Only a Little Butter

Grilled Asparagus With Orange and Thyme

2013-06-21T02:00:00.002-05:00

Something I love about the beginning of summer is the start of the Farmers Markets. Walking through the stands looking for the best of each item really makes me happy.

One of the best things I've done is frequent the same farms for the same items once I've found my favorites. Shoot, one of the stands I visit was placing bets on how many pounds I'd buy (for my brussels sprouts, okay?).

With that being said I've found my favorite Asparagus and a great recipe to go along with it.

Grilled Asparagus With Orange and Thyme

Ingredients:
1 bunch asparagus, ends trimmed (use thicker asparagus)
4 tbsp butter (or however much will work), melted
zest of 1 orange
3-4 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves picked
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Directions
Build a medium fire in your grill the way you normally would (preheat coals, clean and oil grates).
After melting the butter in the microwave add the zest of one orange and the thyme leaves, salt, pepper and stir together
On a plate or in a dish, mix the butter and asparagus to coat.
Put asparagus on the grill. Make sure to lay the asparagus opposite the grates so they don't fall through.
Cook for 2-3 minutes without disturbing. do make sure they don't burn, but let them develop a char.
Use tongs to flip the asparagus (so you don't burn yourself). Leave to cook for 2-3 more minutes and turn again. Repeat until cooked through, about 8-10 minutes all told, and pull off the grill when cooked through. Taste and reseason with salt and pepper.

Talk about Pinteresting! And a little honesty.

2013-05-26T16:06:00.001-05:00

So lately, while I haven't been posting here, I have been filling my time with Pinterest. Have you heard of it? Of course you have.

What I mean is how obsessed with the site are you? I am Very very obsessed.

I find a lot of serenity in searching for recipes and am constantly transcribing recipes into my own handwritingI seem to retain the information better if I've written it down myself-.

So to share my love of Pinterest (and get me posting more often) I have chosen to start yet another Series.

This one however will be scheduled. How does Bi-monthly sound?

Good.

Introducing: Things I've Found Pinteresting!

I'll be sharing things that I've either pinned recently or found interesting on the interwebz!

1.

Pinterest says this is called the Mallory Necklace, I'm not saying that you shouldn't buy it. I'm just pretty sure that I could make this.

2.

Tell me how this sounds: Salted Brown butter rice crispy treats. ::Drool:: yeah. Thinking of making them soon since the weather is warming up. Have you had anything with browned butter? It's so delicious.

3.

The delicatessen that I work at sells the most delicious amaretti cookies to pair with these Peaches poached in Prosecco. Although I have to admit, I would probably swap out the prosecco for my favorite extra dry champagne.

4.

This blog. Just in general. Plus the pictures are hilarious. Even though I'm not really trying to eat healthfully or anything like that I am trying to cut down on my soda intake...

This movie. Have you seen it? SLC Punk. This picture popped up on Pinterest when I was browsing. Reminded me how much I love Heroin Bob. Classic. Just Classic.

I have actually made this salmon before. Pan Seared Honey Glazed Salmon with Browned Butter Lime Sauce. It is insanely delicious. It's a little bit difficult to make since the honey gets everywhere and my pan it sort of got stuck in. But the recipe is great!

This picture caught my eye right away on Pinterest. I can't find a pattern for it that's free (because I'm sort of cheap that way) so I might just have to figure it out myself. :(

8.

Grilled Hawaiian Chicken has been sounding more and more delicious. Especially when paired with coconut rice and grilled broccoli.

9.

These pictures. They both look so gorgeous! I love Nature and the Galaxies in all their splendor and beauty, and these pics capture just that.

10.

Little Coconut Cream Pies. Now this is something I'm sure the BoyfriENT wouldn't mind me making! -edit from boyfriENT- HELLS YEAH!

ALRIGHT>>> a small add on.

I've been hoping this portion of the post would start itself for a few weeks now.

My last few months have more than beat me down. And while I'm beginning to feel like I'm finally recharging I'm constantly worried I'll end up in the same place or in a worse one.

To people who know me, think they know me, want to know me: Hyperbole and a Half has posted the best explanation of what I've been going through feels like.

I've been trying to figure out a way to link to her post and have it not be in an alarming fashion for a while now. It really is ridiculously perfect and the first time I read it I laughed and cried at the same time (awww). But really there hasn't been a more real or complete written experience of depression that struck me so strongly.

Crispy Roasted Broccoli

2013-04-28T15:14:00.003-05:00

I may have a problem. I LOVE broccoli. Like, a lot.

I have probably 7 different techniques in my arsenal for preparing broccoli, one of them being the way that a certain Casual Dining Chain Restaurant uses to make their broccoli! I'm also known to tuck broccoli into frozen meals or box meals (Shocked? Yeah it happens... I get lazy.)

I have to say though, I probably scrolled past this technique about 25 times on Pinterest.

Something about the picture being used, or disbelief that preheating a sheet pan was all it took to really make that crispy roasted edge while not completely overcooking the vegetable!

Then, I gave in, when I opened the picture on Pinterest (in a new tab, when I Pinterest I don't mess around!) and saw the source link was pointing towards the good people at Cooks Illustrated I immediately went forward to the recipe! The amazing Cooks Illustrated Roasted Broccoli!

Cooks Illustrated and America's Test Kitchen have a whole staff of people who will test and test a recipe to find the best, most fool-proof way to cook!

The only problem with this recipe and my world is that my oven is a P.O.S. Really. The original recipe says to put your oven to 500° F. My oven can make it to about 450 and then can maintain about 400. :(

I just roast the broccoli a wee bit longer... but that only makes it a wee more crispy! Not a problem for me!

I am including this in my new series for more basic recipes. Maybe that's a bad way to describe it.

This series is going to be called Cooking School and it will be a way to show more essential cooking skills like how to roast vegetables, the basics of how to prepare proteins.

SO! Saying that, is there anything that you're afraid to do? Cook a steak on the grill? Bake a chicken breast? Make potato gnocchi? I'll figure it out so you don't have to.

Make as much or as little as you need. As long as your pan is large enough and you don't pack it full it should be fine!

Oven Roasted Broccoli
Slightly Adapted from Cooks Illustrated

1 large head broccoli (about 1 3/4 pounds)
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon table salt
Ground black pepper
Red pepper flakes (optional)
Lemon wedges (optional)

Adjust your oven rack to the lowest rack setting, place a large rimmed baking sheet on rack (to preheat), and heat oven to 500° (or as high as it will go).
While the oven is preheating, trim the broccoli. Use a vegetable peeler and peel the tougher, outer peel off the broccoli. It will get tough in the oven. Cut broccoli where the stalk meets the flourets. Cut the head in half, then cut into wedges (either 4 or 6 depending on the size.)
Put the pieces into a large bowl and drizzle with olive oil and toss well until evenly coated. Season with salt, pepper and red pepper flake if using. Toss to combine.
When the oven is preheated, get your bowl of broccoli and work quickly and get your broccoli on your pan. Just pull the pan a little out of the oven and just dump the broccoli onto it. Then give it a little shake.
Roast the broccoli for 9-11 minutes or until tender and browned on the bottom. Transfer to a bowl or plate and serve immediately.

Center-Pull Yarn Balls

2013-04-12T01:14:00.002-05:00

Haha. The title makes me giggle. Sorry, showing my immaturity.

Moving along!

So today I'll be showing you how to take a skein of yarn, like the yellow on the left, and turn it into a much easier-to-store yarn ball, like the blue on the right!

If you go through yarn like I do, winding your yarn into balls is a far easier way to store WIP (Work In Progress) yarn, or leftover yarn. This is what I do when I have a project in mind for the yarn already, what I'm working on, or my leftovers.

Another reason that this Center Pull ball is useful would be in the strange instance you need two strands (or four like in the basket below) you would be able to pull from the center and the outside to keep a better gauge on yardage used!

Kept neatly in CAT balls, my fancy yarn will fit snugly in this snazzy basket I made!

SO, to start off, release the ends of your yarn. Try and use the center string if your yarn unravels that way, but more often than not they don't. In this picture the string coming out of the Left side would be the center pull.

Pull a little bit out to get it started. So there isn't too much tension on the yarn. Usually I find a knot in the first 10 yards or so. You actually can see the knot starting to pull out in the picture above. Just unravel it and move along! Nothing to see here.

Lay the yarn across your hand. I lodge the yarn between a couple of my fingers so that it stays put. I cut my poor index finger! I will have to say I love my Mickey Mouse band-aids. I just happen to hone my knives to razor points. Distraction is my worst enemy. ANYWAYS!!

Just a little detail of how I get started. Make sure the yarn stays pretty much between these two fingers. Since this was a brand new skein of yarn I probably should have started with three fingers buuuuut it worked out just fine.

Wrap the yarn about 10 to 20 times, or until you feel you have a pretty decent base layer. Just take care to keep a hold on that center pull of yarn. that string hanging between your fingers is your lifeline. From here you're going to want to start crisscrossing the yarn.

Same as before, about 10-20 reps each time to help build a good base. I would think the other reason for starting like this would be so that the ball will be sort of uniform in shape. Alternate between the top/bottom area of your fingers and the sides (which I biffed taking a picture of.).

Once you've gone over the center, crisscrossing the yarn in larger bunches you can begin to wrap in more random patterns. I usually start from top to bottom, then around the middle, then finally bottom to top.

I also have an example with three fingers used. A few more rounds (top to bottom, around the middle, then bottom to top) is probably as far as I would go with three fingers.

Slowly remove your index finger (or if one of your other fingers is shorter, remove that one) and reshape the ball if it has gotten out of shape. The boyfriENT said to post this picture because you can see my tattoo :)

Continue in the same fashion. Just keep an eye on the shape and how close to the opening on the bottom you get. As the ball gets larger the more risk you have of a slip off (where the yarn slips off the ball itself).

After series of random patters I slip back into larger blocks. I don't know why.

Progress. Those last two shots were taken one right after another. Seriously.

Not to bore you with the super repetitive but continue the same way. When you get near the end start wrapping in blocks again.

So that you can tuck the end under the last large block

Slip the whole ball off your fingers and reshape a bit.

Give a good tug at the center string to make sure it's coming out okay.

Push the yarn back into into it's space, leaving a tail.

So that's it!

I have only a little bit more to go. HAHA!

The scallop patterned UFO (UnFinished Object) is a pair of leggings that I won't even get to wear because my feet are evil! So the sock yarn next to it (the colorful one) is for my pair once I figure out how to amend the pattern. UGH!

A video that more than helped me out was this one below. Start it at 1:06 if you want to skip the unraveling a skein of yarn bit. I don't come into much contact with that type of yarn.

Baked potato envy

2013-04-01T16:05:00.002-05:00

Can I made it clear how much I love pinterest? Seriously, it sparks my creativity in ways I can't even describe.There are so many creative people out there that get to share their passions. Hell, I've even picked up crocheting! I'm making a pair of leggings right now (holy wow a huge project).

Focus Lauren! This is supposed to be a post about a Potato!

A few weeks ago I saw a pin that boasted it was "how to make a perfect baked potato...". Honestly, it's just a potato. Here is the original post The Perfect Baked Potato. Mindy has some great tips on why picking individual potatoes is better and a very detailed step by step for how to!

For exactly the same reasons, I always loved ordering potatoes at Outback Steakhouse. They just seemed so much fluffier than anything that I could create at home and Mindy got the technique down pat. I have heard from some insiders that they coat the potatoes at Outback with bacon grease but ya know if you have it around why not?

Preheat your oven to 400 Degrees F and in the meanwhile rub the outsides of the potatoes with olive oil (or bacon grease) and coarse kosher salt. Place directly on the racks and cook for 1 hour turning half way through time.

Perforate the top of your potato with a fork... a lot... like more than this. Almost all the way cut but not.... no reason other than aesthetics.

WHAAH! Look at that! There was steam just POURING out of this potato! Just Squeeze the sides of the potato and kind of push in and up to make it open up.

I'm a cheater. I always fluff and season the inside of the potato with salt before I add any toppings. Otherwise I add too much salt and it doesn't seem to distribute. Have I mentioned I'm a weirdo?

I baked this potato for the express purpose of sharing it with whoever the hell reads this blog so it's dressed super simply as my lunch that day. I have been known to load these potatoes with Baked chicken, roasted broccoli, shredded cheese, chopped bacon, and sour cream. Ha. That was an amazing potato!

I always associated potatoes with Mitch Hedberg.

"It takes forever to cook a baked potato in a conventional oven. Sometimes I just throw one in there, even if I don't want one. Cause by the time it's done, who knows?"

After finding this recipe, I would wait all day for one of these potatoes!

Boasting of my Coasters

2013-04-01T15:24:00.000-05:00

So I want to share with you some coasters I made of sheer necessity.

I know what you're thinking, "Coasters? Really?" Well, the boyfriENT got a new computer desk recently and I would hate to leave a ring from a glass!

Plus, I haven't seen a cool coaster set except for some very adorable options on pinterest. The failure rate is much too high there and I wasn't willing to run to Home Depot for something this easy.

All you'll need is:

Jute (I used #28, the thinner kind)

Low temperature hot glue gun.

So it's as simple as forming a coil and hot gluing along the way!

Starting the coil is the most frustrating portion of this whole endeavor.

Just make sure that the center is all matted down so it doesn't ever fray apart.

Trick of the trade? Hot glue along the coil rather than along the free jute so you have a wee more control. Also, please have horrible cracked off nail polish... Clearly I am not That girly. HAHA.

Got a little help from the boyfriENT to take a photo of the gluing. Notice I'm gluing along the coil. Also notice my tattoo on my middle finger that I'm so in love with but I have to get touched up as soon as it's healed! Oi! Oi! Oi!

To Finish off each coil use a little extra glue and secure the extra frays and smooth out.

I double stack them because I'm insane and like I said, I'd hate to leave a ring on this beautiful desk.

I whipped these out while watching a marathon of fluffy reality tv!

Break up the routine! I bet these would be gorgeous on a patio table or at someones cabin *hint hint*

Finding the little things to make you smile

2013-03-28T12:19:00.000-05:00

Clear mug lets me see the beans!

Sometimes it's little things that make me smile. Obnoxiously bright eyeshadow. Winged eyeliner. The smell of coffee.

Unfortunately I'm a weird combination of coffee snob and lazy where I don't really drink brewed coffee or put on makeup on a regular basis. But I do drink a four shot raspberry mocha (light on syrup, skim if I feel like being bossy!) And have been known to wear some pretty awesomely colored makeup (pat myself on the back, thank you!)

SO! To soothe my savage soul (drama this morning I apologize) I saw this awesome little tidbit on Pinterest that was perfect!

Since my makeup brushes were getting my makeup case all grody. (BTW, who still uses this word? Any hands? Okay I'll put mine down.) I stopped my my local big box store and picked up the following:

a clear glass mug

coffee beans that smell good to you

So Simple even I can accomplish it!

I got some kind of Hawaiian coffee for mine.(ooo fancy!) It honestly could be just someone those glass pebbles if you didn't want to use coffee. It makes my fingers smell lovely!

The only downside so far is the oils from the coffee beans will stick to the brushes. My brushes are mostly the bamboo ecotools so I rub the coffee oils into the brush handles and my cuticles (they always need moisture don't they). Mind you I have no idea that this does any good I just tell myself it does and put o

n my blush.

I do find that since it's intriguing, sorta neat, and it smells good the boyfriENT is more than happy to retrieve this mug for me when I'm feeling lazy!

It's the little things people!

Risotto Bianco

2013-03-25T16:18:00.000-05:00

Doesn't that look delicious?

Risotto is just one of those calming things for me. I love every single thing about it. The simplicity of it allows amazing ingredients to shine. The process of making risotto lets me decompress from my day, reconnect with the boyfriENT, or just focus on making a perfect dish.

While today was a little from column a and b rather than c I am always impressed by the balance of flavors and textures no matter if it's perfect or not.

I don't remember how long ago we learned how to make this dish because over time I've adapted it to my tastes. I think I may use more wine or vermouth (honestly use whichever is on hand or more within your budget) than mostly recipes call for but I cook it all the way into the rice before adding any stock so the alcohol doesn't linger.

This is a recipe where the quality of the ingredients really make a difference so use the best you can afford. I usually splurge on the rice and the Parmesan I get an keep on hand all the time so thats a little easier. Rice I usually have to go to a different grocery store but for me that makes this dish just a little more special!

Now do not fear the risotto. Make it your bitch, really! Cook it over medium low heat to maintain control. I stir it frequently enough that the stock stays pretty evenly distributed throughout but by no means constantly.

Unsalted vs salted butter, doesn't matter. Just season accordingly. I've found though, what does matter is preshredded parmesan vs freshly microplaned (I'll explain this in a later post) parmesan. There's something in the preshredded stuff that makes the risotto set up a bit more. Just be aware. I've been known to use both myself, but it isn't "perfect" when I do.

Enjoy this amazing recipe. I know I do!

Risotto Bianco

1/4 cup shallot, finely chopped
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cup Arborio rice
2/3 cup white wine
3-4 cups chicken stock
1 cup water (optional)
5 tbsp butter, cubed
1/3-1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper, to taste

In a heavy bottomed, high sided saute pan or Dutch oven, over medium heat, slowly sweat the shallots until they are just starting to golden around the edges. Add the rice and quickly stir to coat in oil. Toast rice and shallot mixture for 2-3 minutes more or until shallots throughout rice are an even golden color.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan add all of the chicken stock. Put over medium high heat until at a simmer and then turn down to low (do not boil.)

Add wine (or dry vermouth if you prefer) to the pan (it will steam up a little bit, don't worry. Stir the rice and wine together. If the mix bubbles too much turn down to medium low. Stir pretty frequently until wine has been mostly absorbed.

Start adding the stock in two ladle doses. After each addition stir and cook until stock has been mostly absorbed. Keep at a very low simmer. The faster the simmer the more often you'll have to stir. After 2 additions of stock, taste rice for doneness and seasoning. Season with salt and pepper to taste. If chicken stock is running low add water to the pot.

Continue adding stock, in one ladle doses now. Keep tasting for doneness. You want the rice to be al dente, like pasta, with just a little bit of chew to it. Do not season more until the end, since the Parmesan has a salty quality to it as well.

When your rice reaches the right texture turn off the heat and add the Parmesan and butter and stir until melted. Taste. Season to your taste. Is it delicious? You're welcome.

A welcome post!

2013-03-24T15:18:00.001-05:00

So however you have happened upon my blog, (even though it was probably me telling you to come and visit me here ;)) I welcome you!
I've been thinking about starting a blog and gave been prodded gently by my coworkers and boyfriENT to get this started.

The spread I'm hoping to present to you will include recipes I've either had a lot of success with or been inspired to to create myself, crafty projects I've had the get up and go to accomplished, and finally funny or interesting tidbits I've learned across the interweb.

Please give me input into these beginning phases, I have no knowledge in what's okay and not so I appreciate feedback.

So without further ado:
Only a Little Butter!