Not So Secret Tales Of A Fat Ass

Lamb Larb

2012-01-25T20:10:00.000-08:00

The same way that non practicing but "fully vested by their moms lineage" jews always say they don't like pork, I always said I didnt like lamb. I thought I had a minor moral opposition to it, but I have discovered it was just because I had never had it. It turns out, I so don't have an issue with this lovely protein. I adore it!

Here are all of the other things I have adamantly claimed to hate that I eventually had to admit I liked:

1. Camping.
2. Gold Jewelry.
3. Animated Movies.
4. Season 2 of Friday Night Lights. I liked the murder plot. There! I said it!
5. Justin Bieber.
6. Wearing scarves indoors.
7. Swimming in lakes.
8. Matching the color of your polish on your toes and fingers.
9. Iphones.
10. Football.

Luckily, I still dont like phish and celery. Some things are sacredly hated.

Disclaimer: I am only currently sold on lamb in it's ground state, vindaloo and shwarma . I have not met a lamb chop that has made me sing it's praises - but as they say, there is always room to grow. My favorite thing so far about COOKING lamb is that it doesnt need a ton of seasoning to shine, like a well aged under-make-up'd celebrity. I'm looking at you Helen Mirren. Chicken and fish are only as good as their cook. Lamb you could sort of forget about half the recipe and its still delish!

Anyway, I made up this recipe and I QUITE like it. I based it on the traditional Thai dish LARB which contains peanuts and chicken and lime but substitutes lamb, pistachios and lemon. the greek is inspired by the planning of our delayed honeymoon to Greece.

Ingredients
- a pound of ground lamb
- 1 cup of chopped onions
- 3 heads of garlic
- minced parsley
-greek spices (oregano, dill, chives).
-1 lemon, juiced
-1/2 cup pistachios shelled and ground in the food processor.

Over medium, sautee your onions then brown the lamb. toss in your garlic, parsley and spices. once cooked fold in the pistachios and squeeze your lemon. Serve with avo and a pita!

The Flirtiest, Dirtiest, Nerdiest 30.

2012-01-18T13:18:00.000-08:00

30 Things About Turning 30:

30. You should have savings. If I had stayed in Smallbany, NY the last 8 years I'd have boatloads of cash and every Saturday I would make it rain at Quigley's. However, I made 28 grand for 3 years in Los Angeles and will be making up for that for life. Dont pity me though, I showed my undies to Orlando Bloom once and I think that has paid dividends*

*in conversation currency.

29. You should have kids. When you live in a city you're behind 5 years on everything. If I had a kid before 30 I would have been feeding it artisinal cured meats and chicken liver pate because that's what I value as a balanced meal.

28. It's Too Old To Be (insert juvenile act). I am going to say "drunk dialing your mom by accident", "wearing pajamas outside your house", "listening to Britney's 1st album on the regular" and "having that much cleavage"...........World 0, Kate 4.

27. You should be married. Granted I am married so I dont have much ground to stand on but if I were going to stand on any ground and thank gravity - I would say that most marriages I have seen where people got married before they were 25, have ended. Sorry, Katy Perry, Jessica Simpson, Kim Kardashian, Ashton Kutcher and Scarlet Johanson. I thank the lord every day I didnt marry my 1st boyfriend (and I am sure he does too!).

26. 30 Means You Be Wise: Wisdom or a Brand of Chips? I heard someone say recently that every 5 years you look back and say what an idiot you were 5 years ago. This never changes! At 20 I was looking at my 15 year old self saying "dont let that kid feel you up on the after school bus!" and at 25 I was saying to my 20 year old self "dont let that bro feel you up at that frat party!" --- hoping the message changes, but happy perspective is perpetual.

25. You Should Have A Career. I've been in Creative Services/Print Production for 7 years both at WBR and Ubisoft. If 7 years constitutes a career then maybe I should give myself a plaque? If that is true then I also have a career in casually smoking at parties and only shaving the bottom of my legs, since 2005. Should I get certified?

24. The Show Thirtysomethign Captures A Generation. God, I hope not. Timothy Busfield puts the busted in busfield. Read: I also have never seen it.

23. The Grey Hair Will Start Coming. If you can dye it, don't sweat it! If you cant dye it then I am sorry, it is official - you are old. Gross.

22. You Should Have Started Taking Care Of Yourself 10 Years Ago. I am going to shock you when I say I have never washed my face on purpose for longer than 4 days. Dont be grossed out! I take a shower. Well, more specifically I bathe. It's already too late to avoid eye wrinkles for me but maybe my face is just better off for having never applied anything.

21. Old Friends Are Just Old-er Friends, Make New Ones! Well, it's true that your older friends are much older than you when you turn 30. You finally start wondering how old people are! I think its smart to just remember that person knew you when you were 19 and probably still see syou that way. They are keepers!

20. If A Guy Isnt Married By 30, There's Something Wrong With Him. Shawn wasnt married when I met him at 30. It usually just means they are either loners by nature or were in a serious relationship they ended just before they turned 30. However, a never married guy in his 40s likely has one that got away.

19. You Can Eat Dinner Alone And People Dont Think You're Going To Dine & Dash. But you still can. Age aint nothing but a number, but class defies age brackets.

18. "Awwwwww...." Is The Backhanded Compliment To Anyone In Their 20s.
Them: Argh I cant even (insert lame thing you couldnt do in your 20s like drink for a year or buy the expensive toilet paper).
Me: Awwwww. You're so 20s.
Them: Fuck off, old lady.

17. Your Friends Who Are Also 30 Are More Successful Than You. The grass is always greener. All those friends who make lots of money, have happy marriages and have two cars and travel all the time probably get a lot of zits.....or.......you know, have parents who dont love them. Thats what I tell myself at night.

16. The Roman Numerals For 30 are XXX. I think that calls for an epic celebration of pornographical proportions.

15. AARP Is Only 25 Years Away! Excepts It's Really Never For Our Generation. This is too sad to even say anything about.

14. If you turn 30 this year you are still younger than: Raiders Of The Lost Ark, a 1980 vintage of your favorite wine, Andy Milonakis and Shawn.

13. 30 Years Is Enough To Know You Hate Celery. I doubt I'd wake up tomorrow and decide the most disgusting food on the planet is delicious. Believe me, I'm 30. You can also stop saying Cilantro tastes like soap. We know, science proved it.

12. Jon Hamm Wasnt Successful Until His 30s Either! Well, I guess you'd have to define success. At 36 he became Don Draper and captivated a nation and became the guy every guy wants to be and every girl wants to -- hug *below the belt*---. I am almost positive I will captivate a nation in 6 years. I mean someone has to revolutionize quilting.

11. Your Body Is Declining In Health, Stop Being Alive. Seriously: My metabolism is the slower than Sidney Poitier at the Golden Globes, my hangover recovery is the same length as a defensive driving course and eating activia really does help. I should just give up the dream? Its downhill from here.

10. Remember Those Who Never Made It To 30. Kurt Cobain, Ailiyah and the most recent Duggar Baby. Pour one out for those who never got to experience every cliche in the book.

9. Starfucking Is No Longer An Option. If you ever really thought you'd get with that famous person - Greg Grunberg, I'm looking at you - chances are that person would rather bang someone in their 20s. 30s is just asking for unhealthy attachment issues from people who've gotten over their daddy issues (they think).

8. Your Soup Choices Mature With Age: When you're in your tens Chicken Soup With Stars reigns supreme. The golden age of Ramen should be your 20s and in your 30s you're SUPER into Cauliflower Puree with Air Emulsion. In your 40s you dont eat soup, only stoups.

7. I've Been Paying For The Exit Aisle. If I am mature enough to pay $30 more, I am mature enough to save your goddamn life.

6. My Life Is More Like Happy Endings and How I Met Your Mother and I Hope It Becomes Cougar Town. Please?

5. Other Cool Things With 30 In Them: 30 Rock, 30 SPF, 30 Seconds To Mars (okay, not so cool). You name cool things with 29 in them....I dare you.

4. It Makes Your Parents Feel Old. I do feel bad for my parents. Me turning 30 means they have a daughter who is 30. I guess the best part about that is I dont live home.

3. I cant Wait Til Adele Comes Out With The Album 31. I hope for her sake heartbreak doesnt follow her for 10 more years, but for my sake I hope she has 2 abortions and a string of gay men pretending to be single.

2. Your Next Momentous Birthday Is 40. And thats 10 years from now. Get excited for the minimum effort the next 10 years - lunches with coworkers, a cake from the clearance section and no cards.

1. 4 More Years And You Will Be Older Than Jesus Ever Was. Get ready to sacrifice....nothing.

Things That Make You Go Hm.

2012-01-04T13:37:00.000-08:00

Hello and welcome to 2012.

My Personal Celebrity Death Poll 2012. No one has ever officially asked me to join their pool so I am making my own. I have 3 predictions and I welcome you to email me yours. I have fomo for something I'm not even positive exists. I'm pretty sure I may eventually be smighted. Mine are (and dont hate me):

Joanne Woodward.

Kirk Douglas.

Mischa Barton.

What are yours?

The Pretzel-Croissant. Sorry, I haven't actually had 1 but I've read about it and that's all I know. My life is obviously about to change. I am going to NYC next weekend to cash in a free flight and snuggle my friends (sans Shawn) and this is #1 on my list. I want to go to there. Take me to your leader. Sorry, Meagan - this is not celiac friendly.

Russell Brand vs. Katy Perry. Hard to say which of these two wins the divorce. On one hand Katy is America's Sweetheart but deep down we knew she was probably a prude, despite her claim she's had a "menage et trois". Maybe she thought it was a pastry? In the other corner is broken Brand whose sobriety we embrace and his sexuality we admire. I think Russell loses this one by a the tiniest of an overly hair sprayed hair. He's 37 and when you marry a 27 year old you have your work cut out for you.

Stephen King: Bag of Bones on A&E is a yawn but 11/22/63 is awes. I never read Bag of Bones but the 2 part miniseries on A&E starring Pierce Brosnan was pretty disappointing. 1. Pierce Brosnan is old and has old man body now and 2. It was super cheesy right down to the Ghost Writer-esque rearranging of letters on a refrigerate. PBS did it better in 1992 than you did in 2011. Skip it. On the other hand, his new book 11/22/63 is blissfully entertaining and suspenseful. Time Travel + Historical Fiction + The Supernatural + Love story + Simple Times = worth the 864 pages if you have the time.

Well, we dont want you either.

But....

Coke Zero is a totally agreeable bevvie for a sweet manufactured mid-day craving.
I know soda is for the weak, fat, capitalist, toothless apathetic Americans. Unsweetened Iced Tea and "flat tap" not in a plastic bottle is for the hip! but I tried Coke Zero when all the Diet Coke ran dry and I am perfectly pleased with it's deep, syrupy, full taste.

Downton Abbey is the Keeping Up With the Kardashians of the early 1900's. Lady Mary (Kim), Lady Sybil (Kourtney) and Lady Edith (Khloe). It's just as dramatic as the reality series and has the small plot archs of mundane everyday life that make you simultaneously glad you're not as rich and boring as them but also jealous they dont have to get up for work everyday. Also, there's the secret ravishings and daily teas that make your heart yearn for a simpler time. Three words: Poor. Mister Pamook!

Other people's List of The Best Music of 2011. Who? Sorry, in 6 years I'll know these bands and by then they will be uncool.

The Nerd Alert for the Part Time Nerd. I'm sorry but it's JJ Abrams AND it takes place in San Francisco (I know it's filmed in the 'couv though) - AND I get to see what Dr. Neela from ER has been up to since Parminder left the pop culture sphere. I quit Fringe because I couldnt bear less Joshua Jackson. I will be FRONT row for this gem.

Top 25 Things About Things

2011-12-14T11:09:00.000-08:00

My Top 25 Musings on 2011.

25. We decided to add a 13th zodiac sign and give ourselves a personality disorder.
It's like a civil war inside me. Apparently, the earth shifted and made way for the new sign called Ophiuchus and I went from being an Aquarius to a Capricorn. Basically, ew. Sorry, earth - you cant make me change! You're not my real dad anyway.

24. Britney Spears turned 30 and Amy Winehouse will not. Someone made a bunch of money in their Celebrity Death pool from 2011. Good for you for making it off the list the right way, Brit.

23. My best friend Evie joined Facebook. She may not like it or really use it, but she did it. Now I can stop being consistently disappointed in her access to ex crushes she's mentioned over the years and I can quit starting most sentences with "Well, on facebook.........."

22. The Packers won the Super Bowl. Apparently, winning a super bowl doesn't foster a sense of satisfaction in the hearts of fans and players, it actually ignites a fire that cant be contained or satiated until all other social activities are forsaken and compromised, like 30th birthdays in Mexico that happen to take place on February 2nd.

21. Verizon started selling the Iphone. Little known fact: Siri was actually a profit who was an apprentice to Nostradamus and predicted two major titans in the phone industry would unite like Sam & Diane. We love them together, but they just cant seem to stay happy. He knows he wasnt her first choice.

20. Two of my favorite people moved to France. And just as Johnny Depp decided to move back to America. Coincidence? I think Michael wanted the country all to himself.

19. Charlie Sheen gets replaced by Ashton Kutcher on Two and a Half Men. Why do all of us have to pay for something we didnt do? Just like the kid who steals the teacher's pencil and the whole class has to give up recess.....let's do right by ourselves and cancel that sh*t show.

18. Greek Yogurt rocked the dairy world like a hurricane. 2010's bacon renaissance was not to be topped. So much fiber! So tangy!! A healthy substitute for sour cream! And still prevents yeast infections in women on antibiotics. I mean, who could ask for more?

17. The Hunger Games quenched our inner Tween's appetite. Alot darker than the Twilight series but I'm still one of a select few who thinks Katniss is a lesbian. No mention of a single gay in all of Panem? Suspicious.

16. I fell in love with beer, then gave it up, then rekindled that fire! 6 months of wedding diet vodka sodas never tasted so pedestrian than when I tried Dogfishead's Hellhound.

15. Words With Friends success leads to distrust in opponents, *ahem* I mean friends. I'm sorry but how are you not cheating? 67 points on QAT? Also, a perfectly appropriate place for your mother to use the words twat and vulva innocently.

14. Melissa McCarthy wins an Emmy for 'Bridesmaids'. I know, I dont get it either. Mike & Molly has been seen by 2 people and those people accidentally taped it thinking it was another crime scene show.

13. I decided to learn to sew. It wont make me fat and I will learn some patience in the process. Win, win.

12. Planet Earth 0, The Kardashians 10. Despite boring plot archs, sham weddings and out of wedlock children who resemble dead patriarchs they are still #1 in someone's book. How can we shake these pests!?

11. The Occupy Movement Occupied..........my coworker's house? In an amazing turn of events, the occupy movement settled into a "foreclosed" house my coworker was in esgro to purchase and now has 100 people in his new "house" squatting. Now the 99% is against even the 99%?

10. Podcasts created 8 million hours of content no one cares about but me. It's like listening to a magazine. Sure I need to know about how to use an ipod earbud as a lightsource or why Terri Gross loves limes. I'll even listen to a show about listening to PHISH if it has Adam Scott.

9. I watched Friday Night Lights and grew as a person. I'm proud to never have to explain to people why I have no heart. No one does "cry face" better than Connie Britton, not even Claire Danes.

8. Osama Bin Laden was captured. I dont really have a joke for this.

7. Groupon replaced "impulse buys" as a money waster. Mostly, I buy them and forget about them, then forget them when I actually go to use it. It's a viscous cycle. At least when I buy a stupid pencil at the grocery store as a joke I lose it a year after using it.

6. Ricin is now a word we all know. At least the cool people who watch Breaking Bad.

5. Mumford & Sons brings Folk Rock back to the masses. Both amazing music to dance to, to work out to and it doesn't hurt that it has bluegrass tendencies and isn't categorized as hillbilly. Take that, Cotton Eyed Joe!

4. I commented on someone from High School's status on facebook along with 7 other people and she "liked" every comment but mine. I should defriend her right?

3. Casey Anthony and Amanda Knox both set free. But only 1 had a lifetime movie starring Hayden Panetierre. I hope when they make the LTM of Case Anthony she's played by Party of Five's Lacey Chabert and her dad is played by Joe Simpson.

2. Google + failed. Poor Google +. You are as irrelevant Netscape Navigator, Lycos and jokes about cookies.

1. I got married! and took 2 weeks off of work for the first time ever. I also saw alot of other friends get married and engaged. I know none of them got it at Jared's. My only wedding advice is ALWAYS, always, always assign seating. You're not being "breezy".

The Pilot Prowl

2011-10-03T11:11:00.000-07:00

The point of this picture is to let you know: you don't need to put waffle batter in a waffle maker. You can make so many things! I put choco chip cookie dough in and out popped these cookies that LOOK LIKE WAFFLES! Next stop: brownie batter and the infamous Falafel Waffle of internet fame.

Also, I've been on the Pilot Prowl. Every year I watch a few just to see what innovation is out there and uninspired alot of new shows can be. Here's my assessment:

#1 Best Pilot of The Season: Homeland on Showtime. Equal parts suspense and political thriller this show follows a just released POW from the Iraq war who is suspected of being a traitor by Claire Danes. Granted, I have not seen a 2nd episode of this cat and mouse saga but it was the only 1 I left wanting more. The best description of the style is - if you took movie Enemy Of The State and gave it a little Fischer King and then sealed it up with some Three Kings. The only negative is a very subdued Mandy Patinkin. Leave him out.

Best Vehicle Pilot: Cute cute snappy and cute. I think I love this show just for now. I would highly recommend it, I would even QUOTE IT, but how long can the premise last? I can tell from the beginning every episode the plot will go : Jess is funny>but her guy friends are so normal! > oh man they love her anyway. The end. I think it will do what Community did and find a strong calling and like a diviner towards water, find an audience that likes weird shit to happen and cater to it all with their star quarterback, Miss Zeschanel.

The Old Wait And See: Whitney on NBC. I can see why people would like it and I have myself watched 2 episodes so far but I CANNOT GET OVER A LIVE STUDIO AUDIENCE LAUGH TRACK. It's sort of vaudevillian to me. Setup: Joke: Setup: Joke: Lesson: Joke : Joke coming from nowhere! :Lesson. I give it a B.

Come Back In A Different Life: 2 Broke Girls on CBS. This show is essentially Zack & Cody's Suite Life only its about adults who arent twins and has R rated jokes. I would vote for this to be stripped of its laugh track, shot in HD, moved to FX and showrun by Louis CK. Otherwise, I call foul on this show.

I dont get it: Suburbgatory. I mean really, I dont get it. It was more of a commentary opening scene of a 90s movie than anything ever lasting. Also, Jeremy Sisto as a dad is wack.

Not For Me But You Can Have It: I dont have a kid, baby humor is lost on me but I am all for equal life-style opportunity comedies. You can have it, Ill let you and even with NO judgement.

And lastly, I havent watched you yet but I am so excited to!

TO DIY OR NOT TO DIY?

2011-09-27T13:28:00.000-07:00

My dream was to have a crafty wedding. I knew from the start that Shawn and I would be collaborating on a lot of things for this festival of love and we turned out to be SUCH a great team. I wanted to look back and not regret putting the work into it and I look at it am SO proud of all the touches! If you want to DIY for your wedding know these two things: ITS REALLY HARD WORK and ITS NOT CHEAP. Dont mistake the two.

Here is the rundown of what we crafted and what other people crafted!

The Brooch Bouquets. I sent out a call to people's jewelry boxes for old or unused brooches for these delights. My mother, Shawn's mother and a few trips to Haight street were able to secure me enough to make 7 for my bridesmaids. Each had about 10 pieces.

The Table Numbers. Okay, I lied. Some of these were cheap! We bought picture frames from Ikea and my bridesmaid Jenny came up for a long weekend in SF where we painted them grey and glued on tiles from the game Bananagrams. Inside we simply put our invitation chopped up cause let's be honest: it looks cute. These are also Shawn's books but he did not write them.

The Love Preserves. The saddest revelation post wedding was that NO ONE KNEW we made all the Jams and Jellies that were the wedding gifts! Sad sad sad. Anyway, we made 125 of them in 5 different flavors: Balsamic Onion Marmalade, Strawberry Rhubarb, Blueberry Apricot, Apple Butter and Lemon Ginger and Rosemary Curd. Sososososo good! Yum!

The Bunting. My grandma made the bunting with my mom! Like a deconstructed quilt.

Name & Table Assignments. We orded tags online, hand wrote them and stamped the acks with cute owls and forks and knives. The best part of the setup was the white stand that my grandfather made!

Cute Sign! Where people were from. My mom made this! Sorry to Kris and Darcy for not putting Atlanta, GA. You moved after I gave the names to my mom.

Hair Piece. My cousin Emily made this for me for my big day! Loved wearing something my cousin made.

QUICK WEDDING RECAP!

2011-09-15T12:42:00.000-07:00

Where to start? I got married to Shawn Schmieding and became Kate Schmieding. Bittersweet to let the Kugler go, but I am going to make it my last name so I can remember where I came from (the little people) - for the rest of my life. It's cliche to say but it was the best weekend of my life!

No one told me that the best feeling in the entire world is having everyone you love in the same place at the same time. It's like a sci-fi movie up in here! Like the world could just combust at anytime from all the love.

THANK YOU to everyone who came that weekend! It was the best.

Small Moments Add Up To Big Memories. The I do's were such a small part of the wedding to me and I was glad to have had some quiet and not so quiet moments with friends and family both leading up to the wedding and after. My favorite moments were:

.....drinks on the Hudson River with our families on Tuesday, we all love beers! And the Kugler-Schmiedings definitely get along well. Happy hearts. All Shawn's family at my house for lunch on Thursday, too. It wasnt the same without Danielle, Dennis and William. When they get there it was perfect.

......Mother-Daughter day while Shawn's fam was in Boston. Movies, lunch, work out - awesome!

.....a quiet breakfast with Pam, Evie and Natalie on Friday am at Cafe Madison. Good balance of gossip, girly love and "calm before the storm", a true nest of comfort.

.....Victory Cafe, post rehearsal dance and drinkathon. What better way to kick off a weekend of debauchery with throwing back some $4 drinks on a summer night on the sidewalks of Albany and a jukebox pumped full of quarters? The wedding party was in full effect and ready to shine. LOTS of mems.

......The Kickball Game. I mean - it was the best day of all! Friends loving friends. We didnt win but we did rally to play a losers tournament which made me so happy.

.....City Beer Hall. PERFECT NIGHT! The groom rode a mechanical bull as did many other wedding attendants. Great night with everyone! It was so hard to pull myself away from the party by my self imposed 1am curfew. I could have stayed in that bar the whole night, every person there meant so much! Perfect. Perfect, melding of friends.

.......Slumber Party, table of 3: Brett & Meagan were excellent pre-nuptial company.

.......At the wedding (quickly) I loved our friend Michael O'Leary marrying us! Loved the ceremony. It was touching and simple, but super personal. We will forever be in debt to him. A very fun dance party to 2 Legit 2 Quit. The amazing toasts of Meagan and Josh Mathy. Our friend Beth Wittig showing up! The amazing makeup of Kate Tritto. It takes a village people to make me good looking. Shawn's vows were so amazing.

.........I would say the post wedding McGearys was also fun but......I only stayed til 1am. wa wa.

........and finally, I love a good hungover "stumble into the breakfast the next morning"......good recaps, good good byes.....the perfect ending to the perfect weekend.

Our frieds even got together and made tshirts so everyone looked amazing.

My next blog will be all the DIY!

Camping 301: Cuisine De Camping.

2011-08-15T11:17:00.000-07:00

We've now camped in Big Sur 4 times! Should I now consider it a tradition? I think so. I am a big fan of traditions. Overall it was a blast but I was disappointed that the weather proved to be more foggy than SF and not at all sunny as the weather on my iphone purported. How much of a downer can it be when you're with friends and have booze though!? It cant be. It's built in amazingness.

Things I Learned while camping this weekend:

1. A Roasted Red Pepper has it's skin removed. Uh-huh. Yep. Put this on the list of shit I didnt know. I am going to say this is due to the fact that for 10 years I didnt eat red peppers cause they made my tummy hurt. Now, after some intense red pepper conditioning (a little once a week) - I'm all in and in love with them! Doug, our camping companion roasted these puppies over the fire the night before to include in the wraps for lunch. He roasted them and then removed the skins.

2. The Ultimate SMORE is actually not made with a Hershey's bar its made with Nutella. This darling idea came from a few of us who said when the chocolate doesnt melt its sort of a bummer. Graham Cracker + Nutella + Burned Marshmallow = Ultimate smore.

3. Planking is not just for athletic yoga freaks in public. It's actually better with Salmon. I had heard of Cedar Planked Salmon but never seen it in action. It truly is a great way to cook the fish in that it takes on an oakey flavor, cooks it perfectly and also you can burn the HELL out of the bottom and it doesnt effect the fish. Bravo to Aaron & Jenny for doing this one right.

4. An Orange Is An Orange Is a --- CAKE! Cute, functional and delicious. The trifecta of desserts. Jenny hollowed out these oranges, used a boxed cake mix and stuffed them with vanilla cake. She wrapped them in foil and then cooked then in the fire for 40 minutes. We thought they were just perfect! Next time I would put in some choco chips or nutella.

5. When Drinking A Simpler Time You Should Always Toast with a story of a Simpler Time! When you crack these mofos open amongst friends make sure to share a memory of a time when you think things were simpler. It's a great way to make new memories while toasting old ones.

Anyway, it was a culinary tour de camping. Friday night was our night to cook but I just prepared a chili at home the night before and heated it up upon arrival.

Butternut Squash, Black Bean & Hominy Poblano Chili

1/2 Butternut Squash, peeled and cubed.
1 can on black beans, rinsed.
1 big can of hominy, rinsed.
1 can of cannellini beans
2 cans of roasted tomatoes, diced and rinsed.
2 cans of diced green chilis + the water.
1 white onion, diced.
3 cloves of garlic, sliced.
2 poblano peppers, roasted at 400 degrees for 30m, flipping once.

1/4 jalapenos + some juice

Dash of Cinnamon
Dash of cumin.

Garlic Salt
Salt & Pepper

Step One: Over medium heat, saute the chopped onion and garlic until soft. 10 minutes. Then toss in the cubed squash and the diced green chilis. Cook and stir for around 15 minutes until soft. Salt with Garlic Salt.

Step Two: Take 1 of the roasted poblanos and put it in the food processor until it looks like pulp then stir into the chili. Add the cumin and the cinnamon then add the rest of the ingredients, saving the 2nd chili for the top (like in the picture). Cook for 45m over low.

Step Three: Garnish with white cheddar and diced red onions.

Lovely Little Weekend

2011-08-04T10:00:00.000-07:00

This weekend had a BIG to do list but we decided to screw it all and just enjoy ourselves! And enjoy ourselves we did. I had a fantastic weekend that included:

A Friday Chill Night with Season 3 of Friday Night Lights. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You're sick of hearing about it! But damn that Tim Riggins is to die for. He is made up of : 1/4th Jordan Catalano's amazing flippy hair that sometimes slips effortlessly into his face, 1/4th of the broken "can I fix you, bad boy?" of Ben Covington, 1/4th the wittyness of Pacey Whitter and 1/4 the good looks of the older brother on 7th Heaven. Le sigh. If I was only 16 years younger.

A Saturday night with our friends Adam & Melissa of Hogs & Rocks and bowling at Sea Bowl. You dont have to have a huge menu in this city to be popular. In fact it's preferred that you just do 1 or 2 things well and the rest can rest on those laurels. We tried out the Mission favorite Hogs & Rocks (thats right, pig products and oysters were the stars) - see below for the amazing cocktails and salty meats. I give this place an A and I cant wait to go back! We even had Duck Heart which was pretty tough but a fun little adventure. I also tried bowling an entire game with my left hand and suffice to say, I did not break 100.

Went on an amazing day hike with Evie, Marq, Dawn and their 2 excited Dogs to Cataract Falls. I would say it was the perfect hike, with the perfect weather and the perfect friends but I would be missing the part where we got lost and turned a 3 mile hike into a 5 mile hike by completely going out of our way and making a wrong turn! It was awesome nonetheless and I totally recommend the hike 10 times over with the caveat that you MUST eat lunch in Fairfax afterwards at the Barefoot Cafe. A must!

..............and finished the night off on Sunday with some Into Thin Air by John Krakauer.

Pretty sweet weekend.

Oh! And I almost forgot the point of this post.......

Mexican Turkey Stuffed Roasted Poblano Peppers.
Thes babies were the.bomb.dot.org. or net. okay how about they were the bomb@facebomb.com? This is one of those recipes that you can make time and time again and just keep switching up the ingredients and modifying it until you have the perfect meal. I wouldnt change this variation a bit. It was my perfect meal. I topped it with some greek yogurt I mixed with cumin just to make it a little crazier.

4 Poblano Peppers
1 pound ground turkey
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 can of black beans, rinsed.
1 cup of corn (I chopped it off the cobb, but you can use canned).
1 big can of diced green chilis, with juice from can.
1 can of roasted tomatoes, diced and rinsed.
a few pickled jalapenos.
1/2 cup of cheese!

Step One: Preheat oven to 400. I cut the tops off the peppers but didnt throw them away - I roasted them on each side for 20 minutes until they were soft! I didnt take out the seeds or anything I just popped em in.

Step Two: Over medium heat start with olive oil, onions and garlic and cook til the onions are soft. Keep on medium heat and start to brown the turkey. Once sort of cooked pour in the
green chilies and the jalapenos and continue to cook for 10m, turning occaish. Once you're done, salt and pepper to taste and throw in the corn and the beans and the tomatoes and simmer for 20 while your peppers roast and your flavors develop.

Step Three: Before stuffing the peppers with the turkey mixture, toss in your cheese so it doesnt melt until baked. Remove the peppers and stuff with the turkey mixture then bake for an additional 10 minutes......

Yum!

The Thrill Of It All

2011-08-01T09:16:00.000-07:00

The weekend went so fast! I spent Saturday with my girlfriends Jenny and Evie outside of Sacramento soaking up the 90 plus degree weather gossiping about college and getting excited for the wedding weekend which is just about a month away. So much still to do! But I definitely feel in control. Let's just say this weekend was tres bad for my wedding diet but today is Monday and its August 1st so it feels super new to me.....I have 4 weeks to lose 10 more pounds and I think I can do it. And if I cant, its too late - shawn - you still have to marry me.

Upon returning to SF and its overcast wintery weather Shawn and I decided to fore sake our Friday Night Lights obsession and even put off Breaking Bad and True Blood for another night and rent a scary movie - Insidious. Watching this made me realize some things about scary movies:

1. Scan The Screen. My brain does double time on scary movies. Every frame I am desperately scanning the angles and empty spaces to prepare myself for something scary. Much like having to read subtitles on foreign films my movie watching experience is not just about watching the movie but seeing the movie differently than intended. Or is it? I wonder if they have dont studies on your brain during scary movies and if the anticipation levels match that of say getting your blood drawn. Anticipation is always worse than actuality.

2. Hypnotized. In this movie the main character gets hypnotized and I started considering whether I believed in hypnotism? I found myself subconsciously (pun both intended and unintended) - trying to become hypnotized simultaneously with Patrick Wilson. But why?! It's not real! Did I really think that by listening to a metronome and following the sound of the woman's voice somehow I would venture into my own subconscious? The attempt was brief but I came to the conclusion quickly I dont believe in it. Aliens and government conspiracies will be the extent of my fantasy beliefs.

3. Show Yourself. Much like going to a male stripper, you desperately want the payoff full monty shot but once you get it - you wish you had just never seen it and kept the mystery. You cant have it all. Most scary movies, when they show the real monster its not scary it trivializes the demon therefore losing all the clout surrounding it. We'd all rather see the outline of someone scary then see it revealed at the end only to make you think he looks like Dave Grohl during his Nirvana days. It's obviously relative but sometimes I wish the movie makers would skip the reveal and never let you see the demon.....

Anyway, in unrelated news I made these amazingly quick tacos on Friday and Shawn was a huge fan. They were cheap too. The star of this was the Lime Avocado Greek Yogurt topping. It was delicious on its own.

Shrimp & Chorizo Tacos with Lime Avocado Greek Yogurt Sauce
3 Links of Deli Case uncooked chorizo.
1/2 pound of uncooked shrimp
3 limes
1 cup Greek Yogurt
1 Avocado
1 White Onion, chopped
Cilantro, chopped.

Step One: I uncased the chorizo and browned it in a pan over medium until crisp and brown. While I was doing that I gently salted the shrimp and cut into bite sized pieces, then squeezed a whole lime over them. Once the chorizo was cooked I tossed in the shrimp which need about 5 minutes to cook total...just make sure they turn pink!

Step Two: Stir up the greek yogurt and mash up the avo and squeeze in the lime. I used 2 limes but some people would only want 1. Shawn is a lime addict. Salt a little!

Step Three: Chop the onion and cilantro for topping. Toast the tortillas and eat!

We used part wheat/part corn tortillas and they were delicious and even healthy.

Inspiration Nation

2011-07-25T10:15:00.000-07:00

Things I have been into:

Friday Night Lights

It's a rare show that comes along like Friday Night Lights, both genuine and dramatic without a hint of pretentiousness. Granted I am only 1/2 way through the 2nd season but it really catches you with the authentic ebbs and flows of relationships with the backdrop of Texas football. I am fairly new to football (4 years!) so its still captivating to me in that sense and surprisingly doesnt get old. Sexy triangles! Crippling accidents. First kisses, jealousy, being a teenager....what more can you ask for in a network television show? I'm totally hooked and I am taking it slowly to savor it as most of my friends have advised. I want to BE Connie Britton.

China Camp in San Rafael, CA

Our wedding photographer brought us there for part of our engagement shoot. Living in San Francisco there is no shortage of beautiful small spots tucked away on the water to discover. I had never been there but it was a quaint little spot I cant wait to return to. Its perfect with it's old timey buildings, run down boats and apparently warm enough water to swim in. Not too shabby. Photos to come! Thanks so much Sheila!

The Cocktail Menu at Aziza.

I have spent 13 years drinking. The first 4 were mere licks and sips to determine the level of drunkenness that you can pass to be cool at school without crossing the line to "troubled" while also giving you courage to kiss boys at parties. The following 4 were partially (and ironically) spent under the roof of the Wellness Floor at Emerson College where drinking was forbidden not just by the law but by your peers. (I was placed there by accident and they can suck a cheetahs dick except that I found my friends!). I drank alot of Bacardi Limon and Vanilla Vodka. Years 8-11 were merely spent discovering how amazing beer is and from 11-13 its been a delight seeing cocktails mature from your usual vodka soda and cran vodka to something super wild and out there like Arugula Gin Fizz and Almond Margarita. The cocktail menu at Aziza is a revelation!
Here are some samples:

thai chili lemongrass, chartreuse, gin

fennel dill, saffron, black pepper, vodka

tomato harissa, balsamic cherries, tequila

rhubarb vanilla, rose, vodka

Need I say more!?

Anyway! It was a fun weekend. Friday we went to go see Harry Potter and it was great even though I didnt understand alot of it. I think I have alot of Wikipedia reading to do (as opposed to 10,000 pages I would need to read the book....). Then we had some friends over on Saturday for dinner....then Sunday we saw the Brewers take on the Giants and lose. All in all it was fun to be out doing fun things!

I posted a blog earlier this month about this amazing feta/basil and mint mixture I made for a salad and I decided to turn it into an appetizer by cubing watermelon then scooping out the middle and stuffing with the cheese mixture. It got raves that it was refreshing! as well as complex. Super simple prep and also really colorful. I love!

Canning Machine!

2011-07-12T11:45:00.000-07:00

It's been quite a few weeks. Is it possible to be so busy and yet so bored at the same time!? I dont mean bored but we've been trying to minimize travel this summer to be able to afford the wedding (thats only 7 weeks away!) so we have been saying no to everything we would usually say yes to! Music festivals, weekends away on the Russian River, Phish shows, etc. We havent really even camped since last year! Beer fest doesnt count, though it was in a tent. So what have we been filling our time with? See below!

......................these are just teaser images before the reveal at our wedding! Shawn and I took on a massive project to can an assortment of jams and jellies and marmalades and spreads for our wedding. 125 to be exact! It was our first canning day last Sunday and we canned for 6 hours straight! It was.............hard. noisy. rewarding. cute. frustrating. fun. domestic. darling. We are halfway through but so far its a success.

In an effort of full disclosure I did not make this salad - Shawn did! And it was the bomb. I cant wait to make it for you guys! If I am wrong about the recipe Shawn will set me straight.

Also, I lost 5 more pounds! Only 15 more to go for a total of 20 lost!

One more thing: have you noticed that there's a saxophone solo in both Katy Perrys TGIF Friday and in The Edge Of Glory by Lady Gaga? SAX IS BACK! and not whack.

Shrimp & Watermelon Summer Salad
1/2 pound of shrimp
3 radishes, sliced thin
3 cups of shredded cabbage
2 cups of cubed watermelon (more or less due to your taste!)
1/2 cup of peanuts
1/2 sliced red onion

1 carrot shredded
diced mint, basil and cilantro (about a tablespoon each!)
Dressing in the blender:
Olive Oil

Lime Juice
Garlic
Champagne Vinegar

Step One: Devein and poach the shrimp for 4 minutes or until they start to curl up. I set them aside in the fridge to cool as this is a cool salad. Pepper them for flavor if you want before you throw them in the salad later.

Step Two: Combine all ingredients in a bowl and toss!

Step Three: Toss in a homemade Garlic Lime Olive Oil Vinegrette!

Simple Simon

2011-07-05T09:27:00.000-07:00

San Francisco is notorious for a sunless summer but before we even noticed its given us a summer full of Vitamin D. This past week has been incredibly giving in the "seasons" dept. I even found myself wearing sunglasses inside until 8pm. Can you even imagine!?

We spent Friday night grilling at our friend's Adam & Melissa and Adam is a master of grilling. There is no one I know who does it better! Honestly, it chars in the right place, leaks juices in the right places and looks the part. He will love that I pumped him up in this category but the truth is - it's not bragging if its true. We also went and tried out Nopalito which was amazing !

Because we spent so much time trying to save money this weekend (we wish we had been at High Sierra Music Festival) - we watched alot of movies. Or at least I did. reviews coming soon on: Iron Man 2, The Adjustment Bureau, Let Me In and Letters To Juliet.

Anyhow! As you may know I am obsesssssssed with this cafe in SOMA called Darwin. I eat there 3x a week. This salad had inspiration drawn from a salad I have had there often but I took it, twisted it and then gave it a better fruit: Mint & Basil Feta Salad with Plum and Arugula. They usually use Cantaloupe but its nothing spectacular - so I subbed plums.

The real star of this salad is the Mint & Basil feta. It's light and tastes like a garden. I like eating gardens.

Ingredients
a bunch of basil
a bunch of mint
juice of a lemon
1/4 cup Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper
(put it in a food processor and pulse til chopped!)
mix it with 1 cup of crumbled Feta.
Pair with a diced plum and arugula.

Serve as a salad!

I like to toss with more lemon juice at the end before serving.

Daydream Believer

2011-06-27T10:08:00.000-07:00

Who am I?

Am I a person who works to live or lives to work? They dont ask you this question in college before they thrust you into the world to make a living. They either assume you know or know there's no way to tell before you hit the pavement with bright ideas about your future. It turns out you just have to live a little to find out the answer. Somedays I decide I am just a person who goes to work, does a great fucking job but loves to have friends a family and travel and enjoys having a paycheck to pay for them. Other days, I day dream about doing something I love. When do you crossover? Are you just born a person who does what they want? Or once you decide, how do you get there?

So on days like the latter I think the best thing that could occupy my brain is a day dream. Without a small business loan or the experience to back up the business success of this venture, I create a breakfast joint. I. Fucking. Love. Breakfast. When I was making the above hash I thought this would be on my menu and then I go down the rabbit hole and make up my perfect menu complete with funny names. Some of these are made up and some are real dishes I've made or would do a variation on.

The Hashtag
A Basted Egg over Peppered Turkey Bacon & Sweet Potato Hash.
Onions, Zucchini and Garlic.

Le Petit Prince
Baked Eggs (w/Herbs De Provence), baked tomatoes, homemade crusty baguette, crispy thick cut peppered bacon.

The Urban Homesteader Benedict
Two Spinach & Quinoa patties topped with poached eggs, smoked salmon, goat cheese and topped with meyer lemon hollandaise.

The Gotta-Regatta-Frittata
Egg Whites, Shrimp, Basil, Sundried Tomato, Pine Nuts. Served with crispy potatoes.

Virtuous Vegan Tacos
Corn Tortillas filled with Scrambled Tofu and Soy Chorizo topped with green tomato and mango pico de gallo. Served with a side of black beans and plantains. Spicy Homemade Taco Sauce on request.

Veggie Villain
Eggs scrambled with roasted veggies (red peppers, onions, asparagus, zucchini) mixed with brown rice, sauteed spinach in a light soy sauce.

The King Of Corned Beef
A homemade bialy, Corned Beef, Fried Egg, Swiss Cheese, pickles. Served with fried Maztoh Ball "potatoes".

Poppin Blue Collar
Eggs Any Style, Bread Any Style, Coffee Any Style, Sage Breakfast Sausage Patties our style.

You're Grounded (Door Slam).
Ground Turkey Omelet with Basil, Cheddar Cheese, Avocado, Black Olives and Caramelized Onions. Served with a Whole Wheat English Muffin

Peanut Butter Jelly Time
Organic Peanut Butter slathered between Brioche French Toasts topped with Honey sauteed bananas. Accompanied by homemade raspberry syrup and powdered sugar.

Gluten Free Gods
Coconut Lemony Ricotta Rice Pudding Pancakes

Pumpkin Eater
3 slices Warm Ooey Gooey Pumpkin Bread topped with cream cheese & raisens.

Fruit Scooter
Homemade granola, greek yogurt, figs, honey.

The Wonderful World of Whimsy
Piping hot fist sized Chai Tea Spiced Donut Holes with Plum dipping sauce. Served with bacon or sausage.

I could go on and on for like 10 pages!

Summer Loving

2011-06-20T14:24:00.000-07:00

It's been a busy few weeks for my stomach! First I was in Los Angeles for the E3 Video Gaming Conference, then I was in Palm Springs for my bachelorette party and finally I was in Sacramento for the wedding of my dear friends (and Shawn's fellow Waunakee denizen) Marq Spusta and Dawn Wachsmuth. All of this adds up to an insane amount of eating, drinking and the opposite of calorie counting: calorie BINGING! So here I am two months to go and starting strong with my revived diet. I start personal training this week! Hooray. See below some amazing pictures from my journey (food and non food related):

Anyway - it was a beautiful day on Sunday and we needed some healthy food in our bellys to kick start our metabolisms back to life.

Grilled Lemon Basil Salmon with Toasted Walnut, Steamed Squash & Zucchini

This is pretty simple....

Salt & Pepper the fillets and then squeeze a ton of lemon juice on it. Slice the lemons over it and put a few shreds of basil on too! Grill it as usual (salmon is fast but 10-12m tops!).

Then slice the squash and zucchini, toss in a little olive oil then add garlic salt. Make a pouch of foil and throw on the grill - steamed for 10m as well. On the side toast some walnuts and then serve on top of the steamed veggies.

The 90s Salad Remix

2011-06-14T11:29:00.000-07:00

Ah, the Chinese Chicken Salad. Historically speaking your popularity peaked in the 90s along with cesar salad wraps, clear pepsi, snackwells cookies and hackey sack tournaments. Last week when I saw you on the 100th menu I posed the question to myself: in the current state of salads where does this old standard fit in? When we're eating interesting and unique organic ingredients like persimmon and burrata with our greens is there room for this unsophisticated salad? It's pedestrian at best, but we still cant seem to get rid of it! But why? Its not really healthy with all the rice sticks/fried wontons/sicky sweet stick-to-your-fingers dressing. If I could compare this salad to something it would be your best friend's older brother who you thought was SO COOL when you were 9, but now he's grown up and 40 and scratches his butt - and like totally - so what?

Some of my favorite incarnations include: Mo's Restaurant in Burbank, the commissary at Warner Brothers (so spicy!), the Thai Crunch Salad from California Pizza Kitchen, The Grind in Lower Haight in SF. The WORST versions include: Panera Bread, The Creamery in San Fran....the list goes on everyone has a version of this salad and they are mostly played out.....

.....................until it grew up and mutated into the 2011 version of the chinese chicken salad. No longer will it be so ingrained in popular culture that it gets a shout out in a Barenaked Ladies rap.
That is so dated!

I also hate giving recipes for salad and sandwiches, as you know, so just consider this a recommendation instead of a recipe. I got rid of all the calorie laden ingredients that made it so fast food tasting (though delicious!).

Not Your Average Chinese Chicken Salad
Use ingredients to your perfect ratio!
Romaine Lettuce
Shredded Cabbage
Chicken cooked with Soy Sauce & Sesame Seeds
Chopped Jicama
Green Onions
No Sugar Added canned Mandarin Oranges
Cashews
Avocado
Toss with dressing of choice: I chose The Orignal Chinese Chicken Salad Dressing!

With A Cherry On Top!

2011-06-06T09:35:00.000-07:00

What a delish weekend!

Definition of delish: something so rich you have to eat it taking a break every 2nd spoonful - but its better that way so you can enjoy it for longer and the taste memory stays til the next day.... Or something so savoury your fork can barely stop scraping the burned bits from the pan, even when youre trying to be polite and have manners in front of friends....and something so garlicky people think there's horseradish in the recipe but there's not - its just 4 cloves compacted into 1/4 cup of dip....and finally, delish is when its 5 hours later and you realize there's leftovers. and youre drunk. and you dont care about your diet.

Anyway, that was this weekend. We had an amazing(ly) healthy dinner with our friends Marq & Dawn on Friday where we got to commiserate and inspire each other on our current wedding state of mind. They have a much shorter time than we do - 2 weeks! It didnt stop Dawn from making an incredible light and airy meal for us on a rainy Pacifica evening. Proof below! A great Peach, Feta & Onion tarte and a concoction of scallops wrapped in spinach and fish....

Behold!

Then we had our friends Kris & Darcy over for a "last meal". While they arent leaving for Atlanta until next month, we are all so busy that a chill dinner with wining and dining into the late hours could only occur on Saturday. Also, we made them play killer bunnies.

Here's a glimpse of what a Vegan Greek Menu looks like (with 1 exception, because sister please I need my cheese):

Roasted Red Pepper & Walnut Dip.
1 jar of RRP, 1 bag of walnuts, smoked paprika & lemon juice. Salt & Pepper to taste! Food Process it then serve. Takes 5 minutes.

Grilled Haloumi Cheese w/Oregano & Lemon Juice
Slice it, throw it in a pan until browned. Juice a lemon and chop some herbs. Looks so pretty and tastes so salty.

Spinach, Dill & Chickpea Warm Salad
1 can of chickpeas drained. Saute with olive oil, chopped dill, salt and pepper. Toss in fresh spinach and lemon juice til its all cooked through and serve. Around 15m total.

Tempeh, Bulgar & Mushroom Mix
Saute red onions, mushrooms, garlic - add in 1/2 cup of bulgar in the pan then fill with vegetable stock and let boil until absorbed. Around 15 minutes. In a sep pan break up the tempeh and brown in a pan. Toss in at the end for texture and serve.

Garlic Sauce (like the most garlicky sauce youve ever tasted!)
4 cloves of garlic
4 pieces of white bread, no crust
White Wine Vinegar
Salt
Pepper
Puree!

..........and finally, the reason for the season:

Chocolate Cherry Vegan Pudding.
1 cup chopped and pitted fresh cherries
1 silky tofu block
1/4 cup raw agave nectar
1 bar 100% cocoa vegan chocolate

NOTE: Your cherries arent fresh if your prep doesnt slightly resemble a murder scene.

Step one: Put 3/4s of your cherries in a blender with the sikly tofu, combine until pureed. Once in a sep bowl add in the agave.

Step two: In the microwave or over the stove, melt the chocolate. Once melted, fold in the tofu/cherry mixture. Whip it quickly and for at least 4 minutes straight! until pudding consistency. After that, put in the 1/4 leftover cherries and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.

.............yeah!

Best BBQ Eva!

2011-05-31T10:53:00.000-07:00

What's a Memorial Day without a BBQ? Sure, I wasnt invited to any parties and I didnt throw a bash but it is NO excuse to miss out on the kick off to the smokey and smooth summer meat season. Not eating BBQ on Memorial Day weekend is like being celebate at an orgy or sober on your 21st birthday.I mean people do it, just not people I know. Or like. Except Vegans, I guess. You get a free pass from my judgement.

It was a really great weekend! Not working 1 extra day was as freeing as you would think. My"Crafter-In-Crime" Jenny came up from Los Angeles to help me create the centerpieces and watch me waffle back and forth in Michaels/Daiso/Beverlys....we also played a ton of games, went to the German Tourist Club and cheated on our diets........alot. Oh well! Its Tuesday and I need to motivate back to OPERATION SKINNY BRIDE and workout 6 days a week. Wa. 3 months away now and I cant wait to get married folks.

Hella Easy Oven Roasted BBQ Brisket w/ Basil Buttered Corn

Ingredients
Beef Brisket. 2 pounds was okay for 2 people but there were no leftovers! Go for 4 next time.

1 onion chopped, diced.
1 jalapeno, sliced
5 cloves crushed garlic.
2 cup veggie stock (you can use beef, I just bought the wrong stuff).
2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup worchestire sauce
Lots of BBQ rub ( I used "BBQ 3000")
Garlic Salt

1/4 cup generic BBQ sauce (I couldnt find liquid smoke so I went with that).
Corn
Butter
Chopped Basil

Step One: Preheat oven to 250. Combine all wet ingredients in a roasting pan + jalapenos and onions. Rub the roast generously with the rub, garlic salt and crushed garlic.

Step Two: Place the roast in the pan, fat side up and make sure the water is at least half way up the side. Roast for 4 hours, more if the roast is bigger.

Step Three: Boil the corn, melt the butter and stir in the basil then toss the cooked corn and serve!

Eat Up Son!

2011-05-26T16:04:00.000-07:00

Things:

1. I read Bossypants by Tina Fey. It was pretty sweet. I wouldnt say it was epic or life changing or even memorable, but it was sweet. There were no surprises, only funny witty one liners that made you smile to yourself. I would still recommend it as a good read, though. Light and fun. I like reading about women being in charge, even though I just wanted more.

2. I would rather watch Game Of Thrones than do anything else (except eat an entire red velvet cake all by myself. I'd choose that every day if it was responsible or it would save the world). We held off on this show while it was airing because it was just too much TV to be taking in at once and last Sunday we were ready to consume new television now that the finales of all our regulars have been aired...........and we're hooked! Without spoiling anything this is the general formula: 1/2 of all the sexy parts of True Blood + first season mysticism of LOST (before we cared) + fantasy and whimsy of LORT and then throw in a dash of political drams of West Wing (which I didnt wach but what the heck else would I reference?).

3. I cant wait a single minute more to go to my bachelorette party in Palm Springs in 2 weeks! At first I questioned everything about the "getting married" traditions and why a bachelor or bachelorette party is even still relevant. After some soul searching I came to the conclusion that in all seriousness: its not! And that's fine. The reality is - why wouldnt I want all my closest girlfriends (+Brett) to come together for one weekend to hang out and talk about all the times I cried that I got dumped? Or remind me that I once had a crush on a guy who had leg braces? And maybe that time I showed Orlando Bloom my undies. Its important to take some time and reflect on the journey that got you there and the people who have been there for it all..........just not with Shawn. :)

4. East Coast Itch. I have it! Can I haz? I think its probably because summer should be approaching San Fran and its decidedly not....Memorial Day weekend I always go to NY and this is the 2nd year not doing that.....you can take the girl out of Schodack NY but you cant take the Schodack out of the girl.

5...............and can I get a what! what! for..............

Lime Paneer, Chickpea & Chicken Tikka Salad!

This dish could be entered in a winner winner chicken dinner category if you ask me. It was super simple and right up Shawn's alley. I used almonds in the salad but Shawn pointed out after (in a true Micholic Maximizer way) that cashews or peanuts would have been better. Its really up to you though.

Ingredients
2 Chicken breasts, cubed
1/2 block of paneer, cubed
1 cup chickpeas
1/4 cup almonds
1 avocado, sliced
3 limes
2/3 cup raw red onion
1 tablespoon mashed garlic
1 tablespoon shredded ginger
1 cup tikka masala canned sauce
Tablespoon of Olive Oil
Dash of coriander
Dash of curry powder

Step One: Marinate the chicken in the tikka masala sauce and over medium heat cook and simmer 10-12 minutes. Salt & Pepper to taste. Once cooked through, remove from heat and let cool completely.

Step Two: Squeeze 1 lime=over cubed paneer and toss. Over high heat cook the paneer til browned and crispy. You can turn down to medium heat to finish but turn frequently. I squeezed a second lime over the paneer while it was in the pan, too! This should only take 10m tops. Set aside and let cool.

Step Three: In a salad bowl combine the raw onions, garlic, chickpeas, ginger, avocado and almonds. Once cool add in the paneer and the chicken, coriander and curry powder and squeeze the last lime over the salad. Toss and serve!

Protein Cake

2011-05-24T11:13:00.000-07:00

Among the foods that you grow up thinking you hate Meatloaf seems to rise to the top. Brussel Sprouts are delish and liver aint so bad either. Cartoons give it all a bad wrap! The name also is a disgustingly literal, I feel we need to rename it to "Protein Cake". Meh, that's no better. How about "Burger Bread"? Its not really bread though....Burger Slices! That's it! Anyway, I made a nice batch of Greek Turkey Slices for dinner the other night and it was pretty amazing. The only thing I would add next time is sun dried tomatoes...

Greek Bulgar Turkey Burger Slices (Okay, its Meatloaf).
1 Pound Turkey meat
3 tablespoons chopped dill
1/2 cup reduced fat feta
2 cloves chopped garlic
1/4 cup bulgar
1 cup chopped red onion
1 egg
1 small can Spicy V8
Olive Oil
Dash of sugar
Salt Pepper

Step One: Preheat Oven to 350. Over medium heat saute chopped red onions and garlic until soft. Salt, Pepper and add sugar. Then add in bulger and toss over medium heat for an additional 5 minutes. Stir.

Step Two: Add mixture to ground turkey, then add in feta, V8, Dill and egg. Salt & Pepper.

Step Three: Bake covered for 45 minutes, then remove foil for the remaining 15 minutes. If its super watery and oily drain it a little but then after an hour let the loaf sit for 10m before eating so it soaks up the juices and doesn't dry out. I waited until the top was browned to eat.

Yum!

The Weekend of Wiig

2011-05-20T15:40:00.000-07:00

I have never had so much Wiig in my life. It was a Kristen Wiigity wiigity wiigity wack weekend and not even on purpose. We started out on Friday going to see Bridesmaids with a ton of friends and it turned out to be just what the movie doctor ordered. I highly recommend the movie and give it an A+ in the categories of: women being funny without being annoying, gross out humor and genuine sentimental romantic comedy that men can actually stomach.

Then we saw Paul. Skip it.

Then we watched Justin Timberlake host SNL with featured player Kristen Wiig! I certainly think this is her day in the sun and she should choose not to return to SNL and really focus on becoming a huge player in the female comedy revolution.

Anyway! now for the cooking..........

When we were in Mexico over a year ago one of the best meals we had was this amazing creation called Tamarind Meatballs. I have been craving them ever since! The only downside was I couldnt ask for a recipe (rude + language barrier) and when I troll the Internet I find almost nothing with those words combined. I also am not positive if Tamarind is actually a mexican flavor but they make candies? It seems more like an Indian flavor. Oh well. It sure was tasty in my recreation. I would even push it further and go all in and not dilute the tamarind paste when I mixed the meatballs or make a sauce to cover the meatballs made of tamarind.

Garlic & Tamarind Meatballs over Corn & Red Onion Succotash
Ingredients
1 pound of lean ground beef
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 Tablespoons tamarind paste mixed with olive oil
1/2 cup crumbled cotija cheese
1 dash of chipotle powder
Chicken Broth
1 red onion, sliced
2 ears of corn

1 small can of diced tomato

Olive Oil
Dash of Sugar

Step One: Mix the beef, garlic, tamarind paste, cheese and powder together. Salt and pepper to taste! Form into small balls.

Step Two: You can use canned corn but I just bought corn on the cobb and sliced it off the cobb after roasting is - but cook this sucker while the meatballs are getting ready to cook.

Step Three: Sear the meatballs over high heat, browning the outside of all of them
4 minutes on each side. Then add chicken broth until half covered. Simmer til cooked through.

Step Four: In a separate pan, saute the red onions with olive oil, sprinkling JUST a bit of sugar over them. Once soft add in the diced tomato (I drain them and rinse them since I dont like the glop they sit in) --- then add the corn and salt a little then simmer until warm. 6 minutes.

Step Five: Serve meatballs over succotash.

TOTALLY TOPICAL TV TIME

2011-05-16T09:25:00.000-07:00

Tis the end of the season. No, not the HOLIDAY season, but the TV season! You're just wrapping up and I am gearing up for a summer full of wedding planning, hikes and books. I'm already 2 chapters into Bossypants. We'll also take some time this summer to watch the ever popular Dexter and Friday Night Lights.....if we ever return our Netflix discs from 6 months ago. I'm also excited for the return of Breaking Bad and True Blood, although saddened that Mad Men will not be the show we'll be looking forward to every Sunday. Alas, here's a wrap up of this 2011 season highs & lows:

Workaholics: If you took the camaraderie of Lonely Island and let them smoke weed, then took the obscure immaturity of Derrick Comedy and gave them an amazing dash of douchebaggery you'd have Workaholics. This gem airs on Wednesday nights on Comedy Central and will quickly become a staple in your DVRs diet. Unbelievably relatable, shockingly smart and yet at the same time dumb as shit. Adam Devine is the true star of this trio as the BRO you just love to bits and dont want him to ever change his petulant, overconfident, 13 year old self. Even to get laid. I give this an A+.

Happy Endings. Its a shame that you can have some of the best (new) talent on television and then have the worst (old) talent thus creating a plateau where everyone mashes together into lukewarm predictable comedy. I guess its better than Perfect Couples! I am going to stick with this only slightly above average comedy for the brief moments of brilliance: the Nazi subplot and the true to life Gay plotlines. Hopefully, it will pull a Cougartown and have a sophomore season that shoots for the stars. If you wanted to ask me how to make this comedy better: kill off dead weight Elisha Cuthbert - COMEDY IS NOT YOUR FORTE, showcase Adam Pally's brohemian gay that makes me want to go back to dating gays and give Casey Wilson the Emmy award for awkward smiles.

Pregnant In Heels. You have to first commit to 2 truthes if you want to watch this show: people are fucking crazy and also RICH people are fucking crazier. Once you get past this, I find the show to be pretty entertaining. I myself know I want a family someday but I also am pretty scared at how it will change my life. Now 2 shows on television give me the lovely warm feeling of - if they can do it! I can do it: Teen Mom 2 and Pregnant In Heels! Both completely far ends of the spectrum of wealth, yet somehow have the same competency level. Maybe this is an exploitation of riches, but I dont care - I want to form committees on names and have a fashion show of maternity clothing.

The Killing on AMC. You started out SO strong! You had everything I ever wanted in a show: mystery, dark secrets, drab scenery.....but I guess that only lasts in 2 hour movies. 8 hour miniseries get a little monotonous. I will say however the main actress Mireille Enos (also of Big Love fame) has the uncanny acting chops of the former big hitter Gillian Anderson. The stalwart stares, the ungendered sexuality is really reminiscent of Dana Scully. It's rare women get such good roles that really let them shine.

Some oldies but deserve a mention:

How I Met Your Mother: Not my favorite this year, honestly. Too serious! I totally forgot, as the name of the show implies, we're waiting to meet the mother. I feel they should have dropped this gimmick years ago in favor of a Ted we'll like. Somehow with all of his futzing and fussing I am beginning to think of him as a douche bag. TV shows are full of flawed heroes and heroins (Felicity, Sex & the City) --- but this light comedy doesnt need a flaw, its needs a romance we can get behind.

Parks & Recreation: Hell yea! I havent seen such amazing sexual tension since........well Adam Scott and Casey on Party Down. Now we have Adam Scott and Amy Poehler to set our hearts back on track and get our private parts all emotional and yearning for true love. The sad part is: I bet it cant last forever. TV show romance never does. I hope P&R lets us enjoy them for at least the next season.

Fringe: I know you thought you were getting cancelled but if Joshua Jackson doesnt come back, I cant say I will. Except, I really will cause thats how I roll.

COD, are you there? Its me Margaret....

2011-05-10T20:43:00.000-07:00

Hello Darling Skittle Kitties -

Its been quite a long fort night since I blogged. Okay like twelve fortnights! Why did we stop using that term? Its essentially a fourteen day span so it would be much more exciting and colorful to use than "two weeks" or "biweekly" - let's bring this back into the vernacular if not just in the name of accuracy.

Anyway to answer your question: why did I stop?

1. Blog Inferiority Complex Type 1.
Its like Herpes Simplex Type 2 only worse. Let's face it! There are a LOT of blogs out there that are better, ones I read everyday, ones that win prizes and make money and I am just not that interesting. Competing was futile. However the writing itch is back! I'm no more interesting than the other blogbums but the creepy crawly writing bug is in my veins and it must get out! Out damn spot! So here I am, hunched over my laptop that wont even get wireless these days - writing.

2. The Oh-So Cliche But Necessary Wedding Diet.
...............and therefore my cooking has been hella boring and there's nothing fatass about my lifestyle right now. I'm talking NO booze, NO snacking, NO fun! Working out everyday and drooling at the thought of a boozy sultry glass of Malbec is the status quo. People kept saying "Just blog about healthy food!" but I am not a nutritional expert and don't feel comfortable putting out "healthy" food where I cant vouch for the nutritional value. Until I reach my goal of losing 30 pounds (1o down suckas!) -I'll be hating all my skinny friends to their faces instead of behind their backs and forcing Shawn to eat sugar free egg whites with lean fish oil cold cut shots.

So I took advantage of a solo night at home while Shawn was at the baseball game and cooked something I've been formulating in ma brain for a while! This recipe is for one so double it to make for you and your friend/hubby/enemy you decided to re-friend/shut in recluse neighbor/has been celeb you know through a friend of a friend.

Are you one of those people who hates seafood? Get over yourself. Or leave more for me, I guess.

Gingered Cod over Garlicky Edamame & Sauteed Chard
1 Cod Fillet
2 tablespoons pureed ginger
Salt & Pepper
Tiny dash of Olive Oil.
Half a lemon, juiced.

3 Mushrooms
1/2 onion
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 head of chard
2 tablespoons of rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons of soy sauce (Gluten Free for you Meag!)
1/2 cup edamame

Green Onions to garnish.

Step One: Chop your shrooms, onion and garlic and then over medium heat with a little olive oil sautee until soft/browned. Once cooked add your soy sauce and rice wine vinegar. Add in the edamame. Then when youre around 5 minutes away from eating toss in the chard and cover to cook for 3-5 minutes. It should get wilted then you're ready to nosh.

Step Two: Salt the cod (sexy), then spread the ginger all over! salt it and then sear over medium heat so 1 side gets browned, then flip and squeeze the lemon over it once turned. Cook for less than 10 minutes. Cod is a flake FLIRT! If its starting to flake its done.

And thats that.

Pop Pop Pop

2011-02-04T10:53:00.000-08:00

Its time for the Pop Culture Round Up, Pup! It's been a while so all new things have been eeking in my brain to discuss, recommend and throw down.

We are all aware of my addiction to podcasts. Marc Maron's WTF podcast was recommended to me by many people who know what I like - and I sure like this. As with most podcasts its not very different - people talk for 1 hour. The end. Marc gets great guests and takes them to task like no one else would. My favorite episodes have been with Robin Williams, Dane Cook and other great comedians. Its sort of getting a little meta since every podcast has the same people on them - but somehow Marc Maron keeps it interesting. I've officially ended my Carolla podcast and traded it for Maron. Sorry, Aceman.

Portlandia Sketch show on IFC. Portland, Oregon. Not Portland, Maine. Sorry East Coasters. Im not going to pretend this show isnt for the inside crowd because if you havent been to Portland this makes no sense. Basically, you can take all the things you THINK about San Francisco and then apply them here, it would be sort of close. I had to get over the fact that Armisen and "whats her name from Mad Men" broke up and it seemed sketchtown when he started dating his SNL costar.....my favorite sketch so far has been "Put a Bird On It" where they say if you put a bird on it, its automatically art. Who knows how long this will last and its not laugh out LOUD funny, more smugly laugh by saying "thats so true!" - but you should check out while you can.

Garfunkel & Oates: Musical Comedy Duo. Basically if you like Ani Difranco and Sarah Silverman and you love hearing shared experiences of the twentysomething experience - you will love them. They sing funny songs about hand jobs, Precious, bad songs, getting your weed card.....just google the FUCK out of them and then aim me so we can discuss and laugh our asses off. If you can see them live, dont think twice - just go for it! My personal favorite is Worst Song Ever Medley.
First there was 16 & Pregnant.
Then there was Teen Mom.
Then there was 16 & Pregnant AGAIN.
Then there was 16 & Pregnant AGAIN.
Now there's Teen Mom 2 and oh boy is it just as heart breaking as ever. Its funny how this common theme of young motherhood really does just go on and perpetuate from mother down to daughter. Janelle who had to sign her rights away to her mother for her son Jace is the hardest and most intriguing story line to witness. She is young and is unapologetic and really makes all the choices the other moms have had to rise above. I think it gives a great perspective of what sometimes happens when you get pregnant too early. I cant stop watching.

I fucking love Parks and Recreation and I want all the best for Adam Scott in his career but so far his presence on P&R is a complete waste. Rob Lowe left Brothers & Sisters so he could join and the best show on TV Party Down was cancelled to allow Adam Scott on the show. Rob Lowe is brilliantly utilized and Adam Scott has the equivalent role to Toby on The Office. Who cares? Do something more with the brilliant and EVER AMAZING Mr. Scott!

And finally -

1. See The Fighter and pretend Mark Walberg's character is being played by someone else. Its great!

2. If you have a long car trip coming up listen to Aziz Ansari's comedy album from last year but skip the encore, it will ruin the entire experience.

3. If you have ten extra dollars you should donate to my dear friends Sarah & Vicki's documentary here.

4. If you own a Wii buy Just Dance 2. You will thank me.

5. Netflix streaming and hulu plus are no replacement for cable television and stop telling people it is.

The Journey

2011-02-03T10:14:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was my 29th birthday. It was a lovely splendid day filled with many messages of celebration and delicious food and balloons. Shawn was a darling and surprised me at my book club with champagne and flowers ! I loved the gesture but I even more loved having a partner who would do little things like this for me. I am so lucky I could puke.

What does being 29 mean? And how do we measure age in relation to time? Because sometimes they seem to be 2 different things. 29 is equivalent to:

*Attending a 4 year college back-to-back 7 times in a row.

*If you could get pregnant at 1 and then had a baby every 9 months you would have 38 babies.

*29 years is a standard sentence in prison for murder - to life. So my entire life I have been alive could be your prison sentence. Depresso.

*The Berlin wall was up for longer than 29 years.

*The 29th season of SNL was 2006.

*Ive been with Shawn 3.5 years which is only 12% of my life. (dont check this math).

Anyway , I am just ready to be 30 and be done with it but will resolve to enjoy the rest of my twenties.

The recipe I made was for book club last night where we discussed the memoir The Glass Castle. It was a great book that follows a family through poverty and mental illness. There's a part in the book where they say they have nothing to eat but popcorn for a week so I thought I would take something simple and turn it into something spectacular. I think this is a great base for different kinds of combinations for the future.

Toasted Coconut Curry Cashew & Popcorn Balls
2 bags of popped popcorn (I used already buttered microwave popcorn).
1 cup cashews
1 cup shredded sweetened coconut
2 tablespoons curry powder
1 cup light karo corn syrup
1/4 cup sugar
Ground Pepper & Salt

Step 1: Pop ya popcorn and set aside. MAKE SURE TO TAKE OUT ALL THE KERNELS of unpopped popcorn. Salt and pepper it to taste.

Step 2: Toast the coconut in a small pan over medium until brown. Combine with the popcorn.

Step 3: Bring a saucepan of the karo, curry and sugar to boil for 4-5 minutes stirring consistently.

Step 3: Toss the somewhat cooled mixture with a spatula until all the popcorn is covered. Using greased hands (I used olive oil) form into balls and let sit for 20 minutes. Then serve!

KK

The Tan Punjabi

2011-01-25T21:16:00.000-08:00

Spicy.
Sweet.
Refreshing.
Boozy.
Caloric.
Naughty.
The (indian) Dude

This is based on a cocktail I had at DOSA on Fillmore a while ago. Our friends made a great Indian meal in Mammoth so I decided to pregame (do people still say pregame if they are over 21?) and I would try and recreate the Chai Spiced White Russian. It was a success! And at the risk of being racist - I call this the the Tan Punjabi. Okay, only call it that to close friends who hold NO judgment. My only change would be to add a shot of espresso, alas we did not have such luxury in a rental condo in Mammoth.

Chai Spiced White Russian
1 part chai latte mix
2 parts milk
1 part vodka
1 part kahlua
shaken and over ice

Enjoy.

Gellin with January

2011-01-25T20:41:00.000-08:00

My journey to the perfect chili has been akin to your typical road trip buddy comedy movie. We (me and chili) started with a dream in our hearts and a full tank of gasoline headed towards the promised land. On the way we met some crazy characters! I cant describe them because "you had to be there", but suffice it to say hominy was my copilot and black beans reprised the role of Neil Patrick Harris (gay) playing Neil Patrick Harris (straight). The sun set and deals were made to secure a sequel.

It's been a crazy month - as you can see below in the movie montage of my life - I went dog sledding, the Packers are NFC champions and going to the superbowl (not pictured), I took a cooking class with my team at Ubisoft and spent the perfect day at the beach with friends. Oh! And my jimmy jam Evie moved to town. Sick! Even though I have been tearing my hair out working like crazy its these times with friends that make this time in my life so memorable.

Smoky Chipotle Chicken Chili + Black Beans & Hominy
Ingredients
4 chicken breasts
3 cubes of tomato bouillon*
1 onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 can of diced green chilis
1 can of chipotle chilis in adobo sauce (only use 3 minced + 2 tblspoons of the sauce!)
1 large can of diced tomatoes, drained
2 cans of black beans, drained
1 can of hominy, drained
olive oil, splash
Salt & Pepper to taste.

Step One: Bring a quart of water to a rolling boil then add the chicken and the tomato bouillon. Cook for 12-15 minutes. Set aside til semi cool. Meanwhile, in a dutch oven over medium heat add olive oil, onions and garlic until soft.

Step Two: Once onions are soft add in the chilis (both adobo and green) and simmer. Once mixed
add in the black beans, hominy and tomatoes. If you can take 1 cup of the tomato water from the chicken into the chili.

Step Three: Shred the chicken and add in to the chili thats cooking. Let cook for another hour so the water reduce. Serve with crema fresca!

*Here's the thing - I have NEVER seen tomato bouillon. It was in the Mexican aisle and I absolutely had to try it! I cant tell you if its vegetarian but I wouldn't bet on it. I def say it was my secret ingredient.

Simple Sweet & Salty Salad

2011-01-06T11:22:00.000-08:00

The minute I made you, I knew you wouldnt be enough to satisfy. I wanted you so badly all to myself but I had to share with the likes of my Book Club! I had a toddler like wave of selfishness as soon as you came out of the oven. Please maamaaa dont make-a-me share! But instead of cancelling my plans and sitting in bed shoveling you into my mouth in blissful fatty solitude- I went to book club and politely watched people eat you up. It was hard at first, but if you love something set it free. In people's mouths.

------

I give you: Garlic Roasted Cauliflower Salad with Leeks, Chickpeas, Dates and Pecans.
Preheat your oven to 400. Toss Cauliflower, leeks, chickpeas, pecans and chopped dates with olive oil, minced garlic and salt and pepper. I sprinkled a little Parmesan on before I roasted, too. You dont have to though! Bake for 20m, then toss, bake for 15 more minutes until caramelizing starts - serve and enjoy!

Le sigh.

Year To Year

2011-01-04T14:04:00.000-08:00

Greetings 2011 *curtsy*. Have you met 2010? *gesture to the air* Oh just in passing? Well, I think if you two had met before 2010 moved to Yemen you'd probably have been best friends. You both really like baby corn and the color burnt sienna. Although, Ive never seen you two in a room together - whats to say 2010 and 2011 arent the same? 2009 could totally have passed for 2010 on a fake ID - but you 2011 - you look even more like 2010 than you did last year.

New beginnings are dichotomous, both rare and evergreen. While we are able to determine when and where we want to implement personal and professional change, sometimes we need a helping hand on the timing. I could wake up and decide - tomorrow at 1:30 I will start remembering people's birthdays and taking better care of my skin. And with discipline, I would. So - why do we wait until the 1st of every year to get on the bandwagon? There could be a scientific moon/mood explanation but the biggest factor I suppose is: measurement. Well, laziness in measurement. We like to see results based in real time. Its easier to say Ive been doing something a year, two years than since last Tuesday at 1:30.

I spent my NYE in Los Angeles on a trip where we were preparing to attend the Rose Bowl. I requested my good friend Jenny and Aaron cook with me since Jenny and I spend roughly 3 hours a week talking about new recipes and new table settings. We're so interesting! I know its hard to contain your impressed selves. We made a 5 course meal consisting of A Curried Pumpkin Soup Shot, Peppered Mango & Burrata Salad, Oysters on the 1/2 shell, Fillet Mignon over Lobster Mashed Potatoes and finishing with a homemade Chocolate Souffle. It was divine and Jenny gave me a crafting DIY boner.

For me 2011 will be for the most part predictable. I already know what it will hold, which in a way I feel more pressure to make something of it. It will most notably be the year I get married, but I want it to be so much more. Granted, it will only set myself up for disappointment when I fall back into old habits and am a mush of failure - but for now my outlook is positive. While not a hard line of "must be"s small and large-- this is my Top Ten list:

1. Return to Pre-San Francisco weight.

2. Wash my face on the regular.

3. Do not lose things anymore. Or break them.

4. Do more copy writing at work.

5. Get my hair professionally dyed.

6. Play video games a little so I understand my job more.

7. See a play.

8. Learn to knit/craft.

9. Listen to voice mails.

10. Shave my legs more often.

I would also like to set some New Years Resolutions for other people. Can you do that? Or is it presumptuous? Please sub the appropriate authority for all the "YOU ". If you think I am talking to you, chance are I am.

1. I think you should pull up Mad Men and Breaking Bad so they are not summer shows.

2. I think you should blog more.

3. I definitely think you shouldn't move away from San Francisco.

4. You should stop the construction across from my apt.

5. I think you should buy me more diamonds.

Smooth & Smokey

2010-12-09T12:07:00.000-08:00

I had a wicked cold this week. I skipped the sore throat phase and went straight to snotty and congested. It was mostly annoying because it cut me off from all of my taste buds rendering me completely useless for any type of cooking. This should not be punishment for Shawn so I decided to make good on the leftover package of ground turkey we had from the weekend. With my fiance in mind I went straight to Mexican genre. Brainstorming through the aisles of Safeway I decided to concoct a Chipotle Queso Turkey Sliders with Mango Guacamole. From what I could taste they were amazing but perhaps spicier than I realized because I couldn't taste the peppers.

Before I get to the recipe, I have some pop culture musings I needed to get out of my head and onto the page.

1. Glee has pulled me back in. Well, at least long enough to watch an entire episode. The thing that has me super bothered and on a creative war path is the new (fat) character Lauren Izes. I get it, fat jokes are funny. I am a fat girl so I hold obese jokes close to my heart and understand it has its place and time. Im not so PC to say we should never have them, but they better be fucking funny if they are there. I find fat jokes to be scraping the bottom of the barrel for an overweight character, and even in that case - for a skinny person. It just feels so tired and stale. Mercedes loves tater tots instead of looking for love and Lauren wants cadbury eggs instead of friends. Weak sauce. I'll continue to watch and just do an obligatory eye roll when Ryan Murphy insists on being played out.

2. True Blood (only 1/2 way through season 2 so no spoilers) - but I just have to say, I was weary but my oh my is this my new guilty pleasure. Its everything I love wrapped into 1: xrated (yum), southern macabre (creepy), the classic war of bad guys versus good guy (oh, Ben & Noel!) - except they are vampires. Currently, I'd rather be home watching the remainder of Season 2 but alas, I have to have a life.

3. The Girls From Ames by Jeffrew Zaslow: We read this for my book club for the month of December (thanks Cindi!) and I more than enjoyed this book. I wouldnt say the writing style is my favorite but I am a sucker for a true story detailing the lives of other close women friends. Of course, I can relate to that because most of my closest friends are women and I love them dearly. Basically, if you want a real life tear jerker I high recommend this book. As we grow up, the stakes grow higher and tragedy and happiness are one revolving door of experiences. It was a lovely way to spend a few hours of my life. If you like things like Ya Ya Sisterhood, How To Make An American Quilt types of things - dis is for you.

4. Eating The Dinosaur by Chuck Klosterman: I just love that man. I love everything about a Closterman book, even the chapters I skipped. He said himself I could skip them. They were on football and basketball so no love lost on those chapters. I spend most of my days talking about pop culture, thinking about, watching it, taking it in - and I love a good commentary and different way to look at things. This book included great rifs on time travel, abba and Ted Kazinsky. Now that it is in paperback, I highly reco. Thanks for letting my borrow, Nats!

ANYWAY - and now for the recipe.

Ingredients
1 package of ground turkey
4 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, minced 1/4 cup sauce
1/2 an onion, sauteed
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup of bread crumbs
1/2 cup of queso fresco, grated
1 egg
2 avocados
bunch of cilantro
1/4 a cup red onions
1 fresh lime squeezed juice
mango, 1/2 a mango
Salt & Pepper

Step One: Sautee the onion and the garlic over medium in a pan until soft, around 10 minutes. Once cooled combine with the ground turkey, the cheese (which I put into a food processor) - the peppers, breadcrumbs, egg and salt and pepper. Form into 6 patties and cook in a pan if you dont have access to a grill. About 15-20 minutes depending how thick you make them.

Step Two: Clean your food processor and combine all of the guac ingredients - pulse pulse pulse!

Chili: A Modern Assessment.

2010-12-06T10:27:00.000-08:00

And just like that - its official, the holidays are here and in full effect. On Friday we celebrated the holidays with the Ubisoft company party that involved creepy masks and dressing up in black and white. As usual, I wore a blonde wig. Who doesnt love a fake a blonde? I am proud to say on Saturday after a hungover breakfast at the only (non hipster) greasy spoon diner The Lucky Penny - Shawn and I procured a Christmas Tree. I love how Shawn loves his traditions! It makes me think when I have a family we'll be able to say this is our xxxth Christmas together.

It had been a while since I had had a home cooked meal as we had been travelling, attending parties, not making time for it, etc so Sunday I made us set the time aside and make a hearty, heartwarming pot of chili. This sparked a debate in my mind: do people enjoy chilis that are more mexican tasting? Or more Italian tasting? You see alot of Chilis these days with basil and oregano ingredients but also some that lean towards the cilantro and the habanero flavors. For me its always Mexican. What do you prefer? Anyway, it lead us to this tremendously perfect chili concoction: 3 Onion Hominy & Turkey White Chili.

I know what youre asking - what makes this chili the best? To me the perfect chili must have a mission statement. It needs to say what it means in under 2 bites, nothing more. Often they get bogged down in trying to be too many things. Im a pork chili! No Im a beef chili! Wait - are there potatoes in me? I am a stew, then. Variety is the spice of life, yes - but if you keep it simple the flavors have a chance to develop and really shine. Im not of the school where we throw 10 things in a crock pot and hope they work. When the chili flavors sing, they should be deliberate and have a 3 part harmony behind them, not a rock band with off beat drums and a mid pubescent lead singer who vacillates between a bass and a soprano. In short - keep it simple stupid.

Lastly, this chili is excellent because of its 2nd lead: Hominy. What IS hominy you ask? Its basically like you mixed the color and sweetness of corn with the texture of a bean. Though, it is considered neither a vegetable or a bean - its a grain! I look forward to MANY more opportunities to explore this grain and phase it into something I excel at showcasing.

3 Onion Hominy & Turkey White Chili
1 pound ground turkey
1 can of hominy, drained
1 can of white beans, drained
1 can of butter beans, drained
1 can of diced tomatoes, drained
1 can of roasted diced green chiles, with juice.
1/4 cup picked jalapeno, with juice
1 yellow onion, diced
2 stalks green onion, diced for topping
1 cup red onion, diced
2 tablespoons garlic, minced
1/2 cup spicy & bold bloody mary mix
Dashes of onion powder and dashes of garlic powder.
Cheddar Cheese, to taste.
Salt & Pepper to taste.

Step One: Over medium heat, in a dutch oven - start to cook the garlic and the yellow onions until they appear soft. Throw in the turkey to start browning it. Pour the diced green chilis over the turkey, allowing the juice to cover the turkey. Do your dashes of onion and garlic powder to taste. I like alot! Also, at this stage I salted and peppered the turkey as it cooked. Once it looks white...

Step Two: Add in the beans, hominy, tomatoes. Stir to make sure its all combined them add the bloody mary mix and the picked jalapenos. As a last step before you close the top, stir in the red onions. Let cook for around 2 1/2 hours covered, on low - and around the last 45m uncover it so the juices can burn off. Top with the green onions and the cheese, if you please.

Cluck Recap

2010-12-02T19:49:00.000-08:00

It was quite an adventurous trip back to Albany over this Thanksgiving. There was nary a moment to rest between Thanksgiving, planning a wedding, my 10 year reunion and general cuddling with friends and family. Here were some hightlights:

Thanksgiving Day: Shawn was a doll and fried a Turkey at my behest. He injected it with Spicy Sage and Maple rub/butter so when he fried it - it smelled like pancakes. People who hear the phrase fried dont understand that it doesn't TASTE fried....it just doesn't taste dry. What Thanksgiving have you been to where the Turkey isnt dry? We capped the night off with my favorite combination: a fire, some beers and Trivial Pursuit. I didnt win which was sad but I do love it.

10 Year Reunion: I think it was a popular night for it in the Capital Region as I saw it on facebook across my local friends statuses. Ours was held at Washington Tavern, which is just a bar. I didnt need it to be fancy and at Jack's Oyster House (Im looking at you Bethlehem).I hate when people do two things about their 10 year reunions: 1. Make a big deal about it. I get it, its "totally weird to see these people" but not really since you came. We didnt just run into each other in the parking lot and make small talk for 4 hours. I appreciated that there was very little of that at ours. A fellow classmate put it well when he said he came because he enjoyed high school and was genuinely curious about his classmates. Granted, facebook ruins it because I am pretty sure what all the people I care about are up to. The second thing I hate is 2. People who had an ANTI reunion. Yeah, I know. THAT REALLY HAPPENED. Emo is so 2000, just like our graduation year. Hang out, separately, its cool - we dont need haters - but to actively call it an anti reunion makes me think people dont change in 10 years. I wasnt popular in high school, by....a mile (maybe more than a mile, like a zillionmiles)....but an anti reunion bothers me. Alot. Overall, I thought it was a success and I had a rad-ass time.

It was a great opportunity to take stock in my life, though. 10 years is a long time. Would 18 year old Kate like 28 year old Kate? Yeah, she'd be pretty proud. Living in a cool city, loving my job, having the coolest friends and the best fiance. Granted, I'm in debt and increasingly overweight (and I still sneak smokes most Saturdays) but its comforting that I am not perfect. We must always be evolving and if its not 1 thing, its another.

Wedding Planning. Food tasting? Check. Wedding Dress? Checkeroo and had a lovely time with my chicklet bridesmaids doing it. Band? Not so check. They sort of stood us up. Hello Banjo Joe - dont you want my moola? Hotel -- so awesome it will be a great home for everyone that weeken. Florist - we met with and we'll see what happens. My grandmother dug out like 10 mason jars to start our centerpieces, and has started the bunting. Its going to take a village and I love it!

FOOOOOOD. We had some killer meals over this week and it makes me happy to be reminded that if (or when) we decide to ever move back to the East Coast (or Albany) --- we're not totally going to be taking a culinary dive. We had a great dinner at The New World Bistro Bar next to the Spectrum, we had a great Indian dinner with friends at Lazees (formerly The Shalimar) and on the last night ate at Jose Malones which is a random Irish Mexican joint in Troy. It was alll great! Highlight was my grandmother's Corned Beef for dinner, then hash the next morning!

Tapas & Trivia: Cinco!

2010-11-23T16:26:00.000-08:00

Oh yeah. I am in BIG trouble if any of my kosher family members found out about this. Like deep jew pride swallowing would occur, but yes - what youre seeing isnt a mirage. I absolutely made Deep Fried Bacon Wrapped Matzoh Balls for my 5th Annual Tapas & Trivia party. And they were MIND BLOWINGLY good. It wasn't a theme per say but I also made these delicious round Lemongrass Ginger Pork Meat Lollipops that quenched my thirst for round pork products. Some other interesting things you'll see below we made were - Shawn's Scallion Cheddar Cupcakes with Blue Cheese Frosting and Evie's creation - the Dirty Martini Jello Shot complete with olives and a cute martini glass. Lastly, Vegan Grape & Cucumber Almond Gazpacho with a Plantain Chip. Not pictured was the Black Cherry Sangria which was awesome. If you want any recipes I didnt put here please dont hesitate to ask me.

I haven't blogged in a while for many reasons. 1. My friend Natalie launched Haute Housewife and she's really blowing me out of the water. :) go her! so I thought Id take a break. 2. Ive just been super busy. I was blessed by having two of my bestest friends in the entire world visiting me in the last two weeks (Pam and Evie!) so we were running around trying to see jellyfish at the beach, trying new restaurants and bridesmaids dresses. Also, we're flying to NY tonight for Thanksgiving where we'll be doing ALOT of wedding planning.

Also things I was into while I didnt blog: Eating The Dinosaur by Chuck Klosterman, the TV show The Walking Dead on AMC, Gwenyth Paltrow on Glee, (sorry) Sarah Palin's Alaska is sort of good in a I DONT WANT YOU ELECTED WAY, but in a sort of I think you're funny mom way....researching Brooch Bouquet making for my wedding, stalking other weddings online, watching the entirety of Parks & Rec while being sick and Tim & Eric's Awesome Show Live @ the Regency Ballroom.

Bacon Wrapped Deep Fried Matzoh Balls.

Recipe: Make a box of matzoh balls according to the side of the box. Refrigerate over night then wrap them in bacon, stick a tooth pick in them and deep fry them in veggie oil until they are crispy. Let them cool and eat away!

Cooking & Cox

2010-10-29T09:29:00.000-07:00

Shawn and I rarely cook dinner together. Friends of ours know that our small kitchen, my controlling nature and Shawn's detailed recipes do NOT mix. It turns into knocked over flour, snipey comments and mismeasured marzipan. But on occasion there's a window of opportunity where the stars align, we are making dishes where not only our kitchen preparation dances are in sync, but so are the flavors. These are my favorite moments with Shawn. I never hesitate to tell him how much I love those days. It makes me feel like we were meant to be! One of those such nights was last night. Shawn's friend Kathe from high school was visiting town and I suggested Shawn make (MY FAVORITE THING EVER) - Chicken Saltimbocca and I would make Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Butternut Squash and Toasted Garlic Pine nuts.

Ingredients

3 Cups Brussel Sprouts, cut
2 Cup butternut squash, cubed
1/2 Cup Pine Nuts
Garlic Powder

Olive Oil

Salt, Pepper

Step One: Preheat oven to 350. Toss brussel sprouts and squash in olive oil, salt and pepper. Spread over a baking sheet and cover with foil. Bake 20 minutes. After 20 flip and bake without foil until its browned and yummy (another 20)!

Step Two: In a bowl toss pine nuts with garlic powder. Over medium heat toast the pine nuts stirring so that none burn for about 5-7 minutes.

Combine and eat!

On another note - Ive been waiting to spread the love but I can wait no longer, - its time. I wont go as far as to say Cougar Town is the best show on television, but I will stand by my statement that it is the best show people arent watching (thanks, Vicki Locke!).

Here's why:

1. No Contrived Plot Devices. There's no docu camera angle (ahem The Office, Modern Family, Parks & Rec, Arrested Development), no Family guy style "cut to" pop culture allusions - and no CBS style lameness - its just a simple good show that relies heavily on its writing and actors. I think the comedy is slick, relatable and relevant.

2. They Drink. For the same reason I love How I Met Your Mother the characters are doing something I can relate to. If you havent met me Im pretty schooled in the ways of hanging out with friends and drinking. I mean, if they had a contest I would at LEAST come in second (only to Shawn).

3. The Cast. No one is ever going to say they are Courtney Cox/Busy Phillips/Ian Gomez's biggest fans but they do what they are doing really well and dont try to be anything they are not. How Christina Miller is still working is BEYOND ME! She's insanely plastic surgery'd but bless her heart, she's probably sitting pretty on Scrubs/Drew Carey money.

So please enjoy this recipe and catch an ep of Cougar Town. If you dont like it, you dont have to - but admit its doing something not many shows are doing - going back to basics.

Sweet Victories!

2010-10-25T10:27:00.000-07:00

If you dont like Pumpkin, I am going to assume you were raised in a pumpkin holocaust and therefore have never tasted it and have only from this point on have made snap judgements about its flavors. Also, for this purpose lets assume you hate fall, too. In which case I say read no further, you sorry excuse for an American. If you think the Indians (involuntarily) gave up their land for you to hate their crops, you should think again.

Anyway, I made a Pumpkin Mac & Cheese for my book club tonight but with the leftovers I decided to make a Pumpkin Pie Cupcake with Cream Cheese Frosting. Pumpkin is amazing in that way that it lasts over 2-3 recipes. Shawn made pumpkin soup last week and it turned into a pumpkin bread, too.

It was a pretty good weekend in San Francisco, though. Rained like the devil! Our apartment sprung leaks and we looked like fools trying to catch every drip drop and save our TV from wetness. Friday night we saw Paul F Tomkins at the Elbo Room and had dinner at Weird Fish. Excellent date night, if I do say so myself. Saturday we made dinner with friends and Sunday - THE PACKERS WON!

INGREDIENTS
1 cup canned pumpkin pie
1-1/2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1-1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup of canola oil
3 large eggs
1 package cream cheese
3 cups powdered sugar
2 oz of butter

Step One: Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Line cupcake pan with liners.Sift the flour, baking powder & soda, cinnamon. With an electric mixer - mix the eggs, sugar, pumpkin, and oil until smooth.Slowly add the flour mixture until incorporated. Careful not to over beat.Fill the liners 1/2-2/3 full and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 17-20 minutes.

Step Two: Make frosting! Combine cream cheese, powdered sugar and butter with your electric mixer and frost!

Chili Cha Cha Cha

2010-10-19T14:12:00.000-07:00

The weather has been getting cooler here in San Francisco, I know this because on Sunday night I did something we all do in October *except in LA* - turn on our heat for the 1st time! Its a momentous occasion simply because that 1st time is going to suck. Its going to smell like dust and something may catch on fire. But from then on, smooth sailing. This weather has me craving foods that are warm and cuddly so on Monday night I made a quick Spicy Shredded White Chicken Chili in my dutch oven for dinner. With a few more touches and nuances I think this could be a competition level chili (for football season, not real chili competitions).

Spicy Shredded White Chicken Chili
Ingredients (serves 2).
2 chicken breasts
1 box of chicken stock
1 cup water
1 can of navy beans
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 can of diced green chilis
1 onion, diced
1 clove of garlic, minced
Dash of taco seasoning, onion powder, garlic powder, hot sauce.
Olive Oil, splash.
salt & pepper, to taste
Hot sauce, to taste.
Cheese and Avo to garnish.

Step One: In a medium saucepan bring 3 cups of salted chicken stock to boil along with the water. Drop in the chicken and let boil til cooked. 10-12 minutes. Let cool and shred.

Step Two: In pan bring olive oil, onions and garlic to medium heat and cook til soft. Once soft add in the navy beans and the green chilis and let cook together. I sprinkled in some taco seasoning, onion powder, garlic powder and hot sauce! If it gets too dry add more stock. Add in shredded chicken and drained tomatoes. Let cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Step Three: Garnish with cheese and avo!

Mad Men Round Up: Spolier Alerts = A.
What a season! I cant say I wasnt a first few episode hater. I feel really uncomfortable if I cant say where a season is taking us and in those first few arcs, I thought we were falling flat. Leave it to Mad Men to slowly crescendo from an intense slow moving season into a frenzy at the end. High points of the season for me were: Trudy's nightgowns, Peggys growth into not just a "get ahead" broad but into a woman truly worthy of the men's work place notice and Don's journaling. I mean who doesnt love a man who journals?! And swims. I really admired how the show had us watch all the uncomfortable moments we thought we'd miss by the episode just ending.

Oh, Betty - will you ever learn? ( I say this like once an episode!).

Concerns for a 5th season: Sally. She's a wild card. She keeps getting older and if we skip another season ahead, she's just going to get older and pull a walt from Lost and have to get written off. Newly Married Don. We as viewers dont WANT to see a happy Don so even though he's engaged to Megan we know he'll ruin it just because we want to see him spiral downward. A happy Don isnt interesting tv.. Its like seeing an un-sarcastic Garfield, he just turns into a happy cat. BORING. Joan's Baby. Roger will cause some trouble, no doubt. I just hope we dont kill her husband off just to make it easy.

Palm Springs And Other Things

2010-10-18T09:34:00.000-07:00

If you looked up Palm Springs in the dictionary *ahem dated reference alert, revise* - Wikepedia you would see four words: sun, pool, gay & retired. This weekend I had the pleasure of experiencing 2 of the 4, though reserve the right to return to experience the other 2 in the future. It was my dear friend Jenny's birthday and she was kind enough to pull us from the SF fog and thrust us into a pool weekend Hockney himself would be proud of. I wouldnt call the weekend gluttonous but we did in fact have a great weekend foodwise. I love being friends with Foodies, it adds inches to my belt and yards to my heart. Happy 30th birthday to one of my favorite people in the world, not just the zipcode.

FOOD AMAZINGNESS #1: Thursday night our friends Pam and Lev took us to an all you can eat Korean BBQ place on the West Side of Los Angeles. When I say all you can eat I mean ALL YOU CAN EAT. Like 5 pounds of meat, no joke. I think it was called Tofuya. It was heaven! and we finished everything we ordered. It was only $16 per person too which was a steal.

Food Amazingness #2: After we arrived in Palm Springs we took some relaxation time and played by the pool we decided to make a 5 course tasting menu from apps to dessert. We got a book by Top Chef and Anthony Bourdain and each prepped and presented a course and drank LOTS of wine, hence the pictures being blurry. The courses were as follows:

Vegetable Course: A light Peppered Bacon salad with Crispy Shallots, Diced peaches and homemade croutons.
Seafood Course: Seared Scallops with a Citrus Fennel Salad.
Pork Course: Pork on Pork: Roasted Pork Loin wrapped in Bacon and dressed with a garlic confit and paired with a sauteed spinach.

Beef Course: Steak Au Poive with Salted Crispy Brussel Sprouts.

Dessert Course: Individual Cheesecakes with a Berry Kraken sauce. Kraken is a spiced rum mostly known for its shot taking, but here was masterfully incorporated into the dessert.

Here's The Thing About....

2010-09-30T10:14:00.000-07:00

Here's The Thing About These Cupcakes: They were delish! I made Sour Cream Chocolate Cupcakes with Nutella Frosting for my friend Leslie's 30th Birthday Hoe-down partyon Saturday night. This was my only outing on both Saturday and Sunday due to sickness and mental strungoutness. I got the recipe from this blog called Ming Makes Cupcakes. It was incredibly simple and it showed how awesome these beauts were. Freaking amazing for choco lovers.

Cupcake Ingredients:

2 cups flour

2 cups sugar
1 cup cocoa

2 sticks butter, room temp.

2 eggs

1 cup sour cream

2 tsp vanilla
1 tablespoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

Step 1: Preheat oven to 350. Combine all dry ingredients, then combine all wet and mix with an electric mixer until fully combined. Makes 24 cupcakes. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until passes toothpick test.

Frosting Ingredients:
1 cup nutella
10 tablespoons heavy cream
3 cups powdered sugar

Step 1: Combine with electric mixer and frost once cupcakes have cooled. I used the fake piping bag trick. It looked great!

Here's the thing about The Town: It was a B movie with A acting. I couldnt help but compare Blake Lively's amazing performance to Amy Ryan's in Gone Baby Gone. There were some unbelievable scenarios and unexplained character motivations but its really all about Boston and crime so who cares about the rest? Also, Jeremy Renner is one ugly fuck.

Here's The Thing About The Social Network: Yeah man! Best movie of the year. Who cares that its about facebook? Its not even about that at all. Its a true story and Justin Timberlake rocks out with his *ahem* out. I see Oscar for Fincher. Little Known Fact - the twins are actually played by 1 person. Second Little Known Fact: Ive crashed a Harvard party that was alot like that Harvard Party. I absolutely say RUN dont walk to this "film" not movie.

Here's the thing about Boardwalk Empire: its ok. We as Americans love looking back at our history and we're lucky as fuck that there are people out there willing to explore and let our modern society get a peek into our recent history.This is also why Mad Men works. Boardwalk Empire's first novelty "I CANT BELIEVE WE USED TO BE LIKE THIS" is prohibition. Yeah, its hard to believe right? What the crack were we thinking? Second is Women's voting rights. The plots are thin so far and the acting - meh - but at the same time Im willing to stick through it all just to see the costumes and the music because its better than most OTHER things on television right now without trying very hard. My only other issue is - MICHAEL PITT (who you may remember from Dawson's Creek and Hedwig And The Angry Inch) you are just a the poor mans Leonardo Dicaprio and thats all youll ever be and that makes me sad for you, but its clearly why youve gotten this far.

Here's the thing about Pellegrino: It's delicious and for the last 4 days I have been drinking it like its the last liquid on earth. My coworker told me I am going to get kidney stones from drinking it. They say Ill get cancer from Diet Coke - should I put that comment on the same level as the prior? If so, I will keep at it. Advice?

Here's the thing about Glee: You're fun but youre really just copying music now. I liked last season when the arrangements were different and the scenes were integrated. Liked the Britney ep but it was really contrived.....I just fast forward through it now. On a positive note, I just realized Ryan Murphy also did the show Popular when I was in high school which Ive always felt beared a similar resemblance to Glee so there's some street cred in my book going towards Ry.

Here's the thing about The Nerdist Podcast: If youre not listening to it, youre probably not not my friend. Okay, revise - I bet none of you are listening to it but if you are my friend I know you'll like it. Here's a phrase you will NEVER believe you would have heard before - CHRIS HARDWICK IS ONE OF THE FUNNIEST PEOPLE on the Internet. Best guests if youre catching up to download: Jon Hamm, Jim Gaffigan, Donald Glover, Alison Brie, Paul Scheer and Matt Besser.

Russian River Shenanigans!

2010-09-27T09:56:00.000-07:00

This weekend was a very special weekend. It was my first extended trip to the Russian river and it was Natalie's golden birthday. About 15 of us loaded up the cars and spent the weekend cooking amazing food, drinking alot of beer, floating in the river and petting dogs. We hadnt been able to do many things since Labor Day weekend when Shawn's car died so it was nice to be able to get out of the city. While it wasnt a camping trip, it felt outdoorsy and whats an outdoor weekend without Smores? This required a little creativity on my part so I made Smores Brownies! I tried two different versions, 1 with marshmallows and 1 with fluff. Marshmallows won out so I will only blog that version. There was also an insane Apple Cinnamon French Toast Muffin served with ricotta cheese and syrup. I must get that recipe!

It was a great house with many levels - no hot tub tho! It was 90 degrees out which made for an excellent summer excursion while the rest of the country is embarking on fall. Looks like a heatwave is upon us in the bay area so we'll all be happy and complaining at the same time til next weekend.

Smores Brownies

Ingredients
1 sleeve of graham crackers, smashed to a crumb.
1 cup of melted butter
1 package of brownie mix
1 bag of brownies.

Step One: Preheat the oven to 350. Grease a 13x9 pan. I probably should have baked the graham cracker layer alone by itself first, but I didnt. You should.

Step Two: Combine graham cracker crumbs with butter and spread evenly for a 1st layer. Spread brownie mix (made from the box) over evenly. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Step Three: Let cool for 2 hours. Then spread marshmallows evenly and put under a low broil, watching carefully while it melts. I had to take a fork and press down mid bake so it would create a layer and put back to broil and finish browning it.

Green & Gold Food

2010-09-13T12:50:00.000-07:00

Its officially football season. This is my 3rd season as a fair weather Packers fan and so far its treated me nicely. While I can only think of 6 players off the top of my head, I still consider myself "into it". Its fun having never dated someone into football before Shawn, it allows me to have no other allegiance than the Green Bay boys. Granted I have been trying to be healthy but it was just way too enticing to try something I had been meaning to try for a while. This is less of a recipe and more of a semi homemade dish with a gourmet flare. Lets just say I made 2 pies and they were all eaten and nibbled through 2 games. Not too shabby!

Pictured: A Brat covered in green apple mustard (made by Alex La Motte himself!) and yellow mustard, held by Mister Micholic.

Tamale Pie w/ a Green Onion and Avocado Crema
Makes 2 pies.
2 boxes of corn muffin mix - jiffy.
1 lb of ground beef
1/2 a can of pinto beans
1 onion, diced
1 tablespoon of garlic, minced
2 tomatoes, diced
1 tiny diced green peppers from El Paso
1 cup crema
1/2 an avocado
1/2 cup of diced green onion, whites + stems
lemon juice
1 packet of spicy TACO SEASONING. (yeah, thats right, I dont front!)
a little shredded cheese, I reco cheddah!

Step One: Over medium heat cook the onions and the olive oil til soft. Add in the garlic and start to brown the meat. Once simmering add in the taco mix, tomatoes, beans and the green peppers and let cook for 7 minutes. Preheat oven to 350.

Step Two: While the meat mixture is cooling - prepare the corn muffin mix as directed on the box.

Step Three: Prepare the crema! In a food processor combine the crema, lemon juice, avo and green onions. Pulse til creamed and refrigerate until ready to eat pie.

Step Four: In pie plates divide the meat mixture into 2, then cover with corn muffin mix. Sprinkle grated cheese over the top and bake for 15-20 minutes.

Night Breakfast

2010-09-09T15:35:00.000-07:00

Just in general - who DOESNT love breakfast for dinner? Any excuse for a mimosa. We were lucky enough to borrow a waffle maker from my coworker Amy - and have our friends Jim & Abby over for a post 30th birthday bash for Jim (since we missed the real deal party!). I even instructed everyone to dress for the occasion: pajamas. On the menu was another baked egg in a ramekin and shawns lemon poppy seed waffles with blueberry topping. He wasnt happy with his, but mine sure was delish! I made Smoked Salmon, Asparagus & Peppered Goat Cheese Baked Eggs. Super simple, my friends and salty and satisfying. Jim & Abby brought beermosas.

Smoked Salmon, Asparagus & Peppered Goat Cheese Baked Eggs
Serves 4
8 eggs.
4 dollops of cheese.
a bunch of asparagus
a packet of smoked salmon.

Salt & Pepper to taste.
Olive oil.

Step One: Toss asparagus with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast at 350 for 15m, turning once - I like em crispy crispy.

Step Two: Adjust oven to 400. In each ramekin put in chopped asp, pieces of smoked salmon, and a dollop of goat cheese. Crack 2 eggs over them. I didnt add any cream like they advise because the asp was coated in oil. Place in a water bath (2 inches of water in a baking pan) - and bake for 20m or until done.

3 Days Of Fun!

2010-09-07T10:45:00.000-07:00

Hello and Happy Post Labor Day, my lovelies. What an amazing difference 1 day makes! I actually feel rested even though the weekend provided many adventures and two different hotels. I feel 1 long weekend a month would ensure all motivation at work to be genuine. It would surely take the edge off those late nights and hard to navigate personalities that make work days insufferable and unrewarding. Who should I tell this to? Obama? Or maybe Oprah.

Friday: held a half day at work and because Shawn and I didnt have to rush out of town to a wedding, camping or to meet friends we decided to go to the movies to see Going The Distance. It was sort of a full filling movie for no other reason that on the anniversary of 1 year til our wedding it was the entire story of our relationship the 1st year. Then we saw The Last Exorcism. I recommend BOTH movies unless you like good endings. Then dont see it - the first 2/3rds or each are excellent, tho. We then went to Pagaloc for the 7 Courses Of Beef (carpaccio, boiled in vinegar, bbqd on a rock, wrapped in onion, sausage and soup!).

Saturday: We got 20 Save The Dates done! Also, we had the opportunity to spend our -1 year anniversary at Cavallo Point located directly underneath the Golden Gate Bridge. Awesome time! We had dinner at the Farley Bar inside and it was delicious! We had an epic Pork reiette with a homemade pork rind. Crunchy, greasy and perfectly melty in my mouth.

Sunday: We drove to Fresno to meet up with Shawn's friends Peter & Dana and their lovely daughter Annabelle (sp!?) --- the drive was amazing. We had to turn lemons into lemon aid (shawns car broke down so we rented a car) that HAD SIRIUS radio which can only mean 1 thing: 90s STATIONS FOR 3 HOURS!!.Ah, I was in heaven with SWV and Shawn Colvin. I think we need to have all 90s at our wedding rehearsal kickball game. We also swam at night, which I love - in the Marriot hotel. Thats summer!

Monday: We came back and enjoyed the sun and front porch playing some scrabble. I won. Then we went over to the Micholics for dinner/draft/mad men and I made these killer burgers a friend once made.

Chopped Date & Camembert Burgers
w/ Sriracha Onions

1 lb Ground Beef
1/2 cup basil, chopped.

1 tablespoon of minced garlic.
1 package of Camembert cheese (or blue cheese!)
1/2 cup chopped dates

1 egg
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 cup chopped onions
salt, pepper

For onions:
1 white onion
1 squirt of Sriracha

Olive Oil

Step One: Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Make into patties (makes 5!) -put em on the grill.

Step Two: Meanwhile, saute onions over medium heat with hot sauce until your preferred softness.

And in Jon Stewart's words - "your moment of zen" - Shawn molesting figaro!

Your Personality: In A Kebab.

2010-08-30T10:45:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend we celebrated our 3rd camping trip of the summer with our good friends The Micholics and Nickie and Ezra in Gualala Point, CA up the Sonoma Coast into Mendocino where the Russian River meets the ocean. It was fun! And cold. And carsicky - but it was a gem of a campsite and for a camping trip, pretty relaxing. We have 1 more trip at the beginning of October to close out the season on a high note back to Kirk Creek where it all started earlier this year. Im a pro now! We just need a new tent and we'd be in super duper business.

We were in charge of the Saturday night dinner and Shawn and I discussed making kebabs to reflect both of our friends personalities. That way, even though it was as simple as a kebab - it had some significance. Maybe the explanations were a stretch but they seemed like good fits, regardless.

The Michael & Natalie: Minted Lamb, Eggplant & Red Onion Kebab: For these we just put some olive into a bowl, added minced mint with salt and pepper, whisked - and let the lamb & eggplant marinate while we prepared the other ones. The rational behind it was they are a little more off the beaten trail than a steak or a beef and the Mediterranean genre is well liked by them - hence their good restaurant reco - Morac on 16th.

The Nickie & Ezra: Basil Haloumi Cheese with Pineapple, Cherry Tomato and Onion.

For this one we marinated the cheese in olive oil and chopped up basil. Not much else to do but put it on a stick and get her grillin!

Nickie & Ezra are traditionally veggies so I thought this was a great representation of them as a couple: simply sweet and a little bit salty (read sassy).

If you havent had haloumi cheese its my new favorite! Not quite a feta, but consistency of a queso fresco, you can get this cheese at any greek restaurant or at Whole Foods.

The Schmuglers: Whiskey Mustard Shrimp with Sweet Summer Peaches.

Not as exciting as the others as we just combined a whiskey mustard we found at whole foods with some salt, olive oil and lemon juice - they were a hit!

I regret not sprinkling some brown sugar on the peaches though. That would have been key.

I chose this southern comfort kebab as its the theme to our impending nuptials.

There were also a few other highlights & fails to the weekend (food and non food related):

WINNER: Natalie's Fig & Lime Jam and her homemade Dill & Avocado Dressing.

LOSER: My Wheat Oatmeal Banana Blueberry Muffins that I forgot the baking powder in and were too dense to enjoy.

WINNER: Nickie's amazing toasted bread with brie and garlic. Not for the slight of taste buds, that garlic was strong! Also, some wild berries were enjoyed!

WINNER: Post camping breakfast where we enjoyed breakfast papusas!

WINNER: Two excellent additions to the game Kings. 3 is now for GLEE which means you have to sing a line of a song and whoever guesses it first gives out a drink and 5 is for JIVE and you have to do a little jig.

LOSER/WINNER: When I got home I watched the Emmys and that dude from the Big Bang Theory won best actor in a comedy. That makes no sense. GO BREAKING BAD!

WINNER: Shawn because he is cute. :)

Watching Me Watching You

2010-08-26T10:09:00.000-07:00

And here's a pop culture update! Its been a while, and its been a slow ass television season so there's not much to report on thats great but most of it is tolerable. I spent a very hungover day on Saturday catching up on everything. We have direct TV now and I am enjoying it!

The Last Song: D.
I know, I know - why on earth would I watch this and expect anything less than a trite plot that is essentially Georgia Rules with music? Because its Nicholas Sparks and I keep thinking he'll recreate The Notebook and Ill fall in love all over again. Miley's annoyance rating is an 8 and the romance isnt believable. Only saving grace is the young boy who plays her bro - he got me to cry in act 3.

Unless your television is from the 80s and is stuck on one channel and your choices are NO TV or WATCH THIS - I say never watch this ever. ever.

Date Night: C

Dont get me wrong, there were things I liked about this movie and I laughed out LOUD - but a vehicle starring the most popular and successful NBC stars from the last decade should be a home run. Sadly, this is more of a base hit in the 9th, and then when you try and steal second and you get tagged out and have to do the walk of shame back to the dugout disappointing your fans, your team and yourself. Shame on you, Steve and Tina.

First of all, I hate movies set in 1 day. Second - its just flat and predictable. The only funny parts come from the same formula we like on tv - their honest banter thats pop culture relevant and takes it to the next level. The new genre "crime with ordinary people" was done much better by Pineapple Express. Maybe Apatow should have stopped them at the opening credits.

Eat Pray Love: A-

I am giving the A for these reasons:
- Julia Roberts is a doll. I adore her.
- My friend Evie is going on a similar trip and all I could think of was her and how excited I am for her.
- It made me think of my own life and spirituality and my thirst for travel and expectations and family. What more could you ask for in a movie?
- The food looked divine.
- RICHARD JENKINS YOU ARE GODS GIFT TO ACTORS. DONT EVER CHANGE (or get more famous, because then you may not have the same appeal).
- I didnt want to punch Billy Crudup in the face.

I am giving it a minus for these reasons-
- The jean/carb scene was belittling for bigger girls. (me).
- Her 2nd rebound relationship with James Franco was contrived.
-In the scene where they eat a Thanksgiving Turkey for breakfast they all look too pretty to have "just woken up".

Pit Boss on Animal Planet: B+.
No clue how I came across this show what its even about. I thought the "rage" of Little People shows was over when The Little Chocolatiers was a snorefest but this is something unique and new. I believe they run a dog rescue company. I also believe they run an actors production company. I also read on Wikipedia that the main character ran with the bloods and went to prison for 10 years on attempted murder.

I wont DVR this shit, but if its on - Im watching.

The Big C: B+

I admire Laura Linney in the same way I love Mary Louise Parker. While I can always tell they're acting, I dont care. Their style isnt "carefree" acting its "stage" acting and therefore its very deliberate and tangible. That aspect of the show doesnt bother me. I also absolutely love Oliver Platt! Most shows where the premise is based solely on cancer and a lie make me raise an eyebrow like how long can this go on and still be believable? Breaking Bad proved me wrong so I am willing to be open minded and keep with this gem because it makes me laugh!

Louis on FX: A

Its a rarity when something like this comes along. Its funny, its dark, its believable - and the main character (comedian Louis CK) is like able while still being sort of a jerk. The Jerk Store called and I want him! I probably wouldnt have watched this show if it werent for the "DVR Holocaust" im experiencing right now. THERE IS NOTHING ON. and our DVD player broke. Great guest stars, great tone - I hope it stays on the air and does

Casino: B+.

Yeah, I know - its from 1995! Im like 15+years behind, huh. Its okay though, I get to remember that all the worlds favoritest actors once had careers that were worth accolades and not just SNL skits. It was WAY TOO LONG, like we took 2 nights to watch it but it was a great film, though not better than Goodfellas. But what is?

And I like that its a true story and there's tons of drugs. I cant watch violence tho :(

Vegan Taco Night! Ay ay ay!

2010-08-23T10:33:00.000-07:00

Golden Rule of Weekends Going Forward Hence Forth: Do something on a Friday! It makes your weekend feel long. Eek every moment to the fullest, then go back to workeatsleepworkeatsleep. Friday night we had our friends Kris and Darcy and Sam and Amy over for Mexican night! I think the night was a total success. We made Vegan Tacos 3 ways: Tofu "Carnitas" with green chili peppers, Chipotle Shitake Mushrooms and Black Beans and Cumin Paprika Potatoes w/ Roasted Corn (which I think I forgot to take a pic of!). Another shining star among the night were Shawn's MateVeza & Mint Shandys. I tried a revision of my Peachy Mango Salsa from a while back but subbed the Peach for pureed pineapple and it was delish. Also included was a rousing game of celebrity. Honestly, all Star Wars references should be banned!

Also , below are Darcy's awesome vegan margarita cupcakes!

Recipe for "Carnitas" tofu: Shawn braised triangle'd tofu in coca-cola and orange juice, salt and peppered it to taste and added diced green chiles for spice! The consistency was in between BBQ'd tofu and fried tofu. the hard edges really made it glow!

Recipe for Chipotle Shitake Mushrooms and Black Beans: I sauteed sliced shitakes with olive oil, salt and pepper and added a vegan chipotle taco sauce and simmered with the black beans for 10m.

Recipe for Cumin & Smoked Paprika Potatoes with Roasted Corn: I sliced potatoes small, sprinkled heavily with salt, pepper, cumin and smoked paprika. Over medium heat I cooked, turning frequently until crispy! Then I added corn that I roasted in the oven over 350 for 30 minutes (wrapped in foil, smothered in vegan butter and salt) broiling to brown the kernels for 5 minutes at the end.

For Gluttons Only

2010-08-16T16:43:00.000-07:00

Sometimes its the simplest foods with minimal additions that make for impressive cuisine, instead of far off ingredients and hard to find herbs. My favorite creation by Shawn in the past years has been his Camembert Chive Mashed Potatoes. I know, Camembert is HARDLY an everyday ingredient for the walmart crowd, but really you just any cheese - even cream cheese, I suppose! We made steak and potatoes on Sunday night to accompany our Mad Men viewing. It seemed super all American and appropriate. Recipe below.

It's been a crazy week at work and I barely have time to be a good girlfriend, good daughter or a good employee for that matter. How am I having time to blog, you ask? I dont, I am just doing so to keep my sanity and to feel like I still have a voice that has nothing to do with RTOs, CMYKs, and EOWs. (all workity work acronyms that normal people dont use daily unless you have to!).

I am still a cool person (somewhere in there).

We had a great weekend, tho with a ton of great food. We decided to have date night on Friday and went to this local restaurant called Starbelly. We loved it! We got 5 courses and split them all - 1. Corn Fritters with jalapeno jelly. 2. BBQ peach salad with blue cheese. 3. Mussels and Chorizo. 4. Cheese grits! and 5. Pork shoulder with pureed hominy. We also tried 3 cocktails - the homemade pimms cup, the shandy and the Madeira cooler. They were all amazing! This entire meal + tip was only $100. We wilL DEF be going back there.

Camembert Chive Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
3 potatoes, peeled and sliced

1/4 cup milk
1 package of Camembert cheese
1 bunch of chives, minced

dash of salt

Step One: Place potatoes in 4 quarts of salted water and bring to a boil. Boil until soft.

Step Two: Drain potatoes and with an electric hand mixer combine the milk, cheese and chives in a bowl and mix til whipped! I like them soft and not chunky. I like it to be like a soft pillow that magically wafts into my mouth.

Easy (not quick) Breakfast Tamales.

2010-08-10T13:16:00.000-07:00

Hold the phone - Tamales for breakfast? Hells yeah, son. Im not going to lie, for a breakfast it was time consuming even though I followed a very simple recipe I found online for Vegan Tamales. I wont call mine Vegan though because instead of olive oil I used butter. I also wont say they were filling. If I was making it again I would make 2 tamales per person and then add two eggs!It was a perfect light breakfast for our visiting family and friends - William Kugler and his gf Katie.

We spent the weekend doing all the things we love in San Francisco - we went to Napa, we ate at Kasa, Burma Superstar and Kiji sushi. We drank! We hung out in Dolores Park.

Easy (Not Quick) Breakfast Tamales

Ingredients:
2 Ears of corn
2 cups water

2 cups masa
1/4 stick of butter
1 cup black beans

1 chopped onion
1/2 cup queso fresco, grated.

Chopped Avo
Bacon
Eggs

Salt & Pepper to taste.

Step One: Preheat oven to 400. Butter and salt corn then wrap in tin foil and set husks aside for later! Bake for 15 minutes, then unwrap and bake so corn gets roasty and toasty and brownish. Meanwhile, saute the onions over medium until soft and add the beans. Salt and Pepper to taste. Set aside.

Step Two: Bring the water, salt, and butter to a boil. Turn off the flame and slowly stir in the masa or grits until a thick dough forms.

Step Three: Once the corn is done, slice it off and add it to the bean/onion mix. Add queso fresco, too. Combine the dough and the mixture.

Step Four: Scoop a ball into a corn husk and fold it over until it forms a cute pouch. Use your steamer to steam them until they are hot all the way through. I steamed them for 10 minutes and it was perfect.

Step Five: Chop up the avo, fry yourself an egg. Make some bacon and eat yourself a meal!

I will leave you with a moment of ZEN - the tea leaf salad at Burma Superstar, the food pairing at St. Francis and our new favorite drink: Joose.

Jumpin Japantown.

2010-08-05T11:25:00.000-07:00

I freaking love Japanese food. That is an understatement - I could roll around and bathe in Japanese cuisine. Salty soy, sexy sake, umami, unagi, edamame - you name it, I adore it. Living in San Francisco I decided it was high time to hit the streets of Japantown and marvel in the discoveries I had yet to taste. I convinced a few friends (which turned into more than a few friends!) into accompanying myself to dinner last saturday night. We actually didnt end up going to more than one place for food (as we ended up getting a little tipsy!) - but I did sample some of Japantown's finest at Yoshi's, courtesy of Bar Mistress Leslie.

Most excellent was the Lobster Trio on the small plates menu. There werent 3 lobsters so dont let the word trio confuse you - but the highlight was the fried calamari steak stick. Not chewy, not mealy, perfectly cooked and not extra greasy. Also deserving of an honorable mention was the crispy pork belly with cabbage salad. Id eat you again! Shawn wouldnt. but I would. Dont get your feelings too hurt.

We moved on in the evening to bar hopping with a smaller crew and holy jeebus was Japantown an underworld deserved of a documentary movie on drug/women trafficking. The first place we went was called "Dimples" (no relation to the karaoke joint in Burbank) - A. You could smoke inside. Weird? B. They served under the table fish jerk with a side of peanuts (see below) - and C. There was most definitely a prostitution vibe coming from the backrooms. Private, duct taped doors shut, $100 covers to go back there. I founf it all incredibly sketchy even though I support the legalization of prostitution. The second place was no better but did provide skinny cigarettes to smoke for freeeees!

All in all it was super successful and I cant wait to go back and eat more wacky things in the Japantown Mall. Ramen and Udon oh my!

Mango Madness

2010-07-27T13:27:00.000-07:00

This is going to be a JUST TRUST ME entry. I made major mistakes on this dish but there was a shining star amidst the failures: the Spicy-Mango Peach Salsa. Have I ever let you down? (Okay, yes I used to eat peanut butter on kosher salami growing up and I absolutely adore fake cheez even out of an industrial can...) but that being said - trust in ME the way you trusted in Bill Clinton to run the country even though he had an affair. Our shortcomings are unrelated to the situation at hand and we WILL prevail. Wait wha?

We have entrusted our wedding website to only the finest, the creme de la creme of the interwebs: Roy Creative. (Also known as our friend Roy). We have traded him 5 free meals to get it started for us at Schmuglers.com. Dont go there, there's nothing there yet. DONT TURN THE PAGE! Oh wait, thats a Sesame Street book called The Monster At The End of The Book. This weeks random memory was brought to you by my weird brain. Anyhow! Shawn made his carnitas and I set out to make Cornmeal Crusted Scallops with Spicy Mango-Peach Salsa. The scallops were expensive and shitty. I didnt cook them at the correct temp and they never crisped up and by the time I decided to broil them they were overdone, tough and ugly. Wa.

My last mistake was serving this dish on an orange platter so you couldnt see how beautiful it was. Dang it inartistic idiot!

Spicy Mango-Peach Salsa

Ingredients
2 Peaches
2 Mangoes (e or no e?) 1 diced, 1 pulpy!
1 Anaheim Pepper

1 tomato, diced

1/3 cup diced onion
2 cloves of garlic
salt & pepper
1 dash of sriracha

2/3 cup water

Step One: I peeled the peaches and used 1/2 the diced anaheim peppers and boiled them with 2/3rds cup of water and garlic until pulpy. Then I put the mixture in the food processor so it was liquified.

Step Two: Combine this mixture with the other half of the chopped peppers, onions, tomatoes, and the diced mango and the pulpy mango. Add siracha and salt and pepper to taste!

Step Three: Refridgerate for at LEAST 1 hour.

Too Much Of Everything

2010-07-26T10:31:00.000-07:00

There is beauty in simplicity. There is beauty in simplicity. There is beauty in simplicity. I have to constantly remind myself of this in life and in cooking. There IS such a thing as too much of something good, right? Otherwise, there wouldnt be a saying about it. My entire life I have struggled with the idea that everything is too simple and as a consequence I turn on my inner idea wheel and start amping things up until I pass the "just right" mark and stray wildly into the "overly complicated" territory. This went for puffy paint tshirts in middle school - "oh, sarah yours is so pretty! Kate....yours is....wow. Did something explode?!" --- This also goes for accessorizing. Earrings dont seem like enough, add this engagement ring - what I need is a necklace and a bracelet and all of the sudden I'm fucking Cleopatra.

Its alot to take in and I have noticed lately I can plan an elaborate meal and the BEST part of it is what I kept simple. I need to keep reminding myself that to really excel and be the best cook I can be. That being said, we had a great weekend and didnt eat out ONCE! I say this but we cooked two full meals for friends both nights and had breakfast in as usual and ate leftovers Sunday. The SF hippie in me wants to think that is rad! but really, I missed eating out. I fucking love it.

I made Poached Fig spread (see below) and I served it just with crackers but I think it would be best on a piece of bread. We also made a Low Country Boil with fresh shrimp and lobster from the Ferry Building and paired it with corn on the cobb tossed in basil butter. It was a great night with Marq and Dawn and Morinda and Alex.

Poached Fig, Goat Cheese and Honey Spread
6 fresh figs
2/3 cup goat cheese
2 tablespoons of honey
1 teaspoon of balsamic vinegar

1 cup of water

Step One: Bring 1 cup of water to a simmer. Throw in figs whole and boil until soft. About 3 minutes. Set aside and cool.

Step Two: In a food processor combine the figs, the goat cheese and processsssss! Once processed put in a bowl and fold in the honey. Salt and pepper to taste.

Step Three: Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Below are pics of the Low Country Boil and Corn with Basil Butter. Basil butter was just butter with basil that I put in the food processor and salt and pepper!

Turkey Burger 3.0

2010-07-20T14:27:00.000-07:00

It was a lovely weekend in San Francisco this past Saturday and Sunday and what a treat it was to have a lazy Sunday. Friday night we crossed the bay and hung out in Jack London square for some Vegan Soul Food and an opening weekend show of Inception. The Vegan Soul food at Souley Vegan was absolutely off the chain. Absolutely nuts good. See below for pictures. BBQ Tofu Burger, Chicken Fried Tofu, Candied Yams.

I also loved Inception. Yeah, I mean how can you go wrong with Leo, Christopher Nolan and the delicious mind fuck of a plot? My only qualm without giving away spoilers was that they played Edith Piaf music and Marion Cottiard (who won an oscar playing her) - is also in the movie and I dont know whether its an homage or just annoying.

Saturday I had a helluva day pouring beer at the Breast Fest at Fort Mason with the MateVeza crew. Good times, hair bands, day drunk --- all awesome in my book! There were also some fun

And lastly - the recipe. Ah, the recipe. Sweet Sweet recipe. I want to tell you that these burgers are an open book of tastes. The flavor palette is exactly what you think it will taste like, no hidden punches just straightforward good. The biggest surprise was the Toasted Almond Avocado mash - who knew these two tasted so awesome together!?

Goat Cheese & Cranberry Turkey Burgers with Toasted Almond & Avocado Mash
Ingredients
1 lb of ground turkey
1/2 an onion, diced
1 cup dried cranberry's

1/4 cup of goat cheese
1 egg white
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 Avocados

3 cloves of garlic
1 cup toasted almonds (I toasted them myself!)

Step One: Combine the turkey with the onions, dried cranberry's, goat cheese, salt and pepper and the egg white at the end to bind the burger. Shape into patties! It should make 6. Shawn cooked these on the grill for about 15 minutes. You could do on the stovetop and it would be just fine too.

Step Two: In a food processor put in 1 avo, the garlic and the salt and pepper. Mish mash it up - scoop out and add the almonds whole. On the side cut up an avo and slice it all chunky like and add it to the puree to give it some body. Salt and Pepper to taste!

Step Three: Do a little dance and put it in your mouth! Oh also top the burger with the puree.

Tuna Tuna Tuna Has Done It Again

2010-07-14T11:07:00.000-07:00

Its been nice being back in SF with the knowledge we wont be going anywhere for a while. We had a great weekend camping and boating up in Clear Lake with our friend Kris & Darcy and Abby & Jim. Because Kris and Darcy are vegans and Abby and Jim are newly pescaterians it wasnt TOO unhealthy a weekend of camping. Unless you count Darcys amazing homemade bagels, I mean. We need a jew in SF to make the bagels - its just how it goes.

I just hit the gym hella hard Monday and Tuesday and made up a killer 30m workout on the spin bike to the Glee soundtrack. Faithfully makes a great seated climb and Halo/Walking On Sunshine motivated an insane seated/2nd/3rd set. Yeah! I like when I am motivated to go to the gym because pictures of me in a bathing suit from this camping trip were HORRENDOUS.

WHICCCCH then prompted this lovely salad last night after the gym - Grilled Sesame Tuna Salad with Chickpeas and Avocado.

(Ps. this is based on a dish once served to us by Michael Micholic - only I added chickpeas and lettuce!).

Since its a salad, there are no real directions. I just quickly marinated the tuna with splashes of olive oil, lemon, sesame seeds, sesame oil, sriracha, soy sauce and rice wine vinegar. Shawn put it on the grill so the middle was still rare and it just fell apart - we froze it to cool it down and then tossed it with some lettuce, avocado and red onions and chickpeas and ate our healthy faces off!

Simple and Sweet

2010-07-09T10:46:00.000-07:00

Im still struggling with my hash obsession and its only gotten worse. Id like to rename it because I feel HASH gives the impression that its either a breakfast food or its somehow leftovers. or Obviously, neither is true for this dish. I looked online for some synonyms and this is what came up: hodgepdge, mishmash, melange, shambles and litter. I looked up melange which sounded fancy free but it says its a mixture of incongruous elements and this meal was nothing short of harmonious. Sigh. I think I shall just fore go the hash moniker and simple say its Salmon over Pancetta Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Asparagus and Leeks.

This week we went over to our friends Michael & Natalie's to return the favor when they had us over to taste the wines they served at their wedding last summer. We have been talking about doing a toast with an Apple Wine or a cider and our caterers have been really helpful in allowing this so we ordered a few to try. I think the ice wine (though very sweet!) is the winner!

Salmon over Pancetta Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Asparagus and Leeks.
Ingredients
4 salmon fillets (skin on or off, doesnt matter)
1 lemon for juice
4 sweet potatoes, cubed
1 leek, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
6 slices of thin pancetta, chopped
1 bundle of asparagus
Olive oil
2 teaspoons minced rosemary
1 teaspoon minced garlic
Salt and Pepper to taste

Step One: Preheat oven to 350. Peel and cube the sweet potatoes. Toss in olive oil and salt and pepper and the rosemary. Roast for 30m, turning once.

Step Two: Meanwhile, chop the asparagus. I personally only took tops and mid way down the stalk. Toss with olive oil. When you turn the potatoes toss in the asp. to roast for the remaining 15m.

Step Three: While youre waiting for the potatoes and the asp to roast, on the stove top start with the pancetta over medium and let the fat render in the pan. Once there's some grease in there add the chopped onions and leeks and continue to let them toss and caramelize and soften. Once the other parts are done roasting add to the pan and cover until salmon is cooked.

Step Four: Change the oven from bake to broil. On the stove top heat olive oil (salt and peppered to taste) - and some lemon juice, the minced garlic and the salmon. Cook for 5 minutes skin side up. Flip them over and then transfer the fish to the broiler and serve once the top looks yum and crispy. Its okay if its a little rare in the middle. Squeeze lemon over and serve!

And now for a sweeeeeeeet little dessert to leave you with - fresh strawberries from the Farmers Market with Vanilla Ice Cream.

We're Your Source, We're Your Times Union

2010-07-07T19:14:00.000-07:00

I just came home from the long 4th of July weekend back at home visiting Albany. Sigh. It was so incredibly nice being home and it was just a very bittersweet reminder that Ive been gone for almost 10 years (on and off!). It has made something very clear: the girl who left at 18 is not the same as the girl at 28. I want to be close to family when possible later in life. Maybe not this year or the next, but maybe the next? Sigh. Anyway - we had a great time in Albany and these were the highlights:

Going to Alive @ 5pm and seeing the Gin Blossoms who are old and it turns out NOT the same band as the Spin Doctors. I waited a long time for Little Miss Cant Be Wrong and by god it never came.
Met with 3 caterers for the wedding and 1 planner. Also saw the site where we will MARRY EACH OTHER! Can you even believe it!? Still sounds like a fairy tale.
Had Kays Pizza. It also became evident that Albany can sort of be trashier than I remember. Alot of suped up trucks revving their engines for no reason and mullets. Go figure. I sort of liked it though!
Asked Mike O'Leary to officiate our nuptials! He accepted.
Taught Shawn more canasta.
Found out my cousin Mark and his fiance Johanna will get married in Majorca and it will be alot better than our wedding. Sad we wont be able to make it!
I didnt really run into as many random high school people as I would have wanted.
A very pregnant Christina beat everyone at Corn Hole.
I got to see Brett!
I fell in love with Mirk and the New Familiars.
I did not go to Lark Tavern because it burned down last month.
I got very lost trying to get to the Rusty Anchor because I was thinking it was the Riverfront Bar and Grill.
I stopped at Park Playhouse to watch them rehearse Annie Get Your Gun and had fond memories of being in that show as Dolly in 6th grade. I also thought I was better than the girl playing her now - even at the age of 13. And having not acted in 10 years. Maybe I stopped acting but I never lost the humility :)
I did not see my grandfather's grave, which I regret. But living friends and family took precedence. I will see him when I return...
Booked tickets for Thanksgiving! 10 Year Reunion anyone!?
Met Jess's new bf. Good times.
Saw an ACTUAL firefly. Eat that. Well not really!
Watched Shawn pretend to know the lyrics to Billionaire with Bridget.

Anyway! While I was home I didnt really do much cooking but my mom did. I am so lucky to have learned from her. For a snacky outdoor lunch I made these apps because I couldnt keep my mind off of them. They are based on the Texas Torpedos we ate in Wisconsin over Mem Day Weekend.

Spicy Bacon Wrapped Shrimp
2 Anaheim Peppers, seeded and sliced
Cream Cheese (like 1/2 a block)
1/2 dozen shrimps, tails tossed and deveined.
Bacon, 1/2 a pack
toothpicks

Step One: preheat oven to 350. Soak the peppers in water for 15m to dilute spice. If you love it dont dilute it. Simple as that! Assemble in this order: spread pepper on cream cheese, press in shrimp (uncooked) and wrap in bacon, pierce with toothpick.

Step Two: Bake for 7 minutes, turn, 7 more minutes or until crispy. If the bacon is not getting crispy switch to broil. Cool for like 2 minutes and then eat these puppies to the moon. Okay, that makes no sense but you get the gist.

Weekend Wonderland.

2010-06-28T12:38:00.000-07:00

This picturesque view from our apartment last night sets a serene scene at the top of Noe Valley, but dont let that fool you friends - this weekend was an amazingly crazy San Francisco weekend that included:

A date with Shawn after work on Friday that included a post work quick dinner at Out the Door (the poor mans Slanted Door). We shared the dungeness crab cellophane noodles and the pork buns and even though it was super $$ even for splitting - it was great vietnamese food. Damn I love the Westfield Mall food court. (Here AND in LA).....

Then we saw Toy Story 3 was just a knock out of the park! See it. Best movie so far this summer - youll laugh, youll cry - youll thank the lords Pixar and Disney are still talking.

Then Saturday was a fun day - we went to go see the Red Sox versus the Giants with Kris and Darce during inter league play. If you look close enough you can see the ballpark in my sunglasses. They won, it was sunny - and I resigned myself to ONLY eating the the nachos and NOT overeating! Bless my heart.

Then we saw Steve Earle at the Great American Music Hall who was pretty rocking but we got there late due to the game and pride closing Market street and not being early bird specials like the other hippie Berkeley freaks - so we had to stand.

The BEST find of the weekend was brunch at this place called Pomelo on Church and 30th in Noe Valley. As you can see on your left I had 3 corn cakes filled with various brunchy things: beef with plantains and black beans, 1 with an egg and ranchero curry sauce and 1 with potatoes.

I am onto you Pomelo. We WILL meet again...Shawn had banana french toast with Coconut Syrup and Hazelnuts.

We ended the weekend with a hot afternoon game of Yahtzee and BBQ with our Noe Valley neighbors The Micholics. I have to say the meal was simple and divine and their wine club has reinforced my love for Rose.