I'm Done

Tonight I taught my last class on cooking with Food Storage. I feel happy and relieved. It was a lot more work than I bargained for, but very worth it.
Now, all I have to do is post it here. It's going to come fast, and one subject after the other. If you want to start from the beginning, just look under the food storage section.

In the next few days look for posting on: Corn, Oats, Honey, Sugar, Legumes, and Milk.

Life goes on...with a little indulgence.

Now that James is a mobile little man, he is just about covered in scrapes and bruises. I knew that this time would come. Yesterday James had big fall - from an elevated surface, to the hard wood floor, head first. It scared me to death. Was he okay? Did he break any bones? Will he have a concussion? I HATE that this kind of thing is going to happen all the time now.

I was heart-broken listening to my baby sobbing and shaking for what seemed like forever. I HAD to make him feel better. I would do whatever it took to see him calm down and smile again. So, I did what I do best - I threw food at the problem - old reliable. As soon as he calmed down I left him with Shane and drove as fast as I could to my favorite bakery to get James a cupcake - his very first one.

He was intrigued.

What is this?

So, he gave it a try.

Oh yeah.

Then he got serious - he's just like his Mama, bless him.

Ding Ding Ding!

Dad needed a cupcake recovery too.

And, obviously I brought out the Big Guns for myself + one very large Diet Coke.

Of course, I don't intend to continue this kind of behavior. I don't want to teach my kids that food will solve their problems. But, doesn't all this talk of cupcakes put a little bounce in your step?

New Tricks

I put James down for a nap the other day, but when I went to check on him a few minutes later I found him like this. He can push himself up to sitting now, and apparently he likes to chew on his crib.

He was a little over-tired, and being really silly, so I went to get my video camera.

And, when I came back he was doing this. WHOA! This crib is no longer safe - we adjusted it to the lowest setting immediately. All of a sudden James is crawling, he can push himself up from laying on the floor to a sitting position, and he can pull himself to standing - jut in the last few days. My house is suddenly looking like a very dangerous place.

We have some videos of James taking his first real crawling steps, and pulling himself up. I'll post them if I can get Shane to do all the technical stuff for me.

Boo

I made a Bobby Flay recipe for saffron risotto tonight. I hated it. In fact, I almost remember it with disgust. (nothing against Bobby Flay of course, I LOVE him, and usually everything he does) I just didn't like the flavor. And, I'm so disappointed because I was seriously craving a good risotto, and I wasted a lot of time and money making it.

Pan Seared Halibut and Farmers Market Salad

This was what we had for dinner tonight. All I knew was that I wanted white fish, and the rest I had laying around - if that tells you how easy and fast this meal is to make. And, it was delicious.

Halibut

Ingredients:
4 6oz pieces of Wild Alaskan Halibut
Olive oil
Kosher salt
Fresh ground pepper
For Lemon Caper Sauce (to serve on top):
1/2 cup fish stock (or chicken stock if you prefer)
4 T unsalted butter
2 T freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 t olive oil
1/4 t salt
2 T capers

Method:
Preheat oven to 400. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a heavy stainless steel pan (that can be heated up to 450 degrees). Season Halibut with kosher salt and ground pepper. Place the fish one piece at a time in the pan, and DO NOT TOUCH them after you've put them down. You want to sear them on a high heat for 1-2 minutes to form a crust. Then turn them over - they will come loose easily when the crust has properly formed. Place the pan in the oven and finish cooking the fish in the oven for 6-8 minutes.
For the sauce: Melt the butter over the stove, and stir in the olive oil, fish stock, and lemon juice. Then bring the sauce to a boil, reduce to a simmer and let the sauce reduce for 15 minutes. Season with salt, and stir in the capers. Spoon over fish.

Garden Salad

Ingredients:
4 cups mixed greens
1 cup green beans, blanched and shocked in cold water, then drained
1 cup sliced red bell pepper
1 cup sliced cucumber
For the dressing:
1 T minced shallots
1 T dijon mustard
1 T pure maple syrup
3 T white wine vinegar
1/4 t kosher salt
1/4 t ground pepper
1/2 cup olive oil

Method:
Place all the salad ingredients in a bowl. Then in a separate bowl, mix the shallots, dijon, maple syrup, vinegar, salt and pepper. Then slowly whisk in the olive oil to create an emulsion. Toss the salad with enough dressing to coat, and serve!

If you're in Manhatten..

And, you get the chance...take a walk over the Brooklyn Bridge.

And, come here to eat.

You will be happy you did.

Then, come here. That's an order.

I recommend the Chocolate Chocolate Chip, but Shane would say to get the Pralines and Cream.

James is a BIG fan.

He gives us this face and a whole lot of noise when we take it away.

La La La Lemon Bars!

Ina Garten's recipe. You'll like them.

Ingredients
For the crust: nocoupons

• 1/2 pound unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 cups flour
• 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

For the filling: nocoupons

• 6 extra-large eggs at room temperature
• 3 cups granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons grated lemon zest (4 to 6 lemons)
• 1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 cup flour
• Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Method
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

For the crust, cream the butter and sugar until light in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Combine the flour and salt and, with the mixer on low, add to the butter until just mixed. Dump the dough onto a well-floured board and gather into a ball. Flatten the dough with floured hands and press it into a 9 by 13 by 2-inch baking sheet, building up a 1/2-inch edge on all sides. Chill.

Bake the crust for 15 to 20 minutes, until very lightly browned. Let cool on a wire rack. Leave the oven on.

For the filling, whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and flour. Pour over the crust and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the filling is set. Let cool to room temperature.

Cut into triangles and dust with confectioners' sugar.

F.S. - Thai Sticky Rice w/ Mango and Ice Cream

So delicious, so simple. All you need is a steaming basket, and sticky rice (medium grain, opaque), which you can find at your local Asian market. The rest is at your regular grocery store. You can make your own sweet coconut sauce to go on top, but I find it very convenient to just keep a can of "Lopez" Coconut Cream around - you can find it by the drink mixes.

Ingredients
Thai sticky rice (in whatever amount you wish to make)
Coconut cream
Mango, peeled and cut into slices
Vanilla Ice Cream

Method
Soak the rice over night, or all day (6-8 hrs) then rinse. Place the rice in a steaming basket over a pot of boiling water, and cover the basket with a kitchen towel. Steam the rice for 20 minutes, then flip it over (it will have formed into a mound) and steam on the other side for 10 minutes. The rice will have become elongated and translucent. Transfer rice to serving dishes, drizzle on coconut cream, add mango and ice cream, and serve immediately. The rice will be warm and chewy.

You can also serve the plain sticky rice with Thai curries or stir-frys, and you can put the rice in a plastic bag sealed tight with all the air out of it to keep it for a couple of days in the refrigerator.

Seriously?

What am I supposed to do with that face?

I can barely handle it.

I console myself with cookies ....... lots and lots of cookies.

Back to Business: F.S. - Tagliatelle w/ Basil Pesto

Freshly made pasta is the best. And, although it can be time consuming, it is very forgiving, and totally worth it. Once you learn how to roll out your pasta, you can cut it or, or twist it, or use is it any way you like.

I have written lengthy directions below, but basically you make a well in the center of your mound of flour, and slowly scramble the eggs with a fork, while gathering bits of the surrounding flour. Then knead the rest of the flour in. Don't be alarmed if dough is very tough - the more time that passes the more flour the dough absorbs, and it will become softer and softer. So, it's a good idea to have extra flour on hand to keep your hands from sticking when you are stretching the dough.

I stretch pasta using a pasta machine, but you can do it with a rolling pin as well. Just keep folding and rolling, until you have a smooth even consistency.

Tagliatelle Pasta

Ingredients

4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
5 extra large eggs, room temperature
Pinch of salt

Method
To prepare the pasta dough, place the flour in a mound on a wooden board, and use a fork to make a well in the center. Place the eggs and salt in the well and mix them together with your fork. Then begin to incorporate flour from the inside of the well, pushing the flour under the forming dough so it doesn’t stick to the board. Remove any pieces of dough that stick to the fork and incorporate them. Then gather the dough together and set to one side of the board. Gather all of the unincorporated flour and sprinkle across the board. Knead the dough by pushing with the palm of one hand, and folding the dough over with the other hand. Do not sprinkle the flour over the dough, it will gradually absorb the flour. Continue kneading until the dough is no longer wet, and all but 4-5 tablespoons of the flour is incorporated. If you are stretching the dough by hand, knead the dough for 5 minutes, if stretching by machine, knead for 2-3 minutes. By hand: place a rolling pin in the center of the dough and roll gently back and forth until the dough is thin and elastic. Cut into desired shape.

Basil Pesto

Ingredients
2 c fresh basil
1/2 c grated Parmesan
1/2 c grated Romano
2/3 c Olive oil
3 T toasted pine nuts
2 cloves garlic
1/2 t kosher salt
Pinch of freshly ground pepper

Method
Put the basil, chesses, pine nuts, garlic, salt and pepper in a food processor or blender, and pulse a few times. Then with the machine running, slowly pour in the olive oil until well combined.