Indonesian Ginger Chicken is easily one of my kitchen hat tricks and tonight I busted it out. Chicken parts are marinated overnight in a sauce of ginger, garlic, honey and soy sauce. Could it get any simpler than that? You bake it for 30 minutes covered and then bake it for another 30 minutes uncovered. And you end up with super moist chicken. It's sweet, almost decadent and well, slightly addictive. The sauce alone is worth its weight in gold. I usually make rice to go with it since it soaks up all those yummy juices and extra sauce. And trust me there is plenty of sauce to drizzle around your plate. Bon appetit!

Say This Ten Times Fast...

2010-07-12T09:26:00.001-07:00

Din Tai Fung. Din Tai Fung. Din Tai Fung. Din Tai Fung. Din Tai Fung. Din Tai Fung. Din Tai Fung. Din Tai Fung. Din Tai Fung. Din Tai Fung. Okay, you catch my drift, how did you do??? Well, perhaps you find yourself tongue-tied or maybe you drifted into a deep meditative state while saying the name of this famous dumpling house. Either way, you're setting yourself up for copious amounts of culinary pleasure, this I can promise you. Jonathan Gold of the L.A. Weekly even recommends you go to Din Tai Fung before you die and I'm jumping on this bandwagon myself after eating there last night with a bunch of friends. This place was jam-packed and apparently unless you hustle and get there right when it opens, you're likely to stand outside and wait for a table. Large round tables and a couple of booths are filled with people slurping away. It's hopping there, the servers are hard core, it's all about filling the order and clearing the tables. This isn't a restaurant to lounge around and eat your dumplings leisurely, you are in it to win it.

The dumplings were light, juicy, full-flavored bites of pork and/or shrimp goodness. Dipped in a ginger based sauce with soy and vinegar, these dumplings rival any dumpling you've had otherwise. We had juicy pork dumplings, vegetable dumplings, fish dumplings, pork and shrimp dumplings,juicy pork and crab dumplings and the list goes on. What tops the juicy dumplings above the others are pockets of juicy pork fat that has melted inside the dumpling.The fried pork chop rice was pretty ridiculous too, the perfect ratio of meat to fat. I'm already planning my next rendezvous there with another batch of friends. They also served several sweet dumplings like the red bean dumplings and the sesame buns which were filled with this black sesame paste. This dumpling gem is too good to hide from all of you. Run, don't walk to Din Tai Fung, you'll be thanking me. You may even invite me to join you.

Smashing, Dahling, Simply Smashing....

2010-07-06T16:11:00.000-07:00

Have you listened to Spilled Milk podcasts yet? If you haven't, you're in for a real treat and if you have, then you already have experienced the charm and wit behind Molly Wizenberg and Matthew Amster-Burton's wildly fun and devout foodie podcasts. I've been catching up on past episodes while cleaning my house and when it came time for the Crispy Potato episode, I was in tater-heaven.

Featured above, is the Smashed Roasted Potatoes (adapted from a recipe featured in a 2007 issue of Fine Cooking). I just happened to have purchased a bag of teeny tiny baby potatoes on my last Trader Joe's run, so it was an easy excuse to give this recipe a try. It requires very little effort really, and the majority of the time takes place on top of your stove or inside your oven. Trust me, this recipe will make your heart sing and your tongue dance. I mean, what is more comforting, then potato in all of its form (all of its glory)?!?! I tossed these bad boys with some of that lemon basil pesto I made over the weekend too and turned out to be a smashing hit (pun intended). What's great about a recipe like this is that when you entertain and pull these out of the oven, your friends will ooh and aahh over them and you my friends will know exactly the amount of effort these root vegetable gems took!

If you don't have any pesto on hand, maybe a plentiful drizzle of chimichurri or a toss with some flavored evoo and rosemary or oregano). The world really is your potato (or oyster, whatever suits your fancy).

Pass the Pesto, Please.

2010-07-03T21:00:00.001-07:00

You have heard me rant and rave about the CSA I joined earlier this year, Silverlake Farms. This week's surprise was lemon basil. I was just tickled pink with this gem of an herb. Last night, I really thought about how to best this fragrant herb and decided to make a lemon basil pesto. As a devout foodie, I'm kind of embarrassed to admit that this is only the second time I've made a pesto. I saw you roll your eyes and maybe you can hear my big sigh, but alas, it's true. I immediately ran to my cookbook library (duly located in my kitchen) and pull my trusty copy of Mark Bittman's, How to Cook Everything to locate a basic pesto recipe. Yet again, Mark does not disappoint me.

I've included the recipe below, but please note that I used walnuts and in addition to extra virgin olive oil, I included some crushed lemon olive oil I purchased from Beyond the Olive in Pasadena. The pesto turned out perfecto, if I do say so myself. Best described as fruity and mild citrus notes, this pesto would be divine tossed with pasta, or spread over a grilled piece of meat, or even best, tossed with roasted potatoes. Oh yeah...now we are talking and my mouth is watering just thinking of all the possibilities.

Basic Pesto (adapted from How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman)

2 loosely packed cups of fresh basil leaves
salt to taste
1/2 to 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 tbs. pine nuts or walnuts, lightly toasted in a dry skillet
1/2 c. evoo
1/2 freshly grated Parmesan or other hard cheese

In a food processor combine the basil, salt, garlic, pine nuts and about half the olive oil. Process, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl, and occasionally adding the rest of oil. Store in fridge for 1-2 weeks or freeze for several months.

Mark recommends that if you are going to freeze the pesto, to do it without the addition of the cheese.

A Lil' Twist: Bacon N' Pea Mac N' Cheese

2010-07-01T08:56:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago while perusing the internet for new cookbook releases, I found a link for Poor Girl Gourmet, Amy McCoy's first cookbook. Of course the title drew me into its web of mystery and allure. Who could resist checking out a book for foodies on a budget? After reading the reviews, I discovered that Ms. McCoy started this venture in a blog duly named the same title - Poor Girl Gourmet. Being the lil' research girl that I am, I just had to check it out and see what her recipes entailed. I spent a significant amount of free time bookmarking several recipes, but this one is the one I made last night for dinner. The recipe is an adaptation of a Barefoot Contessa recipe and I took it a few steps further and adapted it a lil' more. My local butcher/fishmonger store, McCalls Meat & Fish Co, sells the best smoked bacon, so I substituted the pancetta for the bacon. Since the bacon included a decent amount of fat, I sauteed the peas and shallots in the bacon fat (so I skipped out on the olive oil). I also opted not to coat the panko bread crumbs in melted butter prior to topping the mac n cheese. At this point, it was a lazy issue, I didn't want to clean another stinkin' pan last night.

The bechamel sauce was studded with Gruyere, an underrated cheese in my estimation. This mac n cheese recipe has that "star quality" and could easily be adapted to one's personal preferences. As I was putting together all of the elements last night, I started to dream of other additions and combinations - caramelized onions, sausage, roasted asparagus or roasted broccoli, the list does go on and on and on. Nonetheless, I was very pleased with how the mac n cheese turned out and I'm looking forward to give some of Amy's other recipes a whirl.

Blog Challenge No. 10: Optimism

2010-06-29T11:47:00.000-07:00

Dian Reid's Authenticity Blog Challenge is winding down, can you believe it? Tomorrow is June 30th! Last night, I had this thought, actually it was more like a mental beating with a baseball bat - I realized there were still four more topics to go in the challenge and it wasn't looking like I would be able to finish all four topics. I started to talk negatively. Why can't you finish what you started? Why can't you finish what you started? Why can't you finish what you started? Why can't you finish what you started? Okay, you get the gist of where I'm headed with this.

The truth is I should feel optimistic - I actually started a challenge and I did finish it. I wrote ten entries, ten topics, ten posts all about me. I have always wanted to participate in something like this - I easily get inspired by these challenges and then I also get defeated before I've even given the challenge a chance. Thoughts like "Nobody cares what you have to write about besides food", "Nobody will read these entries", "Nobody cares" and the truth is maybe some people haven't enjoyed my participation in this challenge, but I didn't participate for anyone else, but me.

Yes, when it comes to my writing, I'm very passionate about food, the culinary arts, recipes, restaurants, etc. but I'm also beginning to get optimistic and passionate about me. There's more to this girl than a foodie blog and I guess I wanted to explore that here at Madame Munchies. This blog is much more than an extracurricular activity, it's a part of me that I share with you out there in cyberland. So instead of choosing negative thoughts, I'm choosing positive thoughts instead. I did what Dian Reid invited us to take part of:

"I’m engaging my community (that’s you!) because these thirteen topics can change the world. They can change the world, but not just if I write about them; only if we write about them."

I hope in some small way my contribution changed the world.

Blog Challenge No. 9: Truth.

2010-06-24T21:11:00.001-07:00

Continuing this week with Dian Reid's Authenticity Blog Challenge (only 4 more topics to go before the end of June) and today's topic is truth. So here's what I came up with:

Transformational

Reality

Understanding

Treasured

Humbling

Transformational: Truth can be transform you. It often can be a hard pill to swallow, some of us even turn a blind eye or deaf ear because we don't really want to hear/see the truth. If we acknowledge truth, then we can't hide from it any longer.

Reality: Truth is real. There are no half-truths and I don't buy into the "truth is relative" bit either. If truth is relative then it's easy to shrug it off and most will not take responsibility for their part.

Understanding: Truth requires understanding, it requires us taking the time and energy to assess, evaluate and reflect upon what is true.

Treasured: Often times truth can be rare and valuable jewel. It's something to be treasured.

Humbling: Truth can also be humbling, whether we are receiving it and giving it.

I want to embody truth and honesty. it's not always easy, but I would definitely like to strive for it.

Blog Challenge No. 8: Fairness.

2010-06-20T12:20:00.001-07:00

For today's Authenticity Blog challenge, the topic is fairness. I've been staring at this topic and nothing has inspired me or sparked my inner writer until this morning. I visited a church in Downtown LA called New City Church. They are studying the book of Ephesians and today's, message focused on Ephesians 4:31-32; the subject - forgiveness. So you may scratching your head, sipping your second or third cup of coffee and asking, "What the heck does forgiveness have to do with fairness?".

No matter what your spiritual inclinations lean toward or away from, one of the basic tenants of Jesus' teachings was forgiveness. There's that old adage, you can forgive but you'll never forget. It's almost become "PC" to forgive but not forget. We have this built-in system that seeks justice, vengeance and fairness. But today I'm challenged. Forgiveness is an extension of grace and there isn't a prerequisite or a post-requisite for forgiveness. It's a decision first, not necessarily a feeling first. If we waited to feel like forgiving, let's be honest, it more than likely would not occur. And in all "fairness", we would all be walking around bitter, angry and probably alone. Now is that fairness???

I guess I'm evaluating where I'm at - in fact, I'll admit forgiveness is not something I extend gracefully, no pun intended. I too get sucked into the cycle of, this isn't fair! I've been wronged! It's not my fault! And in some cases, that may be true, but in most situations, I've played a part. Knowingly or unknowingly. But the truth is I'm not innocent, I''m just as screwed up as the next and as much grace as I think I deserve, so does everyone else.

A Blissful Marriage of Eggplant and Cheese.

2010-06-17T16:21:00.000-07:00

A couple of weekends ago, a girlfriend and I went to see a matinee of Sex and the City II. Guilty pleasure you could call it (I loved the series). Anyway, prior to the show we grabbed some grub to go from Buca di Beppo. I happen to think they do a fantastic eggplant parmesan and I thought to myself, "Self, have you ever made eggplant parmesan before?". I couldn't recall if I had taken on that challenge, so this week I took it on. The eggplant, cheese, tomatoes and I duked it out in the culinary ring, so to speak.

I did a little research online and pulled up a recipe for Eggplant Parmesan from Epicurious. With a rating of 4 forks, I had to give it a go. Mind you, I did not cook for 8 people, I cut the recipe in half and managed to put away several servings in my freezer. Not too sure how well it will hold up but I will find out soon friends.

All I can say about this recipe is LABOR INTENSIVE. This is not a recipe you just pull out of your hat on a weeknight (of course I made it on a weeknight, but that doesn't mean everyone will want to make this on a weeknight). It definitely required patience and time, but it was well worth the hard work and the wait! The eggplant slices were battered with a 3 step process: flour, egg and panko bread crumbs (which were seasoned with a little grated parmesan). I think the panko bread crumbs really took it a whole other level too. The sauce was simple - peeled and pureed roma tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, salt, red chile pepper flakes and torn up fresh basil - simmered for about half an hour. The only downside was that I should've made the entire batch of sauce instead of only making half a batch. There just wasn't enough sauce for my liking. Lesson learned. Next time, if there's plenty of leftover sauce, I'll just freeze it for pasta or another dish. Regardless this recipe is fantastic and is a great dish for entertaining, especially if you have any vegetarians over for dinner. I would serve it with a simple green salad and maybe some roasted garlic bread.

Blog Challenge No. 7: Intention.

2010-06-14T15:14:00.000-07:00

Haven't we all heard the phrase, "I had the best of intentions" at one point or another?

Several years ago, my mom turned me on to the idea of creating/making intentions for one's life instead of resolutions or goals. The idea being that we rarely ever make good on those resolutions, they usually end up becoming a revolving door of resolutions instead of concrete change.

At the end of 2009, I made a list of things I was letting go of in 2010. Most of these were negative issues/things/relationships in my life and to commerate that "letting go" ritual I burned the list on my dad's front porch on December 31, 2009.

And of course, I made a list of intentions for 2010. I recently took a peek back at that list to see what, if anything, I had accomplished or at least set the wheels in motion on. To my surprise there were several intentions I was able to cross off my list:

Locate and move into a fabulous vintage apartment in SilverLake or Los Feliz.
Obtain a permament paralegal position.
Continue writing my food blog on a weekly basis.

It also afforded me the time to check in with myself and see where I stood with respect to other intentions that may have been put on the back burner. I find myself asking if these intentions are something I still want to pursue? Is it realisitic? Do any of these intentions take precedent over others? I guess you could say I'm re-evaluating my intentions. That's the beauty of this list - nothing is set in stone, priorities do change, life happens, and we can modify, delete or start fresh any time we want or see fit. Kinda like a recipe, it's always good to try it as written, but there is such a thing as a "bad" recipe and sometimes it requires tweeking or creativity, just like life.

This also reminds me of the fact that I'm human, I possess no super power and I am only one person. Perhaps I won't "finish" every intention I have made for the year, but perhaps I will begin the process one way or another. Which brings me to another thought - I'm not perfect. Not even remotely close. I'm not ever going to be either, just in case you thought otherwise. In fact, I need to stop, breathe and pat myself on the back for what I have accomplished, not beat myself up for what's "lacking". Am I preaching to the choir or what?!? I hope you are able to take the time, have a spot of tea (or coffee or wine) an reflect, re-write or write new intentions.

Blog Challenge No. 6: Vision.

2010-06-13T20:34:00.000-07:00

Today I've had this word on my mind and I don't think it's any coincidence that it's one of the topics Dian Reid has chosen for her Blog Challenge. Vision, it's a word that carries weight for most of us. When you have vision, you have grand ideas of your future and your plans for your life. Vision requires seeing the big picture, the overall scheme of things and sometimes I feel like my "vision" is skewed, fuzzy. I even feel blinded by the light and that's where I'm at today. There are so many things I want to do, so many projects, so many "work-on-myself" things I want to accomplish, behaviorial changes I want to make that I freeze. Stone cold frozen in my tracks. I'm one of those people who easily gets overwhelmed by alot of things at once and in the past I've allowed that overwhelming feeling to paralyze me. Stop me in my tracks from moving forward in the direction I want to pursue. I don't have the answers and I don't know where to begin, but I have vision, I have dreams and desires and I do want to pursue them to the fullest. That much I know is true.

Blog Challenge No.5: Compassion and Cupcakes.

2010-06-12T15:44:00.000-07:00

How do you pour out compassion? Does it ooze out of you naturally or do you find yourself scrounging for compassion crumbs to dole out? By now you've figured out I love food, cooking, and everything associated or affiliated with it. One of the ways I show compassion is through baking for others - on a somewhat regular basis, if I'm going over to someone's house or a gathering of friends, I'm the foodie nerd bringing some sort of treat.

This week I haphazardly stumbled upon Shauna Sever's blog, Piece of Cake. What drew me to her blog was a random link I found for a cupcake recipe entitle Nutella Cupcakes. How could I resist? I mean, hello, who doesn't L-O-V-E Nutella?!?!? Who wouldn't want to soak in a bathtub of the golden spread?!? Okay, I'm getting a lil' off topic, but this chocolate hazelnut spread could become the next butter in your household, don't say I didn't warn you!

So today these Nutella Cupcakes are my small contribution to the world, my small token of compassion. Enjoy.

Blog Challenge No. 4: Self Awareness

2010-06-09T17:09:00.001-07:00

I hate to admit this, there are areas of my "self" which I am present and "aware", but there are many others that I am completely unaware (mostly out of choice). The topic of self awareness presented by Dian Reid's Self Evidence + Authenticity Blog Challenge isn't one I'm running to grab hold of. And I have to stop and ask myself, "Why?".

Truth be told - I think there's an underlying current of personal shame when it comes to self awareness. Well, what does it mean to be "aware"? I took the time to look it up on dictionary.com and here's what it defines aware as:

1. having knowledge; conscious; cognizant

2. informed; alert; sophisticated.

One area I'm trying to become self aware is how am I taking care of myself? How am I abusing myself? Hurting myself? Keeping myself distant from growth or new experience? Why is it, that I am better at caring for others but stink at caring for myself? I'm scratching my head on this one. I'm still scratching too. And no, I haven't had figured it out, not even close. I'm just finally accepting the fact that I haven't always been nor am I currently totally self aware. But I wanna move in that direction, I want to own it, the good, the bad and the ugly. And as far I'm concerned, it's not pretty.

I've been reading Geneen Roth's, Women Food and God, slowly. In fact, it's probably something I will read at least once year because one of Geneen's principles revolves around self awareness with respect to what you're eating, what you're not eating and whether or not you trust yourself. Man, that resonates with me. Do I trust myself? Am I even aware of whether or not I trust myself? I'm hoping that as continue to write, read and investigate myself, I'll be able to start answering these tough questions. Of course, the ultimate goal is to take action, to take better care of myself, to constantly check in with "me" and see where I'm at, what my needs are, my heart's desires, etc.

Blog Challenge No. 3: Laughter.

2010-06-07T16:00:00.000-07:00

Laughter is like a rare jewel, isn't it? I chose laughter as the next topic of Dian Reid's Authenticity Blog Challenge, because over the course of the past two weeks I have laughed. In fact, I have laughed a lot and that is a GOOD thing. One of my dear friends, Monica (who moved to London for love and to finish her collegiate studies) came to visit us (along with her Prince Charming, James). I was lucky enough to spend some quality time with her while she was here. Along with some of other close friends, we went out for many meals, cocktails and even a lil' dancing. And over the weekend, I got together with some friends for a game night, which is an automatic ticket for laughter.

If you haven't laughed lately or if you haven't laughed enough, you forget the importance of laughter. You forget the painstaking aches it can cause in your belly. You forget how a good laugh can practically make you cry. You forget how a good out loud laugh can turn into a silent, mouth gaping open laugh. And you may forget that you're even capable of laughing in spite of present circumstances. This is why those moments are precious and rare. It's not mistake that often laughter is born in a circle of friends, and in my case, laughter is also surrounded by good food and drink. I want to laugh more often and I want to laugh more deeply. I'd like to think that laughter weeds out certain roots in our souls - like, fear, pain, hurt, sadness, self loathing, self pity, and doubt. Most important of all, I hope you have people in your life who make you genuinely laugh.

Blog Challenge No. 2: Courage.

2010-06-03T09:50:00.000-07:00

For the next round of Dian Reid's Authenticity Blog Challenge, I chose the topic of courage. For me, this one is definitely personal and while I'm going to attempt to correlate my love of food with the various topics, this one is on a whole other level.

Courage takes shape in one of the greatest unknowns - moving across country for love. In the fall of 2005, I fell in love. Smack dab across the concrete of love, I fell hard. I pursued a long distance relationship with a fellow in the Midwest and subsequently, one year later, I made the ultimate transition and relocated to be with him. Now that takes courage - guts and a lil' glory too. To step out of my confort zones, uproot my life and plant a new one in totally unchartered territory.

And while moving across country for love takes courage, there's an even greater of level of courage that birthed in me. That form of courage played out in the decision to end the relationship and move back home to California. It was tumultuous, grueling, and even when I stepped back onto California soil, I still wrestled with my decision. Did I make the right decision? Could we have made it work? Would I be happy? Would I be true to my heart's desires?

Today marks 10 months since I left the Midwest and while there is still a bittersweet sorrow that looms, I can honestly say it was the most courageous decision I've made to date. By far, I'm not perfect and I wouldn't admit to having it all together, let alone being completely healed and whole from the closure of that relationship, but I chose courage over hardship. Courage over complacency. The courage to accept who I am and what I am not cut out for. The courage to love and let go. The courage to be me wholeheartedly. I think what ultimately steered me in the right decision, was the fear of not exercising that courage. The fear of not being true to myself.

How has courage played a part in your past or your present? Or how has not exercising courage kept you from your true self?

** photo taken on my road trip heading back to LA, August 2009. This one was taken in Utah at a scenic stop.

Blog Challenge No. 1: Love.

2010-06-02T11:34:00.000-07:00

Karen Caterson, of Square-Peg Reflections, recently forwarded a blog challenge to her blog readers, which stems from Dian Reid's recent post entitled "Authenticity Blog Challenge". While this isn't necessarily "foodie" related, it sparked my interest and so I've decided to join the challenge during the month of June. Yes, dear readers, we have reached the halfway mark of 2010. Hard to believe really.

Dian Reid challenges bloggers to "share your thoughts, images, creative juices around one or all of the thirteen topics" - these topics include:

Compassion Intention Self-Awareness Courage Love Fairness Laughter Optimism Truth Vision Wilderness Wisdom Authenticity

So in no apparent order, I chose LOVE as today's topic. There are two people in my life, who I know without, a shadow of a doubt, love me. And while their "styles" may vary when it comes to showing how much they love me, I still know it to be true. Let the record show Exhibit "A" - my mom. If you haven't visited Bada-Bling, then you are missing out on the artistic and authentic journey my mom is sharing with all of you in cyberland. She's come a long way, heck, I'd say the last ten years alone have been transformational for her in various ways.

Exhibit "B" - my dad. He's an enigma, no doubt about that. He has a good heart and truly wants the best for me and my brother, Benjamin. And while he may not vocalize it all the time, it's real. In the photo above, my pops is pictured on the left.

There's no doubt, that I am oh so lucky to have them both as my parents. I've got the best of both worlds in many respects and it's fair (and I think accurate) to say that I've got a good mix of both of them (good and bad). And the older I get, I find out more and more, how much I resemble them both. I know alot of people out there can't say too many nice things about their parents, hell, some don't even have relationship with their parents. But I do. And I truly am grateful for them both. A parent's love is priceless. I only hope, that if I have a child of my own one day, I can pass on all of the love that's been bestowed upon me, to him/her. Every child deserves and is worthy of love.

Grand Opening.

2010-05-26T22:18:00.000-07:00

There are moments you will always remember fondly and then there are moments you will never forget. Tonight has to be one of those nights, it will go down in my foodie history book. A couple weeks ago, my elusive foodie cohort found out that Rick Bayless was consulting a restaurant here in LA. Like white on rice, we jumped on the bandwagon and miracle of miracles, we were able to get a reservation for "opening night". When I got the text message that we were attending opening night, I just about peed my pants.

Red O, cooly located on Melrose Ave, in West Hollywood, is designer chic, classic Mexican elements doused the interior with a dash of modern hipster edge. The photos don't honestly do this restaurant justice, but it give you an inkling of the precision and attention to detail that the designers paid when creating this beautiful space. It feels homey and is far from a stiff drink in atmosphere. Even the servers and staff were decked out with Levis 501s, red Adidas and blue work shirts.

To start the evening, I ordered the tamarind margarita - semi-sweet, balanced and refreshing. I'm not the most enthusiastic about margaritas, but this one could convert me, if it tried. And I'll be honest, ir didn't have to try too hard now. An appetizer of guacamole and chips to wet the palette - Bayless studs his guacamole with sundried tomatoes and onions. Simple, this guacamole could've come in a bathtub and I would've soaked in all of its goodness. I thought it was well seasoned - creamy and delicious. The "house" salad consisted of arugula, romaine and watercress with "angel hair'" strips of tortillas, pickled red onions. The greens were dressed with a roasted garlic lime dressing that popped in your mouth like pop rocks (remember that candy from your childhood). Tart and bright citrus flavors pierced your tongue, along with the sweet and savory notes of roasted garlic.

It was a toss up between the striped bass grilled with red chile and served with rice, sweet plaintains and three salsas or the roasted suckling pig served with black beans and a green salad and pickled red onions. Guy, our server, twisted my arm and I ordered the roasted suckling pig, which was a good decision on my part. The roasted suckling pig was wrapped in banana leaves before it went to roasting heaven. So tender, and no need for a knife, the pig was succulent, juicy, smoky and juicy. Wrapped up some of the roasted pig in a tortilla with some black beans, pickled red onion and salsa. O.M.G. Guy brought us a tasting of three salsas, a roasted tomato salsa, salsa verde and habenero. My favorite was the habanero and the salsa verde. Each salsa was distinct, sweet, spicy and robust. My foodie cohort ordered the Carne Asada Brava - ribeye served to perfection. Beautiful marbling on this steak, juicy and uber tender as well. Melted in your mouth like butter. The sweet corn tamales topped with crema were tasty as well - creamy, hearty, comfort food in Spanish.

With room for dessert, I was immediately drawn to the Bunelos served with salted caramel ice cream and a warm Kahlua chocolate sauce. The bunelos were light, crispy, rolled in cinnamon-sugar goodness. The kicker for me was the salted caramel ice cream - genius lies in this deadly combination of opposites attract. It was a light dessert, but a perfect way to end the meal.

To finish the night with dessert wasn't the "cherry" on top though. Guy hooked us up with a chance to meet Rick Bayless and get our photo opp! Rick was pleasant and seemed pre-occupied with dinner service, it makes sense. He seemed like a genuinely nice guy and we were honored to meet him and take a picture with him to document this foodie adventure! It was a thoroughly enjoyable evening, gorgeous and tall LA eye candy and a few celeb spottings while we were there too. I'm definitely grateful to live in a city the embraces culture, food, and art, tonight I totally felt like I was living the dream.

Part Deux and Part Tres: Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution

2010-05-22T15:46:00.000-07:00

Earlier this week, I blogged about Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution and my attempt at one of his recipes, which turned out pretty damn tasty. I also promised a future post on a few other recipes from his book which I made later in the week. Chicken and Leek Stroganoff and Italian Pan Seared Tuna.

The Salmon Tikka I made at the beginning of the week was delicious, satisfying and a terrific choice for a quick weeknight fix. The Chicken and Leek Stroganoff, not so much. I had high hopes for this recipe, but it just turned out into something bland and a bit on the boring side. And let's be honest, with the cream, it wasn't exactly "healthy".

The Italian Pan Seared Tuna on the other hand, was scrumptious. Seasoned with salt, pepper and oregano, I seared the tuna in a little olive oil and kept it warm in the oven while I sauteed cherry heirloom tomatoes, anchovies, olives and a ton of basil. I finished the dish with some bowtie pasta and I couldn't have had a bigger smile on my lil' face. There are still a few recipes I want to try before I return the book to my library, but one can't argue with 2 out of 3 recipes named a success.

Getting in Touch with your Feminine Side.

2010-05-18T19:24:00.000-07:00

Maybe you knew this already, but I'm a part of a book club here in L.A. Part of our ritual when we get together to discuss the book is to cook dishes inspired from the book that we recently read. Over the weekend, we met to discuss our most recent book, The Red Tent by Anita Diamant. The story is a fictional story about Dinah, a character in the Bible. Very little is written about her in Genesis 34 and this author does a phenomenal job of weaving a story together about love, forgiveness, anger, feminine power, midwifery and so many more topics. I highly recommend the book and am willing to pass along my copy to the first person who makes a comment on this post!

The book was rich with descriptions of meals, snacks and other culinary treats that they ate during this time frame in history. My contribution to the meal was a honey cake (which I sadly did not get a photo of) and a loaf of olive bread. Once again, I turned to my trusty No Knead book for this recipe. It was dense, chewy and hearty. I made it with 2/3 whole wheat pastry flour and 1/3 unbleached all purpose flour. It was delicious with a slab of butter or some of the other dips and spreads that were featured at our meeting.

What's fer Dinner?

2010-05-18T19:09:00.000-07:00

Like the rest of America, I too, was sucked into Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution. Of course, I watched it post all of the hype. After watching the series one weekend online, I decided to borrow his book from the library (aptly named after the series). Oliver is enduring, adorable and you can't help but fall in love with his political rhetoric, he means business and he cares. That much I know is true, his message is simple and his heart is in the right place. If you haven't watched the series, Oliver goes to what has been dubbed as the most unhealthy city in American, in an effort to educate them with respect to cooking fresh, simple and healthy meals. He hits many walls and obstacles, but he doesn't give in to fear and barge ahead, spreading his gospel.

Tonight, I made one of his 20 minute recipes - Quick Salmon Tikka with Cucumber Yogurt (pictured above). Guess what? I actually made the dish in 20 minutes, prep and all, I was pretty surprised. It was fresh, simple and uber tasty. I've planned on making a couple other recipes from the book this week, so I guess we could dub this week, "Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution Week: Part 1".

The salmon was rubbed with a tandoori paste and sauteed in a pan. I made a quick yogurt sauce with greek yougrt, cucumbers, lemon juice, red chile, salt and pepper. Put a piece of garlic naan from Trader Joe's in the oven and voila, supper. I'm looking forward to trying the other recipes this week.

Panang, Take That!

2010-05-05T10:36:00.000-07:00

I'm obsessed with coconut milk, it's true. Ever since I've been making a conscious effort to reduce eating highly processed foods and having been enlightened as to the many benefits of coconut, I'm "coo-coo" for coconut. This in turn has created a frenzy in my pantry - half of one shelf is entirely dedicated to Thai pantry items, including fish sauce, coconut milk, straw mushrooms, tamarind paste, a variety of curry pastes and kaffir lime leaves in my freezer.

Last night, I made yet another one of Jet Tila's recipe from his recent stint at New School of Cooking - roti panang. This curry was served with paratha (an Indian bread) at the class, but last night I opted to pair it with fragrant, nutty brown rice. The beauty of curry is its flexibility, you can do anything with it really. I substituted bamboo shoots for straw mushrooms, added more onions and red bell pepper, and upped the amount of extra curry paste for kick. It was delish. The real key to raising your "curry" bar is cooking a few tablespoons of the coconut milk with the curry paste over medium-high heat. You're looking for the paste to melt together with the coconut milk and brown. This browning process brings out all of the flavor of the paste and will intensify your curry.

Braised Endive with Prosciutto.

2010-05-03T21:49:00.001-07:00

I recently borrowed a copy of Molly Steven's All About Braising from the library. I've had this book on my wish list for a while and I've also been doing alot of braising as a result. Braising isn't complicated, as Molly claims, in fact the technique never changes. Braising is reliable, all throughout the year and I highly recommend giving this book a peek if you're interested in braising.

Most people are familiar with meat dishes that are braised, but Molly has dedicated an entire section to braising vegetables. So I decided to try the braised endive with prosciutto recipe. In about an hour, the endive softened as it slowly cooked in a little chicken broth and finished off with a little cream. The endive was tasty and the prosciutto added a subtle smoky and salty contrast. To make it a complete meal, Molly suggested fried eggs and toast, which really complimented the braised endive. Satisfying, this is an easy weeknight meal.

Church and State: No Separation.

2010-05-01T09:23:00.000-07:00

This past week, one of my foodie cohorts and I went on our second foodie adventure together (we are trying to make 2010 a year of adventures and new dining experiences). Since I've been back in LA, I've heard glowing reviews of Church and State, which is located outside of downtown LA, in the Warehouse district. The restaurant sits below the National Biscuit Company building which was converted into swanky lofts several years back.

The restaurant is cozy, well designed and hearkens back to Paris and what a typical bistro feels and looks like, if we were inclined to jump on a plane right this minute and head for gay Paris. Tables are close together and lights are strung, the only thing missing was the French music, but wait, we are in LA. Instead of the classic French music, they have replaced it with cool, cutting edge tunes, yeah, now it reminds you that yes, you are still in LA my friends.

The menu features typical dishes you might see on a menu at any French bistro - escargot, cheese plates, mussels, steak frites, french onion soup, the list truly goes on and on, which brings me to our selections of the evening. Mind you, it was definitely difficult to choose, there were so many things I wanted to try. I began the meal with the Salade Frisee aux Lardons, a frisee salad with poached egg, crispy bacon, delicate croutons and a simple viniagrette. Breaking the yolk up and letting it seep into the web-like frisee, this salad made me roll my eyes in ecstasy - several times I might add. The creaminess of the yolk and the saltiness of the bacon are a match made in ingredient heaven. My foodie co-hort ordered the Gratin de Macaronis et Fromage, how could she resist?!? This concoction of macaroni and cheese was divine. Made with Gruyere and Cantal, this decadent treat was thick, creamy, delicious and so well-balanced.

The Fruits der Mer was absolutely breathtaking, a slice of grilled bread with a generous slather of bright aioli livened up the plate next to a bouquet of shrimp, mussels, clams and potatoes in a saffron infused broth. Again, my eyes rolled with delight and my belly sang joyfully. The Poulet Roti was ordered by my foodie co-hort and while I only tasted the sauce (sweet and mellow tomatoes), she insisted that the chicken was moist and tender, not to mention the vegetables. A beautiful presentation too for such a simplistic dish.

And to finish off this intoxicating meal, the Chocolat Pot de Creme spoke my name (I'm sorry Creme Brulee, next time, I promise). The pot de creme was studded with caramel, fleur de sel, hazelnuts and raspberries. Rich, rich, rich, but I still managed to pick apart each ingredient. Considering that all these ingredients are rich on their own, I was surprised that each ingredient remained true to its form. The dark Vahlrona chocolate with the smoky caramel and delicate salt was simply melt-in-your-mouth food orgasm at best!

Now that I can finally say I've eaten at Church and State, there are many reasons why I want to return. The diners who sat next to us ordered several dishes we didn't get to try but the aroma and sight is enough for me to go back and order different dishes. There may be separation of church and state in America but please don't separate my Church and State in LA.

Conquering Kale.

2010-04-25T00:50:00.000-07:00

On Friday evening after work I picked up my latest CSA share at Silverlake Farms. This week the share included fresh chamomile, celery, red romaine, arugula, kohlrabi, turnips, beets, russian kale, swiss chard, radishes, garlic and some fruit, oranges, tangerines and loquats. I've never had a loquat before and they were super delicious. Best compared to a cross between an asian pear and an apricot, this sweet stone fruit makes delectable jam (or so I'm told) and I think they would be a beautiful addition to any salad with walnuts and crumbled gorgonzola.

So this morning I decided to face one contender in the ring. For quite a while now, I've heard about the extreme benefits of kale and most importantly how many people enjoy the dark, leafy green. My only experience cooking with kale (it was curly kale) didn't turn out so well and I hate to admit it, but I consciously put that green out of my mind.

With a bunch of red russian kale in my CSA share this week, I decided to do a lil' homework and take on this lean mean green! Upon reading through several recipes for kale, I nailed down the key factor as to why my first kale experience didn't turn out as I had hoped - I didn't cook it long enough. Having thumbed through many magazines and books, I opted to turn 1/2 of my kale into a hearty and healthy breakfast. I sauteed some onion in olive oil and added some minced fresh garlic (from my CSA share). Then I added the chopped kale and about 1/2 c. of chicken stock (you could just use water, but I wanted to add as much flavor as possible). I wilted the kale in the poaching liquid until it almost evaporated for about 5-10 minutes, then I added another 1/2 c. of chicken stock. Repeat instructions above and voila - vibrant, sweet and tender kale. While the kale was wilting away in its happy juice, I fried an egg and made a piece of toast. Piled that egg on top of my kale and began my day with super duper Punky GREEN power! No longer afraid of this green, I am excited to see what else I can do with the rest of my stash.

Yummy in Your Tummy (A Tribute to Tom Yum Soup)

2010-04-15T12:05:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, I assisted one Jet Tila's L.A. cooking classes at The New School of Cooking in Culver City. The class featured some Wazuzu Bistro's dishes (recipes from Jet's Las Vegas restaurant at Steve Wynn's Encore resort), including Tom Yum Soup, a classic Thai dish. Beloved by L.A. foodies, Jet has that "secret sauce" that you rarely see in a culinary classroom and that secret sauce is passion. As much as Jet is passionate about food, he's also passionate about his students. He goes to great lengths to ensure that students get what they pay for when they sign up to take one of his classes.

I was able to grab an extra copy of the recipes featured in that class and with his permission, I get to share the Tom Yum Soup recipe with you fine readers out there in cyberland. I made the Thai chicken stock on Saturday and it honestly took no time at all (about an hour or so total, give or take). I always enjoy shopping for groceries and picked up the "thai" items at Bangkok Market on Melrose Ave. This basic stock is chock full of Thai yumminess (no pun intended) - galangal, lemongrass, thai chiles, chicken parts, and kaffir lime leaves. Anytime you make your own stock, it requires the attention of a child in the sense that you need to skim off any fat and foam that surfaces to the top throughout the simmering process. I check the stock every 15 minutes or so to see if the stock is ready for skimming. The next day I actually made the soup which included the fabulous stock, shrimp, straw mushrooms, roasted thai chiles, and kaffir lime leaves. A great cure for a cold or a yummy one pot meal on a rainy day, this Tom Yum Soup will definitely make your belly and your heart happy.

TOM YUM SOUP

copyrighted by Jet Tila (2004)

Thai Chicken Stock

1 to 2 chicken carcasses

8 to 10 cups water

3/4 c. thinly sliced galangal

2 stalks lemongrass, lower portion only, pounded

2 garlic cloves, peeled whole

2 to 4 kaffir lime leaves

2 large shallots, sliced

2 to 4 thai chiles, pounded

Place carcass in stock pot and cover with cold water. Bring bones to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove bones and rinse until sediment is removed. Discard cooking liquid. Transfer bones and roast into a fresh pot and cover with the 1 gallon of fresh water and bring back to a simmer.

** Note - I didn't have a carcass so I used chicken wings (I didn't bother with the bones and discarding portion of the recipe).

Add galangal, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, garlic, shallots and chiles to stock and allow to simmer. Skim fat and foam often, continue to simmer for 1 1/2 hours. Skim off any additional fat and strain stock through cheesecloth.

Tom Yum Soup

2 quarts of Thai chicken stock

1 cup shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 15 oz. can straw mushrooms, peeled, drained and rinsed

6 to 8 roasted thai chiles

6 tbs. fish sauce

6 tbs. lime juice

3 tbs. chile paste in soybean oil

4-6 kaffir lime leaves

cilantro springs to garnish

Bring Thai chicken stock to simmer over medium-high heat in a medium pot. Add shrimp, mushrooms and chiles. Cook until shrimp turns pink, about 1 minute. Stir in fish sauce, lime juice and chile paste. Garnish with lime leaves and cilantro, serve immediately.

Drum Roll Please.....

2010-04-09T11:20:00.000-07:00

Today marks my second CSA share pick up and being the eager beaver that I am - I wanted to share with you dear readers what Farmer John gave us this week! I had to take two photos so you could see all of the goodies I picked up. In no particular order: young romaine lettuce, butter lettuce, arugula with flowers, turnips, golden and red beets, mizuna, 3 avocados, mint, chamomile, spinach, kale, young onion, and radishes.

This weekend I will definitely be making some yummy salads and I'm going to experiment with the turnips. I've never cooked with them before! But it's all good, after watching Disc 1 of Punky Brewster's Season One, I was reminded that I have PUNKY POWER!!!! Keep your eyes peeled for some fantastic posts this coming week!

Savory Shepherd's Pie.

2010-03-29T10:30:00.000-07:00

The theme of our recent book club meeting revolved around England and I decided to make a shepherd's pie. I had made one while still living in Indiana, but for a Rachael Ray recipe, it was rather cumbersome with nearly twenty ingredients. This time around I opted to do a little research and find a recipe that was easier. Lately, I've had much success with recipes from Epicurious so I headed over to that site for some help. The recipe for Shepherd's Pie that I selected received glowing reviews and 4 forks (as opposed to stars, Epicurious is rather clever,eh?).

The gals in my book club devoured the savory pie and proceeded to rave about it (a first since I've rejoined the group). The highlights of this savory pie are the rosemary and tomato paste. After browning the meat, onions and varrots together, I added the broth tomato paste, rosemary and parsley to simmer for about 10 minutes. Rosemary adds this "hunter" quality to the dish - woodsy, earthy, umami and the tomato paste is robust, sweet and concentrated. Both ingredients add contrast and depth to this hearty dish. The pie is topped off with buttery, creamy mashed potatoes before baking for about 30 minutes. Piping hot, this shepherd's pie screams "COMFORT FOOD" at you and spells H-E-A-R-T-Y in a variety of languages. If served along side a fresh garden salad, this meal is something you can feel good about serving family and friends.

Eat Your Greens!

2010-03-26T18:41:00.000-07:00

I recently joined a CSA near my house, Silverlake Farms. Tonight I picked up my share and I have to admit, I'm a bit overwhelmed by the bounty. This week's share includes, greens, greens, and more greens. Some familiar and some totally unfamiliar, but I am up for the cooking challenge! Are you? So here's what was included in this week's share: mustard greens, swiss chard, golden and red beets, dill, parsley, butter lettuce, baby romaine lettuce, butter lettuce, arugula, green garlic, chrysthanthemum greens, young celery, and dandelion greens.

Tomorrow I'm planning on making a big beautiful salad for the Ripple Effect gang, with all the salad greens. I'm hoping that by taking part in the CSA, I'm not only supporting community agriculture, but I'm also eating more veggies. Made an impromptu curry with the dandelion greens and green garlic. I also made some brown rice for a satisfying meal this evening. Coconut milk and red curry paste are the base of this curry and it honestly couldn't be any easier than this.

Eva's.

2010-03-21T19:19:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend, I spent some gal pal time with my girl Aimee in San Clemente. Aimee had been telling me about this Caribbean joint in Laguna Beach for a couple of months so we worked in a foodie adventure for two at Eva's Caribbean Kitchen. With its funky and eclectic charm, Eva makes you feel right at home as if you were in her very own personal kitchen. Brightly painted with the colors of the rainbow and lit by an array of colorful candles, you just know that you're going to be taken real good care of, and so is your tummy.

Aimee and I had an appetizer - Eggplant Choka, roasted eggplant (stuffed with garlic) and then sauteed with chiles, shallots and seasoned to perfection. Of course it's served on top of toasted pita bread. Whether you're a carnivore or a vegetarian, this start will make you salivate. All of their entrees are served with plaintain, peas and rice and sauteed veggies. I went with the evening's special of Red Snapper and Aimee went with the Curry Prawns. What I loved about both of our dishes is that each sauce was so bold, so flavorful and so different. Sometimes Caribbean cuisine isn't very distinctive and Eva's sauces took each dish to a whole other level. Even though my fish was fried, it was still light and the texture of the fish cam through beautifully, it wasn't compromised at all. The heat of the dish brightened all of its complexities without overshadowing the fish either. The roasted plaintains were absolutely mouth watering, each bite was sweet and nutty. Aimee's curry prawns were also delicious. The curry prawns definitely had alot more kick, but without numbing the inside of our mouth.

For dessert we were immediately drawn to the special - coconut creme brulee, which was topped with toasted coconut and blueberries. Creme brulee is my favorite dessert and this one easily makes it to the top of my creme brulee list. Tropical breezes and swaying palm trees danced in my mind as I spooned a bite of this delicate and creamy concoction into my lil' mouth. Made with coconut milk, this creme brulee was aromatic, smooth and light. A perfect ending to a perfect meal.

If you're ever in Orange County, let alone Laguna Beach, you should totally look up Eva's and stop by for dinner. She's got a gorgeous smile and isn't afraid to hug customers.

**Photo credits go to Aimee Foster.