Oh hai!

Hi KDP-ers (Mom), 

It's been a while....

So, heads up, I moved to Romania. You can read more about my travels here. 

Here in Bucharest, I live in an attic with a half kitchen, so for the past 4 months, I've made all meals with a microwave, toaster, coffee pot and water heater. 

Therefore for the past 4 months, I've eaten a lot of: popcorn, bread, hummus and raw vegetables. 

Just recently I figured out how to steam broccoli in the microwave. It's a whole new freakin' world. 

Microwave Steamed Broccoli

Take your puny, not sharp, trick knife and hack at the head of broccoli until it's in semi-smaller pieces. 

Put the broccoli trees into a too small bowl. 

Fill the bowl with the most water it'll fit without spilling. 

Put it in the microwave. Refill with the water your clumsy ass spilled. 

Put a plate on top of the broccoli bowl. 

Cook for 2 minutes. 

Turn all of the broccoli over, so the dried sides can sit in the water. 

Cook for another 2 minutes. 

Drain the water. Gently place some cut up cheese on top. You can half ass it even more and not melt it, as seen here. 

Bring on a new wave of KDP in 2014!

Watch Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations Romania episode for a better idea about Romanian food. (Side note- he pretty much hated the country, I'm having a better time). 

There is too much good music happening right now, but I'm currently in my "It's winter and I sort of miss home" phase and my constant "sit in a hammock, listen to country music, drink PBR and cry" mood, which together makes the completely radical playlist of a lot of sad (usually) guys, playing acoustic instruments, like:

David Wax Museum's Everything is Saved

Chris Thile's Bach: Sonatas and Partitas, Vol 1

Tom Brosseau's Grass Punks

Noam Pikelny's Noam Pikelny plays Kenny Baker plays Bill Monroe

Inside Lleywn Davis soundtrack (or the best reason to never date a musician) 

The Mipso Trio's Long Long Gone

and round it all up with 

Keaton Henson. 

And, in keeping with the Romanian culture, this: 

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. 

That time I stole tofu scramble

I worked at an unnamed vegan/vegetarian cafe in NYC for a grand total of 2 weeks and in that time I managed to wreck havoc on the West Village coffee drinkers. 

I'm not the best barista. 

I just really don't care about how you take your coffee, because I'm trying my hardest to not burn the shit out of my hand on the steam wand. 

Did I accidentally brush your scone with my un-gloved hand? Oops. 

And my latte art looked like someone took a very circular poo. 

Long story short, baristing wasn't my calling. 

But said vegan/vegetarian cafe had a awesome tofu scramble recipe. 

A recipe that I might have stolen. 

Tofu Scramble (from an unnamed source)

You'll need:

2 14 oz blocks of extra-firm tofu

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 small onion- chopped

1 small green pepper- chopped

1 small red pepper- chopped

1/2 tsp ground coriander

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1 1/2 tsp ground tumeric

15 oz can black beans

1/4 c cilantro- chopped

Salt and pepper

4-6 tortillas (or how many scrambles you want to eat...)

Things to put on top: salsa, avocado, cheese, green peppers, hot sauce, sour cream... the options are limitless. 

You'll need to:

- Press the tofu. 

- Smash the tofu with a fork. 

- Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add onions and peppers; cook until soft, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in coriander and cumin; cook with fragrant, about a minute. Throw in the tofu, tumeric and beans. Cook until heated through, about 2 minutes, stir in cilantro and season with salt and pepper. 

-Serve with tortillas and garnishes. 

I can never show my face in that cafe again. 

Guys, I have to talk about the new David Bowie album. 

I seriously love me some Bowie, so much so that I dressed up as him for Halloween. It was awesome. 

This album though? I get it, he's on a very slow roll. He's David Bowie and can do no wrong, but The Next Day really just makes me miss his cutting edge days, when he was trying his hardest to push boundaries. This album feels like his silent surrender into aging rocker-dom, a genre I refuse to place Bowie in. I like that his music is aging with him and he's not trying to squeeze his 66 year old body into skin tight leather suits anymore, but this album sent me into a 70s Bowie phase and that's a land I'd like to stay in. 

In the video for "The Stars Are Out Tonight" he wears a yellow Mr. Rogers cardigan. 

Bowie in a cardigan!?! I just... I can't...


On a completely unrelated note, KDP is now two years old and has 100 posts!
Thanks for reading.
(seriously, thanks). 

Spinach with Chickpeas and Fried eggs

You'll need:
3 Tbsp Olive oil
4 garlic cloves- sliced
8 c spinach- chopped
salt and pepper
1 c onion- chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
2 15 oz cans chickpeas- rinsed
5 canned whole tomatoes- crushed
3 c vegetable broth
4 large eggs

-Heat 1 Tbsp oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat, add 1 garlic clove and stir until golden brown (1-2 mins), throw in spinach and salt and pepper and cook until sort of wilted, but still green (2-3 mins). Remove from heat, wipe down pan.
-Heat 2 Tbsp oil in the same pot. Add in onion and garlic, cook until onion is softened (3-4 mins).
- Add cumin and paprika, stir until it's toasty and fragrant. Add in chickpeas and tomatoes, cook until the tomatoes begin to caramelize and the chickpeas begin to brown (8-10 mins). Add 3 cups broth, bring to a simmer, reduce heat to medium and simmer. Crush some of the chickpeas and let simmer until the sauce is thickened (15-20 mins). Fold in spinach, simmer for awesome flavor-melding, add more broth if it gets too thick (8-10 mins).

-Egg frying: Pour oil into a heavy skillet until it's 1/8" thick, heat until the oil begins to shimmer. Crack 2 eggs into the hot oil, spaced apart. Use a large spoon and baste the egg whites until they are set and lacy, about 2-3 mins (you will be burned, accept it). Season with salt and pepper and transfer to a plate. Do the same with the other two eggs.
-Put the chickpeas in a bowl, put the egg on top. Eat with crusty bread while nursing second degree burns. It was worth it.

-Courtesy of Bon Appetit

Currently jamming to:
Josh Ritter is sad.
It's hard to tell with such upbeat tunes, but the guy is feeling ALL the emotions in this album (his response to his divorce).
Josh Ritter is also super understanding and forgiving.
And I hate him a little bit for that.
I agree that "Joy To You Baby" might be the best song of his career.

The album drops on March 5th. Check it out... maybe while sitting in a hammock, drinking PBR and crying... just maybe.

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.

Panzella and an apology

Dear KDP fans (Mom),
How has it been so long? Where did this year go?
Seriously, many apologies.
I think I blinked for too long in May and it turned into October.
Lots of work has been happening, meaning not much cooking or sleeping or laundry. It's been awesome, but in the month of October, the only meals I've made are: oatmeal, hummus sandwiches, rice, omelette's and polenta.
This is going to change soon. I'm taking 2 weeks off in November for a Northeast roadtrip and spending a week in Alaska. Expect meals from the road (Tally's also very good at oatmeal) and Juneau cooking (MOOSE!)
In the mean time, here is something that kind of looks like cat vomit. But it tastes good, I promise.

xo
Hannah

Panzella (or Tomato and Bread salad- from Bon Appetit)

2 lbs tomatoes
1/2 c olive oil
3 tbsp red wine vinegar
4 garlic cloves- minced
salt and pepper
1 loaf stale bread- cut into 1" slices
1 red bell pepper
1 yellow bell pepper
2 jalapenos
1/2 c black olives
1 large bunch of basil- leaves trimmed

-Peel the tomatoes- bring a pot of water to boil, use a pairing knife to cut X's in the bottom of the tomatoes. Put the tomatoes in the water and cook until the skin peels back, about 30 seconds. Pull them out, put them in a bowl of ice water. Peel, core and crush in a bowl.

-Put the olive oil, vinegar, garlic and salt and pepper in with the tomatoes. Mix.
-Add the bread and let it get all mushy and soak up the liquid. Let sit for 30 minutes.

- char the peppers and jalapenos- put under the broiler until black. Transfer to a ziplock bag and let sit for 15 mins. Peel, core and mince (don't touch your eyes).
-Add the peppers to the bread mix, massage with your hands until everything is incorporated and you are thoroughly grossed out (bread should be broken down). Add in the basil. Let sit at room temp for an hour and drizzle with olive oil before serving.

Music-
I've been really rocking out to Kings Of Convenience. 
But by rocking out, I mean swaying back and forth slowly.
They're from Norway and their listening palette is: delicate, subtle, sorrowful and calming (I've been spending too much time around beer).

Low key, nice rainy day Saturday music. Another solid Spotify find (I promised Spotify my first born for good music, and for more songs available off-line).

But once again, I look up their music videos and am derailed by this gem:

Guess who has two thumbs and some sweet new dance moves. 

A package deal

hardy har har

I'm cooking things in parchment paper.
It's the classier version of hobo packets, which can be found here.

Tomato Basil Sauce with Polenta (from Bon Appetit)

5 Tbsp olive oil
1 polenta log- cut into rounds
2 lbs cherry tomatoes
7 garlic cloves- peeled and sliced
1 shallot- chopped
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
8 basil sprigs

-Preheat oven to 425. Brush a baking sheet with oil and put polenta rounds on it.


















- Chop half of the tomatoes in a food processor. Cut the remaining tomatoes in half. Combine all the tomatoes in a bowl with 4 tbsp oil, garlic, shallot, salt, pepper and basil. Toss.















- Use 3 big sheets of parchment paper (don't use foil, it doesn't like tomatoes). Spoon the tomato mix onto the parchment paper (all 3 should be layered) and fold the parchment over the mix, crimp the edges to form a sealed packet.

- Throw the packets in the oven on a baking sheet. Throw the polenta in too, turn the rounds once until they are lightly brown and the tomatoes are saucy, 25-30 mins. (It's possible to cook both of these on a grill too). Spoon the tomato sauce over the polenta.

Gourmet hobo packs are well accompanied with the new Avett Brothers album, "The Carpenter", which officially drops on September 11th (it's on NPR first listen). 

If you ever feel the urge the ditch everything and ride the rails (moving up by bucket list), you'll be eating a lot of hobo packets and singing the blues that are on this album. 

This one isn't really a "sit in a hammock, drink pbr and cry" CD. Avett Bros are breaking out of their genre!

But here is one for old times sake:

So many beards. I just want to rub them. 

Wild Rice and Mango salad

Garden update- Basil sucks and nobody likes it. 

Wild Rice and Mango Salad (Adapted from Bon Appetit)

1 orange
1/4 c fresh lime juice (about 3 limes)
2 tbsp olive oil
2 c wild rice
Kosher salt
2 ripe mangoes- peeled, pitted and cut into cubes
1 c fresh cilantro leaves
1 c chopped red onion
1/2 c dry roasted peanuts
6 scallions- sliced
2 jalapenos- seeded and minced

- Remove the peel and white pith from oranges. Over a bowl, use a small knife to cut between the membranes and release the orange segments into the bowl (yes, it should be that frustrating and hard). Whisk in 1/4 c lime juice and oil and set aside.

- Bring rice and 2 3/4 c water to boil, season with salt. Cover, reduce heat and let simmer for 25 mins, until the water is absorbed. Remove from heat, place a folded dish towel between the pot and lid (to soak up more water) and let sit for for 15 minutes. Spread out the rice on a baking sheet, drizzle with the orange dressing, season with salt and let it cool.
- Put mangoes and everything else in a bowl, add in the rice and toss. Season with salt, lime juice and more cilantro.

So many new albums to check out! I am NPR First Listen's biggest and most thankful fan.
New Avett Brothers- coming up
New Cat Powers- on my play list
New Deerhoof- on the playlist
New Stars- playlisted

And I'm currently listening to the New Animal Collective, 'Centipede Hz'.
If you are into Animal Collective, this holds up with their typical stuff. A little jagged, a little disjointed, discombobulated, at times a little off putting. This one has a little more of a rock quality, rather than making a sound scape. It feels more like an album than a soundtrack.
I dig it, it comes out on September 4th. I'm buying it.
And I am so excited to get my sweaty dance on during their NY tour stop.

It's like someone had a severe acid trip while watching Never Ending Story. 

Indian Style Noodle Salad

Note to Self- write down when you experiment, so that you don't have to try to remember the ingredients a month later when the blog is posted.... 

Indian Style Soba Noodle Salad with Baked Tofu

ALSO

LOOK WHAT I DID!
<----------


(and by me, I mean the sun and science and stuff)
















Indian Baked Tofu (From Moosewood)

Marinade:
1/2 c greek yogurt
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp curry powder
1 tsp tumeric
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp garam masala
juice of 1 lemon
1 package of tofu

-Press the tofu for 15 minutes.
-Combine everything else in a bowl.
-cut the tofu into cubes, put in the marinade.
Marinate in the fridge for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.
-preheat oven to 425. Oil a baking sheet and lay out the tofu cubes.
-Bake for 25-30 mins, turning the tofu halfway.

Raita Sauce (someone else invented this)
1 1/2 c greek yogurt
2 tbsp olive oil
1 cucumber- grated
fresh mint
fresh cilantro
salt

-mix everything in a bowl. Easy peasy.

Noodle Salad (a Hannah creation)

1 packet of soba noodles- cooked

Red Bell pepper- sliced

Snap Peas

Cilantro

Carrots- sliced

Green onions

Cucumber- sliced

Baked Tofu

Raita

-Cook, drain and rinse the soba noodles.
-Take the raita, pour over the noodles and use your hands to massage the yogurt into the noodles, make sure everything is covered.
-add in the vegetables and keep mixing with your hands. Season with salt and pepper.
-Once everything is well mixed, lay the tofu on top and sprinkle the cilantro over.

Currently jamming to:
Dan Deacon's "America" on NPR First Listen

It's a multi listen, everyone has their own personal opinion about it kind of track.
So do it.
Listen to the entire thing in one sitting, devote some time to it and get back to me.
But think about split personalities and American culture clash when you do.

The album is officially out on August 27th. I'm putting it on my buy list.