a five year plan

new year, new adventures.

2012-01-09T16:00:00.000-05:00

2011 was a year of changes and challenges.

I left one job and started a new one in a rebounding industry. I ran two half marathons. I realized just how much I enjoy spending my free time pursuing culinary endeavors. I just about convinced my husband that a quaint 2 acre plot with raised garden beds and a few chickens is a good idea. (Still working on getting him fully on board with the pastoral life.)

2012 is shaping up to be a continuation of last year's challenges. I'm still working quite a bit. While this is the time of year where long hours are inevitable, I'm hoping that things can slow down enough where I don't have to feel (strangely) guilty about taking time off. We've been putting off our honeymoon for going on two years. It's about time we take the trip that we've earned. I'm ready for an adventure and a change of scenery. I know Tommy is too. He's been busting his butt to finish his manuscript and prep for the pivotal fourth year review this spring. It's high time we took a vacation. Running-wise, this is the year where I take on the marathon. You heard it here first kids. I'm going to go for it this year. 26.2! Fuck yeah. Location has yet to be determined, but training is going to start as soon as year-end is through at work.

On the culinary front, I'm hoping to continue my kitchen misadventures and pick up some new techniques and be a bit more adventurous. It's time to shake off last year and spice up this one. It's time to be bold. To really nail down the basics. To shake off the culinary fears that have held me back. No dish will be overlooked. I'm thinking a little Diana Kennedy and Julia Child are in order. What could be more adventurous than French cooking? It's certainly something I've never delved into.

My only other hope for 2012 is that I don't get sucked into any more teen-centric vampire shows/films. You see, in between my marathon baking efforts, I was also binging on junk food television. I'm fully hooked on The Vampire Diaries. It took me a while to figure out why the hell I couldn't stop watching it, and then I realized: the show is produced by Kevin Williamson, the same guy who brought Dawson's Creek to screen. Ugh, I'm embarrassed to admit that I like the show as much as I do. I thought I had higher standards. (But I don't!) Ah well. Not nearly as embarrassing as Twilight...which I also inexplicably like. Ugh.

Anyway, here's to the start of a new year and all of the adventures that are bound to ensue.

au revoir 2011

2012-01-08T20:36:00.000-05:00

How was your holiday season? Good, I hope. Over here in my slice of the Midwest, there was a whole lot of baking going on.

Holiday cookies and Christmas croissants! Can you believe I made croissants?! Those bad boys were a heck of a lot of work (and waiting) but they were sooooo worth it. I'd make them again in a heartbeat. Our freezer is currently housing the overflow of dough for both peanut butter and chocolate chip cookies. That's how much baking I did over the holidays. I obviously favored the homemade Christmas gift for our friends this year. Christmas was pretty quiet, being just the Mister and me, but not having to travel over the holidays was pretty great. Being with our families would have been better, but we were lucky enough to have them visit In November and December. We enjoyed our first solo Christmas with a French inspired breakfast, presents, going to the movies, and a nice roast dinner at home.

Oh, and the New Year?

Ours was pretty fantastic. And Foxy. I made our masks and styled us for our friends' NYE party. I was in it to win it. The coveted Least Sucky Costume Award was ours! The bonus part? Our costumes for next Halloween are taken care of way in advance.

More to come!

Time. Flies.

2011-12-05T21:17:00.000-05:00

I blinked and the summer was over.

I blinked again and winter was creeping up on the Ohio landscape.

Life has gone by in a flash. I've been buried under my work for the past 3 months. Just when I feel like I can come up for air and take a breath, another wave just crashes over me. Long days at the office, going in before it's light out and leaving after dark, has meant that I've met my deadlines but had to let other things fall by the wayside. That's exactly what's happened here. Putting in nearly 70 hours a week hasn't left me much time to indulge my own pursuits. And when I'm not working, I'm trying to spend time with my equally overworked husband (who's trying to complete his book manuscript and coming up on the pivotal "4th year review), and getting the hell out of the house to see our friends. I really only have time to cook on weekend evenings, and it kills me. But that also means it's left me with little to write about.

I did, however, manage to sneak in a half marathon amidst all this work malarky.

See the before? It was 5 am and I'm way too pumped for that early in the morning for Tommy. All I'm thinking is "I'm going to kick this half marathon's ass!"

Aaaaand the after. Tommy and our friends Heather and Di cheered me on as I approached the finish line. After nabbing my medal and super cool solar blanket, T snapped this photo. I ran the last mile with a stitch in my side, a blister on the ball of my foot, and a fierce determination to beat my fucking 2 hour goal. The result? Some soreness...and a new personal record: 1:54.

That was back in October. It's December now. DECEMBER. Christmas music is running rampant. Cheery decorations are everywhere. But with the holidays come parties*, food**, and merriment. Once this month end is done with in 10 days, I'm off for an unprecedented 2 days! Can you believe it? It's going to be the best two days everrrr. Of course, my family will also be in from California, which will contribute to the long weekend's greatness. It's been about a year since T and I have seen them, and we're very much looking forward to their visit.

There's plenty of stuff that's gone on in the in-between. T and I are still planning to buy a house. I still want chickens and a few acres. We hosted Thanksgiving. My turkey came out picture perfect and we got our friends drunk. I put Moz on a diet. I've been listening to Andrew Bird pretty much non-stop. We made some decor improvements to the apartment. I'm contemplating a full marathon next year. Tommy is continuing to wow them on the Modernism circuit (obviously). He's thinking of going on the market next year if the right position comes up. All in all, general thinking about the future sort of shit.

So it goes. 2011 has had its ups and downs...but I won't complain.

* Our friend's are hosting a New Year's Eve costume party. We are going to win. I promise a post on our super cool costumes.
** This year I will be cooking up Christmas gifts for our friends and my co-workers. Recipes and photos will follow.

P.S. This post is dedicated to Jami. After I read her post today, she inspired me to put down my tumbler of whiskey and get typing. Well done ma'am.

my sweet mexico: agua de jamaica

2011-08-29T20:56:00.001-04:00

Oh. Hey there!

Soooo, this is me making just the slightest attempt at blogging before work and the long holiday start to weigh me down with both responsibility and the desire to squeeze in all the fun I can into three days.

I also just realized that it's damn near September and my summer just flew by. Soon enough the weather will be getting cooler, leaves will start changing color, and it'll be time to turn back the clocks an hour... But! Until that time actually gets here, I'm going to hold on to all things summery for as long as I can. And what helps me do that? Jamaica, of course! The floral and tart flavor of this summer drink is perfect for cooling your tongue after eating one too many tacos drenched in chile.

Agua de Jamaica

2 C dried hibiscus flowers

8 C water

1/2 - 3/4 C sugar

Dried hibiscus flowers can generally be found in most Latin American grocery stores. In choosing them, try to find the flowers that are the least brittle. Overly dry flowers will create more sediment and the flavor will be less robust. Bring your water to a boil and add the flowers. Reduce the heat and allow to simmer until the water has taken on a deep purple hue and the tart, floral flavor of the hibiscus, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and add the sugar to reach your desired level of sweetness. Serve chilled.

Note: If your hibiscus flowers are very dry and brittle, your can cut down on the sediment by straining the tea, while still warm, through a coffee filter before adding your sugar.

P.S. I need a real camera already. This iPhone stuff isn't cutting it.

P.P.S. I've been running a lot too! If I'm not completely wiped from all this work hubbaloo, I'll tell you all about it.

P.P.S.S. Have you really read this far? You get a bonus prize: What happened when Ralph Waldo Emerson drank too much? He started Thoreau-ing up! Ahahaha! (Oh, is that only funny to a nerd like me?)

my sweet mexico: chocoflan

2011-08-15T10:10:00.002-04:00

This post is looooong delayed. I made chocoflan (also known as flan imposible) around 4th of July weekend, for a friend's cook out. When I was skimming through my copy of My Sweet Mexico by Fany Gerson, I couldn't help but think that I needed to make something incredibly indulgent that shouldn't be kept in the house - I have a dangerous sweet tooth. Chocoflan, with it's rich layer of custard and light, moist chocolate cake, seemed like the perfect dessert to enjoy with a large crowd of people.

And oh wow.

It was delicious. But there's something kind of magical about this dessert. You see, the cake batter goes into your pan first, and it's topped with the flan mixture...but when you go to check your cake after a bit, all you can see is the cake! The flan and cake switch places! Amazing! (Okay, enough with the exclamation points.) Topped with homemade cajeta, or goat's milk caramel, this is the sort of treat that'll make me throw my runner's diet out the window.

I ran into a bit of a snag as I looked at Gerson's recipe: I couldn't find an adequately high sided cake pan. The best I could do was a bundt pan, which turned out to be fine - it just made a lot of cake. But when is that EVER a bad thing? This recipe is an amalgamation of Rick Bayless' chocolate cake batter and my mother's plain flan recipe.

Flan Imposible (generously serves 12)

For the cake:

5 oz (10 T) butter, softened
1 C sugar
1 egg
3 T espresso
1 3/4 C all-purpose flour
3/4 t baking powder
3/4 t baking soda
1/3 C plus 1 T cocoa powder
9 oz buttermilk

For the flan:

12 oz evaporated milk

14 oz sweetened condensed milk

5 eggs

1 T vanilla extract

For the cajeta:

4 C goat's milk* (cow's milk will also work)

1 C sugar

1 vanilla bean or 1 T pure vanilla extract

1/4 t baking soda, dissolved in 1 T water

1/4 t salt

To prepare the cajeta: Combine the milk, sugar, and salt in a tall, heavy-duty saucepan. If using a vanilla bean, scrape the bean into the pot and add the pod. If using extract, do not add yet. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Once boiling, remove from heat and add baking soda mixture. Stir very carefully as it will bubble and steam up. Once the bubbling has subsided, return to the heat. Adjust heat so the mixture is at a constant simmer, stirring often. Once it has begun to reduce and turned a golden color, stir more often and pay more attention. Cook until it the consistency is thick and the color is a dark caramel. Remove from heat. If using vanilla extract, add it now. Allow the cajeta to cool before using. It will become darker and stickier as it cools.

To prepare the chocoflan: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. With a mixer, beat the butter and sugar at medium-high speed until light in color and texture. Beat in the egg and espresso. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and cocoa. Beat in about 1/2 of the flour mixture, at medium-low speed, followed by 1/2 of the buttermilk. Repeat. Scrape the bowl, raise the speed to medium-high and beat for 1 minute until fully incorporated. Set aside.

In a blender, add the eggs, sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, and vanilla and blend until there are no visible lumps.

Pour about 1/4 C of the cooled cajeta into a bundt pan. Swirl the cajeta so that it coats the sides and edges of the cake pan. *This is key! As it will make the chocoflan easier to unmold.* Pour your cake batter into the pan, ensuring it is evenly distributed. Very carefully pour the flan mixture over the cake batter. Loosely cover with aluminum foil. Set the cake pan in a large roasting pan and add approximately 1" of water to bake in a bain marie. Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool slightly before unmolding. To unmold, gently shake the sides of the pan to loosen the edges. Place a large platter over the pan and quickly flip over the mold. (At this point, it can be refrigerated or served warm based on your preference.) Pour half of the remaining cajeta over the chocoflan before serving, reserving the other half for guests to top as they please.

Enjoy!

* Note: Goat's milk adds a wonderfully subtle musky, grassy flavor to the cajeta. While cow's milk can be substituted, it should be high quality (for you Central Ohioans: think Snowville Creamery).

the diana kennedy chronicles: escabeche

2011-08-11T08:40:00.001-04:00

My little garden patch is just now starting to sprout some summer goodness. With a more jalapeños and cubanelle peppers than I could eat on my own, there was only one thing to do: make escabeche!

For the uninitiated, escabeche is pickled jalapeños, garlic, onions, carrots, and sometimes cauliflower. The spicy and acidic bite serves a gastronomic purpose in Mexican cuisine. Sure, those enchiladas and tacos de lengua taste delicious on their own...but couple it with a bite of sharp and spicy jalapeños, and it's on another level. Trust me. For whatever reason though, I've never seen it on the tables of the Mexican restaurants I've dined in in Columbus. Granted, I don't go out to eat Mexican food very often because the dishes I crave are never done very well. Like my mom always said, "If you want something done right, you've got to do it yourself."

Of course, when I told her I'd made escabeche, she called me a "gourmand." Psssh. Hardly! I just like to eat.

Escabeche de jalapeños:

1 lb jalapeño or serrano peppers

2 medium carrots, peeled

5 cloves garlic, unpeeled

1/2 large white or yellow onion, thickly sliced

1/4 cup vegetable oil

2 cups white vinegar

1/2 t dried oregano

2 bay leaves

2 t salt

1/2 t dried thyme

3 sterilized half pint jars

If leaving the peppers whole (stems intact), cut a cross in the bottom of the peppers to allow the oil and vinegar to penetrate. Alternatively, they can be cut in half lengthwise. Heat the oil in a large, deep skillet and add the vegetables. Fry over medium heat for about 10 minutes, turning occasionally. Add the vinegar, salt, and herbs, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer until the vegetables are cooked through - about 5 minutes for serranos and 10 minutes for jalapeños. Pack the jars with the vegetables and chiles, top with the liquid from the skillet and seal. They should keep for up to a month in the fridge.

frijoles de la olla

2011-08-09T20:40:00.000-04:00

There are some evenings when nothing else but a favorite childhood dish will do. One of the first dishes my mother taught me was frijoles de la olla. Simple, flavorful, hearty, and slowly simmered pinto beans. When I was a broke, vegetarian grad student, I was eating frijoles at least once a week.

Every so often I pull out my massive copy of The Essential Cuisines of Mexico and browse through its recipes. I'll dogear the pages for cochinita pibil, empanadas de requesón, or pato en mole verde knowing that one day I'll tackle their complex and lengthy preparations. But sometimes you just want something simple, that isn't going to have you running around town searching for ingredients and can be enjoyed on a weeknight. I tend to think of frijoles de la olla as a blank canvas. While they can certainly stand on their own, simple additions of sliced avocado, crumbled queso fresco, crema Mexicana, or escabeche (pickled chiles and vegetables) transform the dish.

Frijoles de la olla:

1 lb dried pinto beans, rinsed and sorted

1/2 large white or yellow onion

1 dried ancho chile

1 t ground cumin

1/2 t ground pepper

salt, to taste

In a large, heavy bottomed pot, add the beans and cover with 2" of water. Cover and bring to a boil. Once at a rapid boil, lower the flame to medium-low and leave the lid slightly ajar. Cook for 30 minutes. Once the initial cooking time has elapsed, drain the beans into a colander. Place beans back into the pot and cover once again with fresh water. Add the halved onion, ancho chile, cumin and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until the beans are soft, about 1 hour*. Midway through, add salt to taste - in order to allow the other flavors to develop. Discard onion and chile prior to serving. Serve with warm corn tortillas and garnishes of your choice. (You can't beat queso fresco and avocado, but chopped onion and cilantro are also wonderful.)

* I've found that prepackaged beans from the supermarket always take longer to cook. Beans sold in bulk bins generally have been sitting on the shelf for less time.

radio silence

2011-07-13T21:08:00.000-04:00

It's been quite a while, hasn't it?

I've realized that sitting at a desk for the better part of a day actually working isn't very conducive to coming home and sitting at a desk to type out a blog post. You see, at my old gig, I had the luxury of an office. My down time was spent browsing my Google Reader and writing up posts. Now, in my cubicle in a corner of a shared office space with little privacy*, it's not so kosher... and they've pretty much got Gmail and Reader on lockdown. {sad trombone} Oh, that and my husband hogs the fancy schmancy desktop computer that we bought about a month back. It's awesome. I love it. But he's always using it for his work. Apparently he doesn't understand that I need to keep up with my style blogs.

So? What the hell have I been doing?! Well, mostly spending my evenings reading, occasionally browsing the web for houses**, gardening, going to weddings, drinking less, running more, and enjoying the company of my husband. As it stands, he's currently across the Atlantic digging through boxes of archival materials for a chapter in his book. And while he's away, I'm suddenly finding myself with an urge to whip up some food posts. In fact, I've got a few on the back burner right now, all they need are photos. Running-wise, I just signed up for another half marathon in October and I'm really excited about it! I've been running distance with more regularity (even though this heat has been a killer) and the goal is to finish in 2 hours.

So there you have it. I'll be finishing up a few posts that discuss the strangeness of cooking for one, garden progress photos - including a recipe using the fresh from the garden peppers, and a for a dessert that's truly magical.

* I'm really glad that I took this position. I'm sure everyone goes through a brief period of self-doubt when facing a risk and new situation professionally, but I made the right choice. This is the kind of straightforward accounting that I enjoy.

** One of the things I'm really looking forward to in the next year is buying our first house. I've made it very clear to my husband that what I really, really want is ample space to plant lots of fruits, vegetables, herbs, keep a few hens, and eventually build a greenhouse and add a few more animals. I just went and got all pastoral on you, eh? Bet you didn't see that coming!

clear eyes. full hearts.

2011-05-09T20:35:00.000-04:00

CAN'T LOSE!

And just like that, the past four months of training paid off. I met my personal goal of completing the half marathon in 2:10. Now, I'm not going to set any distance records anytime soon or quit my day job to run marathons, but the goal was to prove to myself that I could do this. I've never been very athletic (some would even say coordinated), but running is a solitary exercise that doesn't require throwing, catching, or kicking a ball. The day of the half, I was just a teensy bit nervous and kept having to remind myself to start off slow and keep a steady pace. The energy of the crowd was amazing, both the runners and everyone cheering along the way. It was so neat to see my friends along the course, and to have my husband cheering me on as I sprinted to the finish line. I'll tell ya though, as tough as that last mile was...I couldn't help but smile all the way because I'd done it.

And guess what? I'm hooked. I love running. I'm already on the lookout for more races*, and setting a new challenge for myself now that I've made it this far. Onward ho.

*Any local resources would be much appreciated!

for mother's day.

2011-05-08T20:11:00.000-04:00

I would not be anywhere had it not been for this woman. My mom is generous, incredibly intelligent, funny, and doesn't take lip from anyone...especially my sassy self. She taught me to stand up for what I believe in, to dream big, and that hard work and love were the keys to success. Thank you for being the amazing woman that you are Mom. I love ya. I can only hope to be as wonderful of a mother to my future children as you were to me.

casual fridays: vol. 14

2011-05-06T08:27:00.003-04:00

I was going to write up a recipe post last night about the tomato-cashew curry sauce I made a while back. For those of you Columbusites who've dined at local organic eatery Northstar Cafe, I figured out how to make the tasty, tasty sauce that tops their veggie korma bowl. And then I lost the scrap of paper that had the recipe on it! D'oh!

I'll find that dang scrap of paper soon enough, but for now...it's Friday! Seeing as how I'm starting a new job very soon, I'm digging on some fly new work clothes. Who says career wear had to be dull?!

Source: piperlime.gap.com via mrs. on Pinterest

Source: madewell.com via mrs. on Pinterest

Source: piperlime.gap.com via mrs. on Pinterest

Source: madewell.com via mrs. on Pinterest

Source: piperlime.gap.com via mrs. on Pinterest

Source: madewell.com via mrs. on Pinterest

Aaaaaand...of course everyone's tired of hearing about this: half marathon tomorrow! Woohoo.

libations: the negroni

2011-05-04T20:39:00.000-04:00

I'm trying to convince myself that it's actually spring in the Midwest. Just the other day I swapped out my winter wardrobe for spring and summer...and of course the very next day the high temp was 49!

Dear Ohio,
It's May. Get with the program already.
xoxo,
Maya

Regardless of the actual weather status, I'm trying to convince myself that spring is here and the season for grilling and backyard entertaining is upon us. And I'm doing it with Negronis. I wasn't initially a fan of the bitter and sweet libation when I first sampled it at a local bar. The other day as I browsed through the New York Times Food and Dining sections, however, the classic drink caught my eye again. Orange wedges marinated in sweet vermouth and grilled before being muddled with Campari and topped with sparkling white wine? Umm, yes please! Before I jumped into this new take on the Negroni, I figured it was a good idea to revisit the classic.

El Hubs mixed one up for me this weekend, and they're quickly becoming my go-to beverage to wind down with in the evenings. I'm crushing on this classic:

The Negroni
1 oz gin
1 oz sweet vermouth
1 oz Campari

Combine the ingredients in an iced cocktail shaker. Stir well. Serve in a tumbler over fresh ice with a sliver of orange peel. So good!

sunday six - may 1st

2011-05-01T21:58:00.000-04:00

Ah, Sundays. The end of an old week, and the beginnings of a new one. And so we come to new beginnings...and a new job. Excitement, nerves, and readiness for a new opportunity have set in and I'm ready for a fresh start. You know what else is setting in? The fact that my half marathon is less than a week away! Eeep! I'm really excited and happy that I've stuck with my training program for the past few months. Hopefully this sore knee quits aching by next Saturday so that I can run 13 miles without a hitch. Until then, I'll just take it easy, keep it iced, and hope for the best come Saturday.

I'm ready. Let's do this thang.

casual fridays: vol. 13

2011-04-29T08:22:00.001-04:00

Ok - work stuff aside, let's get back to the fun stuff. With the weather supposedly turning to spring (if only this incessant Midwest rain would stop), I'm in the mood for sweets! I'm in the mood to bake this weekend. Oh, and I can't wait until summer hits and we can grill out with friends and enjoy delicious paletas, jamaica, horchata, and helados. Mmmmm.

Source: bakersroyale.com via mrs. on Pinterest

Source: saveur.com via mrs. on Pinterest

Source: diamondsfordessert.blogspot.com via mrs. on Pinterest

Source: saveur.com via mrs. on Pinterest

Phew. Thank goodness for Fridays!

fight song

2011-04-28T20:19:00.000-04:00

What a crazy two weeks it's been. Shake-ups, break-ups, and wake-ups. I won't go into too much detail about the madness that quickly consumed my professional life in the recent past, but let's just say that I'm grateful and happy to have such a great husband to support me. Between tiresome, stressful, and anxious days - for the both of us - and evenings spent vacationing in Dillon, TX*, I haven't taken the time to update this space in a while. Now that skies begun to clear, my urge to write is back in action.

Things are about to change...I'm optimistic that it's for the best.

*Sidenote: Totally and utterly obsessed with Friday Night Lights. It's the ONLY thing the Hubs and I have been watching in the evenings. So much so that I'm ordering a Dillon Panthers football t-shirt and a scouring the web for a "I <3 Matt Saracen" button.

sunday six - april 10th

2011-04-10T21:42:00.001-04:00

My husband studies Modernism. One of the aspects of his studies that I find intriguing was the Modernists' fascination with everyday life. As an ode to that, and to start getting better at documenting things, I'm starting a new weekly post: Sunday Six. A week of photos that attempt to capture the spirit of the everyday. I tend to think that it's the little things that can really make your day.

casual fridays: vol. 12

2011-04-08T08:23:00.000-04:00

In this edition of Casual Fridays, I'm showing my love for Columbus by featuring some new items from my favorite shop: Tigertree!

I've featured their wares before, but the new items they posted on their blog today are all about the cute factor.

Source: shoptigertree.com via mrs. on Pinterest

If you're in the Short North neighborhood of Columbus, pop into Tigertree. A fantastic selection of clothes, accessories (Orla Kiely bags! Handmade belts! Ohio jewelry!), stationary, home goods (Flip Flaps!), and Toms shoes await.

Tigertree
771 N. High St.
Columbus, OH 43215
Hours: Mon-Thu 11am-7pm; Fri-Sat 11am-8pm; Sun 11am-6pm

Happy Friday!

the diana kennedy chronicles: tortilla soup

2011-04-07T12:58:00.000-04:00

For my birthday, my wonderful husband gave me a Moleskine recipe journal, a gift certificate for cooking classes, and best of all The Essential Cuisines of Mexico by Diana Kennedy. The book is quite hefty, filled with regional recipes, anecdotes, and loads of information on the origins of regional Mexican cuisine. In reading through its pages, I've found that it's written much in the same way my grandmother gives her recipes. Casual, and not always clear when it comes to directions. I can hear my abuela's voice in my head as I test out its recipes, Ay mija no más le echas un poco sal y comino! Pues no se exactamente, pero por eso lo pruebas mientras cocinas!

And so begin the Diana Kennedy chronicles, where I wrangle her recipes with my grandmother's voice in my head, and venture into Mexican recipes beyond my usual standbys.

I've primarily been delving into her chapter on soups, as they tend to be the most conducive to pressed-for-time-weeknight cooking. Caldo Tlalpeño, lentejas guisadas, sopa tarasca tipo conde, and sopa de tortilla have all been successes. My husband's favorite so far has been the sopa de tortilla, so the recipe (very slightly modified) is below.

Sopa de Tortilla
12 corn tortillas, left out to dry overnight
1 lb tomatoes
3 T roughly chopped onion
2 sliced garlic cloves
2 Ancho chiles
1 Pasilla chile
1 chile California
8 cups chicken broth
2 large chicken breasts, cubed
Dried oregano, salt, and pepper to taste
Cilantro - for serving
Vegetable oil - for frying

In a high sided skillet, heat your oil over medium heat. Cut your dried tortillas in half, then trim into strips about 1 cm in width. Fry your tortilla strips until golden and crisp, then set aside on a paper towel to drain. If you only get this far, at least you have some tasty homemade totopos! Just sprinkle with salt and eat them with fresh salsa. But, moving on...

Remove the tops, seeds, and veins from your pasilla, ancho, and california chiles*. Place them in a saucepan and cover with boiling water. Allow them to steep for 10 minutes so their skins become softened. Char the tomatoes on a comal (smooth, flat cast iron griddle) until their skins begin to blacken and they are soft all the way through. If you're like me and don't have a comal, pop them under the broiler or in a toaster oven. Toss your charred tomatoes, softened chiles, garlic, onion, dash of salt, pepper, and oregano into a blender. Blend very, very well.

Add the sofrito to a soup pot and cook it over high heat for about 3 minutes. Add your chicken broth**. Turn the heat down to med-high and bring the stock to a boil. Once boiling, add your diced chicken and poach until tender, about 5-7 minutes. Serve the soup, adding the strips of fried tortilla and some fresh cilantro leaves to each serving bowl.

Notes:
* The original recipe did not have any chiles added to the sofrito, but the Mister and I found that the soup needed more depth and heat. Even with the addition of the chiles, the heat is very subtle but the flavor is much more interesting
** Homemade chicken stock makes all the difference in the world. I planned ahead by roasting a chicken for brown bag lunches this week, and used the bones to make a whole lotta stock. Easy peasy.

Happy eating!

miles and miles

2011-04-04T21:52:00.000-04:00

It's just miles / It's only miles / It's just miles / And miles and miles and miles

I'm still chugging along pretty nicely on this half marathon training schedule. In the past 4 weeks I've logged a total of 63 miles run. Those runs a few weeks ago when I thought I would just barely make it to mile 6? Now I can almost envision 13. It hasn't been easy. There have been plenty of evenings after a trying day at work, when I'd like nothing more than to go home, plop on the couch, sip a Manhattan, and watch Mad Men. But on those days, I'd begrudgingly trod off to the gym (while the Mister stays home to write or prep classes) and run the miles on my training schedule.

I have, however, learned quite a bit in the past few months of consistent running. Most importantly has been that I'm able to commit to a goal, even with all of the bumps in the road. Every weekend's long run makes me beam with confidence in my persistence. Even the Mister is proud. Secondly, proper shoes make all the difference. I started out with an old, ratty pair of cross-trainers, eventually moving to a new pair...until I realized I might be doing more harm than good for my poor ol' legs. After going to a specialty running store and getting a proper pair of running shoes, my stride has been so much better. I can run more comfortably, without any scrunched toes or soreness in my shins. The other thing I've learned? I am always effing hungry! I swear, all I want to do is eat. all. the. time. It's become common for the Mister and I to eat dinner, and an hour later I'm rummaging through the pantry for a snack. The only other time I felt like this was in my former life as a vegetarian. I'm slowly getting a handle on the nutrition thing though, especially with the big race day right around the corner.

13.1 here I come.

casual fridays: vol. 11

2011-03-31T21:42:00.001-04:00

Finally! A Casual Fridays post! Just a few things that have caught my eye to perk up the kitchen...where I'll definitely be spending more time.

Source: elizabethw.com via mrs. on Pinterest

Source: etsy.com via mrs. on Pinterest

the rollercoaster ride

2011-03-29T15:40:00.000-04:00

This space has been woefully neglected for over a month.

Real life, real responsibilities get in the way sometimes.

Six weeks ago the privately-held company for whom I work was purchased by a publicly traded corporation. Big changes, folks. Big changes. Now, there are earnings targets to make, quarterly earnings calls, Sarbanes-Oxley requirements, and shareholders and Wall Street analysts to work for. It's been non-stop for our four person accounting team (plus one intern). A steady stream of auditors, outside consultants, representatives from "corporate," and new performance metrics have been thrown into the mix of our already busy day-to-day schedules. Oh, and I'm still covering for a co-worker who's been gone for 5 months – the absence of whom has become so normalized that if they came back (which I doubt), I have no idea how I'd handle their reappearance. So much has changed in the last five months; how can you waltz back into work and simply resume your old responsibilities?

The constant motion of work generally left me feeling like this at the end of each day:

Of course, there's a house to keep in order. A husband's anxiety to quell. A needy cat to attend. Half marathon training. A Diana Kennedy anthology to cook. And Fany Gerson treats to bake.

Which is to say, documenting said after hours activities has been the last thing on my mind. Like I said, real life, real responsibilities.

But, I'm finally starting to get the hang of this whole time management thing*. I've also used this period of change to reflect on where I am work-wise. It's time to really get serious about things. It's time to focus on getting where I want to be. No one is stopping me and it's time I started blazing a trail forward. Not that many people stop by around these parts, but the content is going start leaning pretty heavily toward my culinary endeavors. The good, bad, and as always shabbily photographed.

*If only I could stop being a lazy accountant and do my damn income taxes already.
**And of course the title of this post has a reference.

my sweet mexico: dulces de frijol

2011-02-16T13:01:00.001-05:00

Larger images on my Flickr page.

So I may have mentioned that I was really excited about Fany Gerson's My Sweet Mexico. So excited, in fact, that I used the first opportunity that arose to try one of its recipes. The occasion? A friend's birthday. The recipe? Dulces de frijol.

I know what you're thinking. Bean candy? WTF is that? Well guess what, I'd never heard of it either. It was the first recipe in her chapter on heirloom sweets, and it just so happened that I had most of the ingredients on hand to make it. So, I rolled with it.

Oh, did I mention that I've never actually made candy before? Yeah, I haven't. Sometimes I like to just shoot from the hip.

I won't go into a whole lot of detail because the book is fantastic and you should get it...but here's the gist. This recipe fairly simple. Cook 1 cup of pinto or red kidney beans in cinnamon, then let cool and puree. Make a syrup of equal parts fresh squeezed orange juice (I used blood oranges) and sugar, along with orange zest. Cook the pinto beans in the syrup until all of the liquid is gone. Stir in currants or raisins (I used currants). Once cool enough to handle, roll the candy in a mix of cinnamon and sugar.

The flavor was very interesting, prodominantly orange and cinnamon, and reminiscent of the traditional Mexican candies I'd had in the past. The earthiness of the beans was very subdued. My guess is, if you tasted one, you wouldn't guess that they were made of beans. They looked a bit rustic, but a little packaging helped that:

On deck for this week is Pastel de Tres Leches... for my birthday! Yes, I'm baking my own cake. Who cares? If there's an excuse to make dessert, I will.

my funny valentine

2011-02-14T12:28:00.001-05:00

Things are looking up, originally uploaded by catholicguilt.

Funny... but also intelligent, supportive, honest, warm, generous, determined, Southern, thoughtful, patient, and so many other superlatives that escape me at the moment.

I'm quite the lucky lady.

This one is dedicated to you Boo. xoxo.

casual fridays: vol. 10

2011-02-11T12:22:00.000-05:00

This week's post is inspired by the trip that can't come soon enough.

Vamonos a Paris!

Via

Via

Via

Via

Via

I'm itching for an adventure.

midweek musings

2011-02-09T11:13:00.007-05:00

There's quite a contrast, no? Between the view from where I sit for 45 hours a week and how/where I enjoy spending my free time.

Work is hectic. Filling in for a co-worker on leave for the past 3 months has moved beyond "just a temporary thing" to "this is how things are going to be...for a while." I've decided that when things get even the slightest bit sorted out with this situation, I'm going to spearhead a campaign for efficiency. If I've learned anything over the past few months, it's that when there are no set procedures, inefficiency and redundancy reign supreme. And that's something I just can't stand. This place needs to stop being content with the notion of "that's how it's always been done." There's too much of that aroud here, and it's holding back progress.

All that work shit aside, though...I've found true enjoyment and relaxation on weekends spent in the kitchen. Whether I'm making Mediterranean ragout with poached eggs for dinner on Monday or baking red velvet whoopie pies for the Super Bowl, in the kitchen is where I can create, keep calm, and carry on.

Since the latest Hallmark holiday is fast approaching, as well as my birthday (26!), I'm hoping for more cookbooks. One by Diana Kennedy in particular. How else to expand my range of Mexican dishes with my mother and grandmother 2,000 miles away? Of course, given my ever exotic locale of Columbus, Ohio, I'm probably going to run into a number of obstacles wn it comes to ingredient sourcing. Fresh chicken? Easy enough. Huitlacoche? Pshhhhh, getouttahere. I'm guessing that the plants I tend to in this years spring/summer garden will be a bit more exotic than last. But yeah, back to the point...

This weekend, I finally went out and bought Fany Gerson's My Sweet Mexico. Swear to god I was positively giddy as I sat down to read through it and ogle its beautiful photography. I'm excited to try its recipes, especially because my grandmother was never one for making traditional sweets. Look forward to posts on jamoncillo, polvorones, capirotada, and pastel de tres leches.

Of course, nothing good can come from having so many sweets around the house mocking the Prof and I as we eat our salads after a trip to the gym. I've been tossing around the idea of bringing some of these creations to work. Leaving them in the breakroom early in the morning for the guys in the factory to taste. Maybe with little comment cards for feedback? Is that lame? Not that I don't trust my husband's tastebuds, but to get a diverse range of opinions. I mean, this is kind of Five Year Plan market research...