June 29, 2009

Tuna & White Bean Salad

While cleaning up a corner of my craft room the other night, I found a lil recipe snippet from Sunset magazine for a very nice tuna salad. This salad is what started my lil love affair with tuna & white beans. You can see how I adapted it here.

Just looking at the picture in the magazine of the crisp, brilliant bright green celery slices made me WANT that soo bad for lunch today. So I did it. And here it is. It’s really easy and what you see below is “my” version of their recipe.

Tuna & White Bean Salad

(adapted from Sunset Magazine)
-1 can tuna in olive oil
-2 ribs celery sliced thinly
-1 can white cannellini beans (drained)
-1 tablespoon flat leaf parsley chopped
-1 big glug olive oil
-1/4 red onion chopped
-a splash of red wine vinegar
-juice from half a lemon
-salt & pepper to taste

Drain the tuna- put in bowl with all the rest of the ingredients. MIX MIX MIX. Add on top of grilled bread and you have yourself a nice lil bruschetta!

Sometimes I add a little bit of toasted walnuts for extra crunch. I have also been know to just eat it directly from the bowl…..

recipes, Uncategorized

June 23, 2009

Babyback Ribs with Espresso BBQ Sauce

RIBS- It’s what I made for father’s day this year. I guess all I would have to say is– THERE WERE NONE LEFT. I think that’s a pretty good sign that they were effing delicious-don’t you?

Well they were! Case closed.

Not only will I make them again and again, I have decided that it’s stupid for me to ever to buy BBQ sauce. This espresso BBQ sauce was fantastic! I was a bit skeptical because it was soooo tangy before I smothered the ribs in them. But the second they hit the grill, those bad boys turned into the stickiest tastiest caramelized mess. I was proud. I conquered. I showed those ribs who was BOSS. I think I made my husband & my dad proud too- which is the whole reason I love cooking.

I paired them with some fresh corn & my mom made a really good brown rice & green bean salad with an Asian dressing. Booya! How summer is that?

Babyback Ribs with Espresso Barbecue Sauce

(recipe from Michael Chiarello)

For the Ribs:
-2 racks baby back ribs (about 4 to 6 ribs per person)
-Grey salt
-Freshly ground black pepper
-Espresso Sauce, recipe follows

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Cut each rack of ribs in half along the bone so they can be easily stacked. Lay them out on the parchment paper in which they were wrapped for easy cleanup.

2. Salt and pepper liberally on both sides and pat spices into the meat. Make sure to over season the ribs, because part of the rub will inevitably come off in the pan. On a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil, stack the ribs close together, about 3 layers high. Place in the oven for 2 hours, shifting the bottom layer of ribs to the top every 30 minutes until they are tender and almost falling off the bone.

3. One half hour before serving, transfer ribs to a preheated grill (if using coals, make sure they have burnt down to an ember). Brush ribs with Espresso Sauce and close grill. Continue to turn and brush the ribs with sauce every 10 minutes, about 3 more times.

Espresso Barbecue Sauce:

-4 tablespoons mashed and minced garlic
-4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
-1 cup cider vinegar
-1/2 cup soy sauce
-2 cups ketchup
-2 cups honey
-Grey salt
-2 demitasse cups espresso (or about 1/2 cup of strong coffee or instant espresso)

Fresh ground black pepper

Mash garlic with the side of a knife and then mince finely to release oils.

Add olive oil to a preheated saute pan. Add the garlic and saute until it gets light brown, about 1 minute. Add cider vinegar, soy sauce, ketchup, and honey and stir well. Add a pinch of grey salt, then whisk in the coffee. Add freshly ground black pepper, to taste. Bring to a simmer and simmer for 10 minutes.

Let cool and store in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Yield: about 5 to 6 cups (which means I have leftovers!!!!)

recipes, Uncategorized

June 21, 2009

Pavolovas with Fresh Mixed Berries & Kiwis

Because I’m such a tease…let me show you the dessert I made tonight for Father’s day…..

Pavlovas with mixed berries, kiwis & whipped cream-topped with a raspberry sauce= NOM.

Recipe for Raspberry sauce comes from Ina Garten- click here
My mom brought it over. What a treat!!

I made the meringues Saturday afternoon! I’ve recently started liking them- and now that I’ve made these I am smitten.

How the heck can something soo simple be soo dang good?

I was surprised they worked out! I was a bit terrified that I hadn’t whipped them to the stiff peaks stage. But I guess it worked out! The recipe said to bake them for an hour and a half-but I ended up only needing 40 mins. So make sure you check to see if they are dry to the touch and set! Make sure they don’t brown!

They absolutely SCRUMPTIOUS…..Pillowy clouds of light sweetness. The berries are perfect and the kiwi I added made the tang factor PERFECT. How I wished I made more than 1 for each of us….

Mixed Berry Pavlovas

(adapted from Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook)
makes 6

meringue part:
-2 egg whites
-3/4 cup granulated sugar
-1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
-confectioners sugar for dusting

creamy topping:
-2 cups assorted berries (I used blueberries, strawberries & raspberries–with kiwis too!)
-1/2 pint whipping cream
-1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
-2 teaspoons granulated sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper & set aside. In the heatproof bowl of an electric mixer set over a pan of simmering water, combine egg whites, sugar, and salt. Whisk constantly until sugar has dissolved and egg mixture is warm to the touch. This should take about 2-3 mins. Attach the bowl to the mixer and with the whisk attachment, beat on a medium high setting until you have stiff peaks. This should take between 4-8 mins. Beat in vanilla.

2. Using a large spoon, scoop six fluffy mounds of meringue onto the parchment paper. The mounds should be about 3 1/2 inches in diameter. Using the back of the spoon, form a well in the center of each mound, being careful not to make the center too thin.

3. Dust mounds with confectioner’s sugar. Bake until just dry to the touch but still white in color. They say it takes about an hour and a 1/2–but check half way through! Transfer sheet to a wire rack and let meringes cool completely before easing them off the parchment.

4. Make whipping cream- beat cream with 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar and add a 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract at the very end. Make sure it’s light & fluffy.

5. Spoon a dollop of the whipped cream on top of the meringues, then top with the mixed berries. I added a bit of the raspberry sauce my mom brought over. Holy yum.

hhhhhhhhhHEAVEN!!!!

around the home, Uncategorized

June 21, 2009

checking in

Cooper and I took a lil peak at the veggie garden this morning-while Dada slept in. (Happy Father’s Day!!!)
Can’t believe how much the basil has grown since I took the inception pic!

It is absolutely amazing

to see such growth

in such a short period

of time!!

I hope Cooper loves veggie gardening as much as I do!

Cuz- DAMN! I can’t think of anything better for us to share together. (well–cooking & baking-but that’s expected)

recipes, Uncategorized

June 15, 2009

Carrot, Orange & Radish Salad

Big PROPS to Gabrielle who steered me in the right direction! Tonight, I made this radish salad that she recommended. Two words—OH BOY.

Let me start by saying that this salad is BOLD. The citrus kick and the mint!!! Oh lord! It totally cleanses the pallette. In a good way of course…. It’s absolutely refreshing. The flavors are soo interesting- they all go so well together. It’s seriously like a party in your mouth. I decided to grilled some chicken and spoon some on top! I also think it would also be fabulous in a sandwich with grilled steak…or maybe with some grilled fish?

MMMM tasty.

Carrot, Orange & Radish Salad

(Recipe by Tyler Florence)

-4 carrots
-6 radishes (or 4-inch piece daikon radish)
-1 handful fresh mint leaves
-1 handful fresh cilantro leaves
-2 navel oranges
-1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
-1/2 teaspoon sugar
-1/2 lemon, juiced
-1 teaspoon orange flower water
-Kosher salt

Directions:

Slice carrots and radishes as thinly as possible and add to a large bowl. Add mint and cilantro. Remove the peel and pith from the oranges. Working over a bowl to catch the juice, cut between the membranes to remove the orange segments; add them to the carrots. Squeeze the membrane to extract the rest of the juice and add the cinnamon, sugar, lemon juice, orange flower water, and salt, to taste. Mix to dissolve sugar and salt. Pour over the carrot mixture and gently toss to coat. The salad can be served immediately but allowing it to sit for 1 or 2 hours will help the flavors to blend. Just before serving, taste and adjust seasoning.

around the home, Uncategorized

June 15, 2009

radish recipes?

just pulled these lil bebes out of the dirt.

anyone have any radish recipes? we usually eat them raw around here. Would love to see what else I could do with them……

-tracy

around the home, Uncategorized

June 10, 2009

tagged!

I just noticed I was tagged by Kylie–the adorable chicka of The Baking Bird

what is your current obsession?
-my tomatoes

what is your weirdest obsession?
– I am sort of a celeb gossip fiend. I check out all the trashy sites daily. Sometimes multiple times a day….

what are you wearing today?
-dark jeans, gray scoop neck top, black tank on top- black converse

what’s for dinner?
-I had two soy corn dogs tonight….smothered in mustard. Parenting came first. Hunger-second. It’s the story of my life lately. This explains the lack of food posts…sigh….

what would you eat for your last meal?
-a feast of carbs. Garlic bread….french fries….mashed potatoes….oh! and more garlic bread!

what’s the last thing you bought?
-cheerios, bananas & a sippy cup (all for my Coop)

what are you listening to right now?
-my cat, Pinot snoring behind me.

what’s your favorite ice cream flavor?
-rocky road (big plus if there are LOTs of nuts)

what do you think of the person who tagged you?
– I think she is absolutely fabulous! She has a wonderful aesthetic and I am so envious of her gorgeous lips! Plus her owl collection makes me smile BIG.

if you could have a house totally paid for, fully furnished anywhere in the world, where would it be?

– I would love a very open and airy house on a lake-with lots of land. A place where people would ask me if they could get married there!

if you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour where would you go?
-to sleepyland

what language do you want to learn?
– I wish I spoke Italian better.

what is your favorite color?
-I love turquoise, purple & apple green

what is one of your favorite daily/weekly rituals?
-making baby food on Sundays for Cooper. I relaxes me. I also love the first sip of coffee in the morning.

if you had $100 now, what would you spend it on?
-I’d by that belt & shirt I want at Anthropologie!

Favorite Designer?
-I can’t pinpoint one. Anyone who uses black and white in their collection.

Do you admire anyone’s style?
-I love seeing what Alexandra of Strawberry Lemonade puts together. Soooo colorful & inspiring!

Describe your personal style?
-I love basics. Stripes, black, white, bold graphic patterns, dark denim….paired with converse and some bright colored accessories…or something super sparkly. I am a sucker for anything soft- comfort wins always.

What are you fave films?
-Right now Twilight (haha). I LOVE Wes Anderson movies… I have an affinity for dark humor in film.

What’s your favorite fruit?
-I love bananas & raspberries.

What inspires you?
-the internet…magazines, cookbooks…seeing people making a living doing what they love.

What is on the walls in your bedroom?
-a mirror and a soon- to- be portrait from ashelyg

Your favorite book?
-Currently reading Twilight, The Omnivore’s Dilemma & Mommywood- but I love anything written by Augsten Burroughs or David Sedaris. They take me to my happy place.

Do you collect something?
-plates, dishes, napkins, dish towels, bowls-anything that i would love to have in a photo!

What is one of your pet peeves?
-people who don’t use turn signals!

So I am supposed to pick 8 people to do this…but screw that. It’s late and I can’t think- sooooooo

I tag all of you who have a blog!!!! Send me a link to your entry- I’d love to read about you!