12 posts tagged “food”
What's the one thing you're most neurotic about?
With so many neuroses to choose from, I consulted The Husband about this. With hardly a pause, he answered, "Ingredients." Seems I'm unusually paranoid about chemicals and food-like substances. Maybe it was all the trouble I had in college chemistry and biochem. I've even told my Oreo-loving son that he probably shouldn't eat anything he can't read.
What are your top five favorite cooking seasonings?
Submitted by skip.town.
- Kosher salt and fleur de sel
- Thyme - boring and basic, but I can't cook without it
- Ginger - so versatile it goes in cookies, soda, fish, chicken, and veggies
- Cardamom - makes me think of chai and holiday baking
- Fox Point Seasoning from Penzey's Spices - love it in scrambled eggs
What are the 10 foods you must have in your refrigerator and/or your kitchen cabinet?
Submitted by Carol.
Perfect timing, since it's time to go grocery shopping again...
- Milk - Strauss organic low-fat or nonfat; Claravale raw whole milk; sometimes Clover because, years ago, they sent me a thoughtful, intelligent reply to an email asking about perchlorate
- Organic omega-3 eggs from flax-fed, free-roaming chickens (ah, the imagery)
- Alvarado St. Bakery flax bread - even though the kids recently discovered white bread and think it's better
- Nutella, Rapunzel Choconut (when we can find it), or its runnier WF facsimile - E loves them all
- A whole chicken for roasting - usually whichever one is on sale at WF; always an easy dinner
- King Arthur flour - unbleached white and white whole wheat; I wish Trader Joe's carried the organic versions
- Aged manchego cheese (with quince paste, please!), Cotswald cheddar, or the WF cheese twists
- Ling Ling frozen potstickers - the big bag from Costco
- Gold Rush Kettle Corn - we're addicted
- Frog Hollow fruit of the week and baby carrots (the only veg E is eating these days)
What are your favorite ways to reduce, reuse & recycle?
Reduce - Opting for Sigg bottles instead of buying single-serve bottles of water. I know Nalgene bottles are so wilderness-chic, but the concerns about bisphenol-A (BPA) are worrisome, especially for the kids. Plus I'm a sucker for the cool Sigg designs. I just wish the tops were easier to clean, though.
Also, choosing locally grown produce reduces demand for transportation (read: fuel consumption, pollution). In the spring, we joined the Frog Hollow "Happy Child" CSA and look forward to picking up a box of locally grown organic fruit from a neighbor's porch each Friday.
Reuse - Scratch paper from the office is transformed into art and used for scissor practice. Old business envelopes are great fun, too. I wonder if the kids need to sign an NDA?
Recycle - Always! I feel lucky to live in a city with a great curbside recycling program and recycling bins in many of the parks. I want to compost but just haven't gotten around to doing it.
- What kinds of things could you spend a Sunday afternoon doing?
Shopping, reading, baking, biking, swimming, making ice-cream, watching sea lions (most likely to happen) - What kinds of toppings do you like on your sundae?
Chopped nuts, preferably toasted almonds or pistachios. Plus banana slices and super-dark gourmet chocolate sauce. Yum... - Name something yellow in your sight at this moment.
I never thought I'd carry a yellow purse, but it's been one of my better impulse buys. - What's your favorite television channel?
Despite the gazillion cable channels, I only watch Fox (House and 24) and ABC (Gray's Anatomy and Desperate Housewives). I used to watch American Idol, too - until Chris Daughtry got voted off. S watches the Disney Channel (recorded episodes of Little Einsteins and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse) while I take a shower - yes, I admit to using the TV as a babysitter. - Show us something fuzzy.
Who or what do you really love?
Even though I pretend to be a wine snob, I'm a total sucker for cocktails - and I'm so glad my date is over his Scotch thing now. Gotta love a guy who's comfortable ordering pink drinks. In the photo, Tim's drink is the Cherry Cola (right), which isn't quite pink but more that trendy plum color that's going around. Mine is the Tamarind Sidecar, which gets my pick for the evening's best. The bar table in the center of the dining room is underlit, which makes everything look a little cooler. (Can't believe I got this photo on my Casio point-and-shoot with the flash off...)
We also had Lavender Lemon Drops from the adjacent Redwood Room, famous for its subtly changing electronic artwork. Unfortunately the lavender was virtually undetectable, making the drink decidedly unspecial and too sugary.
Dinner was the Tunapica appetizer, Palomillo of Marinated Lamb, Wokked Chinese Long Beans, and Lobster Boniata Mash (yes, that's lobster mashed potatoes, and, mmmmm, it was surprisingly good). I thought the lamb was such a dud that we joked about it in pig latin. But the Tunapica was quite tasty and probably not too hard to make at home for a party. I'll probably order the seared tuna entrée next time we find ourselves at ADC.
Portions are large meant to be shared, so the food turns out to be a reasonable value. The food and service weren't quite as great as it used to be back in the day, but I guess few things (including me) are.
Later in the day, I noticed Barclay was loungier than usual, and then I found the evidence. He'd stolen a big zip-lock bag full of croissants from Douce France, left over from the morning. Can't say I blame him. Fortunately I stored Sharon's chocolate-orange cupcakes in something more dog-proof. I'm so glad that dogs don't have thumbs.
Coconut Cream-Cheese Cupcakes
In a stand mixer, cream together until smooth and fluffy, about 6 minutes at medium speed:
Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, sift together the dry ingredients and set aside:2 sticks of butter, softened and cut into chunks
1 8 oz.-pkg. of cream cheese
2-1/4 c. sugar
Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the creamed mixture. Then on medium speed, beat in:3-1/4 c. cake flour (Softasilk)
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl again. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients roughly in thirds, alternating with ~1/3 c. scoops from:5 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla-bean paste or vanilla extract
1 tsp. almond extract
Lastly, scrape again and fold in at low speed:1 c. whole-milk plain yogurt (Strauss)
Scoop into ungreased cupcake liners - this recipe makes at least 24 full, standard-sized cupcakes. Bake at 320°F (convection) for 25-30 minutes or until tops are a light, golden brown. When cool, frost with cream-cheese frosting* and dip in the remainder of the shredded coconut. For Valentine's Day, it might be fun to tint the coconut with a few drops of red food-coloring; just put into a zip-lock bag and shake.One-half to two-thirds of a 14-oz. bag of sweetened shredded coconut
* If you don't have a favorite cream-cheese frosting recipe, try beating together: an 8-oz. pkg. cream cheese, 1 stick of butter, 1 tsp. vanilla, and half a box or so of sifted powdered sugar. You could substitute almond extract for vanilla, or use a big squeeze of lemon juice and some fresh lemon zest instead. Double the cream-cheese and increase the powdered sugar if you like more frosting. Just make sure the cream-cheese and butter are a bit soft, and remember to sift the powdered sugar.
Neighborhood
Explore friends, family, friends & family, or entire neighborhood.
