roasted potato halves with 7 minute egg (and a few other simple pleasures)

I love the weekends for resting- for slowing down, sipping my cup of coffee with dogs snuggled at my feet, playing around in the kitchen, long phone calls with family, and feeling that sense of "centered" calm.

Over the holidays, I felt like I was finally able to return to myself- the last few months have been so harried and frankly, 2013 was not a good year. I do not usually go in for new years resolutions, but this year I am committed to keeping some of the calm and peace from the holiday break in my everyday life.

One of the things that has helped me keep hold of peace and being centered is taking regular walks with my husband and the dogs. We got a second dachshund over Christmas (I'll post pictures of him here in the future. He is an absolute sweetheart.) We wake up around 6:30am, feed the dogs breakfast and hit the neighborhood by 6:50am. We live in an old neighborhood- that is, homes that were all built over 40 years ago. It's a great unpretentious neighborhood with families and lots of other dogs and cats. In the evenings, we regularly see possums and, unfortunately, skunks too.

In the morning, the edge of the skyline is like dipped water color paper- the gray blue of early morning now tinged with peach orange of sunlight. The birds are awake and a few other dog walkers, but for the most part it is quiet and still. One of the great things about living in an old neighborhood is that each house has evolved it's own character, both in terms of building structure and plant life- chain link fences that ceased to be chain link when they became covered over with bougainvillea. There is one section of the street that boasts orange, light pink and hot pink bougainvillea all barely restrained by fencing, pouring over the top of the walls. On another street, plain block wall is blanketed by purple morning glory. In January everyone's bird of paradise are in full bloom. I nearly walked right into a hummingbird this morning feeding on some flowery bush jutting out into the sidewalk. Oh, and the camelia tree's. In June we will have jacarandas but now we have camelia's.

This is also the time of year when the citrus trees are producing. So many of the houses have old lemon, lime or grapefruit trees. It still amazes me to see them growing in yards next to concrete driveways and kitchen windows.

It is a regular neighborhood but I love it's coziness and diverse style. From the way I am writing you might think it is a fancy neighborhood, but I can assure you, it is not. And I love it all the more for that. I love the quirky yards and the daily walks are so nourishing. It helps clear my head and gives my husband and I a chance to really visit. Sometimes we talk about trivial things and other times we can have meaningful conversation. All the while, the dogs march along side. Lots of people stop and wave because the sight of two darling dachshunds is too much fun and I like that we can bring some cheer just by being out in the neighborhood.

One of the other things that is helping me right now is just cooking. And by 'just cooking' I mean, making meals even when I haven't gone grocery shopping and all that is in the house seems to be a hodgepodge of ingredients. But there is so much satisfaction from pulling that hodgepodge together. I also think that after being on a computer for a good portion of the day for work, I crave tactile tasks. The other night I mopped my kitchen floor and it just felt so lovely to have a task in front of me that I could understand the full measure and width of.

But back to cooking, I am talking about very simple stuff. For example, this roasted half potato with a 7 minute egg. It does not get more basic than potatoes and eggs but isn't the magic of cooking that by treating ingredients in a special way, they become more than the sum of their parts?

This roasted half potato is basically like a giant hash brown. But instead of chopping potatoes into cubes and blanching, etc, they are just halved and placed cut side down on a baking sheet with melted butter. Walk away for 30 minutes, open the mail, unload the dishwasher, stick a load of laundry in and then come back and boil an egg. While the egg boils, slice up some scallions (or not), pull the sizzling potatoes from the oven, squidge the perfectly cooked egg on top of a potato wedge- letting the golden yolk puddle out- and salt and pepper all. So very simple but in some ways more nourishing than braving the 5:30pm dinner rush hour at the grocery store to return home with yes, fresh groceries, but also exhausted.

So, that is what I am up to these days- taking care of myself and my family and trying to be a little more purposeful about it. Really stopping to ask myself, 'what do I need right now?' What I find is that it helps me give permission for what I really need, instead of skirting around the issue and filling that need in an unsatisfactory way (mindless TV watching, instagram bingeing etc.) I also find most often that the answer to what I really need is simple things- a good walk in the neighborhood and a home cooked meal.

roasted potato halves

This recipe is from the blog Smitten Kitchen. Everything Deb makes I immediately want to make and since these potatoes were posted back in November, I have made them several times. Less time than a full on baked potato and infinitely less work than mashed potatoes, I think they fit a nice weekday space (or just as easily, weekend brunch). The original recipe calls for a parsley leaf on each potato, which is lovely, but on a weeknight, I just cannot manage the extra effort.

3 tablespoons butter
3-4 russet potatoes, well scrubbed and cut in half lengthwise
salt

1) Pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees. (yes, very hot.)

2) Once potatoes are scrubbed and cut, pat all sides dry with paper towel or clean kitchen towel. Put the cookie sheet in the oven with the butter on it. It takes about 60 seconds for the butter to melt. Once the butter is melted, pull the cookie sheet from the oven and sort of tip the sheet around so that the butter coats the surface.

3) Liberally salt the cut side of the potatoes and place, cut side down, on the cookie sheet. Makes sure each half has a nice layer of melted butter under it. Roast potatoes for 30-35 minutes, until fork tender and cut side is nicely crisped.

7 minute egg

I think a 6 minute egg is the traditional soft boiled egg, but I like my yolk a little less runny.

fresh eggs
salt
pepper

1) Heat a small pot of water until a rolling boil. (You want enough water in there to cover the egg).

2) Once the boil is going, lower the egg into the water, put the lid on the pot and set the timer for 7 minutes.

3) As soon as 7 minutes hits, pull the egg out of the water, place in a separate bowl, and put the bowl in the sink and run cold water over the egg for a few minutes.

4) Once the egg shell has cooled down enough to touch, gently peel the shell off the egg. (I always find this a bit tricky as the egg itself is still pretty soft in the center. So, in general, I boil one more egg than I need as a spare in case I split one open while peeling.)

shredded brussels sprouts salad

Please just pretend to ignore the mound of cheesy potatoes in the picture above and instead focus on the brussels sprout salad in the lower right hand corner. It is equally as good and far more likely to make the menu cut now that we have entered the new year.

Like a more elegant cousin to cabbage, brussels sprouts are good both roasted and shredded in a salad. I would argue shredded brussels sprouts hold their own a bit better in a salad and do not wilt quite as much. The result is plenty of crunch factor to enjoy.

I love to buy brussels sprouts on the stalk- it is like a bit of theater in the produce aisle to see them stacked up on one another. As common as they have become, during my last grocery store checkout, the customer behind me politely asked what it was I was purchasing. This led to a whole discussion on brussels sprouts and how best to cook them. (I always like it when food helps us connect to one another).

When I buy these, I have to be careful when I bring the groceries in to quickly put the brussels sprout stalk away- one time I left the grocery bag on the floor for a few minutes and much to my surprise my mini-dachshund Harriet grabbed ahold of one end of the protruding stalk and made off with one of the green globes.

I generally roast these up with pancetta until crisped but in December we joined friends for a casual dinner one evening (soup and salad and gingerbread house decorating) and I thought a nice vinaigrette slaw of sorts would be a good contrast to all the heavy food around the holidays. It was and we liked the dish so much that I included it with our New Years day ham dinner.

The recipe is from a blog called Alaska From Scratch and from the write up, sounds like it is based on a recipe originally from Michael Chiarello. I love the bright vinaigrette and accents of sharp cheese. I have made this recipe both with the bacon and without (when served with the ham dinner, I omitted the bacon.)

shredded brussels sprouts salad

juice from 1 lemon
juice from 1 orange
1 large shallot, minced
1/3-1/2 cup olive oil (original recipe calls for 1/2 cup, my preference was for a little less)
salt and pepper
6 slices cooked bacon, crumbled (optional)
2 dozen brussels sprouts, stems removed
1 cup sliced almonds, roughly chopped
1 cup pecorino-romano cheese, fresh grated

1) Cut each brussels sprout in half and use a large butcher knife to finely chop to shred.

2) Place the shredded sprouts, almonds, cheese and bacon in a large bowl.

3) In a separate smaller bowl, whisk together the lemon and orange juice, shallot and stream in the olive oil. Whisk together until emulsified. Add salt and pepper to taste (if including the bacon, be easy on the salt.)

4) Add the vinaigrette to the salad and toss to coat. Give a quick taste to check for seasonings. Refrigerate until ready to use. Will keep for a couple of days in the fridge.

banners and bulbs for the new year

Are you like me and both love taking down the Christmas decorations to have the clean slate of your home back but also miss the festivity of the lights and accessories?
My mom used to hang pink fairy lights on our very oversized houseplants through February. After all, it would still get dark pretty early in the evening and the extra lights help keep the winter blues at bay.

Besides keeping Christmas/fairy lights up longer, here are two of my projects this winter: forced bulbs and small banners.

Forced Bulbs
Forcing bulbs is nothing new and there are lots of forced amaryllis and paperwhite bulbs that start showing up in December. Indeed, I think they make a good addition to traditional Christmas decor- the fresh green shoots are a nice contrast to all the pine trees and holly. But, I also think it is lovely to carry the look into the new year- does anything symbolize the hope and optimism of a new year like the fresh sprouts of a plant?

There are lots of online sources for how to force bulbs. I put some bulbs right at the rim of the jar and others at the base- to give it a terrarium look. I used whatever pickle, jam and olive jars I had around and washed up some rocks from the back yard.

A good friend of mine showed me how to do forced bulbs a few years back. In truth, there may be a little difficulty finding the bulbs this far into winter (I found mine in the clearance bin at the local gardening store- the low price being an extra bonus). The bulbs I am forcing include amaryllis, narcissus, and grape hyacinth. The small bulbs of the grape hyacinth in particular are shooting up seemingly right before my eyes. This is a very easy project and one I think even kids would like.

Small Banners
I love to live with printed words around me- my house is filled with stacks of books and quotes on post-it notes stuck to edges of picture frames. I created this oversized chalkboard for capturing menu's and quotes- really any written inspiration.

A few weeks back, I put together a couple of banners on a Saturday- the one pictured below has a favorite Mary Oliver poem written across the note cards. It is pretty basic- just some yarn and note cards. It would be fun to dress up with ribbon and maybe customize the paper with watercolors. I like that you can go as simple or as involved as you please.

For placement, I draped this banner across the frame of the entry way mirror, but it could just as easily be tacked up on a wall or pinned up on a bookcase/dresser.

As far as content, poems (some of my favorites are in the 2013 blog archives), quotes collected from books (or pinterest), or even new year goals and resolutions are all sources I thought about for this project.

I would love to hear the ways you keep the the house cheery through the winter!

classic cinnamon rolls

Here is the cinnamon roll that I love - the classic one that is a gorgeous puff of leavened dough, striped with cinnamon and a light glaze. It is more roll than sugary dessert and, aside from the classic swirl shape, bears little resemblance to those horrible processed, mass produced kind.

This is the cinnamon roll that I dream of when I walk into a bakery and is best with a large mug of coffee. And mug it must be as this is no dainty breakfast scone or timid tea cake.

As a kid, I remember lots of homemade cinnamon rolls for my mom's women's church group meetings. It was always disappointing to discover raisins stuffed in among the folds of sweet dough. I knew that if I made cinnamon rolls, I would never include raisins. This is a promise I have continued in my life (we get so few chances to fulfill our own childhood vows) and so the recipe below is raisin-less.

In general, I think there is a good deal of anxiety about recipes that call for using yeast. It used to be that if I read a recipe and anything in the first step included something like 'dissolve yeast', I would move right along.

But, as usual, my greed for food eventually overwhelmed my insecurity and uncertainty of dealing with yeast. As I learned, working with it is not really that big of a deal- a decent recipe will walk through it and while I may not be winning any contests at the local fair, the results far exceed any popped can product. For a friends baby shower brunch, I once made 72 cinnamon rolls. I felt it was such a nice substantial contribution to the buffet table as a homemade roll has real heft to it. (To pull it off, I was also borrowing pyrex pans for everyone I knew.)

The truly great thing about this recipe is that the last dough rising can be done overnight in the refrigerator. This means the dough and the 1st rise can be put together on a Saturday afternoon and the only Sunday morning responsibilities are sliding the pans into the oven for baking. For this reason, I would like to nominate these rolls for any New Years Day breakfast/brunch you may be hosting/attending. You can put them together plenty early on New Years Eve and when folks finally start moving about to the next morning (ahem, afternoon), there will be with this amazing, magical cinnamon smell wafting from the kitchen.  Also, please include large mugs of coffee.

(Do you see the lovely yellow crocheted pot holders above? My mom sent me those for my Christmas stocking. I love having such personalized touches around the house. Thank you mom!)

This recipe is from Betty Crocker and makes 24 rolls

classic cinnamon rolls

2 packages active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water (105-115 degrees, basically the hottest water from my sink)
2 cups very warm milk (120-130 degrees, I microwaved the milk for two minutes)
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
1 egg
6 1/2 to 7 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons butter, softened (just a little softer than room temperature) plus extra for buttering pans
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Powdered Sugar Frosting (see further below)

1) The very first thing is to heat and measure water in one liquid measuring cup and the milk in another. The very easiest way to do this is with a candy thermometer. These can be easily picked up at a well stocked grocery store or on Amazon. But, if you do not have a candy thermometer, you may still be able to get away with it (I think I made these for a couple of years before I had a candy thermometer)- the water temperature is basically the hottest water from my kitchen sink faucet and the milk temperature is reached after microwaving for 1 minute, stirring and microwaving again for 1 more minute. (I know- between the yeast and the candy thermometer I may have lost you by now, but once these little items are mastered a whole realm of new dishes becomes accessible!)

2) In a the bowl of mixer fitted with the hook attachment, add the warm water and then sprinkle the yeast over. As soon as the yeast hits the water, you'll start to smell it. Turn the mixer to low and add the warm milk, 1/3 cup sugar, the oil, baking powder, salt, egg and 3 cups of the flour. Beat until smooth (may need to kick the mixer speed up by one notch for just a little bit.)

3) Start adding the remaining 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 cups of flour- one cup at a time. As soon as the dough is easy to handle (not too sticky, has come together in a ball), dump the dough out onto a well-floured surface. Then, knead the dough for about 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Basically the smooth and elastic means the dough doesn't have large floury shaggy bits.

4) Butter a large bowl and place the kneaded dough inside. Take care to sort of roll the dough in the butter and then turn the buttered side up. Cover it with a clean dish towel and let it rise in a warm place about 1 1/2 hours or until it doubles in size. (Growing up, this is where my mom would put the dough on a kitchen stool in front of the fire place. I usually put it near a warm sunny window- not in direct sunlight, but by the window that has the most heat generating from it.) The dough will be ready if when you poke it with a finger, the indentation remains.

5) Sometime while the dough is rising, mix 1/2 cup sugar with the cinnamon. Also, just before the dough is ready, prep your baking pans. I butter two 9 by 13 pyrex dishes for the rolls.

6) Wrestle the risen dough from the large bowl onto a lightly floured surface and divide it in half. Use at first your hands and then a rolling pin to flatten one of the dough halves into a rectangle approximately 12 by 10 inches. Take 2 tablespoons of butter and spread over the dough. Sprinkle evenly (as best you can), half of the cinnamon sugar mixture. Next, roll the dough up, starting with the 12-inch side. Once you've reached the end, pinch the edge of the dough into the roll to seal it up. Gently stretch and shape until your roll is even.

7) Cut the roll into 12 slices and place each slice slightly apart into 3 rows of 4 on the pan. I have terrible spatial reasoning and the easiest way I have found of evenly slicing the dough is to first cut the dough roll log in half - then, each of those halves need to equal 6 rolls, so I cut each half in half again. Now I have 4 mini dough logs and I just cut each of those into thirds.

8) Repeat steps 6 and 7 with the 2nd half of the dough. Once both pans are done, wrap with aluminum foil. Refrigerate at least 12 hours but not longer than 24 hours. (If you're ready to bake immediately and do not want to leave in the fridge overnight, do not wrap the rolls up. Let the rolls rise in the pans in a warm place for about 30 minutes or until double in size.)

9) Heat oven to 350 degrees. Remove foil from pan and bake 27 to 30 minutes or until golden. Remove rolls from oven and frost with powdered sugar frosting while warm.

Powdered Sugar Frosting

2 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons real maple syrup (optional)

Whisk all of the above ingredients together until smooth. I like the addition of maple syrup to the glaze but not everyone does.

Happy November!

Are you as excited about Thanksgiving as I am? It is my favorite holiday. (Also, the day after Thanksgiving is the best post-holiday day of the year too.)

I love how straightforward the holiday is- it is about a great meal and being thankful. Last night I started to read this book on Thanksgiving. Made me even more excited ! For dinner, I may or may not have made a big pan of roasted brussel sprouts just like the ones pictured above.

I am always curious, what is your favorite dish for Thanksgiving?
I find people tend to be pretty fanatical about the sides and the way they're prepared. I love that too ! For example, my sisters and I are obsessed with green bean casserole. Any other day of the year, you'd be hard pressed to find me with canned green beans and cream of mushroom soup in my kitchen, but on Thanksgiving? I triple that casserole dish up. It makes the best leftovers. I am giddy just thinking about it. Would love to hear all about your Thanksgiving traditions!

stewed lentils with yogurt and cucumber

Woke up this morning to the most beautiful gray sky and evidence of an early morning rain. These are the transitional So Cal mornings I live for- when the heat of our late late summer is on it's way out and fall/winter (or our version of it) is on it's way in.

So, I present this dish as also a nice transitional meal: warm spiced lentils (cozy and comforting) with a cooling topping of cucumber and greek yogurt (bright and sharp). It is a perfect marriage of contrasting flavors and textures but still all at once a great fall meal. Plus, it all comes together quickly for a weeknight supper.

This recipe is from the Martha Stewart cookbook "Meatless".

stewed lentils with yogurt and cucumber

stewed lentils:
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup diced yellow onion
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger
1 teaspoon turmeric
2 cups dried red lentils, picked over and rinsed
5 cups chicken stock or water
coarse salt

cucumber salsa-ish topping:
2 scallions, sliced on bias
1 cup diced english cucumber
1/4 - 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon white vinegar
coarse salt

for serving:
plain greek yogurt
basmati rice

1) For the lentils: Heat a medium sized dutch oven over medium heat. Add olive oil and once it is hot, add onion and cook, until just starting to turn translucent, about 4 minutes. Then add garlic and ginger and cook 2 more minutes. Stir in turmeric and cumin and cook, stirring, for about 1 minute. At this point you'll have a wonderful gingery garlic fragrance wafting in the kitchen. Be sure to watch the heat so that the garlic doesn't scorch.

2) Add the 5 cups chicken stock (or water) and add it slowly, stirring the whole time to scrap up the bits off the bottom of the pan. Add the lentils, bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to a nice simmer and partially cover. Cook until the lentils are tender and mixture thickens up (about 15-20 minutes). Once mixture is cooked, taste, and add salt if needed.

3) While the lentils simmer away, start work on the salsa. Scrub the english cucumber and, if you prefer, remove the peel. (I actually like the skin on for english cucumbers. Gives it a bit more of a snap). You're welcome to use a regular cucumber, but would recommend peeling and de-seeding. To the cucumber, add the scallions, cilantro, and vinegar. Season with salt and give it a big stir.

4) To serve, scoop a little rice into each bowl and top with a generous ladle of lentils. Top with a dollop of yogurt and helping of the cucumber salsa-ish topping. Enjoy!

soft pumpkin cookies with cinnamon cream cheese frosting

This is the second cookie from this past weekends Fall cookie-palooza. It is almost less cookie and more the top off of a pumpkin cupcake. Soft, tender pumpkin cookie topped with a creamy cinnamon spiked frosting? Pumpkin perfection, please. It is one of those recipes that make you glad to not be using your oven for storing sweaters.

We made this cookie at my dear friends recommendation- she said it was one of her husbands favorites. Well, now it is one of my husbands favorites too.

The recipe is from the blog, The Baker Chick (here.) This the first recipe I have made from this blog, but it turned out so wonderfully, I am pretty sure I'll be bookmarking this one for future inspiration. 

soft pumpkin cookies with cinnamon cream cheese frosting

soft pumpkin cookies:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg (fresh ground if you can swing it)

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 cups white sugar

1 cup canned pumpkin puree

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

cinnamon cream cheese frosting: 

1/2 cup softened butter

1/2 cup softened cream cheese

3 cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

For the cookies:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, and salt; set aside.

2) In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Then, to the butter/sugar mixture, add pumpkin, egg, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Mix until creamy. Slowly add in the dry ingredients.

3) This is a very soft dough (almost reminded me of soft serve ice cream). I found it easiest to use my small ice cream scoop to portion the dough out on parchment lined baking sheets.

4) Bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit for a few minutes on the cookie sheet, then transfer to a cookie rack to cool. 

For the frosting: 

5) In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and cream cheese together. (It is very important both the cream cheese and butter are at room temperature. Otherwise, good luck.)

6) Slowly add powdered sugar and mix until frosting is thick and smooth. Add vanilla and cinnamon.

7) Once cookies have cooled, spread with frosting.