The 99 Cent Only Store Cookbook

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So while everyone else at The Rock Goddess' ultra lux Oscars viewing party/feast for all senses, was actually watching the spectacle, I was chatting in a corner with the chic and fab Christiane.

I swear, I love this woman!

Christiane, for those of you not quite in the know yet, is the genius authoress of The 99 Cent Only Store Cookbook! She is the perfect blend of brilliant and daring, darling and delectible, (the best sort of friends to have I say!) and I hope you will all check out her book the minute it hits the stores.

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Find a 99 Cent Only store near you

The Hormel Company of Austin, Minnesota sold the first canned ham in 1926.

Carbonated soft drink canning began in 1940.Aluminum was introduced in metal can making in 1957. - Food Reference.com

Drink of the Week: Greyhound (Vodka and Grapefruit Juice)

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What with citrus being in season right now; and drinking a lovely cocktail on a sunny day always being in season, it's no wonder I came to this positively refreshing bev.

Mixed up on a flawless Southern California Sunday, it quenches the palate, tingles the taste buds and reminds a person that life is good. (The inclusion of the vodka certainly doesn't hurt in the matter...)

If you too have forgotten the thrill of sipping fresh squeezed grapefruit juice paired with ice cold vodka, due to one too many poor imitations, this will be a revelation.

Nothing flat, bottled or canned in the taste of this elixir, only that captured sunshine spark we can all use this time of year.

And bonus! Grapefruit is a great source of vitamin C, so if you feel a cold coming on, mix one of these up in a hurry!

Try it, mes petits pamplemousses, and taste the joy.

1 ounce vodka
3 ounces fresh squeezed grapefruit juice
Sparkling water
Ice

Fill a tall glass with ice. Add the vodka and then the grapefruit juice. Top off the glass with sparkling water, stir gently with a long spoon and serve.

Serves one.

Can also be made as a punch.

Please, always drink responsibly.
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Pubs with bad reputations are to be banned from serving beer in glasses, the U.K. Home Secretary has announced. "High risk" pubs and nightclubs where violence is a problem will be forced to use plastic replacements, as part of a wide-ranging plan to reduce the level of violence in Britain.

If they refuse, councils will remove their licence. "There is an expectation that such premises will move to a safer alternative to glass, such as polycarbonate." The plan comes amid concern about drunken violence in the streets. –Birmingham Mail.net

The average American consumer made 69 trips to the grocery store in 2004 down from 72 in 2003 and from 92 trips in 1995.

Chocolate, Chocolate Chip and Fleur de Sel Cookie Delights

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It was a few days ago, and I was decked out in an outfit that can only be described as brown.

Head to toe in the stuff.

Sure, there was cashmere involved, but really, it was uncharacteristically monochromatic. And honestly dear-hearts, the color seems to have affected my palate.

It was as if the redundant luxuriousness of the ensembles tone became a launching (tipping?) point for a chocolate craving.

So like any sensible girl, off to the market I traipsed, clad in my cognac colored boots, and a cocoa drenched London-designer-re-imagines-Laura-Ingalls skirt focused on the idea that I needed some quality baking chocolate, stat.

Whatever else was on the day's agenda had to be forfeited for the cause.

You see my loves - trying to put more than one bit of imperative information into my flightly noggin at a time - just plain doesn't work. Which can be my only explanation for why I had completely spaced what awaited me at that fine Whole Foods, and yet still headed there like a heat-seeking missile.

Upon arrival, my mind was still vacant, except for the notion I needed my intended delights to be salty AND sweet.

There I stood, in awe of the salt shelf options, stunned at my choices (and as much so at the prices. Heavens! I may be incomprehensibly loose with my purse strings when it comes to my culinary adventures, but there is no way on this green earth I would purchase 3 ounces of salt for $80. Heck no Daddy-O! And shame on whoever is selling such a thing. Tisk tisk! You're selling salt! Stop being so pretentious! ...oops, sorry, soap box moment...back to my story) when I turned to the lithe and ethereal blond standing next to me looking equally perplexed. I brazenly queried if she had any kind of sodium purchasing preference. Alas, she did not, but we both agreed that with something like salt, the price is the point, and with that I snatched up a (only somewhat reasonably priced, but oh-so-worth-it) bag of crystals and sashayed over to the produce section...

And what did my shiny eyes behold signing books, right there in front of the Washington Delicious Apples? A pair of sensational red boots filled out by Washington's very own delicious apple...Miss Shauna of Gluten Free fame! And who stood next to this juicy peach of a gal? None other than her dear friend Sharon...my compatriot from the salt section! It was kismet I tell you, kismet! While I had just plain forgotten this dear heart of a woman was in town, I had still headed right to her like the beacon of light she is...it's as if my mind was on its own agenda. Thank goodness!

Love it, doncha? I sure did. I can only thank goodness that sometimes my over-taxed mind pulls it together, consciously or unconsciously...

I can't really relate the rest of the experience, because it was far (far, far) too (too, too) brief, and non-to-culinarily inclined (unless you consider Pinkberry altogether culinary) but it was a shining moment of bliss in my week and an encounter that brightened my little life indescribably. I am a huge fan of Shauna and her loveliness and was tickled pink to finally get to meet her sassy self. Kinda, sorta rocked my world.

I can only hope that the next time I see this fine woman, I will have a gluten free recipe to share...because these are most assuredly not. They do have the fantastic crackle of salt enrobed in the buttery fabocity of chocolate though, so they will do for now...

Now try this my peaches, and taste the joy.

2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 sticks plus 6 tablespoons butter, room temp
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons fleur de sel
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups bittersweet chocolate chips

Preaheat your oven to 350F.

Sift together the flour, cocoa and baking soda in a medium bowl.

In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachement, cream the butter. Add the brown sugar, granulated sugar, fleur de sel and vanilla and beat until combined. Beat in the sifted dry ingredients until blended; your dough will be kinda crumbly. Add the chips and combine.

Divide the dough in half and roll into a 1 1/2- logs. Wrap in plastic. Refrigerate until firm, 20 minutes.

Line 4 cookie sheets with parchment paper. Cut the logs into 3/8-inch slices and arrange about 1 inch apart on the sheets. If the slices crumble, just smoosh them back together.

Bake for about 17 minutes, or until puffed and cracked on top.

Cool for 5 minutes on the sheets, then transfer them to wire racks to cool completely.

Makes about 2 dz. cookies

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Fleur de Sel - "flower of the salt." A rare sea salt harvested by hand in Brittany, France and available only in limited quantities. - Recipe Gold Mine

According to the European Fair Trade Association, non-fair-trade farmers get barely 5 percent of the profit from chocolate, whereas trading organizations and the chocolate industry receive about 70 percent. This means that producers get only 5 cents from every dollar spent on chocolate, while the companies get 70 cents - 14 times more. - GlobalExchange.org

Happy Valentines Day 2008

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Happy Valentines Day~

Potato and Sausage Tortilla/Tortilla de Patata y Chorizo

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My, my isn't life a joyful experience!

Every day brings new and exciting things. And, according to the voices on NPR, today is going to be "downright hot." Was it a weather report or just a view into the immediate future?

Either which way, it made me giggle hearing them say that. Downright hot indeed. But was it prophetic?

Let's hope!

Me, I'm headed to the museum, then going for a swim, getting a mani/pedi (because the sun is finally out, and therefore, this girl needs to be primed and ready!) and meeting my girls for a sunset appertif. (In case you were interested in my itinerary for the day...)

But first, I am conjuring this exquisite tapas recipe for you, my darling peaches. So you, too, can have a "downright hot" day.

It's a festive dish, but certainly does need a bit of your time. That said, once it's made, it tastes just as spectacular at room temperature, and will last (if you don't eat it all at once) for at least three days.

The Spanish would serve this with a bit of mayo as a condiment. I'll leave that up to you...

Now try it my darlings, and taste the joy!

3 large baking potatoes
2 roasted red peppers, diced
1 cup parsley, minced
½ lb Spanish (not Mexican) hot chorizo sausage
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
6 large eggs
Mayonnaise for serving

Preheat your oven to 350F

Peel the potatoes and slice into medium-thin rounds.

In a 10 inch cast iron skillet, saute the potatoes a single layer, in a small amount of olive oil. As they just start to brown, carefully layer in the peppers, parsley and sausage.

Whisk together the paprika and eggs in a bowl while the potatoes cook.

Reduce the heat to low, then pour the eggs over the potatoes. Cover and cook for three minutes. Uncover and transfer to the oven. Cook until set, about 10 minutes.

Remove from the oven, let cool, and serve with mayo or plain.

Makes 8-10 servings.

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This goes perfectly with Salt Cod Stuffed Peppers

Americans are downing close to 200 pounds of meat, poultry and fish per capita per year (dairy and eggs are separate, and hardly insignificant), an increase of 50 pounds per person from 50 years ago. - NY Times

Want another version of this dish? Check out Serious Eats' adaptation.

Cocoa Nib, Vanilla Bean & Chocolate Chip Cookies

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Seems to me, cookie is a bit of a kiddie term. Nursery speak, really. It just doesn't seem to connote how sauve and adult some of these "cookies" really are.

Grown-up cookies are the kind of treat that includes ingredients like heady bergamot or a shock of sea salt. They pair with a flute of prosecco far better than with a glass of milk - and I say, they need a far more chic lexeme than cookie.

Maybe they should just be called "delights." Or "menogregodianastictasticolici."

(But that second one only because it pretty much guarantees no toddler will be heard throwing a tantrum while demanding them.)

Or, is that ageist?

Oops.

Now, now. I know perfectly well that not all children are sugar-addicts, and many appreciate a quality - adult palate oriented - snack. But if I were in charge of marketing, my target audience for this "delight" would be...well...me. And most likely, you. But not the wee ones. Nope, this isn't exactly for them.

This is for someone who craves a certain layering of flavors, including bitter, sweet and salty. A bite of crumbly buttery texture, some bitter-chocolate crunch, a few smooth, dark and melty bits and at last, a lingering suprise of salt.

Yup, this ain't no cookie. It truly is a delight. And just to make it less for the small ones and more for us adults...it tastes even better if given a day to meld, to mellow and to melt in your mouth. A delight with built in patience.

Try it my peaches, and taste the joy.


6 ounces Scharffenberger semi-sweet chocolate with cocoa nibs
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 sticks (1/2 pound) unsalted butter, room temp
1 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla
Seeds scrapped from 1/2 a vanilla pod


Roughly chop up the chocolate. You are trying to get bits of assorted sizes, but none bigger than a standard chocolate chip.

Whisk together the flour, baking soda and kosher salt.

Using a stand mixer with a paddle, beat the butter with the sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy. (Or, do this by hand.)

Beat in the egg yolk, vanilla, and vanilla seeds. Scrape the side and bottom of the bowl to make sure everything is incorporated.

Add the flour, then fold in the chopped chocolate.

Divide the dough in half. Pat each half into a log, wrap them in plastic and refrigerate for 15 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 350F.

Slice the cookies into 1/8 inch thick slices.

Bake the cookies on a buttered cookie sheet for about 20 minutes, until golden.

Let the cookies cool on the sheets for five minutes, then transfer to racks to cool completely. These cookies are actually better the next day.

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Cacao Nibs are roasted cocoa beans separated from their husks and broken into small bits. Nibs add crunchiness and subtle chocolate flavor to baked goods and savory dishes. They make a great substitute for roasted nuts or chocolate chips, without added sweetness - Gourmet Sleuth

Oh, and if you are keeping track...my camera responded to a bit of a resuscitation. It's still on it's death-bed, but happily, it had a few more snaps in it afterall...and on an unrelated note...Happy Birthday to my C*!

The average American eats 35,000 cookies in their lifetime

Bryanna of Notes from a Vegan Kitchen lwrote about cocoa nibs too.

Easy and delicious chicken thigh recipe.....

Quick post tonight. Things are busy around here this week!

Chicken Thighs Braised in White Wine

We tried a new chicken thigh recipe last week that we all really enjoyed. It was easy to throw together and the tastes surpassed expectations. Wine, lemon, garlic and parsley are fairly common combinations, but sometimes a recipe with these ingredients can fall flat. This one did not fall flat - it was very flavorful and lively. The only change I made to this recipe was to use boneless chicken thighs and cook them for less time.

That's it - short, sweet and simple - the recipe and the post!

Weekly Recap 2/3/08

Sunday
*From the freezer: White Turkey Chili
*grapes

Monday
*tuna melts
*soup

Tuesday
Chicken Thighs Braised in White Wine (new)
*white rice
*green beans

Wednesday
*Coconut curry with tilapia, peas, red bell pepper and spinach
*roasted cauliflower
*brown basmati rice

Thursday
*hot pastrami sandwiches with coleslaw, cheese and Thousand Island dressing
*grapes

Friday
*hamburgers
*corn
*fruit

Saturday
*Skillet Lasagna (new)
*salad

Excellent Lentil Recipe

This is one of the better recipes we've tried in quite a while. And no one even claimed that it would be better with sausage!

There are three main components that all come together to make a really fantastic dish. No one component is particularly difficult, it just takes a little planning and a little coordinating on the stove top. One thing that made things more simple, and freed up some space on the stove, was to use the rice cooker for the pilaf. In addition to the pilaf, there is a curried dal-like lentil mixture and caramelized onions. I wasn't sure that caramelized onions belonged in a dish with Indian-inspired flavors, but I was absolutely won over in the end.

Curried Lentils with Caramelized Onions

The pilaf is infused with cardamom pods. I had black cardamom pods on hand and really have no idea how they compare with the more commonly used green, but I can say that they lent a slightly smoky, subtle something extra to the rice that complemented the curried lentils without competing or overwhelming. The only thing that seemed particularly lacking in the curried lentils was perhaps a little heat. The recipe itself actually mentions "spicy red lentils", so I have to wonder if Jack Bishop uses a hot curry powder - mine is of the sweet variety. Nothing that a little chili garlic paste can't fix though.

We oohed and aahed our way through this dish. Something about it just worked really well. I'm also happy to report that it tasted fantastic and actually better the next day, and even the day after that, as I happily brought the leftovers to work for lunch. This dish will most definitely be repeated in our house, especially since we tend to keep all of the ingredients on hand on a regular basis.

Two from Simple Suppers

So it's been a while since I had a real post. I got off track last week because of a house project - I've been painting our bedroom. More on that later.....

On to the recipes. Both of these recipes earned my "it has potential" rating; meaning that while they were not out-of-this-world-fantastic, they were good solid recipes that I think could elevated to a higher status with a little tweaking.

Mexican Polenta-Stuffed Peppers

The first was a polenta-stuffed pepper dish in which bell peppers are lightly roasted and then stuffed with polenta, topped with cheese and placed under the broiler. The peppers are served over a super easy but very tasty warm black bean and salsa mixture. I really liked all the different elements of this dish, but the polenta was underwhelming. I think that part of the problem is that the polenta did not cook fully enough and still had an off/raw taste. The 3 males in the family commented that sausage would make this dish really good. Although I'm trying to eat more vegetarian meals lately, I have to admit that a little sausage would really be good here. :) To elevate the taste without resorting to meat however, I would look to maybe a bit of chipotle and perhaps some black olives. Polenta is certainly versatile enough to tweak as you wish - this dish could be turned into something with a more Italian flare with a bit of Parmesan and served over a white bean mixture. Or with a little feta and black olives, it could turn Greek. The possibilities really are endless.

Southwestern Cheese Soup
(I'm afraid that no amount of photo editing could save this photo!)

I've had a couple of inquiries about the Southwestern Cheese Soup that we had earlier this week. It's a very easy soup to throw together and everyone enjoyed it, but again I think it could use a bit of tweaking. Of course I tweaked it just a tad the first time, but just a little - I made a substitution for the canned green chiles. First of all I didn't have any on hand and second of all, I really don't care for them - they seem to have this off/tinny taste that I can't get past. Looking for something to add a bit of heat and flavor, I stumbled on a jar of picked jalapenos in my refrigerator - these were perfect - they added heat, color and no tinny taste. The soup got very positive reviews from the males at the table. I thought it was very good considering how quick and easy it is to make, but I thought it could be kicked up a notch - maybe some black beans, replacing some of the cheddar with a bit of light cream cheese. And yes devoted carnivores - a little sausage would ramp things up a bit too.

So, two solid recipes that could be really good with a little tweaking. Again, I tend to value recipes as much for the overall ideas they give me for future meals as I do for the overall end result.