Baby Birthin' Stew

Becca, of B's Bakery and Bistro fame, became the first friend to HAVE A BABY.

Everyone is growing up, buying houses, getting married and spawning.

I, on the other hand, have fit all of my belongings into two bags and moved across the world. I might get another tattoo too, on my face.

So, here we are, launched from the world of making drunk cornbread into making food for friends to freeze as they lose sleep for their poop monsters.

Becca requested something healthy and freezable. I was inspired to make something that looked like the baby poop that she'll be bathing in for the next 18 years.
Lilah (who is actually super cute and old now) also took a while to get here and apparently spicy things help pregnant ladies pop.

Therefore...

Moroccan Stew

You'll need:

Vegetable oil
1 onion- chopped
1 zucchini- chopped
1 yam- peeled and chopped
1 can of chickpeas- drained
4 cloves of garlic- minced
3 cups (or more) vegetable broth
1 tsp of each:  cinnamon, cumin, dried thyme and chili powder
1/4 c creamy peanut butter
1 c chunky salsa
2 cups of spinach- roughly chopped.

Thanks to George for the Haines grown zucchini

To do:
- Heat oil in a pan, add the spices, cook for about a minute, until fragrant. Add in the onion and garlic, cook for another minute or so. Throw the yam into the mix, cook for about a minute. Throw in the zucchini, cook for another minute.

-Add in the vegetable broth, salsa, peanut butter and salsa (if you want it to a stew, use less vegetable broth, for a soup, use more). Let simmer for 10-15 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.
- Throw the spinach in right before you're about to serve, just so it wilts a little bit.
- Serve over couscous

- have that baby.

*Reheats, freezes and doubles very easily.

Spotify thinks that I listen to too much bluegrass and is trying to get me to branch out, so it started playing The Belle Brigade.
Spotify robots +1
All other robots -1

A little bit pop, a little bit rock, a little bit country. "Losers" is pretty amazing and a good drink PBR, cry and dance it out jam. But my cold cold heart was first warmed by this gem:

They make me want to start a band with my brother, but would end, tragically, with audiences bleeding out through their ears. The Ingram-Wolf kids aren't musically gifted.

Israeli Salad

I spent 10 days in Israel and now consider myself an expert on Israeli salad. As one does.

But David Lebovitz had some pretty good ideas about it too.
I mean, how could you not with a name like Lebovitz.

Israeli Salad (from David Lebovitz)

You'll need
1 ripe tomato
1 cucumber
1 carrot- peeled
2-3 tbsp red onion- chopped
1 small beet- peeled
arugula
1/4 c parsley or cilantro- chopped*
2/3 c mixed nuts and seeds (walnuts, almonds, pine nuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds etc...)- chopped
1/3 c feta or goat cheese- crumbled
2-3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
2-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
sea salt and pepper

* If you want to get crazy, try mint, chives, tarragon... every country claims this salad as their own.

-Chop all the vegetables into tiny tiny cubes. Slice the arugula.
-Toast the nuts in a skillet (no oil), over medium heat and shake the pan frequently so they don't burn. Stop when they are a little brown and you can smell them.
-Mix all of the vegetables, nuts, cheese, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper.

-Serve pretty quickly, no one likes old salad.

Spotify has changed my life again by introducing me to LP

It's common knowledge that I'm a sucker for whistling.

Power Ballad Eggs

When I saw the recipe title for Company Eggs, I thought it was going to be some cute thing with eggs that have a buddy, say of bread (side note, I'm going to go make Eggs in a Pocket now) and presented in a way that makes you never want to eat eggs without the buddy again. 

This isn't that, it's simply eggs that work well for company. They are glorified baked eggs.

No problems on this end though, but that might be the mountain of cream and cheese speaking. 

Company Eggs! (from Bon Appetit) 

You'll need:
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 small onion- sliced
4 garlic cloves, chopped
Salt and Pepper
2 bunches of Swiss chard- backbone and stems removed, leaves chopped.
1/2 c heavy cream
6 large eggs
2 oz sharp white cheddar cheese- grated

You'll need to:
-Preheat oven to 400. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat, throw in onion, garlic, salt and pepper. Cook until the onion is soft, about 8-10 minutes.
-Throw the chard in the skillet, let it wilt a little. Cook/toss until tender, 8-10 minutes. Add cream and simmer until thick, another 8-10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
-Lay the chard down in a baking pan, make 6 little dips in the chard and crack 1 egg into each. Season with more salt/pepper (or a little paprika, if you're into that). Sprinkle the cheese over (think heavy dandruff).

-Bake until the egg whites are almost set and the yolks are runny, 15-18 minutes. Pull it out when you are still a little worried about the whites, because they'll still cook for another 5 minutes when you let them sit before serving.

SO INTO: 

Typhoon's new album "White Lighter" (on NPR First Listen).

I'd never heard of them before this and I'm hooked. It's intense and emo, with a horn section. They rock out to power ballads about joy. This album feels all the feelings at a 10 and instead of scoffing at them, I head bob along. 

Be careful of swaying while cooking though, it can lead to some disasters. 

I made a quiche in Harlem!

I moved (surprise Mom)!
This Alaskan went a little farther East and now lives in Harlem (right down the street from the Tenenbaum house. It's hipster heaven).

With an amazing kitchen and amazing roommates.

Maridee is not a vegan and grates cheese. 

Moving is the worst.
Being in a new place is better.
Cooking in a new kitchen is the best.
(but playing the "where did we unpack that" game kind of sucks).


Ronald (and Hannah's) Fennel Quiche (Ronald apparently works at The Moosewood)

For the crust:
1 c all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 c chilled butter
3 Tbsp ice water

For the filling:
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 onion- diced
1/2 tsp salt
1 c fennel- thinly sliced
1 c grape tomatoes- sliced.
1 c zucchini- diced
1 c yellow squash- diced
1 c mushrooms- sliced
1/4 c fresh basil- minced
1.4 c green onions
1/4 tsp black pepper- ground
4 eggs
1 1/2 c feta
1 c Jarlsberg- grated

Crusty:
- Put the flour, butter and salt in the food processor (buy one, if needed). Mix it until it's a fine course meal. Sprinkle the ice water over the mixture and lightly toss. Collect into ball.
- Turn the dough out onto a clean surface, shape into a disc (get super pissed when this takes 18 tries). Put it into the pie pan and pat out until it looks like it's a crust. Store in the fridge.

Filling:
-Preheat the oven to 375
-heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Saute the onions and salt until the onions are brown (8-10 mins)
-Throw in the fennel and saute for another 3-5 minutes.
-Add the squash, zucchini, mushrooms, tomatoes and pepper to skillet. Cook for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add in the basil and green onions. Set aside.

-In the (clean) food processor, puree the eggs and feta until it's a custard.
-Dump the vegetables in the crust. Dump the custard on top. Put the Jarlsberg on top of that. Be a bad ass and put tomatoes and basil on top. Finish with salt and pepper.

-Bake for about 50 minutes, until melty, golden and amazing.

Harlem Quiche is best paired with:

Ra Ra Riot's new album, Beta Love.
I did it because Spotify told me too.

Gone are the soaring and sad classical instruments of my college obsession. It's been replaced with electronic beats, synthesizers and laser sounds. Win win.
I'm going to guess that many early Ra Ra fans hate this album.
I like to think that they (and I) have aged from young melodrama to a more upbeat, slightly overproduced, optimistic outlook.

White Soul Train

WAR ON CHRISTMAS

Happy Holiday's KDP fans (Mom, did I send you a card?)
I'm having a war on Christmas this year.
I'm working a lot and taking latkes (and drinking driedel) to an Orphan Christmas Party and avoiding all work parties like the plague. I believe that this is an acceptable response to not going home or being with family this year.
I'll see a movie (let's be honest, I'm seeing Les Miz ("The Mopes" in English), eat some Chinese food and sleep until January 2nd.

Only someone who either loved or eternally hated Christmas could do what Sufjan Steven's has done with his SECOND epic 5 volume Christmas box set.

And it is a fine line between love and hate. A very very fine line.

My latest cooking devotion has been to this book, An Everlasting Meal by Tamar Adler, who believes that the ends of meals inspire and feed the next one and that we don't make mistakes in the kitchen, we create an experiment. The book is about cooking with grace, trust and economically. Below are some of the pictures I've taken while following this principal.

The basic premise is that you should be using everything when cooking- the ends of bread, the rinds of cheese, the stems of kale and in a mixture of life advice and recipes, Tamar Adler seeks a world where people pay attention to what they eat, why they are eating and how their food is prepared.

I did this for like a week.

It was a good week though, a very full fridge week. 

The idea is that you buy all of your greens and fruit at the farmers market and cook it the day of, so that you have things to play with throughout the week that are already prepared. You spend a few hours slaving over a hot stove and in return, can take beet sandwiches to work! It's a fantastic idea and I wish I had more time to do this.

I came away from that week with stem/core pesto, roasted beets, the best omelet I've ever made, bean soup stock, roasted pine nuts, an appreciation for red wine vinegar and more awareness around how to love and care for the food we use to fuel ourselves. 

Plus, An Everlasting Meal has entire chapters devoted to how to treat your eggs (the ones from chickens), how to boil water, how to set a table, ideas for sauces, vinegars and the trust that you'll be okay, no matter what you do. 

Also, I made Hot Sauce!

Take 1 lb of stemmed fresh chilies and 2 Tbsp kosher salt. 

Mix in a food processor until it's a puree. 

Put in a glass jar and let ferment for about 12 hours at room temp. Make sure that the top of the jar isn't tightly screwed on. 

Add in 1 1/2 c distilled white vinegar, loosely screw on the top. 

Let sit for at least 1 day and at most 2 weeks. Try it along the way to see if it's to your liking. 

Put the mixture in the food processor and blend until smooth. 

Strain it through a sieve and store in the fridge for up to 4 months. 

Well Spotify, you've done it again. You know more about the music that I'll like than I do. I'm continually in debt to your musical algorithm that introduces me to artists like Justin Townes Earle

The son of Steve Earle, he's embraced the soul in bluegrass and putting blues back in country music. Wrapped up in the sound are heartfelt and wrenching stories. I crave to hear him live,at a dive bar, preferably with a dance partner.
Only goal for the new year is to do just that.

Maybe the holidays away from Juneau makes me just a tad homesick (if you couldn't tell...), but I've been devouring bluegrass/Americana/blues music like it's my job. There are no problems with this, it's perfect Sunday listening.

Plus he kind of sounds like Elvis (if he "kicked a gospel choir in the butt" in this one and that makes me all a-twitter.

Gettin' creative with salad.

I eat a lot of salad, especially now that it's too hot to turn on the stove, I'm too busy and poor to make something new every night. 

So I mixed a couple of recipes from The Moosewood New Classics, threw in some left overs, got some beets and tomatoes to add color and voila! 

A curried tofu and corn salad that's worthy of any high class vegetarian/vegan restaurant. 

In other news, I'm in major lack of grill depression. I don't have the balls to put one on my fire escape, so if you have one in NY,  I will trade many, slightly charred, tasty things in exchange for a grill take over. 

Curried Tofu (from Moosewood New Classics)
1 packet firm tofu
1 tbsp olive oil
3 garlic cloves- pressed
1 c onion- minced
1 jalapeno- seeded and minced
2 tbsp curry paste
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp cumin
1 tbsp braggs liquid aminos

-Press the tofu for 15 mins. Cut into bite sized pieces.
-Heat the oil in a skillet, saute the garlic, onions and jalapeno until the onions are golden, about 15 mins. Mix in the curry paste, turmeric, cumin and soy sauce.
-Add the tofu to the skillet and cook on low heat for 10 mins, stirring often, until heated through.

Curried Corn (adapted from Moosewood New Classics)
1 c shallots- chopped
1 jalapeno- seeded and chopped
3 garlic cloves- minced
2 tbsp olive oil
4 c frozen corn
1 tbsp curry powder

The actual recipe calls for coconut milk. I omitted it because I didn't want to the corn to be over saturated with liquid going into the salad (read- I didn't have any). 

-warm the oil in a sauce pan, add the shallots and jalapeno and saute for 3 mins. Stir in the curry powder and saute until the spices darken, about another 3 mins.
-stir in the corn. Saute until heated, add salt and pepper to taste.

To assemble curried tofu and corn salad (a Hannah original (patent pending))
1 c quinoa

3 bell peppers- chopped

grape tomatoes- sliced in half

4 beets- chopped

-Put everything in a big bowl. Mix around. 

-season with salt, pepper, sriracha and curry powder to taste. 

I've been on a major RadioLab kick. 

I spend most of my commute listening to podcasts, but I've run into the unfortunate problem that sometimes Ira Flatow's soothing voice and dense topics on Science Friday puts me to sleep and I get too distracted by the various MTA characters/subway drama to really commit to an episode of This American Life. And the TAL stories often make me cry, which can be mildly embarrassing and unwanted attention getting at 10am on a Wednesday. 

RadioLab is the perfect medium, a mix of science and story, weird soundscapes that jolt one awake and make you stride that fine line between being intrigued and thinking too much. 

Plus, I'm in awe of the online community they are making through social media. 

And let's be honest, the only reason I listen to Science Friday is for the rare and priceless times when Ira F gets pissed off. 

Kimchi- the introduction

I was at my neighborhood grocery store (called Food Ranch and for some reason open for 24 hours, which is strange, no one in Forest Hills walks the streets after 10pm (not because it's dangerous, but because they're all in bed)) and noticed that they sold kimchi.

I'd never had kimchi before, never cooked with it, not quite sure what it was. But it was late, I was tired and thought to myself "ADVENTURES IN FOOD?!?"

So here is the low down:
Kimchi is a Korean fermented cabbage.
I've broken some cardinal rule by buying it instead of making my own, burying it in a glass jar and letting it ferment for years in the backyard.
Korean food tends not to be very vegetarian friendly.
Unless properly packaged, the kimchi juices will get EVERYWHERE.

Against these odds and through some crafty Internet research, I found some recipes for kimchi noodle salad and decided to try my own.

Kimchi and Soba Noodle Salad


10 oz kimchi- chopped (save the left over liquid).
1/2 head red cabbage- chopped
1 english cucumber- sliced into thin pieces
3 green onions- chopped
5 basil leaves- chopped
1/2 onion- chopped
1 package soba noodles- cooked
3 Tbsp braggs liquid aminos
3 tbsp sesame oil
3 tbsp rice vinegar
sesame seeds
cashews

-cook the noodles. Rinse in cold water.
-put the vegetables, oil, vinegar and braggs in a bowl. Mix around.
-add the noodles to the bowl, use your hands to mix it all together.
-garnish with sesame seeds and cashews

Couple of things:
You are going to have really rank breath after.
The salad gets better (or worse?) over time. More fermented, more juicy, more bad breath.
When handling kimchi, don't touch your eyes!
Legit, pack a mint. You're going to have really, really bad breath.
All in all, I'm pretty happy with this. I think I'll leave the kimchi handling to the pros, but this curiosity didn't kill me (this time).

I am way behind in music land. There is a ton of stuff that has come out lately that I've loved loved love. 

Instead of trying to play catch up and write about Norah Jones and Danger Mouse, Sara Watkins, Eliza Rickman or  Steel Wheels , I decided that this space of the Internet was better used talking about David Bowie!

This man can do no wrong. He marinates like tofu, he just gets better with age. 

My love for Mr. Bowie goes so far to include semi-embarrassing and totally awesome dance parties whenever my phone rings ("Oh You Pretty Things") to dressing up at the Goblin King from Labyrinth for Halloween (complete with 2 socks as stuffers). 

But seriously, a living artist who has a period classified as their neo-classicist era?! How can you not love that. 

I could listen to David Bowie for every event in my life. I'm going to walk down the aisle to "Suffragette City" (just to stick it to the man). 

This blog post is a paltry attempt to convey my love. I'm failing at that, so I leave you with this:

and this:

Never buy pre-made food again.

A nutritionist recently told me that it was easy to make your own garden burgers, soy links, vege sausages etc... and I believed her.

Never going back.

Chipotle Black Bean and Millet Burgers
1 c millet
2 cans black beans
1 c frozen corn
1 red onion
4 garlic cloves
4 dried Serrano chilies- Put them in hot water for 15 mins, then de-seed
4 Tbsp chopped cilantro
2 eggs

-Cook the millet. (bring 3 c of water to boil, add millet and let simmer for 30 mins. Fluff with fork).
-In a food processor, combine red onion and garlic. Process until chopped.
-Put 2 Tbsp olive oil in a pan. Saute onions, garlic and corn for about 5 mins.
-Put black beans, cilantro, chilies in the food processor. Process until smooth.
-In a large bowl, mix onion stuff, black bean stuff and millet.
-Make patties with your hands (if you don't know what a hamburger patty looks like...I can't help you).
-To Freeze- put parchment paper on a baking sheet. Put the patties on it. Freeze until they're solid, then you can put the millet hockey pucks in a bag and cook later.

-To cook- fry up in a pan, broil at high, grill (if you have one).

Here's my only issue.
The draw of pre-made vegetable sausages etc... is just that. They are pre-made by someone else. I don't have the time to swear off convenience foods. But I'm going to pretend I do for a little while.
I fear this "make all my own food" experiment may begin to go too far. Too far and too tasty.

ALSO,
I feel the need to name my food processor. I'll make dinner for whoever comes up with the best one. All I've got right now is Ralph or Otis.


ALABAMA SHAKES!!!
Totally my jams. Completely and utterly.
They've got major soul, major grit, major sound, but with a raw, homemade quality.
Listen to this album, they are going to be huge from now on, meaning they won't ever be this un-produced again.
Their album "Boys and Girls" (released in April) inspires "Dirty Dancing" esque moves in my kitchen. It's like Swayze is back from the grave.

Asparagus Slaw

Summer is just around the corner. 

I've never experienced a New York summer, but believe me, I've been warned and I live in fear. 

I'm prepping for the complete and utter rejection of any hot foods and building my cold foods list. 

I don't really like traditional coleslaw. too much mayo = no fun at all. 

But the food blogosphere is atwitter with new takes and updates on slaw. 

Here's my humble contribution

Asparagus Slaw

2 bunches asparagus

2 carrots

2 cucumbers

4 green onions, thinly sliced

3 tbsp tahini

2 tbsp cider vinegar

1 tbsp Braggs Liquid Aminos or soy sauce

1 lemon, juiced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tbsp parsley, minced

1 tsp raw honey 

2 tbsp unrefined sesame oil 

2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

Preparation:

-Boil a pot of water, wash the asparagus and snap off the woody ends. Blanch the asparagus (drop in the boiling water for 5-10 secs, remove and put in a bowl of ice water.

-Julienne or shred the asparagus, carrots and cucumber. Add in onions, toss. 

-Prep the dressing- whisk the tahini, Braggs, vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, parsley and honey. Whisk in oil. 

-Pour over the veges, toss to coat. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Let sit for 15-20 mins to get juicy. 

I really really liked this. There was just a tad too much juice, but that is the definition of a first world problem. 

Everyone (i.e. VH1 when it's on the TV at the gym) is talking about The Black Keys, so I finally broke down and gave their new-ish album, El Camino. 

They should be my jams. It's blues-rocky, it's dirty, dark and dance-able. 

But I'm really not digging them. 

Maybe I'm just too late to this bandwagon, maybe they remind me of Kings of Leon a little too much, maybe I've heard too many bands just like them, maybe I'm over the hipster caveman vibe (that's a lie, I'll never be over it) and maybe I'm not a air guitar kind of gal. 

I could spice things up with red pepper flakes... or with you.

And that's when food pick up lines took a weird cannibalistic turn. Game over. 

My parents spent 5 weeks in Thailand over this past winter, where among other exotic things, they took cooking classes.
They brought me back a scarf.
I'm not jealous... at all.

Yoga Steve then came to New York and tried to show me the ropes.
It turned out okay.
I think I'll just have to go to Thailand to learn for myself. The sacrifices I make for KDP.

Kitchen Sink Thai Stir Fry with Rice Noodles

You'll need:
1/2 yam- peeled and chopped
1 potato- chopped
handful of snap peas- washed
couple of bunches of bok choy- wash, chop off the ends so they're in single leaf form
1 inch ginger- peeled and minced
1 Serrano chili- remove the seeds and mince. DON'T TOUCH YOUR EYES.
4 garlic cloves- minced
1/2 head broccoli- chopped
1 red onion- chopped
handful of cilantro- chopped
2 tbsp Thai paste (depending on how spicy you want it)
red chili flakes- couple shakes
1 c vegetable broth
2 Tbsp Braggs Liquid Amino's
1 tsp corn starch
2 Tbsp sesame oil
8 oz tofu- marinated over night in braggs and Thai paste.
1 handful rice noodles- cooked 1/2 of the time listed on the package and rinsed in cold water

-Chop and prepare everything before you're ready to cook- wash and chop all vegetables, cook noodles, lay everything out within arms reach. Trust me.

-Mix vegetable broth, Braggs and cornstarch in a bowl, set aside

-Heat sesame oil in large wok over high heat. Add potato, yam, garlic, onion, broccoli, pepper, Thai paste and ginger in wok. Cook for 3 mins, stirring constantly so it doesn't burn.

-Add in the noodles and tofu, cook for about 2 mins

-Add bok choy and peas, cook for about 2 mins

-Pour in the vegetable broth mix, add water if there isn't enough. Cook until it thickens slightly, so it's a sauce, just a few minutes longer.

-Be warned, it's a sinus opener.

SHOW ME WHERE YOUR NOMS AT!

Val sent me this very text the other night:

"I know there is a shark on the cover art, but if you haven't already been listening to Dry The River's 'Shallow Bed' you need to. Right now." 

I am terrified of sharks, but very rarely do I disobey Val. 

Here's the backstory- they're an English folk rock band, formed in 2009, with a hardcore and punk background. This album was released on April 17th. 

Folk rock sometimes rubs me the wrong way. I have to be in the exact right mood. It can too slow and sad for everyday listening, too hard for a "sit in a hammock, drink PBR and cry" session, but folk rock can often make me want to lie on my living room floor and stare at the ceiling. 

But this isn't that. sort of. 

I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around Dry The River's solid and sweeping soundscape. In one moment it feels a little too whiney for my tastes, but I also can't stop listening. Their sound is pretty unique and tells strong, lyrical and sad stories.  

Val describes it as "civil war-y, but not so twangy." 

Epic and sweeping are the only words I can scramble for to describe their sound. 

I'm going to spend some time marinating with them. the more I listen, the more it grows on me. 

Sure, I want to stare at walls (or the rain) while listening, but there's nothing wrong with that. 

If I were a bettin' gal, I'd put some money down on these guys getting big. 

Here is a stripped down version of their song, BIBLE BELT (they explain why). Give it a whirl, then listen to the full version. It's very different, but each holds it's own.