Gnocchi Nightmare

So... yeah... Gnocchi is not an easy thing to make. I don't know exactly where I went wrong, but I went wrong waaay wrong.

After watching a few videos on youtube and foodnetwork.com I think I know what I did wrong.

1) Potato was mashed incorrectly. I should have pushed it through a mesh strainer or potato ricer, instead of simply mashing them.

2) I put the gentle little babies into water at a rolling boil...when it should've been a gentle simmer.

3) The recipe I had told me to boil for too long. So when the gnocchi started floating (meaning they're done and ready to be pulled out of hot water) I let them go for a few more minutes.

4) Not enough egg. I thought it was strange to call for "3 tablespoons beaten egg"

I think #3 and #4 were the biggest mistakes. I'm sure there's probably a million other things I did wrong. I think I have a stray potato in my pantry so stay tuned for gnocchi nightmare #2.

Dinner Tonight: Taco Pizza

I've always had the problem of not finishing the left-over taco fixins. I can't remember where I've had this before but I once had a taco pizza...and I couldn't believe how brilliant the idea was.

So now when I plan on making tacos I also pick up a package of pizza dough along with it. It's the easiest dinner.

Taco Pizza
courtesy of Yours Truly

1 store bough pizza dough
left over taco meat
3-6 tablespoons salsa (or however much you want to use)
taco fixins
tortilla chips

1) Preheat oven to 350˚. Roll out pizza dough until it's about 1/4 inch thick. Pinch edges so there's a crust.

2) Spread desired amount of salsa on dough. (too much will make it soggy, so be careful)

3) Top with taco meat, fixins, and lastly cheese.

*if you're going to use lettuce, avocado, and sour cream..or anything that should be cold wait until after you've cooked the pizza.

4) Bake 15-20 mins or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

5) Top with cold fixins and tortilla chips.

Mardi Gras

Yay! Mardi Gras "Fat Tuesday" has arrived. I'm not one for plastic beads and crazy masks...but I am one for Kings cake.

There's a couple ways to do the kings cake. In my high school french class we always just did monkey bread for this and did the gold, green, and purple sprinkles. It's much easier for inexperienced bakers. More traditionally kings cake is like a giant round cinnamon roll.

I'm grossly unprepared for Mardi Gras this year. But....I might get into making some sprinkle covered monkey bread...we'll see how boyfriend feels about this.

Every Tuesday is Lost night, so it might be a good dessert to take. Just to keep in the festive mood!

Monkey Bread Recipe
courtesy My Mom

4 rolls of frozen bread from grocery store, defrosted
1 cup white sugar
3 Tablespoons Cinnamon, plus one teaspoon
1/2 butter

1) Preheat oven to 350˚. Cut each roll of dough into 1 inch disks, then each disk into fours.

2) Mix 1/2 cup sugar and 3 tablespoons of cinnamon. Roll each piece of dough in cinnamon mixture. Place in greased bundt pan in layers.

3) Melt butter and remaining sugar and teaspoon of cinnamon in small saucepan. Pour over dough. Bake in preheated oven 30 - 35 mins.

Food Allergies

According to this, a study done by Portsmouth University claims that 9 out of 10 food allergy sufferers do not actually have a food allergy.

Now...I don't have any food allergies. I never have. My mom on the other hand, has a million. Hers range from itchy scratchy hives to severe headache and other physical effects. I worry that someday I might develop these allergies, but if this study holds any truth to it I may not have to worry.

Every time I eat a new food, or a piece of sushi I worry that I might be allergic. Well, bring on the sushi and crazy stuff! Because this girl has nothing to worry about. (at least for now)

-TB

**photo courtesy of Family Nature**

Cookies Without Boarders: Bake sale for Haiti

Last weekend the girls at No Cookie Left Behind put on a bake sale to benefit Doctors Without Boarders Emergency Relief Fund. I whipped up a double batch of my blondies (which are in this picture...can you find them?) and 50+ other bakers whipped up their specialties coming in at $5500 raised for Haiti relief. That's a huge accomplishment and I'm super proud to say that I contributed.

I think this is something I need to get into more...
TB

**photo courtesy of Lindsay William-Ross/LAist**

Giada comes to Target!

Giada is one of my DVR'd shows. I love her easy recipes. She makes Italian food accessible for those of us who like to pretend we're Italian, if only in the kitchen.

This morning I saw that she now has a kitchen brand at Target. How awesome! Although I've already found the chef knife that she uses on her show, and it's not part of the collection...but of course right? Some of the other items are things I've convinced myself I need in the kitchen. Like this 2.5 qt ceramic baking dish that can be used on the stovetop and in the oven. For only $29.99. That's not too shabby.

Now we just have to get Paula Deen to start her own brand of "budda"...or maybe she already has?

-TB

**Photo courtesy of Cooking Light Magazine**

Valentines Day treats

It's February and for the first half of the month all I can think of is...treats. Of course! Boxes of chocolate, heart shaped cakes, cupcakes with heart shaped sprinkles, and of course heart shaped candies with cute "Be Mine" stamped on them! Even if you don't like this "holiday" you have to give it the treat points.

This year for the big V-day I'm heading up to Santa Barbara to spend some quality time with my best friend. (boyfriend is working on location in San Fran) We haven't nailed down what we're doing yet, but I do plan on making some treats for the day/evening. So I've come up with a few options for the treats:

1) Heart shaped sugar cookies with pink/red/white icing, stamped with various "valentines" phrases. From marthastewart.com

2) Mini Heart-Shaped Cakes also from MarthaStewart.com

3) Basic cupcakes with sprinkles. (this would be the easiest less challenging option)

Ohhh I can't wait to get started on these!

**photo from flickr user hiahmad**

Kitchen goals

I've come up with two more. I hope I'm not putting too much pressure on myself in the goals department. After all there is only 12 months to a year. Depending on how you think of it I have a long/short time before my goals need to be met.

1) Herb Garden. Last year I tried a garden, but my porch doesn't get enough direct sunlight to grow a full container garden. (it faces north) But I'd like to get a good herb garden going. It would sure save some money in the future.

2) Cast iron skillet I realize how crucial having a cast iron skillet is to a well functioning kitchen. Fried chicken, stove top pizza, and most recently searing rib eye. I need to get on the cast iron skillet train...


That's all for now.
TB

Sunday Potluck - To the future

Every month friends of ours get together and do a Sunday potluck. There's always a theme. This months was "To the future"...it being a new year and all.

So everyone was required to bring something they'd never made. I thought... "CRAP! What haven't I made?" So as I watched my DVR'd episodes of Giada de Laurentiis, Paula Deen, Ina Garten, and Rachael Ray I found it! Giada made Hearty Tomato Soup with Lemon and Rosemary and it looked super easy and tasty. Also looked like something I'd like to make gallons of and freeze for when boyfriend makes his grilled cheese sammies (which is exactly what I did).

Below is the recipe and pics of some of the other delicious treats from the party. Surprisingly there wasn't any dessert! Crime of food? I think so!

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter
1 onion, peeled and chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 15-ounce can cannellini (white) beans, drained and rinsed
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
3 cups chicken broth
1 bay leaf
1 sprig of fresh rosemary, plus 1 teaspoon, minced
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
*we added a teaspoon of cayenne pepper*
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2/3 cup creme fraiche
Zest of one lemon

Directions

1.) In a large soup pot, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrots, and garlic and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 4 minutes. Add the beans, tomatoes, broth, bay leaf, 1 teaspoon rosemary, and red pepper flakes. *This is when we added the cayenne* Bring the soup to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes, covered.

2) Puree the soup in a blender in batches, being careful to remove and discard the bay leaf. Return the soup to a soup pot and keep warm over low heat. Season with salt and pepper.
*After this step I transferred it to my slow cooker - so it could travel and be warmed continuously.*

3) In a medium bowl fold in the lemon zest and the remaining teaspoon of rosemary to 2/3 cup creme fraiche. To serve, ladle the soup into bowls and dollop each bowl with the lemon rosemary creme fraiche. Serve immediately. **I didn't do the creme fraiche, it's sort of expensive and the store we were at didn't have it. I did do the lemon zest and extra rosemary. The lemon was a nice touch to the top of the soup.

What else made an appearance:

Mushroom & Pork Potstickers

Crazy me didn't even realize you could make homemade potstickers!!

Prosciutto, Ricotta and Marmalade Crostini

These would be perfect for a no-bake quick and easy appetizer.

That's all for now
TB

Goals for my kitchen 2010

This year I want to make some kitchen goals and see if I can stick to them AND my budget.


1) Olive oil pourer. You watch the cooking shows and they always have their olive oil, or as Rachael Ray calls hers, EVOO in those glass bottles with spouts on the top. Sometimes you need to just a little but the spouts that come on the bottles themselves always allow way to much. I end up having to put my thumb over the top to get the right amount. No more oily fingers this year!


2) A good chef's knife. This is going to require some research so check back for my posts on this. Sticking with my budget I shouldn't spend more than $50-100. So we'll see if I can accomplish this.


3) Magnetic wall mounted spice rack. As of right now, all of our spices are in the original bottle on the back of the stove. Not very attractive.


4) Tray table. I saw a blog about a tray table used for a bar display. Right now we have all our liquor and bar essentials on top of the fridge and in cabinets. That's not very pretty is it? I'm going to see if I can get my hands on something that'll serve this purpose.

5) Ice cream maker. I know strange huh? Well a friend and I usually do frozen yogurt on Thursdays while we watch Project Runway. I know we're girls. But if I could get one for less than $30 it would be the same amount as going and buying it every week. Plus it's way more fun to make your own!

That's all for now. More on these items later or as I aquire them.
TB

Know Your Ingredients - Bay Leaf

This week has been all about comfort food on the home front. Monday night was chicken and dumplings and last night was beef stew. Both recipes required the use of a bay leaf. So I thought to myself - what is this bay leaf? What does it do? Why do we need them in soups? So I did a little research...

Some facts about bay leafs:

-The bay laurel tree, in many ancient mythologies, was considered a symbol of honor.

-The fragrance is more noticeable than it's taste.

-Bay leaves can be placed around a home to repeal moths, flies and roaches.

-If used in large quantities bay leaves can make a dish bitter.

Conclusion:

Bay leaves bring out the flavors of the rest of a dish. Almost like adding salt when baking. They just compliment the rest of the meal. (and get rid of pesky insects too!)

That's good to know..
T

The Umami Burger

Okay so I went to the restaurant itself this weekend, the Hollywood location. I was pleased. Exposed brick walls, hanging light bulbs and Japanese caligraphy on the walls.

The menu is much more extensive than their truck (naturally). I hadn't heard good things about the fries so I shared a helping of onion rings with boyfriend. They were pretty damn tasty. They're tempura so it's not the traditional taste of an onion ring, but if you enjoy tempura these are tasty. They also have three "Kombu meals" you can choose from. Those come with a burger, fries/OR and a beer/wine. It seemed like a fantastic idea, might be smarter to try that next time. I didn't see them until I had already set my heart on the Manly burger(pictured)! But for 14-16 bucks that sounds like a very economical choice to me. The burgers were kind of small and don't come with anything. So if you have a healthy appetite you may want to get a side. It was a perfect portion for me. Boyfriend only had to finish one bite of my burger!



Dessert was pretty tasty too. We had heard that the ice cream sandwich was the way to go. So - we got the ice cream sandwich. Strawberry frozen yogurt between two french macroons....yum! Tasted like strawberry shortcake.

**Their Umami Burger is also available in veggie.

T

Food Flow Charts

Sounds boring right? NO NO NO! For someone as indecisive as me, a chart that asks me questions and guides me to an answer is amazing! I found it on The Kitchn blog that I read and below are my favorite charts.

Fast Food
*my favorite part of this one is the very first question..and that there is only one possible place*

Cereal
*the questions on this one are hysterical* "Are you Chuck Norris?"

And for my favorite:
BEER
*speaks for itself*

Top 10 of 2009

The LA times has their list of top ten recipes of 2009. I've gone through and picked a few that look appealing to me. All mostly desserts...any of my readers (all 3 of you) care to make any requests? I'm going to attempt to make them. Maybe with help from boyfriend? Definitely gonna need help for the last one.

My picks:

Orange Flavored Shortcakes with Strawberries and Whipped Cream

White Chocolate Bread Pudding with Whiskey Caramel Sauce

Julienne's Graham Cracker Chewy Bars

and for my challenging one:

Neopolitan-Style Ragu This one's gonna have to be a Sunday supper...because it requires 6 HOURS! But I'm up for the challenge.

Umami Burger

I'm just discovering this Umami thing. Umami is a japanese term for the "fifth taste" the first four being sweet, salty, sour and bitter. It basically boils down to...deliciousness. More technically it's a type of amino acid that occurs naturally in most foods.

Umami Burger is a restaurant here in LA, which I've never been to. BUT I plan to, I promise. Lucky for me though - they have a truck. They've jumped on the bandwagon and are parking in neighborhoods near me(?). The truck debuted December 9th. Judging by their twitter page they haven't been to too many places. It hasn't been in operation a month yet so maybe they're still working out the kinks.

On the menu (1/06/10):
I don't know if it changes from location to location

$8
Smashburger
Bacon Cheese Smashburger (you know I got this one ;))
Sherry Mushroom Smashburger
LTO Smashburger

$3
Fries


I had the Bacon cheese smashburger. So tasty. I had no complaints. The bacon was the perfect amount of crispy. The pickles were the homemade kind. The onions were fancy. And the cheese, oh the cheese, it was so melty and gooey! Just delicious. So delicious that I ate the entire thing. Mmmm I can get into this. I have to be careful though they say they're gonna be around every wednesday. Uh ohh...

Cute Things #3

The tiniest curly fry EVER! I placed it next to a paper clip and a penny so you could see just how tiny it really is.

Next:
Christmas morning brunch (sorry it's so late)

-TB