french 75-ish [porter]

Next week is our first anniversary! What better way is there to commemorate than share the drink I was enjoying on the big day? Here it is, folks: the French 75. Our best man concocted on of these babies for me in the limo between the ceremony and the reception. It was refreshing and sophisticated--just what I needed to toast the day. Upon ample sampling in the past year, I can report that it wasn't just the excitement of the day: this drink brings an air of elegance whether for a fancy-schmancy cocktail party or a casual night in.

Ingredients:
Champagne (dry)
Gin
Orange or Lemon twist (sliver of peel)

The how to:
Fill champagne flute 3/4 full with champagne. Add a splash of gin--if you are a measuring type, use 1/2 jigger of gin. Twist the lemon or orange twist over top of glass to release the oils from the peel and drop in. Drink up!

Side notes:
The real French 75 includes simple syrup and cucumber and is served over ice in a tall glass.  See here from Gourmet. The original recipe was first published in 1930 in the Savoy Cocktail Book and is named for a French 75 millimeter cannon. Be sure to drink slowly because it might hit you like a cannon :) Enjoy responsibly!

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honey-peppered pear + prosciutto bites [porter]

Unbridge club -- where a group of my mother's friends get together and play anything but bridge -- is starting to encompass the younger generation: the daughters and nieces of the core group. It was my turn to host last night and amid the concern of having a spotless house and the worry that 50 and 60 year old women would enjoy laser tag (like I said, anything but bridge!), I knew I needed to have simple, filling and delicious finger food that would hold to my nickname of 'Martha.'

I do not have endless hostessing experience. One of my best friends LOVES to play hostess, so the majority of our casual get-togethers take place at her house. Pulling together a menu other than take and bake pizza that would allow me to interact with my guests immediately upon their arrival requires a bit of planning ahead and avoiding foods that are still delectable when not piping hot.

I bring you to pear + prosciutto! A quick, tasty, and surprising appetizer/snack/finger food that will earn you some serious host/hostess cred.

Ingredients:
makes 32 bites [serves 8-10]
4 bartlett pears
1/3 lbs, very thinly sliced prosciutto [8-10 slices, some tend to go missing in the process :) )
1T honey
1/4 c warm water
2 t fine black pepper, plus plenty for finishing presentation plate

The how to:
Heat oven to 375. Slice the pears into 8 equal segments, removing the core from each slice as you go. In a medium to large bowl, combine the honey, warm water and 2 t black pepper, stirring until uniformly combined. Add pear segments to the honey-water and toss to coat. Let sit while prepping prosciutto. Cut each prosciutto slice into 4 even strips, as best you can. I ended up with some odd shaped pieces and it worked out fine as long as the pieces are long enough to wrap around a pear slice. Wrap each pear slice with a strip of prosciutto and place seam down on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, let cool slightly and arrange on a serving platter. Sprinkle the whole platter uniformly with pepper.

Side notes:
First and foremost, I apologize for the lack of photo. In the midst of hostessing, snapping a picture unfortunately did not cross my mind. Now on to the real notes. I left the prosciutto off of a few of the slices to accommodate a vegetarian who was attending; it turns out that the honey and pepper work surprisingly well without the salty offset. To keep the pears warm until guests arrived, I kept the serving platter on the stove top to absorb some of the peripheral heat. These are still good when not super hot, or even warm, but I did not enjoy them as much 3 hours later at room temperature. Luckily, they will probably be gone by then (I had reserved some on the side for my hubby).

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Kat Edmonson [paisley]

Kat Edmonson - photo credit to The Austin Chronicle

Fiance and I got a call a few years ago from a friend who needed us to go to a jazz show with him that night because he met the musician once, had a nice chat with her, got her number and subsequently lost the number.  This woman was the girl of his dreams and he needed to meet her again.  Being good friends, we went to the Elephant Room to see Kat Edmonson.  We were blown away by Kat, which is pretty special because you expect good things from the artists that play the Elephant Room to begin with--it's a great intimate venue.  In the 8 months since our friend had gotten the first chance to chat with her, Kat had grown a bit of a name for herself around town with the likes of Ray Benson of Asleep at the Wheel championing her along.  Needless to say, our friend was too intimidated to approach her again (he is a pretty humble and sometimes shy guy).

Her 1940s-esque jazzy voice came naturally as she serenaded us with known tunes, all sounding as if they were written for her.  Musicians seemed to gravitate towards her, resulting in collaborations with Lyle Lovett for example.  Her latest album Way Down Low is fantastic. Funded through the crowd-funding platform Kickstarter and written while melding into her new life in Brooklyn, this project is the successful combination of mid-20th century jazz sounds with lyrics that somehow apply to my twenty-something life while transcending age groups and genres.

I don't know what else to say other than give her a listen.  Lucky and Champagne are two of my favorites, but the whole album is great for listening straight through.  I put this album on to clean the house, chill out while driving, cooking dinner and even while getting ready for a night out.

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crease-free twistband [paisley]

Twistband: the crease-free hair tie

I recently subscribed to Birchbox and I love it! [Bridesmaids, if you have figured out this is me, don't get your own subscription yet :)]  I've only received one box so far and one of the many things inside is this Twistband that Birchbox has been pushing.  I first thought it was pretty lame: a hair tie, really??  I thought maybe I could do my hair some cool new way with it, but no, it's just a normal hair tie.  So why is it so cool that it requires me to write this post (i.e. my first product post in a while)?  No creases.  At all. 

Case #1:  If you are anything like me, you throw your hair back at work.  I tend to twist my hair around my finger when really focused, so a pulled-back hair is my way of keeping up the professional front.  Plus twisting your hair isn't good for your hair either.  Now, I can let my hair down after work without any creases!  Hello pretty-haired happy hour!

Case #2:  I have long hair and don't like to sleep with it down because it mats to my face or gets tangly (lovely description of the mess that my fiance gets to wake up to).  My hair has a decent curl to it, so I shower at night and let the curls form with a touch of product and air drying.  I regularly pull my hair back while sleeping and am forced into a pony tail all the next day due to the awful creases.  Now, I can go to bed with my semi-dry hair pulled back and can wake up with crease-less curls.

The site advertises that they look good on your wrist when not in use, however that is not a look I can typically pull off as a twenty-something professional.  The Twistband stands up to a moderate workout, but it might not hold a ponytail for a long bouncy run--I've yet to give it that test and will update this post if it proves to be a reliable running buddy.

Twistbands are a bit expensive at $2 a pop or $10 for 6.  For some like me, that's a small price to pay for a hair tie that doesn't leave creases and doesn't pull out your hair. 

full disclosure: I am so not getting paid for this Twistband endorsement.  It's just that cool!  The Birchbox link does get me referral points, but that is not the focus nor the motive for this post.

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feel-good morning smoothie [porter]

Feel-good morning smoothie

There are precisely three reasons why I drink this smoothie: 1) I am on a mission to actually meet the recommended daily intake of 5 servings of fruits and vegetables 2) A good friend of mine picked up "juicing" (like with a juicer, not steroids :) ) and reported that she no longer felt tired in the afternoons, could easily go until lunch without being hungry, and no longer felt like a slave to coffee 3) A family friend who is a cancer survivor swears by a similar version of this smoothie.

I make this smoothie usually 2-3 mornings per week and I honestly do feel good.  I feel good about my eating habits.  I feel good that this is the type of food that feeds my body well and therefore gives me more energy for longer.  I feel good that a body that gets the right nutrients enables a healthy immune system.  However, I have zero plans to give up coffee--it tastes so good and has lots of antioxidants--but I no longer crave caffeine and sometimes opt for decaf.

Getting in the habit to buy the ingredients for this smoothie on a regular basis was the hard part.  Not being a fan of letting food go to waste, I had to learn how to buy the right amounts, and, to choosing to buy larger portions to be more economical, I worked into our routine other uses for the same ingredients.

Ingredients:
makes 2 smoothies
1 c apple juice
2 generous handfuls of spinach or kale
1 carrot, chopped or 1 handful baby carrots
1 banana
1 c frozen fruit
1/2 c Greek yogurt
1 squeeze honey
1 lime, juice only

The how to:
In a blender combine juice, spinach and/or kale, and carrot.  Blend until the carrot is chopped well.  Add banana and frozen fruit.  Blend until smooth (may have to use pulse function if you have one).  Add yogurt, honey and lime.  Blend until the yogurt is well incorporated (same color through whole smoothie).  Pour and enjoy!

Side notes:
I use apple juice, but feel free to try other juices.  I will say that I don't like this smoothie as much with orange juice.  Kale is the more antioxidant-packed leaf, but it is more bitter than spinach so I suggest starting with spinach and changing the mix to include kale to your liking.  Spinach is only a 20 cent difference between a small and a large container at my grocer, so I tend to get the large spinach and have it around for salads, too.  I don't get kale very often because we don't have meals that use it often enough to justify the large container.  Again, I hate for food to go bad and I like to meal plan economically!  Our grocer carries carrots that are cut for stir fry for the same price as baby carrots so we get the stir-fry cut bag, well, so we can use them in stir fry, too (see where I'm going with this :) ).  I use fresh banana, but if we have bananas that are about to go bad, I'll cut them up, freeze them on a cookie tray, then put them in Tupperware in the freezer (freezing first on a cookie tray means they are less likely to stick together and you can portion it out later).  Pick any frozen fruit to your liking, but know that mango will give it a grittier texture.  We like blueberries, strawberries, raspberries and peaches.  Recently we started using flavored Greek yogurt (honey and blueberry), so I've been leaving out the raw honey.  I might go back to plain Greek yogurt because the flavored one has a lot of sugar.  I especially like to drink these with a straw.

Phew that was a lot of side note!  Even fiance loves this smoothie and it holds him over to a late lunch on the weekends after dog training class--that's impressive.  Try it this week I tell you!  It's good!

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creamy cilantro-lime dressing [porter]

Creamy cilantro-lime dressing on taco salad

Fiance and I have taco night on a regular rotation.  We brown up some ground turkey with diced onions, simmer it in a layer of pre-made taco seasoning, and slap it in to a warm tortilla with fresh diced onion, cilantro, a dollop of plain Greek yogurt, and grated cheddar cheese.  We always have leftovers and changing it up a little to not have the same meal twice in a row, we threw most of the same ingredients on top of a bed of lettuce (plus chopped carrots and tortilla chips, less Greek yogurt).  Typically this bed of lettuce would be mixed greens, but spinach is all we had (there's always spinach in the fridge for our smoothies).  Wanting to hedge the non-traditional spinach factor, I experimented for a killer dressing.  Fiance commented, "bottle this one up and I'll have it over and over again."

The Ingredients:

dresses 2 large salads

1 lime, juice only (about 1 T)

1/8 c cilantro, leaves only

2 T light miracle whip

2 T olive oil

1 dash onion powder
pepper to taste

The how to:
In a food processor, first process the lime juice and cilantro together.  You may have to stop processing and scrape down the sides once or twice to get the cilantro evenly chopped.  Next, add the miracle whip, olive oil, onion powder and pepper to the cilantro-lime mixture and process until smooth.  If you would like a thinner dressing, add more oil to preference.

Side notes:
I strongly suggest fresh lime juice for this dressing as it brings the right amount of sour kick and provides vitamin C.  Lime juice from those squeeze bottles will do the trick if that's all that's on hand, but you may have to add a touch more to get the same taste.  Light Miracle Whip is my "mayonnaise" of choice so it's always around, but feel free to try with regular mayonnaise or plain Greek yogurt (will not provide the same tangy taste, so may need a small pinch of salt and extra lime to compensate).

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Greek pasta salad [porter]

Greek pasta salad

To give full credit, I subscribe to a twice-weekly recipe newsletter from PureWow.  Usually I don't have good applications for these recipes because they are designed to impress friends at a dinner party (read: strawberry soup), and often times they call for expensive or rare ingredients.  Just when I thought I might unsubscribe, this Greek pasta salad popped into my inbox.  With relatively attainable ingredients and a prep time that fits into my schedule, I gave it a shot.  The grocery bill came out a bit steep (about $25 for the ingredients I didn't already have), but it fed 2 mouths last night and probably will make 3-4 more individual meals this week (fantastic leftovers for lunch!).  That math comes out to about $4 per meal per person...not too shabby.

Adopted from Susie Middleton's The Fresh & Green Table
Ingredients:
1/4 c olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
zest from one lemon
1 tsp honey
1 tsp dried dill (optional)
1 tsp salt, divided
pepper to taste
1 sm red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 can or jar of artichoke hearts, drained and quartered (can use whole can...I wanted left over artichoke)
1 pint small grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 c pitted kalamata olives, quartered lengthwise
4 oz feta cheese, crumbled
2 tbsp fresh oregano, chopped and divided (dried will probably work, but the fresh was delicious)
12oz fusilli pasta (any curly pasta works)
5 handfuls of spinach
1/3 c chopped walnuts
12 small pepperoncini, drained and thickly sliced

The how to:
Combine olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, lemon zest, honey, dill, 1/2 tsp salt, and pepper in a large bowl.

Add red onion, artichoke hearts, tomatoes, olives, feta, and 1 tbsp oregano. Stir to coat ingredients and let sit for about 20 min.  Prepare pasta according to package instructions.  Right before pasta is done, add spinach, walnuts, and pepperoncini to the top of the large bowl (do not mix in).  Drain the pasta and pour on top of the ingredients in the large bowl.  Add remaining salt and oregano.  The heat from the pasta will slightly wilt/cook the spinach.  After 2 min, stir spinach and pasta to evenly incorporate and coat in dressing.

Side notes:
The original recipe called for some tapenade in the dressing, but since Fiance doesn't like olives that much, I left it out (I figured he could pick out the whole olives if inclined).  The first 8 ingredients make a great salad dressing on their own.    For the remaining ingredients, you can increase, decrease, or omit based on your tastes.  For example, I only used half of the artichoke hearts recommended in the original recipe because I hope Fiance and I will make chicken and artichoke pizza with the remainder.  I didn't think of it until I left the grocery, but cucumber might be a nice addition to this salad.  I also used more pasta than the original recipe because I wanted to make sure this made multiple meals.  Zesting the lemon and not using the juice seemed like a waste, so we made gin and tonics with the juice from half a lemon in each.  The gin competed a bit with the balsamic in the recipe so I'd make this a before dinner or an after dinner drink.  Lastly, we added sliced peppered salami to serve because the Fiance doesn't like to call it a main dish if there isn't protein.

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cucumber rosemary cocktail [porter]

The post is a little late, but we made this delicious Cucumber and Rosemary Cocktail for the 4th of July.  It tasted fantastic by the pool (though we had to serve it in a less enticing Solo cup), and it would certainly work well for a dinner party because it won't compete with the menu and it presents well.  Fiance wanted a fancy drink and this delivered!

Ingredients:
4-6 servings
4 med to lg cucumbers
1 tbsp fresh rosemary + sprigs for garnish
1 cup gin
1 cup water
2/3 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup simple syrup or agave nectar

The how to:
Peel and dice cucumbers.  Add cucumbers and chopped rosemary leaves to food processor and process until pureed.  Pour through a fine mesh strainer into a large bowl, pressing juice through the strainer if needed.  Combine remaining ingredients with strained cucumber mixture in a large pitcher.  Pour over ice, garnish, and serve.

Side notes:
I do not have a food processor large enough for 4 cucumbers so I used a blender, which was a lot of work.  I lost a wooden spoon to it.  I suggest adding some of the water to the blender to help it along.  Although any gin will work, we have Hendricks at home and the subtle cucumber and rose flavor complimented the drink well.  Also, substituting lime for lemon will play a stronger homage to the traditional gin and tonic.  Using honey in place of simple syrup would do nicely to round out the garden theme (half the amount if using honey).  I think I'll play with a fall version of this and work in a ginger flavor (maybe into the simple syrup).  The cucumber is a bit strong in this drink so if you are not a huge fan, consider halfing the cucumbers and adding more water/lemon in proportion.

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baked rosemary sweet potato fries [porter]

Baked rosemary sweet potato fries

Fiance and I had a very productive day cleaning the apartment, grocery shopping, ordering save the dates, and doing laundry.  Today is the kind of day where cooking dinner is the last thing we want to do, so we made it pretty easy on ourselves.  We had left over hamburgers from July 4th, boiled corn, and these sweet potatoes fries.  Okay, so these fries don't quite fit a "do nothing" menu, but we had sweet potatoes that needed to be used.  I started using the basic idea of this recipe a couple years ago after seeing it on the ginger cook. 

Ingredients:
2 medium sized sweet potatoes
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

The how to:
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  Chop the sweet potatoes into this fries.  Add to a boiling pot of water and boil for 5 minutes.  Drain water.  Add the remaining ingredients to the pot of drained potatoes and toss to coat evenly.  Transfer to a parchment paper-lined baking pan and spread to one even layer.  Bake for about 30 minutes, flipping fries halfway through (watch closely, the time will depend on how thick the fries are cut).

Side notes:
The fries are essentially cooked after the boiling, but the oven gets them to the correct crispy texture.  Feel free to finish off with a quick broil if needed to get desired coloring.  Try finishing with freshly grated Parmesan for an Italian taste.

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velvety homemade coffee ice cream [porter]

It's officially summer, but you don't need any kind of solstice to tell you that here in Texas!  100 degree temperatures have become a mainstay.  I always have ice cream in the freezer, and summer is the perfect excuse to take the effort to make my own.  I took a Central Market class on cheeses several months ago and was introduced to Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams recipe for goat cheese ice cream with roasted red cherries.  The magic things about the base for this ice cream is 1) it is egg-less so you don't have to worry about accidentally cooking the egg while tempering in the custard-style base and 2) it uses corn starch as a stabilizer and cream cheese as a thickener, which means this all natural ice cream has a lovely, rich creamy texture that doesn't get icy in the freezer.

Though this goat cheese ice cream recipe is definitely worth making (and I have many a time), I wanted to get creative and use this base to make another flavor.  Shying away from a possibly complicated mint chocolate chip for my first made-up recipe, I thought coffee ice cream would be a somewhat safe and delicious application.  This recipe turned out very well and I had a small scoop for breakfast the next morning because I couldn't wait any longer!  Who says you can't have ice cream for breakfast??

Ingredients:
Makes a generous 2 quarts
2 cups whole milk
4 tsp corn starch
1 1/4 cups heavy whipping cream
3/4 cups sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup (Caro syrup)
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 cup espresso grounds (freshly ground is better but not required)
3 tbsp cream cheese (1.5 oz) - slightly softened (~10-20 sec in microwave)
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chunks optional (I used Nestle)
Large bowl of ice and a large baggie

The how to:
In a small bowl, mix 1/4 cup of the milk with the corn starch and set aside. In a 4 quart pot, combine remaining milk, cream, sugar, corn syrup and salt.  Bring mixture to a boil and then remove from heat.  Add espresso grounds to the pot and let it brew for 5 minutes.  If you haven't done so already, you can use this time to place the cream cheese in a medium bowl and soften it.  After 5 minutes, strain out the coffee grounds using a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth.  I don't have a fine strainer so I used a spatula and some patience to skim as much coffee grounds off the top as I could (the coffee grounds float for the most part).  Place the pot back on the burner over medium heat and add in the cornstarch/milk mixture (it might need a fresh stir to pour well).  Bring the pot to a ever so slight boil and stir for one minute.  Remove from heat and pour about a cup of the warm mixture into the cream cheese bowl and stir well, and then add the cream cheese mixture back into the large pot to fully incorporate.
     Chill the ice cream in the bowl of ice for 30 minutes by either pouring the mixture into a plastic baggie and submerging in ice or if you are lucky like I was, placing the pot in the ice bowl directly if the ice bowl is big enough (this may not be good for your pot if it has a lining -- mine is just plain metal).  Once chilled, pour into your ice cream maker and churn until it sticks thickly on a spatula.  I pause every 10 minutes or so and scrape down the sides, but this probably isn't necessary.  Also, add the chocolate chunks after about 10 minutes once the ice cream has set up a bit.  Spoon ice cream into a 2-quart freezer safe container.  Place wax paper flat to the top of the ice cream (this helps to prevent ice crystals) and place the lid on the container.  Freeze for 4 hours to set.  Remember to devour any remaining soft serve left in your ice cream maker.  Enjoy!!

Side notes:
For a lighter option, use sugar substitute (follow directions on package for replacing sugar) and agave nectar in place of corn syrup.  I strongly suggest fresh grounds to get a full coffee flavor because the natural oils diminish over time once ground.  I used the bulk aisle at my grocery store to freshly grind about a 1/4 cup of bold Nicaraguan coffee using the espresso setting for half and the Turkish coffee setting for the other half (the Turkish setting grinds it so small that you add it directly to hot water without straining - I did this so I could purposefully leave behind some grounds in my ice cream).  Warning: use decaf if you usually have ice cream after dinner!  In the future I will experiment mixing flavors with this coffee ice cream such as vanilla coffee, hazelnut coffee, coconut coffee, and almond coffee (maybe with toffee bits!).

If you are interested in the science behind ice cream, check out how stuff works.

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berry good salad dressing [porter]

Tonight I wanted my favorite salad as a side but did not have any fresh fruit which is a key ingredient.  I did have frozen blueberries though so I let my little brain wander, and I came up with this perfect dressing that I used to substitute for the sweetness in the quintessential spinach-walnut-fruit-and-cheese salad.  Many of these ingredients can be interchanged with similar ingredients making this dressing flexible to what you have on hand.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup frozen blueberries
2 tbsp Greek yogurt
1 tbsp agave nectar
2 tsp lime juice
pinch of salt

The how to:
Add all ingredients to a food processor and blend completely.  Feel free to adjust to taste.  The mixture will thin out as the blueberries melt.  If it is still too thick, add more agave nectar to get to the desired consistency.

Side notes:
Feel free to slip some ground flax into this dressing for more hidden health benefits without compromising taste.  Fresh berries can replace frozen (and may actually be tastier if they are in season).  Try any berry in place of blueberries.  I used plain Greek yogurt because it's what I had on hand, but non-Greek yogurt and flavored yogurts will work too--try to stick to plain, vanilla, or complimentary fruit flavors.  The agave nectar adds sweetness and helps to thin the dressing out.  Honey or sugar will work, too.  If using sugar to sweeten, try some water or milk to thin it out.  Any citrus will work in place of lime (think lemon or orange juice).  I used bottled lime juice, and it turned out fine.  The salt can be left, but it helps to cut the sweetness.  Another twist would be to create a berry vinaigrette: use red wine vinegar in place of lime juice, salt, and half of the agave nectar.

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killer mac and cheese [porter]

All I can say is yummm!  This macaroni and cheese is creamy, flavorful, and ready to be morphed into what ever you want it to be.  This is not a substitute for the ease and childhood satisfaction of the blue box, but this down-home-cooking variation is sure to fill a craving for comfort food.

Ingredients:
Makes 3 entree servings or 4 side dish servings
3 cups medium pasta shells (size small works too)
3 3/4 cup skim milk
1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (freshly shredded is best)
1 tsp salt
3 strips of peppered bacon (if not hearty slices, go for 4 strips)
1 serrano pepper, seeded and finely sliced and diced

The how to:
In a medium size pot, add pasta and milk together and heat to just before boiling.  Reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring regularly to prevent the pasta from sticking to the bottom.  Try not the let the milk boil.  Meanwhile (and you'll have to multitask because you are still stirring the pot frequently), fry the bacon on medium in a separate pan.  Remove bacon and dry on a paper-towel lined plate.  Drain most, not all, of the bacon grease from the pan and add diced serrano to fry over medium-low heat for 2 minutes.  Once the pasta is cooked, remove from heat and stir in the shredded cheese and salt.  When fully incorporated, tear cooled bacon into dime sized pieces and stir into pasta along with the serrano. 

Side notes:
If not using pepper bacon, be sure to add some coarsely ground pepper for a similar taste.  The serrano pepper is not too spicy in this dish, especially when very thinly sliced and chopped it disperses well in the cheese.  However, if you do not like spicy foods, substitute with a less spicy jalapeno or skip altogether and try some yellow mustard for some flavor.  For a more true-to-the-name mac and cheese, hold the bacon and serrano and add a few grates of nutmeg and white pepper.  I'd love to hear any other versions that you come up with!

Editor's note: I had a layer of burned milk at the bottom of my pot that was not coming off with a normal scrubbing effort after soaking.  Letting the pot soak for 3 min with hot water, dish soap and 1/4 white vinegar helped it come off relatively easily with a light scrub.  If this isn't your thing, boil the pasta in water according to package directions, drain, then add 1-2 cups of milk and other ingredients.  Adjust milk amounts to preferred consistency of sauce.

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everything you ever wanted to know about eggs [paisley]

Eggs are a basic ingredient in the foods of several cultures (and a basic ingredient of life!).  Breakfast, lunch and dinner put this handy, accessible food into use in many different ways.  They can be scrambled, fried, boiled, and baked as a feature, or mixed, dipped, and beaten to serve as a binder.  The inspiration for this post came from explaining to my dad that olive oil shouldn't be used on the grill because of the high heat and low smoking point of the oil.  I suggested that he should apply the seasonings straight to the salmon or try an egg-white dip to get heavier coatings to stick.  He then asked, "well, isn't an egg dip less healthy?"  And here we are.

There are 3 main parts to an egg: the shell, the white, and the yolk.  The color of the shell varies based on the species of the animal that lays it.  Chicken eggs are by far the most widely used and typically come in white, brown or pink.  Nutritional value is the same regardless of the shell color.  The white acts as a barrier to the yolk and is mostly water with a bit of protein in the make up.  The amount of water and protein decreases over time creating an air pocket, but more on that later.  Finally, the yolk contains the majority of the nutrients, good and questionable, found in an egg.

So, to answer my dad's question, egg whites have no adverse dietary effects whether used as a binding dip or as the main feature in an egg white omelet.  However, the white offers very little nutritional value on its own.

Now for the yolk.  If you are conscious of your cholesterol levels, you probably don't eat the yolk (this is where all of the cholesterol in the egg exists).  However, consider the reasoning on World's Healthiest Foods that blood cholesterol levels are affected most by saturated fats, not raw cholesterol found in foods.  In addition, research shows that 1-2 eggs a day will not harm blood cholesterol levels or significantly increase heart attack risk; in fact, studies show that eggs can actually improve the LDL to HDL ratio.

Other benefits of eggs (all from WHFoods):
Protein - the type found in eggs may help to prevent blood clots
Choline - benefits brain health and it's anti-inflammatory characteristics help to prevent heart disease, osteoporosis, cognitive decline and Alzheimer's, and type-2 diabetes (other sources of choline include soybeans, cod, chicken and salmon - with eggs and soybeans being the highest concentrations).
Aids in weight-loss

USDA egg grades, AA, A, and B are based upon the quality of the shell, the size of the air pocket in the more pointy end of the shell, and the quality of the white and yolk.  From the Agricultural Marketing Service:

AA Quality
The shell must be clean, unbroken, and practically normal. The air cell must not exceed 1/8 inch in depth, may show unlimited movement, and may be free or bubbly. The white must be clear and firm so that the yolk is only slightly defined when the egg is twirled before the candling light. The yolk must be practically free from apparent defects.

A Quality
The shell must be clean, unbroken, and practically normal. The air cell must not exceed 3/16 inch in depth, may show unlimited movement, and may be free or bubbly. The white must be clear and at least reasonably firm so that the yolk outline is only fairly well defined when the egg is twirled before the candling light. The yolk must be practically free from apparent defects.

B Quality
The shell must be unbroken, may be abnormal, and may have slightly stained areas. Moderately stained areas are permitted if they do not cover more than 1/32 of the shell surface if localized, or 1/16 of the shell surface if scattered. Eggs having shells with prominent stains or adhering dirt are not permitted. The air cell may be over 3/16 inch in depth, may show unlimited movement, and may be free or bubbly. The white may be weak and watery so that the yolk outline is plainly visible when the egg is twirled before the candling light. The yolk may appear dark, enlarged, and flattened, and may show clearly visible germ development but no blood due to such development. It may show other serious defects that do not render the egg inedible. Small blood spots or meat spots (aggregating not more than 1/8 inch in diameter) may be present.

Store eggs pointy end down in the refrigerator in a closed container so they will dry out slower and be less likely to take on the smells of nearby foods.  Eggs should last 2-4 weeks in the fridge.  To test the freshness, place in a bowl of water, if they float, then they are bad.

Tips for cooking: Use fresh, new eggs for frying, baking, or any case where you need to whip to peaks (meringue, souffle, etc.).  The white will be more firm and will lend to easier flipping when frying and a stronger structure when baking or whipping.  Older eggs are still good for boiling and scrambling as the more liquid structure will not have a negative effect on the outcome (but still make sure they are fresh eggs).

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salmon with mustard and ginger soy sauce [porter]

Alaskan sockeye salmon with soy-mustard-ginger sauce

I am on a major health kick this week.  Fiance and I took a Memorial day trip to New York City and dined our little hearts out on bagels, egg sandwiches, pastrami sandwiches, matzo ball soup, Patsy's pizza, Italian tasting menus, and exquisite Japanese food from Morimoto.  Now it's time to recover and put healthy food back in the system.  Having decided on fish as the main course for dinner last night, I could not pass up the wild caught Alaskan sockeye salmon that was being freshly laid out behind the seafood counter.  It was just so red.  I did what I typically do for weeknight meals: threw a bunch of stuff together that sounded good.  Here is the end result...it takes less than 20 min and it's not too shabby if I do say so my self.

Ingredients (serves 2):
12 oz salmon, with or without skin (wild caught Alaskan is best and here is why)
1 tsp garlic salt
2 tsp lemon pepper
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1 tbsp grated or minced ginger
optional:
2 tsp ground flaxseed
1 lemon

The how to:
Place the top rack of your oven about 10 inches from the top.  Set the oven to broil and place pan on the top rack to preheat.  A cast iron pan or other oven safe pan is recommended, but I don't have these so I used my thickest baking sheet (foil lined for easy clean up) that would retain heat the best.  While the pan is heating, sprinkle the garlic salt and then the lemon pepper on the top of the salmon (the non-skin side if applicable).  These amounts should be to your taste, but I like an even thin layer of this 2:1 ratio.  Remove the pan from the oven (use a hot pad!) and place the salmon skin side down on the pan and replace on the top shelf of the oven.  Broil the salmon for 7 min.  The salmon will cook on both sides from the pan and the broiler so you do not need to turn.  I checked mine at 7 min, but the thickness of this filet took 1-3 min longer.  The fish should flake easily and still be pink (not red) in the middle when done.  While broiling, combine the remaining  ingredients (including flax seed if applicable) in a small bowl.  Remove the fish from the oven and top with a thin layer of this soy-mustard-ginger mixture.  Let rest for 5 min to let mixture sink in.  Serve with optional half lemon on each plate and see additional serving suggestions below.

Side notes:
I served this on a bed of mixed greens with very thinly sliced (more like shaved) white onion and green bell pepper.  I kept it pretty basic to feature the salmon instead of feeling like it was a salad with salmon on top.  I used the left over topping I had and mixed in ponzu, honey and a little splash of yellow mustard and used to lightly dress the greens.  I also served a small portion of roasted broccoli - it was hard to resist when I already had the oven on high heat and broccoli in my fridge.

Now that's all out of the way, I want to share why this dish is so healthy.  You can click on any of the links in the ingredient list to see more in depth information from World's Healthiest Foods (a non-profit organization dedicated to making the world a healthier place).  The salmon in this dish (6 oz per serving) provides roughly 75% of the daily recommended need of omega-3's while the flax seed and mustard help to supplement this dish to provide roughly 100% of this important requirement.  Eating a meal of this nature as little as once per week can have significant heart-health benefits.  Also, ginger, flaxseed, and mustard (and possibly soy sauce - more research needed) all offer anti-inflammatory benefits.  Lastly, lemon and ginger offer immune-system-boosting effects, which is excellent for Fiance who caught a cold near the end of our trip.

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polish sausage [porter]

Kielbasa (polish sausage) at the Dallas Farmers Market

This not so little number is from the Dallas Farmers Market. There is a little meat market inside called Old World Sausage Company that produces this delicious polish sausage on a bun with mustard, horseradish sauce, and sauerkraut with pickles on the side. So simple and sooo yummy.  Each accompanying component should be available at your local grocery, but the star of the dish, polish sausage, may be a little hard to find depending on where you live and your caliber of grocery stores.  If you can find it...great; if not, don't fret!  The steps to making sausage are not as difficult as you might think (it can be as hard or as easy as you want it to be).  For those of you that cannot find polish sausage at your grocer, just want to go the extra mile and say "I made that!" or impress your Polish loved one (here's to you sister-in-law!), below is a recipe for polish sausage.

Polish Sausage
(adopted from lets-make-sausage.com and food.com)
Ingredients:
5 lbs Ground pork butt - not too lean (try to find about 80%)
8 cloves Garlic
1 tbsp salt (4 tsp if kosher salt)
1 tbsp fine ground pepper
2 tsp dried majoram
1 tsp sugar
1 cup iced water
natural casing - soaked for 1-2 hours in warm water
    (collagen casing okay, but get butcher string to tie off links, need vegetable oil to lubricate stuffing tube, and soaking is not necessary)
sausage stuffer
Optional:
1 tbsp ground mustard seed
1 tsp liquid smoke

The how to:
 If not bought ground, grind the pork butt using the medium setting on a meat grinder.  Press, crush (using flat side of knife), or finely mince garlic cloves (process listed in order of preference).  Mix all seasoning ingredients together in a small bowl and add to ice water.  Add liquid smoke to ice water if applicable.  Pour ice water and seasonings into ground sausage and mix thoroughly.  Fill casings with pork mixture using a sausage stuffer.  To stuff, lubricate the stuffing tube with water for natural casings or vegetable oil for collagen casings, slide the casing onto the tube, and scrunch up until just an inch or two of the casing remains.  Tie this end before stuffing.  If using natural casing, twist filled casing in sections to create links.  If using collagen casing, tie off links using butcher string -- tie two knots between links and cut links between knots.  Uncooked links will store for 3 days in the refrigerator or up to 3 months in the freezer (in freezer Ziplock bags).  To cook, boil, covered,  in water or beer for 10 minutes and then grill or cook in a dry, lightly greased pan for 2-3 minutes a side to finish off and get lightly browned sides.  Serve on a big bun with yellow or spicy mustard, horseradish sauce (to make at home combine prepared horseradish and mayonnaise to taste), sauerkraut, and a crisp dill pickle.

Side notes:
Sausage is called "fresh" if it is not smoked.  Homemade fresh sausage does not include nitrates, which are often attributed to cancer.  If you want to smoke your sausage, cure your sausage and follow the instructions here.  Smoking the sausage will give it a darker appearance.  Natural casings provide a better mouth feel when you bite into the sausage (think of the "pop" feel).  Remember to soak and rinse natural casings according to the package to avoid splitting of the casings.  Collagen casings seem easier to find, but you still may have to order it.  I have wanted to try to add a bit of paprika to see how that tastes; experiment with different spices and let me know how it goes!

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druzy on over [paisley]

Stitch and Stone Crystal Framed Druzy Earrings in White

Designer Michelle Leiser of Stitch and Stone moved from New York to Austin in September of last year in search of warmer weather and friendly people.  She brought with her these fantastic druzy earrings.  I instantly loved these simply elegant earrings as well as the Mesh Rose Stud earrings and Metal Lace earrings.  My first thought was, "When can I get down to South Congress to purchase a pair?" but my second thought was "What the heck is druzy??"

So I now you bring you this little mineralogy lesson:  Druzy is an alternative spelling of drusy, which is the adjective form of druse: an inner surface with a crust of tiny crystals (thank you Wiktionary).  Each drusa (singular form) is formed when silica from ground water is deposited into rocks; the quick cooling causes the little quartz crystals to form on the surface or inside the rocks (Bernardine Fine Art Jewelry).

With that said, most of the druzy jewelry sold is fake or lab created to create the glittering effect.  Jerry Burkhart harvests, cuts, and cleans druzy from the Nevada desert and shares tips to tell whether a piece of druzy is real and the downsides of fake druzy.  Though I am interested in seeing the real stuff, I personally do not mind fake druzy for everyday affordable fashion.  If anything, his site taught me never to put my fake druzy near Oxyclean or vinegar because it will lose it's color.  However, if I ever own real druzy, maybe I'll clean it with these agents.

Here's to being an informed fashionista!

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the famous michelada [porter]

Michelada at Hotel San Jose in Austin, Texas

Happy Friday! The michelada is by far my favorite summer cocktail and perfectly hits the spot while lounging by the pool or catching some live music.  There are so many ways to make this baby and even some mixes that will do the trick in a pinch, but the best version of this concoction that I have had is the michelada from the bar in the courtyard of Hotel San Jose on South Congress in Austin, Texas.  Often compared to a bloody mary, this semi-spicy, refreshing version offers almost no comparison due to the lack of tomato juice. Though we make several versions of this at home, I carefully watched the bartender during our most recent visit to Hotel San Jose and have been able to finally match theirs:

Ingredients:
1 Mexican beer (Modelo is my favorite for this, but Corona, Tecate, or Dos XX work as well)
2-3 tbsp lime juice (fresh is better, but those squeeze bottle versions work, too)
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp Worcestershire
1-2 shakes of Tabasco (to taste)
pepper to taste (we like larger grain cracked pepper - a few twists of the mill)
salt (for rimming)
1 lime (for rimming and garnish)

The how to:
Run lime over the rim of a cup and dip in salt.  Fill cup with ice.  Add lime juice, soy sauce, Worcestershire, Tabasco, and pepper.  Mix with straw and then slowly add beer to fill cup.  Garnish with lime.  As you drink, continue to add remainder of beer.

Side notes:
I also enjoy this cocktail with a dark beer (Negra Modelo or Shiner) if I am using a thicker mix that typically contains tomato juice.  If doing so, I will typically cut the Worcestershire and soy sauce and add Zing Zang bloody mary mix.  A delicious pre-made mix for light beers is Dan's Prime Chelada mix that I pick up from Central Market.  Lastly, please do not confuse this drink with the pre-mixed beer options available (Bud Light Lime or Bud Light Chelada).  You would be doing yourself a great disservice if you hold this drink in that company.

Those of you 21+, please enjoy responsibly.

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seriously delicious and easy roasted broccoli [porter]

Roasted broccoli in under 20 minutes

The fiance and I went to my friends house last night to help hang their new TV.  When I say that we went to help, I mean to say that fiance went to help, and I went to hang out with my friend Y.  While the boys were having all kinds of trouble (breaking a bolt off into the stud, starting over, finally succeeding and then realizing that this mount blocked the TV's power source--the TV just ended up on the entertainment stand 3 hours later) Y and I made dinner.  She showed me how to make this fantastic dish, and I couldn't wait for the boys to finally call it quits so we could indulge.  I intended to make it tonight as well, even before I remembered that I started a blog yesterday and would probably need to make it again so I could get a photo that would grab your attention :)  I might make it again tomorrow.  Seriously, it is that good and it's broccoli.

Reasons why we should eat broccoli (World's Healthiest Foods):

1. Cholesterol lowering benefits
2. Boosts your body's ability to detoxify
3. May lessen reactions to allergies
4. Studies show that it reduces the chances of several forms of cancer

Reasons why we want to eat broccoli:

1. If cooked properly it is quite tasty
2. It adds color to our plates (if you ask my friend Y, pretty food is just as important as good food)
3. It is so fast and easy to cook

Okay, now go buy broccoli! 

Ingredients:
1 bunch of broccoli
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp sugar
2 tsp seasoning (I used Tony Chachere's Cajun seasoning, but feel free to change it up)
1 tsp garlic powder
1-2 dash cayenne (optional)
1 lemon, halved

The how to:
Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.  Chop the broccoli into large florets, discarding the lightest part of the stems, and wash and dry thoroughly.  Place the broccoli in a large bowl and toss to coat with the remaining ingredients except for the lemon.  Line a cookie sheet (one that has a rim so any juices don't run off and make a mess) with foil and spread the broccoli as a single layer.  Roast for 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and squeeze half of the lemon (to taste).

Side notes:
All parts of broccoli are edible, but simply may take longer to cook, so slice thinner or use different pans to roast accordingly.  For a one pan method, which you probably don't even need to clean because of the foil lining, skip the bowl for tossing and use a plastic bag (I'm frugal and would rather clean the extra dish, but we can call it "green" of me if you want).  Try adding other things to the pan for different flavors: garlic, shrimp, peppers, etc.  Also, these seasonings may also be worth trying on steamed broccoli; just add the seasonings after steaming florets for 5 minutes over 2 inches of boiling water.

How do you like your broccoli?

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the new wedding website [paisley]

Appy Couple Wedding Apps

I failed to mention in my first post that I am also recently engaged.  I will try to avoid having too many wedding-related posts, but because this product is so cool, I think all should know about it regardless of your marital status.  The Appy Couple lets you design an app (iPhone or Android) for your wedding complete with a countdown, about us pages and the guest list with RSVP status.  Guests can access your app for day of details (weather, directions, etc.) and leave toasts for the couple.  It also uses the camera function of your phone to allow guests to take pictures at your event and live upload them to the app for all to share.

My sheer excitement for the existence of this service stems from the fact that I always forget wedding invitations on the day of the event and am left scrambling.

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the beginnings

Okay, now I've really done it.  For years I've been saying "I want to start a blog," but consistently talked myself out of it because I couldn't decide what subject to talk about.  Food is one of my favorite topics, but in the world of food blogs (16,727 to be exact...according to Technorati), how can I hang?  Fashion (9,930) and finances (10,063) offer no easier feat. 

I have decided that this blog is about things I like and have a passion for (0).  I will do my best to stick to food and drink [porter] and interesting things [paisley].  Who knew that the name of the paisley pattern was given by a town in Scotland?

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