Gobble-Gobble

  

 

Another Thanksgiving away from the fam. And seeing as I'm more homesick than usual this year, I'm especially missing them today. Fall is my favorite season... the crisp weather and changing leaves dotted by celebrations (Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas), makes it even better. Alas, my adopted English home does not celebrate Thanksgiving (or Halloween for that matter-- at least not with the same gusto as the Americans), so it's just a regular Thursday, which makes it all a little sad.

That being said, I have lots to be thankful for this year. A wonderful family who are healthy and happy; an amazing husband who is one of the kindest and most generous people I know; incredible friends who are the family that I choose; and a comfortable life, which is a very good thing in a bad and uncertain economy. Oh-- and that I picked up some canned pumpkin at Whole Foods in London last weekend. I just might make two pumpkin pies.

Even though it's not a holiday here, I've taken today and tomorrow off as a nod to my cultural roots. My wonderful English family is hosting Thanksgiving dinner for me at their house on Saturday, so I'm cooking along with everyone in the U.S. today to get ready for the big (delayed) day. Soup and pie crust today; Pies, stuffing and cauliflower gratin tomorrow; Then all the other trimmings on Saturday. My lovely brother-in-law has volunteered to make the turkey. Whoop-whoop! Here's what's on my Thanksgiving menu... what's on yours?

Appetizer
Curried butternut squash and apple soup

Main course
Turkey!
Cornbread and sausage stuffing
Maple sweet potato puree
Mashed potatoes
String beans sauteed with shallots and garlic
Roasted brussel sprouts with bacon
Cauliflower gratin
Green salad
Cranberry orange relish

Dessert
Pumpkin pie
Maple pecan pie
Caramel apple pie

MB had a little lamb

Yeah, I know. There's all kinds of wrong with that title. Alas, I'm feeling a bit uninspired (and who am I kidding? For a marketing person, I've always been completely useless at product names and titles). But having just watched the series premier (thanks Project Free TV) of "Once Upon a Time" starring Jennifer Morrison and Ginnifer Goodwin, I have fairy tales and nursery rhymes on the brain (verdict: promising. Definitely enough of a hook to keep me watching next week).

All that to say, I finally started cooking again. Between travel (play and work), colds (mine and MRN's) and general malaise, I haven't been up to experimenting in my kitchen (though I did make a big dinner at MRN's brother's a few weeks ago-- yes, I've taken my show on the road). I got back in the mood this weekend when looking for inspiration (on Pinterest-- where else?) for Christmas food gift ideas and came across this lovely looking baked potato. I am not usually a big fan of baked potatoes. Too much, well, potato I guess. Don't get me wrong-- I love them mashed, roasted and even boiled (well, new potatoes, anyway). The more butter, garlic and seasoning, the better. But give me a baked potato? I'll always pass. However, the aesthetics of this thinly sliced baked potato seemed too much to pass up. I mean, come on! How pretty is this thing? So to the market I went, and I decided to pair it with herb-crusted lamb chops (yes, yes, I've posted this recipe before, but when it's good, it's good). Plus, this post is really more about the potato (well, almost).

Am I allowed to say, YUM to my own food?? The potato really turned out to be a combination roasted and baked, with the outside nice and crispy and inside mushy. You cut the potato almost all the way through (trick is to lay a spoon lengthwise along the outside of the potato so when you slice it, it stops your knife from cutting all the way through) and then "fan" the slices to better soak up the melted butter and olive oil mixture that you pour on top, and to capture the minced garlic, salt and pepper I decided to add. See, while I saw the pic on Pinterest, I actually forgot to "pin" it-- so I had to improvise with the recipe. And I was out of regular dijon mustard (for the lamb), so used wholegrain dijon, and I think it turned out even better... I'll be substituting that in the future. I also still have herbs in the garden so was able to add fresh mint, rosemary, flat leaf parsley and regular thyme to by store-bought fresh lemon thyme. The addition of mint was delightful. But really, you can use any combination of fresh  herbs you have on hand-- I usually end up with parsley and thyme because that's what's most prevalent in my fridge.

I'll definitely be trying this potato again... perhaps with more seasoning and, well, butter. Because as Julia Child always said, you can never have enough butter...


Herb-Crusted Lamb Chops with Garlic Baked Potatoes
(adapted from Williams-Sonoma's "Wine and Food" cookbook)
To get the food on the table together and hot, I put potatoes in first for about 30 minutes and then popped in the lamb for the last 15 minutes. In addition to perfectly a perfectly timed entree, your oven is also piping hot for a perfectly roasted lamb chop.

• Preheat oven to 450 F

For the potatoes:

• 2 med potatoes, rinsed and scrubbed (you can peel them, but I love that crispy skin)
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• Salt and pepper
• Flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped, for serving

Instructions:

• Melt butter and olive oil in a sauce pan
• Thinly slice potatoes almost all the way through (see spoon trick above), gently "fanning" out the slices
• Place potatoes in a baking dish
• Pour olive oil and butter mixture over potatoes, making sure to coat all the slices
• Sprinkle garlic in between the slices
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Place in oven for 45 minutes (checking at about 30 to make sure that they're not burning)
• Remove from oven and cover until serving
• Sprinkle parsley over potatoes 
• Optional: sprinkle cheese on the potatoes 5 minutes before removing them from the oven; bacon would be good too! Serve with sour cream, chives and all the trimmings, if you so desire!

For the lamb*:

• Approx 3 lamb chops per person (depending on the size, but I usually go with that)
• 1/2 c minced fresh herbs (such as flat leaf parsley, thyme, mint, rosemary, marjoram)
• 1 tbsp wholegrain dijon mustard (or regular if more readily available)
• 2-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped 
• 2 tbsp olive oil

*This recipe is supposed to be enough for 12 chops-- but I usually use the entire mixture on just 6; So if you have more chops, you may want to double the recipe so you can get a good amount of the herb mixture on both sides of the chops.

Instructions:

• Season both sides of the lamb chops with salt and pepper
• Stir together herbs, mustard, olive oil and garlic
• Spread mixture on both sides of the chops
• Place an oiled flat rack in a large roasting pan lined with aluminum foil (not essential but makes clean up that much easier)
• Arrange the chops on the rack and roast until an meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a chop (away from the bone) registers 135 F for medium (about 15-17 minutes; In my fan assisted oven, 15 minutes is the perfect amount of time)
• Remove from oven, lightly tent chops with aluminum foil and let rest for 5 minutes
• Serve immediately

Pic-Your-Piccata

I know that title doesn't make any sense but at the end of a particularly long and taxing "day job" week, I'm struggling to find my creativity. Those (boring) things aside, all I have to say is YUMMMM to the piccata. I've never made this at home, but spying it in the BC (Barefoot Contessa for all of you Mikie-food-post-virgins) it looked both yummy and quick. And boy, was it both. I stopped by the neighborhood butcher earlier in the week to pick up some fresh chicken breasts and had him butterfly them for me (he sort of did a rubbish job-- next time I'll have a go at it myself) and then all I had to do is pound them out between two sheets of plastic wrap (great for getting out some aggression, might I add), dredge it through flour, egg and breadcrumbs (in that order), fry it up in lots of olive oil for two minutes per side and then pop it in the oven for 10 minutes. Some fresh lemon juice, wine and lots of butter later, you have a sauce and voila! Done! A terrifically quick and delicious meal all in 20 minutes (including prep and getting on the plate). My kind of meal.

I Think We Would Be Great Friends

I heart Gwyneth Paltrow. Not in a stalker kind of way-- I mean, I haven't even seen all of her movies (though Sliding Doors has to be one of my all time favorites), nor do I own the soundtrack to Country Strong (haven't seen that one either)-- but I do have the music from Duets (love me some Huey and Gwyneth). But in the way that I think she seems like a really cool, down-to-earth chick, despite of her Hollywood legacy and status. She just seems like she's a kindred spirit; and, even though I've never met her (and the likelihood of meeting her seems pretty slim), sometimes I feel like we're ships passing in the night-- my having lived in the places she has (or nearly near-- she in London, me in Manchester; she in Santa Monica, me in the SF Valley; both in NYC). She's someone that I'd love to sit down and have a meal with (and cook with!). Not to mention since we both married Brits, it would be fun to compare notes and lost in translation stories.

I picked up her new cookbook, "Notes from my Kitchen" in Waterstones yesterday (the US version is called "My Father's Daughter"). I'd flagged it as something to check out when it was first published but hadn't come across it until this week. I was drawn in right from the introduction-- she talked about food just like me! Her passion for food and how it's woven into her family life is the way that my love of food has been instilled in me from a very early age. I come from a long line of amazing "home chefs" and from a food culture (as opposed to foodie although there are certainly some of those too)-- on both sides of my family: father's (American Southern) and mother's (Hawaiian-Asian). Not many people know that food in Hawaiian culture is intrinsically about family. It's where loved ones gather to share their lives; it's a symbol of love and welcome-- I always joke that you can't walk into a Hawaiian household without breaking bread-- or at least taking something home with you. And there's never a shortage of food either. You will leave stuffed to the gills and with a doggie bag. MRN (and his initially unsuspecting family who've now been properly "Hawaiianed") teases me about it constantly. For me, as it seems it is for Gwyneth, feeding people is showing them how much I love them.

There's many things that I love about this cookbook (I haven't made anything yet since I just got it but I've already dog-eared lots of pages). First-- it's beautiful. Not just the food pictures (I hate cookbooks without pictures. While the recipes might be great, you eat with your eyes first, and I find food pictures to be inspiring and mouth-watering), but the layout, the fonts and the icons (easy references for if it's quick, freezer friendly or "make-ahead," vegetarian, vegan, a one pot meal or a fancy meal). Yes, once a typography lover, always a typography lover. And perhaps the BEST thing? The English version is written in British English-- measurements and all (and cooking times in both C and F-- although now I'm going to have to figure out if "teacup full" is a US "cup"... I think this cookbook might end up with my scribbles reverse-translating back into American English...). She's also translated ingredients for what we can find here in England (e.g. single cream... which I still haven't figured out if that's half and half)-- so no lengthy Internet searches to find substitutes and no more guessing as to how many cups of butter I need for a recipe (because I usually guess which has made for some interesting outcomes). Okay, and the BEST-best thing? She even has a recipe for turkey breakfast sausage patties-- my all time favorite breakfast item from the US that I can't get here. Yay! Now I can make my own! I also love that she's included her tips for a "well stocked pantry"(or cupboard in the UK)-- and that I have most of the things on the list in my own pantry (aside from some of the vegan and health food items that I need to order online or pick up when I'm in London). But mostly, it's the recipes themselves. I don't think I've ever had a cookbook where I want to try everything in it (sorry, Ina). But seriously, there isn't a recipe that doesn't seem absolutely delectable. Bonus? They all seem to be straight-forward and relatively easy (as we know, my requirement for cooking). Score!

I've always believed that you can make absolutely delicious food without all of the brouhaha. It seems Gwyneth would agree.

(The U.S. version)

Channeling my inner Mexican

Full disclosure: I'm not actually Mexican.

I mean, growing up in Southern California, I was often mistaken for being Mexican (or Filipino-- I'm not that either). This is probably because of my mutt-ness (translation: mixed ethnic background) which has lent itself to my being able to blend in in a lot of places. Take NYC for example- there I was often mistaken for Puerto Rican or Dominican. It's really a shame that my Spanish isn't better. Although I'm a good faker.

All that to say, I must have been Mexican in another life because I love Mexican food. It's my go-to comfort food after Japanese, Chinese and Italian (for the record, I'm not Japanese or Italian either-- though, there is some Chinese in here). Alas, Mexican food is virtually impossible to get in England (oh, okay-- GOOD Mexican food). This has led to me trying to make Mexican food. Alas, without an abuela of my own, I'm having a hard time making it authentic. But I am having a go at it.

The latest round started with breakfast. I was craving huevos rancheros and chilequiles from Loteria Grill at the LA Farmer's Market. Oh, lovely chilequiles with choice of salsa and huevos with choice of rancheros. However, because proper ingredients are scarce here (umm-- doritos do not a corn chip make), I can't quite seem to replicate. So I make this instead:

It's essentially a cheese quesadilla with cholula sauce inside and a scrambled egg cooked with chopped green onions and red chiles. I will sometimes add salsa or black beans, but often times I eat it just like this (if you look closely you'll see that I already started before I remembered to take a photo).

My sis then turned me onto a recipe for Chicken Tortilla Soup from the wonderful Year of Slow Cooking blog at the same time I found one from The Pioneer Woman. Score! More Mexican-flavored goodness (because, as far as I know, neither of these women are Mexican either). I liked elements from both recipes, but wanted to use the slow cooker because, well, I have one (oh, okay-- because it's a hell of a lot easier than standing over the stove). Plus, I didn't exactly have all of the ingredient (because while I glanced at the recipe, it would have made way too much sense to actually write anything down). I chose to boil the chicken with onions and garlic because I think it comes out so much moister (although, I guess it's going in the soup, so it doesn't really matter)-- next time I may roast it like the Pioneer Woman does.

Anyhoo-- here it is: Crockpot 365+Pioneer Woman+Mikie B. Chicken Tortilla Soup.

Ingredients:

• 4 large chicken breasts
• 2 sm-med white (or yellow) onions, 1 diced, 1 cut into chunks
  
• 1/2 green pepper, diced
• 1/2 red pepper, diced
• 1 8 oz can of chopped tomatoes
• 1 large can of sweet corn
• 1 small jar of salsa
• 1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed (or you can use dried beans, but you need to soak them overnight-- for at least 8 hours-- it's easier to used canned. Too bad I didn't have any...)
• 6 cloves of garlic (mince 3; smash 3)
• 3 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp oregano
• 3-4 small, hot chiles, diced (optional)
  
• 4 c chicken broth (I used a combo of chicken bouillon cubes and the stock from the boiled chicken)
• 3 tbsp tomato paste
• 1/2 c sour cream
  
• Olive oil
• Kosher salt
• 5 corn tortillas, sliced into strips
  
• Diced avocado, shredded cheese, cilantro, chopped red onion (all optional- for garnish)
• Salt and pepper to taste
  

Directions:

• Place chicken in stock pot and cover with water and add chunks of onion, smashed garlic and a tsp of kosher salt
• Bring to boil and then reduce heat to simmer for 15-20 minutes, until fully cooked
• Remove chicken and some of the onion/garlic and place in baking dish to cook slightly
• Shred chicken with two forks (or fingers-- which is easier-- if it's cool enough)
• Combine cumin, garlic powder, chili powder, salt, cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes and oregano
• While chicken is cooking heat olive oil in a frying pan and saute onion, minced garlic, red and green peppers and half of spice mixture until soft
• Add beans, corn, crushed tomatoes, salsa, veggie mixture, diced chiles (if adding) and shredded chicken to crock pot
• Pour in chicken broth and add tomato paste
• Cook on low heat for 8 hours
• Stir in 1/2 c sour cream and toss in tortilla strips before serving; let sit for 15 minutes to let tortillas soften (you can't get good corn tortillas here, so instead I crumbled tortilla chips-- also not great but it was okay-- on top just before serving). Taste before serving-- I significantly amped up the spices because I like lots of seasoning and it tasted a bit bland, despite the heavy salted ingredients like chicken broth. But feel free to experiment and add/remove things you don't like (e.g. the spice)
  
• Garnish with toppings, as desired

CAVEAT: Baker, I am not

I've never been a proficient baker-- and at the grand old age of 35, I think I can pretty much write that skill off. The fact is-- I don't like baking for a number of reasons:

1. I don't have a sweet tooth. I attribute this to my healthy parents and their somewhat hippy-ish ways where we were much more likely to eat wheat germ and keefir than eat anything with refined sugar. Not that they were beasts. My mom made the best chocolate chip cookies in the world. They just weren't a daily thing and we only got to have them as the most special treat (sometimes made with whole wheat flour).
2. Baking and dessert making is fussy. There's lots of weird ingredients (cream of tartar??) that you don't use often or frequently. There's measuring-- exact measuring, which I do not do. And there's little room for improvisation. If you don't have a specific ingredient it's not as easy to find a substitute. And things have to be done in order. Blah.

That said, I do like to serve a full meal-- including dessert. But my lack of baking talent and sweet tooth pushes me towards things like tarts or crisps (or clafoutis, which I've recently discovered. Not only delicious but achingly simple-- it's basically pancake batter poured over fruit and baked). No-- I very rarely make my own crust.

We're headed to a bbq tonight and I wanted to bring something sweet. And since I'm an annoying perfectionist and a wannnabe foodie, I decided I'd have to make it. I've been tossing an idea around in my head based on a frozen yogurt concoction I used to love in high school. In case you didn't know, Los Angeles is the land of frozen yogurt. In the 90s, we kids would go to the movies on Saturday night and then head to Humphrey's or Pagliachi's for blended yogurts. Blended, you say? Indeed. You start with a base (nonfat vanilla or chocolate frozen yogurt-- yes, so LA) and then add mix-ins. It could be candy, chocolate chips, fruit-- you name it, they mixed it. But it wasn't hand mixing-- they had these special machines that would blend it to perfection while still maintaining the frozen yogurt-ness. I had two favorite combos: 1) vanilla with oreo and cream cheese (sounds gross, but if given the opportunity, you must try it); and 2) chocolate with espresso and cinnamon.

It's the latter that I've been musing about and pondering whether it could be made into a cupcake. I was thinking a cinnamon cupcake with chocolate espresso buttercream frosting. Only I couldn't find a recipe for cinnamon cupcakes (or even cake, for that matter). And I absolutely hate making buttercream (it has ingredients like cream of tartar), and I have no patience for it. So, improvisation, here I come. I had a recipe for vanilla buttermilk cupcakes stored away but I hadn't ever made them. Perfect-- I'd do this and add cinnamon. Err-- except I live in England and couldn't find buttermilk. A little sleuthing (and thanks to my friend Nicole's blog which introduced me to Joy the Baker), I found that you can actually simulate buttermilk. In this case I chose Joy's first method: a tbsp of lemon and a cup of milk (ironically method #3 used cream of tartar. I may have to buy this stuff). It worked! So, I made the batter and added 2 tbsp of cinnamon. Di-vine (if I do say so myself). But if I can ever find buttermilk, I may try the real-deal. I think it would make it a tad more sour / savory which would contrast nicely against the sweet...

Now for the espresso buttercream. *Sigh* after the buttermilk experiment and the whole making cupcakes from scratch, I just couldn't be bothered. A quick dig through my pantry unearthed good old Betty Crocker chocolate frosting. So I scooped it into a bowl and proceeded to add espresso. I started measuring, but then gave up and started dumping (and tasting). Chocolate overwhelms every flavor (although, take my comments with a grain of salt because I actually don't like chocolate), so I just kept adding until I could taste the espresso more than I could taste the chocolate.

The result? Yummmm. It brought me right back to being 16 and at Pagliachi's on a date with my high school sweetie. I wanted to garnish it with coffee beans, but since I don't drink coffee, they were not on hand. Thanks to my sister-in-law, I did have espresso, so in addition to using that to add to the frosting, I also dusted the top with espresso powder.

Cinnamon Buttermilk Cupcakes with Chocolate Espresso Frosting

Cupcakes (makes about 12 cupcakes-- barely)

• 1 c all purpose flour
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/2 c buttermilk
• 4 tsbp butter
• 2 lg eggs
• 3/4 c plus 2 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

• Pre-heat oven to 350
• Soft flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt
• Melt btter and combine with buttermilk
• In bowl of a stand mixer* fitted with paddle attachment, cream sugar and eggs until a thick batter forms, about 5 minutes. Beat in vanilla. Mix in flour mixture until just combined and then do same with butter and milk mixture.
• Fill each cupcake liner 3/4 fill and bake 15-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 5 min then transfer to wire rack. Cool completely before icing.

Frosting:

• 1/2 container of chocolate frosting (if you're following recipe above for 12 cupcakes)--okay; if you're more talented than me, you can also make buttercream. A great recipe is here.
  
• 4 tbsp of espresso (although, taste it as you're adding / mixing-- you may want more / less)

Frost to your heart's content. (If you're feeling especially inspired, you can using a piping bag. Or in my case, a ziplock bag with the corner cut off. Hey--cooking is all about improvisation, right?

Wannabe foodie

I'm much more of a wannabe foodie on Facebook than I am here on this blog; mostly because I love to cook and post photos of finished dishes, but not so much to blog about them. But I figured that since I spend much of my spare time cooking these days (so wonder I am not gaining weight) that I may as well combine both pastimes into one so as to 1) get some more mileage out of my painfully neglected blog and 2) well, I only really had one reason.

I have a standard repertoire of food that I pull from but will mix up once in a while (Thanksgiving in a meatball was one such mix-up that was also one big mistake), but for the most part I pull from my bible: The Barefoot Contessa. I love Ina and have all of her cookbooks (thanks to my wonderful Daves) and she's my go-to woman when planning a dinner party or when I have an itch to cook something new. But I also have some other cookbooks, one being William and Sonoma's Wine and Food book which doubled as a wedding guest book (thanks to my genius sister-- married in Napa=wine; bride who is a wannabe foodie=cookbook). This is a pretty genius cookbook, esp for those who don't know anything about wine (me) or what to serve at a party with specific food (me). Plus the recipes are delicious and relatively easy (that's one of my main caveats as a wannabe foodie / chef-- if it has loads of ingredients, takes a ton of time or requires gadgets and gizmos, it's a big skip.

I always say I'll try anything once, so I dabble in all sorts of meats and ingredients. I'll also throw in some vegetarian options (much to MRN's chagrin) just to keep it healthy and heart-conscious. This is a recipe compliments of Ina but I've changed slightly-- the big things are adding heat (I love spicy food; I actually use A LOT more cayenne pepper and crushed red pepper than I've indicated below, but so as not to burn everyone off this recipe I've toned it down) and swapping tahini for tomato paste (I'm not particularly fond of tomatoes and tahini has lots of good qualities that are good for you). This is a great alternative to salsa if you're not a tomato fan too (plus the pita is healthier than those yummy corn chips because you can control the salt).

Roasted Eggplant and Red Pepper Spread (w/ homemade pita chips)

You'll need:

• 2 cookie sheets (with rims)
• Food processor (or potato masher)
• Large mixing bowl

Ingredients:

• 1 med eggplant (peeled & chopped)
• 2 red peppers (chopped)
• 2-3 cloves garlic (minced)
• 1 small red onion (chopped)
• 3 tbsp olive oil (plus extra for brushing on pita bread)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 tbsp tahini
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• Whole grain, wheat or seeded pita bread (cut into narrow triangles)
• Flat leaf parsley for serving (rough chopped)
  

Directions:

Eggplant spread:

• Pre-heat oven to 400 F
• Chop eggplant, peppers and onion into 1-in cubes (don't worry about being precise; it's all going to get mushed in the food processor-- that's the technical term) and add to bowl
• Toss with garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper
• Spread on roasting pan (cookie sheet) and cook for 40 minutes, tossing half-way through (the veggies should get brown, but careful not to burn)
• Remove from oven and cool slightly
• Add contents to food processor fitted with steel blade
• Add tahini and pulse 3-4 times until incorporated
• Taste for salt and pepper
  

Pita Chips:

• While veggies are in oven, prepare pita bread by cutting into narrow triangles, brushing with olive oil and sprinkling with salt; arrange on second cookie sheet
• Place in oven for 7-8 minutes
• Remove and serve with eggplant
  

I don't need no stinkin' brunch place

The dearth of breakfast / brunch places in England has been one of my biggest complaints. While I'm not a big breakfast eater during the week, I used to love weekend breakfasts-- whether it was picking up a turkey sausage and egg bagel at Einstein's (I know, New Yorkers-- not a REAL bagel, but cut me some slack for living in Chicago for a while) or a full-fledged brunch with friend, I loved me some brunch. Sweet and savory, fresh orange juice, good friends... it was a staple, from the time I graduated Vassar and lived in New York (Jane Tavern, anyone?) to my standing Sunday brunch date with Amar my last year in Chicago so he could give me the latest download on his dating fiascoes... errr... successes. I also loved to host brunch... baked french toast, fritattas, salads and fruit... it was one of my favorite hosting activities. It never occurred to me that this could be a U.S. phenomenon.

Lo and behold, I move to the UK and guess what? No brunch. In fact, hardly any breakfast. Sure-- there's the famous "English Breakfast"-- an overwhelming meat on a plate extravaganza... bacon, sausage, black pudding, eggs over easy (it's the only way they do them), and the puzzling inclusion of baked beans, chopped tomatoes and a mushroom (or a few if they're smaller). But that's about it for the breakfast option. It seems that English don't do breakfast out. No mulling over a menu with lots of options of how you want your eggs done; no omelets with a million different fillings; turkey bacon or sausage patties instead of links. Forget about egg whites or fruit or, God forbid pancakes or waffles. You see, the English don't do sweet and savory.

We've managed to find a couple of places that do breakfast-- but mostly it's just a take on the English breakfast. A local place-- called Benedicts, strangely enough, promotes their breakfast big time, but there's only about 5 things on the menu, one being, Eggs Benedict, of course. But what I'd do for a pancake or waffle or french toast option... I'd even settle for a muffin or fresh baked bread for those lovely preserves they make from scratch. But no can do. Full English, Eggs Benedict or omelet of the day... which always has some odd combination of something with cheese. And for me, cheese does not an omelet make.

With a significant lack of brunch places, this morning I decided to bring brunch to the Benedict-Newton abode. Our small place doesn't allow for the groups that used to gather when I lived in Chicago, so it was brunch for two. I've never been one for Eggs Benedict, mostly because it was one of the school-yard taunts that used to be thrown at me (along with Benedict Arnold... Mikie likes it...). But also because I hate runny eggs. I've never been a yolk fan full stop (English-ism) and in fact, used to my make my sister eat the yolks of my hard boiled eggs. That is, until a few years ago when I encountered the poached egg. It was in a French restaurant-- and for lunch, not brunch, where a lovely salad with pancetta and a french mustard dressing had the most delicately poached egg on top... and when you cut into the thick, rich yolk drizzled onto the salad, making the dressing even better. I was hooked. I still don't like runny eggs-- sunny-side up, soft boiled, or any other way. But give me a poached egg, and I'm pretty happy. Since Eggs Benedict is sometimes on menus as an alternative to the heavy Full English, I'd taken to ordering that to avoid the heart-attack waiting to happen on a plate (ummm... not that the butter sauce and bacon is much better for you... ah well).

Until this morning, I'd never attempted a poached egg at home. It seemed daunting and something that only really experienced chefs could do (read Julie / Julia anyone? Didn't she go through like 2 dozen eggs before getting one right? And Miss Julia herself has a whole section dedicated to the oeuf.). Well, thanks (again) to trusty Martha my first attempt didn't go too badly. They weren't the prettiest, but three out of the four had the perfect runny to cooked ratio (the 4th was overdone so no runny goodness at all). I'd say not too shabby for my first try. Next time I'll try the hollandaise from scratch too.

Martha's (fool proof) Poached Egg

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil
• Add 1 tbsp vinegar and reduce heat to simmer
• Crack egg into a small teacup (I used an espresso cup)
• Gently submerge cup into water (the egg will sink to the bottom of the pot)
• Gently fold whites over egg yolk using a regular spoon
• Continue folding whites for 2-3 minutes
• When the egg is ready, it will float a bit (slightly)
• Remove egg with slotted spoon and repeat

Martha says to put the egg on a towel to drain while you're doing the rest of the eggs. I couldn't figure out how you could do so without it sticking; So since we were having Eggs Benedict, I had toasted the English muffins, made the bacon and was keeping it warm in the oven while I did the eggs. So when I removed the cooked egg from the pot, I placed them immediately on the muffin... but if anyone else has any tips, let me know!

I love a good roast

The funny kind and the food kind. This post happens to be about the food kind. Because seriously? When you live in the middle of nowhere in a country where the sun rarely shines, there's not much more to do than cook and think about food, and plan menus and eat. This means that daily walks are now not so much of a pleasure but more of a necessity. But as the saying goes, you say po-tay-toe and I say-- well, po-tay-toe.

Speaking of which, I'm on a great roasted vegetable kick. Ever since C told me her perfect roasted veggie secret (you have to heat the roasting pan with olive oil in it BEFORE adding the veggies) I've been roasting more and experimenting with different preparations. Potatoes. carrots. parsnips, brussel sprouts, butternut squash, zucchini, eggplant-- you name it, I'll roast it.

Tonight, courtesy of Martha, I tried a new twist on the roasted veg: apples. Specifically roasted apples, butternut squash and cippolini onions on a bed of watercress. And yes-- it was as yummy as it sounds. I guess technically butternut squash is a fruit because of the seeds, though...

Riiiiiight. So this post is uninspired. Onto the recipe (you won't be disappointed):

Ingredients

• 1/2 butternut squash, peeled and chopped into chunks
• 2 golden delicious apples, sliced
• 6 cippolini onions, thinly sliced
• 4 c watercress (or a package)
• 2 tsp good olive oil
• 1 tsp sherry vinegar
• salt and pepper

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit
• Mix squash, 1/2 tbsp olive oil, salt and pepper (1/2 tsp salt; 1/4 tsp pepper if you measure); spread on rimmed baking sheet
• In separate bowl, mix apples, onions, 1/2 tsp olive oil, salt and pepper; spread on separate rimmed baking sheet
• Put both baking sheets in the oven; apples for 30 minutes; squash for 40-45 minutes tossing each about midway through their roasting times
• While the veggies are roasting, toss watercress with 1 tsp olive oil and 1 tsp vinegar and salt and pepper to taste. Arrange on platter.
• Once veggies are finished, allow to cool for 5 minutes; Arrange on top of watercress; Serve warm or room temp.

Easy, huh?

Bonus-- not only does it taste good, it's super pretty (of course) and perfect for the Autumnal weather.

Beans Glorious Beans

We eat a lot of veggies in this house (much to MRN's chagrin although he's a good sport about it). Most of the time I'll include some sort of potato to appease my English husband's soul, but mash is seriously getting boring. I've made it a million different ways-- plain, chive and cheddar, sour cream and bacon, sour cream and parsley, cream and butter, parmesan and thyme... times that by about 5,000, you get my point. B-O-R-I-N-G.

Since we've been back from the US, I haven't had a chance to do a "proper shop" (as the English would say). So I've been digging through the pantry and refrigerator, trying to be creative with the bits and bobs (another Englishism) that I have left over. One night I found an onion, half of a yellow pepper (that wasn't moldy-- score!) and some chesnut mushrooms (we keep our fridge at a ridiculously low temp, so veggies tend to last a bit longer...). Saute that up with some fresh garlic, tomato sauce and toss in some brown rice penne and voila! Instant meal. The next night came roasted brussel sprouts and some diced turkey bacon that I found in the freezer (MRN clearly didn't eat this-- he was working late that night and would have probably rather gone hungry than eat it even if he were home). The frozen turkey bacon discovery also yielded another gold mine-- ground lamb (organic, low fat) which I turned into mediterranean meatballs the next night by adding in some garlic, red onion and chopped sundried tomatoes that I found in the pantry. But what to serve as a vegetable with the meatballs? Another scavenger hunt through the pantry uncovered one small new potato. Hmmm... whatever possessed me to leave one teeny potato I'll never know. That certainly wouldn't work. I then spied a can of cannellini beans and thought, "hmmm-- wonder if I can make this work?" I peeled and quartered the potato and tossed it into a pot with the beans, a couple of cloves of smashed garlic and some extra water and brought the whole shebang to a simmer until the potato was soft. Then I drained it, returned it to the pot, added a dab of butter, salt and pepper and mashed as you would mashed potatoes. It was looking pretty dry so in went some plain yogurt (Greek 2% of course!) to make it a bit creamier, along with a slip of low fat milk. I finished by adding in some dried tarragon (my go to spice after garlic). And guess what? My experiment worked! I thought it was quite tasty.

But the true test came when I put it in front of MRN. He ate the meatballs and beans with gusto and when I asked if he liked it, he answered, "It's gorgeous!" (Of course he's so sweet, he would say that even if it were horrible.) When I asked specifically about the "potatoes" he answered in much the same. And when I pointed out that they weren't potatoes he responded:

'They're not?"

Maikib: 1; MRN: 0

I'm in training for when I have children.

Not Your Grandmother's Pot Roast

My friend Heather asked me to guest post on her cooking blog, "Pestle Mortar." So exciting! She's a kindred foodie spirit, an amazing chef (trained in pastry at the Cordon Bleu!), you can always find great recipes on her blog (not to mention, she always brings a tasty treat to a party!).

Check out her blog to get the yummy recipe.

Preeee-teeee

I like pretty food. Yes, it must taste good-- that's a given; but I also like to serve a pretty plate and that usually means a variety of colorful vegetables to brighten up whatever meat or starch is being served (much to MRN's chagrin). Even if I've made a classic meat and potatoes dish, I'll chop up some fresh parsley and toss it on top so I'm not serving some bland, grey-ish something. It's amazing what a little parsley will do.

Despite the absolutely abysmal weather that we've had this summer (have I complained about it enough?), I think we've managed to BBQ at least three times. This past weekend we had a rare day of partial sunshine, so out the BBQ came from the shed and MRN fired it up. I'd marinated pork tenderloin overnight (throwing caution to the wind that the weather report would hold...) and had mandolined my potatoes and chopped my fennel and onions for the potato fennel gratin and made homemade guacamole. But my favorite? The pretty plate you see here, all ready for grilling. Admittedly I was the only one excited for this puppy. But as I argued, everything tastes better BBQ-ed, right? And this looked even better once it came off of the grill. My carnivorous guests humored me and tried a little of everything (my favorites? The asparagus-- of course, the eggplant and the red onion, which gets deliciously sweet when charcoal grilled), but I pretty much ate the entirety on my own. I have to say though, I'm okay with that.

Going to the Mountain

IF THE MOUNTAIN WILL NOT COME TO MOHAMMED, MOHAMMED WILL GO TO THE MOUNTAIN.

So were the sage words of the founder of Islam, Francis Bacon and countless other scholars and academics no doubt (in concept at least).

Everyday is still a new experience in England-- whether it's figuring out what people are saying (I will likely forever be challenged by accent and slang), what certain foods are (yes, it doesn't seem like it would be that challenging, but believe me, it is) or trying to determine why they play the same episode of Friends about five times a day... and sometimes multiple times in a week! (I've given up). In general, I've found I've been able to compromise and find alternatives-- whether it is to food (no sushi? more grilled cooked fish and musubi... thankfully i'm able to get ume and nori; although ume has to be ordered); clothes & shoes (compromise: don't buy clothes anymore; instead have funneled my shopping compulsion into things for the home and iTunes downloads... to the positive impact on my wallet, might I add); country-living (more planning outings on the weekend; dinner at least one night of the week in the city-- coinciding with one of my travel days; spending the night "in the city" be it downtown Birmingham or London, once a week).

But the one thing that I haven't been able to find a solution to? Mexican food.

I grew up in Southern California-- Los Angeles to be exact. There Spanish is the dominant language and there are actually more Mexican-Americans than Americans. "So What?" you ask? That means kick-ass Mexican food.

And by kick ass I don't mean chain restaurants like Chipotle (although, do love me some Chipotle) or El Torito. I mean authentic, little hole-in-the-wall places that are sometimes hygienically questionable but you know abuela or perhaps tio (or tia, hijos/as o otra) are cooking recipes passed down for generations... EXCELLENTE.

And that is one of the HUGE gaps that I can't seem to fill. There's a Mexican chain called "Chiquitos" here... that is barely palatable... and not the least authentic (despite its claim). But other than that? You can barely buy ingredients (ummm... taco seasoning suspiciously tastes like curry...). So if the mountain ain't coming to Mohammed...

I've raised my chicken enchilada game to the next level and have experimented with making it taste "more authentic." I still haven't attempted to make my own sauce (I need a weekend for that), but I've been playing with the chicken mixture and think I've come up with a perfect blend thanks to some google sleuthing and piecing together bits and pieces from various places (including my friend McKay's recipe, whose this is originally based on!). Instead of grilling the chicken and cutting into chunks, I wanted to shred the chicken and make it really moist.. hence the new recipe, below. It actually is much easier than grilling (because you just let it sit on the stove) and the prep time is pretty quick. I'm still tweaking, so I'll let you know how it goes... and I'll let you know when I attempt sauces!

Hapa Shredded Chicken Enchiladas
Makes 8 Enchiladas; Extra "stuffing" can be sprinkled on top before the cheese mixture

You'll need:

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 3/4 a medium-sized onion, sliced
• 2 cloves of garlic, smashed (I usually use 3, but I love garlic)
• 1 clove garlic, diced
  
• 1 small, or 1/2 large bell pepper (any color-- but I like yellow or green for color), sliced
• 1 medium tomato, seeded (get the goo outta there) and diced
  
• 1 large (16 oz) can of Enchilada sauce
• Tortillas (i use flour, but you can use corn or whole wheat; note that whole wheat tends to be a little sweeter so you may need to counter with additional salt... it also for some reason is a little soggier... my experience shows that flour works best)
• 1 tbsp salt
• 1 tbsp butter
  
• Taco seasoning packet
• Hot sauce (optional; 1-2 tsp, or more depending on heat tolerance-- I like "Cholula" which is a Mexican hot sauce that you can actually get here-- it's available in most US grocery stores; one of these days I'll attempt my friend Alberto's grandmother's hot sauce which is AMAZING)
• Shredded cheese (monterey jack, cheddar, mozzarella-- really, whatever you like; in America they also have those Mexican seasoned shredded cheese packets which I found works well; but if you don't have it, I just mix a little of the taco seasoning with the shredded cheese-- same idea)

(chicken mixture before enchilada assembly)

Preparation:

• Place chicken breasts in a pot
• Add 1/2 onion, smashed garlic and salt
• Add water, just enough to cover top of chicken
• Bring to a slow boil; Once boiling, reduce to simmer and cook for 20-25 minutes, covered
• Once cooked, transfer chicken to bowl or other dish and place in refrigerator to cool (really for as long as you want... just want to make it cool enough to handle). I usually scoop in as much of the onion and garlic from the broth as I can-- it makes it extra tasty.
  
• Retain broth
  
• Once cooled, shred chicken (with hands) or with two forks (if using forks, you don't really need to cool)-- for the Hawaiian readers of this blog, think kalua
  
• Melt butter in frying pan (or wok) and add bell peppers, tomato, remaining onion and diced garlic; saute until veggies are soft (you can use olive oil, but come on-- there's not much better than butter. if you use olive oil, about tbsp is enough)
  
• Add chicken, taco seasoning (if using taco seasoning for cheese, retain 1/4), and 1/2 cup broth
  
• Simmer 10 min to reduce liquid
  
• If you're using hot sauce, add to chicken and veggie mixture. I usually add about 1 tbsp or more (I like it hot!)
• Cook until warm

Now it's time to assemble your enchiladas!

• Take one tortilla and add a few large spoonfuls of the chicken mixture in the center (be sure not to overstuff-- they'll be harder to seal).
• Sprinkle a little cheese over mixture (retaining enough to sprinkle over all the enchiladas once assembled)
• Fold ends toward center and roll the tortilla to close
• Place in 13x9 baking pan
• Repeat until you have used all of the chicken mixture (or you run out of space), arranging enchiladas in baking pan
• Once assembled, pour enchilada sauce over enchiladas (you may not need the whole can-- it depends how "saucy" you want them)
• Sprinkle remaining cheese over the entire mixture
• Place in oven at 325 degrees for 15-20 minutes (until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbling).

(Before the oven)













(The final product*)














*if you like cilantro (I don't-- but wish I did for aesthetic purposes), you can finely chop and sprinkle cilantro over the top-- it would make it very pretty). Stay tuned for a good side to this meal in the next edition of: Going to the Mountain.

**Cook's note: taco seasoning can be VERY salty; so I usually only use about 3/4 of the packet or less; I don't usually cook with a lot of salt, so that may just be me. But between that and the enchilada sauce, beware of salt!