chatN'chow

Kicking my Starbucks habit

noreply@blogger.com (LaurenFister) — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 01:29:00 +0000

So for quite sometime I've had a really bad daily habit - Starbucks. I seem to never get tired of a grande coffee & a treat. My two treats I get most often are the pumpkin bread and the blueberry muffins. As a Christmas present to myself I got a Nespresso coffee maker and I love it! Although I know it's pricy I love the coffee and having it anytime and not having to clean up a coffee maker. Okay one habit down now to deal with the treat issue...

I was looking for a blueberry bread recipe and couldn't find one that looked great. Most of them looked heavy and thick like a pound cake. At a loss I went to my favorite banana bread recipe and substituted blueberries & added whole wheat flour. Awesome. It isn't heavy and can hold up to being toasted. For this week I can forgo Starbucks blueberry muffins!

1 stick butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 large eggs
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup white flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/4 cup frozen not fresh blueberries
1/2 cup sour cream

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Butter a 9-by-5-by-3-inch loaf pan and line with parchment paper - set aside. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and eggs, and beat to incorporate.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Add to the butter mixture, and mix until just combined. Stir in sour cream then add blueberries. Spoon into prepared pan.

Bake until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 1 hour 10 minutes. Let rest in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack to cool.

Enjoy!

Happy New Year! Here's a delicious start.

noreply@blogger.com (LaurenFister) — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 00:16:00 +0000

Hoping 2013 is wonderful. My resolution is to post regularly. I'm happy to say goodbye to 2012. It wasn't a bad year - just a year I watched go by. So to prevent the same old I want to bring a bit of pizazz to this year. Tonight starts 2013 with a super yummy classic pasta. Enjoy!

Brown 1.25 pounds of organic sirloin & set aside.
In the same sauce pan sauté an onion until translucent.
Mix in 1/4 cup tomato paste & brown for a minute.
Add 10 cloves chopped garlic stirring for 1 minute.
Stir in 1 large large can crushed tomatoes along with water of equal proportion.
Stir back beef
Toss in 1/8 cup oregano & basil.
Simmer for an hour or two.

I add salt, black pepper & red pepper to each stage & finish with fresh chopped parsley, butter & Parmesan.

Falafel Bites and a Gourmet Giveaway!!

noreply@blogger.com (Lauren Fister) — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 11:19:00 +0000

I'm so thrilled to participate in my second Kitchen PLAY Progressive Party this month! Six bloggers are invited to each monthly party, and each blogger is responsible for a creating and writing about a different course (cocktail, amuse-bouche, salad, appetizer, entree, or dessert). For my last kitchen play post I created the "Petal Pusher" cocktail. This time I was asked to create an amuse-bouche (french for "mouth amuser") - perfect because I love small bites!!

This month's sponsor is Calphalon who provided each chef with one of their terrific small appliances. I received their XL Digital Deep Fryer - eek!! Some good news for you... Calphalon is also sponsoring a wonderful giveaway at Kitchen PLAY. Simply recreate any one recipe from this month’s Progressive Party, post about the experience on your blog and provide a link to your post on Kitchen PLAY to enter. All qualifying bloggers in each course will be entered to win a Calphalon Kitchen Electrics prize valued at $100 (6 prizes total). The deadline is November 30, 2011. Please review the complete contest rules before entering. Good luck!

To be completely honest, I've never fried before. I've eaten plenty of delicious fried food as most of my family lives in Kentucky, but I have never attempted to fry at home. One of my favorite fried foods is stuffed squash blossoms but they aren't exactly in season so I had to try a different route. I wanted my one bite to be full of flavor and easy to make (for a first time fryer). After lots and lots of deliberation as to what would make a delicious one bite, (and tickle taste buds) I decided on falafels! These are a Middle Eastern classic that can pack a lot of flavor and satisfy any type of eater from vegan to carnivore.

The falafel recipe I used couldn't be any easier, fried up perfectly and can be made ahead of time - all things I love in a recipe. These little fritters come from Martha Stewart's Hors d'Oeuvres Handbook. I always turn to her for inspiration since her recipes are fool proof.

Lima Bean Falafel Fritters in Radicchio Cups

makes 2 1/2 dozen

· 1/4 cup coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley
· 8 oz frozen lima beans
· 1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
· 1 1/2 cups canned chickpeas rinsed and drained
· 1 garlic clove
· 1 teaspoon ground cumin
· 1 teaspoon ground tumeric
· 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
· 1/2 red onion
· 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
· juice from 1/2 lemon
· 3 - 4 tablespoons flour
· peanut oil for frying
· 1 head of radicchio

Garnish

· 1 tablespoon tahini
· 1/4 cup Greek yogurt
· zest of lemon
· salt and pepper
· finely chopped tomato, yellow pepper, cucumber, red onion
· toasted sesame seeds

1 Bring 1 cup of water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the lima beans and return water to a boil. Cook the beans for about 5 minutes and drain. Rinse with cool water to prevent further cooking. Set aside.

2 In the bowl of a food processor, process the parley and the cilantro until fine. Add the chickpeas, lima beans, garlic, cumin, turmeric, salt, the red onion, red pepper and the lemon juice. Pulse until the mixture forms a paste and is fairly smooth. Add the flour and pulse to combine. Transfer to a bowl and set aside. This mixture can be made up to 1 day in advance and refrigerated.

3 Heat the oil in an electric fryer to 375. Drop 1 tablespoon of the falafel mixture at a time into the oil in batches of 6. Fry until the mixture is golden brown, about 1 minute. Transfer to a paper towel to drain and repeat with remaining mixture. I sprinkled a little coarse salt on them right when they came out.

4 Combine tahini, yogurt, lemon zest, salt and pepper in a bowl.

5 Serve each fritter in a radicchio cup, garnished with the finely chopped tomato, yellow pepper, cucumber, red onion, tahini / yogurt sauce and sesame seeds.

A couple of great things about these fritters. If you skip the yogurt, these are vegan. As I mentioned above the dough can be made the day before and refrigerated in a tightly covered container. These can also be made ahead of time and served either at room temperature or reheated just before plating. It's up to you!

I'd say for my first frying experience these were a fool-proof recipe! My next frying adventure is definitely going to be some kind of pumpkin or apple cider doughnut. Stay tuned!

My first Brimfield Trip

noreply@blogger.com (Lauren Fister) — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 23:47:00 +0000

I Finally got to attend Brimfield!!! I've been a bit neglectful of chatNchow. There's been so many exciting things happening in my life between changing jobs and getting married something had to give. I'm back & it feels great! I'm starting with an exciting post that I shared over at the Teroforma blog. yesterday I finally attended Brimfield. I'm totally a New England girl. I grew up in a houseful of antiques and never thought I might like to spend a day traipsing through the rain and cold to find more!
Above are some of the pictures that I captured. The best finds came from the Lunt factory that recently closed down. I found parts used in their manufacturing process including wooden trays that held the flatware along the production line. I also found 2 die cast 18" bright red letters, a C and an L for guess who. I also found the most gorgeous french linen grain sack! Brimfield is still going on through the weekend so if you haven't been I highly suggest going. You're just in time to miss the rain and enjoy some nice weather!

Last Weekend Elopement Sneak Peak

noreply@blogger.com (Lauren Fister) — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 00:20:00 +0000

I just looked back to see that it's been a while since my last blog post! Since May there has been many great changes in my job and life. Last Friday (the hottest day in Boston's history) the Mr & I eloped (eek!) in a super intimate ceremony followed by a wonderful dinner with our family at Rialto in Cambridge. Since we had such a small affair that was limited to just immediate family I wanted someone there to capture all of our special details to share later on. I found the wonderful photographer Lynette Boyle who tagged along and snapped away. She was kind enough to post these sneak peak photos on her blog to give a glimpse of what's to come. I'm still a couple weeks out from having the finals so I just wanted to share these. I love that she even got our dog Brady who also came along for the adventure! For more about Lynette, click here.

Petal Pusher Cocktail

noreply@blogger.com (Lauren Fister) — Mon, 02 May 2011 10:00:00 +0000

For the past few weeks I've been working on a special cocktail recipe! Last month I was invited to participate in Kitchen Play's Progressive Party for May! In case you haven't been to one of the parties, it's a unique concept that brings together cooks, bloggers and foodies. Here's how it works:

"Each month Kitchen Play hosts a unique Progressive Party with six talented food bloggers assigned one of the following courses: cocktail, amuse bouche, salad, appetizer/soup, entrée (main course) and dessert. All six bloggers are challenged to incorporate the same product or kitchen tool into six wildly different courses.

Each Progressive Party is a sponsored event. Six new bloggers are chosen to participate each month. Each month Kitchen Play also features a back-end contest to involve as many additional bloggers as possible."

I'm so thrilled to be part of this month's Kitchen-Play “Safest Choice Pasteurized Shell Eggs” Progressive Party. This Progressive Party will feature six different courses created by six different bloggers using Safest Choice Pasteurized Shell Eggs which are completely safe to eat raw. Since the eggs are pasteurized, the FDA does not require them to carry any warning labels against eating raw eggs! This is terrific since I have a hard time keeping my fingers out of cookie batter, I love Caesar salad and I've always wanted to make cocktails with egg whites! And to make it easier for you to create one of this month's recipes, here's a link to three $1.00 coupons for Safest Choice Eggs. Just a little incentive to not only try the eggs but try out a recipe for a chance to win $100!

For the party I was assigned the cocktail course (my favorite along with dessert). In the past I've had the pineapple cocktail that is shaken with egg whites and have loved the texture and creaminess the added white gives the drink. Egg whites are a great binding agent and when shaken with the other ingredients produce a dreamy froth. In addition, when egg whites are combined with a citrus juice, the proteins bind and the foam stays the length of the drink rather than collapsing after the first sip. A little interesting history shows that eggs in combination with drinks dates back to 1690 when eggs were added as a necessary nutrient source to beer and wine (yikes!). Eventually in the 1800's a version of this became a breakfast drink that would cure a hangover (this is why I love cocktail history).

Every drink I make turns out pink. I don't know whether it's the ingredients or the color I'm drawn to but this one is no exception! The splash of rose syrup adds just enough sweetness and flavor to complement the grapefruit and gin. I've penned this cocktail the "Petal Pusher":

1 Egg White from a Safest Choice Pasteurized Shell Egg
1 oz. Pink or Ruby Red Grapefruit Juice (fresh squeezed from the market tastes great)
2 oz. Dry Gin (stick with a basic like Bombay)
1/4 oz. rose syrup
Ice
Sugar for rimming the glass (this can be your choice)

Pour liquids in a cocktail shaker and shake without ice for 20-30 seconds or shakes (this helps the egg whites bind).
Add a handful of ice then shake hard for another 20-30 seconds - this really gets the foam going!
Strain into a rimmed cocktail glass and spoon remaining froth on top of drink.
Enjoy!

A couple of tips:
It's all an experiment. If you don't find that you have enough foam, keep shaking! The key is knowing when to stop so that you don't have stiff peaks to plow through in your drink. You can also control the amount of foam by blending the drink with one or two ice cubes in a blender for a couple of seconds. Keep an eye on the blender when doing this so it doesn't foam over!!

Do keep the foam because it adds lovely texture and flavor to the drink!

Rimming the glass. I LOVE rimmed glasses. They add not only flavor but a bit of sparkle. You can first wet the glass with rose water, grapefruit juice or diluted rose syrup and then dip into sugar. For this cocktail I mixed a beautiful organic rose colored sugar in the raw from Whole Foods with a sugar in the raw. For less sugar, you can just coat half the rim!

If you're curious about where to find the eggs, click here and find them in your state! Knowing that there are eggs I can eat raw changes my outlook on not only cookie batter and salads but now cocktails. I can't wait to break out an egg cocktail at my next dinner party. Plus, with this dreamy of a cocktail who wouldn't want to give it a sip (or two)?

Meatless Monday Veggie Stirfry

noreply@blogger.com (Lauren Fister) — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 12:40:00 +0000

I'm trying to get a bit more into the whole meatless Monday thing. I've virtually cutout milk on a daily basis. I used to drink tons of milk and eat tons of yogurt. After a stint of going vegan last summer, I've come to my own conclusion that dairy makes me breakout. I've been drinking a combination of Almond & Rice milk as well as eating coconut & soy yogurts.

Growing up my mom cooked frequently with tofu. I actually like it and used to use it a lot but have gotten out of the habit. I picked some up the other night along with a packet of pre-cut stir-fry veggies from Whole Foods, a little ginger, garlic & onions and some brown rice. Voila, dinner for about $10 for 2. It's not often dinner costs me just $10 to make.

Pre-sliced veggies are a price saver because I didn't have to buy whole peppers, packages of mushrooms & broccoli I'm not going to eat. I don't have a wok, so I made this in a large heavy bottom stainless skillet & it worked just fine. Stir-fry is kind of like soup - you can put almost anything in it & have it turn out well.

1 onion roughly chopped
5 cloves of garlic thinly sliced
1" - 2" chunk of ginger finely grated
1 package of stir-fry veggies
1 package of extra firm tofu
brown rice prepared per package instructions (I added a bit of black pepper & butter)
vegetable oil - or any oil you like to use for high heat cooking (NOT OLIVE OIL)
2 tablespoons reduced sodium soy
1 tablespoon hoison sauce
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons water

Over medium heat add oil and onions and cook until nicely browned, remove & put aside.
Drain tofu & pat dry with paper towels to remove as much moisture as possible. Cut into 1" chunks.
Add a bit more oil over medium heat and add tofu.
Let tofu cook until browned on all sides. Half way through cooking add the ginger. A tip with tofu, it will release from the pan when ready to be flipped. Remove tofu when browned.
Return heat to medium high & add a drop of oil to cook veggies.
Add veggies except for the garlic to the skillet. Keep the veggies moving with a wooden spoon and saute for 5- 8 minutes until tender. When veggies are almost cooked add the garlic, onions & tofu.
Make a mixture with the liquids and cornstarch.
Push veggies away from the middle of the skillet and add liquid let the liquid bubble for 30 seconds then stir in with the veggies.
Done! You can also add a couple of drops of sesame oil or fire oil at the end. These oils don't tolerate high heat well so they are best added at the end.

Blue Smoke

noreply@blogger.com (Lauren Fister) — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 17:30:00 +0000

It's official, I've had a project in the wings that is finally rolling. I'm working with the De Gustibus Cooking School at Macy's to redesign the kitchen spaces with Snaidero New York. Part of the design process is attending some classes (and eating great food) to see how the kitchen design needs to function. In case you aren't familiar with De Gustibus, it's a cooking school on the 8th floor of the Macy's at Herald Square. Each season the school features classes with top chefs not only from NYC but around the country.

Last night's class was with Chef Kenny Callaghan of Blue Smoke in NYC. The menu featured terrific barbecue dishes complete with wine pairings followed by an excellent dessert.

Amuse Bouche

Apple Wood Smoked Babyback Ribs

First Course

Pickled Rock Shrimp Salad with Artichokes, Radishes and Duck Cracklings

Main Course

Chipotle Glazed Lamb Loin with Tomatillo Relish, Aged White Cheddar Grits, Spring Asparagus with Caramelized Vidalia Onions & Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette

Dessert

Fluffer-Butter Pie Made by Pastry Chef Jennifer Giblin

I love peeking in the kitchen to see who the chef has behind the scenes. In this case his crew couldn't have been nicer (or more talented)! It was especially nice at the end of class how the Chef acknowledged his team. These are the rising chefs of tomorrow!

Class began promptly at 5:30. As we were served each course we watched the chef prepare and discuss the dish. I love the open format for questions and answers throughout. I'll be checking out the school again on Monday! I highly recommend booking a class for an up close class that is not only informative but fun & delicious!

Mixed Up Shepard's Pie

noreply@blogger.com (Lauren Fister) — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 02:05:00 +0000

I love and crave homey food. Any combination of salty, cheesy, buttery, savory or sweet will do. At the same time I struggle with wanting to eat as healthy as possible. Although I'm not a vegetarian, I don't eat meat all that often, when I do it's organic and grass fed.

Last week the Mr. was traveling for business and scheduled to come home Saturday on the late side. I decided to make a variation on Shepard's Pie packed with veggies & flavor. Since it always tastes better the next day, I made it Friday night which was great since there was zero clean up on Saturday!

1 1/2 - 1 3/4 ground beef (I used 85% grass fed organic)
1 onion chopped
6 - 8 closed garlic minced
2 -3 carrots chopped
3 - 4 stalks celery chopped
1/2 - 1 package baby spinach washed
1/2 cup corn (I used frozen white)
1/2 cup peas (I also used frozen)
2 bay leaves & any other herb you like
2 cups beef stock
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
Mashed Potatoes
6 potatoes (whatever you like for mashing I used ukon gold)
1/2 butternut squash cubed
olive oil
salt & pepper
butter
cream

Fill a pot with potatoes & squash and add enough water to cover vegetables. Bring to a boil and cook until tender and can be mashed.

In a large skillet over medium heat add about 1 tablespoon olive oil and onions. Cook for about 8 minutes untill soft.

Add garlic, carrots & celery cook for another 5 - 10 minutes

Remove veggies & add ground beef. Cook until beef is browned. Flavor to taste with salt and pepper.

Return cooked veggies along with spinach, corn, peas, bay leaves & any other herb you'd like to add for flavor.

In a separate small sauce pan begin to make gravy:

Melt butter over low to medium heat

Whisk in flour until golden brown

Whisk in stock and Worcestershire sauce & cook until thickened

Add fresh black pepper to taste

Add gravy to vegetable mixture along with spinach, peas & corn and cook for a few minutes

Pour meat mixture into a casserole dish (mine is 9 x 12)

Mash the potatoes and squash. Flavor to your liking. I added a bit of the beef stock, a little butter, sour cream, cream and salt & pepper to taste. Rachel Ray even adds an egg which is totally optional.

Spoon the mash mixture over meat.

Bake at 350 until bubbling & the mash mixture has a light brown color

Connecticut's 40 Under 40

noreply@blogger.com (Lauren Fister) — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 20:07:00 +0000

Photo from CT Magazine March 2011

So CT Magazine March 2011 is out, it's official I'm included in their article "40 Under 40"! I guess a while ago there was a submission call and little did I know one of my clients submitted me for the article. So I'd like to say a little thank you to CT Magazine for including me amongst the doctors, lawyers and important decision makers in CT. Here is their kind write up:

"Lauren Fister ● 31 ● Norwalk
There’s a definite theme running through Lauren Fister’s resumé. First she did stints at Martha Stewart Living and Food & Wine. Now she’s senior designer at Studio Snaidero SoNo, which designs and remodels kitchens. In the meantime, she’s parlayed her loves of food, cooking and photography into chatN’chow, a lively blog on restaurants, local food happenings and recipes. In 2011, she’s embarked on something a little different: spreading kindness (visit www.randomnotesofkindness.com)."

Please visit my mentioned project Random Notes of Kindness. The letters that I have been receiving are amazing and have far passed any expectations I had!!

German Chocolate Cupcakes!

noreply@blogger.com (Lauren Fister) — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 13:32:00 +0000

Cupcakes part 2!

In addition to the chocolate wonders I made last week, I also made these little gems. For those of you who have never tasted German Chocolate Cake frosting, it's kind of like if pecan pie were a frosting with some coconut... I can't get enough of this combination. I use the Baker's Chocolate recipe, the same one that my mom has used ever since I remember.

Coconut Pecan Frosting

4 egg yolks
1 can (12 oz.) evaporated milk
1-1/2 tsp. vanilla
1-1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) butter or margarine
1 pkg. (7 oz.) Flake Coconut (about 2-2/3 cups)
1-1/2 cups Chopped Pecans

BEAT egg yolks, milk and vanilla in large saucepan with wire whisk until well blended. Add sugar and butter; cook on medium heat 12 min. or until thickened and golden brown, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.

ADD coconut and pecans; mix well. Cool to room temperature and of desired spreading consistency.

German Chocolate Cupcakes

1 pkg. (4 oz.) BAKER'S GERMAN'S Sweet Chocolate
1/2 cup water
4 eggs, separated
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup buttermilk

Make It

HEAT oven to 350°F.
Place cupcake liners in pan. Microwave chocolate and water in large microwaveable bowl on HIGH 1-1/2 to 2 min. or until chocolate is almost melted, stirring after 1 min. Stir until chocolate is completely melted.
BEAT egg whites in small bowl with mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form; set aside. Mix flour, baking soda and salt. Beat butter and sugar in large bowl with mixer until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating well after each. Blend in melted chocolate and vanilla. Add flour mixture alternately with buttermilk, beating until well blended after each addition.
ADD egg whites; stir gently until well blended. Pour into prepared pans.
BAKE 20 min. or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Immediately loosen cupcakes. Cool cakes in pans 15 min.; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Spread Coconut-Pecan Filling and Frosting on each cupcake.

Veggie Soup for Meatless Monday

noreply@blogger.com (Lauren Fister) — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 05:08:00 +0000

Last week while watching the news I heard about "Meatless Mondays". Apparently I'm late to the party because it seems like it already has a huge following. There is already a site www.MeatlessMonday.com where you can find out lots of reasons to participate.

They say: "Going meatless once a week may reduce your risk of chronic preventable conditions like cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity. It can also help reduce your carbon footprint and save precious resources like fresh water and fossil fuel."

Last week, I made this veggie soup one night to have the next day (and the day after that). Soup is one of those foods that tastes better the next few days after it is made. There are SO many ways to make soup, and SO many things you can put in it. Here is my quick version. Since there are so many veggies and I added a whole grain pasta at the end, the soup turns out to be very hearty & filling

1 onion roughly chopped
6 cloves of garlic thinly sliced
2 -3 carrots roughly chopped
3 stalks celery roughly chopped
2 potatoes cubed into bite size pieces
1 can chopped tomatoes
1/2 bag mixed frozen veggies (mine had corn, peas, lima beans and string beans)
herbs whatever you like & have - I used lots of oregano, thyme and Italian season that I had
salt and pepper
4 cups of water (or reduced sodium chicken stock if you're wanting a different flavor)
salt, pepper & red pepper flakes - to taste
pasta, rice or grain cooked how you like to add to soup at the end
Parmesan for topping - totally optional

- In a large stock pot over medium heat saute the onions in 1 tablespoon olive oil until translucent

- Add the garlic, carrots and celery and cook for 5 minutes

- Add everything else (except cheese & pasta) and bring to a boil

- Simmer for however long you have 20 minutes - and hour

Done!!

- The following night I reheated and served the soup over whole grain pasta with a little Parmesan

Cupcake Love Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (Lauren Fister) — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 15:13:00 +0000

Yesterday I had a small cupcake operation going on in my kitchen! I haven't made cupcakes in years!! It was one of my friend's birthdays and I wanted to bring dessert. Last year I had made a yellow cake with chocolate frosting. This year I made chocolate cupcakes with 2 different frosting flavors. The first is with dark chocolate espresso and the second (coming tomorrow) is German Chocolate Cake! I have a little bit of the chocolate frosting left over and I've been eating it by the spoon for breakfast.

Dark Chocolate Espresso Frosting:

1 stick of butter
2/3 cup of the darkest cocoa powder you can find
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 to 1/2 cup STRONG espresso
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Melt the butter almost fully and stir in cocoa & vanilla. Add powdered sugar and espresso alternating until fully incorporated.

Cupcakes:

The recipe comes from Martha Stewart

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
3/4 cup warm water
3/4 cup buttermilk
3 tablespoons safflower oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners; set aside. Sift together cocoa powder, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl. Add eggs, warm water, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla, and mix until smooth, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of bowl to assure batter is well mixed.
Divide batter evenly among muffin cups, filling each 2/3 full. Bake until tops spring back when touched, about 20 minutes, rotating pan once if needed. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely.

Linguine with Shrimp and Garlic

noreply@blogger.com (Lauren Fister) — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 19:40:00 +0000

So the word on the street is that Maine shrimp are in season! Of course when anything is in season it's also much less expensive. When I was at whole foods the other day they had these little raw wild caught babies on sale for something like $2.50 a pound! They looked so pink and fresh I had to give them a try. With that said dinner was an easy decision, shrimp and linguine with lots of garlic and parsley. This truly is a flavorful $10 dinner that can feed 2 - 4 people!!

Start with chopped garlic and a shallot. I used 5 or 6 cloves of garlic and one shallot. I browned them lightly with olive oil and butter. I also added fresh black pepper and some crushed red pepper. Keep a close eye on the garlic. If it browns too much it will become bitter. Recipe after the jump.

Peel and vein shrimp. Basically you can start the pasta and when it has 5 minutes to go, toss in with the oil and garlic. The shrimp will cook very quick! Add a handful of chopped parsley, the peel of a lemon and a splash of white wine.

Toss in linguine along with 1/2 cup of the cooking water and mix with tongs. Voila! I topped mine with Parmesan, though I hear that Italians won't mix Parmesan with seafood...

Winter Beef Stew

noreply@blogger.com (Lauren Fister) — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 13:56:00 +0000

Yesterday I had a snow day! I knew it was going to be a pretty big one so I took the chance to do some cooking! Now that the days are so short, it's hard for me to cook and photograph the food properly because I use natural light for my photos. A couple weeks back I made a beef soup and it was so delicious, I thought I'd thicken it up and make it a stew. It's great to make when you have the day to let it "stew" on the stove top! Recipe after the jump.

2 lbs stew meat (I used beef butt - okay okay you can giggle)

2 tablespoons flour

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 cups beef stock (I used a frozen brand from Whole Foods that was awesome)

1 large onion

6 cloves garlic

4 stalks celery

1/2 cup wine - dry white or red (whatever leftover you have from the night before)

1 carrot chopped (optional)

3 tablespoons tomato paste (freeze the rest of the can)

1 large can diced tomatoes (drained)

1/2 butternut squash cut into bite size chunks

4-5 medium size red potatoes washed and cut into bite size chunks

2 stalks fresh rosemary finely minced

2 teaspoons dried oregano

handful chopped parsley

2 tbs cornstarch

salt and pepper to taste

barley - prepared per package instructions

- Trim the meat of fat and gristle and cut into bit size chunks

- Toss with flour

- In a large stock pot heat 1 tbs olive oil over medium heat. Add 1/2 of beef and brown on all sides. Remove from pot and add second half of beef, brown and remove.

- Add 1 more tbs of olive oil and add the onion and 1/2 the celery saute for 5 minutes, add garlic.

- De-glaze pot with wine cook until wine is absorbed.

- Push onions aside and add tomato paste and allow to cook for 1 minute

- Add back meat, stock, chopped herbs, remaining celery and tomatoes. Bring to a boil.

- Reduce to a simmer and cook for 2 - 4 hours stirring occasionally.

- 40 minutes before serving make the barley according to directions.

- ** This step is totally optional** In a separate pot boil the potatoes & squash until tender. I do this for two reasons. Since I know there will be left overs I add only how many I want that serving and save the rest for the next day. That way, they don't become too mushy & they don't absorb too much of the broth. Have you gone to reheat soup or stew the next day to find there is barely any broth? Problem solved! This is also why I make the barley separate.

- Make a slurry with the cornstarch and a few tablespoons cold water. Stir into stew. This will help thicken the broth.

-** Another note about carrots ** I know that carrots are a traditional stew ingredient. I generally go light on the carrots to begin with in soups and stews because they can sometimes add an incredible sweetness that's not always desirable. Another tip is to cook them separate so the extra sweetness does not flavor the broth. In the case of this stew, I was standing looking at the carrots in the store and got distracted and forgot to get them. Honestly with the use of the squash they weren't missed at all!!

Enjoy!!

Lauren Fister, chatNchow, chatNchow, CT, foodie

Happy New Year!!

noreply@blogger.com (Lauren Fister) — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 19:27:00 +0000

I can't believe it's been a year since starting chat N'chow! Right after Christmas we escaped for a little fun in the sun down in Mexico. We only got back Monday night and I dove right back into my work Tuesday! There are so many great pics that I'm sorting through and will soon be sharing! Not so much in terms of food (ok we did not have any great food in Mexico). I also have another very exciting project that will be launching in the next few weeks. It's not food related & something that is very different for me. I can't wait to see it go live!!
So check back for more posts and hope you all have a great 2011!!! Meanwhile, I saw some Mayan ruins New Year's Eve. Above is just one of the temples that we saw. I thought it was a great place to visit, too bad we were a year off from 2012!

Where to Eat on Vacation

noreply@blogger.com (Lauren Fister) — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 18:38:00 +0000

View Cancun Eats in a larger map

I love planning where I'm going to eat on vacation. Last year in Italy, I carried around a piece of paper with lists organized by type, price, neighborhood etc. This little list went with me everywhere!! This year I've gotten a little more "with it".

I started making my list not with pen and paper but my iphone. I then realized I should be doing this in google, so I could pull up the list on my phone, Chris's phone or any computer! So I started plugging my list into google and voila, my running list of where to eat in Cancun! This is where my inner geek totally comes out. Now wherever I am, I can pull my map up on my phone and I will see exactly where I am in relation to my next meal - brilliant.

This is my little gift from me to you!

There is also a feature which allows other people to add destinations to the map. So by all means, I welcome suggestions of where to eat on my next trip!

Hearty Beef Vegetable Soup

noreply@blogger.com (Lauren Fister) — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 22:36:00 +0000

One of my good friends recently broke her foot. We had dinner plans to go out but once she broke it, I thought it might be most comforting to pamper her with a homemade Beef & Vegetable soup. The nice thing about homemade stock either beef or chicken is that it's extremely nourishing. Since the stock begins with bones that are then cooked for hours, the nutrients from both the bone and the marrow fill the wonderful broth. Once the stock was made, I packed the soup with lots of veggies.

You will notice I cooked the meat separate from the stock. I like to make a stock and strain out any solids so the broth is beautiful and smooth. Of course you don't have to do this, it is an extra step but I think it's worth it!

Beef Stock:

4 Beef Marrow bones (mine were split)

1/2 onion roughly chopped

5-10 cloves of garlic

1 carrot roughly chopped

3 stalks of celery roughly chopped

salt & pepper to taste

lots of fresh herbs, these can be left whole (I used rosemary, thyme, parsley & sage)

olive oil

Heat a large stock pot over medium heat - Add a tablespoon of olive oil to coat bottom.

Add bones and brown all sides

Add veggies, herbs, salt and pepper

Cook for 10 minutes allowing some color on the veggies

Fill pot with 6 cups of water - this should be enough water to cover bones & veggies

Bring to a boil

Reduce heat to a simmer and cover, the longer the better. I left mine one for 6 hours

Refrigerate

Once fat has solidified, skim the fat and strain. Discard the solids

Stock is now ready for soup!

Soup

1 pound top round - trimmed and cut into bite size pieces

2 carrots - cut into bite size pieces

2 stalks of celery - cut into bite size pieces

1 can peeled chopped tomatoes

1 onion finely chopped

4 cloves of garlic sliced

3 - 4 white potatoes cut into bite size pieces

1 can string beans

1 zucchini cut into bite size pieces

1 small package of sliced white mushrooms

salt and pepper

3/4 cup pearl barley

2 small sprigs of fresh rosemary (stemmed & finely minced)

4 sprigs of fresh thyme (stemmed & finely minced)

Meat:

Heat a small pot over medium heat, add olive oil & meat

Continue to brown meat for 5 minutes

Add 2 cups of water and bring to a boil

Reduce heat to a simmer and cover.

This can cook along side the stock 4 - 6 hours

Soup:

Heat a large stock pot over medium heat. Add onions and mushrooms and cook until the onions turn translucent.

Add garlic, carrots, celery, potatoes, and cook for 10 minutes.

Add the rest of the vegetables, herbs, salt and pepper, and barley along with the stock and chopped meat and cooking juices.

Cook soup for an hour or until barley is tender

Serve with a great bread & butter.

This will taste better the next day - like most soups. I can also be topped with a great Parmesan, the salt in the cheese helps to bring out the flavors! I found a loaf of locally made hearty white bread from Whole Foods, this was wonderful for sopping up the broth.

Thanksgiving Margarita

noreply@blogger.com (Lauren Fister) — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 21:11:00 +0000

I can't believe it's already Thanksgiving week!! Here's a really fun cocktail to serve now through Christmas. The girls over at Haute Apple Pie asked me to participate in their Virtual Thanksgiving and I brought the cocktails!!

After doing a little research I found that cider and tequila is actually a traditional combination so this isn't too far out of left field!

I would serve these in cocktail glasses for the ladies and highballs or tumblers for the men. Of course rim the edges!

Rimming the Glass
Rimmed glasses are a fun & flavorful addition to cocktails. For this cocktail I ran the lemon wedge around the rim of the glass to make it wet, I then dipped the glass in the following mixture spread out on a plate:
1 Tablespoon kosher salt
1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
zest of one orange
Optional garnish:
For a sliced apple garnish, place apple slices or wedges in a dish with cool water and the juice from half a lemon or lime. This will keep the apple from turning. Keep the dish at hand when making the cocktails.

Cranberry Cider Margarita (serves 1)

2 oz tequila – I like silver tequila
1/2 oz triple sec
1 oz cranberry juice
1 oz fresh cider
Juice from 1/4 of an orange

In a cocktail shaker combine all of the ingredients with ice. Shake well. Pour into chilled rimmed glass and garnish. Enjoy!!

Fall Harvest Carrot Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Lauren Fister) — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 13:45:00 +0000

I LOVE carrot cake!! Since I can remember this is my go to dessert when I'm at a restaurant. Until now I've never attempted to make this at home. Last week I realized that I still have lots of carrots in my garden. What better way to celebrate a fall harvest than with a cake? I followed a basic Martha Stewart recipe and made some changes to reduce the amount of butter and make it my own. Untill you make something at home, you never really know how much butter and / or cheese goes into a dish to make it so yummy. With my basic changes you really can't tell that I've doctored this classic!

Makes one 9-inch layer cake

1 (2 sticks) butter, melted plus more for pans
1/2 cup unsweetend apple sauce
1/2 crushed pineapple
1/2 cup raisins soaked and drained
3 cups all-purpose flour (you could use 1/2 wholewheat), plus more for pans
1 cup (3 ounces) pecan halves
1 pound large carrots, peeled
3 large eggs, room temperature
1/3 cup nonfat buttermilk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons freshly grated ginger
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon fresh nutmeg
Read more at Marthastewart.com: John Barricelli's Carrot Cake - Martha Stewart Recipes

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter two 9-by-2-inch round cake pans. Dust with flour, and tap out any excess. Set aside. Spread pecans in a single layer on an ungreased baking pan, and toast in oven until lightly golden, about 7 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand until completely cool. Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees. Finely chop pecans and set aside.
Using the smallest holes (less than 1/4-inch in diameter) of a box grater, grate carrots, yielding 2 1/2 cups. Place carrots, eggs, buttermilk, pineapple, nuts, raisins, vanilla, sugar, and ginger in a large bowl; mix until well combined.
Into a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Using a rubber spatula, fold the flour mixture into the carrot mixture until combined. Fold in the butter.
Divide batter between the two cake pans, and bake until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Remove pans from oven, and transfer to a wire rack to cool, about 15 minutes. Turn cakes out onto rack; let stand until completely cool.
Place a layer on a cake stand or cardboard round, and spread 3/4 cup frosting over top. Place last cake layer on top, and spread the remaining frosting over the top and sides of assembled cake. Transfer to refrigerator, and chill 3 to 4 hours.

Frosting:

Frosts one 9-inch layer cake

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 bars (8 ounces each) cream cheese, room temperature
2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
2 - 3 tablespoons buttermilk
1 tablespoon freshly grated orange zest
2 tablespoons freshly grated ginger
Pinch of salt

Place butter in bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, and beat on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add cream cheese, and beat until well combined and fluffy, about 2 minutes more. Add sugar, orange zest, ginger, and salt, and beat for 5 minutes. If needed add buttermilk to loosen up the frosting.

NOTE: I used Neufchâtel instead of cream cheese because it's softer and lower in fat

Pancakes with Cinnamon Spiced Berries

noreply@blogger.com (Lauren Fister) — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 15:54:00 +0000

Pancakes were one of the first foods I learned how to make. For whatever reason when I order them out, they never taste as good as when I make them at home. Most foods I think taste better when they are made by someone else. Pancakes are about the only exception, and to break that idea my Mom's pancakes always taste better than mine. This morning I woke up to a snowy mess and we haven't even gotten to Thanksgiving yet. Mondays are my day off and Chris flew in last night on a red-eye from Seattle and came in this morning, so I thought it would be nice to have breakfast at home!

My pancake recipe couldn't be more easy:

1 cup milk

spoonful of white vinegar

1 egg

1 or 2 tablespoons melted butter

1 cup flour (any kind)

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

dash of salt

Mix together dry ingredients and stir in wet ingredients until just mixed

Batter will be lumpy, that's OK!

Heat a griddle or large skillet over medium heat

Butter surface and spoon on batter

After 2 or 3 minutes you will see bubbles form on surface of pancake, now it's time to flip

Let cook for another minute and remove

Spiced Berries

These are amazing and the leftovers go well on ice cream, yogurt or cereal!

1 package of frozen mixed berries

1 tablespoon butter

2 tablespoons agave nectar

cinnamon

nutmeg

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium to high heat
Add berries before butter browns
Bring to a boil
Turn down heat to low
Add agave and sprinkle cinnamon and fresh nutmeg onto berries
Let simmer for a few minutes and serve!

Serve pancakes with berries and fresh warm syrup. If you warm your plate first it helps prevent the pancakes from becoming soggy!

Taste of the Times Event - NYC

noreply@blogger.com (Lauren Fister) — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 13:16:00 +0000

Last night was a real treat! I attended Taste of the Times, presented by the NY Times held at the Architects & Designers Building (in NYC). Snaidero has a corporately owned studio in the building which is how I got my invite. I'm always a bit leery of these big events that offer tastings of well known chefs. There is always the concern if the chef will actually be there or how good the food can be if they are prepping for hundreds of people. This event totally proved me wrong! The chefs were there and the food was fantastic! And all of the chefs seemed genuinely happy to interact with their "fans".

Above is chef Oriol Balaguer from Born Confections. He's known for his creativity and concepts which would be no surprise after working seven years with Ferran Adria at El Bulli! Last night he served chocolate mouse with a vanilla truffle creme and crunchy chocolate bits on top!

Michael Lomonaco of Porter House New York was serving a really yummy beef stew over cheese grits. It was great food for last night, totally season appropriate as well as something that would travel well. And as usual he seemed so happy to chat it up while serving his food!

The greatest disappointment of the evening came because Dan Barber of Blue Hill didn't make it, or at least he wasn't there any of the times I stopped by... Above on the left are little cups with fresh beets, pine nuts and homemade yogurt from Blue Hill - so refreshing! On the right is Nick Anderer rolling some sort of fish! He had such attention to detail while rolling and serving so many of these bites!

Above is Margo Lewis of Cake Bliss! She's known for her floral designed cakes and real ingredients. She brought one of her floral confections and bite size samples. YES!! That is glitter on the frosting! Those green little bites tasted just like red velvet cake - go figure!

Francois Payard was even there! He is now the Pastry Chef and Co-Owner of FPB down on West Houston Street. I haven't been but apparently its a more causal bakery. For this event he brought his signature bite-size works of art, and yes they really do taste good!!

I loved that Michael Psilakis of Eos, Gus & Gabriel, and Kefi didn't wear a chef jacket. He went and had his own style and did his own thing. He served a cucumber soup with crab. You were supposed to eat the crab first and then sip the chilled soup. This would be beautiful during the summer as it was so refreshing!

There were so many different chefs and foods to taste - and don't forget the wine and cocktails! The best part of the evening is that there were seasoned pros and newbies all side by side. At the end of the evening I found Kori of e.e. cookies. I think she was my favorite presenter. She's just starting out with here own cookie shop. Her flavors are true classics and not fussed up. My favorite were the miniature pumpkin whoopie cookies with dried cranberries! As soon as I finished my first bite I knew exactly what to experiment with at home! Kori matches her cookies - vibrant & sweet! So for your holiday parties you should totally order her cookies for dessert, they won't disappoint!

I can't wait to go next year. There were many, many chefs that I didn't mention. The bill is $80 a person but it includes all you can eat and drink along with a close up with celeb chefs! It's always the beginning of November so you'll have to catch it next year!

Smokey Bacon Potato Leek Soup

noreply@blogger.com (Lauren Fister) — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 15:53:00 +0000

I had the AC on just last week and now it's time for the heat. It's also time for blankets, fires and soups! A friend brought back some bacon fresh from a smoke house up in Vermont. I wanted to make something that would compliment the flavor so I came up with a Smokey Potato Leek Soup and it was fantastic. Chris and I ended up eating it for breakfast, lunch and dinner since it was sooo good & simple to make!

Ingredients:

4 - 6 pieces of bacon

3 - 4 leeks well washed and chopped

4 - 6 large red potatoes peeled and chopped

1 clove garlic

2 bay leaves

leaves from 2 sprigs of thyme

1 /2 cup dry white wine

1 standard box of chicken stock

2 cups water

salt and pepper to taste

creme fraiche or sour cream to taste

- In a deep stock pot cook pieces of bacon. When bacon is crispy remove and place on paper towels to drain.

- You will cook the leeks in the drippings. If you want you can remove some of the oil depending on how much was rendered from the bacon. My bacon wasn't all that fatty so I left what was in the pot.

- Over medium heat add the leeks. Cook for 10 minutes.

- De-glaze with white wine

- Add potatoes, garlic, stock, herbs, salt and pepper

- Simmer covered for 20 minutes or until potatoes are soft

- If you have an immersion blender you can blend soup at this point to desired thickness

- I just have a regular blender. In batches place soup in blender, leave cover off and place a towel over opening. Blend until just smooth. I needed to add some water at this point to get the mixture to blend.

- For an extra smooth soup you can pour blended soup through a sieve. I found my briefly blended soup to have a lovely and smooth texture so I didn't bother.

- Don't use a Cuisinart for this step as it will make the texture like paste.

** Never try to blend a hot liquid fully covered! The heat will expand, the top will blow off and you will have a HOT mess!! Trust me, this can happen as I learned many years ago!!

To serve:

Swirl in a spoonful of sour cream and top with chopped bacon, salt and pepper. It's also nice to have some freshly toasted hearty bread and white wine on the side.

Enjoy!!

Mid Century Elegance - A Modern Kitchen

noreply@blogger.com (Lauren Fister) — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 15:55:00 +0000

I'm in the kitchen all day long, not cooking but designing! I'm a designer with Studio Snaidero in CT and participate in the planning and design of some amazing homes throughout New England. There are quite a few projects from the past two years that need to be photographed so hopefully I'll have some more beautiful projects to share in the next few months! Last week, I was lucky enough to catch this stunning kitchen on a beautiful fall afternoon.

As much as I like the design stages of working on a project, I think I like walking into the finished room almost more. Every project is a collaboration between us the designers and a variety of people. Some projects have more parts than others. This project involved the home owners, architects and builders which ends up being a fair amount of people who each have their own requirements. Needless to say I was thrilled when I walked in the space and saw how all of the parts came together in such a natural and organic way that fit with the home!

There was a lot that needed to fit in this narrow (yet long) space. The list is pretty standard for one of our kitchens: 30" double ovens, 36" gas cook top, 48" refrigerator, microwave, wine refrigerator, ice maker, a large double bowl sink & lots of storage.

There ended up being a lot of useful storage in the kitchen. The island offers a key amount! There are two drawers on the ends that are 4 feet long and one in the center that is 3 feet long. Above the ovens behind closed doors is vertical try storage. Below the microwave are internal drawers that sit cleanly behind 1 solid door. At the end of the tall units sits a narrow pantry that holds necessary cleaning supplies.

Glass sliders open up to allow a flow outside. Keeping with an organic feel the cabinets are oak and the counters are slate. This particular style has an integrated handle that contributes to the clean feel of the room. The handless style also works well since we were working in a narrow space and hardware would just get in the way. A glass backsplash gently reflects the outside as well as makes for easy clean-up!

I hope you enjoyed this little tour! Studio Snaidero is located at 18 South Main Street in South Norwalk, CT. If you're in the area and thinking about taking on a kitchen project stop by and take a look!

Urban Elegance - Souterrain Part Deux

noreply@blogger.com (Lauren Fister) — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 12:44:00 +0000

A couple of weeks ago, le Farm's second Souterrain dinner sold out within a few hours (I didn't even know it went on sale!). It's definitely got buzz - and followers! Lucky for you (and me), I got to go behind the scenes to check out this feast! The dinner was held at a small abandoned space in the Wall Street part of Norwalk - part of the space I didn't even know existed. Days before the dinner, Chef Bill Taibe's crew began transforming the hidden rooms into an intimate urban foodie oasis. The contrast of the space (complete with graffiti & lots of candles) along with the elegance of the food fit the model for this "underground" event. To set the mood, spiced pear and bourbon cocktails were muddled and poured for guests as they arrived. The entire menu consisted of lush fall flavors that fit right in with the cozy surroundings.

When the food was served guests were armed not with forks but with cameras and phones.

A quiet prep moment...

Piping hot butternut soup was served up right in front of guests from a cauldron.

I got to sample some of the blood sausage that topped this fall salad. I've always been a bit squeamish around this but decided to give it another try. Totally worth it! The outside was crunchy and the inside was amazingly light not to mention all of the other complimentary flavors and textures in the salad.

Everything about the dinner was unexpected! I loved watching this total urban space transform into a chic backdrop for a terrific evening. When the sun set there was a wonderful glow within. If you're interested in attending one of these underground dinners email is the way to go: ffoodllc@optonline.net. Send an email expressing your interest and they'll let you know when tickets will go on sale!

I hope you've enjoyed reading about le Farm's Souterrain! Please vote to keep me in the FoodBuzz Food Blogger Competition & also feel free to comment (I loooove comments)!

Enjoy!!