CHEF SARA COOKS

Canoe Camping, Sparks Lake

2010-07-14T20:28:00.003-07:00

How would you celebrate your 36th birthday? I went canoe camping with twenty-six friends. Not everyone stayed the entire time, some only stayed for a beer, but to celebrate with friends in the woods was something special. As for the cake, 'twas a gorgeous thing until my watermelon rolled into it's side on the way to our campsite. Oops! Happy Birthday to me!!

Team Land-ich on Holiday.

2010-06-30T21:36:00.015-07:00

Holidays are a common occurrence in these parts. Anytime I get out of work and into the woods, I consider it a vacation. Last weekend was 'the biggest weekend of the summer' as described by some hyperbolist Bend friends. We drove westward and I blame the ocean. I lose myself and all my worries in that never ending push and pull. I relish that moment of becoming nothing before the 'infinitely-more-than-I-am' open ocean.

Here are a few pictures of our travels-all taken with a camera Dad bought me for my birthday. It's a step up from a point-n-shoot and not quite a digital SLR. It's perfect. So was the holiday. Happy Anniversary, R.

(In no particular order: Yaquina Head Lighthouse, Salmon River Estuary, Hebo Mountain outside of Pacific City, Mt. Hood.)

278 Cupcakes

2010-01-10T23:28:00.006-07:00

Looking back, maybe being asked to bake 278 cupcakes should have scared me. The most I'd made until then was 90 or 100 for a small wedding. Those wedding cupcakes, while beautiful, didn't daunt me either. Jumping to nearly 300 cupcakes seemed like the improbable but unyielding jump I took from running six miles to signing up for my first marathon. Mentally, I knew I could do it. Preparation was my savior. Practice was the lesson. Along the way, I learned my share of at least 278 imperceptible valuable lessons.
The mountain bikers participating in 2009 Bend's Big Fat Tour (BBFT) enjoyed a choice of pumpkin with maple meringue frosting, vanilla with vanilla and chocolate with chocolate cupcakes. What I learned was integral for success in the future: Be thorough on lists and preparation, including items you normally don't buy every time: fuel for blowtorch, salt, baking powder and soda. While each recipe calls for a tsp, in the midst of making 4 batches of something you don't want to run out. Check details again: count cupcake liners, account for a percentage to burn, fall to the floor, etc. Shit happens in life. Don't let it ruin your cake order. Know the batch capacity of your stand mixer and the limits of said mixer. One mistake I made was in overloading my mixer. A properly loaded machine (i.e. stand mixer) works faster and better when loaded just below capacity. Believe me on this one. Think two steps ahead and multi-task. While baking two dozen cupcakes this seems wise, when baking 23 dozen... it makes a world of difference.

For this particular 'event' I had three distinct work stations. First: my dry mixing station. I measured out all the dry ingredients and sorted them by mixing method. All flour, salt, soda, powder, cocoa were sifted together into a bowl or bowls. I had the wet measurements to the side, but still sorted by recipe. Next was the actual mixing station. Here is where I stood mixing, in thirds, the wet and dry ingredients. Third, I had the cooling and frosting station on my kitchen table. Luckily, my table held every cuppy. I was a little worried what I would do with them! While I tried to multi-task. I knew I had essentially six recipes to account for. I worked so that each one was completed in a comparatively organized manner. I worked so that if I used chocolate I only made a chocolately mess once. Then put all those ingredients in the pantry. Seems sort of obvious, right? But staying focused and organized has helped me so much outside of cooking and I love the organization and cleanliness of a neat well-run kitchen.
My final and largest vexation. Transportation. I cleaned and sanitized a large piece of particle board large enough to hold all of the cuppys but hadn't anticipated how I would get it out of the house. (Big lesson!) The god's were with me that day! Laura and I threw up the front windows and pulled the 4'x7' plank through the windows and into my truck. Hallelujah! I think R. is right on this one. I'm ready for bakery boxes.

Dutch Ovens. No, not that kind.

2009-12-27T23:57:00.003-07:00

I'm staring at the most recent addition to my collection of kitchen instruments, tools and toys. A cobalt blue enameled dutch oven. I nearly cried opening my gift. I have wanted one for nine years. Sure. I could have bought one- forgone those fancy beers, decided not to buy another wedge of Parmiggiano Reggiano but there are some things a girl MUST have. Fancy beers and fancy French cheese are two items on a long list of culinary must-haves for me.

But back to the dutch oven and all four quarts of heavenly possibilities. At any given moment I find myself writing mental menus. Christmas night I ate a glorious meal with friends including my second farm-raised turkey of the holiday season, brussel sprouts, sweet potatoes, roasted root vegetables, gravy, biscuits, pumpkin poundcake and hot buttered rum. While digesting this meal I was still, STILL, talking about food. Discussing how to make something, improve, adjust, tweak. I never stop talking about it. So there I was, opening my lovely Christmas gift with R. in a robe, me home late from work but celebrating Christmas when our schedule allowed.... and I'm imagining what I'll make as soon as the cobalt blue hits my eyes and my brain processes that image into... a DUTCH OVEN in sparkling, twinkling light from the glow of clarified butter. See? I can't stop sometimes. Mentally I'm making Boeuf Bourguignon,roasting chickens five different ways, basic Tuesday night pot roast, ladle after ladle of soup-cream of cauliflower, french onion, cream of mushroom, barley and vegetable. I'm mentally baking rigatoni, bread pudding for a dozen and the largest batch of creme anglaise to come out of my kitchen. After making all these dishes, I mentally wipe the dutch oven clean with nary a scrub. Because that's how easy it is in real life. That's why I am enamored by my enameled dutch oven.

Slow Food or Slow Service.

2009-11-09T01:09:00.001-07:00

Sitting at 900 Wall Friday night, experiencing yet another night of poor service, R. mentioned how apropos it was that the NYT posted a list of 100 Things Restaurant Staffers Should Never Do. One thing missing on said list is to make a customer wait for service. And wait. While we sat in a bustling dining room, watching another couple sit, order and get served, somehow we were in no man's land. There were the flittings of waitstaff around the room but none could find a way to our table. When I walked to the host station and asked for service the host asked where we were sitting. I responded 'at the only table without food or drinks'. We joked how we didn't have the appropriate look for good service- we weren't over forty-year-old Awbrey Butte residents.

In my opinion that's exactly why we should receive equal service. We CHOSE to spend our disposable income at this restaurant. Bend still has high rates of unemployment, houses in foreclosure and restaurants closing. We were dressed smartly for Art Walk. And really, if I sit down to eat at your restaurant should I be judged for not wearing a Coldwater Creek jacket? Wouldn't a restaurant want to keep the patrons they have? Wouldn't you put on the charm offensive to keep us coming back?

Our waiter arrived, we ate. Will I return? I'm undecided. it's the third time I've had a bad experience there -the first time our busser, a Zac Efron coiffed snowboarder, dumped my water glass and half-heartedly daubed at the mess. Second time the gnocchi arrived but it wasn't gnocchi. Not even Ferran Adria would have called it gnocchi. And then last Friday.

If you are a server-read the list. And part two.

I miss my two favorite restaurants with truly impeccable service in Boulder. Both must have learned lessons from Danny Meyer and Union Square Cafe in New York: The Kitchen and Frasca. I can't wait to get back to Boulder for good food and great service.

The return of the gourmand.

2009-10-26T08:37:00.004-07:00

It's back. I wondered where it went and if I'd ever find it again. Welcome back, long lost culinary skills, I've missed you so. I spent the first part of this year insecure, doubting if I knew how to truss and roast a chicken. I started questioning every culinary decision I made. Then I stopped. I stopped cooking creatively. I made simple foods, I lost my appetite. I acted dumb when asked a food question. I just did. not. want. to. try. I lost weight. (That's probably more about riding bikes). I was out of work, stressed and unsure about my decision to move to Oregon. Sure I baked the occasional cake for friends. I'd bake cupcakes to make extra money and wonder if I'd forgotten the baking powder. I'd make a big meal and doubt myself the entire time. Then, sometime in the last two months, like an unexpected package on my doorstep, my confidence appeared. I'd get asked how to make a dish and would rattle off not only a recipe but the history of said dish and interesting anecdotal information. I was working again. I was--get this--using my brain. Suddenly, I was the go-to person at work for culinary questions. Not only was I the culinary encyclopedia at work, I realized-to my core- I KNOW how to cook. And I enjoy it. When a customer needed to know what to use as a substitute for, say, beef bouillon in a stew because of a food allergy, I'd suggest adding a beef shank. When a customer asked me why she needed fettuccine for her recipe, I explained to her how each pasta is but a vehicle for the sauce and how to carefully choose a pasta appropriate for the sauce. She laughed and said "I guess I asked the right person!" All I could think was that she'd asked me at the right time.

Now that my love of cooking has returned, now that I feel confident, perhaps for the first time, to cook, that's all I've been doing. I spent one weekend baking 278 cupcakes for Bend's Big Fat Tour. I made pumpkin with maple meringue frosting (my all-time favorite cupcake), vanilla with vanilla and chocolate with chocolate. But that's a post for another day.

This last weekend I made boeuf bourguignon. I fed six people on the first night and ate leftovers for three additional meals. I served the stew over polenta. Culinary heresy, I'm sure, for mixing French regions, but the polenta sounded warm and cozy on a cold night. I also roasted three kinds of beets from a Bend farmer-red, golden and chioggia drizzled with balsamic glaze from Fairview Estate in South Africa- a gift from a friend. Additionally, and only because I was feeling feisty, I roasted parsnips, beets, carrot and orange cauliflower for another side dish. Perhaps for lunches the next few days. Finally, I made pumpkin poundcake.

That's right! I'm back. I'm cooking. I'm planning. I'm watching what arrives in produce everyday and what's on sale in the meat case. I've warned RL that he'll eat well all winter. I'm not suggesting I'm perfect in the kitchen. I can still be bossy and internally stress whether a dish is exactly what I want. My mistakes no longer soil my soul or sink my self-worth. There just burned bits in the pan. Moreover, I've fallen in love with being here. I think finding my place and getting settled has helped immensely. I can't wait to try new recipes, experiment with flavors and host a few supper club dinners. Where did I put that kitchen twine? I need to truss a few chickens.

Oregon Staycation #3

2009-10-04T13:40:00.005-07:00

I went camping with RL about a month ago. We explored more of Oregon on yet another 'staycation'. We went to Waldo Lake (one of the largest and clearest lakes in the US) where we went mtn biking and made camping dinners. My favorite! We returned to Bend for the cruiser ride then up and over spectacular McKenzie Pass past lava flows, volcanic peaks and into the wet, old growth forests of the western side of the Cascade Range. We traveled to the coast to see RL's college housemate, Perry. We continued south on Highway 101, exploring spouts, watching sea lions, frolicking at coastal dunes and eventually winding our way to Umpqua Hot Springs.

I love Colorado, but Oregon is seeping into my blood. We hiked along the coast. A coast! Having spent my life in land-locked states, I can't imagine moving away from the ocean. We waxed philosophical one night under a blue blanket of stars with the waves lapping near us, while we stood a safe distance away discussing the never-ending surf. If anything makes me feel insignificant, reducing my stresses to but a pebble on the beach, it's the concept of the tide, the ocean, never stopping. Despite wars, famines, eons and epochs, the ocean and the moon's tidal pull never ceases. I could sit, and often do on these trips, just sitting near the ocean.

We mountain biked among enormous ponderosa pines. While biking, we stopped and found lobster mushrooms and chanterelles (Thanks Perry!). Each dinner I prepared had the addition of freshly foraged mushrooms. As usual, my camping cooler had a wedge of Parmigiano Reggiano (oh, how I love that cheese!), bacon and a few fresh veggies. Sure enough, we were able to make a delicious pasta dinner with the addition of mushrooms and added them to our egg scramble the following morning. Perry gave us salmon he'd smoked enriching our breakfast into an avocado, salmon and cream cheese feast on the beach.

My favorite discovery were the coastal dunes. Absolutely, stunningly beautiful.

A note from facebook about Craig.

2009-08-19T09:36:00.007-07:00

R.I.P. Craig Michael Yellich, 1/13/90 - 8/10/09

My cousin, Craig, died last Sunday. He took his own life with a shotgun. Why would I write about this on facebook- land of the never-ending good time and 'look how happy we are' photo albums? Because sometimes we aren't happy. Sometimes, those around us aren't happy. We don't talk about the hard stuff. We avoid pain because we don't know what to do with it. I have to talk about it. I have to discuss what happened. We don't always take others unhappiness seriously. We're unwilling to relinquish our narcissistic crown to acknowledge that others need our love and support. Craig was one of those young men who deserved more love and attention than he received.

His life had never been easy. I remember my parents discussing bringing a toddler into their house when they almost had all the kids out of the house--Andrea in college locally, me in high school, my brother in junior high. Craig needed a stable home. My parents, bless them, offered to take him in. What a joy to have a toddler, a toddler (!), in our house. Craig ran around in diapers, we photographed him doing everything. I loved having him as part of our family. Mom and Dad hoped his early years with our family would provide stability for years to come. His mom moved to Denver, moved in with us for a spell and eventually moved out-taking Craig with her.

While I was in college, Craig and I made a play date. To this day, it's my most memorable day with him. I took him to the firehouse where my ex was working. He climbed on fire engines. He explored hose beds, sirens and breathing apparatus. Afterward, we took him to the pumpkin patch. Picking out the biggest pumpkin a four-year-old could, he tried carrying it. He couldn't do it. We hiked in the foothills of Boulder. Craig showed me that hiking isn't glorious simply for the big mountains and scenery. He loved the flowers and bugs, the rocks and lichen; all the small things in his line of sight. He was curious about everything. We carved pumpkins that day. For years he asked when we could have a day like that one. I've often wondered the same thing.

Jump forward a few years. Craig and his mother moved to Hilton Head to be near my aunt (another of his mom's siblings). There, Craig spiraled. Down. He was arrested. He spent time in jail. He hooked up with some nefarious characters-as best my aunt has told the story. Somehow, he procured a gun. How? Why? The why doesn't matter at this point.

Craig decided the only way to fix his life was to take it. How I wish he had chosen another path. I wish he had known how many people loved him, if only he'd allowed himself to be loved. How I wish I were able to hold that little boy in the foothills of Colorado and tell him he was loved. I would say rough patches are a part of life and to get through them, while it stinks, will make you stronger and feel more alive.

I hadn't spoken to Craig in years. I wish I could talk to Craig one more time and let him hear, and feel in his heart, how much he will be missed.

2009-07-17T09:30:00.000-07:00

Camping for my birthday at a remote yet accessible lake in Oregon I feasted on simple food. The simplest, really. For all the meals, all the dollars, euro, franc and soles and whatever other currency spent on said meals, I know, I KNOW now it's not necessarily about where you eat, or what you eat- but with whom you eat. Dinner of minestrone-one of those prepacked camping dinners I'd added Italian sausage, zucchini and carrots to never tasted as delicious as it did sitting there with my man under a beautiful clear sky with enough clouds on the western horizon to create Bob Ross quality colors. Mt. Bachelor loomed to the east, the water, placid. And with a beer in one hand and a warm bowl of minestrone in the other, I felt love and happiness as I've never felt it. I felt as though my meal revealed how simple, content, and calm my life has become. Life isn't about the single events that surpass all others. It's the accumulation of little moments, little grains of sand that eventually become giant dunes of memories. They can be memories of happiness and love or full of jealousy, hatred and anger.I want to look back and see a mountain of possibility-hope and love, warm meals and hugs, cold beers with vibrant sunsets. At Sparks Lake, I sat. Ate. I enjoyed that moment.

Firecracker Cupcakes

2009-07-09T08:20:00.002-07:00

Here in Bend, Oregon, Fourth of July is the apex of summer party season. While much has happened in this (hamlet? small town? oasis?) since the 4th, nothing I've seen or done rivals the excitement and energy of that day. I kept hearing "wait til summer", "summer in Bend is wonderful", "oh, the 4th is off the hook"... and so on. And was it all of those things? It was.

First, Laura and I went to breakfast at a friend's house where everyone showed up in patriotic attire. While riding through town there was a 5k, a parade, a pet parade, streets closed off, live music and just about anything you'd want to do happening or planned for that day-food booths, live music, people watching.

I tried selling Firecracker Cupcakes downtown at the parade but was shooed away for lack of a permit. I did sell about 7-8 cupcakes before the city ran me off. I tried arguing that with 16% unemployment the city might want to encourage entrepreneurs but they didn't want to hear it from me. Oh well. I had phase two in my sights.

Most of our excitement surrounded the Freedom Ride. The Freedom Ride operates a lot like Fight Club. The first rule is not to talk about the Freedom Ride. Suffice to say, a predetermined location is picked for the start and secretly (or not so secretly) passed around town and facebook. Around 2:30 in the afternoon about 1000 or so people (is that right?) congregated at Pioneer Park. Finally, after much wandering, talking and people watching-everyone gathered on the street for an ENORMOUS cruiser ride around downtown Bend. We stopped traffic, we clogged the main thoroughfares in both directions! I loved it! Rob had his boombox so we had music-there were costumes, tall bikes, tandems, etc. What a party! After the ride, back to the park where we drank some more and jumped off the bridge into the Deschutes River. On a nearly 100 degree day, it felt incredible!!

Welcome to phase two. I brought my cupcakes, a big sign and my Sara Charm Offensive. Laura helped too! Most people assumed the cupcakes had drugs in them. I had to say as seriously as possible to a mother that my cakes were clean and she could call me if anything happened to her daughter. Sheesh. It was like Shakedown Street at a Dead show!

Two dozen cupcakes later, I had a few smashed from the bike ride, 43 dollars in my pocket and more confidence in selling my creations. Oh! And the firecracker cupcakes? Red, white and blue vanilla cake garnished with red and blue Pop Rocks!

Custom Cakes

2009-03-13T17:01:00.006-07:00

While being unemployed this spring, my housemate was very helpful in getting me cake orders. Here are examples of birthday cakes for her co-workers. Vanilla Cake with Pomegranate Frosting (always a crowd pleaser) and Carrot with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting.

Red Velvet Valentine's Cupcakes

2009-02-14T13:02:00.002-07:00

We were invited to a Valentine's Eve party Friday night. I had never made Red Velvet Cupcakes. No, I take that back. One of my short-lived jobs here I made red velvet based on my boss' recipe. I thought they were awful: dry, crumbly cupcakes that had a lot of senseless directions about ingredient combination. Also, for a recipe we were going to use daily, it was too arduous for a quick batch of cakes. I tried convincing the owner to try other recipes that would result in more consistent cakes. She ignored me. I've since moved on and she's since been fired from the company bearing her name. Not based on my cupcake opinions, but it's representative of how she ran her business. Based on my limited experience with r.v. cupcakes, I assumed any recipe would be terrible.
I stand corrected. These cakes were easy to make, light, airy, SUPER moist and devoured at the party! I am hesitant to really sell my cakes. My housemate suggested I create business cards to bring with me to the party. I didn't make them. Why am I so afraid to sell myself and my skills?

After mailing a batch of cakes the feedback of my Ole cupcakes (chocolate chili) was "pure sex". I don't think I could receive a better compliment!

S'More Cupcakes

2009-02-06T19:24:00.007-07:00

My housemate, Rachel, celebrated her trip to New Zealand last weekend with a small send-off party. She *loves* sweets so I knew I had leeway in experimenting with cupcakes when most people ask for just chocolate or vanilla. I have a cupcake book I received as a gift that I use for occasional recipe development. The S'Mores recipe came from that cookbook.

These cupcakes, once again, were out of this world! The cake base had cocoa powder, melted baking chocolate and still whole chocolate chips. They were moist, crumbly (but not TOO crumbly) and dense. R. and I experimented with putting graham crackers IN the cake mix, on the bottom, on top and mixed throughout. Unfortunately, once we got to the party, we forgot to assess our variations.

The frosting was a bit trickier having called for a bag of marshmallows while my pantry contained only a jar of mallow creme. By following the recipe, I ended up with a loose spread, not quite a pipable frosting. After adding a 1/2 cup of powdered sugar, I had the consistency I wanted but had sacrificed the distinct marshmallow flavor. My next batch I'll go to the store for the mallows and save some for garnish.

For all my perseverating about appearance, garnish, etc. I could show up at a party with hockey pucks decorated with frosting and people would get excited. What is it about cupcakes that makes people so happy? Is it the individual portion? The fun decorations? Maybe it's that I am guaranteed to be smiling while holding a batch. A smile is the most delicious kind of garnish in my book.

Cupcake Flavors Available for Sale!

2009-01-27T19:28:00.002-07:00

chefsaracooks@gmail.com

Made from Scratch cupcakes. Price varies from $2-4/each (depending on flavors).
Minimum orders of one dozen are preferred at this time.

Finished Cupcakes:

The Great Pumpkin: Pumpkin Pie Cake, Maple Meringue Frosting

Hawaii 5-0: Pineapple & Coconut cake, Cream Cheese, Walnut and Lemon Frosting

Anglo-Saxon: Almond Cake, Almond Frosting (see photo)

Chocolate Elvis: Banana Cake, Peanut Butter Frosting, Chocolate Ganache

Berry White: Vanilla Cake, Chantilly Frosting, Fresh Strawberries

Green with Envy: Mint Chocolate Chip Cake, Mint Chocolate Frosting and Chips

Beantown: Vanilla Cake, Pastry Cream, Whipped Cream, Ganache

Pucker up Buttercup: Vanilla Cake, Lemon Curd filling, Lemon Buttercream

Strawberry Shortcake: Vanilla Cake, Whipped Cream, Fresh Strawberries

Creamsicle: Vanilla Cake, Vanilla/Orange Buttercream

What's up Doc: Carrot Cake, Lemon Cream Cheese Buttercream

Nutter Butter: Chocolate Cake, Peanut Butter Buttercream and Reese's

Pretty in Pink: Vanilla Cake with Pomegranate Buttercream

Lavender Bee: Lavender Cake, Lavender Flowers, Honey, Cream Cheese Frosting

Black Betty: Chocolate Fudge Cake, Chocolate Frosting, Chocolate Ganache

Chai Guy: Spiced Cake, Third Street Chai Buttercream

Rootbeer Float: Rootbeer Cake, Vanilla Buttercream

Olé: Chocolate Cake, Chili Chocolate Buttercream

What's in a name anyway?

2009-01-26T00:20:00.006-07:00

I've been toying with a baking/cupcake business for almost three years. I was thwarted by my ex-employer.

Here, in Bend, on the cusp of greatness (or so I feel) I am finally willing to take a risk with my $3 cupcakes and make people happy. I have a list of flavors, prices, gaining clients and am so happy to get things going. I am writing down menu ideas and coming up with additional recipes, ideas, things to consider. I have a moleskine (LOVE those books!) full of jaunty names, possible events, entrepreneurs I want to contact, anything associated with moving forward!

Where am I stuck? On a name. A meme. A signifier. A representamerr. I sat and did free association: Sassy Cakes, Hot Cakes, Buttercup (already taken in NYC), Star cakes (too close to cakestar in DC), Sweet by Sara, Sweet Star, Sugar Shack, Captain Cupcake (Hostess owns), Sweet Nothings, Cowgirl Cupcake, Wonder cakes, Cupcake Girl, Mile High Sugar Rush (when I lived in CO) Scream scratch Cakes (it's a childhood nickname).

This is where I ask you, my dear reader (I hope there is more than just one of you) to help me name my business. I'd like my business name to be: fun, flirty, playful, but not childish, related to baking but not necessarily specific to cupcakes as I want to make other things, too. I'd like the name to reflect me: dear God, is this where I describe myself like a personal ad? IF you know me, I think you will understand the complexity of getting a name to describe my charm, my culinary skills, my playfulness, my incredible beauty (kidding!) etc. The other thing to consider is the logo. I have a few logos already made by a friend that used The Cupcake Girl. What sorts of things am I drawn to? Stars. Birds. Birdhouses/nests. Lavender. Wood. Old gnarled wood. Wooden spoons. Tea Pots. Wildflowers. Aspen leaves. Funky words. Full Moons. Dragonflies. Pine trees. Bicycles. (I'd love to figure out a way to involve green/organic baking/delivery into my business model). Purple. Old worn books. Cherries. Sock monkeys. Old Cameras. Copper anything. Cowgirls. If any of those things could be in the business name and work, I'd consider it.

Please send in your ideas. I'd love feedback.

Has the meaning of change, umm.. changed?

2009-01-23T21:13:00.000-07:00

Like anyone else who is alive today, I realize I am experiencing the possibility of a completely different life. I don't want to write another piece about Obama's presidency and the hope, possibilities and near idolatry of our newly elected "Man of Change". Let's face it, my blog is about my love of food, it's not about politics, per se, though politics are intertwined with food if the farm lobby, Con-Agra's influence and the price of organics are considered.

No, this post is about the change in MY life regarding food. I've spent the last thirteen years of my life learning about food: grades of foie gras, how to shuck oysters, what makes Celtic sea salt different than Himalayan Rock salt. And you know what? It's all bullshit!! I live in Oregon-one of the top five states for joblessness. And you know what? I am a statistic. More than a statistic like college educated, white, and female. I am unemployed and living in a town of 70,000 people where there aren't any jobs. I have looked and continue to look. Four incredible restaurants in Bend have closed since I moved here. I have been laid off, twice, in four months. And I find myself at a very distinct impasse in my life. As in: what the F* am I to do next? Work for ConAgra? Bottle Smuckers jelly? When no one can afford Whole Foods or Trader Joe's, don't we all go back to eating cheap Tostitos, Ramen, Butterball chicken and Oscar Meyer wieners? I am one of those statistics, too. I no longer have the LUXURY of shopping organic. I no longer have the option of going out to sushi weekly. Weekly! It all seems so wasteful now, thinking of all the money I spent superfluously, effortlessly, eating out in Boulder. I've only been able to enjoy Bend's food scene since moving here because of the generosity of a wonderful man in my life.

Where do I go from here? Shopping at Grocery Outlet is one option. I found Organic peanut butter (despite the recall!) for $2. I avoided the beef labeled "from USA, Mexico, Canada and New Zealand" on principle. But really, do I have the luxury or right to have those sort of principles now? For all my proselytizing how to eat, what to eat, I am no better than those people I shunned years ago for not understanding why my food choices were better than theirs. I am exactly where I was in college: too educated for my own good, too poor to use my education to choose wisely.

Napa & Savoy Cabbage Salad with Peanut-Ginger Dressing

2009-01-22T21:55:00.002-07:00

This last spring, I was single and sad yet resilient. I continued going on dates with men who couldn't "keep up". If you've read my older posts you would have read my combination dating and restaurant reviews. I stopped, for no other reason than a bad date only highlights terrible food, a good restaurant shouldn't be wasted on a bad date... and I was growing tired of being 'unlucky in love."
In response to my dating and eating debacles... I returned to eating for one, again. One Saturday night, feeling inspired to cook what I wanted, I stumbled on the following recipe in Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone. Since the day I picked up her cookbook, I have adored it. I have treasured it. I keep returning to her versions of crusts, quiches, sauces, dressings, salads, soups, etc. All of her dishes are fresh, vibrant, delicious and easy to follow with tips and clues. She is a brilliant chef and cookbook author. Here is the recipe for Napa and Savoy Cabbage Salad with Peanut-Ginger Dressing (p.153 in my edition). While shopping for dinner, I perused the aisles of my local liquor store (Boulder Wine Merchant), with the help of employee and friend, Jeff, I bought a wonderful Reisling to go with my dinner: sparkling, a bit sweet to go with the peppery cashews and paired nicely with the Peanut-Ginger dressing. I hope you enjoy this dish hot or cold. The full recipe made a large dish for one person. I think this would be perfect for date food or to fill a lunch box for a few days mid-summer.

1 small Napa Cabbage, about 3/4 pound
2 medium carrots, julienned,
1 cucumber, peeled and seeded
1 bunch scallions, including a few inches of the greens
1/2 Savoy Cabbage, about 1/2 pound, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons finely chopped mint
1 tablespoon finely sliced basil leaves- Thai or Anise basil are preferred if you can find them.
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Quarter the Napa cabbage, including the base, and thinly slice it crosswise. Parboil the carrots for one minute, then refresh under cold water. Slice the cucumber and scallions into long, thin pieces and toss with the Napa and Savoy Cabbage and the herbs. Heat the dressing in a small skillet until the aromas are released, then immediately pour it over the greens while tossing with a pair of tongs. Add the nuts, toss again, and serve.

Peanut Dressing w/ Thai Basil
1/4 cup roasted peanut oil
2 1/2 tablespoons rice/apple vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 garlic clove, finely minced
1/2-1 serrano chile, diced
2 scallions, including an inch of greens, thinly sliced
8 mint leaves, finely chopped
2 tablespoons chopped basil (see note above about Thai basil)
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
pinch of salt
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Combine all ingredients in a bowl and whisk. Taste- the soy sauce sould provide enough salt, if not, add a bit more.

Roasted Cashews with Garam Masala
2 cups raw cashew nuts
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon garam masala
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
-----
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Toss the nuts with the oil and roast on a sheet pan until lightly browned over, 15-20 minutes. Remove and toss with the garam masala, sugar and salt.

Whiskey Cupcakes w/ Egg Nog Frosting

2008-12-29T15:12:00.006-07:00

I did it. I made the egg nog frosting and while I discussed making Rum cupcakes, I had a bottle of Maker's Mark sitting on the counter. I took my basic recipe for Vanilla Cupcakes- always a flawless hit- and adjusted the recipe. From my experimenting I've discovered one fact: one basic recipe that I know well can be endlessly tweaked. My basic recipe has been manipulated with chai, melted chocolate, chocolate chips, countless spices but always the base recipe to start. Chef Andy, you are a brilliant instructor! He would say we were only limited by our imagination and ingredients if we knew the basics. He meant beurre blanc and such but the statement is equally applicable to cupcakes.

My favorite vanilla recipe is a basic 1-2-3-4 cake that every woman 40 years ago knew how to make.
Vanilla Cupcakes

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened.
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 cup self-rising flour
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Whip butter until very smooth in texture
2. Add sugar 1 cup at a time, beating until smooth in texture
3. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating very well between each addition
4. In separate bowl, mix the 2 flours together
5. In separate bowl, mix Milk and Vanilla
6. Add flour mixture and milk mixture 1 cup at a time to butter mixture, beating very well between each addition.
7. Spoon into lined cupcake pan (approx. 1/4 c batter per cupcake)
8. Bake for 20-22 minutes in pre-heated oven (350 degrees F)

*You can also make 3 – 9” rounds with the batter. Grease and flour each pan.

For my whiskey cupcakes, I substituted 3/4 cup of whiskey and 1/4 cup heavy cream for the milk. I didn't want the whiskey to be too watery, but I also wanted to add richness to the batter.

Egg Nog Frosting

See Frosting Recipe from my previous post.

INGREDIENTS
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch ground cinnamon
Pinch kosher salt
1/4 cup egg nog
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1. In a medium mixing bowl, use a hand mixer to cream the butter on medium speed until fluffy and light in color.
2. Add the powdered sugar and continue to mix until it is well incorporated.
3. Add the remaining ingredients and beat until frosting is very airy and thoroughly mixed, about 2 minutes. Use immediately to frost cookies or cupcakes, or store covered in the refrigerator until ready to use.

I wasn't very satisfied with the frosting. I thought the butter didn't get fully incorporated with the egg nog, so there was a grainy texture to the frosting. To hide the imperfections, I dusted the top with powdered sugar and grated more nutmeg on top.

Eggnog Frosting?

2008-12-16T13:54:00.007-07:00

Time for the food scientist to make an appearance again...

Do you know my Dad? Have you ever been to a holiday party where everyone is groggy and drunk raving about the eggnog? If my Dad is there... it's his nog. He claims to have pulled the recipe from a rum bottle in the 70's. The fact that he STILL uses it and it is STILL a hit must mean it's a damn fine eggnog. And it is. A few years ago I brought the "unleaded" version to work, hiding it in the dairy cooler to be shared with only a select few. Those that tasted the eggnog, including the grocery buyers for WF, wanted my dad to bottle and sell his recipe. No joke.
The luscious, delicious memory of his eggnog brings me to my newest scheme in cupcake trials... I want to make an eggnog frosting!! I plan on figuring out how to get that thick, incredible taste swirled on top of a.... cardamom cake? Vanilla cake? Bourbon cake? Rum cake? Nutmeg and cinnamon cake? Wow. I have some flavor pairings to think about.

Until then and in case you have a bottle of rum, a dozen egg yolks, a quart of milk and a quart of heavy cream lying around; prepare yourself some artery-clogging nog. You won't regret it. Either that... or you won't remember.

TRADITIONAL EGG NOG

This is a recipe obtained from the back of a Bacardi bottle in 1970.

RECIPE PROVIDED BY

JOHN A. YELLICH

· Beat 12 egg yolks until light.

· Beat in ½ pound of sugar till mixture is thick (1 cup).

· Stir in one (1) quart of Milk (Whole is better or 2%) Your choice.

· Add UP to a fifth of Dark Rum (e.g. Bacardi’s Gold) to taste (1/4-1/3 of a fifth is good).

· Chill for minimum of 3 hours (Freezer works best).

· Fold in one (1) quart of heavy cream, stiffly whipped.

· Chill 1 hour.

· Dust with nutmeg (Grated Nutmeg seeds taste better).

You should have approximately ¾ to 1 gallon of Egg Nog mixture.

(Serves 24 light drinkers)

Recipe can be expanded with straight line increases in all ingredients.

NOTE: This can be non-alcoholic, just eliminate the Rum. Rum can be added if you do not use all the “virgin” egg nog.

Cupcakes For Sale. For Real.

2008-12-16T00:13:00.005-07:00

Having found myself in a new city and still trying to decide HOW and WHY I made this move... I have tried to embrace and say yes to all the possibilities that come my way (within reason, of course). I performed a dance routine on stage at a drag show at Halloween, ran around town with antlers on my head singing dirty Christmas carols, raced cyclocross in Portland and I taught myself how to knit. I guess it's been a busy couple of months.
I wake most mornings thinking I've made a great decision, that I love Bend and I am finally going to feel settled. I usually turn in for the night tired, lonely, missing the grandeur of the Flatirons and Rocky Mountains, realizing that age old phrase is applicable to me too: "no matter where you go, there you are." In light of my persistent doubts, I have redoubled my efforts in trying to be happy here. I paid a small fee to sell my cupcakes at a local artist fair in a beautiful knitting store over the weekend. And guess what? My cupcakes were so beautiful, so perfect- people didn't believe they were real. I have so many recipes I love, so many concoctions I want to try but I went with my staple- pumpkin with maple meringue. That marshmallow-like frosting is always such a hit and the burned meringue on top always a crowd pleaser, too.

I was stunned, then, to discover that people were hesitant of my perfect looking cupcakes. They wanted to know what they were made of. I wanted to retort: "bloody hell, they are made with eggs, sugar and flour. What did you expect?" I made some of my first income with my cupcakes on Saturday. It felt good.

Those that didn't sell I took to a costume party where they were devoured by drunks wearing vintage ski gear in no time. I guess I needed to find the right customers.

Oregon Staycation.

2008-12-12T17:46:00.000-07:00

After moving to Oregon, I took a six day 'staycation'. Traveling north from Bend, we were headed towards Hood River, then on to Portland, the coast and finding some sort of a loop back to Bend again. I didn't say "back home" because, really, this isn't home yet. I feel like a foreigner for all my love of the exciting and new and different. I am still grappling with whether this is the place for me. Perhaps it's the economy and my general exhaustion from making lemonade from the constant barrage of lemons flung at me...

If nothing else, Oregon is beautiful. I miss my Rocky Mountains, I miss sunrise on the beautiful sandstone Flatirons and the perfection of the Flatirons after a powdered sugar dusting of snow. But Oregon is definitely beautiful. Here are some photos from Hood River Valley and a vineyard we visited.

Culinary Ramblings.

2008-12-07T16:37:00.002-07:00

I named my blog Chef Sara Cooks because that's what I have done, for ten years. My most recent job- by no means a career- rocked my confidence to the core. While I told friends I was "out of my league" in hindsight I know I wasn't out of my league, I wasn't IN my element. I wasn't doing work that itched my moral itch. I try not to preach or proselytize, but after working for a company that didn't have morals inherent in their day to day operations, I know I need it. I am not saying company X is bad, they are a small business trying to stay afloat in a shitty market. But I also know that's not enough for me.
On my worst days at Whole Foods, when I felt dissatisfied, frustrated by customers, inadequate in my skills... I knew there was a greater good behind me and my reason for working there. WFM contributes to the community, the world and to their TM. Those attributes I loved when I was initially hired, are the same ones I recognize as a necessity in my life. Those attributes are unique and special. I admire any company that recognizes profits and contribution/activism ARE synonymous.
But I am at a crossroads. Not knowing where to turn and what I will be doing, I return to the simple things that make me happy-- making others happy.

The Community Gardens, again.

2008-06-27T15:20:00.004-07:00

The gardens behind the North Boulder Rec Center might be one of my favorite spots in town. Tucked away from cars, parking lots and even houses are haphazard garden plots of herbs, corn, curling garlic tendrils, flowers, big rhubarb bushes and the odd assortment of chairs and decor personalizing the plots.
I like to walk the plots to see what's growing when and photograph interesting designs, shapes and colors. No one bothers me and I am free to experiment with my photography skills.

Food Fight: Organic Vs. Conventional

2008-05-28T15:32:00.003-07:00

Food Fight: Organic Vs. Conventional

Posted using ShareThis

She cooks! She writes! Oh no! Link to eCo Times, a very cool organization I recently started working with: they are based in Boulder, have an amazing ethic, sell only eco-conscious items and also have a sharp, opinionated, stellar writing crew (yours included) educating the masses, we hope.

Check out the article. I'll have more posted but the first is about the difference between organic and conventional produce.

P.S. I recently downloaded a cool wijit for my blog- it tells me where people are clicking in from: I get people reading my blog from around the world: Malaysia, South Africa, London but also some regulars in Troutdale (?), New York and a small town in Virginia. Who are you? What are you looking for? What do you like? I know I post these entries for me, essentially, but I'd also like to know who else is out there.... just curious. As my friends say.... to me, a stranger is just a friend I haven't met yet. Best, Sara

Persian Matriarchs

2008-05-24T19:55:00.004-07:00

I catered my first bar mitzvah last summer. I keep thinking about the four beautiful, confident Persian women in the kitchen. The bar mitvah occurred in two parts. I can't confirm if this is the norm.. it just was for this particular event. In between the day and evening events, the aunts of the 13 y. o. boy walked into the kitchen and said they wanted to show us, the caterers, how to prepare one of their traditional Persian meals.
These beautiful women, from LA, New York and New Jersey, included us in their education. But first, the groceries had to be purchased: 3 bags of mint, 2 of parsley (more leafy herbs than what sticks to your lawn mower blades!), rice- special rice- and of course, the local grocer didn't have exactly the basmati they wanted. Each sister had an opinion for how something should be done, how their mother had prepared this dish, how she had modified it because the ingredients weren't the same in the US as in Persia.

The following recipe, from epicurious, is a close approximation of what was made. The matriarchs also emphasized the importance of the sticky, crunchy rice on the bottom. For every layer of rice, there was an equal layer of chopped herbs. The end result was delicious though looking at my notes: I can't decipher exactly what was done versus what was only debated.

The family history, a tale of clandestine departures, starting over in the US and hateful retribution should any of the Jewish family return to Iran (Persia), seemed straight from a movie. Following the Iranian Revolution of 1979, most Jews in Persia left for Israel or the US to avoid charges of corruption or "friends of enemies of God" and therefore execution or life sentences. These women, with their brothers, one the father of the boy having the mitzvah all were able to escape and start a life in the US. I loved being around these women for their passion, their cooking skills, their friendliness and their wonderful compassionate, loving view of the world. I loved watching the women bicker, entice, admonish and tease one another in the kitchen as they have done for six decades.

PERSIAN RICE WITH CRUNCHY CRUST
Gourmet, February 1999

Tah-dig is the Persian word for the crunchy layer of rice that forms on the bottom of the pan. We think it tastes fantastic.

Serves 4 to 6 as a side dish.

INGREDIENTS

2 quarts water
2 tablespoons salt
1 1/2 cups long-grain rice (not converted; preferably basmati or jasmine)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter

PREPARATION
In a large saucepan bring water with salt to a boil. Add rice and boil 10 minutes. In a colander drain rice and rinse under warm water.

In a 2- to 3-quart nonstick saucepan melt butter. Spoon rice over butter and cover pan with a kitchen towel and a heavy lid. Fold edges of towel up over lid and cook rice over moderately low heat until tender and a crust forms on bottom, 30 to 35 minutes.

Spoon loose rice onto a platter and dip bottom of pan in a large bowl of cold water 30 seconds to loosen tah-dig. Remove tah-dig and serve over rice.

Red Snapper, Roasted

2008-05-19T17:08:00.004-07:00

Fresh Red Snapper. This guy was beautiful and I couldn't pass up the chance to make dinner. For ME. Home from Whole Foods with my snapper, I washed him off, scraped the remaining scales, checked his gills and cleaned body cavity and set him aside. Look at those eyes!

Next, I sliced fennel, limes, chopped cilantro, jalapeno and shallots. I mixed all of veggies with lime juice, olive oil and S&P. Then, in my favorite cast iron skillet (best $4 I ever spent at a garage sale!) I heated oil, adding the seasoned fish to the pan. Next, the veg mix on top and also inside the cavity. Tightly sealed aluminum foil around the pan, and cooked in a 400 degree oven for about 10 minutes. Halfway through, I checked the fish, flipped it over, repositioned some of the veg, returning the fish to the oven.
Next, I made a quick batch of guacamole- just for me. Yummy yummy.. the entire house smelled like fennel and lime. A great combination. The fish turned out flaky, light, moist, delicious, with a hint of heat from the jalapeno and zip from the lime.

That dumb photo represents Elizabeth taking my camera and me saying "Um, hi. Sure, take my photo. But, I'm trying to eat here..."

Guacamole is not a food group.

2008-05-16T16:27:00.003-07:00

Neither are margaritas. What a disappointment. Elizabeth appears to be pretty upset, too. No wait. She's coveting the margaritas. Elizabeth, Adam and I made dinner: I was responsible for the guac. My recipe is so simple: red onion, lime, cilantro, avo, S&P, jalapeno. That's it. I like to leave a little bit of the avo chunky. My mini processor lost some integral pieces (i.e. the blade!) so now I have been mashing the avo with a fork. Soooo good. Think I'll go make some now.

Brought to you by the National Pork Council

2008-05-16T15:43:00.005-07:00

Not really. But last week I was on quite the pork binge. I ate the entire pork platter appetizer at Radda, one of my favorite neighborhood restaurants: prosciutto, speck, salami, bresaola- an incredible culinary tour of cured meats encompassing all that I loved in culinary school and all that I love about pork. Then a few days later, ate the platter again with my vegetarian friend, Chris.
Little surprise, I continued making a dent on my pork storage after a visit to Costco (near sacrilege to me) where I picked up what I've been referring to as my "elephant penis"-size pork loin. While I know nothing about the genitalia of pachyderms, the gargantuan pork loin could not be from a normal pig. I've never seen a pig with a loin over two feet in length. Have you? Send a picture to prove it!
I've now eaten around eight meals from the giant loin. I've cut it into smaller pieces, roasting one, making chops, pulled the remaining roasted loins into pieces, cooking in a barbecue sauce and making heavenly pulled pork sandwiches. These photos are from the last meal I made with the final bit of loin. I sauteed shallots, red onion, banyuls vinegar in a cast iron skillet and set aside. Then I quick seared the loin I had seasoned with S&P, and oil. Nothing more. Baked at 350 until cooked through but still moist in the middle. I've now learned: if I am going to photograph my meals, a usual thing... I take my food off the heat a little before it's ready and while I'm taking pictures the dish finishes cooking, cools, and is ready to eat.

Stir Fry ala Sara

2008-05-16T15:02:00.002-07:00

One thing I am getting used to, being single for so long, is making the food *I* want to make. Yes, I love cooking for others and making food they would enjoy, but come on. I go through these strange phases around food. One week I'll be on a pork kick, the next eggs, the next seafood. I guess this week I was on a stir fry kick. I made a Moroccan dish that was pretty much stir fry, green curry, another curry dish, a dry stir fry with garlic, ginger and veggies. All delicious, mostly nutritious and I get to eat the leftovers.

"Stick it to the Man" Cupcakes

2008-04-27T13:08:00.005-07:00

Want the back story? Ask me in person. There are conspiracy theories.... So here are my "Stick it to the Man" cupcakes: Chocolate cake with chocolate chips, vanilla frosting with carmelita crumbs. Voila- I feel better.

Cow on Swing Sets?

2008-04-18T14:05:00.002-07:00

The locavore, eco-, sustainable food movement seems so obvious to me. I state this without an ounce of smugness or haughtiness. I say this from the viewpoint of an eight year old watching her Dad work on a farm, hunt, fish and fabricate a cow on his days off from the office to feed a family of six.
And the cow from the title? Dead on my swing set. Well, the family swing set. First, let's back up and discuss Albert. If my memory serves: I was four years old and Albert was the first family-raised cow I ate while we lived on a 40 acre farm outside Duluth, Minnesota in Barnum (pop. 928, 2000 Census). My father worked for Union Pacific Railroad. We had an acre garden, a football field sized front yard, apple trees in the backyard and outbuildings on the farm. Albert, the cow, was raised and fed by us, then, we killed and ate him. Given I was 4 years old, I don't recall many details of his death. I remember eating him and being reminded, by my two sisters, I was eating Albert.
But back to the cow on the swing set. In late 1979 my father was transferred to Colorado where my parents downsized to an acre of land with house. Gone were the outbuildings, the pigs, the churning of butter and the acre garden-- though I recall Mom attempting to garden in the terrible soil in Broomfield: she eventually gave up.
My parents looked for someone who sold cattle and discovered the elementary school secretary and her husband owned a small herd. Dad came home with a cow in the back of his pickup, drove the truck over to the swing set (that had been cemented into the ground to prevent four rambunctious kids from tipping it) and hoisted that carcass up on the set! Dad set to work fabricating the cow, cutting it into primal (chuck, rib, round, flank, shank, brisket) and sub primal cuts. We wrapped the cuts in white butcher paper, labeled each and arranged them in the coffin freezer. In sixth grade, I asked a friend where her big freezer was kept as though every kid had a mom who made fruit leather and a Dad who cut butts of cows into rump roasts.
My point is: I get all of this stuff about eating ecologically. First hand. As I sat for my haircut yesterday, I listened to a woman discuss how she and her husband were trying to eating within a 50 mile radius. "For no real reason" was her response to her hair stylist's flabbergasted, incredulous "why?!". She gave the rehearsed answers: ecologically sound, etc etc. I wondered if she caught the irony of stating "we have to drive around looking for locally made produce and meats at the grocery stores this time of year." How environmentally friendly is it to drive across town because Whole Foods has limited local produce in April? Boulder doesn't have an inordinate amount of greenhouses allowing for year round fruit/veg production. I wish we did. I also wish this woman well on her experiment. Although trying it in May or August would have been much easier. But who am I to judge? I had to walk all the way to the basement or garage to secure my next meal as a kid.

Another date, Another Restaurant

2008-04-04T09:06:00.004-07:00

This time, in the Adventures of Cupcake Girl, we find her at The Hungry Toad- a North Boulder "institution" with almost obnoxious English Pub artwork on the wall. Well, what Americans think of as English Pub artwork. The London Pubs I went to were either 1.gastro pubs with amazing and delicious entrees with fifteen adjectives or 2. decorated with photos of royalty posing next to everyone imaginable from Nelson Mandela to Gary Coleman (can't confirm the last one...). But the Toad has all the requisites to qualify as English Pub: Guinness on tap, Bangers and Mash, Fish and Chips, Old Speckled Hen, retro metal advertisements for mustard, colonialism, ads with rain, umbrellas and white kids looking healthy and happy wearing Borax laundered jumpers- par usual. I love the Toad. There's no pretense. No pomp (ironically given the English theme) and the food is priced right for what you get.
This is the second time I've gone to the Toad with Mr. Forearms. Though Mr. Hands may be more apt as yesterday I noticed he has nice hands. I've considered photographing people's hands whilst doing their skill/hobby because I find hands so interesting and unique.
Once again, I ordered the pub burger ($8) with a side of fries and a mug of Old Speckled Hen beer (malt loaf with toffee flavours, says the website). He had a burger, too, and we both omitted the mayo. Thank god! Mayo might be one of my least favorite foods to smell or eat. Not to mention, add mayo to anything and it makes that yucky, mucky, mud noise. bleh. He ordered a Guinness in a straight glass. Still trying to determine why Guinness tastes better in a straight glass.

Last time we both ate French Onion Soup. Oh how I LOVE French Onion Soup- with that layer of cheese, the softened bread, the rich rich broth. I particularly like to pick the burned, hard bits of cheese off the rim of the tete de lion. Burned cheese- THAT is culinary evolution at it's best.

Grocery Store Wars

2008-03-28T15:58:00.004-07:00

God bless those who have 1. too much time on their hands 2. A love of Star Wars that rivals my own 3. An appreciation for the brilliance of the Mos Eisley Cantina scene in Episode IV, A New Hope.

The idea of a battle between organics v. Big Business is nothing new and is certainly a topic most people--who don't live in a cave or only watch Rock of Love-- are aware of... let's hope more people recognize the importance of eating organic (if not local) and at least laugh a little at the following dialogue: "Watch out for that moon." "That's no moon. It's a melon." All: "The Death Melon!"

Rename the blog?

2008-03-28T14:35:00.006-07:00

I've received more attention after posting my 'dating and eating entry' than the entirety of other blog postings over the last year. Perhaps it's time to rename the blog: chefsaradates? chefsaralookingfortheOne? CupcakeGirlsearchesforFrostingBoy? For more adventures in dating... Dinner at Pupusa's in North Boulder. He in unassuming clothing of years gone by: Carhartt's and a sweatshirt and lo! I have sworn off climbers and lo! I have sayeth unto thee I am finished dating men who have trucks with camper shells and think a weekend at Shelf is heavenly... yet: he, of the climber's forearms, remains interesting, quiet and still nervous around me-- and I kind of like that. And lo! the food at Pupusa's also represents a lifetime ago of cheap eats, great conversation and the nervousness of first dates negotiating wanting to be comfortable but also recognizing the bathroom door stays closed and some topics (like your family's skeletons) are off limits.

This little place in North Boulder serves El Salvadoran food- including real tripe menudo! and a variety of pupusa's without fanfare, without alcohol and the Coca-Cola with cane sugar (as it should be!) and not corn syrup. Barbacoa Beef taco and a pupusa with cheese for me. I didn't eat much but tried each and every salsa laid out on the counter from the mini salsa bar including the sweeter tomatillo to the very spicy, eye-watering roasted chile salsa. He had pork carnitas, and with incredible precision, dabbled each of the salsa's on his tortilla before rolling and eating the tortilla. I finished eating first and liked watching the meticulousness of the dabbing, the smearing of salsa.

Another date with Mr. Forearms (although it's not fair to reduce him to said moniker, it's easier). Lunch today, via text planning, at the Kitchen. Yes. Back for more tomato soup. I eat it almost every Friday! We sat at the bar, ate soup, shared the crab salad with avocado and lime and then both returned to our afternoons: he to work, me to enjoy the rest of my day off. The crab salad is so quietly delicious: with big chunks of avocado mixed in, an abundance of greens under a large serving of crab salad. Each time I eat this salad, I recognize the consistency of salt, tartness from the lime, the ripeness of the avocado and am thankful I can eat somewhere that each and every meal is perfect. Always.

In case there is any debate, sitting at the bar in a restaurant is the best way to feel like a local. I sit at the bar, get to know the bartender, who always knows what's going on - with the menu, around town, with people we both know... I also like sitting at the bar on a first date because if there is any chance we run out of things to say we can passively watch the action and hopefully fish for a topic of conversation. Unfortunately, there are those dates I sit at the bar with who flirt too much with the bartender trying to be "Mr. Funny Man" or talk too much with the people sitting next to us. I'd say it's a fine line between being the gracious date who shows respect for waitstaff and those who go out of his way to be clever and witty to the point of being obnoxious. Sometimes after he's had too much to drink this juncture arrives too readily. But that's another entry altogether!

Elizabeth's Birthday Cupcakes- The Anglo-Saxon

2008-03-26T15:14:00.006-07:00

That's right. The Anlgo-Saxon. This beast of white beauty is vanilla and almond cake with a simple vanilla frosting. And these were the BEST cupcakes I've ever made. No shit. No kidding. The cake was light, airy and moist. When I looked at the batter I could tell the cakes would turn out beautifully. The frosting was light and creamy with lots of vanilla flavor and a hint of almond extract. Cupcake Girl is born. Now... where can I find Frosting Boy?

Dates and Restaurant reviews

2008-03-14T18:30:00.015-07:00

While sitting at my favorite coffee shop, I was explaining last night's date to a friend. She suggested I combine my dating stories with restaurant reviews. Ex.: "Last night I ate dinner at Burnt Toast. I ordered a messy garlicky plate of frog legs. Wearing expensive shoes, he ordered a generous helping of black cod and wooed me with his undivided attention, 80s movie humor and Boulder's Own "Enlightened Judaism". My satisfaction with the meal outlasted the relationship as after a month of dating we parted ways."
Or another date: "Dinner at The Kitchen--my perennial favorite for a first date. He showed up in standard Boulder wear (micro puff and Merrill slip-ons) for his inaugural Kitchen meal (people still exist who haven't eaten there?). This was my third time in a week! I had the prosecco, he had a Duvel (beer). We both ordered the tomato soup- a simple, yet sublime puree with unadulterated tomato flavor - always consistent in taste, salt and texture. I ordered the pork belly with crispy skin and a lingering fatty unctuousness that coated my tongue. He ordered the salmon (not quite as adventurous as I'd hoped). "
What about Monday's date? Nothing to mention about the date, but the happy hour deals at the Julien are stellar! I ordered a Martini (happy hour price: $6) Ketel One up with olives. We ordered calamari (how can breaded seafood be wrong?), truffled tots, a salad (so I felt sort of healthy) and I pecked at the gratis olives. The tots were square, fried blocks of mashed potatoes with a truffled mayo dipping sauce- oh so good.

Final tally: I'll return to all three restaurants again. The dates? At least one has potential... Turns out ordering salmon is not indicative of a person's personality after all.

Sugar.... oh Honey Honey...

2008-03-13T15:36:00.009-07:00

Of the Many Blogs I read, Dr. Mercola's must be one of the most informative. This article was originally about Pepsi "Raw" a new soda being marketed as healthy (10 calories less than regular soda!). Mom was right about not needing excess sugar in our diets (see previous post). But then I saw a link to the following comprehensive list of WHY we shouldn't eat sugar. Mom was prescient.

Contributed by Nancy Appleton, PhD
Author of the book Lick The Sugar Habit

In addition to throwing off the body's homeostasis, excess sugar may result in a number of other significant consequences. The following is a listing of some of sugar's metabolic consequences from a variety of medical journals and other scientific publications.

Sugar can suppress your immune system and impair your defenses against infectious disease.
Sugar upsets the mineral relationships in your body: causes chromium and copper deficiencies and interferes with absorption of calcium and magnesium.
Sugar can cause can cause a rapid rise of adrenaline, hyperactivity, anxiety, difficulty concentrating, and crankiness in children.
Sugar can produce a significant rise in total cholesterol, triglycerides and bad cholesterol and a decrease in good cholesterol.
Sugar causes a loss of tissue elasticity and function.
Sugar feeds cancer cells and has been connected with the development of cancer of the breast, ovaries, prostate, rectum, pancreas, biliary tract, lung, gallbladder and stomach.
Sugar can increase fasting levels of glucose and can cause reactive hypoglycemia.
Sugar can weaken eyesight.
Sugar can cause many problems with the gastrointestinal tract including: an acidic digestive tract, indigestion, malabsorption in patients with functional bowel disease, increased risk of Crohn's disease, and ulcerative colitis.
Sugar can cause premature aging.
Sugar can lead to alcoholism.
Sugar can cause your saliva to become acidic, tooth decay, and periodontal disease.
Sugar contributes to obesity.
Sugar can cause autoimmune diseases such as: arthritis, asthma, multiple sclerosis.
Sugar greatly assists the uncontrolled growth of Candida Albicans (yeast infections).
Sugar can cause gallstones.
Sugar can cause appendicitis.
Sugar can cause hemorrhoids.
Sugar can cause varicose veins.
Sugar can elevate glucose and insulin responses in oral contraceptive users.
Sugar can contribute to osteoporosis.
Sugar can cause a decrease in your insulin sensitivity thereby causing an abnormally high insulin levels and eventually diabetes.
Sugar can lower your Vitamin E levels.
Sugar can increase your systolic blood pressure.
Sugar can cause drowsiness and decreased activity in children.
High sugar intake increases advanced glycation end products (AGEs)(Sugar molecules attaching to and thereby damaging proteins in the body).
Sugar can interfere with your absorption of protein.
Sugar causes food allergies.
Sugar can cause toxemia during pregnancy.
Sugar can contribute to eczema in children.
Sugar can cause atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease.
Sugar can impair the structure of your DNA.
Sugar can change the structure of protein and cause a permanent alteration of the way the proteins act in your body.
Sugar can make your skin age by changing the structure of collagen.
Sugar can cause cataracts and nearsightedness.
Sugar can cause emphysema.
High sugar intake can impair the physiological homeostasis of many systems in your body.
Sugar lowers the ability of enzymes to function.
Sugar intake is higher in people with Parkinson's disease.
Sugar can increase the size of your liver by making your liver cells divide and it can increase the amount of liver fat.
Sugar can increase kidney size and produce pathological changes in the kidney such as the formation of kidney stones.
Sugar can damage your pancreas.
Sugar can increase your body's fluid retention.
Sugar is enemy #1 of your bowel movement.
Sugar can compromise the lining of your capillaries.
Sugar can make your tendons more brittle.
Sugar can cause headaches, including migraines.
Sugar can reduce the learning capacity, adversely affect school children's grades and cause learning disorders.
Sugar can cause an increase in delta, alpha, and theta brain waves which can alter your mind's ability to think clearly.
Sugar can cause depression.
Sugar can increase your risk of gout.
Sugar can increase your risk of Alzheimer's disease.
Sugar can cause hormonal imbalances such as: increasing estrogen in men, exacerbating PMS, and decreasing growth hormone.
Sugar can lead to dizziness.
Diets high in sugar will increase free radicals and oxidative stress.
High sucrose diets of subjects with peripheral vascular disease significantly increases platelet adhesion.
High sugar consumption of pregnant adolescents can lead to substantial decrease in gestation duration and is associated with a twofold increased risk for delivering a small-for-gestational-age (SGA) infant.
Sugar is an addictive substance.
Sugar can be intoxicating, similar to alcohol.
Sugar given to premature babies can affect the amount of carbon dioxide they produce.
Decrease in sugar intake can increase emotional stability.
Your body changes sugar into 2 to 5 times more fat in the bloodstream than it does starch.
The rapid absorption of sugar promotes excessive food intake in obese subjects.
Sugar can worsen the symptoms of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Sugar adversely affects urinary electrolyte composition.
Sugar can slow down the ability of your adrenal glands to function.
Sugar has the potential of inducing abnormal metabolic processes in a normal healthy individual and to promote chronic degenerative diseases.
I.V.s (intravenous feedings) of sugar water can cut off oxygen to your brain.
Sugar increases your risk of polio.
High sugar intake can cause epileptic seizures.
Sugar causes high blood pressure in obese people.
In intensive care units: Limiting sugar saves lives.
Sugar may induce cell death.
In juvenile rehabilitation camps, when children were put on a low sugar diet, there was a 44 percent drop in antisocial behavior.
Sugar dehydrates newborns.
Sugar can cause gum disease.

Home Cooking: Damn Straight!

2008-03-07T10:56:00.015-07:00

My mom can cook. I spent the majority of my time as a child eating Mom's food. I had a HOT breakfast everyday. Most days I had oatmeal, toast, juice, the occasional hot chocolate on cold Colorado mornings; other days we ate a choice of pancakes, waffles, eggs. Essentially, Mom was a short order cook for the kids before we left for school. I also ate a packed lunch every day: sandwich, fruit, cookie, chips, juice box (Capri Sun!), and a note on the outside of my brown paper bag with Mom's signature smiley face, bag folded and stapled. Sometimes she wrote just the smiley in black permanent marker-- other times "good luck on your test" or "don't forget about Girl Scouts". She may have put her ubiqutious "xoxo" but I've since forgotten. After a full day of school, sports, Girl Scouts, Spelling Bees, etc., we had home cooked meals. In no way am I implying that at eight (through twenty-ish) I loved every one of mom's meals. I hated most food until I was about twenty-two. But now, in hindsight, I recognize how special it was for Mom to make us dinner regularly. I've never asked if Mom and Dad chose this lifestyle because four kids precluded the ability to eat out regularly. It never dawned on me that from a financial standpoint, it made more sense for us to get three meals out of a chicken, a bag of potatoes and fresh veggies. All I knew, and still know, is how comforting the consistency of those home cooked dinners were in my life. Did I acknowledge how much those dinners meant then? No. Did I tell Mom thanks for lunch and breakfast everyday? No. But now, seeing so many of my friends (and sisters) work whilst raising kids, we were damn lucky to have Mom at home. So Mom, Dad: thank you.
That's a significant point here. Mom made fresh food. She didn't cook from boxes and cans very often. We didn't eat sodas and junk food. Our cereal, when we were allowed cereal, was healthy. Capt'n Crunch was strictly for weekends. Co-Co Puffs were NEVER allowed. Nor Blueberry Boo, Frankencrap or any other overly sugary foods. Mom MADE jelly/jam. She MADE fruit roll-ups (fruit leather to us). She made soft, ooey gooey chocolate cookies, comforting casseroles with real meats and veg. Sure, Mom adulterated sauces to please four finicky palates, but she also did her best to clip recipes, get recipes from friends and learn more about food. I have a vivid mental image of Mom's cookbook collection with recipes from magazines-- torn from doctor's offices, and newspaper clippings stuffed between page sticking out like a child's unruly hair.
My parents moved us to Minnesota and a 40-acre farm when I was four. We had an acre garden, my mom fed the pigs our compost, we had a cow named Albert we raised, slaughtered and ate! Dad had a full-time office job and lived a second life of fishing, hunting, gardening and farming. Not to mention raising the four of us kids. I can't imagine where I get my multi-tasking from...

Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with Chocolate Glaze

2008-03-05T22:43:00.005-07:00

This batch was a success and a complete disaster!! I studied most of Sunday and raced home to make cupcakes. But what kind? Sometimes I have a plan for what I am going to make. Other times I wait for divine inspiration.. I'm out running and lo' the Lord sayeth unto me "make tangerine and pomegranate cupcakes". Some instances I wait and wait. And in haste I HAVE to make something. Last Sunday was one of those nights. I raced home, started prepping my mis en place and realized I didn't have butter. Then roomie reminded me about t.p. Off I went to the store, bought t.p. while talking on the phone, forgot the butter (not until I returned home). Then back to the store for butter and cream... only to remember when I arrived home I was out of confectioner's sugar. Luckily, I WALK to the store but refused to make a third trip as the cashier's were already teasing me. I decided to make a frosting without confectioner's sugar instead.
And here's the set up: I didn't have a clue what to make so I played Iron Cupcake Chef. I pulled everything I had out of the freezer and cupboards: coconut, almonds, peanut butter, chai concentrate, frozen blueberries, chocolate bars, chocolate chips and carmelita crumbs from WF. I knew I wanted my standard vanilla cake recipe but I read the recipe wrong (in my haste) and added an extra half cup of sugar. I thought I'd try for chocolate chips in the recipes and add a chocolate glaze. Majka made a trip over to try the cakes and LOVED them. The extra sugar made a delicious crunchy crust on the outside of the cake, the glaze, while recalcitrant (as much as a glaze can be), finally emulsified and became glossy and creamy. I threw the cakes in the freezer to cool so I could spread the glaze- filling all the little crevices on the top of the cake nicely.
Made another delivery on Monday, took to class where everyone loved them and at a networking event that evening I wish I'd brought more b/c people were begging to try some cakes.

Tangerine Cupcakes with Pomegranate Frosting

2008-03-05T22:18:00.007-07:00

First off, I delivered these cupcakes and the text I received from my first paying customers read "consensus best yet". I agree. Everyone who tasted this batch of cupcakes thought they were phenomenal. A true turning point for me in considering I could make money or at least sell my goods.
First, the cake: my classic batter with the substitution of fresh squeezed tangerine juice in lieu of the full amount of milk called for in the recipe. I also watched the time judiciously so I didn't overcook this batch. Oh! And since I made this batch for delivery, for class and for Majka's book event, I tripled the batch and came up just short of 200 cupcakes! Holy cupcakes, Batman!
Then, the frosting... I LOVED this frosting. I took a big jar of Just Pomegranate Frosting, reduced reduced reduced to a beautiful sticky syrup. After preparing the rest of the frosting per usual, I added the syrup and continued beating to incorporate the sugar so I didn't get the granulation I had last time I made pom frosting. I still didn't taste the tart kick I wanted and the color was a little grey, not pink. So, I added the remaining pom juice (not reduced) to the frosting and again-- beat it! I ended up with what one friend called "sorbet-like frosting." Yes. Delivered to class where there were many ooh and ahhs. Then to Majka's event where we snuck the cupcakes into The Kitchen Upstairs and gave away cakes to the staff so they were less upset I came in w/ food--even finicky climbers appreciated the cupcakes. I was able to make a dear friend happy at her book launch party. Yeah.
A success. A marvel. A business is born. Welcome "The Cupcake girl". I will have a website and business cards soon!

Chocolate Cupcakes with Mom's Buttercream Frosting

2008-02-24T23:04:00.004-07:00

My sister Andrea's birthday party was last night: I made another batch of cupcakes. I used the chocolate recipe from Mark Bittman again- I really like the separate mixing method-- of folding the beaten egg whites in at the end. My only complaint is a lack of chocolate in the cake. The recipe calls for 3 oz of unsweetened chocolate and I think it needs more- more chocolate for flavor and to appear darker.

For the 37th consecutive year (I'm guessing here) my sister has eaten the same cake: Chocolate cake with Mom's Buttercream frosting. I remember my mom making her buttercream frosting- it's a recipe from her mom- if I'm not mistaken. The ingredients are simple and the steps are so simple I'm almost embarrassed at how often all of us, including me, begged for the frosting on our cakes as children: creamed butter, crisco (yes, crisco, damn it!), sugar and pinch of salt and scalded milk. Whipped to a sweet spreadable consistency. This latest batch was a bit runny and I wonder if the milk was too warm when I added it to the butter/crisco. Mom arrived just as I finished the frosting so she couldn't really provide any insight... and ultimately, it didn't matter. Everyone loved the cakes, I had a great time at the party and will write next about Andrea's apple-tini's and Mom's chicken wings. Damn her wings are good!

Chocolate Cupcakes, Buttercream Frosting and Toasted Coconut

2008-02-22T08:37:00.002-07:00

A cupcake snowball! These cupcakes were some of the best I've made. If I can humbly make such a statement... I used the chocolate cake recipe from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything- a *wonderful* compendium set up much like my classes in culinary school. He starts with the basics: roast a chicken with simple ingredients and steps then he adds additional steps, ingredients, options to make a dish more unique. Reminds me of Chef Andy telling us we are only limited by our imagination.

Then, I used a buttercream recipe from Joy of Cooking. I know, not very glamorous with the dearth of cookbooks on the market but the classics have provided me with the best frostings. I am incredibly picky about my frostings, too; not too cloyingly sweet, the mouth feel must be smooth but not greasy, with a subtle richness. I toasted coconut and rolled the frosted cakes in the flakes. Viola! Delicious!

Pomegranate Chocolate Cupcakes

2008-02-21T11:53:00.003-07:00

This weeks adventures in cupcakes takes me to a batter without butter, a batter made with pomegranate juice, a batter that fizzed and bubbled n the bowl like a chocolaty volcano science project. On the POM wonderful website I found a recipe for a batter with oil, vinegar, eggs, pom juice, sugar and flour. These cupcakes were moist, chocolaty and delicious and when my roommate took them up to the ski condo 4 days later, were still moist- I can't say that about any of the other cupcakes I've made recently. I also made a cheap butter and powdered sugar frosting w/ pom juice: I found it gritty, others, Majka included, loved how "cheap and bad for me" the frosting tasted. This is why I love having so many people taste the cupcakes-- everyone's opinions are a little different.

Hand-picked Morels

2008-02-17T19:16:00.006-07:00

Beautiful, right? To hold a dried morel and inquire of the spongy appearance triggers a bubbling of recipes and ideas. These morels are hand picked by Ruthie and delivered by Gunnar "the mushroom courier" all the way from Durango! (Via Idaho or Montana!!)
I have $75 worth of mushrooms. One of life's great problems of abundance, right? Now that I have the fungi, what in the world am I going to do with them. More importantly, I've been asking: who is morel worthy (ala Seinfield/Elaine "sponge worthy")? I decided to make something on Valentine's Day with a "few" of the morels. But was it worth it? Is HE worth it? I could spread the love. And not commit all the goodness to one meal (read: person). I made mushroom risotto and added some truffles I had, too. Unfortunately, I drank two martinis whilst cooking the risotto, so the Arborio rice wasn't perfect. The dish tasted great, but I knew it was a sub par performance and I should know better than to wax philosophical, drink and stir rice for an hour: a recipe for disaster. At least I saved more mushrooms to play with later and for others. At what point do you commit to sharing a mushroom? At what point to you let someone access that which you dearly love: be it your memories, your fears, your generous nature, or some f-ing unbelievable piece of fungi? I think next time, I'll be more judicious with sharing. "I chose, poorly."

The Snowman Army

2007-12-24T17:51:00.000-07:00

Thinking of the Army of Qin Shi Huangdi, Emperor of Qin. While my army is not made of terracotta, did not require over 700k workers or have details making no two soldiers alike... I still felt I was assembling one heck of an infantry- ready for Christmas battle. Happy Holidays! Hmm... can a snowman without arms still fight?

Christmas Cupcakes

2007-12-09T17:26:00.001-07:00

The latest, perhaps not the greatest, cupcakes I've made. I LOVE the snowmen. Unfortunately, the menorah's barely visible. My next batch of snowmen look even better. With practice, as always.

Chanakuh Cupcakes

2007-12-05T21:31:00.000-07:00

Our neighbor invited us to a Chanakuh party Tuesday. I wanted to make special sweets-- a delicious dessert to go with the latkes and donuts. The cupcakes were vanilla cake with lavender and honey cream cheese frosting. Elizabeth said the frosting tasted like infused tea. I would agree. Delicious, again.

First Sips of Egg Nog this Holiday Season.

2007-12-05T21:13:00.000-07:00

Such a special memory of drinking egg nog, listening to Christmas tunes and decorating the Tree. A perfect Sunday evening. Lest we forget the best photo of this entry--a Nativity scene in our milk delivery box. We even have a mini J.C. (a small Cabbage Patch doll). Unfortunately, there's no Joseph and only wise women. (The color commentary that could follow that sentence....)

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with Maple Merigue Frosting

2007-11-15T15:51:00.000-07:00

These were amazing. Unbelievable. Delicious. Incredible. Delectable. Pick an adjective. These cupcakes were a hit. Cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and pinch of cardamom in the cake, real maple syrup used to make the meringue and then the burning. The meringue was like warm marshmallow. Oh, so good!!

Sophie's First Birthday Cake

2007-11-14T17:54:00.000-07:00

I came across these photos from last January, I made Sophie's 1st Birthday cake. Somewhere in my mind I came up with the butterflies of jordan almonds and jellies. They have become a signature on my cakes.

Candied Nuts

2007-11-13T20:10:00.001-07:00

These were taken back in September at a dinner party.

For the almonds:
I used sugar and salt with cayenne/chili powder to add zing.

For the walnuts:
I mixed sugar, salt, thyme and lavender (I think).

I should write down these "on the fly" recipes immediately.

My First Cookbook

2007-11-10T18:21:00.000-07:00

My first cookbook, For Good Measure, was published in 1979 and given to me by Mom and Dad somewhere in 1982-3. I thumbed through it recently and discovered notes I'd made. If I recall, I decided to make something for Mother's or Father's Day with help from my sisters. Note the detail on my cursive handwriting. Also note, I still like runny eggs.

Another Custom Cake

2007-11-01T17:59:00.000-07:00

My friend Zig used to live in Austin. His friend's son lives in Boulder. She called me in June, via Zig, to order a birthday cake for her son's 18th.

I can see over the last few months how much my writing has improved- Evan's cake has crooked writing I am ashamed of now.

Thundercats! Ho!

2007-10-31T22:19:00.000-07:00

Ahh.. the battle cry of my childhood. How I loved the cartoon Thundercats! Therefore, this Halloween, I became Cheetara-- the strong female character with a staff for kicking butt, a sixth sense to see the past or future and the body to pull off an orange leotard. Yeah! I love Halloween! Elizabeth helped with my "mane". That's me blowing kisses to Lucy- our newest tenant. Also me playing with Lucy's toy, thanks to Adam. What can I say? I was part cat. And damn happy that night!! Now, I secretly wait for the day to wear the costume again. Maybe to vacuum? Elizabeth only rule states I can't wear it to the store...

Ooooo! More Scary Halloween Cupcakes!

2007-10-31T22:14:00.000-07:00

More cupcakes from Whole Foods Market. Please note: no one was injured in the making of the best selling "severed finger" cupcake. I love the Eddie Munster quality of the Dracula. The pig isn't scary, just the beginning of my adventures in animal designs. More to come!!

On-the-job Cupcake Making

2007-10-31T17:22:00.000-07:00

Halloween Day and I am assigned to decorate cupcakes for *8* hours at Whole Foods. I dress up, have fun with it and the time flies! Plus, we sold lots of cupcakes.

Halloween Cupcakes!

2007-10-25T21:33:00.000-07:00

At Whole Foods, I had a customer come in and special order "Sara's alien/monster" cupcakes. I couldn't believe I had a "following"- of sorts. These are the results. The wonderful thing about Whole Foods is that no matter how much sugar is in a cupcake- each one is free of additives, preservatives, artificial flavors or coloring, etc. If only we could get rid of High Fructose Corn Syrup- but that's a fight for another day.

I used melted dark chocolate to make the antennae, eyes, etc. Each cupcake has *so* much frosting, but hey- it's a cupcake, damn it! Note that one of the aliens is missing the cupcake. One child wanted only frosting. :) Bless the mother, and the dentist....

Have a mentioned how much I love doing this stuff??

Tomato Paella

2007-09-12T17:39:00.000-07:00

I have a second job, besides Pastry Chef at Whole Foods. I cook at City Club. Described as a social club but also becoming more gastronomic and oenophilic in nature. I made the Tomato Paella Mark Bittman had in the NY Times (9.5.07) and with heirloom tomatoes sliced on top- the paella was beautiful and a hit at happy hour! Wish I had taken a photo but imagine red and gold tomatoes cooked in a cast iron skillet with the rice dark red from tomato paste and a little saffron... yum! I will definitely make this again! Here is the recipe- super easy and not a lot of ingredients or time required. The dish actually reminded me of the pork chops w/ Spanish Rice my mom made when I was growing up. Hmm... is that was she made? A quick paella? Well I'll be damned!

The New York Times
September 5, 2007
Recipe: Paella With Tomatoes

Time: 30 minutes
3 1/2 cups stock or water
1 1/2 pounds ripe tomatoes, cored and cut into thick wedges
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, minced
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon tomato paste
Large pinch saffron threads (optional)
2 teaspoons Spanish pimentón (smoked paprika), or other paprika
2 cups Spanish or other short-grain rice
Minced parsley for garnish.

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Warm stock or water in a saucepan. Put tomatoes in a medium bowl, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and drizzle them with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Toss to coat.

2. Put remaining oil in a 10- or 12-inch ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables soften, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in tomato paste, saffron if you are using it, and paprika and cook for a minute more. Add rice and cook, stirring occasionally, until it is shiny, another minute or two. Add liquid and stir until just combined.

3. Put tomato wedges on top of rice and drizzle with juices that accumulated in bottom of bowl. Put pan in oven and roast, undisturbed, for 15 minutes. Check to see if rice is dry and just tender. If not, return pan to oven for another 5 minutes. If rice looks too dry but still is not quite done, add a small amount of stock or water (or wine). When rice is ready, turn off oven and let pan sit for 5 to 15 minutes.

4. Remove pan from oven and sprinkle with parsley. If you like, put pan over high heat for a few minutes to develop a bit of a bottom crust before serving.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings.

Gourmet Camping

2007-09-09T21:02:00.002-07:00

We headed to Whole Foods Market before our big camping trip- it's where I work, where I shop, and where I get a delicious discount on my groceries. We bought fresh mozzarella, chocolate, salsa, pasta, bacon and eggs, sausage, fresh fruit and veggies. Little did we know that a bear would find our cooler and enjoy our food before we were able to... I was upset. No. Upset hardly describes my emotion at being bested by a bear-regarding my organic, gourmet food. M. would say worse-- I was livid, emotional, pouty-- all of it would be true, too. Damn that bear. I had grand plans for the mozzarella- sliced into our pasta sauce. Damn the sausages- intended as the great husband to the eggs served as a master fuel breakfast. Damn the lack of chocolate for s'mores and snacks. Ironically, the bear left the red pepper we had in the cooler. He/she ate everything else we had, and left the veggies.... so much for the food pyramid! Instead of enjoying all that wonderful food, we drove to Crested Butte and bought more groceries. M. wanted photos of the detritus- proof of the bear although I jumped from the truck and picked up trash before any other camper noticed our misfortune (read: stupidity). Too late, the camper next to us HEARD the bear in the night devouring our organic goodies. He (the bear, not the camper) even drank the grapefruit juice we picked up. All these years of camping and this is my first bear "attack".

I couldn't have created a more perfect trip in the woods. We ate well nonetheless- eggs, bacon, BLAT's (bacon, lettuce, avocado, tomato), pasta with mozzarella, s'mores, dried fruits and nuts, chicken with curry and rice then leftovers of the Indian fare for breakfast scrambled with eggs.

Cooking on a Coleman stove, or an MSR whisperlite, is special. Something about the sound of propane burning, the scent, needing to find a flat, safe spot to start the fire then creating a kitchen out of nothing. In one photo you can see we created the kitchen on the tailgate. We pulled over, brought out the stove and I made bacon, eggs, black tea, hash browns (potatoes chopped into small dice with bacon fat, salt and pepper until delicious and brown). Then we sat by the reservoir and ate in the sun. We cleaned our kitchen, packed and continued driving towards Aspen for Jazz Aspen/Snowmass and Michael Franti.

Anyone want S'more?

2007-09-09T20:45:00.000-07:00

There's a certain magic, a childish remembrance associated with S'mores. No matter how many, nor how little, you have eaten in your life... the call of a camp fire and a hot, melted marshmallow on a stick invigorates the child in each of us- calls forth the desire for sweet, innocence, sticky fun, late night laughs around a fire- the primordial center of community. There is the ritual, too. At least in my life, there has always been the ritual. First, one must find an adequate marshmallow stick- not too thick, long enough to reach the hottest parts of the fire, but not so long as to make the melted sugary goodness inaccessible. Second, there is the whittling- the cleaning of the stick where the mallow is "stuck". Then the stick is briefly, oh so briefly, singed and sanitized, like a prehistoric medical utensil. Place the marshmallow on the stick and roast. For the best yum factor- burn the outside and also heat the inside so the mallow gets ooey and gooey (that's the technical term). Heat the mallow too quickly and the goodness drips into the fire with frantic cries of despair. The chocolate should be left "near" the fire. Not too near, but enough to soften it up a bit. Squish between graham crackers and enjoy. Have s'more if the urge suits you. Usually does. No one can eat just one- not the adult nor the child in us.

The Food Lover's Companion has a wonderful description of s'mores: "The name comes from the notion that they're so good one always wants 'some more.' S'mores have long been a well-known campfire treat and are a special favorite in America's Girl Scout Organization." Perhaps the Girl Scout reference is the cause of my long held fascination and love affair with s'mores. Although mine are made with Kosher, fish gelatin marshmallows... much to the chagrin of my siblings.

Wild Mushrooms

2007-09-05T17:34:00.000-07:00

In late August, while hiking my favorite trail in Indian Peaks- up to Pawnee Pass- I found these mushrooms. I have no clue what they are! I have no clue if they are edible. Foraging on state land, particularly a Wilderness Area is illegal, but if I could only find out which are digestible/non dangerous, I would saute with butter, salt and a little thyme. By happenstance, not a week later, I met a wonderful woman, Ruthie, who knows all about mushrooms! I'll update this entry once I have her "expert" opinion.

Cupcakes at Casa De la Esperanza

2007-08-10T21:02:00.000-07:00

My housemate, Elizabeth, volunteers at Casa de la Esperanza in Longmont during the school year. She continued volunteering over the summer, on a more limited basis, but wanted to maintain involvement and impact on the kids there. I received an email from Elizabeth (strange since we share a bathroom...) asking if any of her friends/colleagues who have interesting jobs would like to give a short presentation to the kids discussing careers and opportunities. I was beaten by another colleague for first to respond, but I was the first to attend.

On the eastern edge of Longmont, tucked behind some commercial buildings and just a mile from the community college, migrant workers reside in the Casa de la Esperanza community- simple homes with kids running about the sidewalk, parents talking on stoops and residents fixing cars. The program provides language classes, citizenship classes, women's craft classes as well as the children's center with tutoring, a computer lab, Boy Scouts, math classes, reading groups and most importantly, a support system for first generation Mexican migrant workers and their children to feel settled in their new community.

My involvement was to discuss my culinary experience and also allow the kids to decorate cupcakes! Elizabeth and I made around 40 cakes- not knowing how many kids would attend on a Monday in summer. We had icing, pastry bags and a variety of tips so the kids could try leaves, flowers, writing, etc. My one regret was making the cakes visible to the kids before my *very* short lecture. The kids were antsy and unfocused salivating over the sweets. Soo...... close.... almost.... there.... We cleared the tables, had the kids wash their hands and then set them loose to decorate. Some were really good at piping after my short demonstration on how to squeeze the icing to the bottom of the bag, give it a few twists and squeeze evenly. Others, well, sometimes our mistakes and lessons taste delicious. We gathered the cakes and compared skills then enjoyed the sweets of our labor. A success, definitely.

Dining in a Drought in Australia

2007-07-30T04:58:00.000-07:00

From the NY Times. This story seems to exemplify the current state of affairs when it comes to sustainable food. The Marine Stewardship Council is a great thing and the Monterrey Aquarium has their list of endangered species but what is a country as isolated as Australia to do about sustainable fishing? All of it seems rather dreary doesn't it? Read on, however. It's worth the information and worthwhile for those of us who want to return to (and love) Australia.

July 29, 2007
Op-Ed Contributor

Dining in a Drought in Australia

By JUSTIN NORTH
Sydney, Australia

A FEW weeks ago, when I visited the Sydney fish market to pick up some Murray cod, I was told that there wasn’t any, nor would there be any for a while. I was quite puzzled, since Murray cod is a highly prized Australian fish that is readily available from fish farms, though it is disappearing in the wild. It has a lovely delicate earthy flavor; to get the best out of it we cook it in a sous-vide bag with a red wine and beet jus at 130 degrees Fahrenheit for 12 minutes, which results in an amazingly soft gelatinous texture. We serve it with caramelized tortellini of duck confit. It’s one of my favorite dishes.
So where was my Murray cod? The response was there just wasn’t enough water and feed for the farmers to keep up the supply.
Australia is suffering what some are calling its worst drought in 1,000 years, and the impact on our farmers, livestock and produce is catastrophic. Scientists have linked the six-year drought to the changing climate, and the dry spell has been especially hard on the Murray cod’s home, the Murray-Darling river basin in southeastern Australia, which provides 40 percent of the country’s food. Our water is slowly running out, and the effects are being felt by Australian chefs.
With irrigation restrictions in major farming districts and extreme heat damaging crops, smaller produce yields are forcing price increases. Cos lettuces (romaine to Americans) have quadrupled in cost. Potato and tomato market prices can double within a week. And the hard, brief downpours that punctuate long arid periods damage more delicate ingredients like English spinach and wild rocket (arugula). Our stone fruit has become either too watery or too floury, and either way tasteless.
The cost of feed and the lack of water is also crippling Australia’s meat and poultry industry and forcing prices up. The cost of lamb has fluctuated widely over the last six to nine months — by as much as 15 percent to 20 percent — particularly after a burst of rain.
The daily inconsistencies play havoc with restaurant margins, since we can’t suddenly increase menu prices without driving away customers. Restaurants are now absorbing the rising costs, but sooner or later something will have to give.
At my restaurant, Bécasse, we’ve had to become more flexible — quickly adjusting dishes depending on what’s available, and creating interesting dishes using unexpected cuts of meat. And while we’ve been adapting dishes, we’ve also been adapting ourselves. I was taught, and have encouraged other chefs, to seek out the best-looking produce from the most dedicated farmers and growers. But unfortunately, until recently, I made my choices with little regard for sustainability. In researching and writing my book I spent two years traveling around Australia talking to producers, and I could see first-hand the devastating effects of the water shortage.
So what can and should chefs not just in Australia but around the world do to help ease the food crisis, and to protect our land and produce? We must consider sustainability.
My restaurant’s menu takes into consideration particular farming practices and how they affect the environment. We understand more about our produce: where it is from, how it is farmed, raised or caught. Rather than buying from aquaculture farms that dredge their scallops from the ocean floor, for instance, I buy from ones where divers collect the scallops by hand.
Thinking this way is vital if chefs want to avoid a future where all of the best and most interesting produce are protected species. This means changing our practices and demanding that our suppliers change as well.
Unless we learn and act, all we can do is hope and look to the heavens. Interviewed recently about the latest round of irrigation restrictions for our farmers, our prime minister, John Howard, had only this advice: “Pray for rain.” The Murray cod deserves better than that, and so do all Australian food lovers.

Justin North is the chef and owner of the restaurant Bécasse and the author of the cookbook “Bécasse: Inspirations and Flavors.”

Desserts at City Club

2007-07-16T21:44:00.000-07:00

City Club, one of my many jobs and places where I get to know everyone in Boulder, had an event to discuss membership of their club and I was asked to create desserts. I made around six and photographed a couple. These are the best. One is the Lemon Poppy Seed Pound Cake and the other is a Clafloutis. In culinary school, when I worked at La Mirande, the grand hotel at the base of the Papal Palace in Avignon, I made Clafloutis for the staff meal for my first assignment. I recall following the directions in English/French with metric measurements and being so scared. Of not wanting to disappointment the hotel and restaurant staff-although I was such a lowly stagier I wasn't even allowed at the staff lunch. In the basement of this beautiful hotel, I made the clafloutis- mixed the almond flour, added the eggs and vanilla and frozen cherries then baked for the requisite time. To this day, I have no idea what I did, but the staff would find me and tell me I made the best clafloutis. After all these years of cooking I think they were kind to the scared girl. Perhaps it was true.... As my French chef, Daniel, would say in his broken English.... "Never we know. Now, we make a party."

My Birthday, no cooking allowed.

2007-07-13T18:09:00.000-07:00

This year, my good friend and housemate, Elizabeth, made a birthday cake for me- chocolate with chocolate frosting. While I raced around meeting friends and being taken out to breakfast, lunch AND dinner, she toiled over a cake. Little did she realize, I don't really eat sweets. Chips and salsa, yes. Pork, Bacon and Duck Fat- absolutely. Sugar, sometimes. Here' a tribute to her efforts. And pictures from our night on the town!

For the Love of Tomatoes!

2007-07-12T08:02:00.000-07:00

If I were fourteen and still a cheerleader, I would make a cheer about tomatoes. "Give me Basil. Give me Garlic! Chop! Chop! Chop! Add some tomatoes and you chop! Chop! Chop! Poor over pasta and it's H-E-A-V-E-N. Heaven. Delicious. Goooo Tomatoes!"

Instead, at 33, I will paste an article from the most recent Spectator discussing Tomato snobbery. I have to admit, I am a tomato snob. I only buy them in summer. I only buy ripe gorgeous, local ones. I will gladly spend 5.00/pound on some ugly heirloom at Whole Foods and will savour sprinkling ond of my ten choices of salt on top of said tomato. Then I will slurp the juices from the plate because a true tomato lover doesn't leave that sort of detail... one must slurp the juices collected on the plate. I would say it's the best bits of eating fresh, sliced tomatoes.....

Published in the current issue of The Spectator (spectator.co.uk)
14 July 2007

Tomato snobbism

Richard Sennett

It happened in New York. As I reached for a small basket of ‘heirloom tomatoes, Little Compton Farms’ I felt my lips curling slightly — was it out of pity or contempt? — on account of the poor soul next to me who had merely chosen ‘vine-ripened organic’. At the checkout counter the sun-ripened young woman ringing up my purchase favoured me with a warm, sympathetic smile. We happy few. Perhaps it is the same in Asprey or in a Bentley showroom as in a grocery store, but for whatever reason I was hooked; I had become a tomato snob.

Americans, especially New Yorkers, are prone to snobbism — far more so, in my experience, than Londoners, which is why a certain sort of Brit can make a life in New York out of a title or even just an accent. But the tomato’s origins did not seem to destine this vegetable for a fashionable life.

Originating in Latin America, the tomato migrated to Mexico, travelled with the conquistadores back to Europe, but did not become a food staple until the 18th century. It flourished both in the Iberian Peninsula and in Italy; Sephardic Jews from the Peninsula were more partial here to the tomato than Christian Brits, who did not really take to the tomato until the latter half of the 19th century. Today, the food industry uses it largely for tomato ketchup and tomato paste, but the tomato snob will have no truck with such bottles and tins.

As a general rule, you want your fresh tomato still attached to its stem or vine when you buy it, but even so you may be disappointed. Unless the tomato is really ripe, you are going to taste mostly acid, which is one reason for shelling out the tomato’s weight in gold at shops which source late-harvested vegetables. You want a dense tomato, which is why you’ll do best in a supermarket to buy plum tomatoes. The finest tomatoes I’ve ever found came from a fruit-and-veg shop in Rome run by an ex-communist party functionary; though sound on Lenin’s sins, he, too, was a tomato snob, claiming that only tomatoes grown on decayed lava soil near Naples have a sufficiently intense flavour.

This may be nonsense, for the tomato is an eminently adaptable plant, and is now classed by the EU as a ‘world vegetable’ (and so probably the subject of a thick book of rules and regulations). But there are some fairly classy things you can do with raw tomatoes, worthy of those grown on decayed lava.

The snob’s rule here is the same as that followed by the designers of the iPod and iPhone, elegant simplicity.

You can make a variation on the usual tomato salad, for instance: soak some mashed garlic cloves in salt and red-wine vinegar; while they bathe, peel and slice plum tomatoes, nest the slices in a dish, shred some basil leaves on the top, then pour the strained liquid plus olive oil over all. The genius of this preparation is to intensify the tomato’s flavour, like a dancer’s star turn.

I am very partial to a Niçoise way with tomatoes for lunch: cut them in half, scoop out the seed cases, then fill the halves with a mash of tuna and anchovies; dot the tops with capers and nest the filled tomatoes on watercress or lettuce. You have — of course — bought your capers packed in salt rather than swimming in a bottle of fluid; you have bought anchovies and Italian albacore tonno preserved in good oil. Rinse the capers well, drain the fish, and the tastes of the filled tomato will take care of themselves.

The higher echelons of elegant simplicity are reached with coulis de tomate. This is the raw vegetable passed through a food mill; you can’t shop at Whole Foods confidently without owning this simple, useful piece of kitchen kit. The food mill removes the skins and seeds of the tomato, leaving its pulpy, fragrant essence; the bitter taste of commercial, concentrated tomato paste is absent. Among the many uses for this vegetable nectar — in summer I like to freeze it in ice-cube trays, then float the tomato ice-cubes in soups of almost any sort — it looks and tastes great in crayfish or lobster bisques.

The warm smile of the young woman at the cash register has left me, today, only with the lesser pleasure of the tomato ice-cube. My snobbism has also receded in time, in concert with my hairline. But just as good may come out of evil, so culinary virtue may eventually issue from the gastronome’s curled lip of pity and/or contempt.

Garlic at the Community Gardens

2007-06-25T04:12:00.001-07:00

Elizabeth and I walked the Community Gardens last night. We caught a gorgeous sunset over Mt. Sanitas and discovered a large garlic patch. The garlic bulbs, some flowering, some with miniature cloves looking alien with scapes twisting against gravity, varying shades of green, swishes of purple and in my mind, a flurry of recipes: roasted garlic, whole cloves inside a roasting chicken, pesto with garlic and basil, garlic hummus, garlic sliced and baked on pizza, garlic bread with lasagna, roasted garlic mash potatoes, garlic timbales I made in culinary school, garlicky tapenade. I stood before the ingredient of my favorite meals. I wanted to grab all the bulbs I could hold, run home and cook, feverishly, until utterly exhausted and satiated of my garlic mania, I rested. Instead, we watched the sun slip behind the foothills and enjoyed a perfect Boulder evening.

Festival Funnel Cakes

2007-06-23T21:21:00.000-07:00

The attached recipe comes from one of my heroes, Alton Brown, the master of making food scientifically sexy and also delicious. I pulled the recipe from his notes on the Food Network. I attended my niece's 6th Birthday party and my Mom's 60th Birthday party celebrations this weekend. For part of the festivities, we attended an event/fair/carnival at Immaculate Heart of Mary. We feasted on corn on the cob, pulled pork sandwiches and funnel cakes with confectioner's sugar on top. Sinfully good, I think.

1 cup water
3/4 stick butter (6 tablespoons)
1 tablespoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup flour
1 cup eggs, about 4 large eggs and 2 whites
Vegetable oil, for frying

Powdered sugar, for topping. Boil water, butter, sugar, and salt together in a saucepan. Add flour and work it in until it is all incorporated and dough forms a ball. Transfer mixture to the bowl of a standing mixer and let cool for 3 to 4 minutes. With mixer lowest speed, add eggs, 1 at a time, making sure the first egg is completely incorporated before continuing. Once all eggs have been added and mixture is smooth, put dough in a piping bag fitted with a number 12 tip. Heat about 1 1/2 inches of oil in a heavy pan. Pipe dough into oil, making a free-form lattice pattern; cook until browned, flipping once. Remove cake from oil, drain on paper towels, and top with powdered sugar. Continue until all of the batter is used.

Boulder's Community Gardens

2007-06-18T21:15:00.000-07:00

Alex and I walked to the Community Gardens tonight. They are located a few blocks from home- behind the North Boulder Rec Center. This, our second visit and armed with cameras. I often walk to enjoy the views of Mt Sanitas, the vertical space of 20 acres of undeveloped land secreted away in the city and I'm awed by the delicate beauty of nature. Community Gardens (http://www.growinggardens.org/) has seven garden plots around the city- more than I was aware of. Full, half and quarter plots are available. The entire premise of the Community Gardens floors me: sharing of tools, selling of mulch and manure cheaply, volunteer projects teaching children to grow organic produce, fundraising dinners, garden plots at low-income shelters or Boulder's Homeless Shelter, and the education of residents towards valuing organic and fresh produce. The website is chock-o-block with information but what I love are the plots. The actual connection to the soil, the progression of seed to vine, to flower to vegetable to my mouth. I love walking the garden and seeing the personalities of the gardener, literally, come through the soil. Some gardeners have flowers, others tomato plants, raised beds of lettuce, garlic curlies, asparagus, celery. I saw plants growing for the first time, although I've been cooking with these ingredients for years! Did you know that asparagus left alone goes to seed and shoots almost 5 feet into the air with feathery flowers at the top? Or that celery looks like a tree when left unattended? I love salad beds and unmanageable, rambling pumpkin vines.

If There's Corn Silk in the Butter... It Must be Summer!

2007-06-14T22:49:00.002-07:00

The farmer's market in Boulder has been open over a month providing die hard gardener's with seeds, seedlings, tomato plants, flowers, etc. The foundation of a tasty, eventful summer begins.

Thinking about the market....We go full of expectation, anticipation, for what will be. Similar to the idea of every parent wanting his/her child to be the best- whether doctor, firefighter or teacher- so do gardener's wish the best for their garden. We have added mulch and manure, tilled and composted, raked and turned the humus and at last, we have earth (not dirt!) ready to accept whatever we deem worthy. This fertile earth shall bear the best fruits and veggies- our victory garden awaits. We feel our plants are invincible to tobacco fungus, hornworms, slugs. We decide on salsa gardens, heirloom gardens, rows of salad greens, only one zucchini plant this summer, pumpkins for the joy of it, peas, peppers, cucumbers, sunflowers. So many possibilities!

But June... oh June we get eager farmers trying to ply their cherries and peaches. Sometimes, there are tomatoes that aren't quite the jewels of August and September. We are equally eager hoping those early fruit bear a likeness to late season tomatoes. Disappointed, we return week after week- searching for the best, the freshest, the most memorable. What we do get in June are garlic scapes, asparagus, delicate, miniature greens and the first round of corn. My roommate actually said what I was thinking on the first day we grilled and bought corn "if the butter has silk it, it's must be summer and corn season". That silk is proof, bona fide evidence, that someone sat on a back stoop- it's always a stoop- shucked corn, grilled it, rubbed those plump kernels with butter, sprinkled with S&P then hungrily, greedily, ate every last kernel on the cob. Only after finishing do we care about the detritus on our cheeks, the grease across our chin. For some, table manners are cast aside as we reach for what we think is an already eaten cob and finish our friend's/sibling's corn. Bemoaning them for leaving the good bits. How could they! Each cob must be stripped to it's essence. We leave something resembling a cob after Wilber or Arnold ate. That's the way it should be. Devouring corn should not be taken lightly. We should marvel at the brilliance of the flavor and hope we get to enjoy corn again and again- lolling in butter all summer.

Grilled Pizza

2007-06-14T22:48:00.001-07:00

I made grilled Pizza for Majka and Joseph last Friday. Pizza's ingredients: grilled, chopped zucchini, plum tomatoes cut in half, slow sauteed red onion, flash sauteed key west shrimp, fresh mozzarella, sauteed mushrooms, basil, S&P and olive oil. I love grilled pizza. I love pizza that isn't just cheese and red sauce. I don't like pizza with chicken. Don't ask me... maybe I have some nightmarish issues with BBQ chicken on pizza from college. Shrimp on pizza's good. Grilled veggies are good. Cooking outside on a summer's evening is good for the soul.

First Annual Food Film Festival: NYC

2007-06-13T10:37:00.000-07:00

http://www.watertaxibeach.com/film/index.html

Salivate over the food on film and gorge yourself as well. Good thing one of the sponsors is NY Water Taxi- maybe they can carry you home after all the gluttony.

I watched the preview for "Asparagus: the Movie". (asaparagusthemovie.com) Great documentary about Oceana County in Michigan, the asparagus capital of the world, now facing the loss of farms and jobs because the American government is contracting out farming to South America encouraging Peruvians to grow asparagus instead of coca. Don't believe it? Check out the site. Watch the clip.

Pastry Shops in London

2007-06-12T09:53:00.000-07:00

"The fine arts are five in number, namely:
painting, sculpture, poetry,
music, and architecture, the principal branch
of the latter being pastry."

Antonin Carême (Marie-Antoine Carême) (1783-1833)

read the slogan....

2007-06-11T21:43:00.000-07:00

Oh the British humor...

Cakes. Gertrude Stein (from Tender Buttons)

2007-06-11T11:47:00.000-07:00

Cake cast in went to be and needles wine needles are such. This is today. A can experiment is that which makes a town, makes a town dirty, it is little please. We came back. Two bore, bore what, a mussed ash, ash when there is tin. This meant cake. It was a sign. Another time there was extra a hat pin sought long and this dark made a display. The result was yellow. A caution, not a caution to be. It is no use to cause a foolish number. A blanket stretch a cloud, a shame, all that bakery can tease, all that is beginning and yesterday yesterday we had it met. It means some change. No some day. A little leaf upon a scene an ocean any where there, a bland and likely in the stream a recollection green land. Why white.

London Sights

2007-06-11T09:52:00.000-07:00

Too much to digest in London. I had to nibble away at the scenes and historical places I stumbled over daily. This montage shows some of the highlights. St Giles-in-the-Fields Church, London Eye. Big Ben. Westminster Abbey, London Bridge and the dome of St. Paul's Cathedral. I'm lucky in each photo there's a little bit of Bob Ross' "happy little clouds".

Ode to Tomatoes, Pablo Neruda

2007-06-10T13:22:00.000-07:00

In culinary school I wrote a paper on tomatoes because I had to choose a topic from a prepared list. After commencing my research, I became interested in food as commodity, the way food provides a clear history of exploration, trade and the idea of a "world economy or influence"- in this example under that famous conquistador, Cortez. Through seed DNA, historical accounts, journals and our gardens, we know that tomatoes traveled to the Caribbean then to Spain and Italy but tomatoes were feared because they are a member of the nightshade family, therefore, in the US we rarely planted tomatoes until the 19C. Nothing to fear here, love. Add some olive oil, salt and pepper and let the juices run down your chin! P.S. Did you know Heritage farm in Iowa has 4500 varieties of this delicious fruit? Yes, fruit.

My essay on tomatoes began with the opening lines of this poem.

The street
filled with tomatoes,
midday,
summer,
light is
halved
like
a
tomato,
its juice
runs
through the streets.
In December,
unabated,
the tomato
invades
the kitchen,
it enters at lunchtime,
takes
its ease
on countertops,
among glasses,
butter dishes,
blue saltcellars.
It sheds
its own light,
benign majesty.
Unfortunately, we must
murder it:
the knife
sinks
into living flesh,
red
viscera
a cool
sun,
profound,
inexhaustible,
populates the salads
of Chile,
happily, it is wed
to the clear onion,
and to celebrate the union
we
pour
oil,
essential
child of the olive,
onto its halved hemispheres,
pepper
adds
its fragrance,
salt, its magnetism;
it is the wedding
of the day,
parsley
hoists
its flag,
potatoes
bubble vigorously,
the aroma
of the roast
knocks
at the door,
it's time!
come on!
and, on
the table, at the midpoint
of summer,
the tomato,
star of earth, recurrent
and fertile
star,
displays
its convolutions,
its canals,
its remarkable amplitude
and abundance,
no pit,
no husk,
no leaves or thorns,
the tomato offers
its gift
of fiery color
and cool completeness.

Croatia

2007-06-08T16:05:00.000-07:00

Opatalj. We tried finding this town on a few maps, to no avail. Actually asked a travel office where to find the secret/lost town and the employee brought out a map showing us where to find the invisible locale! It's fun to try explaining to a Croatian - with limited English - about a town you want to visit, but can't find. Jokes, such as the invisible part, don't go over well. When we did arrive, we discovered a beautiful, medieval, hilltop town and a tasting room to smack and sip and nibble on olive oils, wine and cured meats. Wandering the town at sunset, M. and I found this carved cow.

Porec. Before heading to Opatalj, we spent the

afternoon lounging on the Adriatic one last time. Whereas the first time M. asked me to join him in the ocean and I was frightened; on this day, I jumped in so spontaneously, I startled him. Such exhilaration!!

Russian made car at the vineyard we visited, just sitting in the shade beside the vines.

Patrick's Seven Course Meal

2007-06-08T00:29:00.000-07:00

My last weekend in London, I offered to make a birthday dinner for M. and his friend's: Gugu and Patrick, who recently celebrated a birthday. Somehow we decided on a seven course meal. I think I was feeling confident and M. was feeling hungry- hence so many plates. Simple offerings, really. I had a wonderful time cooking, eating, sharing and creating. I was reminded of why I love cooking so much- I love the feeling of giving of yourself to another person, or persons. I'm never happier. The tomatoes I found at Borough Market were ripe, juicy, super sweet and fragrant. I added only olive oil and fresh pepper and good sea salt. The prawns were poached in a fumet with Pernod (anise-flavored liquor) with lemon juice and salt and pepper. The prawns were served on sauteed fennel with a splash of Pernod and also sweet pea puree. I bought M. the salad bowl as a surprise birthday/thank you for the hospitality gift. I loved the ash, the rings and details and was sad to part with the bowl I had grown so attached to while deciding. I thought the pansies were a beautiful addition. Each vol-au-vent dessert had the dinner guests first initial on the lid- made of puff pastry. Also, figs stuffed with Roquefort. I introduced M. to the combination of dried figs with cheese, particularly Roquefort and he loved it.

Croatia. May 2007

2007-06-06T11:20:00.003-07:00

Pictures from our trip to Croatia. We drove inland to the center of the Istrian Peninsula and discovered Gastro heaven! Cured meats, cheese, wine, olive oil, figs, fresh fruit and vegetables and decadent truffles- the Peninsula is a replica of Provence and Tuscany. We found a vineyard one day just by driving down a road and looking for a hand painted sign reading "agrotourism". Stopped in, tasted many wines- delicious chardonnay, teran (Croatian grape varietal), and walked the vineyard. There's been speculation for the last twenty years about the origin of zinfandel grapes, entire books/travel logs have been written of the possible origins of the grape along the Dalmatian coast. California Zinfandel wine lovers be damned! That beloved grape may have come from my motherland. Croatian wines were delicious, inexpensive and omnipresent. Even the owner of the home we rented a room (in Motovun) spent his evenings with his grapes after working at the local gas station.
The first picture is of the truffle pasta (of those gorgeous fungus!) we enjoyed at the vineyard. A photo of young grapes on the vine, those were chardonnay grapes and third is of the roof tiles l fell in love with. Yes, CU has similar roofs on campus buildings, but in Croatia the colors and varying textures are even more beautiful and interesting.

Meringue Heaven

2007-06-05T22:41:00.000-07:00

Sitting in St. James Park, London. Lavender meringue. yum.

2007-06-05T01:25:00.000-07:00

Here Kitty. Kitty. Kitty

2007-06-02T10:09:00.000-07:00

The cat's growling mouth
he delicately lingers
noshes green, sweet grass

Borough Market- "Food Porn"

2007-06-02T09:42:00.000-07:00

Borough Market- the food lover's destination in London. Open Fridays and Saturdays only in a building underneath a train line. There is an intermittent rumbling at the market, and while most visitors assume it's their stomach falling into paroxysms of culinary overload, it's only a train. I heard a romantic story of how Borough Market was saved from demolition and continues its tenuous existence despite the fears and possibility of becoming another statistic of "old building replaced. Old way of life replaced with newer, shoddy condos/retail space". I have to ask, who doesn't love a little food porn in their day?

Ahh... Venice

2007-06-01T22:59:00.000-07:00

Fly Fishing Article in Active Cities Magazine

2007-06-01T20:15:00.000-07:00

http://activecitiesusa.com/node/244

Architectural Features

2007-06-01T15:36:00.000-07:00

When the doors of perception are cleansed, man will see things as they truly are, infinite.
William Blake (1757 - 1827)

Flip Flops!

2007-06-01T12:50:00.000-07:00

ONOMATOPOEIAS. Orange. Cool. Easy. Summer. Cinderella shoes. Memories. Must Wear Daily.

Healthy Eating in Winter- Active Cities Magazine

2007-01-01T20:17:00.000-07:00

http://activecitiesusa.com/?q=node/152

Iquitos, Peru

2006-12-31T21:29:00.000-07:00

This village is on stilts. During the wet season, the Amazon, pregnant with rainwater, floods and expands until rising to the floors of the thatch roof homes. The town becomes a downtrodden Venice- all transportation and commerce occurs by boat/canoe. Trade occurs at your dock/front door. But I wonder, what happens to the countless cats and dogs living in the village?

My first view of the Amazon Basin.

2006-12-31T20:09:00.000-07:00

I arrived in Iquitos, Peru at night. Driving in a taxi-ico- an open, mo-ped contraption from the airport, breathing the hot, humid, fetid, yet organic air, I felt the heat dissolving the last of my energy- the last of my anticipation to experience another new event. Even while moving 30 mph, the breeze was hot and damp, leaving a just sponged feel to my skin. At first light, I left my hostel and walked towards a beautiful promenade- similar to what I'd expect to find at Coney Island or Venice Beach. At the edge of this promenade, where people walked lazily and nearly zombie-like in the early morning light, they stopped to admire this view. Civilization literally ended at this concrete barrier and the Amazon Basin began- just as beaches are the gateway to the vast ocean, so this promenade was the gateway to the vast waterways of the Amazon and it's tributaries. This photo was taken on that promenade, at the edge. Behind me horns honked, market stalls were erected for the day, hustlers gathered on street corners discussing football matches, tourists flipped through the Lonely Planet guide book deciding which eco-lodge to stay and me, little me, looked out onto this view and nearly wept at the insignificance of it all.

Why did I photograph this? Seven times?

2006-12-31T19:50:00.000-07:00

Looking at old travel photos, I found this from my trip to South America- on the beach at Pisco, Peru. I had disembarked from a tour of the "Poor Man's Galapagos"- an area rich in biodiversity, birds, seals, etc. But lacking the credibility of the world's most famous biologist performing research there... But I keep asking, why did I take so many photos of this damn pelican on a run down boat?

South Boulder Creek, Winter 2006

2006-12-31T18:17:00.001-07:00

At the start of the Mesa Trail at Eldorado Springs, the trail passes over a creek. This was the view looking down on the creek. Beautiful.

Active Cities: My First Podcast

2006-12-31T13:03:00.000-07:00