A Nod to St. Patty's Day

I won't comment on the fact that I barely post anymore.  Really, I won't.  I also won't comment on the fact that this blog has become a holiday blog, at best.  Nobody wants to read about my regrets or my promises to do better, right?  OK, good.  I'm glad we're clear on that.

This year St. Patrick's Day is all about beer at our house.  My home-brewing hubby decided to host a home-brew day with buddies from his home-brew club. Can you tell there's a lot of home-brewing happening around here these days?

I wanted to pay a tiny tribute to St. Patrick's Day, and I figured the best way to get a bunch of home-brew guys on board was to . . . well, add some home-brew of course.  So, out popped this chocolate stout cake.

All I did was pull a chocolate cake mix from my cupboard and replace the milk with my hubby's home brewed stout.  The package called for 1 1/4 cups of liquid, so there was quite a bit of beer in my version.  It was a little frothy as it mixed up, and you could definitely smell the aroma of the stout as it cooked.

I didn't want the beer to be overpowering, so I topped it with a straight-up chocolate frosting.  I used the frosting recipe on the cake mix box, which turned out to be extra chocolate-ly.  This recipe is definitely a keeper.

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Chocolate Frosting
Makes enough to ice 2 - 9" x 13" cakes or a 2-layer cake

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) of butter, softened
• 2/3 cup baking cocoa
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 1/3 cup milk
• 2 tbsp. brewed coffee
• 1 tbsp. vanilla

Mix the butter, coffee, vanilla, and cocoa until blended.  Add in sugar and milk, alternating between the two as you mix on medium speed.  Then mix on medium-high for 2 minutes.  Spread the frosting on your cake. 

Valentine's Day 2012

This year my daughter and I planned ahead for Valentine's Day.  She was supposed to take some treats to share at her school party, so we pulled out an old favorite and updated it.  A few years ago we made pretzel sticks dipped in chocolate and fancy Valentine sprinkles.

This year my little munchkin decided that the traditional pretzel shape is so much more appropriate because it looks like a heart.

This morning she headed to school with a tray full of treats to share with her friends and teachers.  She probably doesn't know it yet, but I also sent her some of these peanut butter sandwich hearts for her snack.  Cute, right?

But back to the pretzels . . .  If you feel like sharing some chocolate with your honey (big or small), these are super easy to make.

Chocolate Covered Pretzels

• 1 tsp. canola oil
• 1 cup chocolate chips (I prefer dark chocolate)
• About 35-40 pretzels  (I used lightly salted)
• Sprinkles

Place the oil and chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl, and put the bowl in the microwave.  Microwave on high for forty-five seconds, then stir well.  Repeat several times until the chocolate is completely melted.

Add several pretzels at a time to the bowl, submerging them in the chocolate.  Lift the pretzels out one at a time with a fork.  Place the pretzels on a cooling rack sitting over a tray so that the excess chocolate can drip off.  Sprinkle the pretzels with sprinkles, if using, within a few minutes while the chocolate is still moist.

Once your tray is full, place it in the fridge for about 30 minutes to set.  After the chocolate has hardened, carefully lift each pretzel off the rack one-by-one by reaching underneath the pretzel with your fingers and gently dislodging it from the rack.  Be careful as you do this last step, as some of the pretzels may break.  (I made extra for this reason.  We kept the broken ones to munch on at home and sent the pretty ones to share at school.)

Kudos

Recently I've spent a lot of time perusing menus as I look for the perfect location for a Valentine's dinner. Sacramento has a number of new restaurants, but unfortunately I'm seeing a lot of the same meat-and-potato-style fare. Of course many restaurants will have ~a single~ vegetarian option on their dinner menu. Sorry chefs - it just doesn't make sense for my hubby and I to shell out big bucks for us both to order the same dish. Isn't it so much more fun when you can order a selection of starters and entrées and munch off each other's plates?

Despite my complaints, some kudos are in order. One of Old Sacramento's longtime restaurants The Firehouse is the clear winner when it comes to accommodating the vegetarian gourmet this year on Valentine's Day. They have a dedicated vegan/vegetarian menu.

We're looking to celebrate on Saturday, so I'm sad to report that my hubby and I won't get to enjoy this lovely menu. Nevertheless, here's what I would order:

First Course

Vegan Asparagus Bundle
pistachio-arugula pesto, baby red oak lettuce and savory celeriac purée


Second Course

Brie en Croustade
mission figs and port red onions baked in puff pastry with pistachios and pepper-honey drizzle


Third Course

Vegan Beet Carpaccio Salad
watercress and crystalized ginger, spiced almonds and pear vinaigrette


Intermezzo

White Peach Champagne Sorbet


Fourth Course

Winter Greens Risotto Verde
braised radicchio, endive, arugula and Parmigiano-Reggiano


Fifth Course

Chocolate Devotion
milk and dark chocolate mousse, devil's food cake, raspberry, coulis and chocolate-caramel crème

Sounds pretty fantastic, doesn't it?

Oh, and by the way, hello Internet. It's so nice to be back!

Red and Blue

I have really been loving all of the RED-and-BLUE themed holiday things I've run across lately. I think it adds a nice twist to more traditional color schemes.

Here are a few of my favorites:

{We had this more fall-ish centerpiece at our house on Thanksgiving}

{Red and blue holiday cards are everywhere this year!}

{I just love this snowman themed kids' party}

I guess it's not just for the 4th of July anymore!

Favorite Gifts for People with an Appetite

{For the baker ~ artisan extracts from Sonoma Syrup Co.}

{For the coffee drinker ~ Ethiopian coffee from Blue Bottle Coffee Company}

{For the snacker ~ an olive oil dipping set from St. Helena Olive Oil Co.}

{For chefs of all sizes ~ a lovely apron from Etsy.com}

Everybody loves pumpkin!

Hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving. This 8-month old Siberian tiger cub did!

Meatless Mondays: Thanksgiving Favorites

Hi All! I know it's been a while, but it's only fitting that Thanksgiving should bring me (ahem) back to the table.

I'm happy to report that Thanksgiving is a holiday for vegetarians and meat-eaters alike. I discovered some of my favorite recipes while planning Thanksgiving menus. I think the best vegetarian main course are those that the meat-eaters are likely to dig into, too. Here are a few of my faves:

• Stuffed Mushrooms
• Butternut Squash Lasagna
• Any kind of pot pie ~ this one looks great!

Enjoy, and I plan to see you back here real soon!

It's All in the Toppings

Red tomatoes
White crema
Blue corn tortilla chips

The Irish Faceoff

Hope you had a great St. Patrick's Day! Did you do anything fun?

It was a pretty regular day for me, but I did use the holiday as an excuse to visit one of our local cupcake shops. I had heard that they offer a cupcake made with Guinness, so I set out to investigate. Yesterday they had TWO Irish flavors, so I staged a tasting.


The contenders:

Luck O' the Irish
Irish coffee cake with Bailey's Irish cream cheese frosting.

v.

The Dubliner
Guinness Stout chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream frosting. It's why Irish eyes are smiling!

Any guess which would be your favorite? Between my hubby and I it was uncontested. Luck O' the Irish all the way!

Green Pizza

There has been a lot of green in my life recently ~ I've been eating lots of spinach, our grass is greener than ever, and now I've raided our closets looking for green outfits for tomorrow. But my favorite green endeavor in the last few days was most definitely these green pizzas.


This picture just barely shows how I made two larger individual pizzas and one smaller one for my toddler. Things are often very Goldilocks-esque at our house!

But back to the point...these pizzas were great, and I'm proud to say that they are quite healthy. I think the secret to a healthier pizza is threefold: load it up with veggies, try a whole wheat crust (the fiber will fill you up faster), and use less, but more flavorful, cheese. If you need something heartier, then simply increase the cheese and consider adding some pine nuts. You can't go wrong either way.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Green Pizzas
Makes 2 small, lunch-sized portions

• 1 tsp. oil
• 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tsp. Dried oregano
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 3 oz. sliced mushrooms, cremini are best (approximately 1/3 of a pre-sliced package)
• 4 oz. baby spinach, coarsely chopped
  
• 2 whole wheat pita rounds
  
• 1/4-1/2 cup tomato sauce
• 1/3 cup shredded mozzarella
  
• 3 Tbsp. crumbled feta

Preheat the broiler.

Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the red pepper flakes, oregano, and garlic, then saute 1 minute. Add the mushroom and saute for about 4 minutes, or until softened. Add the spinach, cover, and continue to cook until the spinach has wilted down.

Meanwhile, prepare your pizzas by spreading a spoonful (or two) of tomato sauce on each pita round. Then sprinkle with mozzarella, dividing it between the 2 pizzas. Once the veggies are done, spread them on top of the pizza. Top with the feta.

Place the pizzas on a baking sheet and broil for approximately 5 minutes, or until the feta is just starting to brown.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wishing you a green-filled St. Patrick's Day tomorrow!

Eating Green

Only two more days until St. Patrick's Day! I'm not sure why, but I'm really having fun with it this year. Here are a few of my favorite tried-and-true green recipes, just in case you'd like to join me in celebrating.

{Penne with Spinach sauce, recipe here}

{Edamame hummus, recipe here}

{Green Rice, recipe here}

{Pea and Mint Bruschetta, recipe here}

So tell me, what do you like to eat when you're eating green?

Countdown to St. Patrick's Day

I love foodplay, so I hope to get into the spirit of St. Patrick's Day in the next few days. Round 1 is done!

I made these with an apple cinnamon pancake mix from my favorite pancake house. Coincidentally, it is also my favorite place to get southwestern treats like queso dip.



During college, Kerbey Lane Cafe was a go-to spot for my hubby and I whether it was night or day. I was thrilled to discover that they now sell some of their specialties as products. Back then we frequently had breakfast for dinner and dinner for breakfast, but our favorite thing to do was mix the two. Strawberry pancakes with a side of chips and queso dip? It was not un-heard of at our table.

Ah, to be in college again. And to be in Austin again, for that matter!

If you ever have a reason to visit Austin, you should definitely check this place out. Day or night, breakfast or dinner, they've got something for everyone.

I heart . . .

I know this post is several days late, but I suppose that's what happens when you have a three-day weekend straddling Valentine's Day.

Hope everyone had a fantastic weekend! Mine was truly great, and truly full of heart. There were French toast hearts, mini heart-shaped chocolate souffles, pastry hearts floating in pink creamy tomato soup, and heart-shaped veggies atop salad greens. Not to mention the people I spent my time with, who I "heart" more than anyone else in the world.

And, by the way, I also heart a weekend with use-as-you-please baby-sitting. Fun all around!

Super Bowl Menu 2010

You may think about the Superbowl and ask yourself, "I wonder who will win." When I think of the Superbowl my first question is, "I wonder what we'll eat?" (No surprise there!) Here is this year's answer, or at least the portion of the menu that I'm responsible for:

For the adults
Shelled peanuts
Corn chowder
Spinach quesadillas
Chips with homemade salsa
Italian sodas, beer, wine, you name it

For the kids
Cheese quesadillas
Chips
Carrots and celery with dip
Water and juice

~Candy and chocolate-peanut butter nuggets all around~

My mouth is watering just thinking about it!

Christmas {Un}Mentionables

I promise this is my last post about Christmas, but I just had to share this.

We made many memories this holiday season, but some of the most memorable moments involved comments made by my toddler. As she learned about the things we do to celebrate the holidays she made big efforts to participate. When I planted an amaryllis bulb, she dutifully helped it grow. When we decorated a gingerbread house, she checked daily to be sure that none of the candies had fallen off. And when there were other mishaps with the decorations, she made sure things were fixed as she thought they should be. Her intentions were innocent of course, but it sure came out in a funny way.

~~~
While decorating the tree. . .
Toddler: Mommy, here's the snowman.
Me: Oh yeah, isn't it cute?
Toddler: Yeah, but it really needs a hooker. [Editor's note: to hang on the TREE of course!]
Me: [unsure how to respond] What was that?
Toddler: Mommy, I need a hooker for the snowman!

On Christmas morning . . .
Me: OK, now your stocking is all empty.
Toddler: Yep. Now can we put the stockings on the hookers?
Me: Umm...
Toddler: [exasperated that I'm not moving more quickly] Mommy, the stockings need to be on the hookers!
~~~

And that's all I have to say about Christmas 2009.

Christmas Edibles

Each year we have the same breakfast menu on Christmas morning. As far as I know my mom started this tradition before I was born, and now I'm continuing it with my family.

Breakfast Menu
Belgian waffles
Fresh strawberries
Freshly whipped cream

As I mentioned before, I wanted to keep things pretty simple on Christmas Day this year. But since we had a few extra guests at our house, I also wanted things to be nice. Planning a dinner menu was a bit of a challenge since we were a mix of vegetarians and carnivores.


Even though the menu would surely be all-vegetarian, I didn't want the meat-eaters to miss the meat too much! Plus, one person is diabetic, and needs to be able to control her carb intake. I was also feeding both adults and toddlers, so I needed at least one dish that was simple enough for a toddler's palette. I ended up making two dishes that could be considered main courses ~ a pasta and a substantial gratin.



Here's the menu in full:

Dinner Menu
Simple hors d'oeuvres ~ Almonds with sea salt / Aged cheddar and crackers / Cream cheese with pepper jelly
Main courses ~ Campanelle with chestnut cream / Gratin of eggplant, zucchini, and chickpeas
Sides ~ Spinach gratin / Green Salad / Rolls with butter
Dessert ~ Chocolate raspberry tart




We devoured the tart, can you tell?


The most interesting thing I made was the chestnut cream because I don't think I've ever even tasted chestnuts before. (Much less cooked with them!) In the end, my favorite dish was the spinach. It tastes rich enough to eat as a spinach dip, but it's also (reasonably) healthy enough for an everyday meal.

Spinach Gratin
Adapted from a spinach tart recipe in Vegetarian, edited by Nicola Graimes

• 1 pound frozen spinach
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
• 8 ounces cottage cheese
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano
• 2/3 half-and-half or cream
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
  

Preheat an oven to 400 degrees. Grease an 8-inch square pan or similar-sized casserole dish. Put the spinach and onion in a pan, cover and cook slowly until the onions are translucent and the mixture is moist but not watery, approximately 15-20 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Turn the spinach out into a bowl and cool slightly. Add the remaining ingredients and place in the prepared pan. Bake at 400 for 35-40 minutes, or until bubbly and golden around the edges.


I'm happy to share additional recipes ~ just email me!

Christmas Visuals

I'm finally getting around to posting about Christmas. Better late than never!

We usually have an intimate Christmas at our house, joined by a small handful of relatives. This year we had a few more visitors than usual, with a total of 6 adults and 2 children. I did my best to have a few Christmas decorations out, but I always keep it fairly simple.

We had a nice tree with tons of presents underneath...or rather around.


I brightened up my brown tablecloth with some red accents ~ crab apples, of all things! They looked so beautiful and red at the store that I just had to use them for something. So I cut a little slit in the top of each one and used them as placecard holders.



I have a snowflake hole punch, so I added one final red accent by coloring the paper underneath red.



I love making centerpieces using edible components. It's my favorite form of foodplay. Usually I just see what's most beautiful at the store and throw it in a nice dish of some sort. This year I layered cranberries and mixed nuts in a trifle dish. Fun!





By far my favorite Christmas visual from this year was the gingerbread house that my toddler and I decorated. I bought the gingerbread pre-assembled. Then I added red and white icing accents.



And finally my toddler decorated it with candies. She got really into it, and I thought she did a great job.


I was also pretty proud of the candy cane I drew freehand.



Hope your holidays have been filled with nice visuals, too!

Another Holiday, Another Parade

Happy New Year, everyone!

We now have three parades saved on our DVR for my toddler's viewing pleasure. She really loves parades - the music, the costumes, and now the floats! But our favorite part of the Rose Bowl Parade, hands down, were these guys:


You can read about them here.

It turns out that these aren't the only furry creatures we're celebrating today. We decided to start the New Year by adding two new members to our family. We now have two gray tortoiseshell kitties settling in at our house! As soon as they get better acclimated I'll be sure to share pictures.

We found our feline friends on petfinder.com. I love this site! But my advice is to view with CAUTION. You just might want to adopt every cuddly friend you see like I did!

Coffee Cake

I've done a lot of cooking in the last ten days (plus many other activities!), but very little recipe-sharing. So I thought I'd share this coffee cake recipe. It would work well for a New Year's Day brunch. I've made it several times in past years, but I forgot how spicy it is. The nutmeg, allspice, and cinnamon make it perfect for the holidays. Recently my toddler helped me make it for a breakfast we put together for the teachers at her preschool. I made two - the prettier bundt version for the teachers and the rectangular one for home. It was a success!


Sour Cream Coffee Cake

TOPPING
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts, pecans, or hazelnuts (I use walnuts)
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. allspice
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

CAKE
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 cup butter, softened
1 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour an 8-cup tube pan, bundt pan, or a 12 X 8 glass pan.

Prepare the topping by combining all the ingredients and set aside. Stir together the flour, baking powder and baking soda; set aside. With an electric mixer, beat butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Beat in eggs, sour cream and vanilla. Gradually beat flour mixture into batter until well blended.

Sprinkle one-fourth of topping into prepared pan. Spoon on one-third of the batter. Continue layering, ending with the topping mixture. Bake 50 to 60 minutes for the tube or bundt pan, or 35 to 40 minutes for the rectangular pan. The cake is ready when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool 15 minutes in pan; remove from pan to a cooling rack. Serve warm. Makes 1 cake.

NOTE: I have also made this where I substituted wheat flour for half of the all-purpose flour. That worked well, too.

A Hint for Santa

Dearest Santa,

I know that you have a challenging night ahead of you. And I know that you probably have a challenging toy-prepping season behind you. So I really hope that my toddler's somewhat challenging gift requests didn't stump you too much.

Her first request, a princess doll, was probably an absolute breeze for you. But a yellow dress in December? That's a harder one, particularly since my toddler asked for a yellow dress just like one of the Bye Bye Birdie characters wore in the Thanksgiving Day parade. My toddler notices details, too. She wanted the cute sleeves, the white detailing, the works. And even though she's only 3 1/2, she's discriminating.

Her final request might have been the most challenging. She asked for a telescope. A real telescope. And I'm sure you can't afford to break the bank on an authentic scientific instrument with all the bells and whistles. Plus, my toddler would surely break it in a matter of days. Yet a more age-appropriate view finder toy just wouldn't do either. My toddler is planning to look at stars with this toy, afterall.

Santa, here's a little hint for you. When you get challenging gift requests like these there is just one answer. Well two, actually.

First, love the Internet. Get to know it, nurture it, love it. It can only help you if you give it a chance, though, so be sure to give it its due respect. You know - trust and all that.

Second, start early. That whole shipping thing can really create problems if you let it. So even if you ONLY tackle the most challenging gift requests early, before you've wrapped up other things like final exams and law school term papers, do it. And do it early.

I know that you're a smart guy, so you've probably figured all of this out already. You probably know that these items would be the perfect answer for my toddler's challenging gift requests:

Available here.


Available here.

Santa, thanks for being on top of things. My toddler will be thrilled. Happy sledding! (wink, wink)