our daily bread

Cardamom Pistachio Cookies

On Sunday night Drew and I made Christmas cookies for the first time in our 8 years together.  I don't know why we've never made them before, maybe because we're always traveling during the holidays, making our way to Michigan or Kansas usually in the middle of some sort of blizzard-type storm or at the very least, trying to out drive it as fast as we can.  But this year is the first Christmas that it's just the two of us and it seemed like a good time to start some traditions of our own.  

One of the things I love most about Christmas is the cookies.  Not so much because I love cookies, I actually don't really eat them all that often, but because there's something nostalgic about going home at the holidays and knowing there's going to be a tin of Russian Tea Cakes (my favorite to eat) and Spritze cookies (my favorite to make) and Springerles (the cookie that has been the most challenging to my palette for years).  As I've gotten older my visits home at Christmas are usually limited to a few days before and after the holiday, so it's been years since I've had the chance to stand side-by-side my mom in the kitchen dipping the Russian Tea Cake dough in powdered sugar or putting sprinkles on top of Spritze cookies.  It's a memory I cherish and something I hope do again in the coming years.  

Springerle cookies were always my dad's territory.  When I was younger I thought the only remotely interesting thing about them was the special carved rolling pin he used that has been in his family for over 100 years.  I never appreciated the subtle charm of the Springerle, with their anise flavor and hard-as-a-rock texture.  But now, being the sophisticated 30 year old that I am, I really like them.  I love their simplicity, that they lack the sex appeal found in most other Christmas cookies with all the frosting and sprinkles and glitter.  And they're meant for adults only, if the texture alone doesn't keep the kids away the anise sprinkled on top surely will.  But I remember wanting to like them when I was younger.  I'd watch my dad dip one into his steaming cup coffee, wait for it to soften a bit and then take a bite, little bits of crumbs falling back into the mug.  It seemed very refined and adult-like to my 8 year old self, and if there's one trait that defines a youngest child, it would be the desire to always be older than you actually are.  

Which brings me to these lovely little Cardamom Pistachio cookies.  

 

I recently started reading the blog, The Wednesday Chef, and this recipe was the first thing I read.  Anything with cardamom and pistachios and I'm sold.  And better yet, we already had most of the ingredients which is rare since we don't really bake all that often.  Baking still intimidates me, perhaps because I feel like I have to do exactly as the recipe says or the outcome is doomed to fail.  Why my thoughts are so harsh when it comes to pretty little things like cookies and cakes, I don't know.  But after making these simple, charming cookies I feel a bit more excited to branch out.  Baby steps.  

Cardamom Pistachio Cookies

I halved this recipe and it made about 30 cookies.  Also, I didn't have vanilla on hand so I substituted almond extract instead and they turned out delicious, maybe a little of each would be good too.  And one more thing, I don't have an electric mixer so I used a wooden spoon and that seemed to work fine.  

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled
1/2 cup superfine sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 egg yolks
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cardamom seeds, crushed using a mortar and pestle
1/4 cup sparkling decorative sugar
1/4 cup chopped pistachio nuts

1. Set oven to 375 degrees. Cream butter until smooth using an electric mixer. Add the sugar and beat for one minute. Add the vanilla extract and egg yolks and beat an additional minute.

2. Stir the flour and salt together. Spoon the flour mixture into the butter mixture and add the cardamom. Beat on low speed, then increase to medium and mix until the batter is combined.

3. Roll the dough into a log, wrap in parchment paper and chill for two hours before slicing into rounds and arranging evenly onto the cookie sheets. In a small bowl, combine the sparkling sugar and the pistachio nuts, then sprinkle some on each cookie.

4. Bake just until the edges of the cookies start to turn a pale golden color, about 8 to 10 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet, then remove carefully to a wire rack. The cookies will firm up as they cool. When they are completely cool, store in an airtight container. They may be kept frozen up to two months.

 

Homemade Gnocchi

This is my new favorite dish to make.  It's so simple, fun to make and it's waaaay better than the store bought version.  Like a thousand times better.  And it's versatile.  I've topped it with pasta sauce, mushroom gravy, a mix of shallots, mushrooms and pancetta (recipe below) and replaced the noodles with it in chicken noodle soup.  Try it out some night when you have a little bit of time, it probably takes about an hour or so from start to finish but 30 minutes of that is for the potatoes to boil.  This recipe serves four people generously.     

You start by boiling 3 or 4 russet potatoes (1 1/2 lbs) until they're tender, about a half hour.  Let them cool a bit, then peel them.  Then mash them up with a pinch of nutmeg, some salt and a couple tablespoons of parmesan (optional).  When they're sufficiently mashed, add one egg (whisk it up beforehand) and a cup of flour.  Knead the dough, add more flour if it's too sticky.  You want the dough to be slightly sticky but not too much because that will make the gnocchi a little too soft when they're cooked.  Let the dough rest for 5 minutes.  Then cut it into 6 pieces and on a floured surface roll each piece out like a snake, about 3/4 of an inch thick.  Cut the pieces about 1 inch thick and then roll them down the back of a fork to get some grooves on it, this helps the sauce stick to it.  In the meantime boil some salted water, when the pieces are ready to go put them in the water (I did it in 2 batches) and in about 3 minutes they'll float to the surface.  When they do, scoop them out with a slotted spoon and put them on a plate to cool.  Before you add your sauce, saute the gnocchi in a little bit of butter for about 5 minutes, until they're heated through.

If you want to take this meal a step further and indulge a little bit, try this recipe.  I originally made it with green beans for Thanksgiving, which was incredibly delicious, but it is also great with gnocchi.  

Gnocchi (or green beans) with Crispy Pancetta, Mushrooms and Shallots

Kosher Salt

2 1/2 oz thinly sliced pancetta

3 Tbsp olive oil

6 medium cremini mushrooms, trimmed, and very thinly sliced

2 medium-large shallots, halved lengthwise and very thinly sliced

1/4 c very thinly sliced fresh sage leaves

1 Tbsp sherry vinegar

1/2 tsp dijon mustard

1. Put the pancetta in a non-stick skillet and cook over medium low heat until crisp and browned, about 10 to 12 minutes.  Transfer to a paper towel lined plate and coarsely crumble.  Remove the pan from the heat and let it cool slightly.  

2.  Add 2 Tbsp olive oil to the pan and return it to medium-high heat.  Add the mushrooms, shallots and 1/4 tsp salt and cook, stirring frequently, until both are nicely browned and shrunken, about 5 minutes.  Add the sage and cook, stirring until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Take the pan off the heat and add the vinegar and mustard and the remaining 1 Tbsp of oil.  

3.  Add the gnocchi or green beans (blanch the green beans beforehand) and mix it all together until warm and top with the pancetta.  If you're using gnocchi you might want to add a little bit of water to make it a bit more liquidy, like a gravy.  Either way it's delicious though.

4. Enjoy!

Delicious

So yes, it turns out these twice marinated mushrooms are one of the most delicious things ever.  Marinating them overnight in the olive oil really helped tone down the sharpness of the fennel and allowed all the flavors to blend together a bit more.  I can't wait to make them again since there weren't any left from Thanksgiving.  Hope you all had a great holiday!  Thanksgiving is truly one of my favorites.  

 

Twice Marinated Mushrooms

I recently came across this recipe in one of my old issues of Fine Cooking and thought I'd try it as an appetizer for Thanksgiving.  I have yet to taste the finished product but just from the smell of it, I think it might be the most delicious thing ever.  And it's simple to make, the ingredients are easy to find and it stays fresh for up to a month in the fridge, although I can't imagine we'll have much in the way of leftovers after the jar is opened.  Here's the recipe for you, I think they would be delicious on top of steak or chicken, in an omelet, or just simply, on top of a crostini.  Enjoy!

 

 

 
 

Twice Marinated Mushrooms

Makes about 2 cups

1 1/2 C dry white wine

1/2 C white wine vinegar

3 cloves of garlic, crushed

2 1x4-inch strips lemon zest, white pith removed

1 4-inch sprig of rosemary

2 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp juniper berries (about 14), lightly crushed (you can find these at the co-op in bulk spices)

1/2 tsp fennel seed, lightly chopped

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 tsp coarsely ground black pepper

3/4 C olive oil (approximately)

1 lb. mushrooms, trimmed (I used cremini but you can use any type, or a mixture of types)

1. Mix the wine, vinegar, garlic, lemon zest, rosemary, salt, juniper berries, fennel seed, red pepper flakes and black pepper to make the marinade.

2. Heat 3 TBSP of the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat, until very hot.  Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring once or twice, until golden brown, 2-4 minutes, depending on the type of mushroom - they should not be cooked all the way through.  Spread onto a plate to cool.

3.  Add the marinade to the skillet.  Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 5 minutes to infuse the flavors.  Put the mushrooms and marinade in a heat proof container.  let cool to room temperature, cover and refrigerate overnight.

4.  Drain the mushrooms, reserving the garlic and discarding the marinade and most of the aromatics (its OK if some of the aromatics stick to the mushrooms).  Pack the mushrooms and garlic into a pint jar with lid.  Add enough of the remaining olive oil to cover, and refrigerate at least overnight and up to 1 month.

 

Farewell Kimberly & Ryan

Last weekend we drove down to Portland for probably the last time until spring.  Kim & Ryan are leaving on Tuesday to go to Europe where they'll spend 6 weeks with friends & then from there head to Thailand to travel around until April or May.  I will miss them, of course, but I am so excited for their adventure!  It has been so great to move here & be able to hang out while we settle in.  But now we will go on our separate adventures, theirs international & ours in our new city, and come back together in the spring rejuvenated!  And it's only 6 months, until a few months ago none of us had seen each other since our wedding 3 years earlier.  I honestly don't know how I made it that long without face-to-face contact.  They are family.  Next on the list is for Amber & Simon to make it out this way & then the reunion will be complete.  

So on Saturday we had a going away party complete with my best rendition of Asian-inspired cuisine, with lots of assistance from anyone who happened to be hanging around the kitchen.  As delicious as the food was, I think the real thing might be a teensy bit better, at least the dumplings for sure.  I was a bit surprised by how much they didn't look at all like the picture in the cookbook.  But I've read about how food stylists blow torch raw turkeys to make them look perfectly brown or make ice cream out of mashed potatoes so it doesn't look melted in the picture, so I'm going with the idea that maybe the dumplings in the picture were made out of plastic.  They just looked so damn perfect.  But alas, this was my first time making them so perhaps I just need more practice.  But they tasted amazing & that's really all that matters in the end.  

Part of the idea of making the party Asian-themed, aside from the obvious, was that the food is so cheap to make, especially when you shop at the Asian market.  Kim had never been before so it was quite exciting to introduce her to the world of technicolor grocery shopping.  Bright lights, Asian dance music blaring out of the speakers, packages of food decorated with every color of the rainbow, Hello Kitty paraphernalia lining the shelves, desserts in colors not found in nature, etc.  The key is to go in there without a list because if you're looking for something specific you'll just make yourself crazy, as we discovered with trying to find bonito flakes.  

We bought everything we needed for spring rolls & dumplings & lots of different types of desserts & snacks & the total was 45 bucks, enough food for probably 30 people or so.  That's what I love about shopping there, it's actually really hard to spend a lot of money, even when you're throwing random stuff into your cart just because the package looks kind of cool & weird.  

So I bid you farewell Kimberly & Ryan!  I hope you have the greatest of adventures, as I know you will.  I look forward to hearing your stories & the things you learn along the way.  Be sure to eat delicious food & lots of it, try at least one fried bug of some sort on a skewer -- you never know, maybe they all taste like chicken, -- and have sooo much fun stepping into the unknown.  It will be grand.  Love to you both....  xo

 

...spring rolls with rice noodles, lettuce, carrot, cucumber, tofu, cilantro & mint.

 

...fried tofu with cilantro yogurt dipping sauce.  

 

...soy ginger dipping sauce for the dumplings & spring rolls.

 

...dumplings filled with a mixture of napa cabbage & shitake mushrooms.

...wasabi peas.

The Greatest Egg Sandwich Ever

This was seriously the most delicious egg sandwich I have ever eaten.  I am not even kidding, I would like to see the competition.  On Sunday morning we walked down to Mississippi street in Portland where there's a parking lot turn food cart lot which housed what we had been told was The Greatest Egg Sandwich Ever.  And as it turns out, it was.  Drew & I split two different sandwiches, one was called the Portlander & consisted of two eggs, your choice of cheddar cheese, Fontina or Gorgonzola (I chose gorgonzola), fresh chive & country dijon mustard & Applewood smoked bacon, on grilled brioche bread.  The second sandwich was called The Arbor Lodge & this one had one egg, grilled portobello mushrooms, caramelized balsamic onions & arugula with roasted garlic & herb aioli on grilled brioche.  I mean, just reading the descriptions makes me wish I could have another one right now, for dinner.

Portland has such great food carts.  I've seen a couple of places like this where once an empty lot now holds a cluster of unique food carts.  I've seen converted air streams, old school buses, carts that look like little shacks, donut trucks, etc...  I don't know why there aren't more of these set-ups everywhere in the country.  It seems like a very focused, smart & community oriented way of serving food.  So many people, with good reason, are deterred from opening a restaurant because of the massive debt you have to take on, the incredible responsibility & the high rate of failure.  But with food carts you can focus & become really good at one thing, like egg sandwiches for instance.  There's way less overhead & usually only a handful of employees & it's perfect for people who don't want to be stuck in an airless kitchen all day & really want to meet their customers & interact with the community.  There's something about that kind of simplicity & some of the best food I've eaten has come from carts like these.  

 

Fried Green Tomatoes

I'd never had fried green tomatoes before.  I don't know why, we've grown tons of tomatoes in our garden over the last few years & never once tried them out.  But last weekend we finally did with some end of the season tomatoes from Kim & Ryan's garden.  They were delicious.  We sliced 'em up, sprinkled with salt and pepper & let that soak into them for a little while.  Then we took the slices, dipped them in milk, flour, eggs and cornmeal & fried them in a couple teaspoons of olive oil.  They were soft on the inside and crunchy on the outside, sweet yet salty.  We sprinkled a little shredded cheese on top, garnished with cilantro & called it breakfast.  

 

 

Caramel Apple Pops

Remember these?  I hadn't had one in quite a long time but they were handing them out at the gas station on our way down to Portland, so being Halloween, who could resist?   I'd forgotten exactly what an apple flavored lollypop dipped in caramel tasted like.  Sugary sweet was my conclusion, not apple, not caramel, not anything found in nature, just sugar mixed with sweet.  I only made it about halfway through and then I could start to feel the sugar create a coating on the inside of my teeth. 

After I put my half eaten caramel apple pop back in it's wrapper I was hit with a feeling that I might be of that age now where kids actually think I'm old.  I mean, I don't feel old, quite the opposite really. But if there's any day of the year that will remind you that you're no longer a kid, it would be Halloween.  I used to spend every Halloween up through high school eating handfuls of mini candy bars, Skittles, Starburst, Good & Plentys, Necco Wafers, M&M's, Pixie Sticks, Reese's Pieces, Three Muskateers, and now I can't even fathom consuming that much sugar in one sitting.  To me, you might as well call that hazing.

  

But trick-or-treating is a childhood tradition, something I hope doesn't end even though now a lot of people take their kids to malls to trick-or-treat instead of through their own neighborhoods.  The first Halloween I lived in a house I was so excited to pass out candy, remembering the swarms of kids and parents roaming the streets.  Ah, but no such luck.  I guess we lived on one of the streets where people went to the mall.  I felt let down, thinking things may have changed forever and kids wouldn't have some of those same experiences I cherished as I got older.  

This year, however, changed all that.  Kim, Ryan, Drew & I started out the night as slightly pessimistic 30 somethings talking about how "trick-or-treating isn't the same anymore and what's wrong with this world when people are scared of their neighbors and blah blah blah" but we decided to pass out candy anyway in hopes that maybe we'd get a few kids.  The store we were at didn't have Halloween candy and since we were on foot, our options were limited.  So we went to a convenience store down the street that had buckets of individual pieces of candy for a dime so we loaded up on Lemon Heads, Double Bubble, Laffy Taffy and those off-brand Peppermint Patties, about 4 bucks worth.  

Then we settled in on the porch with our beers and waited.  A few kids came, then a few more, and then we were hit with the masses.  They came out of nowhere, hordes of them, just like our memories.   We started running out of candy early on so Kim went inside and dug up some old easter candy they had in the freezer from packages their moms had sent; chocolate bunnies, candy hearts, rolls of Life Savers, a bag of Hershey Kisses.  When the kids looked at the bowl they seemed a bit confused, there were no Kit Kats, no Snickers, no Milky Ways, just a bunch of candy that probably resembled their easter baskets.  Maybe they thought we got the holidays mixed up.  Then there were the kids who seemed annoyed rather than confused by the options, the kids who were connoisseurs of Halloween candy, this was no joke to them.  They'd dig through the bowl hoping there was some gem at the bottom that none of the other kids had seen, only to be disappointed by the realization that all that was left was some Double Bubble and frozen Hershey Kisses.   

It was a hilarious night.  Especially when Kim dug up an old super scary mask and would sit in the chair and slowly turn around as the kids came up the steps. Watching their reactions was priceless.  It was nice to be presently surprised by Halloween this year, to watch both kids and parents having a great time, roaming around meeting their neighbors.  And I'm excited to be even more a part of it next year, to be prepared with proper Halloween candy instead of being thought of as "that house that gave us those chocolate easter bunnies last year."  I can hear it now.  

A Cup of Coffee

Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup

On Thursday, Drew & I went camping at Deception Pass State Park, less than 2 hours northwest of Seattle.  We got into our car a little before 11am and were setting up our tent by 1pm.  The campground was deserted other than an RV about a half mile away, the air was cool, the ground a bit damp.  Perfect weather for tomato soup & grilled cheese, we decided.  We weren't even planning on eating that for dinner but when we went to the gas station to buy firewood, there it was sitting alone on the shelf, a can of Campbell's Tomato Soup.  

The last time I can remember eating Campbell's Tomato Soup was my freshman year of college when they'd serve it in the cafeteria at my dorm, alongside a grilled cheese sandwich & I'd sit alone at a table sipping my soup watching the chaos of a room full of 200 hungry 18 year olds unfold around me & I'd feel like it actually might all to be okay. At least that's my memory of it now, looking back.  In real time I was probably stressed about my 17 credits, those 20 page papers looming over me like a black cloud, the fact that I was on my own for the first time at a school with 45,000 other people and, oh, that pesky little question that always plagued me, like a thorn in my side, "what was I going to do with my life?"  But I still remember feeling comforted when I'd see Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup on the sign entering the cafeteria.  

So that's what we had for dinner, cooked over the fire, sitting in our crazy creeks, talking about how much we don't miss being 18 anymore.  Being 30 is way better.