Off to San Francisco!

We're off to San Francisco tomorrow morning for a quick little vacation.  I've always wanted to visit and with Virgin America's deals, we couldn't resist!

We've planned a day trip to Muir Woods and Sonoma Wineries.  Then we're off for a few hour tour of San Francisco's Mr. Toad's Tours.  We'll get to see the best sites in only 3 hours.

And for our final day, we plan to walk across the Golden Gate Bridge to Sausalito and enjoy a picnic lunch, if the weather permits. 

But I can't forget all research I've done on San Francisco restaurants!  Here are a few we're hoping to try:

Tartine Bakery - I've heard fantastic things about their pastries and paninis!
Tropisueno - For some authentic Mexican that won't break the bank
Foreign Cinema - dinner and a movie all in one?  This week they're playing "Rosemary's Baby" just in time for Halloween!
Slanted Door - I'm hoping to go for lunch.  It's a top pick for Vietnamese food.
Epic Roast House - I really want to make it for a happy hour here.  Did someone say handmade pretzels and a Dark & Stormy?  Yes, please!
Venice Gourmet - For our picnic in Sausalito.
Burgermeister - While in the Castro, we may have to hit up this famous burger joint!

There are plenty more I'd love to try, but for that, I'd need a few months!  A full report when we return!

Roasted Garlic

I love garlic, any which way I can get it.  Roasted garlic should be a staple in any kitchen.  It's sweet and savory and delicious.

Preheat your oven to 300 degrees.

Start with a whole head of garlic.  Peel off the outer paper making sure all the cloves stay together.

Cut off the top of the garlic, exposing all of the cloves.

I have a terra cotta garlic roaster, but you can simply lightly wrap your garlic in some tin foil.  Drizzle the garlic with some olive oil, salt and pepper.  I also like to add a little fresh thyme, if I've got some on hand.

At this point, if you're using tin foil, wrap up your garlic.  Otherwise, cover with the terra cotta top.  Roast the garlic in the oven for 1 hour, or until the cloves are golden brown.

Let the garlic cool so you can handle it.  Gently squeeze out the cloves.

You are now ready to use your garlic!  Spread it on bread, put it in stews, throw it in salads or pasta.  Today I used some of the garlic in a sundried tomato pesto.  I'll save the rest for another day.

Guitars and Desserts

I mentioned in my Antipasto post that my husband and I enjoy listening to Rodrigo y Gabriela.  If you don't know who they are, you're missing out!  They are a Mexican acoustic guitar duo, but don't let that fool you.  They are amazingly talented and rock out to anything from Pink Floyd and Santana to Metallica and Jimi Hendrix.  Gabriela's quick handwork on the guitar is a feast for the eyes and ears.

One of my favorite songs is Tamacun.  It was awesome hearing them play it live during their finale.  They rocked the house!

Check out this live version:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8dPso79Z9I

After the show, we wanted to have a sweet treat.  We wandered around the Back Bay in Boston and walked into the Four Season's Bristol Lounge.  I've had high tea here many times and it's a lovely lounge overlooking the Boston Common.  Lucky for us, Friday night is Vienesse Dessert Buffet night!  Wow!  Cakes, pastries, chocolates, ice cream and made-to-order crepes!  It was heaven.

We eagerly walked to the buffet, taking it all in and trying to decide what we wanted.  Well, we wanted one of everything!  We filled our plates with these tiny treats.  Trying not to feel ill from all of the sweets, we just took a few bites of everything.  But that still turned out to be a lot of dessert.

Among our favorites were the shortbread fruit tarts.  Not too sweet with a crunchy shortbread crust, a creamy custard and fresh fruits.  We definitely went back for seconds for this one.

We also enjoyed our crepes - I had bananas foster and my husband had a berry crepe.  There's nothing better than a fresh, warm crepe.  We didn't have cameras with us, so we had to settle with cell phone pictures.  Obviously, these do not do the desserts justice.

Overall, we had a fantastic night out in our wonderful city of Boston.

Roasted Teeny Tiny Potatoes

I saw these potatoes at Trader Joe's and I thought they were just adorable!  Teeny, Tiny Yukon Gold Potatoes.  What could be better than that?

I kind of just eyeballed things, and you can use whatever herbs or seasonings you enjoy.  I had a lot of dill from my Aerogarden, so I knew I wanted to use it.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  Wash and dry your potatoes.  Toss them with some olive oil in a shallow pan.  Season generously with salt and pepper.  I used garlic salt, but any will do.  Toss with fresh or dried herbs to taste.

Roast for about 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.  They're done when they're fork tender.

I could eat these babies like candy.  They are a little crunchy on the outside, but deliciously soft and buttery on the inside.

Potato Challah

Up next in my adventures of baking was challah. But not your traditional challah, but a rich and dense potato challah.

This is actually pretty easy to make, though it takes a lot of muscle to really knead this baby. I've never had a challah made with potato, but I really enjoyed this addition. The trick to the shiny, golden brown crust, is a little egg yolk and milk mixture brushed on just before baking.

This is best served fresh from the oven, but it'll also make a really fantastic french toast or bread pudding!

CHALLAH

adapted from Roberta Dowling

This recipe makes 6 braided challah!

2 TBLS dry yeast

1/2 lukewarm water

3 TBLS sugar

In a large bowl, sprinkle yeast over lukewarm water and stir in sugar to activate.

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

3 eggs

3 egg yolks

2 tsp salt

6 TBLS honey

2 small potatoes, mashed (about 1 cup) plus 1 cup reserved hot potato water

6-7 cups flour

In small bowl, mix together butter, eggs, yolks, salt, honey, hot potato water and potatoes.  Cool to lukewarm and add to yeast mixture.  Mix in 2 cups of flour until smooth. Add remaining flour as necessary until dough is soft and formed.  Knead on floured board for 10 minutes until dough is satiny. Put dough into a greased bowl, spray top with oil, cover and let rise until doubled in size.  Knead another 5 minutes.  Divide dough into 6 sections.  For each of these sections, divide into 3 parts and roll each part into strands and braid.  Place onto pan lined with parchment paper, brush with an egg was (1 yolk/2 TBLS milk), cover and let sit until doubled in bulk again.

For best results, keep dough covered when not working with it so it does not dry out.

Bake at 375 until golden brown, 20-40 minutes.  If it looks like it's burning, cover with foil.

Cool on wire rack.

Havarti, Turkey Bacon and Grilled Tomato Panini

I really enjoy playing around with different ingredients in my panini.  This combo gives Panera a run for their money!  It's quick and easy, and so delicious.  I tried to lighten it up a bit by using turkey bacon and light havarti cheese.

Jen's HBT Panini

2 Roma tomatoes

4 slices of hearty bread

4 slices of cooked turkey bacon

4 slices of light Havarti cheese

4 basil leaves

olive oil

kosher salt

pepper

First, get yourself some nice, firm Roma tomatoes.

Slice each tomato lengthwise and scoop out the seeds.  Brush the cut sides with a little olive oil and sprinkle with some kosher salt and fresh pepper.

Chop up some fresh basil.  I used some from my Aerogarden.  I love the smell of freshly cut basil.

Heat up your panini grill to about Med/Low.  Put the tomatoes, cut side down, onto the grill.  Prop the lid up so it's just above the tomatoes, and not touching them.  I used a large mug to do this.  Cook the tomatoes about 10-12 minutes.  If you don't want to use the grill, you can cook the tomatoes in the oven.

Remove them and top with some of the chopped basil.

Choose a solid, crusty bread. They hold up best when making a panini.  I like Trader Joe's Stone Hearth Baked French Loaf.

Brush the bread with a little olive oil and top one side with some cheese of your choosing.  I really like the ooey-gooey goodness of havarti.  Then top the cheese with 2 slices of the grilled tomatoes.

And then add 2 slices of cooked turkey bacon.

Turn up your panini grill to medium and grill your panini, oiled side down.  It should only take 3-5 minutes.

Serve with a salad!

Antipasto Foodfest!

It's become somewhat of a tradition for us.  Every 6 months or so we have a nice night in and indulge in a huge antipasto spread.  Generally, this consists of miscellaneous cheeses, meats, crackers, veggies like roasted red peppers, tapenades, fruit and red wine.  You can't forget the wine!  We sit around the coffee table, light some candles, listen to a little music - generally Rodrigo y Gabriela - and enjoy!

This is truly a feast for all senses....and a feast for a small army (of two!)  No, we don't eat it all, there's always leftover cheese to indulge in for a few days longer.

Usually we make a trip to Trader Joe's and Whole Foods to round out our selections.

Some creamy camembert

marinated mozzarella, cherry peppers, lemon feta, goat cheese with honey and marcona almonds (above); Breseola and pepper salami (below)

Delicious blue cheese!

We usually use this as an excuse to try a new wine and some new cheeses.  Since the new Whole Foods in Dedham opened, I hit up the antipasto bar they have and picked out some intriguing looking cheeses.  Goat cheese with honey and marcona almonds, lemon and basil feta cheese, garlic and herb infused fresh mozzarella, stuffed cherry peppers, and more!  It's really inspired me to think up some new combinations to make on my own for the next feast.

Mangia!

Baking at the Cambridge Culinary Institute

Recently, I've been learning how to bake. I took a 4-part class called "Techniques of Baking" at the Cambridge Culinary Institute.

In our first class we learned how to make puffed pastry, or Pâte à choux. It's not as difficult as it sounds, but does take some time to to put it all together. I made my own dough, and made a coffee creme filling, and topped some with chocolate ganache and others with a vanilla icing. YUM! These didn't even survive one day before they were gobbled up!

For more information on The Cambridge Culinary Institute, please visit: http://www.cambridgeculinary.com/

I Heart Cuppycakes!

I love cupcakes!  There is something so fun about those little cakes that makes me happy!  I can cook, but I'm still practicing how to bake.  There's really less room for improv in baking.  Make sure you use the right "chemicals" (baking soda/baking powder/baking ammonia) or you could end up with a cake that tastes like soap!

I would say these cupcakes are some of the best I've made!  They are moist and delicious, with just the right amount of sweetness.  I changed the original from sweetened coconut to dessicated coconut to balance the sweetness of the frosting.  But feel free to use either kind you like.  Toasted or not.

Coconut Cupcakes

adapted from Barefoot Contessa

3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

2 cups sugar

6 large eggs at room temperature

1 TBLS vanilla extract

3 Cups flour

1 tsp baking POWDER

1/2 tsp baking SODA

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 cup buttermilk

14 ounces dessicated coconut, divided

Preheat oven to 325 degrees

Using a paddle attachment on an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.  Change the mixer speed to low add eggs 1 at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition.  Add vanilla and mix well.

In separate bowl, sift together baking soda, baking powder, salt and flour.  In 3 additions, alternate adding dry ingredients and buttermilk to the batter, beginning with dry and ending with dry.  Mix until just combined.  Remove from mixer and fold in half of the coconut.

Fill cupcake liners and bake 25-35 minutes until tops are brown and toothpick comes out clean.  Cool

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 pound cream cheese at room temperature

3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 pounds confectioners sugar, sifted

Using paddle attachment in electric mixer on low speed, cream together cream cheese, butter and vanilla extract.  Add the confectioners sugar and mix until smooth.

For frosting the cupcakes, pipe the frosting on as much or as little as you like.  No worries about this being perfect.  Over a bowl, put some coconut in your hand and gently roll and form the coconut onto the frosting until it resembles a "snowball".

Enjoy!

Holidays at Home

Hi, and welcome to my blog!

I'm a newlywed and I love to cook! Luckily, my husband is my guinea pig and he eats just about anything I put in front of him.  I enjoy trying new recipes and adapting them to be my own.  I'm a better cook than I am a baker, but I'm learning!

My husband and I just recently moved and we finally have a kitchen and living room large enough to entertain. I've always loved to cook for others, so I was excited to host our first holiday at our house!

This also gave me an excuse to decorate the table with all of our new china and glasses we received from our wedding. I love our china! We chose Lenox Simply Fine Flourish Everyday Fine China. We use it every day, it's dainty yet durable. I loved finally having a table that matched from the dishes and serveware to the silverware and crystal.

We chose not to register for fine china or crystal. We knew we wanted something we could use everyday and something we could toss in the dishwasher. Who wants to host a party only to be left hand washing every single dish! Not us.

We also chose Lenox Eternal stainless steel flatware. Again, this flatware isn't silver, so there's no polishing and we can use it every day

Since my china is white, I chose a deep red table cloth to help make the china really pop on the table. I love the final result.  Oh, and I also love a bargain.  The table cloth was only $20 on sale at Target. The napkins were $10.  Napkin rings, candle holders and all the rest of the furniture are care of my Nana!

One of our favorite dishes for any Jewish holiday is noodle kugel. So I whipped one up. This is by no means light! You can make it lighter by using low-fat versions of the cream cheese and sour cream, and use less butter. But butter just makes things better! As Julia says "If you're afraid of butter, use cream."

This recipe is courtesy of my friend Allison's sister.

Noodle Kugel

1 container (16 oz.) Cottage Cheese

1 container (16 oz.) Sour Cream

3/4 cup white sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

5 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, melted

1 Tbsp. vanilla

1 pkg. (12 oz.) broad egg noodles, cooked, rinsed and drained

1 cup dried raisins/cherries/craisins (your choice) I prefer the craisins to add a little tart to this sweet recipe

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 Tbsp. cinnamon sugar

MIX all ingredients except noodles, raisins, cinnamon and cinnamon sugar util well blended. Add noodles and raisins; mix lightly. SPOON into 13x9-inch baking dish; sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Cover with foil and bake at 350°F for 50 minutes to 1 hour or until lightly browned. Cool at least 10 minutes; cut into squares. I usually take the foil off about 15 minutes before it's ready so the crust is nice and brown. Serve warm.

This also makes a really nice breakfast served warm or cold!