Sunday, September 29, 2013

Avila Valley Barn

I can't believe that fall is officially here! Doesn't it feel like the year 2013 started just yesterday?? Fortunately, fall is one of my favorite seasons, along with apparently the rest of the world. I can't even count how many ads I've seen this year for Starbucks' pumpkin spice lattes! Regardless, I too am looking forward to cozier clothing, my birthday, pumpkins, and making lots of soup -- like this delicious carrot soup that I am currently obsessed with.


Today Stuart and I visited Avila Valley Barn, an adorable place on the way to Avila Beach that is part roadside grocery store, part petting-zoo, and momentarily part pumpkin patch. It was mobbed with small children today, but that didn't lessen the appeal of all the cute animals (kids can feed and pet them) or the allure of the gorgeous looking pumpkins and locally grown produce. I have never seen so many beautiful varieties of pumpkins and gourds in one place. So while it remains a balmy 80 degrees each day here on the central coast, according to mother nature, fall has arrived!



  

 


 


Sunday, September 22, 2013

Taste of New York City

This month has been an absolute whirlwind! I promise that soon I will be back to a normal blog-posting schedule -- believe me, I have tons of recipes up my sleeve that I'm just waiting to share with you! However, this month life has gotten in the way a bit, beginning with our move to California, which was followed by a road trip to visit family and friends, and culminated with the New York City trip that I just returned from last night.


 By the way, do you know how amazing the food is in New York?? I literally almost ate myself to death there! On a normal basis I am really into food and have trouble with portion control, particularly where sugar is involved. But this trip, we were celebrating my mom's 60th birthday, so nearly every day was packed with an amazing meal, and delicious food was just plopped in front of me every few hours. Luckily, I can go back to the city anytime now that my sister lives there. All that money saved on a hotel can be spent on expensive food! While the rumors of how pricey NYC is are absolutely true, I've gathered some experience this past week that can help you choose wisely if you ever visit. Below are some photos from our trip, along with my favorite foodie finds.

1. Brooklyn Smorgasburg
This seasonal Sunday market in Williamsburg features stalls run by dozens of popular local eateries. You can eat your way through a meal in small, cheap bites with treats like this mini fried chicken biscuit sandwich. 


2. El Centro
I may be a bit biased since this is the restaurant my sister works at, but the tacos here are fantastic! Go for the trio where you get to mix and match: my favorites were the mahi, short rib, and carnitas. Queen Latifah likes it too -  my sister served her here just last week. 



3. The Meatball Shop 
No photos were taken of this meal because I was so hungry and the food was so good that it simply disappeared before I thought of my camera! Get the spicy pork meatballs with parmesan cream sauce over a side of mashed potatoes. For desert, create your own ice cream sandwich. I got the brown sugar ice cream between one polenta cookie and one snickerdoodle cookie. The is probably the best value for your dollar that I had in NY.

4. Carnegie Deli 
My grandparents' traditional after-theater spot is a a diner-style Jewish deli with enormous portions. Make sure you share just about anything on the menu between two people. This is the place to go if you like pastrami. Personally, I'd go for the homemade Matzoh ball soup, pictured below.



5. Blue Ribbon Kitchen
This is another place where I forgot to take photos, but it was great! Order the fried chicken entree and end with the bread pudding. Two choices are available for the bread pudding, chocolate and banana. If you can't choose, they recommend you just ask for half and half! 

6. La Esquina Brasserie
This is a unique place to eat as it's the Mexican version of a speakeasy. On the street, this just looks like a run down taco bar. But if you have reservations (make them exactly 3 weeks in advance), you'll be taken down the stairs, literally through the kitchen, and into a swanky candle-lit basement that serves amazing food. Order the queso and street corn appetizers, as well as the chicken tortilla soup. Warning: portions are quite small for the price, but worth it for the experience.




7. Eataly Italian Market
This is an amazing place just to walk through. It is basically a giant Italian grocery store with three restaurant and a wine bar scattered about. We ate at the "pasta and pizza" restaurant, where I had the BEST caprese salad I have ever had in my entire life. I am pretty sure the mozzarella was made fresh that very morning.


8. ABC Kitchen
This was one of our fancy birthday celebration meals, and wow did the food impress! We had fixed menu for our party of 13, including dishes like pretzel calamari and lobster. My favorite, however, was their signature ice cream sundae dessert. It features salted caramel ice cream topped with popcorn, candied peanuts, chocolate sauce and creme fresh. I would go back and just order dessert.





9. Lincoln Ristorante
This was also a birthday meal in honor of my mom's 60th. This was an extremely impressive meal and everything was just perfect. I had the vegetable salad, fish, and a fantastic hazelnut torte. The venue is fancy as it is attached to the Lincoln Center, where the performing arts take place.




What a great trip!! One last happy birthday shout out to my mom, who will be competing in her THIRD Ironman triathlon in October (which just happens to be the world championship in Kona, Hawaii!)

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Rosemary Focaccia & Creamy Herb Dip

Alright, it's been a crazy fun week of visiting family and friends, but I think it's time for a blog post! And not just a blog post, but a new recipe set that I hope you find as delicious as I did. While we were on our "grand tour" of California last week, we stopped by in Sacramento to visit some of our best friends, Beth and Stephen. While I consider myself someone who loves food, Beth is a true food genius - one of those people who adores the cooking process, from experimenting with recipes to choosing unique organic ingredients like fresh garden herbs, oat milk, and chia seeds.

While staying with her the first night, she whipped up an impromptu feast of roasted vegetables, fresh baked rosemary focaccia, and several fantastic dips to go with everything. Some standouts from the meal were her homemade bread and an herb dip that she literally just threw together on a whim right before we ate. Although she is a self-professed non-follower of recipes, she helped me pin down the essentials, approximated below. The bread recipe is taken from the Veganomicon cookbook, while the dip is Beth's own creation. The dip can certainly be eaten with the bread, but it was wonderful on everything from our roasted carrots to the baked potatoes.


Rosemary Focaccia Bread

Ingredients:
1 package active dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
1 1/4 cups warm water
3 Tablespoons olive oil
3 Tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary, plus extra for garnish
3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
Olive oil for brushing
Coarse salt for garnish

Directions:
1. Combine the yeast and warm water in a large bowl
2. Stir in the olive oil, chopped rosemary, and flour. Knead together to form a soft dough. If the dough is sticky, work in a bit of extra flour one tablespoon at a time.
3. Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead for 5-6 minutes until smooth (you can also use a stand mixer with dough hook attachment).
4. Pour a little olive oil into the original bowl and add the dough, turning to coat in oil. Cover bowl with a clean dish towel and let rise for 1 hour, or until a hole poked in the side of the risen dough fills up slowly.
5. Punch down the dough, return it to the floured surface, and knead a few times. Then, using a floured rolling pin, roll the dough into a large circle about 1 1/2 inches thick. Transfer to a lightly greased cookie sheet.
6. Use a fork to poke several holes in the dough, then sprinkle with salt and rosemary leaves and brush with a little more olive oil. Cover again with the dish towel and let rise for 20 minutes.
7. Preheat oven to 350 while dough is rising. Bake 30-35 minutes until bread is lightly browned and firm. Remove from oven and let cool 10 minutes before slicing.   



  
Beth used a mixture of half wheat and white flour, which is why the bread appears dark in color

Creamy Herb Dip
Combine below ingredients in a blender or food processor until fairly smooth:

4 heaping Tablespoons tahini (sesame seed paste)
Juice from 1 lemon
5 tablespoons olive oil
Two big handfuls EACH fresh basil, oregano, and thyme
One handful fresh parsley
4 cloves garlic
Salt and Pepper, to taste


Herb dip appears in the bowl on the left
 The meal was based around an abundant mixture of roasted potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, corn, and onions. It was an unforgettable evening with good friends!







Monday, September 2, 2013

Home Grown: Visiting My Parents' Garden

This week we are lucky enough to be visiting my parents in my hometown of Gardnerville, Nevada. I've been in heaven catching up on my sleep, eating satisfying home-cooked meals, and spending a few nights at our family cabin (the first and only time we've been able to visit this year). Despite the stereotyped image Nevada may have of gambling in Las Vegas, parts of Nevada are actually stunningly beautiful. Growing up, I never truly appreciated our mountain views and the 30 minute drive to crystal clear Lake Tahoe, but now Stuart and I can't get enough time here.


Another summertime draw to coming home is that my parents' garden is out of control, in the most amazing way. They could basically live off the contents of their vegetable garden entirely, or open a small grocery store. I exaggerate, but really. You would never expect that you could grow everything from corn to beets to broccoli to cantaloupes in the middle of Nevada, but somehow my dad's green thumb makes it happen, while my mom's flowers add gorgeous color around every corner. I couldn't resist sharing some photos!

 Sweet white corn
 Grapes
 Squash, onion, and tomatoes
 Best. Broccoli. Ever.
 Blackberries - we baked these babies into a delicious pie.
 Pumpkins, for Thanksgiving pies or fall decorating
 Cornstalks as far as the eye can see
 Happy, healthy chickens = the best eggs!

 Russet and Yukon gold potatoes by the barrel
 And sunflowers twice my height! Can it be summer all year round, please??