tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-42756701348640382912024-02-01T19:10:24.511-08:00Jumping off the CliffStephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13393285265802934932noreply@blogger.comBlogger144125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4275670134864038291.post-45296577513547708602012-01-20T08:24:00.000-08:002012-01-20T08:24:17.424-08:00French Fridays with Dorie - quartre-quarts<div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Only one picture this week. That's because this fairly simple and incredibly yummy cake disappeared before I could click the camera twice! While I was making this cake (quartre-quarts means 4/4 and the cake is based on equal measurements of eggs, flour, sugar and butter), I thought it was going to be a little plain...so I was going to make a blueberry compote to go on top. But, I was making Sunday dinner and completely forgot to make the compote. Good thing, because this little baby is terrific all by itself. I did use rum instead of vanilla, as Dorie suggests. I think that made all the difference.<br />
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If you are looking to make a simple cake with ingredients you always have on hand...look no further. To see if any of my fellow Doristas modified this recipe, take a look <a href="http://www.frenchfridayswithdorie.com/" target="_Blank">here</a>.Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13393285265802934932noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4275670134864038291.post-54548908176945788632012-01-13T11:18:00.000-08:002012-01-13T11:18:27.071-08:00French Fridays with Dorie - m. jacques' armagnac chicken<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjBoXNoHJDkKw-sg5pOAsCOKm0v43WfdRR8i-Bm9hWT4mIYatgHJVuDxE6A7ZrX3Enpw9WwWnttHWNao5W6-K2TIlnDIRqjYCJk8A1JZk22Lu5ck6l7XkDsPsbgFdUBYiYmQul3f5pbq0p/s1600/IMG_1404.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjBoXNoHJDkKw-sg5pOAsCOKm0v43WfdRR8i-Bm9hWT4mIYatgHJVuDxE6A7ZrX3Enpw9WwWnttHWNao5W6-K2TIlnDIRqjYCJk8A1JZk22Lu5ck6l7XkDsPsbgFdUBYiYmQul3f5pbq0p/s320/IMG_1404.JPG" width="239" /></a>This week's Dorie recipe is a total winner! We had this for our Sunday dinner with the whole crew, so I had to cook two chickens. Let's just say, I should have cooked three! Everyone loved the flavor of the chicken and the vegetables (personally, I think the onions and carrots for absolutely amazing!) I didn't get any great pictures as I was rushing a bit to get dinner on the table. The chickens took a little longer since I put two in my giant le creuset pot. Oh well, they were so worth the wait. I used brandy instead of Armagnac as I am on a food budget and trying to use things I already have instead of buying new single use ingredients. Tasted amazing...don't think it made too much of a difference. I also served stuffing from Thanksgiving (we had so much left, I froze a bunch...oh my gosh...it was so much better than on Thanksgiving...our new secret is going to be to make it a month ahead of time & freeze it.) I also made my wonderful no-knead bread. Every one's happy when I put a loaf of this fabulous bread on the table. All in all, it was a really terrific dinner.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4ypcNF22rw_2firkTKx1Cq5ahVK3aLN60hSWCcGEq96uLiPnGF1qnN3CLp86rrG2M2sVqkt8ueu40nGAMxiqKgLTl-OV8dS4T6ieOqEJJbQfGroVKQxtAmPCqbFj44p6ivHSHaWIxtH4-/s1600/IMG_1405.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4ypcNF22rw_2firkTKx1Cq5ahVK3aLN60hSWCcGEq96uLiPnGF1qnN3CLp86rrG2M2sVqkt8ueu40nGAMxiqKgLTl-OV8dS4T6ieOqEJJbQfGroVKQxtAmPCqbFj44p6ivHSHaWIxtH4-/s320/IMG_1405.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
Wondering if everyone else in FFWD loved this as much as we did? Check out their posts <a href="http://www.frenchfridayswithdorie.com/" target="_Blank">here</a>.<br />
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<br />Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13393285265802934932noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4275670134864038291.post-33178603051056400822012-01-06T09:56:00.000-08:002012-01-06T09:57:42.137-08:00French Fridays with Dorie - bubble top brioche rolls<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqE-YCtg2DyD0HVjB79CzbafoO_6HppVQ8NVmTz97HspS2xQ0XnfxunFbxPGuRn9CjIDDxx_95XfP0EC98HNHs_Ew3vFQnTxwpHfLE4rO2EsK2GSnPKvfHYAi-CmUom8asPEjpkuOik2pH/s1600/IMG_1395.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqE-YCtg2DyD0HVjB79CzbafoO_6HppVQ8NVmTz97HspS2xQ0XnfxunFbxPGuRn9CjIDDxx_95XfP0EC98HNHs_Ew3vFQnTxwpHfLE4rO2EsK2GSnPKvfHYAi-CmUom8asPEjpkuOik2pH/s320/IMG_1395.JPG" width="239" /></a>A new year...a time for a little reflection and a lot of looking forward. Many of us will be starting new eating and exercise plans. For those of us who are, this week's recipe from <a href="http://www.frenchfridayswithdorie.com/" target="_blank">Dorie</a> really won't fit into your plans. Unless you are on the eat as much delicious bread as you possibly can plan. Which I am. Lucky me. And lucky for my family.<br />
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The dough for this recipe takes a bit of time. Certainly glad I read the recipe early on, so that I would know it would take two days to make this, with active interaction on my part for the first day. All that rising and slapping down. I had to stay up late to get this dough beat into submission, but it finally stopped rising...allowing me to go to sleep.<br />
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As I was making the dough, I gave it a little taste. I don't typically eat bread dough, given that it's usually just yeast and flour and water and salt. But this dough....this dough had eggs and butter and a bit of sugar. I knew the dough would be good...and it was...and I hoped it was a harbinger of things to come!<br />
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Alas, I hate to say it. Our bread was not fabulous. It wasn't even that great. It looked & smelled great and the texture was perfect. The taste, not so much. We were all quite disappointed. I was expecting a yeasty sweet flavor. I got kind of blah. What a bummer. In addition to rolls, I also made a loaf. I plan on making one of Dorie's other recipes that calls for brioche with it. We'll see how that goes. See if my fellow Doristas had better luck this <a href="http://www.frenchfridayswithdorie.com/" target="_Blank">week</a>.Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13393285265802934932noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4275670134864038291.post-13249164078822176122011-12-29T21:21:00.000-08:002011-12-29T21:21:39.594-08:00French Fridays with Dorie - cauliflower-bacon gratinWhat happens when you combine this<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQR3wfpmfqZmeYCOYF69Ddn22Td-ZDeVkjVFUxjqD05SJ13akSf7TAVTrNJhyphenhyphenrarehnc2hwXVUAQnyiJDO5LbyuU3r1IziMXwi3u1D3W9pKbrpNqf1fSZKAGs15ATLpacHeKtxzOLRI7Hw/s1600/cauliflower+gratin+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQR3wfpmfqZmeYCOYF69Ddn22Td-ZDeVkjVFUxjqD05SJ13akSf7TAVTrNJhyphenhyphenrarehnc2hwXVUAQnyiJDO5LbyuU3r1IziMXwi3u1D3W9pKbrpNqf1fSZKAGs15ATLpacHeKtxzOLRI7Hw/s320/cauliflower+gratin+1.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
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With this<br />
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And a whole lot of this?<br />
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<br />You get this!<br />
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<img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5PsqciXFLORw0GUgskNXsJxA9B0FGjQdg5YwuQ-o6vySe1OGS_Vo_vmF3hyFbMUqMMTwczfeJNtATJGYb-iZTQtOVUpKQwbgx4WdlNQ-cX4sFFmuqBSP4LKXlcP5xJhTa7os0pdHwkvcZ/s320/cauliflower+gratin+2.jpg" width="239" /></div>
<br />A really amazing side dish, that might actually become an addition to our annual holiday table (and that's saying a lot!) I made this dish early in the month to serve with the chard-stuffed pork roast. It was a great compliment to the pork. My guests and my boys gobbled this up. My sister suggested that we add it to our Thanksgiving repetoire. I said sure, great! What current tradtional side dish can we cut? She laughed and said, none...just add this! We'll see next year.<br />
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Speaking of next year, Happy 2012! This will be my last blog post of 2011...and all I can say is goodbye 2011, hello 2012. I'm looking forward to great things in the coming year (including lots of great food with my fellow <a href="http://www.frenchfridayswithdorie.com/" target="_blank">Doristas</a>).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK5GzZ3cnAKozdM_uraDYcWr6uLvv3A3k8Zq7BXy8TtHO6DuIbCa3qEHcCSzpTArWBAZxkS2dB9woy4AVp9BvwjdNulLs2lgUFH6IYoO_waiZyMXV1BsEHTptJVQ_5hM-fcDDNuGhVu9US/s1600/pork+roast+6.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK5GzZ3cnAKozdM_uraDYcWr6uLvv3A3k8Zq7BXy8TtHO6DuIbCa3qEHcCSzpTArWBAZxkS2dB9woy4AVp9BvwjdNulLs2lgUFH6IYoO_waiZyMXV1BsEHTptJVQ_5hM-fcDDNuGhVu9US/s320/pork+roast+6.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13393285265802934932noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4275670134864038291.post-67821581941579724452011-12-22T16:06:00.000-08:002011-12-29T20:57:31.101-08:00French Fridays with Dorie - creme brulee<div style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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And ended with this (yep, Dorie's creme brulee). <br />
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In between was Dorie's go to beef daube. It was a great meal. Except one of the creme brulees did not set and I need a new torch (the reason for the very sorry "brulee" on my creme brulee). Other than that...yummy!<br />
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I don't have much to say this week. We in the Irey household are enjoying the holidays stress free this year as our Altadena house closed on Dec. 15th (finally, after a long, extremely painful (not kidding here) escrow). May your holidays be stress free and filled with love and light and happiness. Yep, that's about all I've got. Maybe my fellow <a href="http://www.frenchfridayswithdorie.com/" target="_blank">Doristas</a> have more to say this week.<br />
PS...for those who noticed...I too think it's wierd that both photos are green and yellow!<br />
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<br /></div>Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13393285265802934932noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4275670134864038291.post-20898175224101219902011-12-15T16:39:00.000-08:002011-12-15T16:39:01.771-08:00French Fridays with Dorie - potato chip tortilla<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTAKTiVY_dgudnbbW8noa5hxDrx0Bih6BFpgCFwMIyBPMzowtPgL4tRKBFIuk1FuMvgKtNM0h3uVBD2x8L7VEv2gacV5B4Zx-4oOuM2PuJ0XO_ClV87u0p6FJPU1anoqgjEAJu1jCNf1BK/s1600/pot+tortilla+4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTAKTiVY_dgudnbbW8noa5hxDrx0Bih6BFpgCFwMIyBPMzowtPgL4tRKBFIuk1FuMvgKtNM0h3uVBD2x8L7VEv2gacV5B4Zx-4oOuM2PuJ0XO_ClV87u0p6FJPU1anoqgjEAJu1jCNf1BK/s320/pot+tortilla+4.JPG" width="239" /></a>Did you know that I'm a tennis player? No??? Well I am. Not a great tennis player, and many days not even a good tennis player. But a tennis player I am. When we moved to Coronado, my first order of business was to find some folks to play tennis with. I pursued this with a vengeance. Eventually, my persistence paid off and I was able to join a weekly round robin women's event. 16 to 20 women play each week. There's a good mix of talent and a great mix of personalities. Many weeks, after we play, we share some food.<br />
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Each week, this is a chance for me to make something fun and impress my fellow tennis players. Most weeks, this has actually worked. At one point, the organizer informed me, it's ok if you can't play this week, just come for the lunch...with something you've made. I laughed out loud. I know the way to any one's heart is through the stomach. And while I might play a game where love is part of the score, I get to show the real love by providing a home cooked treat to my fellow tennis aficionados who are from Coronado (hey, it rhymes!).<br />
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So, 9 long weeks ago, I injured myself on the court. Leading to my inability to play the game I love. Leading to great sadness on my part. While each week I've been hoping to resume my game, my body is not cooperating. Oh well, the ladies still invite me to the weekly celebrations, so I get to cook and visit.<br />
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I decided that Dorie's potato chip tortilla was the perfect appetizer to bring to our holiday tennis luncheon. Easy to make, easy to serve, hopefully tasty. (I think St. James actually doesn't like the fact that I'm quite willing to try a new recipe out for the first time for an event or a get together or a party...although the other night I heard him bragging to some of our guests about that exact fact. There is always a risk of serving a new recipe to guests...but I can always order pizza...right? And given that there are about 85,689 recipes that I want to try, I don't really like to cook the same things over and over (except for <a href="http://jumpingoffthecliff-sirey.blogspot.com/2010/12/holiday-cookiesmaybe-best-chocolate.html">Jacques Torres' chocolate chip cookies</a> and <a href="http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/no-knead-crusty-white-bread-recipe">King Arthur's no-knead bread</a>, which I would make daily, if allowed to).<br />
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The secret ingredient to this egg casserole is potato chips...although it's not much of a secret...cause it's in the name! It becomes a secret if you don't tell those you are serving the dish to what the name of the dish is, because when you try it, you cannot tell that there are potato chips in it. It just tastes like potato.<br />
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All the herbs I used in this "tortilla" were from my herb garden, as well as one lone jalapeno that has been wondering when it was going to get picked.<br />
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I'm going to confess, I must have over-cooked this a bit. It was a tad dry. Also, I didn't use enough salt, as I thought the salt from the potato chips would be more than enough. If I were to make this again, I might add a bit of cheese (maybe even cream cheese) to add a bit of creaminess. For my tennis lunch, I cut it into bite-sized pieces and served with toothpicks. The plate was empty at the end of the party...so I'm hoping folks liked it. To see how my on-line friends fared this week, <a href="http://www.frenchfridayswithdorie.com/">click here</a>. Have a great week and take time to enjoy the holidays.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioLouCxyCSd5-zVc2JwGBccMjkYH7mFbbk7wo_GtuvPqTHnWEth8fwcTTX9m-KLZdFX15DEnJup8H5mBsVrkf05GMHy8pcsm25yrxSUBW4dHsfOkvqoYP1S3PUipjAgR7I1mxCgEKd1DDb/s1600/pot+tortilla+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioLouCxyCSd5-zVc2JwGBccMjkYH7mFbbk7wo_GtuvPqTHnWEth8fwcTTX9m-KLZdFX15DEnJup8H5mBsVrkf05GMHy8pcsm25yrxSUBW4dHsfOkvqoYP1S3PUipjAgR7I1mxCgEKd1DDb/s320/pot+tortilla+3.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13393285265802934932noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4275670134864038291.post-84638484565139631252011-12-08T18:00:00.001-08:002011-12-08T20:46:20.641-08:00French Fridays with Dorie - chard-stuffed pork roast<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQFmZPROBr8z8hvaueTDR0crb-i9dZs-kvZARhK4waa3ZsbMYdj-8Oij6z_AVq5_1qoC13qojfLEvFBkz8luv3V4Ax_s5XNs3DB0hVFfbDdgdRcuJd4hyaQkSrUUWgU_VIXo2BSo4rj03-/s1600/pork+roast+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQFmZPROBr8z8hvaueTDR0crb-i9dZs-kvZARhK4waa3ZsbMYdj-8Oij6z_AVq5_1qoC13qojfLEvFBkz8luv3V4Ax_s5XNs3DB0hVFfbDdgdRcuJd4hyaQkSrUUWgU_VIXo2BSo4rj03-/s320/pork+roast+3.JPG" width="239" /></a>Oh how I love December. And I have to say that the recipes that have been selected for <a href="http://www.frenchfridayswithdorie.com/" target="_blank">French Fridays with Dorie</a> are so perfect for the season. This week's recipe was a lovely chard-stuffed pork roast. Really a simple recipe. You make the swiss chard stuffing by sauteing onions and garlic and the chard and then add raisins (or cranberries...which is what I used). I used red chard and the color of the stuffing was very Christmassy! <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful Chard</td></tr>
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Then you butterfly your pork roast, stuff it, tie it up, smear the top with olive oil and cracked pepper and coriander seeds and roast it. Simple and quick. You can make this in about an hour (with 40 minutes of that being cooking time). Great for a not too busy weeknight or weekend.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Butterflied and stuffed</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All dressed up and no where to go (except into the oven)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Out of the oven, resting</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Such a lovely dish!</td></tr>
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I invited one of my sisters and her daughter over since I knew we were going to have a lot of food. At the last minute St. James invited a tennis buddy also, so we had a nice group. Everyone loved the pork roast (and the rest of the dinner, some of which I will be writing about later this month). I loved, loved, loved the crust and the stuffing and the pork. All so perfect together. I honestly think I'll be adding this to the monthly repertoire. <br />
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Do yourself a favor...put Dorie's book on your Christmas list...and then cook from it. It's such a treat! Check out my fellow Dorista's pork roasts <a href="http://www.frenchfridayswithdorie.com/" target="_Blank">here</a>.<br />
<br />Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13393285265802934932noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4275670134864038291.post-61722767313442185732011-12-02T06:00:00.000-08:002011-12-02T06:00:06.960-08:00French Fridays with Dorie - matafan (fluffy mashed potato pancakes)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhajO1JbhlsicOPmTaibLN21CvvlyJGSBo1Muq-Ecbw4j0f5rx4VphOxrywoK5EdXihILAbP3GSCRipHqFi_KCf_2NGR9nhSn_UYg1KiPhW0vTDtj-sm4DpI2M3xqVCXcdO4WyX0meNpycW/s1600/pancakes3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhajO1JbhlsicOPmTaibLN21CvvlyJGSBo1Muq-Ecbw4j0f5rx4VphOxrywoK5EdXihILAbP3GSCRipHqFi_KCf_2NGR9nhSn_UYg1KiPhW0vTDtj-sm4DpI2M3xqVCXcdO4WyX0meNpycW/s320/pancakes3.JPG" width="239" /></a>Yeah, back on the Dorie band wagon. The couple of weeks before Thanksgiving were a little crazy and I actually did not cook one Dorie recipe for Turkey Day, so I didn't post last week either. Ah well. I'm so much gentler with myself and felt no remorse at all. However, I did feel a bit of pressure to make sure I posted this week! Lucky for me, we were making a relatively simple recipe, at least in the number of ingredients (only 5 - potatoes, salt, flour, eggs, milk). The recipe itself had a few steps, but with the ever helpful Ethan by my side, we were able to make these for a weeknight dinner.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baked on a bed of salt.</td></tr>
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Luckily, I remembered at 3:30 that the potatoes needed to bake for 1.5 hours, so in the oven they went. On a bed of salt. How fun! I have no idea if it had the desired effect (drying out the potatoes as they baked), but my potatoes definitely did not seem to have any extra moisture in them (I wonder if anyone saved the salt, I didn't, but probably could have). <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Love my ricer!</td></tr>
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After baking, I got to "rice" the potatoes. I love my ricer...I just don't use it very often. Mainly because I usually have 5 lbs of potatoes to rice, which takes forever. But with just two potatoes, it was the perfect tool for the job. <br />
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On a side note, Dorie says to only use Russets, not Yukon Golds and definitely bake, don't boil. For Thanksgiving, I was making The Pioneer Woman's fantastic mashed potatoes (which I have made at least 50 times) and using Yukon Golds. Those gosh darn (this is definitely the G version, the actual version had a hard R rating) potatoes melted away to nothing when I boiled them. Literally, there was nothing left of the potatoes (I had to make potato soup out of them and start again). Luckily, I was making them the day before (since they are sort of like a casserole and can go in the fridge and then the oven after they are mashed) T Day, so I was able to make another batch with Russets on T Day. Anyone ever have that issue with Yukons? It's happened to me twice now and I don't think I'll ever use them for mashed potatoes again.<br />
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Anyway, getting back to the topic at hand, Ethan gladly beat the egg whites as I riced the potatoes and make the pancake base. As I was making it, I was reminded of a grougere or pate a choux dough. It had the same consistency and beautiful golden color from the egg yolks. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Have you seen a more lovely pancake batter?</td></tr>
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Alas, as I was adding the beautiful egg whites that Ethan had so lovingly beat to firm peaks, I realized I'd not salted or peppered the dough. After the egg whites were folded in, I thought it was too late and didn't want to deflate the dough. So I added a bit, but not much. When I cooked the pancakes, Dorie says to flip them after the little bubbles form and pop in the batter, just like a regular pancake. Well, I don't know about others', but there were no bubbles in my batter upon cooking. So, I just turned them when the bottoms were done.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cast iron is perfect for these beauties!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUPlRqBWuTTX_vg7bkTHBEqaRxsGJhs2VwXP3upG85R1TC-PesYHixUxbQVbtY_-MgA23-Zt0jgZToxj0AuI0yfpIxDbV9tVOhWnf-orziHRLgZNOcuLNlaYtWTI3MMjw_hITGbzdNDB0a/s1600/pancakes+4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUPlRqBWuTTX_vg7bkTHBEqaRxsGJhs2VwXP3upG85R1TC-PesYHixUxbQVbtY_-MgA23-Zt0jgZToxj0AuI0yfpIxDbV9tVOhWnf-orziHRLgZNOcuLNlaYtWTI3MMjw_hITGbzdNDB0a/s320/pancakes+4.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before butter and syrup.</td></tr>
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While we enjoyed the pancakes, Ethan's remark was "they need salt." I laughed. At least salt is easy to add at the table. I think these would be terrific with a little onion or maybe some cheese mixed into the batter. They tasted like a potato omelet, only very light and airy. We did add butter and syrup, just cause if it's a pancake, it's gotta have butter and syrup! We liked them enough that I think we would try them again. Also on our plate for this dinner was Dream Dinners' French Onion Chicken (probably my favorite DD chicken dinner of all time) and some steamed broccoli. All in all, a relatively healthy and satisfying fall (almost winter) dinner. Wondering how my fellow Doristas fared this week? Find out <a href="http://www.frenchfridayswithdorie.com/" target="_blank"">here</a>. Have a terrific week and enjoy the holiday season!!<br />
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</div>Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13393285265802934932noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4275670134864038291.post-4697197859868951842011-11-11T05:38:00.001-08:002011-11-11T05:56:16.707-08:00French Fridays with Dorie - spiced squash, fennel, and pear soupHappy Friday. I'm actually writing my post on Friday at 5:38 am...cause I couldn't sleep. I got up to read, and then remembered I hadn't done my Dorie post yet. I made this terrific soup for the starter course for our Sunday dinner. It was my middle sister's birthday, and she had requested her favorite meal (breaded pork chops, mashed potatoes, white gravy and white corn). I decided that this soup would be a great start to this festive dinner. As it turns out, I was spot on. As she came in to the house and saw what was cooking, she said "Butternut squash soup is my favorite soup, did you know that?" I happily admitted that yes, of course I knew! Under my breath, I also said it's for FFwD this week too.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqlivOVqX8Edn89eK4sVlhlodKD0CVhpkU26w7Tt_AYiolXcMwPYW9uV5BcROjXRLfTtgge9bN_IhiHZo772AbyftTlm466viS1SC7edTLMVu6e1XhlFnxHC6oaZ8-nJvw6pcUhgNoW0XY/s1600/squash+soup+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqlivOVqX8Edn89eK4sVlhlodKD0CVhpkU26w7Tt_AYiolXcMwPYW9uV5BcROjXRLfTtgge9bN_IhiHZo772AbyftTlm466viS1SC7edTLMVu6e1XhlFnxHC6oaZ8-nJvw6pcUhgNoW0XY/s320/squash+soup+1.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aromatics sauteing!</td></tr>
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Well, that cat's out of the bag, but I'm glad the universe conspired to align my birthday sister's dinner with the week we make her favorite soup. (Who's we, you ask? Check out all my fellow <a href="http://www.frenchfridayswithdorie.com/" target="_Blank">Doristas</a> who are making their families oh so happy every week by cooking along.<br />
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This was a fairly simple soup, just roast your squash (I used butternut), saute the base of ingredients (minus fennel, because my store didn't have any...ugh!), add the roasted squash and stock, simmer for a bit, add the pear (for me the best part...I loved how you could feel the little granules in the pear...reminded me of when my sis and I were kids (like 6 or 7) and we loved to eat jars of baby food. Don't know why, but we did. I remember the pear baby food. So smooth, creamy and with just those little granules. Of course, you can get the same result by just eating a really ripe pear.<br />
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Everyone loved the soup (we were 10 for the dinner), except hubby. He said it tasted like curry. I asked him how that could be since there was a speck of curry in this soup! He just shrugged. I'm starting to think maybe he doesn't like ginger or cumin and just thinks it's curry. I see a little experimenting coming soon.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoNKf8bM26L_nAj2ZB9_X6d3gIf9LcwL9Tif4IoIehFJJzX5EEtJ1OvHZNH0OYBhFueRGIxfaN105XXiUxTh0fefRHILFo-NKkQk3zSME7TRlLa2__7bbOG9uDsAeKFNx2w2AFckzjUaon/s1600/squash+soup+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoNKf8bM26L_nAj2ZB9_X6d3gIf9LcwL9Tif4IoIehFJJzX5EEtJ1OvHZNH0OYBhFueRGIxfaN105XXiUxTh0fefRHILFo-NKkQk3zSME7TRlLa2__7bbOG9uDsAeKFNx2w2AFckzjUaon/s320/squash+soup+2.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not such a pretty picture, but it was good soup!</td></tr>
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Only got two photos this week (and the final dish I didn't remember to take until I'd already started eating...oops!) But that's ok. I love that I was so caught up in the cooking and being with my family that I forgot I was doing a dish for Dorie. That's the way life is suppose to be.<br />
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Happy Veteran's Day and a big thank you to all who have given so much so that we can continue to have to much. Living in Coronado has given me an even greater admiration for the men and women who serve our country. Especially watching all the hot SEALS train every morning on the beach as I drive Ethan to school (and when I say HOT, I'm not talking about their temperature!)Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13393285265802934932noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4275670134864038291.post-92055371902603169232011-11-03T19:02:00.000-07:002011-11-03T19:03:43.199-07:00French Fridays with Dorie - twenty-minute honey-glazed duck breasts <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7qKnNJvGOwRx1s64QzvxvKc_KMshM2XFdCSw8jO2s3uHIzhPlWxkLN-AFCZ8ToAZMOnxGimGiLlyfLUFwLCTZrVCSTZqu_WS-4exPuOOclVPUZla6RoC2E6_-_vR2RNFky1raMUzRylrk/s1600/duck+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7qKnNJvGOwRx1s64QzvxvKc_KMshM2XFdCSw8jO2s3uHIzhPlWxkLN-AFCZ8ToAZMOnxGimGiLlyfLUFwLCTZrVCSTZqu_WS-4exPuOOclVPUZla6RoC2E6_-_vR2RNFky1raMUzRylrk/s320/duck+1.JPG" width="239" /></a>Unbelievable, right? Duck in 20 minutes? Well, Dorie didn't lie...I got home at 5:15 and had dinner on the table at 6:00 pm...had to wait on the darn rice! We all like duck at my house, but I rarely cook it (but when I do, I cook it rarely...hee hee hee.) Ethan was excited when I told him we were having duck and the whole time it was cooking (all 20 minutes), he kept saying, "boy, something sure smells good!" So cute. The duck was very simple, quick and fairly tasty. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz4UVdCMeWQrQIPd800GHJI1PaWSf0oqFWHgbd-k2x8A7TqsCHX-oKqsUv_B9CAH1gmy9aKdwabWkrviYpqWIwRqDC89OhnvxWfp2uvy3c6dm-fn2YsIRFynWmIBLAf6W5rjm8KYSI311c/s1600/duck+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz4UVdCMeWQrQIPd800GHJI1PaWSf0oqFWHgbd-k2x8A7TqsCHX-oKqsUv_B9CAH1gmy9aKdwabWkrviYpqWIwRqDC89OhnvxWfp2uvy3c6dm-fn2YsIRFynWmIBLAf6W5rjm8KYSI311c/s320/duck+3.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crispy skin and lovely sauce</td></tr>
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Even though I went to my favorite meat store in San Diego (Seisel's), I've got to say the duck itself wasn't fabulous, just ok. It had no real ducky flavor at all and except for the thick skin and layer of fat, it could almost have been chicken (almost, but not quite). Which was too bad, given that it was $13.99 a pound (and I bought two pounds). I wonder if there is a better, less expensive way to buy duck. I'll have to investigate.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgceoz9D7TXPEXgbY-Bn9rBdcHzlr_YjZPAgprPE3AaUVakbDR89PLk6evD13-McrW_C4wFTv0AlNQVW8uMkerkWoibaVIG7uRC0M5V8PA4sstck28Jys9RYj1d9fj5duV6Q5Yv3zDMVCH8/s1600/duck+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgceoz9D7TXPEXgbY-Bn9rBdcHzlr_YjZPAgprPE3AaUVakbDR89PLk6evD13-McrW_C4wFTv0AlNQVW8uMkerkWoibaVIG7uRC0M5V8PA4sstck28Jys9RYj1d9fj5duV6Q5Yv3zDMVCH8/s320/duck+2.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look at that beautiful, rare duck</td></tr>
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We've had a bit of a cranky week at my house, culminating with all three of us having a crappy day on Thursday. The boys are off camping this weekend and I hope the fresh, COLD mountain air clears their heads and brings them back in a good mood. I plan on cleaning the house top to bottom, certain to put me in a fabulous mood.<br />
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Have a great week and check out my fellow Doristas' creations <a href="http://www.frenchfridayswithdorie.com/" target="_blank">here</a>.Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13393285265802934932noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4275670134864038291.post-83848110170813530262011-10-28T06:49:00.000-07:002011-10-28T06:49:16.454-07:00French Fridays with Dorie - Pumpkin stuffed with everything good<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPCg8db1SNDbUI9Ay5HsGEbDQ9A3HvZlj5Xe547wdN_9VHCFX4LR945OfWTxopoRj51VKRh3FmCIB3Q3ihgLuZGi03gNBT91_iQXE9tt-01SECGonxRFDnfnsN1gZ_ewQMGa-5HgLvJafd/s1600/pumpkin+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPCg8db1SNDbUI9Ay5HsGEbDQ9A3HvZlj5Xe547wdN_9VHCFX4LR945OfWTxopoRj51VKRh3FmCIB3Q3ihgLuZGi03gNBT91_iQXE9tt-01SECGonxRFDnfnsN1gZ_ewQMGa-5HgLvJafd/s320/pumpkin+1.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
A funny thing happened to me last week. After returning from my cruise (where I had a great time and got to see beautiful sights like this:)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVz_D0HUtAwiaKdg6-s48AgkiYK3-C9YtpVo7J0ZOIJhEqN_ZZH5iAlY6WJDSKYDRZqq5d6ERR2O4rdjh8G6ttESi0npOGGf7zNS02J_-PlF_a6hqARPbdg2qGpDV8K_FS2lIm5I4seKhr/s1600/pumpkin+5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVz_D0HUtAwiaKdg6-s48AgkiYK3-C9YtpVo7J0ZOIJhEqN_ZZH5iAlY6WJDSKYDRZqq5d6ERR2O4rdjh8G6ttESi0npOGGf7zNS02J_-PlF_a6hqARPbdg2qGpDV8K_FS2lIm5I4seKhr/s320/pumpkin+5.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Well, this wasn't so beautiful, Miami on the day we left</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiClWOepxy9__KBSWmr4LwcxfaHpttUT80cP4tjl_NXCfzQM2UO7OqznDDXRbsm8t5ry3aiFsLtl4z32KyuUQ-Fajgq4qHlD_o00PimmvmFesbSvxfs3kZt6mutMyVzWA4Yba_uQpa0imLL/s1600/pumpkin+6.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiClWOepxy9__KBSWmr4LwcxfaHpttUT80cP4tjl_NXCfzQM2UO7OqznDDXRbsm8t5ry3aiFsLtl4z32KyuUQ-Fajgq4qHlD_o00PimmvmFesbSvxfs3kZt6mutMyVzWA4Yba_uQpa0imLL/s320/pumpkin+6.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jamica, beautiful!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitJUVjziV_Tcm36QbseBtdHE2u3xnOFriA0RtBpDEKb3aHx7E_OyWXLvhjpNYPPaaDS0zb9QxdNvkV3rJKk71pBTFTgKLSoWSgEaPuxMPZZcoJVaZi7EMQAvLDQJe-xo1YJCLf1v6x1LuD/s1600/pumpkin+7.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitJUVjziV_Tcm36QbseBtdHE2u3xnOFriA0RtBpDEKb3aHx7E_OyWXLvhjpNYPPaaDS0zb9QxdNvkV3rJKk71pBTFTgKLSoWSgEaPuxMPZZcoJVaZi7EMQAvLDQJe-xo1YJCLf1v6x1LuD/s320/pumpkin+7.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Locals!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4fmiE-VRN55gP3FyKrbAwncdt4Yf2I8zzaeN7a5mfe1KRsZsvWtNCGRxz8PxXJtvcNjTKs9z4sBQhhLb0lnRsedputVZpPyiS4otHuNzkzz6ej3XIHpgHw2Yuawyc8njHeTyQvWxkjth9/s1600/pumpkin+8.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4fmiE-VRN55gP3FyKrbAwncdt4Yf2I8zzaeN7a5mfe1KRsZsvWtNCGRxz8PxXJtvcNjTKs9z4sBQhhLb0lnRsedputVZpPyiS4otHuNzkzz6ej3XIHpgHw2Yuawyc8njHeTyQvWxkjth9/s320/pumpkin+8.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grand Caymans...could have stayed forever!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Nr3PYSkMWTVBP3TA_AA_FlRfAUYdwxxs4kU12qF5EH98b6WnTLT69mfOe5umuC6dgMKXbxFXo_ATkW2i9FcZnQ_q04wqBvKgZAUSzwvU5mjk71Re5tybNtFsm2p2sNQv8bPXO-cAWEpW/s1600/pumpkin+9.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Nr3PYSkMWTVBP3TA_AA_FlRfAUYdwxxs4kU12qF5EH98b6WnTLT69mfOe5umuC6dgMKXbxFXo_ATkW2i9FcZnQ_q04wqBvKgZAUSzwvU5mjk71Re5tybNtFsm2p2sNQv8bPXO-cAWEpW/s320/pumpkin+9.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Went to Hell & back!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnEfSThCnxkkjj6T0AgvIISfvOtWci2X3cLHme3XZ1-v6v47YPpfD9BuYAb-G7_XUAn8JT94zl2eLXF5F9giRL4XzTQ0atJhTQ39BfCf3xMXR59qlkX-LLtAKufKJ5GPe2WI9hDjWNrAxX/s1600/pumpkin+10.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnEfSThCnxkkjj6T0AgvIISfvOtWci2X3cLHme3XZ1-v6v47YPpfD9BuYAb-G7_XUAn8JT94zl2eLXF5F9giRL4XzTQ0atJhTQ39BfCf3xMXR59qlkX-LLtAKufKJ5GPe2WI9hDjWNrAxX/s320/pumpkin+10.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Miami upon return</td></tr>
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I thought I was suppose to make Dorie's Pumpkin stuffed with everything good. So I did...and it was. The funny thing was I was actually suppose to make pissaladiere. Oops! When I discovered my mistake, it was too late to slap together the pissaladiere, so I missed another week of FFwD. Oh well. I was still in vacation mode and didn't mind too much.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLyutKFnSgCJoM21B3lNIJkew1jiXSWQ8dofuWw_tWu-03R-IDvfmoGtk1SG3PDVwzHVFG3-vkwWx1iTgad9h0WrQtJ6EiUJOJaAhcCgeCj9RMChuUvRqgsag_zbP3pjsTaJdrciiwEYk_/s1600/pumpkin+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLyutKFnSgCJoM21B3lNIJkew1jiXSWQ8dofuWw_tWu-03R-IDvfmoGtk1SG3PDVwzHVFG3-vkwWx1iTgad9h0WrQtJ6EiUJOJaAhcCgeCj9RMChuUvRqgsag_zbP3pjsTaJdrciiwEYk_/s320/pumpkin+2.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Unbaked</td></tr>
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I stuffed the pumpkin with herbs and bread and cheese and BIG hunks of ham that I had leftover from one of the most amazing hams we've ever had. The pumpkin looked amazing and the boys and I could hardly wait to dive in. Unfortunately, the boys deemed it "just alright," not great. I think the bread was the issue. While I let the bread go stale (by putting it cut up on the counter all day), I think it really needed to sit out overnight. It was very mushy and a little unappetizing. Everything else tasted great and leftovers the next day were very tasty. This is something I'd try again, with a few tweaks. It certainly is a perfect fall supper! Check out my fellow Doristas pumkins <a href="http://www.frenchfridayswithdorie.com/" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE-61-pPGJ_Vx5Cucm1k1l01UVRZNU6GOv36rztXIxn1qReoUAqxduSiI6HSt7fe08J2UDbDdIt3mTI2Ss1QCRRdSHqF9rWzLUV9O_pQTc-01SsLovygb3JyRJIAg0Kl8W4ru2ZW7h8-CO/s1600/pumpkin+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE-61-pPGJ_Vx5Cucm1k1l01UVRZNU6GOv36rztXIxn1qReoUAqxduSiI6HSt7fe08J2UDbDdIt3mTI2Ss1QCRRdSHqF9rWzLUV9O_pQTc-01SsLovygb3JyRJIAg0Kl8W4ru2ZW7h8-CO/s320/pumpkin+3.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baked</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artsy shot</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13393285265802934932noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4275670134864038291.post-53304589800062947262011-09-29T19:35:00.000-07:002011-09-29T19:35:44.438-07:00French Fridays with Dorie - deconstructed BLT and eggs<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKAQ_fMf2sfek-sFMjmX8u3o6UCDMRrBYgGJvzqIKQBjIbjXpGZZup3rCWleBeSXuBaQwGKDLZ3PtPPTmRZTBMOixisn1WZo0Fs9nZx2edBtOWoqetaruSf8e1supEwvfpOgoN3jx_FBE4/s1600/IMG_1190.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKAQ_fMf2sfek-sFMjmX8u3o6UCDMRrBYgGJvzqIKQBjIbjXpGZZup3rCWleBeSXuBaQwGKDLZ3PtPPTmRZTBMOixisn1WZo0Fs9nZx2edBtOWoqetaruSf8e1supEwvfpOgoN3jx_FBE4/s320/IMG_1190.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
This week, we did a little bit of deconstructing for our Dorie recipe. We took the always delicious BLT, separated the ingredients, added eggs and made something that was...drum roll please...not quite as good as a regular BLT. Don't get me wrong, this salad was very good and the boys and I ate every bite (we each had a huge portion). But, as I ate each bite, I kept thinking that it just wasn't as great as taking a bite of a BLT. Something about the perfect ratio of bacon, lettuce, tomato, bread & mayo that you get in each bite of a BLT was just missing from the deconstructed version. Try as I might to get a little piece of each ingredient in a bite, I just couldn't quite do it. Partly because my bread cubes were probably too big (tasty, given that they were sauteed in bacon fat, but too big!) and partly because there were quite a few individual ingredients, making the navigation of getting them all on the fork difficult.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6RYCm1JscGPl-axM2Lu60VhwLeevdJSxekkBDoDxoLIMjdBhC5ti1slODDMAX9Kjc7GzlQMaVfCCMO40mWI3dxsVCausS8tRBs3yuzGOimwyTv4tS5GHpwhf7drmN9I1w2LlBR85a9OZ_/s1600/IMG_1184.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6RYCm1JscGPl-axM2Lu60VhwLeevdJSxekkBDoDxoLIMjdBhC5ti1slODDMAX9Kjc7GzlQMaVfCCMO40mWI3dxsVCausS8tRBs3yuzGOimwyTv4tS5GHpwhf7drmN9I1w2LlBR85a9OZ_/s320/IMG_1184.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Love, love bacon!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVEw3YPRYwhw6TPtTnwDAlt2EDTFXMKRPMTuiNfkD9ak3ZOU3Jj4o1nSnZeLMxR3oyuqWr2vlsiC9QTtlVQu3EvBl68y4zfzU4ok4FcBF3vJheqWbC-ucThzd8ckFa0g69b2cHtKFfGNvq/s1600/IMG_1185.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVEw3YPRYwhw6TPtTnwDAlt2EDTFXMKRPMTuiNfkD9ak3ZOU3Jj4o1nSnZeLMxR3oyuqWr2vlsiC9QTtlVQu3EvBl68y4zfzU4ok4FcBF3vJheqWbC-ucThzd8ckFa0g69b2cHtKFfGNvq/s320/IMG_1185.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My favorite part!</td></tr>
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Two things went amiss for me in the recipe. I forgot to bake my homemade bread (it was all ready, resting in the fridge, and I completely forgot to get it out and bake it before I started the salad. Ditto for the homemade mayo...completely forgot to do it until I got to the end of the recipe...at which point we were all starving and I was not going to take another 20 minutes to make mayo.<br />
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While the salad was good, it seemed like a lot of work to make all the pieces. I can make a BLT in as long as it takes to cook the bacon (maybe 20 mins)...this salad took almost an hour. Maybe I'd make it to impress company, but if it's just the boys and I, I'll go with a regular BLT next time. To see the wonderful concoctions that my fellow Doristas made this week, take a peek <a href="http://www.frenchfridayswithdorie.com/" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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Next Friday, I am flying to Florida and boarding a cruise ship to the Caribbean (Jamaica anybody?). I'm hopeful I can get next week and the following week's posts done and in the que before I leave, but if not...I'll post when I return. Everybody have a great couple of weeks!<br />
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<br />Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13393285265802934932noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4275670134864038291.post-72610978447629462172011-09-22T19:43:00.000-07:002011-09-22T19:43:57.999-07:00french fridays with dorie - honey-spiced madeleines<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiualUI1WAQZti-VnL2NnIFKWvzET1UFca5I4kJainAufBzIVivtZ74yFxdzdF2PtVwYRTxekCt6rHtzckIRkkUGvAEQoAPrlwta1OnC6VGoDUblmipwGkPy4jBB_-tLFOAgMHb9-ny23iG/s1600/madelienes+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiualUI1WAQZti-VnL2NnIFKWvzET1UFca5I4kJainAufBzIVivtZ74yFxdzdF2PtVwYRTxekCt6rHtzckIRkkUGvAEQoAPrlwta1OnC6VGoDUblmipwGkPy4jBB_-tLFOAgMHb9-ny23iG/s320/madelienes+1.JPG" width="239" /></a>It's been quite a week at my house. Ethan ran in his first cross country meet (and finished the race with a good first-time time), I went on a two-hour kayaking adventure that had the opening scene from Gilligan's Island written all over it (including rapidly approaching ominous weather) and from which my arms my never recover. Sophie, our beautiful black lab got spayed at the ripe old age of 4 (think major abdominal surgery in your twenties...that's what it was like for her) and our lovely Cat 1 (also known as Padme) had all of her teeth except 6 pulled due to a terrible mouth infection (both pet surgeries were performed on the same day, as I truly believe misery loves company).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdjsMwcVbhy4Q58oifNcJNc4m4Ob3I-YT5r3NBMbnwKuTvvqSGdsKiO7-7cSm-H04Njf98TuHAgHSQx86same5a0CxsHbSaZcHvnLUBwoHpNDwVHv7zAT_LaWxMaY-XIAXfw5HgOEee3Y2/s1600/madelienes+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdjsMwcVbhy4Q58oifNcJNc4m4Ob3I-YT5r3NBMbnwKuTvvqSGdsKiO7-7cSm-H04Njf98TuHAgHSQx86same5a0CxsHbSaZcHvnLUBwoHpNDwVHv7zAT_LaWxMaY-XIAXfw5HgOEee3Y2/s320/madelienes+2.JPG" width="239" /></a>Even with all that going on, I was able to make this week's <a href="http://www.frenchfridayswithdorie.com/" target="_blank">FFwD</a> recipe of amazing honey-spiced madeleines (click link to see how my fellow Doristas did this week). First, I got to go to a great cooking gadget store here in San Diego to buy some madeleine pans. They had a regular sized pan and a mini, so I bought both. The ingredients for the cookies/cake are simple and things I usually have on hand, so no super market surfing for me this week (hallelujah!). Madeleines are one of Ethan's favorite cookies and the addition of holiday spices and orange zest made these a total winner. I made 20 minis and 6 regular sized ones. I knew when looking at the recipe that it wasn't going to make many, and I really should have doubled it. The minis and three of the regular sized cookies were eaten within minutes of coming from the oven and the other three were demolished the next day. No chance for these to go stale and be dipped in coffee...no sirree bob!<br />
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Only issue this week with the recipe was my non-stick pan...the cookies <strike>browned</strike> blacked very quickly. Luckily, they didn't taste burnt, but they sure looked it. All in all, a new go-to cookie recipe for something a little different and completely yummy!Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13393285265802934932noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4275670134864038291.post-21802738791207336862011-09-16T06:00:00.000-07:002011-09-16T06:00:16.628-07:00French Fridays with Dorie - cinnamon crunch chicken<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This week's French Fridays with Dorie's recipe was a simple chicken dish. It took 15 minutes to prepare (it took me much longer to drive to 4 different grocery stores to find the damn speculoos! But that's starting to be an old story, so I won't bore you with it.). Unfortunately, we all agreed that it was not very special...in fact it didn't have much flavor at all. For the recipe, you brown some chicken, and then add creme fraiche (I used heavy cream, because if you thought it was hard to find speculoos, don't even get me going on creme fraiche) and broken up speculoos (a Belgium cinnamon cookie). When you chop up the speculoos, Dorie says to leave some chunks, some little bits and some cookie powder. The cookie powder helps thicken the sauce a bit and adds flavor, just not enough in our opinion. Having said that, the boys cleaned their plates. It wasn't a bad dish, just not great. I'm really curious to see how my fellow <a href="http://www.frenchfridayswithdorie.com/" target="_blank">Doristas</a> did and what modifications they made to turn this into a fabulous dish.<br />
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Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13393285265802934932noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4275670134864038291.post-7808333148021820902011-09-09T06:00:00.000-07:002011-09-09T06:00:15.685-07:00French Fridays with Dorie - creamy, cheesy, garlicky rice with spinach<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1t2kBBNAHF7xjF6SeVPHibjkL7kMC8YVPpYwWW7VqKj-_g_OWT5Id86VA7tifMHf0R9l7AsTZ8ArJCLpQ9kmc06dqpzSYP64vi8cP9aTZK1jXJ-3cbTB1J6LdnD-EezZM_BQFidH1wZ96/s1600/garlic+rice+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1t2kBBNAHF7xjF6SeVPHibjkL7kMC8YVPpYwWW7VqKj-_g_OWT5Id86VA7tifMHf0R9l7AsTZ8ArJCLpQ9kmc06dqpzSYP64vi8cP9aTZK1jXJ-3cbTB1J6LdnD-EezZM_BQFidH1wZ96/s320/garlic+rice+1.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My cool burner covers.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Ahhh, comfort food. What is it about the fall that just demands comfort food? All I know is that I am always delighted to answer that command. This week's FFwD recipe is all about comfort food. Any recipe that starts with the word creamy is going to be ok with me...add cheesy & garlicky and I'm sold. The recipe calls for Arborio rice, which I happened to be out of. I thought, no worries, Vons will have it. I am sadly discovering that the Vons in my little beach community is woefully inadequate. I mean, what self-respecting grocery store doesn't have Arborio rice? After my first try at Vons, I then stopped at the little grocery store (cutely named "Wally's") to see if they might have it. After searching high and low I did find the Arborio rice...thank goodness. I realized I am going to have to look at the recipes at the beginning of the month and make a plan for sourcing the more unusual ingredients early in the month (although, really, in who's world is Arborio rice "unusual?")<br />
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Anyway, just a long way of saying that I had to hunt for the damn rice this week...but it was well worth the trips. Dorie uses one of her favorite tricks with boiling the rice in chicken stock. This infuses the rice with a fabulous, hearty flavor (it's great to cook pasta this way...as I've discovered in another of Dorie's recipes...her dressy pasta "risotto." You add some sauteed onions, garlic, spinach, Gruyere (I used the smoked Gruyere...holy toledo was that the right call!) and cream to the rice and you have a dish that everyone in your family will be asking for more of (at least they were in my family...luckily there are only three of us, so there was a bit leftover for lunch, yeah!!)<br />
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Pictures aren't fabulous this week. While make the rice, I was also making a chicken dish that I was creating on the fly. I had four pots going at the same time (and trying to make egg salad for lunches too). That old multi-tasking snake is raising her evil head! The chicken turned out really well (I just sliced up some raw breasts, sauteed them in a little oil with salt and pepper, deglazed the pan with white wine, stirred in a little cream of mushroom soup, heated it through and then finished it with sour cream...darn if it didn't taste fabulous!), but with stirring all the different pots...photographs weren't high on the priority list. (It's all my stove's fault...damn electric stove is so unforgiving, it makes cooking multiple things difficult because you can't adjust the heat quickly when you need to. I'm really looking forward to installing a new stove top, sometime soon.)<br />
My son is in his second week of middle school (at his new school) and is settling in really well. He's going to start running on the Cross Country team this week and I'm excited to go to his meets and cheer him on. I've been on pins and needles all summer worrying about how he would like his new school. I'm more than relieved that he really loves it. I can actually sleep well again! Moving is always so much fun (not), it's nice to finally feel like we are settling in.<br />
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Click <a href="http://www.frenchfridayswithdorie.com/" target="_blank">here</a> to see all the other amazing FFwD participants this week. Have a terrific week!Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13393285265802934932noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4275670134864038291.post-64816999337745787222011-09-02T06:25:00.000-07:002011-09-02T06:25:24.236-07:00French Fridays with Dorie - corn soupNothing says summer more than fresh corn (and fresh tomatoes...but they play no part in this week's <a href="http://www.frenchfridayswithdorie.com/" target="_blank">FFwD</a> recipe). Corn soup sounds pretty simple...straight forward and easy. And guess what? It pretty much is. First, you cut the corn off the cob (Dorie suggests doing this in a big bowl and it worked great...I've always done it on a cutting board and ended up with corn everywhere. Score 1 for a new tip from Dorie!)<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Boil some whole milk and add corn cobs (this is my favorite part...I love that we use the corn cobs to infuse the milk with the essence of corn!)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Then you gently saute onions in butter until they glisten, but do not take on any color.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCgND5cnRLv17gnaeepaN-qETBFACKNloW89nusK87z4KZWHR7XRicm3b4lhZCyxgZJNZxxI8QEp-RIFjYlayz_8pTcKKRw3lrK7mbpsuAxMLeBsoxKbKlHj5_Lmy_iVYVcF1urpPKnrLa/s1600/corn+soup+8.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCgND5cnRLv17gnaeepaN-qETBFACKNloW89nusK87z4KZWHR7XRicm3b4lhZCyxgZJNZxxI8QEp-RIFjYlayz_8pTcKKRw3lrK7mbpsuAxMLeBsoxKbKlHj5_Lmy_iVYVcF1urpPKnrLa/s320/corn+soup+8.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><br />
Then you add in the other veggies and saute until tender.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Amazing colors!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Notice the lovely herbs in the pan? The rosemary is from my herb garden (a term I totally use loosely, as the herb garden has two herbs right now...rosemary & basil...but hey, it's plants in the ground so it qualifies as a garden).<br />
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Also, I wasn't suppose to put the herbs in the pot while the veggies were sauteing, so I had to fish them out and then add them with the liquids a bit later. Jeez, if I'd read every word of the recipe before I start, I wouldn't have to fish rosemary and thyme out of a hot pot. After sauteing the veggies, you add the liquids and simmer for about 20 minutes. Then you pick out whatever herb stems you can, use your immersion blender and blend it all up. Dorie says if you want really smooth soup, put it through a sieve...I didn't want really smooth soup. <br />
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I loved how the carrot added a little color (unfortunately, I had to use white corn, so my soup was not an amazing yellow, but it was still pretty enough). I'm going to serve the soup for lunch later today with Dorie's suggested crumbled bacon (my own home made bacon of course) and a bit of sour cream (can't find creme fraiche close to home). The soup on it's own is really light, flavorful and delicious, can't wait to try it with the bacon and sour cream.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not nearly as pretty as when it was cooking.<br />
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</tbody></table> Curious how my fellow Doristas did this week and what wonderful modifications/additions they might have made to this recipe? Well check them all out <a href="http://www.frenchfridayswithdorie.com/" targer="_blank">here</a>. Might I also suggest getting Dorie's book and making this lovely summer recipe yourself. You'll thank me, really!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div>Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13393285265802934932noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4275670134864038291.post-38199099318054283742011-08-25T20:14:00.000-07:002011-08-25T20:14:47.096-07:00French Fridays with Dorie - cafe salle pleyel hamburger<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhswYGDxJ7aUCMO8XUnBAWWdeQuV53AhmxPuc6iIkD2ND3BHKN5ZhB0LpSAq2fK8YZmPgxq9J9tr-JrQgOfnCWB-BOhMGoZ7ZxBlyNK_-2sTnLy9xzzxDCtaMo1WDWqwWz_DeNZ1ZWO2utx/s1600/hamburger+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhswYGDxJ7aUCMO8XUnBAWWdeQuV53AhmxPuc6iIkD2ND3BHKN5ZhB0LpSAq2fK8YZmPgxq9J9tr-JrQgOfnCWB-BOhMGoZ7ZxBlyNK_-2sTnLy9xzzxDCtaMo1WDWqwWz_DeNZ1ZWO2utx/s320/hamburger+2.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love the look of this photo, even out of focus and overexposed.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>This week, my fellow <a href="http://www.frenchfridayswithdorie.com/" target="_blank">Doristas</a> and I had the lovely task of making hamburgers. But, not just any ole plain hamburgers, no, these were fancy, schmancy french hamburgers. With ingredients like capers and cornichons (little french pickles, not miniature corn) and tarragon and sun dried tomatoes and Parmesan and onion jam. The onion jam was very simple to make (just boil chopped onions with coriander, butter and water until it's, well, jammy). Mine came out with a lot of liquid left, but I just drained it off and it was fine. For the burgers, you add all the chopped ingredients to the meat, form burgers, grill and eat. Simple, a little elegant and delicious (at least for some of us).<br />
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I made these burgers for some LA friends who came to visit us for the day. I knew some of my guests were not adventurous eaters so I made two plain patties, just in case. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the grill, see the plain one?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Turns out I should have made three as St. James did not like the french burger. In particular, he didn't like the tarragon, because he doesn't like licorice/anise flavored things. (I have a sorry confession, I guess I've only used dried tarragon before. I had no idea that tarragon was so anisey (is that even a word? Well it is now.). I love anise and all things licorice flavored. So, imagine my surprise when I start chopping the tarragon and am overwhelmed with the scent of licorice. I was so excited. I didn't really think too long about the fact that St. James might not like these (the thought did cross my mind, but then I thought...maybe he won't notice). I even mentioned it to my friend...let's see if St. James notices or just eats right through it. <br />
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After about three bites, St. James says...do these have anise in them? I coyly say no, just tarragon. He says, well, what does tarragon taste like...and then I have to spill the beans. He didn't take another bite. Too bad...Ethan LOVED them and ate the leftovers for three more days. Next time, I'll make a plain patty for St. James and Ethan and I can love these on our own.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I had a little ketchup and mayo on mine, couldn't help myself.</td></tr>
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Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13393285265802934932noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4275670134864038291.post-16157484252032159132011-08-19T06:30:00.000-07:002011-08-19T06:30:00.365-07:00French Fridays with Dorie - eggplant caviarWhen I started on this week's recipe, I thought to myself "no one is going to eat this, except me." I love baba ganoush and this recipe looked similar. I was under the impression that most of my family didn't like eggplant...boy was I in for a surprise.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj40QbejfA-G5XxqOzj1WR9Pn8k7WekFQE0TJRhKMdouQB8MQr_yNQUvl6JoplN4_btJ9jXUdv8w3GHvc7gjoszxHVGROJD0qFhliW2CWJzG2sZxt1lLrFFsHTMyBL3wK22aioiMKiU7nC8/s1600/eggplant+caviar+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj40QbejfA-G5XxqOzj1WR9Pn8k7WekFQE0TJRhKMdouQB8MQr_yNQUvl6JoplN4_btJ9jXUdv8w3GHvc7gjoszxHVGROJD0qFhliW2CWJzG2sZxt1lLrFFsHTMyBL3wK22aioiMKiU7nC8/s320/eggplant+caviar+4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Now that we are in Coronado, near my two sisters and their families, I've been doing Sunday dinners. I've always loved Sunday dinners...a time to cook a more leisurely meal and share it with friends and family. Growing up, Sunday dinners were a time to regroup and get ready for the coming week...and to eat a fantastic meal. My grandmother made some amazing Sunday dinners. This woman was the epitome of the concept food is love! I know that she is why I love to cook and the reason that I show my love for people through food.<br />
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I'm currently doing a 42 day Jump start to Permanent Weight Loss coaching program with my good friend Katie McClain (check out her awesome <a href="http://www.katiemcclain.com/" target="_blank">coaching website</a>) and we are exploring the thoughts and feelings we have around food. It's a very interesting program and I'm uncovering a lot of emotions that I have related to food. Some good, some not so good. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eggplant, shriveling in oven.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;">I'm thinking about my grandmother a lot. She was a great cook, loved to cook for our family and had a constant battle with her weight for as long as I knew her. She was a petite woman (4'11" with heels) and obsessed about her weight. She was of the mindset of those that diet all week and then eat well on the weekends...except for the bowl of vanilla ice cream with strawberries that she had every night. She never did find the happy medium where she was happy with her weight and with what she was eating. I'm hoping to break that family pattern.</div><br />
You are probably asking yourself what this has to do with eggplant caviar? Well, even though I didn't think anyone would probably eat it, I decided to make it for our appetizer for Sunday dinner. Along with two loaves of my amazing homemade bread (check out the recipe<a href="http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/no-knead-crusty-white-bread-recipe" target="_blank"> here</a>). Let's just say I was pleasantly surprised. There were 10 of us and the eggplant caviar and bread were demolished...quickly! When the nieces heard we were having "caviar," they looked at me and asked what was in it. I assured them there were no fishy eggs anywhere in sight, so they happily gave it a try. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZR3gK6LNiCOvEBveJGtIU4rFk-lM11HgY5byfH12echH0IqWkIEcONXJXY_vUWitWyfnUKefC9o0jyJ-a9-XSFI0F_seHh2jACmkCQ1ya6KppouzQk0U_PMXtr9SiILmgGbKusyCBdSxY/s1600/eggplant+caviar+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZR3gK6LNiCOvEBveJGtIU4rFk-lM11HgY5byfH12echH0IqWkIEcONXJXY_vUWitWyfnUKefC9o0jyJ-a9-XSFI0F_seHh2jACmkCQ1ya6KppouzQk0U_PMXtr9SiILmgGbKusyCBdSxY/s320/eggplant+caviar+2.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>Oohs and aahs followed. I am so happy that everyone enjoyed this quick, simple and healthy appetizer. I'm a little disappointed that there were no left overs. Everyone agreed that I need to bake three loaves of bread for our next Sunday dinner. (For dinner, I made Dorie's fresh orange pork loin, dressy pasta "risotto" and her top secret chocolate mousse. I'll wait to share details when the group cooks these dishes...but let me just say...if you haven't made the dressy pasta "risotto" yet...you need to make it...today!) See how my fellow Doristas enjoyed their "caviar" at <a href="http://www.frenchfridayswithdorie.com/" target="_blank">French Fridays with Dorie</a>.Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13393285265802934932noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4275670134864038291.post-27953279260776489952011-08-12T08:22:00.000-07:002011-08-16T08:43:19.246-07:00French Fridays with Dorie - salmon and potatoes in a jarI have a feeling that there are two camps among my fellow <a href="http://frenchfridayswithdorie.com/" target="_blank">Doristas</a> about this week's Dorie recipe. There will be those that love it and those that won't try it. Then there's those that wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole, but made it anyway. I wonder which camp I'm in. If you guess the ten foot pole camp, you're right! I am not a huge seafood fan, however my boys are. So, I decided to make this, knowing that there was no way I was going to actually try the salmon (I can eat cooked salmon...but not happily). But, since I'm attempting to get back on track with my French Fridays with Dorie, I didn't want to skip this.<br />
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Basically, you brine the salmon over night, and then layer it with aromatics in a cute jar and top it off with olive oil. My photo is pre-olive oil. After adding the olive oil, the jar was not quite so pretty. You also make a jar filled with par-boiled potatoes.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It really is a lovely presentation. I tried the veggies and potatoes and unfortunately was not impressed with the flavor at all (basically I just got oily veggies). St. James tried the salmon and said it was good. Yeah! I still couldn't bring myself to try it. However, lest you think I am so set in my ways that I can't try anything new...look what I did try this week:</div><br />
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That's right, I tried raw oysters (two to be exact) and I didn't die. They were ok...not something I'll run out to eat all the time, but at least I got over this hurdle. I know you're probably thinking, heck, if you can try a raw oyster, why not the raw salmon...don't know...just can't. Don't judge me too harshly...maybe one of these days.<br />
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Check out how my everyone else fared this week at <a href="http://www.frenchfridayswithdorie.com/" target="_blank">French Fridays with Dorie</a>.<br />
<span id="goog_1954672849"></span><span id="goog_1954672850"></span>Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13393285265802934932noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4275670134864038291.post-43980875401628102612011-08-05T06:00:00.000-07:002011-08-05T06:00:20.170-07:00French Fridays with Dorie - simple slow roasted tomatoes<div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBEFzEID1OVr7ju8UbGiAd1fnum4aH8Vfztw6fccoLuKCpQ2l9fh_Iy0HSo49D9cMeNC6zrM7XbiOdxyTwswvaYWqSWHWtn2zlrAckC8RlVMpxJROT5sIJNdt2d1AZOcchg4i_JR80ENoG/s1600/tomatoes+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBEFzEID1OVr7ju8UbGiAd1fnum4aH8Vfztw6fccoLuKCpQ2l9fh_Iy0HSo49D9cMeNC6zrM7XbiOdxyTwswvaYWqSWHWtn2zlrAckC8RlVMpxJROT5sIJNdt2d1AZOcchg4i_JR80ENoG/s320/tomatoes+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Last week I was very focused on single-tasking and that was completely appropriate for our citrus terrine. This week, if I maintained my single focus, I would have been staring at the oven for three hours. So, I did do a few other things while my tomatoes were "slow" roasting...like spend the afternoon at the beach! Dorie's recipe this week for our <a href="http://www.frenchfridayswithdorie.com/" target="_blank">French Fridays with Dorie</a> was super easy. Cut up some tomatoes, sprinkle with olive oil and salt and pepper (and garlic and rosemary, if you are so inclined, and I was) and put in the oven for 3 hours. What comes out is a sweet jewel of tomatoey goodness. Easily served with a variety of things or eaten straight off of the pan (as my son did). <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1llcWVruvqSk68F2P_q5sZW2XTdAsJLVfDrwNX3NoAPTKejVgycyTS_MnL65XOUUZd1q33cuCBfnVAMIxYLZ5oYAe93BXAgcIi4DPmCIO8_d5tlboGuaZFBcARb0Lbs2lr5lO-86Nxw04/s1600/tomatoes+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1llcWVruvqSk68F2P_q5sZW2XTdAsJLVfDrwNX3NoAPTKejVgycyTS_MnL65XOUUZd1q33cuCBfnVAMIxYLZ5oYAe93BXAgcIi4DPmCIO8_d5tlboGuaZFBcARb0Lbs2lr5lO-86Nxw04/s320/tomatoes+3.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
I paired our slow roasted tomatoes with a lovely breaded tilapia (along with a lemony basil pesto sauce...perfect together). We had a little cauliflower and large grain cous cous also (all of which were great with little bites of tomatoes too)! A lovely summer dinner.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtwGqYdP9dALtQKLSd9CodNHU0UBHXn-sbQzM3-XB7ZJXCD0ggXa8Ld0rMvegevFufp7nFcJakqfruiY_AO7azPODN4syhr_INs49ix0N7_74daPn51R9zCrd2QJvIetfzPBWrIYUQtZ-r/s1600/tomatoes+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtwGqYdP9dALtQKLSd9CodNHU0UBHXn-sbQzM3-XB7ZJXCD0ggXa8Ld0rMvegevFufp7nFcJakqfruiY_AO7azPODN4syhr_INs49ix0N7_74daPn51R9zCrd2QJvIetfzPBWrIYUQtZ-r/s320/tomatoes+6.jpg" width="320" /></a>Have you seen these before? I just discovered these incredibly cute and functional graters at the farmers' market. You just rub your garlic or ginger, or nutmeg or cinnamon, or Parmesan cheese or chocolate or whatever else you want a fine grate on, back and forth against the raised tines. In seconds, you have the finest grate imaginable. If you come across one of these, snatch it up...you will not believe how much you will love it!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRBTS1_A0w2QXJGTNvGppu8m__fVjXjHlXNd33ErhSsXec4QWsfhZURUuVH9aZhRN5v81XBFeeosA0f1WwxNPl2umHX0PON7UmCJSAhIgx4lAAPtuYaK3gxbTZ6TiTdToBuV9W7rP4EMqJ/s1600/tomatoes+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRBTS1_A0w2QXJGTNvGppu8m__fVjXjHlXNd33ErhSsXec4QWsfhZURUuVH9aZhRN5v81XBFeeosA0f1WwxNPl2umHX0PON7UmCJSAhIgx4lAAPtuYaK3gxbTZ6TiTdToBuV9W7rP4EMqJ/s320/tomatoes+2.jpg" width="320" /></a>PS...photos still with my iphone, but using hipstamatic...so fun!</div>Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13393285265802934932noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4275670134864038291.post-5173397203709091092011-07-29T09:15:00.000-07:002011-08-03T15:34:52.944-07:00French Fridays with Dorie - citrus-berry terrineWhen we went to France last summer, one of the things that I wanted to take back to the states with me was giving up multi-tasking. While in France, I worked hard (so sad) to focus on one thing at a time. Enjoy the moment and completely focus on the thing at hand. There have actually been studies that show that multi-taskers don't do things as well as someone who does a focused task. We multi-taskers might get a lot done, but something suffers. I would posit that happiness suffers. We are so focused on getting the tasks done, that we don't take time for the pleasure of what we're doing to invade our soul.<br />
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While in France, my soul was invaded repeatedly by pleasure and I certainly enjoyed it! Back in the states...I continued to work hard to stay singularly focused. A very tall order and I am not always successful. For work things, I just have to multi-task...I can't seem to overcome the years of self-training to juggle 10 things at once. Oh well...guess I'll never be completely happy at work.<br />
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However, in more personal things...I have gotten much better at single-tasking. That's right...doing one thing at a time and enjoying it. Especially with cooking. But, it still takes actual effort. If I don't focus on focusing...I am soon doing several things at once and not enjoying any of them.<br />
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This is a very long-winded introduction to this week's recipe for <a href="http://www.frenchfridayswithdorie.com/" target="_blank">French Fridays with Dorie</a>. You may know where I'm headed on this one. While working on this very simple recipe (basically, create jello with orange juice, sugar and gelatin and then add fruit after the jello has set a bit), I was distracted with a few other things (like going shopping in the middle of making the jello). Dorie's recipe said to make the jello and then refrigerate it for two hours (stirring a few times) until it was the consistency of egg whites. I made the mix, popped it in the fridge and ran out for a quick shopping trip. About 90 minutes later, I texted St. James and asked him to stir the orange stuff in the fridge. He texted back and said it was set like jello and he couldn't really stir it. Oops!<br />
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The next morning, I started it again (luckily I had four packs of gelatin, as the recipe needed two). I reminded myself to stay focused. I thought I was focused, but got distracted for a little bit (I think I was cleaning the house, as we had company coming)...by the time I went to stir the gelatin, it was very set (not quite completely, but pretty darn close). At this point, I had no more gelatin (and was losing patience), so I added a little hot water to break it up a bit, stirred in the fruit and dumped it into a baking pan. When making this, I wasn't completely unpacked yet and couldn't find my loaf pans...so I used a square. When I unmolded, I used the first try as a base layer and then unmolded the second try on top of that. I should have put a layer of whipped cream or marscapone cheese in between the layers. That would have made the two layers hold together and give it a bit more of a visual interest. Along with the loaf pan, my camera was still packed also, so my one photo is from my iphone again. I now know that there are some cool apps for the iphone for photos (just downloaded hipstamatic), but you have to take the photo with the app...you can't fix the photo afterwards.<br />
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My result was not pretty, but it was quite tasty and everyone loved it. Only I knew that it should have looked oh so more elegant. I promise next week to have some nice photos...and maybe to stay focused and make the recipe properly.<br />
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PS...to all my fellow Doristas...I have been catching up on your blogs...however...google won't let me sign in for some damn reason and I can't leave any comments. I'll be working on that this week too!Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13393285265802934932noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4275670134864038291.post-33865502987462321262011-07-22T13:05:00.000-07:002011-07-22T13:11:54.892-07:00French Fridays with Dorie - coconut-lemongrass braised porkIt's been so long...so long since I've cooked just for the joy of cooking...so long since I've snapped a photo of something I've made...and so long since I've shared on my blog. Well, it's only been about two months...but it seems like forever. When we decided to move (right around Mother's Day) and to make it all happen by July 1st...I knew there would be no time for anything else. No time for anything but getting the house ready to sell (meaning fixing everything that has bugged us for the last umpteen years, but to which we hadn't gotten around to fixing) and packing (meaning going through every single thing that we have accumulated over the last 23 years of marriage and deciding should it stay or should it go).<br />
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We were moving from a relatively large house (3600+ sq ft, 18,000 sq ft lot) to a relatively small house(2000+sq ft, maybe 6000 sq ft lot (maybe...if you include the view)). In order to be on the water...one must give up something...so we are giving up quite a bit of space...and privacy...to achieve the dream of living on the water in one of arguably the most beautiful places in the country (heck...in the world!)<br />
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So, with about only 6 weeks to make this all happen...everything else had to be put aside. I couldn't even read other's blogs...knowing that I would get side-tracked and want to cook, as well as not having the time to give to what can be a complete time suck in your life. I've missed out on the last two months of my on-line friends' lives...and that's a real bummer. But, in the end, it was worth the sacrifice. After three weeks (today) in the new home, we are pretty settled. Many, many boxes are unpacked and the garage is really the last eyesore at this point. I owe the state of unpack to my two fabulous sisters (and their kids)...who all pitched in at various times to get one more box unpacked. (They know how much the sight of the boxes was causing me great distress each day!)<br />
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On Wednesday, we had some friends visit from LA (we have many friends scheduled to visit...after all, who doesn't want a weekend in Coronado) and I decided it was the perfect time to get back into the Dorie swing of things. And, what a great recipe to start back with...coconut-lemongrass braised pork...YUM!<br />
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I had most of the ingredients on hand, except the pork & lemon grass (and I was all out of tumeric), so off to the store I went. Getting use to a new grocery store...always fun! I have been having a lot of fun going to all the farmers' markets and I joined a CSA (whose farm is about 8 miles from my house). When I purchased the pork butt, I asked the butcher to cube it for me (I know, so lazy...but such a nice luxury and it made making the dish very quick and easy). I knew I was going to have trouble finding fresh lemongrass at my local Vons...and I haven't found the specialty ethnic markets yet. Lucky for me, Vons had fresh lemongrass in a tube (sounds gross...but it worked).<br />
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The one bad thing about the new house is the electric cooktop. Real cooks know that electric is bad....evil...down right horrible to cook on! Gas is so much more controllable and forgiving. But, I'm learning. I have burned a few things and I have to remember not to turn my back on that damn stove. The first home improvement I'm going to make is install a gas stovetop...but it will probably be a couple of months before that happens...so I'm sure there will be more than a few tales of woe cooking on electric.<br />
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Anyway, luckily for our guests...I had no trouble with the stove for this dish. I browned the pork nicely in small batches...added all the spices and coconut milk and into the oven it went for a quick braise. Since I put it on early in the day...I only cooked it for 20 minutes and then put it in the fridge. I finished it on the stovetop right before serving and added the recommended potatoes, carrots and onions (but no celery root because I couldn't find the celery root).<br />
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In my opinion, this was a darn good dish. The pork was incredible...tender, flavorful bite-sized morsels that made you want more and more. The sauce was good, probably would add a little heat next time. I served it over rice instead of noodles and I think it was a good call. My guests enjoyed it, Ethan liked it, but alas St. James turned up his nose...he doesn't like curry...oh well...too bad for him! (So sad that we had been at my sister's for dinner the night before and she served an actual curry...which he turned his nose up at too...so two nights in a row with no dinner for St. James...he's wasteing away, I tell you!)<br />
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I only have a few shots of the dish...taken with my iphone...because the camera was just pulled out of the last box unpacked, but not in time to take the necessary photos. Hopefully, in two weeks I'll have nice photos again (I made next week's dish on Wed too and it only got iphone photos too!)<br />
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Well hell...I pushed a wrong button and this published without the photos, so now I'm adding the photos. Sorry about that!!<br />
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Hope all my fellow Doristas enjoyed this dish. Check out their posts at <a href="http://www.frenchfridayswithdorie.com/"target="_blank">French Fridays with Dorie</a>.Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13393285265802934932noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4275670134864038291.post-70728757241258242852011-07-13T20:55:00.000-07:002011-07-13T20:55:09.048-07:00Just about time to get started blogging again!I can't believe all that has happened since my last blog post on May 31st. It's only been 43 days...but it actually seems like a year...at least! I've got a strong hankering to blog again and should be ready to by next week. We moved on July first and Friday will mark two weeks in the new digs. The upstairs is completely unpacked (Ethan's room and our room and bathrooms). Downstairs, a completely different story (which I will save for another day). I'm looking forward to jumping back on the French Fridays band wagon and hope to make the coconut-lemongrass braised pork next week. (We'll see how that goes...most of my kitchen is still in boxes, but one of the first things unpacked (hence, last packed) was my beloved copy of French Fridays with Dorie...it's sitting on my counter in it's special place...calling to me..."cook from me...cook from me."<br />
So, hopefully next week that will happen and I"ll post and I'll read others' blogs too. Not only have I taken a hiatus from posting, I have not read a single blog for the last 43 days. Scandalous...I am so looking forward to catching up on all my friends' adventures!<br />
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See you next week!Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13393285265802934932noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4275670134864038291.post-92229502933372213182011-05-31T17:25:00.000-07:002011-07-22T13:10:08.885-07:00Changing Views!The Irey's are changing their view of the world. We have decided to leave Los Angeles (which has been home for 21 years) and return to San Diego (where St. James was born and I grew up). The big move takes place in July. And let me tell you...it's a big move!<br />
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First things first...why are we doing this you might ask? After my mom died last year, I have had continued hankerings to be closer to my siblings and nieces and nephews. Every time we visit San Diego, as we drive away I would say...wouldn't it be nice if we lived here. Both my sisters live in Coronado and my brother lives in Lemon Grove. The last time we drove away (Easter)...I thought about living here for real...seriously. By Mother's Day, we'd decided to take the jump...that's right...off another cliff we go!<br />
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The time is right to do this, since Ethan is going into 7th grade. A move any later would be really hard on him (this one is going to be hard enough...he and his best friend have been friends since they were three...leaving him and all his other friends is going to be difficult). The business is in a good place for me to be able to manage the stores from anywhere and James is looking for a career change too (he's got something very exciting in the works...which I'll be able to share a little later this summer). All in all, it feels like now or never (or at least not for the next 6 years until Ethan graduates).<br />
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So after much discussion, hair pulling and tarot card consulting...we decided to move to Coronado. We've found a beautiful home, right on the bay (that's right...at high tide, the bay is up to our deck, at low tide there's about 20 feet of beach) that's about a mile from one sister and 5 miles from the other. Everything on Coronado is within bike riding distance. Ethan will be surrounded by all of his cousins, will have the opportunity to attend one of the best schools in the country (for free) and has decided to learn how to surf. He will also be learning how to sail, as we can have a small sail boat and kayaks tied right up to our deck.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjftnuJb-DGgiH1iqnx-bHvjkkQCq02Vx8d4u6VX842Fl3b8H6161KyN2K9hGMBeIRSodHMBBBgW2NljjWfj9rrxiXFaSFax2-PfmEcBoCErdRpOxkCpM14867bVAZ0av0Xgit9zmm3PN55/s1600/6.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjftnuJb-DGgiH1iqnx-bHvjkkQCq02Vx8d4u6VX842Fl3b8H6161KyN2K9hGMBeIRSodHMBBBgW2NljjWfj9rrxiXFaSFax2-PfmEcBoCErdRpOxkCpM14867bVAZ0av0Xgit9zmm3PN55/s320/6.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from our living room</td></tr>
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James will be starting on his new venture and I'll be running my company from the deck off my master bedroom, looking at this all day.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I'm not sure life could be any sweeter...except if all our friends would move to Coronado too! But, for now, we have a guest room and if you'd like to come visit, just let me know! (But hurry, reservations are booking quickly!!)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">PS...blog posts will still be sporadic until we move. There are only so many hours in the day and they seem to all be dedicated to packing...yuck!!</div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13393285265802934932noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4275670134864038291.post-14469868868042432822011-05-24T09:30:00.000-07:002011-07-22T13:10:19.048-07:00Taking a little hiatus!Hi all, <br />
Have you missed me? I've missed you! I am taking a little hiatus from my blog posting (and cooking). Big changes are coming and I don't have any time right now. I'll share our changes at the beginning of June. Until then...cook something great for me!<br />
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PS...if you know about our changes...don't post anything yet...I've still got a group of folks to tell. Thanks!Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13393285265802934932noreply@blogger.com6