yummy summery asiany lettuce wraps

...or 'we finally went grocery shopping!'

This month has been go-go-go and I am loving it, but the downside is that we haven't prioritized domestic basics.  We've gone camping almost every weekend and have various social engagements throughout the work week, be it sports, gymtime, happy hours, etc.  I know, boo hoo.  I'm definitely not complaining.  However, it felt so refreshing to go nuts at the market yesterday so that we could eat at home more, for all the day's meals.  Gabe and I eat vegetarian at home so we stocked up on fresh vegetables {hello! it's summer!} and basics like pastas, potatoes, wine.  Of course wine is a basic, how dare you question.

I love wine. Winey wine wine. Here it goes down. Down into my belly. Mmm mmm mmm.

Since it is summer, and it is warmer than I expected today {read: didn't think I needed to shave my legs, so I wore pants} I felt like making a cold and raw dinner.  That sounds odd.  I just mean I didn't want warm food.  I was starving after my hair appointment, so naturally I chose to spend an hour to prepare dinner.  All that chopping of vegetables and blending of saucey goodness was worth it, and I snacked on some veggies while I was prepping, so I lived.

You know when you make something and you are so freaking proud of yourself?  It doesn't even have to be something all that significant, but you know that is rocks and you are awesome!  {Assuming you are viciously nodding your heads} That is how I feel about the dinner I just made.  And enjoyed solo.  Solo supper.  Don't feel sad, I had wine.  What is that rule about not drinking alone?  Pssshhhh.

Peanut Sauce:
1/2 c  natural peanut butter
1/2 c  milk
3 T  freshly squeezed lime juice
2 T  packed brown sugar
1.5 T  low sodium soy sauce
2 T  Asian chili and garlic paste
1/3 c  orange juice
KS&P  to taste

Cups:
Several butter leaf lettuce cups
radishes, thinly sliced
yellow bell pepper, julienned
button mushrooms, caps only and thinly sliced
fresh basil, chiffonade
alfalfa sprouts {cuz they're awesome!}
mixed vegetable salad {slaw of cabbage and carrots and such}
toasted sesame oil
rice vinegar
teriyaki tofu, chunked

First blend all the ingredients for the peanut sauce in a blender and set aside.  Then toss all ingredients, except for the lettuce cups of course, in a bowl and drizzle some sesame oil and rice vinegar to taste.  I normally press and marinate my own tofu, but I grabbed some Wild Wood baked teriyaki sprouted tofu at the store and was eager to try it.  So yummy!  I highly recommend it.  Their brand makes all good stuff.  Then, fill your cups with the goods and top with peanut sauce.  The most important step is this one:  Open and pour yourself a glass of Bogle Chardonnay to enjoy with your lettuce cups.  I mean it.  Speaking of, time out...tank's empty.

...

Okay, I'm back.  Bogle is a local and a favorite wine of mine.  I went to school with the Bogle boys, and their vineyards dominate are located in the Delta.  Nugget had the chard on sale for $8.99 so I grabbed a couple, which is not nearly enough.  Sorry babe, I know you said you weren't going to drink in preparation for climbing that undisclosed mountain, but that doesn't mean I am going to cut back out of sympathy.  Love you!

Oh man, this peanut sauce! I made extra so I could pour it over anything and everything.

What have you friends been proudly making these summer nights?  I'd love to hear!  And even more importantly, what wines are you drinking right now?  Summertime is primetime for white varietals methinks.  Give me a delicious and chilled Sauvignon Blanc and/or Chardonnay, or perhaps a Viognier, and I will be happy as a clam.  Why do they say that?  A clam?  Is it because the split in their shells is shaped like a smile?  I wonder.

guy walks in to a...

's funny how new people enter your life and expose you to new things.  While all too often I hear my new coworker friend shriek, "you've never heard of {fill-in-the-blank}?!" he's actually exposed me to some coolness.  I could structure this post in such a way where I express my gratitude for his teachings, listing all of said coolness, but that would give him way too much flattery.  ;)

Instead, I will share a cool company he told me about  today.  Health-nuts {and seeds} rejoice!  You Bar, a family owned company in L.A., is providing you with the tools to build-a-bar--where you get to choose everything that goes into the making of your customized bar, starting with the base right down to the packaging. You could DIY the bars using their ingredients list, but you wouldn't get their cool custom packaging.  The company lets you choose how much of a certain item you want in your bar, i.e. less / normal / extra protein, and also provides you with suggestions for quantity and combination.  Depending on the size you choose, a box of 13 bars ranges in price from $37.57 to $41.47.  Not too bad.

If you've been following my blog for a while, you have witnessed my excitement with sites that let you customize and create!  I've showed you virtual paper dolls, room compilations, outfit montages, etc.;  add custom snacks to that list now... Plus, anything that allows to me incorporate agave nectar is sweet!

Here are the ingredients for my 'guy walks in to a' bar I just made:

I don't necessarily care for dates, but they recommended them as part of the base so the bar won't be too delicate in texture.  I think these would be so fun to make for party favors.  Light bulb!!  Ohhh man, I hope the best friend slash bride to be doesn't read this before her wedding, cuz methinks I found a great bachelorette party favor.  My job as Matron of honor is to make sure the bride has 1) a kickass time and 2) coherent partyers watching her back.  These bars will provide sustenance for us while we're out at the bars {maybe? not giving away any party details!} and energy to party all night.  Watch out!  Now, to find the perfect name...  Got it!  But, it won't make any sense to anyone other than the bride.  Kinda an inside joke, so maybe something more universal.  "Got prenup?"  No, that's just wrong.  Help me out with some ideas will ya?

P.S.  The coworker friend is a virgo, so he gets major cool points for that.  No flattery, just fact.  What about "The ol' bar and chain" ?

you can put anything in a quesadilla

I have been excited to use the beautiful squash blossoms in our garden since they bloomed, and had grand plans of hosting a brunch or luncheon with friends to showcase some gourmet chevre-quinoa-something-stuffed blossoms, but I didn't see that happening in the near future.  Quite a few of the blossoms have already shriveled up, so I knew if I wanted to eat them this year {I missed out last year for the same fancy plan procrastination reason} I had better just do it.

On my lunch hour today, I went home and quickly surveyed the goods I had on hand, which is how I came up with this quirky recipe:

Brie and Squash Blossom Quesadillas
{sub any ingredients with your favs}


2 black bean garlic tortillas
few squash blossoms, torn into pieces
hunk of brie, mostly creamy part but some rind is okay
Mexican blend shredded cheese
butter
KS&P

Ya'll know how to make a quesadilla, so instead of instructions, here are some pretty photos of my lunch. :)

 

 these locally made tortillas are my favorite...every flavor i've tried has been super delicious

 

 

hey mom, you should probably take us for a long walk to work off that fatty cheesy thing you just ate...good lookin' out, pups.

The blossoms don't have a strong distinguished flavor, probably because the tortillas and brie were both so flavorful, but they do provide a pop of pretty color.  Plus, eating flowers is fun! 

homemade cake + soup make this bleak weather bearable

Make your own soup from scratch!  Please.  :)

No canned or tubbed store-bought soup can match the taste and enjoyment of preparing your own.  And if you're in the mood to whip up your own soup this weekend, I recommend smitten kitchen's mushroom and farro soup!  I made it at the beginning of this week, with a few substitutions depending on the goods I had on hand, and it lasted us all week, up until just a few minutes ago when I polished off the last bowl. mmmmm... 

Here are her ingredients, with my changes in green:

Mushroom and Farro Orzo Soup
1/3 cup dried mushrooms like porcini 1 1/4 cups dried wild mushroom mix {Costco!}
2 tablespoons safflower oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 medium carrot, diced
1 medium parsnip, grated and diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound 5 fresh button mushrooms* (white, cremini, shiitake or a mixture thereof; I used 100% brown/creminis)
1/2 cup farro, pearled barley, or spelt, rinsed orzo
6 cups low sodium or salt-free beef broth or stock (vegetable, mushroom or chicken stock can be swapped)
1/4 cup dry sherry Marsala
1 tablespoon tomato paste
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar ume plum vinegar

So, as you can see, I made almost an entirely different soup, but it came out amazing!  The first night, Gabe made little garlic potato bread toasts to go with it.  *Quick note about the lack of fresh mushrooms in my recipe:  that's all I had!  lol.  I would like to have used a whole pound of fresh and fewer dried, but it worked out fine.  

Aaaaaaand for dessert, I baked two cakes--one for the office {lucky guys!} and one for home--using another intriguing recipe from smitten kitchen.  She calls it Clementine Cake because--you guessed it--it calls for clementines!  Or cuties, or mini tangerines, or whatever you call them in your 'hood.  I don't know if they are popular everywhere, but around here folks buy these by the bushel all winter long, sometimes paying up to $10 for a small box. No joke!  In our home, we are always stocked up so I was thrilled to find this recipe and try my hand at it.  I love that it is a flourless, dairy-less cake that is super simple to make.  Oh, and it is especially delicious...for dessert, snack, or even breakfast as it turns out.

I opted to dust the tops of the cakes with powder sugar rather than make a glaze to drizzle, admittedly because I was feeling pretty lazy at this point and wanted to be done in the kitchen.  And don't worry about the cake being too tart or sweet, it isn't too anything.  It has a fun texture and a balanced flavor that will satisfy even this non-orange-flavor-liker {??}. 

yummy healthy quick veg lunch

I am fortunate enough to live only a couple miles from work, so I usually go home for lunch during the week.  Lately, I have been making some pretty unhealthy choices {cheese, fat, more fat} and it was all catching up with me.  My body was getting mad, so I treated it to a refreshingly healthy lunch yesterday.

I made a quick trip to the grocery store to pick up the fresh ingredients and arrived home with a concept, hoping it would turn out delicious.  I say hoping because I come up with new ideas for food all the time and while they seem great in theory, they don't always work in execution.
Well, I'm proud to admit, this lunch was a hit!

{photo taken w/ old Canon Powershot, not my new fancycam}

Salad:

Spring mix salad greens

blue cheese crumbles

walnuts

red d'Anjou pear

Dressing:

stone ground mustard

safflower oil

roasted walnut oil

white balsamic vinegar

KS&P

Main:

whole grain bagel, toasted

avocado

alfalfa sprouts, dressed with fresh lemon juice, KS&P, and a drop of safflower oil

KS&P, to taste

I know avocados and oil and cheese are fats, but two of the three are good fats, and I felt really good after eating!  I didn't experience that 3:00 crash at my desk, and I was sustained until I got around to eating dinner at around 8:00 last night.  So, I'd say this lunch was a success.

That smashed avocado on the toasted bagel was inspired by Miss Moss's tumblr page, dedicated to all things beautiful about breakfast.  So cute!  If I would have gotten up on time this morning, I so would have made one for breakfast, with some jam maybe.  Instead, I grabbed a banana and pop-tarts on my way out the door, hair in a messy ponytail, wearing an over-sized sweatshirt, boyfriend jeans, and Jack Purcells.  Oh well, it's Friday friends!!

I demand that you have a delicious weekend!

Monday morning. Gas tank on E. Happy.

This past weekend was a blasty blast.  Gabe + I spent the whole weekend together, complete with a party, yard sale hopping, garden grilling, bike riding, UNO, Korean BBQing, and a trip to Sonoma for brunch + hiking!

Friday night we went to our friends' house for their son's 2nd birthday + his cousin's 5th birthday = a ton of people: kids, family, friends, etc. It was fun seeing all the kids with their party hats on, playing with their new toys, and the guys huddled in the kitchen, keeping in close proximity to the beer-stocked cooler. 

Saturday we had blueberry muffins + coffee for breakfast, then hit up the good neighborhoods for their yard sales.  We didn't find anything really worth sharing, except a food processor with all the original attachments for $2.50!  Oh, and a vintage leather Kenneth Cole satchel for $3.00.  I guess those are worth sharing.  Mid afternoon is when people started packing things up, so we headed home for a late lunch using goodies from  our garden {tomatoes, squash, zucchini, herbs, cayenne peppers} and from others' gardens {tomatillos, herbs, fennel}, plus Parmesan, feta, cheddar cheese, kalamata olives, BBQ sauce and flour tortillas to make garden pizzas on our pizza stone on the grill. 

Oh my goodness were those delicious.  After lunch we packed our new {yard-sale find} knit blanket + UNO card game, grabbed our bikes and rode across town to a park we had a picnic at years ago near the duck pond.  We had the whole park to ourselves most of the time, and I was kicking his ass at UNO.  Good times.  After a couple hours, we rode back home, showered, and got ready to go eat a late dinner at a new place: Oz Korean BBQ. 

 

In all seriousness, this place is now my favorite place to eat in Sac.  Gabe + I have been excited to try Korean bbq and soju ever since watching Zane Lamprey on Three Sheets in South Korea.  Did any of you ever watch this show?  It used to be on the Mojo network, then moved to Fine Living, but we only watched the seasons on DVD.  It's the best travel show on television.  Anyway, this restaurant was like party central + we can't wait to gather a big group of friends to go with us next time.

Sunday was just as fulfilling.  We drove to Sonoma Valley and enjoyed an amazing brunch at the girl and the fig {one of my fav restaurants!} of eggs benedict + mimosa for me, and steak and eggs + coffee for Gabe.  In the photo our server took of us, I somehow came out looking four times larger than Gabe {the wrong angle maybe? hopefully?}, so I will only share with you the photos I took of our plates.  Much safer.

Poached eggs are my new favorite food.  And I believe I will eat anything that is covered in hollandaise.  Good hollandaise, that is.  And trust me, this was good hollandaise.  After brunch, there was no way we were in any condition to just start hiking, so we strolled around town for a bit.  The square was packed with people, ducks, and limos.  On a Sunday?  Really?

 

 

 

That male mallard was so perfect, he looked fake.  We must have taken a few dozen pictures of these ducks, but when a dude came up next to us toting pro camera equipment, we took our leave.  {Note: I'm asking for a nice camera + lenses for Christmas. Cross your fingers I get my wish so you'll be able to look at better quality photos on my blog}. 

The state park Gabe picked out for us to hike was about a twenty minute drive from Sonoma's bustling center.  The drive was surprising in that one minute we went from passing well-kept farmhouses on dry acreage to custom homes nestled in lush green foliage.  It was insane.  Gabe kept asking, "What do these people do for a living?!"  I wondered the same.  And also wondered if we could weasel our way into becoming best friends with a couple of them.  Possible, yes. Likely, no.  The most surprising home looked like an impressive replica of Frances Mayes's Bramasole in Cortona, Italy. 

 

 

Wow.  If you lived here, you wouldn't need to go on vacation. 
Just up the road from this home was where we stopped to hike at Sugarloaf Ridge, to a place called Bald Mountain.  The trails were a combination of lush greenery providing ample shade and stale hot sun-drenched spots where temperatures were a good 10° hotter than in the shade.  We hiked for a few hours, although, thanks to my asthma, we didn't make it to the top of Bald Mountain, but we did get a good view of it and understood the reason for its name.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

It wasn't so much the exercise that piqued my interest, but rather the breathtaking views and gnarly tree- and lizard- sightings.   The only sounds around us were the rustling of leaves as the lizards hid, the nearly dry creek, and gun shots from a yonder shooting range.  The gun shots definitely broke our peaceful enjoyment of our natural surroundings, but admittedly added a jolt of excitement.

Upon returning home, we grabbed the dogs and headed over to Gabe's dad's house for a cousin playdate, since we were taking care of his two dogs while he's on vacation.  They swam, play-fought, swam some more, and wore themselves out.  We stopped by Blockbuster on our way home {yes, they still exist} and picked up three random movies.  Couples Retreat starring Vince Vaughn turned out to be surprisingly good.  New York, I Love You was good, but not as good as Paris, je t'aime, which we own and really enjoy.  We finished both before passing out, and have yet to watch the third movie we rented, 9 by Tim Burton.  We both are big fans of Tim Burton, and something about October puts me especially in the mood for his artistry.   

If I would have elaborated on each meal and movie, this post would have ended up ten times as long.  Did I mention the hollandaise?  I believe I did.  I'll stop there.  How was your weekend??

Mario Batali's EATALY is open!

Can I please get locked in here?  I could really do some damage.

In his own words, Mario tells NY mag, "We’re not a food hall. We’re a grocery store with tasting rooms and restaurants. We don’t want you to just come and eat and walk away. We want you to come and taste some things and then take them home and cook them." {source}

Oh, Mario.  You adorable, brilliant man, you.  I'm going to look at flights to NY. right. now.

{sources: 1. gothamist.com; 2.  slashfood.com; 3. GQ; 4. seriouseats.com; 5. NYmag}

Success! Behold the flognarde

As promised, since my fancy recipe was a total success, I am sharing it with you.  Yesterday, I made a Peach and Blackberry Flognarde, following Chef John's instructions.  Chef John is the creator of Food Wishes, a food blog where he hilariously shares his culinary talents with the world.  He has a kind of dry sense of humor, which I love, and also which I find to be a refreshing break from the stale (get it, stale? punny, right!) food bloggers who don't inject humor into their recipe-sharing.  Food is supposed to be fun!  His style is relaxed, straight-forward, and funny, and his recipes are easy to follow on his videos.  He even taught me how to crack and egg with one hand!  Honestly, knowing how to do this was on my bucket list, so I watched his how-to video, tried it, and nailed it the first time.  I was so freakin happy, you don't even know. 

Anyway, the recipe, pronounced 'flow-nyard', is quite simple.  Click the link above for his recommendation on how to make it.  I made a few minor adjustments to mine {no surprise there}, so it looks a little different.

First, I used my freshly picked blackberries, which I had been storing in a Ziploc bag in the freezer.  When I thawed them out to use them in the recipe, there was a considerable amount of juice that ultimately ended up in the dish, hence the darker color.  Second, I used all-purpose flour rather than whole wheat.  And lastly, I used a hell of a lot more peaches.  The aroma filled my kitchen, and I could not wait to indulge once it had finished baking and cooled completely. 

The result is much like cobbler, but instead of a crust, there is an almost pudding-like consistency to the baked batter.  And the thyme, yes thyme, is an interesting and very welcome flavor.  If you have thyme time, check out Chef John's blog, and maybe even try this recipe yourself.  I'm having it for breakfast with coffee. Right. Now.

That's a recipe for delicious: Pear and Brie Croissant

The wheels have been turning, continuously, planning how I am going to use up all this fruit.  I'm hesitant to just grab and eat the peaches and pears, in case inspiration strikes and I need x amount for a culinary creation.  Though, that hasn't necessarily stopped me.  These peaches are by far the juiciest I have ever eaten.  I am hoping to score a dozen or so more tomorrow when I will again find myself in the Delta for the annual Pear Fair.  I know, I've mentioned the event before, so to follow through, I will post photos of the festivities next week.

Back to eating. Yesterday I threw together this little sandwich, and I have to admit, it was pretty. damn. good.

I had some freshly baked croissants from the market, Virgin Organic wildflower honey (my current fav!), d'Affinois double-creme brie cheese, fresh Bartlett pears, and ground black pepper--a winning combination.  Since we don't have a panini press, which is totally fine by me although Gabe would love to own the bulky gadget, I instead used our small handy George Foreman grill.  If you're reading this, there is a 90% chance that you too own one, whether as a result of an impulse buy, or receiving one as a hand-me-down when you moved into your first place, like us. ;)  It works beautifully for making panini-style sandwiches, and especially on croissants...all that butter...yum.

If you feel like trying this recipe out, feel free to sub any of these ingredients with your personal faves or with goods you have on hand.

1 croissant, sliced lengthwise in half
2 T brie cheese, or enough to create a thick layer on one side of the sliced croissant, close to room temp
wildflower honey, drizzle desired amount over cheese on croissant
freshly ground black pepper, only a little
1/4 medium Bartlett pear, firm and thinly sliced, arranged over other ingredients on croissant

Top with other half of the croissant, pressing softly to adhere.  Place on preheated grill plate and close lid.  Let 'grill' for only one minute.  Plate and let cool slightly before enjoying.

Now that I am typing this, I realize a beer would have paired perfectly with this sandwich.  I bet a Pyramid Apricot Ale would have been golden.  Oh well, next time.     

I'm still up to my ears in fruit and berries from Wednesday's pickings, so I will probably be sharing recipes periodically with you until the lot's run out, which will be a sad day.  I just found a 'fancy' recipe I'm very intrigued to try that calls for my peaches and blackberries, so wish me luck.  If it is a success, I will share.  Promise.

A forkful of pasta helps combat rainy day blahs

It's icky weather here in the capital city today and I am to blame:  I washed my truck yesterday for the first time in like a year.  I spent three hours cleaning the inside and outside of my dog taxi, only to wake up to cloudy skies this morning.  Sorry, Sacramentans, it is all my fault.  Knock on wood, it has only barely sprinkled so far...

Luckily, I had some inspiration logged away in my short-term memory, thanks to Kristina, and whipped up a zesty, vibrant, and very satisfying dish for lunch on my [short] lunch break.  I don't have a name for it, as I am simply filing it under what I call "Pantry Pasta", which is ever-changing.  I also often make "Pantry Cous Cous" and "Pantry Quinoa."  As you have probably guessed, these dishes consist of whatever I have on hand and am craving.  "Cluelessness is the mother of invention" - Lorelai Gilmore. 

I was too hungry to list all the ingredients and preparations neatly, so as you can see in the photo, I messily jotted down what I threw in this batch, just in case I inhaled the whole thing before getting it down on paper. 

If anyone is interested in making this dish, here's how I did it this time.  Oh yeah, I apologize to the Virgos looking for exact measurements...I only measure when I'm baking, not cooking.

carrots (these carrot 'chips' were on sale the other day, bonus: no peeling or slicing)
fresh ginger root
shallots
olive oil
penne pasta
fresh Italian parsley
fresh cilantro
fresh squeezed lime juice
capers (no surprise there!)
toasted fennel seeds
sun-dried tomatoes, julienne (must get Cal Sun∙Dry, seriously. why? well, that's another post)
ks & p to taste (we always always always use kosher salt and fresh ground peppercorns)

1. Roast carrots in baking dish with thinly sliced shallots, diced peeled fresh ginger, olive oil, and ks & p, turning occasionally.  I adjusted the temp a few times, but kept in the range of 375°-425°
2. Boil water and cook pasta until al dente w/ a healthy sprinkle of ks
3. In a bowl, squeeze in lime juice then add all ingredients, except toasted fennel seeds.  Stir to combine.
4. When roasted veggies are brown and at desired consistency and color, remove from pan and dump in the bowl of premixed ingredients.
5. Using a slotted spoon, scoop a spoonful of pasta, drain, then add to bowl.  Repeat until all pasta is removed from pasta water.
6. Sprinkle desired amount of fennel seeds into pan used to roast veggies and return to oven to toast.  Meanwhile, mix everything in the bowl.  NOTE:  toasting only takes a quick minute or two, so don't forget about your seeds.
7. Top your dish with hot toasted fennel seeds and ENJOY.
Another NOTE: if the dish is a bit dry for your taste, just add some reserved pasta water and stir.

The hubs is at home today, so he had better not eat the rest that I left in the fridge.  I can't wait to eat the leftovers cold tomorrow, once they've sat in the fridge overnight...mmmm...