Salted Spoon

Delicious Days: Smoked Goada Mac and Cheese

2013-06-18T11:44:00.000-07:00

Creamy, delicious, gooey and delightful. Missing some texture. There was an option to add bacon, and boy I wish I'd taken it. Maybe some toasted breadcrumbs on top would have done the trick.

The burgers here were not a good choice. Skip them.

Delicious Days: High Tea

2013-06-16T11:37:00.000-07:00

High Tea of a sandwich selection, the two favorites being Branston Pickle and Green Apple, and then Smoked Salmon and Cream Cheese; Scones with jam and whipped cream, which were lovely but I was sad that the cream wasn't clotted; and then some profiteroles and macarons, both of which were way too sweet. I wish they had real petit fours. But it was lovely, and unlimited tea of which I went through two pots of Earl Grey.

Delicious Days: Duck Flatbread and Gnocchi with Fava Bean Puree

2013-06-14T11:37:00.000-07:00

Duck Flatbread with Apricot Jam and Kumquats - Definitely a bit on the weird side. The Kumquats were really tart and sweet at the same time, which really overwhelmed the dish.

Gnocchi with Parmesan, Ricotta and Fava Bean Puree - Light and fluffy tiny tiny gnocchi. Delicious puree, but lacking a touch of salt.

Nailed It! The Bacon and Cheese Scone Quest

2013-05-09T10:15:00.000-07:00

I promised you this recipe would come eventually! And lo, here it is!!

So, when I was a wee lass (which I typed first as ass... hilarious), my Nana used to make these bacon cakes. They were triangular shaped like scones often are, moist, delicate and delicious slathered in butter and we would have them for tea. Nana always made "tea" at 6pm. It was her version of supper, the last meal of the day, and it would be malt loaf or eggy bread or ham sandwiches or bacon cakes or something else delightfully carby. It was usually my favorite meal. I would spend my six week long summer holidays with her and I loved tea-time almost as much as I loved blackberrying and rollerskating and her bedtime stories.

I have a few of her recipes and one of them is for bacon cakes. I've diligently made it a few times, and while the result is pretty good, it isn't what my ten year old self remembers. I've tried to tweak it a lot, and finally I decided that instead of just creating a replica, I need to create something that I really like.... something of my own.

I started over, tweaking, making, kneading, shaping, re-doing. I tried adding ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, cream cheese. I played with the amount of baking powder, the type of milk, the quality of the butter. Until finally one day a few weeks ago I got the result I wanted. I think I've gone through at least nine incarnations of this recipe, but it's finally the one I like best. Ironically, it's probably the one with the fewest ingredients... the simplest version. These are perfect just out of the oven, cut in half and spread with some good quality salted butter.

Bacon and Cheese Scones

4oz Butter (1 Stick), cold
2 1/2 Cups All Purpose Flour
4oz Sharp Cheddar, grated
1 Teaspoon Salt
1 Tablespoon + 1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
3 Slices of Bacon, cooked and diced
1 Scallion, sliced thin
1 Egg
2/3 Cup Milk (any kind)

Preheat your oven to 400F.

In a mixing bowl, combine the butter with the flour, salt and baking powder until it becomes like breadcrumbs. Stir in your cheese, scallion and bacon. Beat the egg into the milk, then slowly add to the dry mixture until combine. Try to mix it as gently and as little as possible.

Roll out the dough until it is an inch thick and cut into circles with a four inch or so cookie cutter. I, owning cookie cutters only in the shape of candy canes and ninjas, used a jam jar lid.

You should get about 8-10 circles out of it. If you like, you can do a quick egg wash glaze over these by beating an egg with a couple of tablespoons of milk and brushing with a pastry brush. It's not completely necessary, but I would take the time if you have it.

Bake for 20 minutes until well risen and turning slightly golden. If you need to reheat these for later, do use the oven and not the microwave... it's much better.

Slather with butter and enjoy hot, with fond memories of your childhood drifting through your head.

Well That Snuck Up on Me

2013-04-27T14:05:00.000-07:00

Okay, I swear I have recipes. I actually have like, a really good one for you. But the post it note that I wrote it down on fell behind the fridge and I haven't managed to get to it yet.

And I've been working.

And doing lots of voice overs.

Oh yeah, and I turned 30.

Seriously. 30. I know I know it's "not that bad"and being 30 is the new 20 and all that stuff and look at all the great things I've accomplished and blah blah blah.

But it's hard when you look at your life and you think of all the things you meant to do before now. You make a list in your head of what you can pull off before you're 35, or 40. How late is too late?

I wish I could tell you that at the age of 30 I'm going to rededicate myself to food and be awesome and amazing... but I just don't know. I don't know what's going to happen. I'm day by day here in the Valley. I get up, I go record voice overs, I go to the Circus, I spend time with my boyfriend. I live off poached eggs on toast and lots of coffee. I go to the park with the dog. I watch Deadliest Catch before bed to help me fall asleep. I do it all over again.

It's a weird cycle. And I'm going to be in it for a while I think. But I'm hoping that soon, soon things will shift in some way. Soon I'll get to the next stage of my life, whatever that may be. Soon I'll embrace 30 and not be in this weird limbo thing where I'm not sure what to do with it.

Soon, I'll dig out that recipe. Because it has bacon in it... and it's really good.

Food Riot Launches Today!

2013-04-09T10:42:00.000-07:00

Today is the day! Food Riot is finally here!

If you haven't heard about it yet, Food Riot is this absolutely amazing project brought to you by the makers of the hugely popular blog Book Riot. It's a food community like no other, and I'm extremely proud to be one of their contributors! Check them out. Subscribe. Share. Enjoy!

Liquid Diet

2013-04-05T13:57:00.003-07:00

I would regale you with all the tales of the awesome food coming out of my kitchen, but I really have none to tell. I've been on a pretty liquid diet for the last little bit because my show is dark for a week. To the average person living in Las Vegas, having a week off work when you can't go anywhere pretty much turns into one thing.... day drinking!

I have, though, eaten a couple of really good things which I managed to be smart enough to take a few pics of, so please consider this an interim post, sharing with you a couple of highlights of food sandwiched between a lot of cheap Tempranillo, Redd's Apple Ale (love the name!), Buddha Beer and Gimlets.

The beach house breakfast I made for Larry, Justin and Amee when I spent a whirlwind 25 hours in Newport beach a few weeks ago.

The KJ Steamer at Joe's Crab Shack. I subbed shrimp in because I wasn't in the mood for mussels. Snow crab is just one of the most delicious things ever. This was the day I got permission to go play hooky from work and see a concert with my hot boyfriend.

This burger looks weird, and to a degree it was a let down because it was ordered medium rare and arrived well done, but on it was truffled cheese and bacon onion jam. That really made up for it. This was also the night that we were planning to go to the gym after work but decided a crappy day meant we would go to the Yardhouse instead.

Oh Brio. Home of Cucumber Basil Gimlets, and this Three Tomato Insalata with Chicken. Divine and yummy and just the fortification I needed to spend an afternoon shopping with the lovely Dani. She and I really are the worst together. We egg each other on when it comes to buying clothes almost as much as when it comes to ordering cocktails.

I realize that posts like this make it sound like I have this really epic fabulous life. To a degree, I do. but I'm only showing you the highlights, not the other 97% of the time.

It's a really nice 3% though.

Poached Chicken Spring Salad with Blueberries and Strawberries

2013-03-18T13:52:00.000-07:00

Winter is coming to a close here in the Valley. Since we've actually already had a 90 degree day, I'm guessing we're in that sweet spot where we have two weeks of Spring before everything becomes, well, deserty.

In a last ditch attempt to enjoy the winter, my guy and a few of our friends toddled off to the mountains in Utah for a day of Snowboarding. Since I have an angry knee, I went for the pretty views and the chance to escape.

We were staying over night in a little condo so that everyone could get up early and make the first run. My friend Chat had made the worlds most enormous salad and insisted I try a plate. It had about twelve ingredients and was really delicious. I picked out the celery because I'm weird like that. He'd mixed everything up and added some chicken that he baked in the oven. I nearly went for seconds.

So I spent the day in the lodge, sipping on Maple Crown and Coke (I had a flask because I'm smart like that). Then when we got home I couldn't stop thinking about that damn salad. So off to the grocery store I trundled and picked up the goodies to make a revised version. I didn't want to bake the chicken and I luckily remembered that my friend Kyle had told me that he'd taken to poaching chicken for salads and then refrigerating it to eat through the week. Bingo. Worked like a charm.

And so, this salad was born. I can't stop eating it. It's so simple and delicious and ridiculously low calorie.

Poached Chicken Spring Salad with Blueberries and Strawberries

Play with your quantities here until you're happy with what you have. You'll only use about 1/3rd of a chicken breast per salad, but of course you need to cook the whole thing.

1 Chicken Breast (boneless and skinless)
2 Handfuls Spring Salad Mix
2 Strawberries, diced
10-15 Blueberries
Salt and Pepper
Balsamic Vinegar Salad Dressing

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil and drop in the chicken breast. You need enough water to just cover the chicken. Turn the heat down to a low simmer, cover and cook for twenty minutes. Check to make sure it's cooked all the way through, then shred it. Season with salt and pepper. You can then use about 1/3rd per salad.

Put the spring mix on a plate. Scatter over your diced strawberries and blueberries. Top with the poached chicken and drizzle over some balsamic vinegar salad dressing. Or, make your own with 1 teaspoon flavored olive oil and one teaspoon balsamic vinegar.

Eat with fond memories of mountain views. Embrace spring.

Makes one salad, with leftover chicken for two more.

Going Back to the Start with Rhubarb Crumble

2013-03-03T10:36:00.000-08:00

I posted a little while ago about how I'm sort of in this rut. I finished my book and after that was done it's been a "now what?" situation. I've not really been spending much time in my kitchen, and when I have I've been making old faithful type food that I've already told you about here on this blog.

I couldn't figure out what to do now that I've finished something big. Then, I got all zen and stuff and realized that what I needed to do was take a breath and go back to the beginning. I needed to go back to my childhood. To something familiar and comforting. I needed Rhubarb Crumble.

Rhubarb is a lot less common in American than it is in England. I rarely see it fresh here, and I've never seen it growing.

Back in England, when we moved into the house that I lived in for the five years before I moved to America I remember my Mother going through and ripping out a lot of the old garden. I helped somewhat, until I accidentally speared a frog with a garden fork. I became quite the indoor girl after that. It still gives me the willies thinking about it.
Anyway, so Mum went and dug up a big Rhubarb plant that she didn't want. She went ahead and put it on a pile of scrap sticks and woody things that would eventually be burned. It was sitting on top of the pile, half hacked to pieces, and the darned thing kept on growing. I think it sat and flourished for about two weeks.
So Mum hacked off all the green parts again and then had a nice little bonfire to burn all the green scrap that wouldn't be good for composting. After the bonfire there was a pile of rubble and a few chunks of unburnt wood that didn't quite finish combusting all the way. And about a week later, this pile was of course growing bright green Rhubarb stalks.

I don't know how the hell is survived. I also don't know how the hell Mum finally killed it. But hey, I've had a soft spot for Rhubarb ever since.

This Rhubarb Crumble is my Mum's recipe. She used to make it here and there when I was young, and I think my Nana used to make it too. It was served frequently with custard or vanilla ice cream, and I recommend you do the same thing!

Rhubarb Crumble

The easiest way to make this is in a pie plate or an 8x8 pan. You can throw in some strawberries as well if you need to use some up. I had a few in the fridge the last time I made this and sliced them over the rhubarb before I layered on the topping.

20oz Frozen Rhubarb
6oz Flour
3oz Butter (cold)
6oz Sugar (split in half)

Preheat the oven to 375F.

Take half the sugar and toss the rhubarb in it. Lay the rhubarb in the bottom of a pie plate or other pan, spread fairly evenly.

In a small bowl, work the flour and butter together with your hands until it resembles breadcrumbs. Make sure you start with cold butter and work pretty quickly as you don't want it to melt. Mix in the rest of the sugar and spread this topping evenly over the rhubarb.

Bake for 45 minutes until the top has become golden brown.

Eat with a dollop of ice cream, custard or whipped cream while tucked up in bed watching the Top Chef finale.

Makes 12 servings.

Afterwards

2013-02-18T13:11:00.001-08:00

Here's the thing about writing a book. It's a huge personal accomplishment. It's very big in your head and very emotional in some ways because it's like this little being that you've created. You work so hard to create it, get it dressed, make it pretty and perfect, and then you send it out into the world.

And then what?

Then, well, you did that. Check. Moving on.

I'm having a really hard time with the afterwards of writing my book. I've had so many projects and when it came to cooking and food, that was the big one. Now, well, now I've kind of hit pause when it comes to cooking.

I've been away a lot. I've been snowboarding or working on other big non-food projects (I narrate audiobooks too and just got done with a really big one). When it comes to cooking, I've not been making anything new. I've made a lot of meatballs and salads and things that you've seen already. I haven't been reading food magazines or other peoples blogs. I've not been jotting recipe ideas down at every opportunity. I've not been feeling inspired, so I haven't really been writing.

This makes me sad. I love this blog and I love food, and writing about food. I need to kick start myself somehow. I need to be inspired. I need to just get back in my kitchen and play. I need to start going to the grocery store and grabbing something random and figuring out what I want to do with it. There are so many "I need to" and "I should do", but I just can't seem to get started.

What do you do when you hit a wall? How do you handle the afterwards of something big?

Crunchy Chickpeas

2013-02-05T18:22:00.001-08:00

I've mentioned several times here at Salted Spoon that I am most definitely a snacker. I love just nibbling on things all day long, particularly salty things. I also love chickpeas. I put them in lots and lots of things, and even make this yummy chickpea salad where it's almost the only thing that you are eating.

I've seen recipes for crunchy chickpeas roaming the internet for a while, and decided to give them a quick shot. They are definitely quite delicious!

Crunchy Chickpeas

1 Can Chickpeas, drained and rinsed
Cooking Spray
Salt and Pepper

Seriously, how short is that ingredient list?!

Preheat your oven to 425. Spread your chickpeas over a baking sheet and spray lightly with cooking spray. Grind over some salt and peppers. Stir or shakes, then spray and season again so that all sides are covered.

Bake for 30 minutes, stirring at the 10 and 20 minute marks so that all sides cook evenly. Cook a little more if they need more crunch.

Makes 2-4 Servings

Also, I've taken up snowboarding. This is insanely fun!

Almost Healthy Gingerbread

2013-01-25T12:23:00.001-08:00

This week I pulled the book Healthy Homestyle Cooking by Evelyn Tribole off my cookbook shelf. I wasn't in the mood for cookies and I'm low on supplies for savory items, so it was the Gingerbread recipe that caught my eye.

I think I bought this book at a yard sale or a thrift store or something. It's one of my older ones and it is chock full of lots of good recipes that are on the healthier side of things. I'm still working on my holiday weight, so it was nice to pick out a few things that wouldn't break the calorie bank.

I love gingerbread. I find it hearty and comforting. I like how after it sits for a little bit, the top always gets sticky and you have to lick it off your fingers. I like how it almost develops a little more flavor with age.

I did play around with the original recipe a bit. I upped the spices, added salt, switched buttermilk for yoghurt and added a little milk. I used apple butter instead of apple sauce because that's what I had on hand.

It came out very well and I'd definitely recommend you try it! Next time, I'll probably try and figure out a way to get some booze in there somewhere.

Almost Healthy Gingerbread
Adapated from Healthy Homestyle Cooking

1 Cup All Purpose Flour
1/2 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
1/4 Cup Brown Sugar
1 Teaspoon Ground Ginger
3/4 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
1/2 Teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
2 Egg Whites
1/2 Cup Yogurt
2 Tablespoons Fat Free Milk
1/2 Cup Apple Butter or Apple Sauce
1/2 Cup Molasses

Preheat the oven to 350F. Spray or grease an 8x8 Baking dish.

In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients together until well combined. Add the egg whites, yogurt, milk, apple butter and molasses and stir well until combined. You should have a nice thick batter.
Spread into your pan and bake for 30 minutes until the cake has set. Let cool in the pan, then store in an airtight container.

This is great right out of the oven, but if you let it mellow out for a few hours it's even better.

Eat at work at your desk, lick the sticky top off your fingers and try not to get anything on your keyboard.

Makes 9-12 pieces.

If I Could Eat At Other Tables...

2013-01-18T16:55:00.000-08:00

I wish I could eat everything in the world right now. I see all of my fellow bloggers creating completely fabulous food and I want to be munching away in their kitchens. I'd love to be pulling up a chair and talking to them about their food and their heritage and what they really love to eat when no one is looking.

If I could eat from my fellow bloggers tables today, here is the meal I would want.

Starter

Perfect Potato Soup from The Pioneer Woman

Main Course

Ravioli Nudi in Tomato Sauce from The Sweets Life

Dessert

Chocolate Speckled Salted Shortbread from Bake or Break

What do you want for dinner?

Greek Chicken Thighs

2013-01-14T11:00:00.000-08:00

I'm not going to lie, I mostly made these Chicken Thighs because I wanted to use my new baking dish.
My office does Secret Santa every year and it's no secret that I'm big into cooking. I was really delighted to get this dish, not just because it is super pretty, but because it's the perfect size for the portion sizes I tend to make. I have a lot of bakeware and trying to find room for this dish made me realize that I seriously need to go through my cabinets and organize what I have and possibly re-home some duplicate pans.

In case you are curious, I gave my Secret Santa Beer, Chocolate and Coffee. It seemed like a good choice.

I stumbled across this recipe in the 2012 wrap up from the blog Everybody Loves Sandwiches. I changed it just a smidge, but the recipe is pretty straightforward. These chicken thighs get marinated for a couple of hours, then baked in a good hot oven until cooked. Although they get cooked uncovered, the chicken thighs stay nice and moist. I took the skin off mine, but the original recipes says you can leave them on if you wish. This dish is really light and tangy. The flavor of the chicken shines through nicely.

Greek Chicken Thighs

Multiply this recipe as many times as you like to fit your preferred portion size!

2 Boneless Chicken Thighs
4 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
2 Cloves Garlic, smashed
1/2 Teaspoon Oregano
1/4 Teaspoon of Salt
Black Pepper

In a small bowl, mix together the lemon juice, salt, oregano, garlic and a few good grinds of black pepper. Put your chicken thighs in a ziploc bag and pour over the marinade. Let sit for at least a couple of hours, flipping the bag over a couple of times if you can. You can also let it sit in the fridge during the day to cook at night if you like.

When the chicken is marinaded, preheat the oven to 425F. Pour the chicken and the marinade into a shallow non-stick baking dish. Bake for 45 minutes.

Eat with some lightly buttered boiled potatoes off your favorite plate on a Sunday afternoon.

Serves two for lunch or one for dinner.

Banana Rum Cake for Larry

2013-01-09T11:00:00.000-08:00

New Year's here in the Valley was a really nice experience this year. I had a lot of fun on the 51st floor of the Cosmopolitan drinking wine and champagne, playing Cards Against Humanity (which, incidentally, is the best game every) and hanging out with friends.

My friends Larry and Justin were staying with me over New Years. They were in from California and were using my guest room while I'm between roommates. They both love food, which makes them the perfect guests.

I'm going to try something new this year. It isn't exactly a resolution, just a way of keeping me busy. I have a lot of cookbooks. I consider myself a collector and I love getting books for my birthday or Christmas. I'm going to go ahead and try and aim to make and adapt one recipe from a different book every week. This could be interesting for sure, as I've got several books that I've never made anything at all from.

So since it's the first week of the year, I asked Larry to give me a hand picking out a book. The happy result was the Joy the Baker Cookbook. After skimming through the recipes, we settled on one for Banana Rum Cake. When I went to Antigua I can back with a bottle of Antiguan rum and have been looking for a good excuse to open it.

I adapted this cake a fair bit from it's an original version. Instead of making it a layer cake with frosting, I went for a simple bundt cake.... a good excuse to break out new pans.

Banana Rum Cake
Adapted from Joy the Baker Cookbook

3 Cups Flour
2 1/4 Teaspoon Baking Powder
3/4 Teaspoon Baking Soda
3/4 Teaspoon Salt
1 1/2 Teaspoon Cinnamon
1/2 Teaspoon Nutmeg
3/4 Cup Butter, softened
1 3/4 Cup Dark Brown Sugar
3 Bananas, mashed
4 Tablespoon Rum
3 Eggs
1/2 Cup + 2 Tablespoons Buttermilk
1/2 Cup Walnuts, chopped
1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Preheat the oven to 350F and grease a Bundt pan.

Cream together the butter and sugar, add in the eggs and vanilla. Add in the bananas, rum, cinnamon, nutmeg, buttermilk, salt, baking powder and baking soda until well combined. Fold in the flour and the walnuts. Pour into the pan and bake for fifty minutes. Turn the oven off and leave the cake in the oven for another 10 minutes. Check that the cake is cooked through. Let cool in the pan.

Cut into nice big chunks and eat at your desk at work after a busy couple of hours. Resolve to drink more tea.

Salted Spoon: The eBook!

2013-01-07T10:24:00.001-08:00

Almost a year ago now, I started working on a little side project. I wanted to put together an eBook of my favorite recipes, something small and cute with both new recipes and the popular ones from this blog.

Over a few months, it started to take better and better shape. I had a few times where it stalled out, but one fine day in the fall I was able to close my laptop, turn to my guy and say "It's done".
Tweaking, editing, formatting, cover designs and life intervening meant that it took me just a tad longer than expected, but yesterday it was finally published.

It's got 30+ recipes in it and the stories behind them and I'm really really happy with it.

You can pick it up on Amazon at the link below or the link in the sidebar! Thanks so much for being here and helping me make this possible!

2012 Wrap Up

2012-12-31T10:45:00.000-08:00

Well here I am, wrapping up another year. And this, my friends, has been a hell of a year. My personal life has been filled with ups and downs, good and bad. I've gone through enormous life changes, almost all for the better. This was my building block year. I got a lot of things straightened out that should make for happier times moving forward.

The biggest things that happened to me this year:

I ran my first 5K and 10K.

I bought my first ever new car.

I lost two friends way too young.

I had three surgeries.

My heart got broken.

My heart got better.

I learned how to Snowboard.

I became friends with Lindsay, Danny, Dani and Meredith... fantastic additions to my life.

I hugged all my parents without going to England.

I met and passed my goal weight.

I reconnected with Dana.

I became a happy, healthy person.

I cooked. I wrote. I lived.

This year I created a lot of recipes that I am delighted to have in my repertoire. I've learned a lot in the kitchen and I'm really working on building my food legacy in a strong strong way. So with that in mind, here are my personal favorite recipes from this year.

Thanks for being here. Sometimes I feel like I'm writing out into an invisible void, but I know you're out there somewhere.

Poached Eggs with Tomato and Avocado

Apple, Cheddar and Sage Flatbread

Meatballs with Homemade Barbecue Sauce

Cucumber Mint Sparkler

Clams with Corn and Heirloom Tomatoes

Cinnamon Chocolate Coffee Cake

Fall Corn Chowder

And next year? Well.... next year is going to be really really interesting. I've got a big project that I'll get to share soon. I can't wait!

Vegetable Stir Fry with Peanut Sauce

2012-12-20T12:58:00.001-08:00

A long time ago I went to college with a guy named Jeff. We were friendly and I think he might have worked with me on the school newspaper for a while. At some point, we lost touch and then a couple of years later we reconnected for a short time. I don't remember a whole lot about how long we were friends for or why we stopped hanging out. What I do remember is that one time I went to his apartment and he made me stir fry and it was amazing.

That's the weird thing about food. It's such a tie to memory and people. I remember so well Jeff pottering around his tiny kitchen in Atlanta making this dish, splashing in a bit of this and a bit of that. It was the first time I'd ever seen anyone cook with rice wine vinegar. The first time I think I saw anyone cook with snow peas. It was a really delicious meal, the sauce accents the flavor of the peppers really well and the vinegar makes it bright and tangy. The peppers have just a little extra crunch, the mushrooms are sumptuous and rich, and the snow peas are bright, green and fresh.

I made this stir fry a lot more often when I was vegetarian. I still default back to it though, when I'm craving something warm and fresh and tangy. Normally I would make my own peanut sauce, but I've found that store bought is really really good in this dish and has the perfect balance. You can find it in the Asian section in the grocery store.

Vegetable Stir Fry with Peanut Sauce

1 Red Bell Pepper, cut into strips

1 Green Bell Pepper, cut into strips

6 White Mushrooms, sliced

1/4 Cup of Snow Peas

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

1 Tablespoon Rice Wine Vinegar

3 Tablespoons Peanut Sauce

Warm up the olive oil in a large frying pan or a wok if you have one. Make sure it gets nice and hot, then add the peppers. Add half the rice wine vinegar and saute for a couple of minutes. Add the mushrooms and stir around until the peppers are starting to get a little bit of color on them. You want them to stay a bit crispy. Add the snow peas and the rest of the rice wine vinegar and saute two more minutes. Add the peanut sauce and stir until warmed through.

Serve with rice and build a memory with an old friend.

Makes 2 servings.

10,232

2012-12-18T21:26:00.001-08:00

Y'all, that was awesome. Seriously.

In the last two weeks, I have traveled 10, 232 miles. I have been on four airplanes. I have seen pink sand in the Caribbean, Christmas trees in Bryant Park New York, and learned how to Snowboard in Utah.

I've caught up with old friends, hugged my family, missed a play, and gone on my first trip with my boyfriend.

I've had bad lobster, drunk champagne five days in a row, ordered room service, and eaten snow.

I've had a really really lovely vacation. I needed it, and I'm glad I went. I'm rested and ready for whatever comes next.

I have no good food pictures, because honestly I didn't have anything revelatory in the food department (except for some damn good barbecue chicken which I have no evidence of). But I've got some pretty pictures and I thought I'd share a few.

Pink sand in Barbuda. It's pink due to all the little shells. My mother did the hand modeling.

Sunset, Mamora Beach, Antigua.

Sunset, Shirley Heights, Antigua. Overlooking English Harbor. Amazing barbecue here every Sunday.

The view from my balcony, St James Club, Antigua. Where I would curl up in the afternoon with a book and a cup of coffee.

Bryant Park, New York. A quick stopover to say hi to my friends Danny and Meredith. We walked around and drank Strawberry Hot Chocolate and then I taught Meredith how to knit.

Sunrise, Arizona (possibly Nevada). First trip away with my guy. We left Las Vegas at 6am to go to Brian Head, Utah.

The view from the top of the mountain in Brian Head. I learned how to Snowboard. I've got a lot more learning to do, but I loved it. We stayed overnight and it was absolutely gorgeous and wonderful.

The whole two weeks have made me ridiculously happy. I'm a lucky girl in that I get to do things like this once in a while.

Did you see my Snickerdoodle recipe over at Whisks and Words? Check it out.

Away I Go

2012-12-05T12:44:00.000-08:00

It's our December dark, meaning the Circus is shut down for two weeks. I am running away for the duration.

Have a good week or so. Eat lots of Christmas Cookies.

Hankook Taqueria

2012-12-01T17:11:00.001-08:00

I'm well known for my deep love of Asian food. For some reason Asian flavors have always resonated with me more than most other cuisine types. The last time I was back in Atlanta, I was told about a little Korean Taco Place in a really unlikely location that was absolutely to die for. Life changing, it was called. Unforgettable. Perfect. That was some big talk there, and I was extremely skeptical. In the interest of research I figured I would try it.

It's not much to look at inside. There is a counter, and there are seats. It's in an almost shack-like building. They don't serve alcohol (though you can bring your own). My skepticism continued. Then I noticed that it had a fair few awards on the back wall. Fair enough, my interest was aroused.
I ordered Korean Tacos, one fish, one beef. My dining companion ordered the Bibim-bop. Total cost of the meal: $12.

The food arrived in a nice and speedy fashion. I was sad that I hadn't thought to go ahead and pick up a few bottles of beer, as it seemed acceptable to bring your own. Definitely something to bear in mind for next time.

The beef (bul gogi) taco was absolutely divine. The beef was perfectly seasoned and really tender. Korean barbecue really is one of the best tastes. I adored every bite.

The fish taco wasn't bad. The fish had a really nice crispy coating. The hoi sin tartar sauce though left a bit to be desired for me. I couldn't really find the hoi sin part of it. I think if I could have had a do-over, I would have gone for two of the beef tacos instead.

My companions Bibim-bop was absolutely perfect and divine. Everything was well prepared, the egg was perfect, the special sauce was tasty and delicious. It was a great plate.

This restaurant is definitely a find. The food is excellent and you can't beat the price. The location is odd, but it's actually worth the trip for the food. Definitely a great little out of the way place to try if you have a chance.

Make Ahead Spinach, Bacon and Egg Sandwiches

2012-11-20T13:18:00.000-08:00

It's about to get really really busy up in here. Next week, I'm on the longer shifts at work so I'll be starting early most days, then the week after we have a big big PR event that I'm partially responsible for, then we go on our dark and I'm away for most of two weeks... one week in Antigua, one day in New York, then two or three days in the mountains learning to Snowboard with the new boy. I'm learning, not him. He can already Snowboard quite well, although there was an incident with a tree last season that best not spoken of.

When I go into a period where I'm about to get busy, I try and be smart and prep ahead with food in the freezer so I'm not busy and tired AND hungry. Honestly, you don't want me to be all three. I'm awful. I'll start by getting cranky, then I'll just live on the verge of tears where any little thing can make me cry. I am not fun when I'm busy and tired and hungry.

But the promise of vacation is coming. I think the last time I went on a real holiday was when I was a teenager. Every other time I've been responsible for someone else, or visiting family, or something else where I can't relax. I'm so happy I get to just take a week on a beach with no one but my Mum and Stepdad, and unlimited food, drink, beach and sleeping.

So anyways. Make ahead stuff. I've seen a version of this knocking around Pinterest for a while. I figured I would go ahead and play around and see what I could come up with. I'm a big fan of adding bacon to things, and when I was making this, I had a really really good idea. I was cooking the bacon, and prepping the muffin cups, and I was about to reach for some cooking spray when I said Nay! Thou Shalt Not Use Cooking Spray, Thou Shalt Use Bacon Grease!! And yea verily, a bacon grease smeared muffin cup was born. For I am mighty in my use of bacon. I love my brain sometimes.

So yeah, screw the spray, use the bacon grease. I made six of these and after they had cooled, I wrapped them in foil and put them in a freezer bag. When I want one, it'll be two minutes in the microwave, add a slice of cheese and an English Muffin, and I'll be out the door on my way to make people fly through the air.

Make Ahead Spinach, Bacon and Egg Sandwiches

6 Eggs
3 Rashers of Bacon, cut in half
1 Cup Spinach
Salt
Pepper

Preheat the over to 350F. Cook the bacon in a skillet until mostly done. Use a basting brush to coat six muffin cups with bacon grease. Layer in the spinach so that it is essentially lining the muffin cup.
Lay a piece of bacon in each cup. I like to flip it over a little so it's like a little ball of bacon. Break an egg into each cup and put a few grinds of salt and pepper over each one.

Bake in the oven for twenty minutes. Everything will be cooked through and delicious. Allow to cool then wrap individually in foil, and place in a freezer. To use later, unwrap from the foil, pop in the microwave for two minutes or a little longer if needed. Add a slice of cheese and an English Muffin and you've got breakfast.

Eat hurriedly whilst heading to your car. Then double back because you left your coffee on the counter.

Makes 6.

Color Me Rad

2012-11-18T17:46:00.000-08:00

So, I have a new blog design, courtesy of the lovely Kathleen. It's a lot less standard blogger and a lot more individual which I like. What do you think?

It's been a bit dull over here in the Valley the last week or so. I did, however, get to do something pretty cool. I got to run in the Color Me Rad 5K here in Vegas.It's a neat race... they have them all over the country. Basically, you run and you get pelted with paint powder at various intervals throughout the race, and a whole bunch at the end. It's non-competetive and it isn't timed, so it's a lot of fun.

I really like running 5K. I've gotten a lot better at them, and I really like running with a bunch of people.

Here is my before shot, with the lovely Dan and Kate. Dan wasn't running, but he was nice enough to hold the car keys. We also made sure he got a good dose of paint on him at the end.

Here is how we looked after. Nice and messy in front of the final paint station. We'd had an adult slumber party the night before and stayed up very late drinking rum, playing Wii bowling, and chatting, so we were running on less than four hours sleep. I'm amazed at how energetic we looked!

Afterwards I heading home to shower. The amount of paint was ridiculous! I had to wash my hair twice to get it all out, and my shower looked like it had been attacked by a parade of angry smurfs. It was back to bed and then a bowl of my favorite comfort food... mashed potatoes with peas and gravy, washed down with a cup of tea.

All in all a good time was had, and I'm really glad I did it. Time to find another race to run! I'm really wanting to do a 10K next.

Healthy Scrambled Egg Wrap

2012-11-15T16:14:00.002-08:00

I know, I know. I'm on another breakfast kick that I can't seem to shake. I'm not complaining, though, because this one is really really good.

I've mentioned a few times before that I went through a period of weight loss over the last year. It wasn't easy, and I'm still working my ass off to maintain my current level of fitness. I'm so much healthier, happier and I have more energy. These days I try and do a big run on Tuesdays.... hoping to reach my goal of being able to run a 10K (6.2 miles) in an hour by the 1st of December. I'm at 5.81 miles right now and continuing to push. I try and do at least three 20+ minute runs at other times during the week, and I'm also starting to add in some more toning and shaping.

I'm happy with how far I've come and I'm happy with where I'm going. The only problem is that I've come to realize that it's going to be very easy for me to backslide. Gone are the days when I could eat anything that I wanted. Now it's all about portion control. If I make cookies, I eat one or two and I don't eat half a cup of the dough any more.

So I'm frequently on the look out for lower calorie, flavorful food that I can put into my regular rotation. A while ago I decided that I don't eat enough veggies, so I starting going more for scrambled eggs with spinach and other vegetables, instead of my usual poached egg on toast.

I've made this combination as just a bowl of scrambled eggs, as a breakfast sandwich using Sandwich Thins, and as a wrap. Honestly, in my opinion, the wrap is the best choice. It comes together quickly and it's really delicious. It won't break the calorie bank, and it's nice and filling.

Healthy Scrambled Egg Wrap

1/2 Cup Spinach
1 Egg
1/4 Cup Egg Whites
2 Tablespoons Goat Cheese
1 Tablespoon Sundried Tomatoes (chopped small)
1 Teaspoon Butter Replacer (I use Store Brand I Can't Believe it's Not Butter)
1 Whole Wheat Flour Tortilla
Salt
Pepper

In a saucepan over a medium/low heat, melt the butter replacer. Add in the sundried tomatoes, egg and egg white, and a few grinds of salt and pepper. The key to scrambled eggs is cook over a gentle heat and to stir frequently. So, stir frequently and gently until the eggs are cooked most of the way through. Add the spinach and cook for a few more seconds, then add the goat cheese.

Warm your flour tortilla just a little by setting over the flame of a stove for 5 seconds each side. Turn out your eggs onto the tortilla, wrap up and serve.

Eat at the dining room table, staring out a window at rare fluffy clouds.

Serves 1.

Chicken and Broccoli Asian Noodle Bowl

2012-11-09T11:34:00.002-08:00

I love Asian food. Whenever I go out to eat with a friend, I find myself always suggesting Sushi or Vietnamese or Thai or Indian. I'm not really sure why that is. I think I just really love fresh flavors with lots of salty soy goodness, and I've always been a big fan of ginger. I love a good Pad Thai, or some Chicken Tikka Masala, or a Rainbow Roll. I never seem to want to eat American. It's weird.

I've been eating out a lot recently. When you spend lots of time with friends, and when you're dating someone new, this tends to happen I think. I think that is why it's been so quiet around here. I'm not spending time in my kitchen. Though it is still my happy place, I have more than one happy place now. It's odd, but good.

A couple of weeks ago, I finally had an evening where I was home by myself and in the mood to cook. The pantry busting continues, and this time the victim was rice noodles. It's hard to figure out exactly how much I used in this dish, but it came out to about a cup when cooked.

Chicken and Broccoli Asian Noodle Bowl

Marinade
1 Tbsp Fish Sauce
2 Tbsp Soy Sauce
1/2 Tsp Lemon Juice
Sesame Oil, a few drops
1 Inch Ginger, minced
1 Chicken Breast, diced into 1 inch chunks

Olive Oil
1 Red Pepper, diced
1/2 Cup Peas
1/2 Cup Broccoli Florets
1 Cup Rice Noodles

Prep your marinade and chicken. Mix all the ingredients for it together in a sealable tupperware container or a freezer bag. Add the chicken and mix well to coat. Allow to marinate for at least an hour, longer is always better.

Cook your rice noodles by boiling water, then turning off the heat and letting them soak. Takes about 10 minutes.

In a wok or wide pan, heat a tablespoon or two of the olive oil. Add the chicken and all the marinade. Cook for a about four minutes until the chicken is starting to cook well. Add the red pepper and then broccoli. Cook for two more minutes, add the drained rice noodles and the peas and cook for a couple of minutes more. Make sure your chicken is done.

Eat out of your favorite bowl with a little extra soy sauce if your palate is salty. Catch up on How I Met Your Mother.

Makes two large servings. Good for leftover lunch the next day, too.