Dido would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas

Flash + pissed off cat = scary, scary pictures!



I think she's plotting her revenge in this one...?

Kokosbollar

This past weekend, I also tried a new chocolate-coconut-oatmeal truffle recipe from Saveur magazine's spread on Swedish holiday baking. They were called "kokosbollar" and were super easy to make. DELICIOUS! Gropius and I have been fighting over them all week long and even Lulu really likes them.



I think if I were preparing an open house or a tea, that I would definitely have to have a plate of these along with the Hungarian chestnut potato dumplings (chocolate chestnut truffles made to look like potatoes). The kokosbollar have just a little salt and strong espresso (and surprisingly little sugar) that melds together beautifully.

Badische Schupfnudeln

Gropius and I tried out a new German potato recipe to great success! I read that this particular preparation is popular to eat with fried foods (like schnitzel) and I can definitely see how it would be popular bar food (sort of the German equivalent to chili cheese fries). See for yourself:




It's basically gnocchi dough that's been rolled into little logs and pan fried in butter. We had to do ours in batches, so the cooked ones rested in the warm oven. Our chicken was grilled (not fried), but they were a good side dish nonetheless!

Turkey Trot and my Revenge

Run to Feed the Hungry 5K, post-race:


My revenge later that evening:

Israeli Couscous

So, we've been experimenting of late with Israeli couscous in my house. It's a great, quick grain to throw in with Lulu's veggies for a lunch to take to daycare or for a quick weeknight dinner. I think they're just small enough that they don't function very well as finger food, but the shape is fun!

Gropius found a recipe on epicurious that he's been wanting to try: Toasted Israeli Couscous with Pine Nuts and Parsley. So we grilled up some chicken on the grill with a little Moroccan spices (ras al hanout) and quickly boiled some carrots to create a really tasty meal:



Then, I had to have a little fun with all the orange in the photo for this one:



Next up, maybe Israeli Couscous with Squash and Parsley Butter?

Roasted Veggie Pizza

On Friday night, Gropius and I made roasted fall vegetable and ricotta pizza and boy, was it tasty! I roasted kabocha and delicata squash, potatoes, carrots, parsnips, shallots, and onions. Some pizza dough, mozzarella, ricotta, fresh rosemary from the garden and those roasted veggies and you're done!



Served with a nice crisp, white wine and it was a great start to the weekend!

Boston sCream Pie

deliciousness!



especially with a nice rosé.

Schmaltz

their def: A rendered chicken fat (sometimes flavored with onions, apples and seasonings) that is strained and used in many dishes of Middle European Jewish origin much like butter — both in cooking and as a spread for bread.

MY def: tasty!!





I kept kosher and only had mine with applesauce, but Gropius had sour cream...although since we ate them with pork chops, I guess I shouldn't worry about violating the meat-dairy rule, eh?

Weckla oder Weggla, take your pick...

Gropius and I enjoyed an Oktoberfest dinner this evening. I bought some bratwurst at Whole Foods (made by Coleman in Denver, CO) that turned out quite tasty. We had a weckla (bratwurst on a sourdough roll) with some tasty sauerkraut.




I had a nice chardonnay from NM with dinner (the remnants from making sauerkraut). We enjoyed some tasty, tasty senf that Ta-Chen bought for us at Ben's German butcher. Gropius thoughtfully pointed out that the size is perfect as a bierglas for Lulu once she gets a little older. Sigh.



Gropius on the other hand, had bier.


Here is the original of what we were striving for:

Jerk Chicken

We used two of the habaneros from our garden to make Jerk Chicken and Jamaican Peas and Rice for dinner last night. I got the recipe from Martha Stewart's TV show (pre-prison) about 10 years ago and make it when I have access to habaneros (or am feeling particularly spicy). I think she tries to test my endurance though: two habaneros PLUS cayenne pepper! For a change of pace because it was hot yesterday, we grilled the chicken breasts rather than baking them in the oven with the marinade (and I think that helped with the overall heat level).



For an accompaniment, we also made Jamaican Peas and Rice. I started with dried kidney beans and did a quick soak with my pressure cooker before starting the recipe. I cooked them with coconut milk, water, and garlic for ~20 minutes before draining them and reserving the cooking liquid. Then, I cooked the brown rice separately with my pressure cooker in the cooking liquid and mixed it all together at the end. It's amazing that so few ingredients can become so tasty!



To help quench our (considerable) thirst, I had some Two Rivers Pomegranate Cider--the one I enjoy drinking at the Rubicon. You'll also notice the HUGE glass of water to supplement. Gropius, on the other hand, enjoyed a "proper" serving of bier. :) (I think it was HB Oktoberfest)

Zwetschgendatschi

So, I tried my hand at making Zwetschegendatschi this morning while Lulu took her nap. I was inspired by Nicky's blog entry over at deliciousdays.com. We had some "french plums" in the fridge and I thought, "Ah, what the heck." So, here you go.

preparatory steps for baking included boiling and peeling raw almonds and quartering the plums. The dough was surprisingly easy to make, too.



I only had enough plums to make about half the recipe, so I baked it in Gropius's springform tart pan. Don't the plums look pretty?



Again, I only had raw almonds, so I had to "sliver" them myself:


Finished product!


The dough was so easy to make, that I think I'm going to make it again tomorrow morning for breakfast, but I think this time I'm going to use my chestnut spread/paste and I'm going to roll them up like cinnamon rolls/roulade and slice them crossways.

YUMMY!

Will report how that experiment goes tomorrow.... :)

Birthday Cake!

You say frittata, I say tortilla.

Tortillas in Spain are less like Mexican tortillas and more like a frittata. My friend Aimee made me one in grad school. She learned how to make them when she was a foreign exchange student there in undergrad. But, I haven't cooked/eaten one since.

Until now.

We came across a recipe for Spanish Tortilla with Chorizo from the most recent Williams-Sonoma recipe collection. We didn't have the (supposedly) required frittata pan, but Gropius masterfully made the tortilla without it and I was in awe, both of his prowess and how good it tasted! The recipe was appealing in part because we only needed Manchego cheese and potatoes (we had everything else already in our larder). To help keep our cholesterol levels down, we invited Derellek over to enjoy it with us:




Gropius added his own special touch to the recipe with some chanterelle mushrooms that we got for free because the checker at the store couldn't spell chanterelle and was looking for them in the "s" list of fruits/veggies. We enjoyed the tortilla with a side of sauteed Swiss Chard from our garden and a nice white wine from Bogle that Derellek brought over:


Then, we finished off the meal with frozen avocado pie and a round (or three) of dominoes. Good times!

Tomato Tart

I used the last of our Russian heirloom 'Paul Robeson' along with some of our Swiss heirloom 'Rose d'Bern' and some Romas that we bought at the farmers market to make a tomato tart for dinner. A simple pate brisee (savory pie crust) smeared with tasty mustard and lots of shredded smoked Fontina cheese (the only type of Fontina that Whole Paycheck had) and then layered with tasty, tasty tomatoes. Once it was done, I put a little basil over the top and we had a wonderful dinner!

Avocado Pie

Yeah, you heard me right--frozen avocado pie. And anyone familiar with my eating habits knows that I'm not a big fan of avocado. But this pie is TASTY! Gropius ordered some on our last day in Taos at Orlando's and I was converted. As soon as we got home, I found several recipes online and concocted my own:

2 avocados
juice of 2 limes
1 can of sweetened condensed milk (~14 oz)
3 oz of cream cheese
graham cracker crust

Blend the first 4 ingredients together and pour into the crust. Place in freezer (preferably overnight) until ready to serve. We let ours thaw for a couple of hours in the fridge first. It's great with whipped cream, too.

I can haz cheesburger?

Lulu discovered the perils of eating with her daddy this evening at the Rubicon. Walter was holding her in his lap and attempting to eat his bacon-cheeseburger at the same time (foolish, I know!). It was all going (relatively) well until...he got about halfway through and then the grease that had accumulated in the wrapping paper started to pour on to poor Lulu's head! D'oh! We got her all cleaned-up and she sported an, um, interesting hair-do (very "There's Something About Mary") until we got her home and gave her a bath.

Man, did she smell good though!

Chocolate Yogurt Cupcakes

compliments of David Lebovitz and this website.



They make a very tasty breakfast! Unfortunately, no whipped cream like she recommends though...

Garden Photos

Golden Curly Leaf Oregano and Bull's Blood Beets:


Oregano:



Herb Garden:



'Hot Lips' salvia:


Gropius and our sugar snap peas:


Chives almost in bloom:



Lettuce:


Agave we're planning on putting in our front yard (someday):


Calendula in bloom:





Amaryllis in various stages of bloom:

This is one of our new ones from Smith and Hawken--it's a very dark red, very striking!



This one is supposed to be all-white, so it will be interesting to see what it looks like once it's opened?