Thursday, February 12, 2009
Baby Hiatus
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Fabulous Meal at Chez Panisse Cafe, Berkeley, CA

Blood Orange, Fennel and Olive Salad
This was simple and delicious. The sweetness of the oranges truly complemented the anise notes of the fennel and the bright, dill infused, dressing was an inspired addition.

Serrano Ham and Cheese Pizzeta
Not sure why this was labeled in the diminutive form, because it was quite large for an appetizer. Anyhow, it was very good. Chez Panisse has some of the best pizza outside of New York, complete with a crispy thin crust.

Stuffed Squid in Ink Sauce with Artichoke Salad and Beets
The squid were very tender and the sides were interesting and tasty.

Stinging Nettle and Ricotta Pizza
This was another tasty pizza, with a super crispy crust. For some reason, despite falling into a nettle patch as a child, I'm always drawn to eating nettles.

Chocolate Ganache Tart with Whipped Cream and Pistachio
This was super chocolately and very rich. It should have been served with more whipped cream.
Labels: decor: 3, Food: 2, nouveau American, restaurant, review, Service: 2
Miso Udon with Beef

Thirty-nine cent packages of instant udon are a great thing to have around. For this quick meal, I simply made a quick miso soup, then added the instant udon and sliced of leftover grilled tri-tip. This week I seem to be reinventing leftovers all over the place.
Labels: beef, dinner recipes, homemade, Japanese, noodles, soup
Friday, January 16, 2009
Upscale Mexican at Maya, San Francisco, CA

Guacamole $9
The guacamole was tasty, if a bit salty. It didn't stop us from eating it all, though.

Skirt Steak Torta $13
Once I took 1/2 the bread off, this was a tasty sandwich, although, it necessitated being eaten with a knife and fork. The fried potatoes were surprisingly tasty.
Food: 1
Decor: 1
Service: 1
Maya
303 2nd Street
San Francisco, CA 94107
Labels: Decor: 1, Food: 1, Mexican, restaurant, review, Service: 1
Pretty Good Thai at Osha, San Francisco, CA

Shrimp Paste Fried Rice $12
This is better at the Tenderloin location. For some reason at this location they add frozen peas and carrots, which is just weird.
Food: 1
Decor: 2
Service: 1
Osha Thai
149 2nd St.
San Francisco, CA 94105
Labels: Decor: 2, Food: 1, restaurant, review, Service: 1
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Pasta with Lamb Ragu and Cucumber-Tomato Salad

This was a quick meal that reinvented some leftover lamb stew. Alexis simply reheated the lamb stew and tossed it with some pasta. The salad was simply cucumbers and tomatoes, tossed with a homemade vinaigrette.
Labels: dinner recipes, homemade, lamb, pasta, salad
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Peach-Dijon Lamb Chops with Parmasan Green Beans

Use of the George Foreman makes this meal super-quick to get on the table.
Peach-Dijon Lamb Chops
-8 lamb chops (cut from a rack)
-2 tb dijon
-3 tb peach nectar
-salt and pepper to taste
Marinate the lamb chops in a mixture of the other ingredients. Then cook on the George Foreman for about 5 minutes.
Parmasan Green Beans
-1 lb green beans, trimmed
-salt and pepper to taste
-handful of grated parmasan
Sautee the beans in a bit of olive oil over medium high heat until tender. Season with salt and pepper. When tender, plate and sprinkle on the cheese.
Labels: dinner recipes, green beans, homemade, lamb
Bagels, and Whitefish, Too! at House of Bagels, San Francisco, CA

Toasted Everything Bagel with Sundried Tomato Cream Cheese $3
Chewy, warm and tasty. The cream cheese was a little thin, strangely.

Toasted Everything Bagel with Whitefish, Tomato and Onion $5
You really can't get whitefish salad very many places in San Francisco, and this was a pleasant surprise.
Food: 1
Decor: 0
Service: 1
House of Bagels
5030 Geary Blvd
San Francisco, CA 94118
Health Code Violations
Labels: Decor: 0, deli, Food: 1, review, Service: 1
Saturday, January 03, 2009
Simple and Delicious at Range, San Francisco, CA

Duck with Spaetzle $25
Tender, juicy dusk and slightly crispy, yet yielding, spaetzle made this dish incredibly satisfying.
Fish with Beans, Baby Turnips and Baby Carrots $18, but gratuitThis was the dish that Giao didn't order, but he ate it and liked it anyway.

Butterscotch Pudding ($8, but gratuit)
Not a dessert I would have ordered, but it was quite delicious and opened my eyes to how great a well executed pudding can be.
Food: 2
Decor: 2
Service: 2
Range
842 Valencia Street
San Francisco, CA 94110
Labels: Decor: 2, Food: 2, nouveau American, restaurant, review, Service: 2
Winter Prix Fixe at Bar Bambino, San Francisco, CA

Christmas Salad
This was an interesting combo of oranges, fennel, capers and pomegranate that worked really well and was quite beautiful.

Lobster Ravioli with Red Sauce
These tasted less like seafood than I would have imagined, but they were still delicious.

Beef Stuffed with Pork
Meat stuffed with meat sounded like a bit much, but the flavors really melded and this was much lighter than imagined.

Trio of Gratins
These gratins, brocolli, fennel and potato, were all equally delicious. They were tender and creamy and well seasoned.

Chocolate-Chestnut Pudding with Whipped Cream
This was a nice, not-too-sweet, way to end the meal. My only complaint would be that there should have been more pudding and less chestnut puree.
Labels: Decor: 2, Food: 2, Italian, restaurant, Service: 1, Service: 2
Thursday, December 04, 2008
Pig Soup

We had some leftover pork, so I chopped it up and added it to a simple veggie/bean soup.
-4 large carrots, peeled and sliced
-8 stalks celery, diced
-5 cans chicken broth
-1 lb leftover roasted pork
-pepper to taste
Sautee the veggies in some olive oil in a deep pot until beginning to color. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and add all the other ingredients. Simmer for about an hour, until the beans are tender.
Labels: beans, carrot, homemade, pork, soup
Lamb Chops and Brussel Sprouts

Quick and easy, with leftover brussel sprouts.
Lamb Chops
-8 lamb chops
-2 tb dijon
-1/4 cup peach nectar
-salt and pepper to taste
Marinate the lamb chops in the other ingredients for about an hour. Then grill for about 5 minutes in the George Foreman.
Labels: dinner recipes, homemade, lamb, leftovers
Thankgiving at Home
We kind of got carried away and forgot to photograph the pies before we dug into them...
Super Smooth Pumpkin PieI don't like pumpkin pie, but this one seemed like a hit last year, so I used it again this year.
-15 oz unsweetened pumpkin puree
-3/4 cup packed brown sugar
-2 ts each ground ginger and cinnamon
-1 ts nutmeg
-1/2 ts salt
-1 and 1/3 cup half and half
-3 eggs, beaten
-1 ts vanilla extract
In a sauce pot, combine the pumpkin and spices over low heat, stirring for a couple of minutes. This mellows the spices a bit. Dump the mixture into the food processor and puree for a minute. Add the half and half while pureeing, then the vanilla, then the eggs, one by one. Pour into partially baked pie shell. Bake at 375 for 1 hour or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Crust:
-1 cup plus 2 tb flour
-1 stick cold butter, diced
Mix flour and butter with your fingers until it resembles the texture of coarse cornmeal. Add water, 1 tb at a time, until you can form a cohesive ball of dough. Roll or press into a greased pie pan.

Pear Cheesecake with Gingersnap Crust
A friend brought this, so I don't have the recipe, but I should ask her for it because it was absolutely delicious.

Classic Apple Pie
-6 apples, peeled and cored
-1 ts cinnamon
-1/4 cup sugar
-squeeze of lemon
Toss the apples with the lemon, sugar and cinnamon and set aside while you pre-bake the crust. Bake bottom crust on 350, pressed into a pie pan for 10-15 minutes, until just beginning to color. Remove from oven and add the apple mixture. Roll out the other batch of dough and place over the top of the apples, pressing into the edges. Trim excess dough. Poke in several places with a knife or fork to allow for steam to escape. If you do not do this, your pie may explode in the oven. Bake on 35 for about 45 minutes, until the crust is golden brown.
Crust:
-1 cup plus 2 tb flour
-1 stick cold butter, diced
Mix flour and butter with your fingers until it resembles the texture of coarse cornmeal. Add water, 1 tb at a time, until you can form a cohesive ball of dough. Roll or press into a greased pie pan.

Chocolate Pecan Pie
Super decadent and always a crowd pleaser.
-1 recipe pie crust (see Apple Pie above)
-1 cup pecans
-1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
-4 eggs, beaten
-1/2 cup sugar
-1/2 cup brown sugar
-1/2 cup light corn syrup
-1/2 ts vanilla extract
-1 pinch salt
Combine the sugars, corn syrup, vanilla, salt and eggs. Stir in the pecans and chocolate chips. Pour into a partially baked pie shell and bake on 375 for 45-50 minutes.

Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Roasted Apples
This was a new recipe and the tartness of the apples really took the starchy edge off the sweet potatoes.
-4 apples, peeled and cubed
-1/2 stick butter
-1 cup cream
-salt and pepper to taste
Boil the potatoes until fork tender. In the baking dish, bake the apples for about 40 minutes on 350, until tender. Drain the potatoes and mash them. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir to combine.

Brussel Sprouts with Pine Nuts and Parmesan
Brussel sprouts are a favorite veggie of mine for the holidays, although I hated them as a child. This was a tasty, bright rendition.
-1/2 cup pine nuts
-juice of 1 lemon
-1 cup grated parmesan
-salt and pepper to taste
In a large pan, sautee the brussel sprouts on medium. When brussel sprouts are tender and slightly caramelized, season with the rest of the ingredients and serve.

Sausage-Sourdough Stuffing
-6 sausages
-8 stalks celery, diced
-3 carrots, peeled and diced
-1 onion, diced
-4 eggs, lightly beaten
-1 can chicken broth
-salt and pepper to taste
-several sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves only
Remove sausage from casings and sautee until browned, breaking up the sausage into small bits while cooking. Remove the sausage from the pan. In the same pan sautee the onions, carrot and celery until translucent. Pour the egg and broth on the bread and stir to coat. Add the sausage, thyme and veggies to the bread mixture. Spead the mixture in a large baking pan bake on 350 for 30-45 minutes, until crust is nice and brown.

Roasted Root Veggies with Pomegranite
A friend made a root veggie salad with pomegranite last year and I decided to riff on that for this year. The brightness of the pomegranite really contrasts nicely with the earthiness of the root veggies.
-5 medium beets, peeled and diced
-4 parsnips, peeled and diced
-4 turnips, peeled and diced
-salt and pepper to taste
Spread the diced veggies on a large baking sheet or jelly roll pan. Season with salt, pepper and olive oil. Roast on 375 for about and hour, or until tender. Toss with pomegranite seeds and serve.
-1 egg, beaten
-1/2 cup butter
-1/3 cup sugar
-1 package yeast
-1/4 cup warm water
-1 and 1/2 ts salt
-1/2 ts baking soda
-1 ts baking powder
-flour (there is no predetermined amount, read recipe below)
Scald the milk and remove the film from the top. Add the butter and the sugar to the milk and stir to dissolve. When milk is cool to the touch, add the egg and stir to combine. Dissolve the yeast in the warm water, wait 10 minutes, and add it to the mixture. Then add enough flour to make a thin batter. Let this rise on the counter, uncovered, for 2 hours. Add the salt, baking powder, the baking soda and enough flour to make a stiff dough. Knead the dough on a floured surface until smooth. Put the dough in a greased bowl, cover with a damp cloth and store in the refridgerator for 24 hours before using. Pull off small pieces of dough, roll into balls and place in a greased muffin tin. Bake at 450 for 10 minutes, or until golden brown.
Cheddar Chive BiscuitsWe decided to call these "biscuits" this year instead of "scones". I think that did the trick, although we've always liked these, no matter what they are called.
-3 cups flour
-1 tb baking powder
-1 tb sugar
-2 ts salt
-1/2 cup chives, finely chopped
-2 cups grated cheddar
-2 cups heavy cream
Combine the dry ingredients. Mix in the cheese and chives. Add the cream and stir until a dough forms. You may need to add a little more cream to get a dough to form. Put the dough on a floured surface and knead a several times, until the dough is smooth. Separate the dough into 2 parts and form each into a disc about 1 in thick. Cut each disc into 8 trianuglar pieces. Spread out the pieces on a large, greased cookie sheet and bake on 400 for 20 minutes, or until golden brown.

Green Beans with Bacon and Garlic
You really can't go wrong with bacon.
-6 slices bacon, chopped
-3 cloves garlic, minced
-pepper to taste
Sautee the bacon until crispy. Drain out some of the fat. Add in the garlic and green beans and sautee until tender. Season with pepper.

Whole Roasted Pig
We decided to have another Thanksgiving sans turkey because, really, no one likes turkey. This was the smalled pig we could order from Toon Kee, at about 20 lbs and $140. The meat was very moist, tender and flavorful and there was a lot of it. The skin was crispy and perfectWe sent people home with bags of pork and we ate it for days. It was also really nice to order the pig and just pick it up down the street right before we were ready to serve dinner. This allowed us full use of the oven for the rest of the food.
Labels: apple, beet greens, beets, brussel sprouts, dessert recipes, dinner recipes, event, n, parsnip, pie, sweet potatoes, turnip
Lettuce Cups

We hadn't had lettuce cups in a while and they were quite tasty. Click here for the basic recipe I use, but lettuce cups are a really great meal for using up odds and ends in the fridge. I always include some type of ground meat, chopped nuts of some sort, water chestnuts and/or bean sprouts for crunch, and whatever veggies or greens I happen to have lying around.
Labels: Chinese, lettuce, turkey









