Chocolate Toffee

Chocolate Toffee
Originally uploaded by love_yellow

One more holiday treat to share... my friend Robin made her family's recipe for chocolate toffee. I hadn't eaten this kind of toffee in a long time so I didn't even know that it could be so good.

I always thought toffee was kind of hard and chewy and stuck to your teeth, but this was so fresh that it was not hard and sticky at all. I could taste the fresh butter and toasted almonds. It was quite addicting and I'm embarrassed to admit that I ate half of it in one day.

Because it's a secret recipe I cannot share it, but I was hoping to inspire someone to make or bake gifts rather than buy. Consumable gifts are practical and if they're made/baked by you, it's a lot more personal.

I was also delighted by the care and thoughtfulness of the way she wrapped her home baked gift. She included a couple of cookie cutters - the double heart for me and a guitar shaped one for my guitarist husband. How could I not photograph it and share it with everyone. Thank you Robin!

Holiday Baked Goodies

I got the most amazing and delicious assortment of baked goodies this holiday from my generous friends. Recipes for some of them can be found in the links.

Italian Biscotti and Amaretti - the Biscotti baked by my friend Michael's Italian mom, and the Amaretti by my friend Maria's Italian mom... so they are authentic. I was compelled to make myself an espresso (macchiato) before I sat down to enjoy these treats. Grazie mille signore!

Chocolate Chip Cookie - from my friend Theresa who is Baker Extraordinaire! I once hosted a holiday cookie exchange where we did a tasting and rating, and her cookies won first place out of 12 cookies. She's had this secret recipe for 20+ years and has brought the cookies to many parties over the years - one of my favorites.

Cranberry Bliss Bars - I'm not the number one fan of dried cranberries but in this recipe it works for me because it combines well with the cream cheese frosting. My friend Edith baked these and she says this is a Starbucks recipe. 

Double Chocolate Cheesecake - also made by Theresa (Baker Extraordinaire) who got the recipe came from Epicurious. She says "I didn't do the ganache glaze and I used half bittersweet and half semi-sweet chocolate. I also crushed some heath bar candy and sprinkled it on the crust." This was my husband's favorite - he's a cheesecake-aholic.

Peanut Butter Blossoms - also baked by my friend Edith, these are a classic Hershey's recipe using the Kisses chocolate. Peanut butter in cookies is always a hit with me and combining it with chocolate is a winner.

Christmas Dinner Menu

I hope everyone has been enjoying the December festivities so far. It's been a pretty low key December for me which I am happy about - it's been nice to have less to do. I think the weak economy has cut party budgets so instead of big fancy parties I've been seeing friends for drinks or the movies. Gift exchanges were very minimal with friends and in my family we draw names so we only have to buy one adult gift (maximum $50 is the rule) - the children each get gifts, but nothing extravagant. I prefer a scaled down holidays because the focus is on the people and relationships rather than the stuff.

Food is one area where I like to put some effort in because for me it's enjoyable and is a key part of any celebration - the sharing of meals (breaking bread) bonds people together, and therefore promotes the relationship aspect of the holidays.

I  hosted my family's Christmas lunch, but it was a smaller affair than Thanksgiving was. I didn't attempt anything fancy because we wanted to keep it simple and casual.

APPETIZERS
Lumpia (Filipino egg rolls made by my Mom)
 - a favorite with everyone in the family, even the non-Filipinos so everyone is happy to have it again; one of several items repeated from our Thanksgiving menu.

MEAT/MAIN
Grilled ribeye steaks seasoned with just a little salt and pepper, then topped with course red Hawaiian sea salt when it came off the grill
Prawns, red bell pepper and potatoes "stew" (made by my Mom)

SIDES/SALAD
Salad of mixed baby greens, avocado, cucumber, feta cheese, toasted sliced almonds mixed in olive oil and balsamic vinegar
Brussels sprouts with bacon
Brown rice (my father likes to have rice with steak)
Roasted fingerling potatoes, sweet potatoes & carrots w/ garlic & garden herbs tossed in olive oil

DESSERT
Ginataan (a delicious Filipino dessert which my Dad made)
 - a thick coconut milk base soup with tubers (taro, sweet potato), mochi balls, plantains and jackfruit
L.A. Burdick hazelnut chocolate orange cake (sent by my good friend from the east coast)
 - a wonderful flourless cake with a thick coat of hazelnut chocolate

DRINKS
Red wine - Carmenere (brought by my sister)
Mineral water
Coffee/tea

Yes, another repeat from Thanksgiving, fingerling potatoes and sweet potatoes tossed in olive oil, salt, pepper and fresh herbs from my garden. It's so easy and everyone loves it, why not? I roast them in the pan for about 40 minutes at 375 degrees F.


The Brussels sprouts dish is one of my favorites. I didn't add the chestnuts (as I did for Thanksgiving) because I couldn't find the pre-roasted package from Trader Joe's. I remember buying the last box in November and I guess they didn't restock it.



Don't boil the Brussels sprouts... I see many recipes which require you to cook/boil them before cooking on the pan but it just gets overcooked. Just cut them up in quarters and sautee them in olive oil and the pre-cooked bacon. I also add about a quarter cup of water because the moisture helps to cook them faster. Once the Brussels sprouts start to brown, they are pretty much done. Just add a little sprinkle of salt and black pepper once it's all cooked, but remember that the bacon is salty so you don't need to add much salt at the end.

Hazelnut Chocolate Orange Cake from L.A. Burdick of N.H.

My very sweet friend who lives on the east coast came across this cake while reading about it in the New York Times article Guide to Mail-Order Foods several weeks ago. She knows my husband and I are chocoholics so this was truly a lovely and thoughtful gift, and everyone at the Christmas table thoroughly enjoyed it. The orange and hazelnut cake was generously frosted with gianduja - one of my favorite flavors which always makes me think of Italy. Thank you Dear!  :-*

White Earl Grey Tea Break

Tea break
Originally uploaded by love_yellow

It's cold today so for my mid-morning snack I had some tea in my handle-less cup so it could keep my hands warm.

The Earl Grey white tea went nicely with a small piece of persimmon fruit. It was just what I needed to give me a little energy boost to take me to lunch.

I got this wonderful white tea from my sister and when I first looked at the packaging I wondered whether flavoring such a delicate tea who be a good idea. The flavor is not as strong as a Earl Grey black tea, but it's still quite good and refreshing. I love it with some sweet fruit.

From the Tao of Tea's web site, this is how they describe their White Earl Grey:

Introduction: Made only from the newly sprouted ‘buds’ of the tea plant. These buds have silvery white hair ‘down’ that provide a smooth, honey texture to the brew. In making white tea, the buds are dried in direct sun with minimal oxidaztion to maintain a high level of anti-oxidants, known to strengthen the immune system.

High Grade Organic White Tea
Although, there are several types of white teas, we choose only the highest grade of ‘Silver Needles’, a fine tea from China for this blend.

Calabria Bergamot
Reggio di Calabria in Southern Italy is the native growing area for 'Citrus Bergamia' Bergamot.
Its arrival in Calabria is shrouded in mystery, and even though it grows elsewhere, only in this area does it give us the essential oil popularily used to make Earl Grey tea. The oil is also widely used for aromatherapy treatments and is known to have antiseptic and anti-bacterial properties.

Small Batch Blending
We use a small batch process to blend the steam distilled organic Bergamot essential oil and organic white tea. This helps maintain an even flavor profile, often ignored by large mechanical processes.
Flavor Profile: Fragrant, citrus, cooling aroma with a light, delicate, lingering sweetness.

Ingredients: 100% Organic White Tea, Organic Bergamot Essence

Certified Organic by: Quality Assurance International (QAI)

Color my fridge with vintage Pyrex - BEFORE

BEFORE - prep'd & ready to go
Originally uploaded by love_yellow

This post is for fans of colorful vintage kitchenware, especially vintage Pyrex. If you're old enough, you may remember your mother or grandmother using some of these pieces in their kitchens.

Here's my refrigerator on the day BEFORE Thanksgiving - all my food prepped and ready to go for Thanksgiving day.

Seeing the colors and patterns makes me happy when I open my fridge. I somewhat randomly stack these dishes and the different combinations of colors or patterns is like creating a colorful painting. I say "somewhat randomly" because they are stacked based on where they fit best.

Continued... on my next post, how the inside of my fridge looked on the day AFTER Thanksgiving.

Color my fridge with vintage Pyrex - AFTER

AFTER - leftovers
Originally uploaded by love_yellow

Refrigerator is filled with leftovers ready to be consumed.

Many of the same dishes from BEFORE but stacked again in a different way to create a different "painting."

If you're still reading then you may possibly be interested in how and why I acquired all this vintage Pyrex from the 1950s-1970s. 


COLLECTING VINTAGE PYREX
It all started a few years ago when I was helping my parents clean out their garage and I came across my Mom's old Pyrex pieces that she was saving and hoping to give to me and my sisters. Aah... the nostalgia and memories of using the dishes from when I was a kid. It brought me back to a different time in my life, perhaps when things were simpler.

UNIQUE DESIGNS
The designs from that era are fun and kind of whimsical, relative to the seriousness and "sophistication" of the stuff that's out there at the Williams-Sonomas and Sur La Tables of the world. Not that I don't lust after the cool stuff in those shops, but I really was craving something different that I don't see in those shops. Everything is so neutral or Tuscany or French Country or contemporary sans soul - it's all nice but ubiquitous which = not exciting me. Yes, I have a lot of neutral stuff in my cupboards but that is why I need vintage Pyrex... to add some "pop" as they say (whoever THEY are).

In general I am drawn to the designs and patterns from the 50s, 60s and 70s (like Marimekko) and my current favorite textile and housewares designers (like Orla Kiely) are also inspired by the designs of that time as well. You may have noticed some Marimekko and Orla Kiely items in my other photos. Isn't retro "in" right now?

JUNK?
If you're still reading because you're wondering why on earth I would be interested in such tacky old junk... well I would love to convince you that these pieces can be combined nicely as accent pieces with more contemporary or classic or neutral pieces. There are some fun designs that are fun to bring to potlucks and when they stand out on the table I get questions about where the dish comes from.

After taking home the pieces from my Mom's garage collection I fell in love as I was hand washing them. Soon after I found myself at garage sales and on eBay looking for good deals on barely used vintage Pyrex. I also found a Flicker group called Pyrex Love where I found vintage Pyrex collector soul mates, which of course spurred my desire to collect more pieces than I can actually use. I've even swapped dishes with of few of my mates across the country, putting a big ding on carbon footprint score (yikes!).

RE-USING OLD STUFF IS GOOD FOR THE PLANET, RIGHT?
How did I justify this? Because I was RE-USING them, an environmentalist's/conservationist's excuse to collect... I saved them from going into landfills... I'm lowering my carbon footprint? Plus I was saving money by not buying the fancy new stuff and the fancy shops. I really do use them a lot and in fact I started a Flickr group called Pyrex in Action for photos where people are actually USING their vintage Pyrex. My friends and I had a potluck retro themed dinner party for our friend's birthday who was born in the mid-century era - we brought dishes in our vintage Pyrex and it was a blast.

DURABLE AND PRACTICAL
They really are so practical to use - the vintage Pyrex are the hardest working pieces in my kitchen. They're excellent for baking and they're fun to use as prep bowls. The only small issue is that because they the dishes are 40-50 years old, I have to hand wash them to maintain the bright colors and patterns. But it's worth it!  :-)

Macadamia, panko and furikake crusted salmon

Crusted salmon
Originally uploaded by love_yellow

The last of the summer's stash of wild salmon came out of the freezer this week and was baked with a crust of panko, macadamia and Japanese rice seasoning, also called furikake.

Here's wikipedia's definition of furikake:

"Furikake (振り掛け / ふりかけ?) is a dry Japanese condiment meant to be sprinkled on top of rice. It typically consists of a mixture of dried and ground fish, sesame seeds, chopped seaweed, sugar, salt, and monosodium glutamate. Other flavorful ingredients such as katsuobushi (sometimes indicated on the package as bonito), salmon, shiso, egg, powdered miso, vegetables, etc. are often added to the mix.

Furikake is often brightly colored and flaky. It can have a slight fish or seafood flavoring, and is sometimes spicy. It can be used in Japanese cooking for pickling foods for onigiri, or rice balls."

How it ended up in my pantry...
Yes, MSG is a no-no in my household... but I got addicted to this after babysitting my 4-year old nephew, who loves to eat rice seasoned with this stuff, so I'm making a small exception here. It was the only way he would eat the brown rice - and if you're a mom, you know how difficult it can be to get your kids to eat so you make exceptions every once in a while right? After feeding my nephew and eating with him for a week, I was hooked too and ended buying some when my sister and I visited the Japanese store.

I don't eat rice very often so my jar of furikake seasoning is getting close to expiring. I hate to waste food so that's how I ended up using this seasoning in my salmon crust. Plus I like how it adds some color to the crust, makes it look more appetizing.

Crusted with macadamia, panko and black sesame seeds

I've also used black sesame seeds to make my crust look more interesting and it gives it a nice flavor too. My husband and I cook/eat so much salmon throughout the summer season that I have to find different ways to prepare it. 9 out of 10 times we just throw it on the grill seasoned with just salt, white pepper and dill or sometimes I spice it up or marinate it. But when the weather gets colder I'm more inclined to turn on the oven - that's when I can experiment with making a crust.

Blue potatoes

Blue potatoes
Originally uploaded by love_yellow

On the outside they look like a deep purple color. Why are some dark inside but some are white inside? It's interesting and beautiful. Nature is a remarkable thing.

I used these potatoes to make an omlette with red bell pepper and onions. I was so hungry I forgot to take a photo of the final product. The primary colors of red, yellow and blue made it nice to look at and fun to eat.

Tapioca pearls

Tapioca pearls
Originally uploaded by love_yellow

When I picked up the little 6-ounce box of tapioca I didn't believe it actually made 17 servings as it said on the box. I had 11 people for dinner and I wanted to make sure to have enough so I bought 3 boxes, just in case. I hate running out to get last minute ingredients, especially during holiday season. Well sure enough the one little 6-ounce box did indeed make MANY servings.

The recipe on the back of this box called for coconut milk (rather than regular milk, I used light coconut milk) which I was happy about because I was planning to top it with some Asian fruit. I used turbinado sugar (instead of granulated white sugar), which gave it a nice flavor.

The only thing I would change on the recipe is to decrease the water. Too much water made the consistency more soupy than I was expecting. I wanted a pudding-like texture, so next time I'm going to add only 1/2 or 3/4 of the water. Luckily I had a tapioca powder (by the same company) so it was easy to thicken with that. But I had to wait until it was half cooled before I can determine what the final consistency was going to be, never having made tapioca before. So I had to re-heat the soup to add the thickener - reheating something always makes me nervous because you never know what's going to happen.

So now I know how to work with tapioca and I'm looking forward to making it again.

Easy dip with feta & cottage cheese

Feta & cottage cheese dip
Originally uploaded by love_yellow

Here's a very easy and quick recipe for a dip to go with raw veggies. I never measure anything that I make up myself so the measurements here are approximately what I think I used. Please adjust the amounts to your taste.

1 1/2 cups of low fat cottage cheese
1/4 cup (or more) of finely chopped feta cheese
1 t. finely chopped fresh oregano or marjoram
1/4 t. black pepper

Mix it all up and it makes a nice dip for carrots, celery, red bell pepper and other veggies. Remember that feta cheese is very salty so you won't need to add more salt.

Verjus

The other day I received an email from my friend Deb announcing that she has redesigned the web site of Kiger Family Vineyards - she and her husband are the owners.

Having worked with her as a fellow marketeer, I felt I had a duty to click to her site to review it and provide helpful feedback, which I did, but found myself drawn into the story on the web site about their "verjus".

What is verjus you ask? From the KFV site:



Verjus: (vair-zhoo)

1. the tart, fresh, non-fermented juice of unripe
wine grapes. From the French, vert (green) + jus (juice); sometimes called verjuice

2. A true culinary delight

I asked Deb what it tastes like and I pasted below her email response:

"The verjus tastes a little like very tart lemonade. There's some sweetness in it (at the time of green thinning, the fruit is at about 16 degrees brix, compared to the 26+ brix levels found in grapes ripe enough to pick for wine.

From wikipedia: In the food/beverage industry, the term Brix is used to describe the approximate amount of sugars in fruit juices, wine, soft drinks.  For fruit juices, one degree Brix is about 1-2% sugar by weight.  This usually correlates well with perceived sweetness.  As the Brix reading increases so does the perceived sweetness of fruit, fruit juices, etc.)

So you don't drink it straight up. It is very acidic like lemon juice and vinegar, but has enough sweetness to lend a little to the food or drink. Sometimes I pour a little in sparkling water for a refreshing drink. Again, it has no alcohol because you prevent fermentation from taking place."

All she had to do was mention "like a tart lemonade" and you know I became even more intrigued. It's so interesting to learn about things that go on at the vineyard that aren't directly related to wine. I can't wait to make a trip to Sonoma Valley to pick up the bottle she has so kindly set aside for me!

Check out the verjus story on their site in which Deb describes what "green-thinning" is, and to see other fun pictures about the process. Or visit http://www.kigerwine.com/Home.html to learn about which wineries use their grapes and or to find out other fun activities happening at their vineyard.

Deb and her friend Tim unloading the grape clusters that will make the verjus. Photo credits: Debi Wallstrom

Meyer lemons now in season

Can you see the difference in color? See how much deeper the color of the Meyer lemons (left) is, almost yellow-orange, compared to the Eureka lemons (right)?

Yesterday I was at my friend's house who has a Meyer lemon tree abounding with ripening fruit. The branch pictured below is just one of many that practically has more fruit than leaves - it always amazes me when I see trees producing such a copious amount of fruit.

I was so happy that she shared some with me and that there are plenty more that will ripen over the next 3-4 months... which gives me an excuse to visit her more often.  :-)  Hopefully the weather cooperates - a cold front is coming and if we go into many days in a row freezing temperatures she will likely lose most of her lemons.

I love Meyer lemons - it's honey-like flavor is much sweeter than regular lemons. Really juicy too - you don't need to squeeze very hard and lots of juice comes pouring out. I'm guessing they're not cheap at the supermarket. I know regular lemons can be pricey - that's why I try not to take my own Eureka lemon tree for granted. The Eureka lemon has its place because sometimes you just need that classic sour lemon flavor and Meyer lemons wouldn't work where that's needed.

I learned from Wikipedia that this lemon is... native to China, thought to be a cross between a true lemon and a mandarin orange or sweet orange. The Meyer lemon was introduced to the United States in 1908 as S.P.I. #23028, by the agricultural explorer Frank Nicholas Meyer, an employee of the United States Department of Agriculture who collected a sample of the plant on a trip to China.

One of the main branches of my friend's Meyer lemon tree.

Thanksgiving: Desserts

 Pumpkin Bars, Pumpkin Bread, Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

I knew that my mother was stocking her fridge with lots of pumpkin and pecan pies and that we would eat at the meals on the other days of the weekend. So I had to come up with some other dessert ideas.

The Pumpkin Bars taste like a pumpkin cheesecake in between a crumbly crust with rolled oats and walnuts, topped with white chocolate chips and white/milk chocolate chips.

The Pumpkin Bread was made using a recipe posted here earlier this month, only without the zucchini.

The Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies were for anyone who didn't want to have pumpkin.

 Coconut Tapioca Pudding

I also wanted to have a dessert with an Asian influence so I served Coconut Tapioca Pudding in individual glass bowls topped with chunks of fresh persimmon fruit. The combination was delicious and I was happy it worked out.

Chocolate from Europe and the USA

Everyone in my family loves chocolate so I set these bowls out so everyone can have their chocolate fix.