Another Austin Food Blog

Pepperoni soup + peanut butter Rice Krispie treats

2012-01-17T13:44:00.010-06:00

I joined Melanie for lunch a couple of Fridays ago, doing my small part to 'assist' with her latest food review project for the local weekly: a round-up of Austin soups. (Coming out soon! Will post a link here.)

We met at the swank, still-new-to-me Second Bar + Kitchen for their pepperoni soup, which touts San Marzano tomatoes, along with mozzarella and garlic croutons. (The "croutons" were extremely generous in size, and the perfect vehicle for hoisting spoonfuls of this chunky splendidness into my mouth.)

I don't know what I was expecting from a $6 pepperoni soup -- some watery tomato goop with sliced rounds of oily pepperoni floating about -- but this "Why has no one done this before?" treat tastes just like pizza in a bowl, good pizza, right down to the lovely cap of melted, oozing cheese. The pepperoni pieces were cube-shaped, and while they were tasty, I'd suggest the folks at Second call up the folks at Enoteca and ask what kind of pork product they're putting on their Calabrese pizza. *That* stuff is the best version of pepperoni I've ever had. (Pictures of that pizza coming in future post.)

Melanie and I decided to skip an actual lunch portion (we'd shared an order of blistered shishito peppers prior to the soup), and we went straight to dessert. We split the chocolate brioche bread pudding and the peanut butter rice krispie treats, topped with a smooth layer of semi-salted peanut brittle.

The bread pudding was solid. But the peanut butter rice krispie bites? Those were Last Meal material. At $2.50 for two "bites", I'd happily buy 5 orders, take them home, and eat them all alone when no one else was looking. I'm sad we didn't take a picture of these little treats, but this just means I'll have to go back. And soon.

2012: The Year of the Cheesecake?

2012-01-17T11:28:00.010-06:00

We stayed in Austin for our last childless New Year's Eve together, and for perhaps the first time in my life, I rang in the new year with only one other person (my husband). A couple of minutes til midnight, we paused our movie to step outside, check out the neighborhood fireworks and kiss on our front porch. I wouldn't have had it any other way.

Earlier in the evening, we'd gone to two separate NYE parties, and we prepared to have a couple of friends over as midnight approached. Sick kids and busy schedules got in the way, and only Melanie stopped by for a bit to say hello and share some of the cheesecake I'd made that afternoon.

The cheesecake was inspired by Mike's friend Jen, who posted on Facebook before the new year that she was making her annual eggnog cheesecake.* Intrigued, I went to Google and found a few recipes. I picked this one -- probably because it was less involved than others, and I had nearly every ingredient at home, save the two whopping pounds of cream cheese, gingersnap cookies and eggnog. (I nabbed the last bag of gingersnap cookies at our neighborhood Target, a sure sign that I was meant to make this cake.)

This was my first cheesecake ever, not counting the no-bake crap I made in my twenties and perhaps one or two fuzzy attempts (also in my twenties) with a springform pan that I accidentally left in the home of an ex.

So I'm counting this as my first, and I'm happy to say I was pleased with the results. A couple of minor lessons were learned, but overall, there's little I'd change. I hope to make another one in the coming weeks ... before the baby comes, or maybe while on maternity leave as I try finding ways to kill time during my three months off. I'm sure to have tons of energy and endless hours to just putter around the house, bake cheesecakes, and watch The Wire from start to finish.**

The best thing about this cheesecake was that it lasted three days and was shared with exactly one dozen friends over the course of those three days. (I was so delighted when Jodi asked me where we'd purchased it! And even after she tasted it, she seemed impressed it was homemade.)

It was so much fun to share this massive hunk o' cake with so many. It felt like a Hannukah miracle, this giant cheesecake that lasted for days. But it's probably because you really don't need much of this at all. It's sweet and creamy ... but oh so dense.

After Mike and I sent Melanie home with a slice for her hubby on New Year's Eve, we had two more rounds of friends visit us for cheesecake and coffee in the first two days of the new year.

Sitting around our dining table in the middle of the day as friends came in and out, making fresh batches of coffee in the French Press, not looking at the clock or playing with my iPhone or thinking about to-do lists ... well, it was the absolute perfect start to our 2012. If we're lucky, the rest of the year will feel just as cozy and sweet.

*I can see why this cheesecake is an annual tradition for Jen!
**sarcasm

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Pancakes

2011-11-11T12:53:00.004-06:00

I had a half-can's worth of pumpkin puree to use up after making muffins last week, so I googled pumpkin pancakes and came across this recipe from one of my favorite sites (as you can see by the blog roll on the left).

I loved being able to use whole wheat flour and was able to make my own little blend of pumpkin spice mix - cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg - to throw into the mix. I didn't have cake flour on hand, but AP flour seemed to work just fine for the other 1/3 of the flour mix. I also had no buttermilk but made my own substitute - a handy little trick I learned from my brilliant sister-in-law when she and her kiddos came to stay with us for our wedding.

These pancakes were the perfect dinner for one -- hubby had a boys' night out, and I was craving sweets after a spinach-kale-apple juice smoothie earlier in the day from my favorite juice bar.

I highly recommend this recipe. (And I recommend a cast iron skillet and real butter!) Next time, I'm going to throw some chopped pecans into the batter -- if I can afford them!

I'm Still Here ...! Makin' Muffins

2011-11-03T12:55:00.009-05:00

It's been a busy few weeks, and I realize I didn't post at all in October.

I could blame our honeymoon in Argentina (expect a post on that trip soon!), but mostly, I just haven't been the mood to cook, grill, bake.

I have, however, been in the mood to eat.

When we got back from 10 days in the southern hemisphere, it took a few days to get over our colds and get my groove back ... and even longer to get to the store for some groceries. (Though the day we arrived, my sister picked us up at the aiport, deposited us at home, and promptly went to the nearest grocery store. She purchased the ingredients for -- and then cooked us -- a lentil-spinach soup, and filled our fruit bowl with fresh fruits after hearing our cries, that went something like this: "No more meat! No more pasta! Detox! Detox!")

I've finally been to the store, I've cooked a few meals (nothing noteworthy) and I've caught up on emails, caught up with friends, caught up at work, and caught up on the shows I missed while we were away (namely, the premiere of The Walking Dead, Season 2, which I've been eagerly anticipating for about 11 months).

Two days ago, when the calendar struck November, it occurred to me that fall had arrived -- hey, I'm in Texas; fall takes its time -- and I was ready to smell the smells of the season. In my own kitchen, not via the interwebs.

I'd stumbled across this recipe, and immediately bookmarked it. For the rest of the day, no matter how many other seasonal recipes I came across, it was this one that I kept going back to. It looked so easy.

And it was.

I've got very little to add ... though I'll note that I made regular-sized muffins and not minis, and my cook time was about 16-17 minutes at 350 degrees.

Next time, I want to try a cream cheese icing, or perhaps a glaze with orange zest and juice (and zest in the muffin mix, too).

For my first attempt, I followed the recipe closely but tried to up the health factor just a little. I swapped some white sugar for brown, some AP flour for whole wheat ... and I didn't have pumpkin spice, so I threw in a couple of pinches of allspice and nutmeg along with the cinnamon).

Overall, I was very pleased with the dense, moist muffin it yielded in return.

1 cup canned solid-pack pumpkin
1 cup granulated sugar (I used 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1/2 cup granulated white)
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice (I didn't have, so I added two pinches of nutmeg and two pinches of allspice)
1/4 tsp ground ginger (I skipped this)
1/4 tsp cinnamon (I did this)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I used 1 cup AP and 1/2 cup whole wheat)
About 1 tbsp turbinado sugar for sprinkling on top (I did this)
About 1/2 tsp extra cinnamon for sprinkling on top (I skipped this)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, and generously grease up your muffin pan.

In a large bowl, whisk everything but the flour. Then slowly incorporate the flour.

Sprinkle tops of batter with a bit of turbinado sugar (and/or cinnamon, or add a glaze later) and bake in a preheated oven for about 14-18 minutes, or until a fork or toothpick comes out clean.

(Did I mention my favorite thing about this recipe? ONE BOWL, BABY.)

A Limited Palette

2011-09-22T14:15:00.005-05:00

It's not that I'm having all of these crazy aversions to food, with the exception of chicken (ick!) and fresh herbs (too ... fresh).

It's just that things don't really SOUND very good. (Thai is perhaps the one type of food I can stomach - and actually crave - and I'm having Thai twice per week.)

For lunch today, I went to our local H-E-B grocery chain to shop for a Meals On Wheels client and took advantage of the trip, as I often do, to pick a few things for myself. But I wandered the aisles in vain, unable to come up with anything that sounded remotely appealing.

Except the carb-y stuff. I wanted it all ... the biscuits, tortillas, buttermilk pancakes (the microwavable kind for the office--yikes!), toaster waffles, toaster struedel, donuts, croissants and just plain white bread to slather with butter.

I settled on whole wheat raisin bread, low-fat cream cheese and a few kinds of fruit.

Lunch has never been less sexy.

Cravings vs. Brain-Boosting Foods

2011-09-06T15:25:00.008-05:00

I haven't blogged in exactly seven weeks.

I've been pregnant for all of them, plus another five.

The last few weeks have passed me by. I'm tired, I'm nauseous. I have heartburn and indigestion. I love crackers and lemonade. I hate cilantro. And the smell of our kitchen bugs me no matter how hard I clean it. Which isn't very hard, because I'm not too fond of the smell of cleaning stuff these days, either.

My meals have mostly consisted of some form of carb with some form of cheese or protien. I have to gag down most vegetables but, fortunately, fruit still tastes great and I snack on plenty of it at work and at home.

I'm trying like mad to eat brain-boosting foods - I go through at least one can of sardines a week at work, and walnuts are an almost daily snack.

But most days, all I want is a grilled cheese sandwich. Or a slice of pizza. Plain cheese pizza. Light on the sauce. A foldable, New York-style slice.

I'm headed into the second trimester later this week, and I look forward to eating cilantro (berp) again soon. (Though I may never eat chicken again, and I don't find that idea tragic by any means.)

But for now, I'll take a quesadilla, please. Hold everything but the cheese and tortilla.

What's in my fridge?

2011-07-19T12:50:00.003-05:00

Addie Broyles was kind enough to spotlight my fridge a couple of weeks ago.

And I'm such a lame food blogger that posting a link on my own blog didn't even occur to me until now.

And yes, I really am obsessed with Hal's Hot Love.

And yes, the whole thing really is one big ad for Shanita's Salsitas.

And yes, you really should get your hands on some of her salsitas. Immediately.*

*If you don't know HOW to get your hands on some, and you live in Austin, and you write a food blog .... I've got a way you can try some, for free, and even walk away with a couple of jars. Leave a comment with your blog link and I'll send you details about a launch party on July 31st!

Salmon + asparagus + grill

2011-07-13T09:53:00.005-05:00

I go back and forth on salmon and asparagus. Is it a perfect pairing, or a cliche?

Last night's dinner has me leaning toward the former.

We just got back from a long weekend out of town to see Mike's family in Tucson, and I'd encouraged the cat sitter to clear out the veggie drawer and the fruit bowl to share with her family. So when we got back into town, our fridge was a mess of condiments, nearly expired milk, cheeses and little else.

I snuck out of work a lil' early to hit my favorite grocery store, on a mission for healthy, detoxifying foods. (We've both put on a bit of weight since the wedding, and we are thankfully both on the same page about knocking the pounds off, focusing on smaller portions while still making good food.)

At the checkout line, I have this habit of looking down at my groceries and trying to determine how a stranger would judge me if they were to pick through my items. I decided they'd be impressed at the colorful array of fruits and veggies -- and they'd wonder why I'm so overweight if I'm shopping like that.

I took the My Fit Foods approach to my shopping -- buying my proteins in reasonable, pre-cut portions (4-5 oz for me, 5-6 oz for him) and made sure we not only had fruits and vegetables on hand, but a precious few starchy treats (Magic Pop! and whole grain English muffins).

I admit it. Last night's meal would have been just as good without the homemade lemon aioli, which we made for a potluck tonight but decided to sample early.

Still, I went to bed with a slightly grumbly stomach after a salad lunch, an aqua fitness class and this healthy, no-carbs dinner. The scale this morning didn't disappoint.

Salmon, slathered in stone ground mustard. Asparagus with olive oil, kosher salt and pepper. Both cooked on the grill. Paired with the last bits of roasted tomatoes purchased during a big community garden tomato sale.

House Pizzeria

2011-06-13T15:38:00.005-05:00

I'd been craving House Pizzeria for weeks.

I resisted temptation last month, when we drove right past House but decided to go home and make our own pizza with the veggies we had on hand. But ever since I wrote about their potato and goat cheese pizza in my post for Dalia and Hussein's visit, I couldn't get House off my mind.

After a quick stop at a fundraiser and a happy hour for our friend Monica at Opa! Coffee & Wine Bar, Mike and I headed over to House.

The "Noble" was one of the House house specials that evening. When I saw what was on it -- pork belly, goat cheese, arugula and dates -- I decided the goat cheese and potato would have to wait.

The "Noble" was as good as I expected. Sweet and savory came together beautifully on a pizza dough that somehow manages to be chewy and crispy at the same time. I *love* the House crust! Even the burnt bits.

Where I Eat (Or: Recommendations for our Visiting Friends)

2011-06-08T14:55:00.016-05:00

My childhood friend Dalia and her honey Hussein are coming to town for 4th of July weekend, and when Hussein asked me to send him a list of my favorite restaurants, I told him I’d write up a post for their trip instead of sending him a numbered list.

My picks have to be stellar for many reasons. First off, Hussein is a chef. In fact, he just got promoted to head chef at an incredible restaurant in Scottsdale, Arizona called Zinc Bistro. The upscale, French-inspired bistro was featured on the Food Network’s “The Best Thing I Ever Ate” for their French onion soup, and I was lucky enough to try it last year -– along with several other mouth-watering Zinc menu items –- and can report back that it is indeed one of the best things I’ve ever eaten, too. I never did a blog post on Zinc because the restaurant is dimly lit and my pictures were total crap. But I digress.

Hu-Hu, as he is affectionately known, specifically asked me for my top 5 breakfast, lunch and dinner spots.

I think I’ve nailed them down – with a couple of happy hour spots and the like thrown in good measure -- but I’d appreciate any additional comments in the comments section.

I’m secretly – okay, openly and loudly – hoping these two will eventually pack it up and move to Austin. Hu-Hu is a huge Longhorn fan despite never having actually lived in Texas, and Dalia and I grew up together, five hours’ south of here, so I continue to insist she needs to move back closer to home.

Hussein and Dalia are aware that Austin has a great food scene, but Hussein hasn’t spent much time here. So we’ve got to show him just how much Austin has to offer. I’m thinking these suggestions will help:

Breakfast/Brunch

Counter Café/24 Diner. There are so many reasons to go to Counter Café – or 24 Diner just a few doors down when the wait’s too long at the teeny, tiny counter that once housed my friend Reid’s unforgettable, irreplaceable slider joint. Counter Café has won best burger accolades -- #2 in the state, says Texas Monthly. -- but for breakfast, their ginormous, fluffy blueberry pancake won the hearts of my mom and my grandmother (and me!) on a recent visit. And you’ve never had anything like their pimento cheese sandwich. Next door at 24 Diner, I love their budget-friendly breakfast scramble. It’s a smaller portion of their regular breakfast scramble (but still plenty of food!). With a cup of coffee and nice tip, it’s a great under-$10 breakfast. Others go to 24 Diner for righteous burgers – rightly so, as they rival their award-winning neighbor – and for their chicken and waffles.

Frisco’s. Home to the best biscuits, sausage and gravy this side of the Mississippi. Or at least in Austin. Also, the original owner, Harry Akin, was the first on the Austin restaurant scene to hire black staff and integrate Frisco’s.

Curra’s. Oaxacan coffee is the best mug in south Austin. Great breakfast tacos and chilaquiles. Everything about this place screams "south Austin" - in a good way.

Stubb’s Gospel brunch. Okay, this isn’t the best brunch food in town, but it’s damn tasty for a buffet. They have big silver trays filled with bottomless crispy bacon and the creamiest grits you can find in Austin. And then there’s the LIVE GOSPEL CHOIR to which you can shake your groove thing after you’ve had seven slices of bacon. Unfortunately, Stubb’s ‘indoor’ seating is not all too well ventilated to begin with, but nearing noon in early July it just might not be worth it. Sad face.

Cuban Sandwich Café. The best café con leche in town. Cuban breakfast plate for $5.50 includes eggs, ham or bacon, fries and baguette made in-house. Breakfast tacos and pastries abound. (Cream cheese and guava croissant is my favorite, but Mike likes to mix it up and try something new with each visit.) They’ll be featured on The Food Network later this summer. The owner, Enrique, is a Cuban-born former resident of Miami who keeps his place clean and his prices low. Oh, and it’s in my ‘hood!

Lunch

Franklin Barbecue. This should be on the breakfast list, because you have to get to Franklin early if you want to eat there. But don’t take my word for it. See what Hitler has to say. The bride & groom at the best Austin wedding of 2011 (after my own, of course) were kind enough to feed us all Franklin’s. I am still grateful.

Torchy’s. Sure, there are far more authentic tacos to be had in this town. But my pals are coming from Arizona and Dalia is from south Texas. These people know authentic tacos, but they’ve never had a Brushfire. If they decide they want authentic, our neighborhood strip mall tacos will more than suffice.

Frank. Fancy hot dogs. Fancy bloody marys. Fancy coffee. Yes, coffee. They have a couple of talented baristas who will serve you some of the best lattes and cortaditos in town. (Oh, and Dalia doesn’t eat pork, but not to fret – most of their dogs are 100% beef and there’s a veggie dog on the menu as well.) I’m looking forward to trying their corn cup -- grilled corn served off the cob with chili mayonesa, lime juice, cilantro and cotija cheese. I used to make this all the time with Valentina hot sauce.

Blue Dahlia/Haddington’s/Foodheads three-way. My friend Dalia will appreciate the name of the first recommendation, but all of these picks get points for Austin-y ambience and fresh, fun twists on regular ol’ sandwiches. I’d probably choose Blue Dahlia over Haddington’s and Foodheads for the pretty factor. The place is just freaking adorable. But I love the patio most, and the patio at Blue Dahlia and outdoor seating at Foodheads will likely be too hot to handle come 4th of July weekend. So I gotta go with Haddington’s. My gourmet grilled cheese with sundried tomatoes was good enough to try re-creating at home, but through most of my meal, I was eyeing my sister-in-law’s fish and chips. I’m going back for those.

Koriente: Dalia and Hu-Hu are health-conscious, so I’m trying to balance things out a bit with this suggestion. Koriente is awesome for about a million reasons. Their sweet potato noodles and mixmix bibimbop are reasons #2 and #3. But my #1 reason for loving this family-run restaurant is this message painted at the back entrance to this downtown gem.

Happy Hour

Fino. Sangrias, bee stings, fried anchovy olives, blistered Padron peppers with sea salt, Mediterranean-inspired patio and menu. I got to attend a food blogger happy hour there long before I had my own blog. I went in Jodi's place (fortunately for me, she had to work late and offered me her spot in exchange for this post). Fino doubles as a favorite Happy Hour and favorite brunch pick, in my book.

Contigo. I haven’t blogged about this one yet, despite two visits, but you can trust Jodi. I’ve sampled many of their menu items since we’ve gone with a group that is willing to share. Nothing has disappointed, but the fried potatoes & pigs ears and ox tongue slider are OMG-musts. It’s going to be hot as balls July 4th weekend, and while the patio is seriously cool – the weather may not be. Dalia is even more heat intolerant than I am. Contigo may have to wait for a future visit.

Dinner

Uchiko. Just go there. Trust us. And by “us,” I mean every Austinite who has been there.

Foreign & Domestic. Since Uchiko is a little out of our budget these days – saving for late honeymoon in Argentina! – we will hopefully cement our plans for dinner at this Hyde Park spot on their first night in town. My recent hanger steak with fried orzo was memorable, and I wanted to swim in my friend David’s bowl of homemade pasta – but the crispy lamb ribs dusted with sumac and za’atar? If the Food Network asks, I’d say it’s The Best Thing I Ever Ate. On this next visit, I’m getting my own plate of ribs.* Not sharing. Nope. I don’t care if you drove here from Arizona and this is your first Austin experience, guys. Get your own ribs. Love you. Mean it. (Side note: The owner of F&D caught some flak earlier this year for an interview with Eater, and I personally think he came across a bit jerky. I'm not alone. I mean, the guy insulted Thomas Keller (not to mention every brand of Austinite to be found south of the river) -- and my friends know I publicly stalk Thomas Keller. I have dedicated evenings to him. Still, as long as Ned Elliot hasn't murdered anyone, I'm going to continue to support his endeavor with many future purchases of crispy lamb ribs.)

Barley Swine/Odd Duck + Gordough’s. Barley Swine is the air-conditioned, grown-up iteration of the Odd Duck Farm to Trailer concept that knocked my socks off a couple of years ago with its grilled duck wings and pork belly sliders. Even the asparagus was elevated to levels I’ve yet to achieve in my kitchen. So given that we’re all on budgets, I’d suggest Odd Duck for a taste of Barley Swine. And I’d suggest Odd Duck because it’s next to Gordough’s. Gordough’s is a ridiculous, divine, indulgent, do-NOT-mention-Weight-Watcher-points star of the Austin trailer food scene. I’ve heard too many people say too many things about how it’s just too much. Too ridiculous, too divine, too indulgent. “They’re just so big!” “Ugh, I can’t eat one of those things. So sweet!” And to them I say, get the hell over yourself and take a few friends. Get a coupla donuts and split them up. No one’s forcing the whole thing down your throat. Now, if you’re on a diet (as I should be) or you just don’t like donuts (get off my blog NOW), I get it. But if you like donuts and if you like sharing with your friends, give this place a try, enjoy every bite and don’t beat yourself up over it, for crying out loud.

Asia Café. This isn’t New York City, and our version of Chintatown is nothing to write home about if you just moved here from New York (or, say, China). But we’ve got some solid options for Asian fare in our town – and Mike and I (and many of our pals) are keen on the mapo tofu, fried rice, noodles, salt and pepper shrimp, water spinach, baby bok choy and various other offerings at Asia Café. (To be fair, Asia Café is not exactly in our town. It’s a twenty-minute drive from our house. Worth the carbon footprint.)

House/Homeslice/Little Deli. I realize I’m cheating with these multiple picks, but the fact is, there are so many good options within any given category. And for me, pizza deserves not only its own category but its own post. This will have to do for now. For me, each of these picks makes the list because they offer both respectable, delectable crusts and fresh inventive toppings. (Note: Eastside Pies wins the Most Inventive, but they are almost exclusively a delivery pizza place.) House and Homeslice are probably better choices for Austin newcomers; Little Deli is a family-friendly neighborhood joint, and I’d confidently recommend it to locals with children. (If you aren't sure what to order, the House goat cheese and potato pizza was the bomb! A minor complaint, as evidence in this picture not even taken by me is that their crust shows up with a few burnt spots most of the time. For some, however, this is a good thng.)

Midnight snack

Chi’Lantro. Everyone will tell you to hit up Kerbey Lane or Magnolia (blech and blech) while you’re in Austin for late-night grub. Thankfully, 24 Diner (see above) is there for those of us who have been here too long to be impressed with mediocre food and bad service. There are others, too, but when you just want a little snack go find the Chi’Lantro truck and get yourself some Sriracha-soaked kimchi fries. I’ve yet to have these fries at the trailer, but my kimchi-fry obsessed friend Johnny Rollerfeet had more than a half-dozen varieties available for us at his birthday gathering recently, and let’s just say you don’t have to be hungry to enjoy the hell out of these smothered papas. You can find ‘em downtown, super duper late – 3AM? I haven’t seen 3AM in a decade! – and I can’t think of anything better for soaking up booze.

Sweet treats

Cake & Spoon. Austin’s downtown farmer’s market holds many treats – hello, Bola breakfast pizza and Dai Due biscuits and sausage! – but for someone who doesn’t live here and can’t take the goods home, I recommend picking up a key lime or chocolate hazelnut tart from the Cake & Spoon folks. They did our wedding groom’s tarts in lieu of a groom’s cake. I can’t say enough about these tarts, from the flavorful fillings to the thick, crumbly crusts. So much goodness in such a little package. Cupcakes are jealous.

*How much for one rib?

Meat

2011-05-31T10:02:00.004-05:00

Memorial Day weekend in my south Texas hometown. Dinner for 11 - with leftovers galore! - on my dad's awesome Argentinian grill.

(See, I told you it hasn't been all carbs.)

Carbalicious

2011-05-16T12:53:00.012-05:00

My diet is a bit more balanced than this blog would indicate, I assure you, but the only pictures I've managed to snap lately have been home-cooked and carb-heavy.

Last week, we found ourselves with a huge bunch of water spinach from the Asian grocery store, and rather than do the usual saute, Mike suggested a pesto with sunflower seeds (the only nut we had at home besides almonds) and a little basil from our herb garden.

I loved using our spinach that way, even though it wasn't the best pesto I've ever had.

(And, no, those aren't the largest sunflower seeds on Earth; we used mini farfalle pasta.)

The next day, we had a bunch of pesto left that I couldn't let go to waste, but I didn't want the same dish twice. (I have a problem with this. I'll gladly eat dinner leftovers for lunch, but I don't like to eat the same dinner twice when it's so easy to 'repurpose' the same foods.) So, what to do with that pesto?

I was reading "Blood, Bones & Butter" for one of my book clubs, and I must have seen the word ravioli among the pages, because I stopped for ricotta on the way home from work and asked Mike to make pasta dough. Ta-da! Spinach-ricotta ravioli.

And last night, after wrapping up an Austin weekend for the books -- checking out a new(ish) spinoff of our favorite Chinese restaurant, a movie we could both agree on, a new water sport, my first bike ride in a decade, a Saturday afternoon BBQ, dim sum brunch on Sunday with friends, a return to a new neighborhood spot with more friends, and a trip to Barton Springs for a book club gathering -- I was craving carbs. Again. Specifically, I was craving pizza. (Even though I didn't swim, my appetite grew exponentially in two short hours at Barton Springs.)

We were dropping off friends who'd joined us at the Springs and who live dangerously close to House Pizzeria. House is definitely in my Top 3 for Austin pizza. We were tempted, but Mike pointed out we had plenty of veggies at home and I knew we'd be able to find an easy, no-rise dough recipe on the interwebs. (My dad's crust is my latest go-to, but we were hungry and just didn't have the patience to wait on rising dough.)

Motivated by hunger (and happy to be saving the $20 while using up some of the veggies in our fridge), we turned out a roasted eggplant and zucchini pizza on thin crust in under an hour. He sauteed, I kneaded. It was a really good call.

I'm planning to break this carb kick with Hebrew National dogs (Saturday BBQ leftovers) and asparagrus on the grill tonight, a fajita potluck tomorrow and short ribs with our lovely friends (and conveniently close neighbors) on Thursday.

And then there will be Friday.

Friday, we have reservations for Austin's only five-star restaurant. It's the one-year anniversary of the day Mike proposed and the eve of my 38th birthday.

If I could only schedule my workouts the way I schedule meals.

Dutch baby

2011-04-28T16:02:00.005-05:00

Ever since I tore into my first Dutch baby at a north Austin strip mall eatery, it soared to the top of my Favorite Brunch Foods Of All Time list. That was a few months ago, when Mike and I were half-moved into our new home and decided to take a break amid the hubbub and treat ourselves to a fuel-filled breakfast.

We haven't made it back to the Original Pancake House -- and now we might not have to.

Our first attempt at a homemade Dutch baby was surprisingly delectable, and we didn't even use whole milk! (Side note: Are there many childless adults out there who keep a regular supply of whole milk in their fridge?)

Mike did all of the work on this one, but I still wanted to capture this steering wheel of a pancake in all its glory. The final product, once it's puffed in the oven and then collapses on itself within moments of coming out, is delicious on its own but most popularly paired with a healthy squirt of fresh lemon juice and sprinkling of confectioner's sugar.

Oh, baby, was it good.

Bahn Mi

2011-04-22T11:19:00.003-05:00

My first banh mi experience occurred at an impromptu lunch this week with the hubby, who was looking for a lunch companion via Facebook, forgetting that I regularly stalk him via social networking.

After strong-arming him into lunch, we agreed to meet in north Austin's Chinatown at Lily Sandwich. It's an unassuming little shop, not terribly clean but certainly not dirty enough to sound any alarms.

It's possible I couldn't really distinguish the three different types of "meat" in my sandwich. But I loved the fresh cilantro, pickled carrots and cucumber, and their crunchy-soft baguette. I also loved the budget-friendly price ($3.25) and getting to see Mike for one of our rare lunches together.

Their baguette was so fresh, we bought a few loaves (made in-house) to take to a friend's house for dinner later that evening -- and I'm pretty sure I'll be asking Mike to bring some home on a semi-regular basis as Lily isn't far from his office.

Side note: One Yelp reviewer mentioned that the guy taking their bubble tea order tried to gyp them out of a couple of bucks. The same thing happened to us, and my guess is that their bubble tea guy is the same guy who made our sandwiches. We ordered two sandwiches at $3.25 each, plus a can of soda. I figured that would come to no more than $8-$9, yet the man behind the counter simply said "Ten dollars." After a couple of minutes - we stood watching while he made our sandwiches - another guy rang us up with an actual calculator. Even with a last-minute egg roll thrown into our order, our real total came to just under $9. So, sure, the sandwich maker was trying to make a couple extra bucks off of us. Not cool, sandwich guy. But I'll keep going back, and I'll just call him out on his erroneous math if it happens again.

Balance

2011-04-18T09:40:00.006-05:00

Carbs for breakfast -- croissants and cafe con leche at our favorite little Cuban cafe. Carbs and veggies for dinner - popcorn and goat cheese salad at my favorite movie theater.

I was clearly in need of some fruit and dairy at lunch to balance out the day:

Summer's arrived in Austin, Texas.

Garee curry

2011-04-14T09:48:00.007-05:00

Last night after work and a 40-minute walk around the neighborhood with the boxing octopus and her youngest, I pulled some broccoli and shitake mushrooms out of the fridge and stared at them for a few minutes trying to figure out how to prepare them before they went bad.

Roasting broccoli is one of my favorite methods, but that wasn't going to work for the mushrooms. I could saute them both together, but that didn't sound very good and I wasn't sure what spices I'd use and what I'd pair them with.

I eventually landed at soup (it's still technically spring in Austin, right?), and then realized we were fresh out of veggie or chicken broth. So I went to the pantry, where I was reminded that we had 9 jars of assorted curry pastes and a couple of cans of coconut milk from recent cooking classes at Thai Fresh , which incidentally sells various quality Thai ingredients in their adorable south Austin restaurant for at-home cookin'.

I've always loved my garee curry the traditional way - with chunks of chicken, potatoes, carrots and onions, served wtih enough rice to soak up all of the spicy, creamy goodness that's left at the bottom of the bowl. And I've always had three local favorite spots for garee -- Thai Fresh, Madam Mam's and Titaya's. (Titaya's holds a sweeter spot in my heart as it's also the site of my first date with the man who would become my husband.)

Still, I'm happy to say, after last night's attempt at garee - made with broccoli, mushrooms and onions, sans rice and other carbs - my new favorite local spot for garee curry is my own kitchen.

No-knead bread

2011-04-12T09:48:00.007-05:00

I could not resist cutting a slice off this no-knead loaf after 30 minutes of cooling, even though the recipe urges you to wait an hour.

Oh, don't look at me like that. It was 11:00pm, and I needed to get in bed.

I slathered my first warm slice with some room temperature butter, which I like to leave out on the counter despite my hubby's mocking and judgment. This morning, I slathered another slice with butter and some blackberry cobbler filling we're still picking on from a not-so-recent potluck. (We made a lousy blackberry cobbler in the slow cooker and couldn't bear to throw away the fresh fruit filling.)

I'm so glad Stella has been experimenting with no-knead recipes for long enough that she was able to recommend her favorite. Sparing me from the testing.

This bread was phenomenal. Is phenomenal. I hope to make fresh loaves a regular thing.

I went the plain route on my first loaf because I wanted to see exactly what this bread tasted like all on its own. But I plan to play with my bread in the future. Next up: rosemary and sea salt. Down the line: sundried tomatoes? cheddar and jalapenos? whole wheat flour? rolled oats?

I don't know about man, but this woman could do just fine on this bread alone. Especially if paired with some salami and soft cheese ....

Taste the Love

2011-04-10T19:57:00.004-05:00

My friend Shanita recently launched a homemade salsa biz. She's in the process of getting all of her licenses and whatnot in order, but she's already selling salsas through word of mouth, Facebook, out of the trunk of her Volvo station wagon and parties hosted by friends (like yours truly).

She makes several kinds of salsa (four staples and a range of seasonal salsas), but my love, my obsession, is the Hal's Hot Love - a creamy, garlicky roasted jalapeno salsa that I just can't get enough of. I often build my meals around Hal's.

You would, too, if you had two (ok, three) jars in your fridge. (Four if you count the one I keep at the office!)

hopdoddy = family

2011-04-05T16:22:00.007-05:00

I've only been to Austin's new bustling, enviro-friendly burger spot twice. Both times were with family. The first time, a large group of us went on a Saturday afternoon, and I had a regular ol' mushroom-and-swiss burger that was anything but regular.

My little sister was dying to go back and we agreed to have lunch - which we don't do often enough - when she was scheduled to get out of her nursing job earlier than usual.

We'd committed early on to sharing a burger with a salad, and she convinced me to try the Janis Joplin. This hemp seed veggie patty was so meaty and fresh, you could see the bits of lentil throughout. All of the fixin's -- avocado, sprouts and Tillamook Cheddar with a slathering of Mustard -- made it look and taste substantial. (This is key for meat lovers who find themselves eating meatless burgers.)

The $6 field greens salad was generous in size and topped off with killer croutons that can only be homemade, like the Hopdoddy buns.

My half of the salad and half of the buger ($7.50 total) was the perfect lunch. My sister is the perfect lunch companion.

In fact, the only thing about our lunch at hopdoddy that wasn't perfect was the crappy photo I took on my iPhone:

barley swine

2011-04-01T15:43:00.020-05:00

The only critiques I heard about barley swine had more to do with the quantity of animal products on the menu than with the food itself.

And while I am falling deeper and deeper in love with carbs, I am my father's daughter, and, well, he owned a steak house and was raised in Argentina. Sweetbreads weren't some weird food that people in other parts of the world consumed; they were a regular feature in the asados of my childhood.

And barley swine might have served up some of the best sweet breads I've ever had. Even if they did cost $13 for two small pieces.

Sweetbreads with garlic puree, roasted brussel sprouts and braised bacon

The sweetbreads of my childhood, I confess, were not sourced from local farms nor were they served on fancy plates in an urban setting. I understand the need to charge $13.

Our meal began after a ridiculously short wait (about 10 minutes on a Saturday night; the hostess told us we'd gotten lucky) with the complimentary olives, one beer and one diet coke. Five small plates and $90 later, we were satisfied and impressed with this fun and trendy spot. Just not crazy about the price tag.

The lows: There were absolutely no lows for me during our visit. My husband would probably argue that the seating arrangement was a low. Tables of six forced parties of two to sit next to strangers; in his case, his right arm was up agains the wall and his left arm was up against a strange but cute blonde woman who wasn't his wife. More awkward for him than for me, I suspect.

The mediums: The jerk-rubbed pork belly came with grilled sweet potato and kale salad. Sweet potatoes are one of my favorite foods. They have so much potential for, well, sweetness. Grilling them seems to be one of the blandest possible ways to serve it. The pork belly itself was just fine. But at $12 for a modest-sized piece, I couldn't help but think of the mouth-watering hunk of pork belly we'd oven roasted from the farmer's market that set us back a mere $18 and fed us for two dinners and two amazing PBLTs the following day.

The medium-high: The scallop dish was lovely. Especially the parsnip puree with vanilla and saffron ... though my not-so-refined palate couldn't make out the saffron or vanilla, as hard as I tried. The leeks were equally subtle, but not bland. The scallops themselves? Just fine, cooked as they should be, but I love a really good crust or sear on a scallop. I wish they'd take that step for added caramelization.

The orgasmic: Braised short ribs, celery root, trumpet muschrooms and black truffle shavings. The picture does not do this plate justice. Every bite was perfection. It was among the most elevated forms of 'meat and potatoes' I've personally experienced.

Also among the orgasmic was that previously mentioned sweetbreads dish.

The kicker for us was the $90 price tag for five small plates, one beer and one diet coke. It was a wee overpriced for what we got. And yet ... when you look around the packed room, at the many bustling waitstaff and chefs in plain sight (thanks to a contemporary open kitchen style), and you think about the quality product you're being served, and the prime location in one of Austin's hippest neighborhoods ... the $90 made sense. It just doesn't make sense ... regularly. This will be a special-occasion spot in my book.

I'm looking forward to seeing how their menu changes this spring and beyond.

Homemade pizza

2011-03-23T09:19:00.005-05:00

I was warned my love of carbs would grow with age. I've always been the kind to choose a steak over a cake, oysters and shrimp over rolls and biscuits. But that's changing ...

Owning a Kitchen Aid, procured through marriage, makes it a lot easier to produce tasty carbs in my own home.

Last night, for example, my sister and I tried to replicate our dad's famous pizza dough -- and while we missed the mark, we came closer than our past attempts. Now, my dad made his dough by hand, but Mike suggested we use our still-new-to-us silver toy, and I'll be darned if that dough hook doesn't do a beautiful job of kneading!

We kept last night's toppings simple: thinly sliced prosciutto, grated fresh Parmesan and arugula tossed with fresh lemon juice, olive oil and salt.

(Oh, and P.S. - I realize I've published two pizza posts in a row but in all fairness, they were eaten days apart!)

(Expect a post soon on whole wheat honey bread. Which I'll share and eat in moderation.)

Simple Lunch: Pita Pizza

2011-03-21T22:07:00.006-05:00

Here's another one of those simple lunchtime meals. (Only three ingredients for this healthy, light* lunch. Or five, in my case, since I used three kinds of cheese.)

Phoenicia's pita bread, vine tomatoes, a 1/2 slice of provolone, a 1/2 slice of mozzarella and a few crumbles of blue cheese. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes.

*You might look at all the cheese and think ... light? Well, yes. I mean it's better than any take-out, drive-through style lunch and lighter than most restaurant fare. And my Weight Watchers tracker tells me it's an 8-9 point lunch. Not too terrible for something so tasty. (Oh, and I was hungry about two hours after I ate it ... not the kind of lunch that weights you down all day.)

Some thoughts can belong to you and only you

2011-03-14T15:32:00.007-05:00

Japan.

According to some, those of us who have not properly paid tribute to Japan via Facebook or Twitter or on our own personal blogs are terrible, superficial twits who cannot recognize real tragedy despite 24-hour news cycles, the blogosphere and, you know, our own sense of human empathy.

I am a self-absorbed asshole because I have not ceased and desisted from food blogging, or going out to dinner, or watching a movie. In fact, why am I eating at all when people in Japan are standing in food lines? How dare I go on and on about food and the weather and the hipsters that have invaded my weird city this week when thousands of people have been devastated? I should be sure to reference war- or disaster-torn regions when making crepes and cakes. Because, by golly, people around me are suffering and it cannot go unacknowledged!

I should take the lead of those with a moral compass better than my own. Like one food blogger -- usually one of my favorites, so I'm sad to be picking on her of all people -- who recently posted a ham-and-endive recipe.

"I look at that white plate with two baked endives sitting up there and I see so much more. A hungry, black tide swallowing up everything in its path. An old man walking along a cleared path through utter devastation, weeping. Two parents kneeling in front of the muck-slicked car that held the body of their daughter at the wheel. Nuclear reactors on the precipice."

REALLY?! Where on Earth did YOUR endives come from, lady?

Her post angered and annoyed me.

It angered me because she was no doubt paranoid about food blogging and the attacks that have come with it this week. So perhaps it's those who are attacking that angered me, and it's only annoyance I feel towards this blogger.

Annoyance because she gave in. She got all torn up and guilty and gushing-with-apologies, stating that "writing about anything else, about lunch or cupcakes or Paula Deen's artichoke-spinach dip, feels deeply weird."

So then why did you do it?

I read her post, her lovely words -- and they rang hollow. I interpreted them as follows:

"I'd really like to share this ham and endives recipe, but all the other food bloggers are acknowledging the tragedy that hit Japan this week, or they're getting slammed for *not* acknowledging it. So I just want everyone to know how much I care. I'm really tortured by what's happened this week. Enjoy the ham and endives!"

Forced, fake, full of guilt.

So I'm just here to say a big EFF YOU to those people who feel that they can pounce on someone for continuing with their lives in the face of tragedy. Because, guess what, you self-righteous assholes? TRAGEDIES ARE HAPPENING EVERY MINUTE, EVERY SINGLE DAY.

Why aren't you this upset every fucking day?

Most of the tragedies taking place EVERY MINUTE, EVERY SINGLE DAY are not acts of God or natural disasters or occurences beyond our control. They're tragedies that don't have to happen. Like famine, malaria, politics, HIV, murder, drug wars. Tragedies we could be doing something about.

It makes me feel a bit smug to think that the couple of folks who got under my skin this week via Twitter probably do less volunteer work in a year than I do in a month. But the fact that I feel the need to acknowledge that pisses me off. I can't even say that "what's happening in Japan is heartbreaking" without feeling like I, too, have to concede to the universe or Twitterverse, admit that I care, that I have actually thought about the tragedy and the death and the destruction even WHILE I AM BAKING A CAKE. Because if I don't say it, then I must not be thinking it. Surely I haven't had a few moments to myself -- private, non-Tweetable moments -- when I have shed a tear or experienced a pang of pain for the man who lost his wife, the hundreds of newly orphaned children, the helpless animals who were swept away in the waters. And if I haven't shared these thoughts in a forum or manner accpetable to others, then they haven't really happened and surely I'm a self-absorbed, superficial twit. But I know I'm not.

Instead, I'm going to be the jerk that says Go Fuck Yourself for making any of us feel badly.

And when you're done, please send a check to the Red Cross.

St. Louis ooey gooey, continued

2011-03-13T19:48:00.009-05:00

This ooey gooey cake was certainly both ooey and gooey going into the oven. It was probably even ooey and gooey most of the way through.

I'm blaming the end result on our (still new to me) oven.

Deb's recipe called for a 30-45 minute cooking time and warned of overcooking. I followed the instructions and set the oven timer for 30 minutes. I actually pulled the cake out at about 28 minutes. In retrospect, this was about 5-7 minutes too late.

The resulting cake was ... well, cake-y, to be sure. But nothing gooey, ooey or even terribly buttery about it. I was so upset I forgot to sprinkle some confectioner's sugar on the finished product and instead immediately sliced it up and delivered it to Neighbors with Superior Cooking Skills*, who might still appreciate this with their morning coffee. As of this evening's two tastings (I had to have two pieces to confirm its mediocrity), it was, as they say, not really worth the calories.

*I got to try Boxing Octopus' salt and pepper sandwich cookies today. Her post on them partially inspired me to do some baking today. I have a feeling, with today's sweets swap, she definitely got the short end of the stick!

St. Louis gooey butter cake

2011-03-13T15:01:00.003-05:00

I'm in a rare mood.

I want to bake.

Which means I'm turning to my favorite food blogger for some inspiration. (I really wanted to make these awesome raspberry bars but that would require leaving the house for preserves.)

So I'm letting these come to room temp while I vascillate between wanting to go the productive route (laundry/cleaning) but leaning towards an It's-Spring-Forward-Sunday-gimme-a-break route (DVR).

Stay tuned. Even if this doesn't turn out well, the house should smell good for the rest of the day.

Whole Foods Udon Noodle Bowl

2011-03-03T14:23:00.003-06:00

I re-joined Weight Watchers a few weeks ago, and suffice it to say, progress has been slow. I'm down 3 pounds in 4 weeks. Not terrible, but I know I can do better.

One of the ways that'll happen is by eating healthy meals that don't taste or look or feel like diet foods.

This hot udon noodle bowl - fish broth, noodles, spinach and scallions - is one shining example. I haven't checked, but my guess is this is a three- to four-point lunch. And only $6. Not bad at all, considering I got it at Whole Paycheck.

I suspect this bowl and I will become good friends in the weeks and months to come.

Ideal Meal

2011-03-02T15:34:00.005-06:00

I'd had protein for lunch, as had Mike. So we decided on a Meatless Meal with this very filling, fast and easy bowl of goodness for dinner a couple of weeks ago.

Roasted cauliflower and potatoes in the same pan @ 400 degrees (about 20 minutes for the potatoes, solo, then throw in the cauliflower for another 20 minutes). Paired with wilted local spinach sauteed with olive oil, garlic and salt.

What I want right now

2011-02-25T14:30:00.004-06:00

Perfectly pink tuna and the spicy scallop from Imperia.

Pasta shells and arugula

2011-02-23T19:37:00.012-06:00

All week, I've been craving this meal I used to make all the time. A simple spaghetti, tossed in nothing but olive oil, lemon, garlic and some crushed red pepper flakes.

But we didn't have spaghetti; we had pasta shells. Turns out, they're about the same size as arugula, which I bought on a random trip to our Wednesday afternoon farmer's market. It was an unexpectedly lovely pairing.

I sprinkled the arugula with some fresh parmesan in one bowl, and then I drained the pasta and put it back in the pot with Mike's olive-oil-red-pepper-lemon concoction.

Once the pasta was thoroughly coated, I spooned it directly onto the arugula and parmesan. When I combined the two, the arugula wilted perfectly and the parmesan got just a bit melty. Delicious, fast and somewhat Weight Watchers friendly. (Olive oil is good for you, right?)

Easy Peasy Zuchinni-easy

2011-02-23T18:23:00.008-06:00

Fastest. Dinner. Ever.

I saw this on a food blog not very long ago, only it was done in a skillet. Possibly a cast iron.

But I wanted to make sure this got a nice brown, bubbly broil on the cheese topping, so I went the oven route.

I am pretty sure there is no recipe required for this three-ingredient masterpiece. The photos below should be enough to walk anyone through this. Just be sure to cook the zuchinni on its own for a bit (I did about 15-20 minutes at 375 degrees on a very lightly olive-oil coated cookie sheet*), then add the tomatoes and cheese and broil on low.

Voila!

*I really do have nicer cookie sheets but I keep this one around for the messy jobs.

Pork Cracklins - Louisiana Kryptonite

2011-02-14T15:37:00.007-06:00

I thought Valentine's Day was the perfect day to share this guest post from my husband and first-time blogger to AAFB. Here's his take on two variations of a Louisiana treat - pork cracklins.

Let's face it, the modern middle-class American is a superhero. By using our super powers of international currency exchange, low transportation costs, and instant global communication, I can get anything I want. Superman had to fly around the world to get gifts for Lois Lane. Who's got that kind of time? I just use the Amazon app on my phone and all the world's goods appear at my door. Who needs X-ray vision when I can see everything simultaneously on cable news? Super strength? I've got great credit. I am more powerful than Superman. Suck it Kal-El! Of course, with great power comes inevitable boredom. Once I have it all, who wants it anymore?

But even for a jaded foodie, the world is still full of surprises. My kryptonite is the lip-smacking, finger-licking, artery-clogging treat of fried pork skin.

The billboards start soon after you cross the Sabine River. Smiling cartoon pigs entice you at each exit. At a gas station I picked up a pre-packaged plastic bag of locally made cracklins. As a fan of pork rinds, I was more than ready to give them a try. They were just like pork rinds I can get in Austin, but with a little bit more fat attached. Served at room temperature, the extra fat had a buttery mouth feel on top of the crunchy of the skin. They were fine, but they did taste like I bought them at a gas station. This was clearly not the real thing.

After discovering that mufaletta's are hard to find on Sunday, I needed one more culinary adventure before I drove out of the Sportsman's Paradise. Some Chowhound and Yelp research led me to the town of Scott, Louisiana, just west of Lafayette.

Don's Specialty Meats has the biggest billboards and is right on the interstate. Best Stop Supermarket is one mile north of Interstate 10. Both are good, but Best Stop is worth the extra mile.The pork cracklins are ordered by the pound. Your cardiologist will recommend that you order by the fraction of a pound. They are placed in a paper bag, which quickly becomes translucent from the grease. Each cracklin is a different experience. Some are pure crunch with a little meat attached. Some have an interior core of luxurious fat which melts on your tongue. All are delicious.

When you have two sets of pork cracklins within ten minutes it is hard not to compare them. It is also hard to not have a heart attack. I'll give it to Best Stop because the cracklins were larger and some were less fried and still had a molten core. Don's were slightly spicier, however. What really charmed me about Best Stop was that it was a Louisiana meat market at opposed to Don's tourist gift shop. Not only was service was infinitely friendlier at Best Stop, but they have balls. They have the balls to proudly offer stuffed pork stomach (chaudin), but they also sell fried balls of boudin sausage.

Now just like Superman I know the limits of my super powers. For some things, you have to get into a car and go there. The internet won't give you the thrill of an unexpected discovery. Also, just like Superman, I know what is going to eventually kill me. Fried pork-induced heart disease.

Willie Mae's Scotch House

2011-01-31T21:43:00.008-06:00

Our official honeymoon won't take place until the summer, so we drove to New Orleans for a decadent 'mini-moon' courtesy of my American Express hotel points and NOLA's relatively close driving distance from Austin. My head is still spinning (along with my stomach) from the massive quantities of delicious food we consumed in just three days and three nights.

We dined at John Besh's Restaurant August on the first night of our mini-moon (no photos as it was simply too dark and too hoity-toity for snapping pics), we chowed down on one shared order of beignets (and sadly didn't have the time to go back again ... and again), we tried upscale beignets served with pot de creme and salted caramel at a Magazine Street bistro of adorable proportions called Coquette ... and the list goes on.

Every meal was memorable. They each deserve their own post (and a few might get one), but Willie Mae's Scotch House is competing for the top slot in my book because of both its food and its story.

The restaurant that serves up the best fried chicken in America - and the best I've ever had - is now run by Willie Mae Seaton's great-granddaughter, who took over the kitchen when the Scotch House reopened in 2007 following an extensive post-Katrina repair job. Besh and countless others from the community pitched in to bring Willie Mae's back to life, even while the neighborhood around it remains in need of much repair.

Take this picture of the front entrance sign. Look closely at the structure across the street.

That's the Phillis Wheatley Elementary School. Or at least it once was.

Mike pointed out that the school across the street from Willie Mae's was considered a bit of an architectural landmark, a structure built on posts that protected it from flood damage but one that remains sorely neglected nonetheless -- a casualty among many in a city may be associated for years to come with the word 'rebuild.'

The school reminded me of an episode of The Walking Dead, abandoned and threatened by demolition, yet somehow remarkable. The more I looked at it, the more nostalgic I became for something I hadn't even heard about until that moment.

Articles in my quick bit of research on the school describe the neglect -- rat and bat infestations -- while others quote former teachers who favor the demolition. Yet others are fighting to keep it standing, to preserve another piece of NOLA history:

Efforts to preserve and reuse Phillis Wheatley Elementary constitute what is arguably one of the most pressing preservation issues facing New Orleans today. Designed in 1954 by Charles Colbert, FAIA, it is a groundbreaking work of modern engineering and design. Though its cantilevered classroom wing avoided the ravages of flooding after Hurricane Katrina, the Louisiana Recovery School District (RSD) is pushing for FEMA funds to demolish the National Register-eligible building.

I'd like to believe that if the community could save the best fried chicken joint in America, a school like Phillis Wheatley Elementary isn't far behind. But maybe I'm just projecting. After all, I would have loved going to school next to Willie Mae's.

Marriage is ... French Onion Soup

2011-01-24T23:36:00.007-06:00

First things first. We're officially hitched! We got married on a rainy, cold mid-January night under a big, white tent in Austin, Texas, with 56 family members, one photographer friend and one musician we trusted to play our songs on cue.

It was an amazing night -- a romantic, intimate, happy, joy-filled, love fest. With one pretty amazing Argentina-inspired meal you may recall. I am now 9 days into wedded bliss with the love of my life, and I know we've got many, many adventures ahead. I suspect a good number of them will take place in our beautiful new kitchen.

But back to the soup.

It started with an article about caramelizing onions that Mike read on Serious Eats. Before we knew it, we had friends over for a simple Caesar salad (they brought the romaine from their garden beds), some wine and cheese and bowls of steamy French onion soup.

It came out great. A warm, cozy bowl full of happy. A lot like the first 9 days.

Happy New Year!

2011-01-02T19:54:00.003-06:00

Our family friend taught us a few tricks about challah-making while we were with my family over Christmas weekend.

Of course, we're on the 21-Day Challenge so we couldn't have any. (What that meant was I had about three bites, and Mike showed some will power. I wonder if *that's* the reason he's lost twice as much weight!)

We've frozen some loaves that we will defrost and serve at our wedding, but take a look at these beauties. They make me proud to be a Jew.

My Bland Foods

2011-01-02T18:56:00.013-06:00

The hardest part of this 21-Day Challenge hasn't been eating less food, going to bed hungry or craving things like House Pizzeria.

The hardest part has been eating shitty foods and being unable to cook.

Every other meal provided to us by the good folks at My Fit Foods contains chicken -- and every chicken meal contains the exact same kind of chicken: sliced pieces of breast meat that appear to have been cooked sous-vide style. (We're pretty sure everything on this diet is cooked sous-vide; there isn't a trace of char as a result of anything roasted, grilled or even pan-sauteed.)

So we're eating this bland, tasteless food and we are going to start clucking any day now.

The fact is, I am just bursting - I mean absolutely ready to actually explode to pieces - at the thought of cooking anything (and I mean anything) in my kitchen again. (Though I do take the liberty to throw quite a few of my meals into the cast iron with some olive oil-flavored spray and salsas, which you're allowed in unlimited supply).

The food on this challenge is inexplicably, inexcusably bad. I suppose that's part of the challenge. It's flavorless and made with zero love. I'd like to challenge them to come up with tastier foods. Put some grill marks on this stuff!

But ... this is a business. And what should we have expected from a business? We're paying $7-$9 for three-ounce portions of chicken or fish or occasionally beef with some bland, half-steamed, half-boiled, totally-bland veggies and if we're lucky, they've thrown in a half-cup of quinoa with nothing on it.

And the chicken. Oy! The amounts of chicken on this diet are unforgivable. Last week we finally said no more. We asked to have most of the chicken removed from the meal plan, and I insisted that I will not pay for any breakfast items containing the stuff. (YES, THEY HAVE BREAKFAST ITEMS THAT INCLUDE CHICKEN CHUNKS! FOR REAL, PEOPLE.)

Jessica said she and her coworkers had a chicken revolt, and now I understand why. One more chicken salad, and I will hurt a fool.

Unlike Jessica, I haven't been perfect. I decided after about three days of tear-inducing migraines that I wasn't giving up coffee, and I've learned how to drink it with a half-packet of Splenda instead of a whole one. This is a big no-no for the people at My Fit Foods, but the crying migraines just weren't worth it, and I'm convinced that I'm not 50 pounds overweight because I drink coffee.

A few other things I haven't enjoyed about this challenge? The lack of fresh fruits and vegetables I've been consuming for the past couple of weeks. They should really encourage more fruits as snacks (though you do get berries), and more vegetables (like steaming your own broccoli or sauteeing your own spinach in olive oil spray).

I also don't have the same energy some people have experienced. I'm still sloth-like in my habits, and while I've been working out 3-4 times a week, I'm not *excited* about my workouts. I've never been an active person. Every workout is a struggle; every walk must be planned with a friend so that I have a reason to show up. I'm not an athlete, and I never will be. But I can't help but wonder if I'll be a bit more naturally energetic with another 10, 20 or 30 pounds off my body. (I intend to find out in 2011.)

I've got one other complaint. I'm appalled by the cost of the snacks. The meals are justifiably overpriced, but the snacks are upsettingly overpriced. For example, they charge $4.25 for a small portion of edamame. A whole bag of edamame costs $1.99, and includes roughly 4 portions. So they're charging us $17 for a $2 bag. As Elise would say: OUTRAGE.

I told them from Day 1 that we'd buy our own snacks. That means we'll end up with a balance when we're done in a few days (yippee!! a few days!! did you hear that, my sweet untouched Kitchen Aid?). Maybe we'll get our money back or get store credit we can use for desperation meals when we hit busy season at work. But we're going to have to figure out how to use it; we're probably looking at $100-150 in unused snack money.

OUTRAGE.

And now that I'm done with my ranting, here's the good news.

In just 17 days (I can round up to 17, because I'm done with my meals for today and when I wake up tomorrow we've got just four days to go!), we've learned quite a few things:

Portion control.
Eating for fuel, not pleasure.
Portion control.
How much we miss cooking.
Portion control.
How capable we are of cooking.
Portion control.
How capable we are of cooking meals that are just as healthy as this but that don't taste like shit.
Portion control.

And we've also lost a bit of weight. Mike has lost somewhere in the neighborhood of 12-14 lbs. in 17 days. I've lost nearly 7 lbs. in 17 days. We both weigh less than we have since we've known each other. We are a combined 21 lbs. lighter as a couple.

We are more determined than ever to continue a healthy lifestyle but can't wait to re-incorporate good-tasting, healthy meals - and, yes, fine, all right, even the occasional monkey bread splurge - while losing weight at a slower but much more enjoyable pace.

I don't know if I'd do it again, knowing what I now know. But was it worth it? Probably. Even if I start clucking.

Steel cut oats with walnuts and blueberries.

Chicken and vegetables with corn tortillas, given the cast-iron and salsa treatment.

21-Day Challenge

2010-12-18T18:19:00.005-06:00

I'm sorry I've been such a bad blogger, but the wedding is now less than one month away, and for the next 20ish, I'll be eating a lot of pre-prepared foods.

Mike and I just started the My Fit Foods 21-Day Challenge yesterday, inspired by a few people who are seeing great success. One of my childhood friends lost 22 pounds in 21 days. I'm not expecting such results, but I'll take 8 pounds. I'm willing to go to bed hungry every night for 8 pounds. (Have I mentioned my dress is snug?)

I'll post some pictures over the next few days of a few of our meals. Tonight, I get three small pieces - about three ounces - of beef tenderloin and about a cup of cooked mushrooms and red peppers and onions. They meals are all small, but healthy and surprisingly tasty. It's amazing to me after just two days (well, almost two days!), how much perspective I'm getting on the crazy-large portions of food I was eating over the last few months.

For example, the night before we started, we had a couple of friends over for dinner. We had a simple and fairly healthy dinner -- oven roasted kale chips, a kitchen-sink type of salad and flounder with a lemon and butter sauce. (And then we decided because we'd be hungry for the next three weeks straight to treat ourselves to some crepes with dulce de leche.) It was a delicious meal, and I don't recall going to bed "stuffed" or feeling that we'd overeaten. But really, we had. Entirely overeaten. We'd had about one and a half pieces of flounder apiece (cooked in lemon, butter and olive oil), a rich salad with some cheese, avocados and nuts swimming in a fatty dressing, kale chips slathered in olive oil and sea salt ... and (ahem!) two crepes each. Right now a meal like that sounds like so much food! (Right now, I'd kill for a meal like that! And I'd promise to shave off one crepe and that extra half-piece of flounder.)

I'm hoping three weeks from now to be 8-10 pounds lighter with a more realistic view of portion control. I will always be a food junkie, but I'm going to see if I can learn how to permanently alter the amount I'm taking in. I want to finally learn moderation. I want to stop eating before I'm full. I don't want to be this big for the rest of my life.

And I don't plan to be. So I'll keep you posted, while I continue to find that skinny bitch inside me!

(I woke up very hungry this morning, only on Day 2. I could not wait for my steel cut oatmeal breakfast. I weighed in 2.4 pounds lighter. It might just be water weight, but I'll take it!)

Sonoran hot dog

2010-12-07T22:14:00.007-06:00

In Tucson, Arizona, there are at least two spots known 'round the land for producing a high-quality Sonoran hot dog.

Last year, we tried BK's. The hot dog was good, loaded with things I'd never had on a hot dog until then. But the taco I ordered to complement my dog was even better.

This time, we tried BK's competitor, El Guero Canelo.*

Since we popped in between lunch and dinner, we each got only one hot dog -- mine was once again fully loaded, wrapped in bacon and topped with beans, tomatoes, chopped white onion, cheese, mustard, sour cream and limes and salsa. Mike scaled his down a little, opting out of the onions and mustard. (I know, I don't get it, either!)

I didn't think there was a big distinction between BK's or Guero Canelo; they both make a mean Sonoran dog.

*Long before I met Mike or knew the restaurant existed, I was familiar with the Calexico song bearing the Guero Canelo name. If you've never heard it -- or if you're unfortunate enough to be unfamiliar with Calexico in general - give it a listen. It's not about hot dogs, but it's just as good.

They're going to have to roll me out of here

2010-11-26T15:37:00.005-06:00

We didn't leave the house yesterday until nearly 7:00PM, when we finally packed up some leftovers and made three stops to visit various friends in the neighborhood. (I love the fact that we now live in a neighborhood where our friends happen to reside, too. It feels like I wanted my grown-up life to feel.)

We made a ridiculous amount of food for our first (and likely last) Thanksgiving alone, just the two of us in our new home with our dog, our three cats and an 8.5-lb Butterball turkey.

I'll get to our Thanksgiving dinner in another post. For now, I had to share our post-Thanksgiving breakfast: my first-ever batch of homemade cinnamon rolls!

I used the Pioneer Woman's Parker House Rolls recipe for last night's dinner, taking her advice and setting aside half the batch for cinnamon rolls this morning. I was a little worried about what a whole night in the fridge would do to the dough (which turned out some rather fabulous rolls), but I was worried for nothing.

They were really good for a first attempt, though next time I'll be a bit more generous with all of the filling ingredients and the icing.

Cranegranate sauce

2010-11-23T21:59:00.005-06:00

This morning, rummaging through the fruit bowl for a healthy work snack, I spotted the two pomegranates purchased over the weekend and resolved to incorporate them into our Thanksgiving meal.

After some Googling, I found this recipe and decided I could knock this out tonight - two days before T-time - and give myself a little jump start.

The recipe calls for cinnamon sticks and ground cloves. Unfortunately, I had ground cinnamon and whole cloves. So I used what I had, and it looks pretty good. Still a bit too bubbly to taste, and since the recipe calls for refrigerating 'at least 8 hours', I figure I'll wait.

Though I don't know how it tastes, I'm delighted it has the house smelling like the holidays!

Here's my run-down. It took less than 20 minutes start to finish.

#1 Throw cranberries, orange juice, orange zest, sugar, cloves and cinnamon into sauce pan and get it bubbling like so.

#2 While sauce is bubbling, de-seed a pomegranate.

#3 Add pomegranate seeds to bubbling cranberry-orange juice sauce.

The stork left it on our doorstep

2010-11-23T21:20:00.002-06:00

Our baby arrived today, courtesy of my wonderful brother and his wonderful wife. And the folks at Williams-Sonoma and KitchenAid.

We are now accepting name suggestions.

A feast fit for ... two?

2010-11-22T22:45:00.002-06:00

We're spending Thanksgiving alone, Mike and I -- our first holiday on our own, in our new home, just the two of us, the dog, the cats and a few friends popping in and out over the weekend.

Initially, I wasn't sure about this whole holiday-on-our-own thing, but as Thursday approaches, I'm increasingly excited about the prospect of a little staycation with my fiance on a holiday weekend as food-centric as Thanksgiving.

We discussed various aspects of the menu (and I learned valuable tidbits, including his feelings about cornbread stuffing), and we're pretty much settled on the day's meal. Even the shopping's done. All we have to do now is cook the following:

A small(ish) turkey - I insisted on a whole bird; I want stock and lots of leftovers.
Brioche-sausage-sage stuffing - thank you, Five Ingredient Fix! I'm adding ingredients six and seven - sauteed onions and carrots.
Jalapeno creamed acorn squash - Mike found a recipe and this one's all him.
Cranberry-orange-jalapeno salsa - I'm going to wing it.
Roasted brussel sprouts - Already a bi-monthly staple around here.
Glazed carrots - Because they're awesome and we need something bright on our plate.
Gravy - Essential.
Pillsbury Crescent rolls - Equally essential. (Don't judge me,)
Pecan pie - Mike's childhood recipe. He refuses to throw in a few chocolate chips.

I'm so looking forward to this meal -- to preparing it, eating it, and feasting on leftovers for the rest of the weekend. But my favorite Thanskgiving indulgence will come on Friday afternoon when I reach for turkey, cranberry salsa, white bread (think "Wonder") and real, high-fat mayo on both slices. That sandwich, along with my grandmother's birthday, might be the best part of late November.

Ina's mushroom lasagna

2010-11-12T13:40:00.008-06:00

Ina Garten is a genius. So is Deb. They unknowingly joined forces recently and implored me to make a wild mushroom lasagna with a bechamel sauce.

It's still a little too warm to feel like fall has arrived in Austin, Texas. But this recipe brought me one step closer to fuzzy socks and dutch ovens filled with meaty stews.

When I make this again for my family's visit later this month, I will take Deb's advice (add garlic to the milk) and Mike's advice (mix the roux a bit longer before adding the milk). But there isn't much else I'd change.

The best thing about this meal might be the leftovers; I'll find out tonight!

I hate to love you, Martha Stewart

2010-10-28T23:16:00.004-05:00

Remember how I said I was never leaving our new kitchen in the post I just published?

Tonight is yet another reason why I think that might be true. It's clear to me that, quite possibly, some of my best cooking is yet to come.

I made a vegan meal for a couple of friends tonight (all right, so it was a vegetarian meal for those of us who sprinkled parmesan on top), and it was good. I mean good enough to make again good.

I got the recipe from the November issue of Everyday Food by Martha Stewart. I love the cooking show, and I just treated myself to the magazine subscription a couple of months ago. I'm going to sound like a lame ad for Martha Stewart but the thing about these recipes is that you can actually make them at home. Without a ton of effort. And they taste good when they're done. What can I say, it doesn't take a lot to make me happy.

I can't find it online but tonight's vegan meal was basically this recipe here, minus the stirring that comes with risotto, plus one dutch oven and a huge bunch of raw chopped kale added to it before it goes into the oven.

Again, the pictures aren't doing justice to this butternut squash kale risotto, served with a side of orange glaze snow peas with slivered toasted almonds. Until we find the camera, please feel free to use your imagination and a sprinkling of some benefit of the doubt.

I'm Never Leaving The Kitchen Again

2010-10-28T22:28:00.012-05:00

Unless it's to go outside on the deck. Or into our new double-sink master bathroom.

I've been an absentee blogger of late, because we just moved into a new home. My last home for a long, long time. It's beautiful, and it's ours, and I woke up again this morning -- our 9th morning in this place - thinking surely it'll be time to check out soon and get back to reality.

It will come as no surprise to those who know me that the kitchen was a huge selling point. This doesn't make me special; anyone who likes to cook, or eat, really, is probably looking for a nice kitchen when they're home-hunting. I just never thought I'd end up with one. Certainly not now.

I'll post some 'after' photos soon - the countertops are still much too cluttered and we're awaiting a few key pieces that will surely sparkle in their new home.

This 'before' photo from my iPhone captures only half of the kitchen -- and not even the better half. The other side had a huge hole in it now filled with our newly acquired bottom-freezer platinum fridge.

This kitchen doesn't feel like mine yet. It's so pretty, so thoughtfully designed, and it makes me feel so ridiculously fortunate.

On our third night, we threw together a salad in this kitchen to accompany the Moontower and a Big-Medium with Spinach (now delivering to our new 'hood!) that we ordered for our first dinner guests. It was a memorable meal spent mostly on the deck. Lovely, but I longed to be in the kitchen some more.

I got my wish the next night.

It was a Friday, and we were standing around (the kitchen, of course), trying not to think about the weekend ahead, the still-full boxes we'd need to tackle and the considerable amount of homestuffs we still had to go back and get at the old house.

We did a damn fine job in denial and focused on the task at hand: what we were going to have for dinner. Going out was quickly ruled out. I wanted to be home; I wanted to be in our new kitchen.

Mike suggested we make some chicken wings, and ten minutes later we were headed to the grocery store with our list.

Our first real meal in this very real kitchen that really belongs to us was better than we could've imagined. (And imagination you'll need to go with these photos, also taken on the iPhone because we couldn't find the camera.)

Mike and I are huge fans of the Liberty Bar on Austin's east side. We're particularly fond of the East Side Kings food trailer parked in the back, so hip and popular even Anthony Bourdain had to hit it up while he was in town earlier this year. And it's within that trailer that one of our favorite foods - one of the best foods known to man, really - is cooked fresh and hot and brought to you on the back deck: Thai Chicken Karaage.

Chicken Karaage is Japan's version of fried chicken, and it blows KFC right out of the water, er, oil.

Jodi shared a recipe with us a few months ago for karaage, and I remember that evening having the following conversation: "Did you get Jodi's email?" "Yeah. I looked at the recipe, and there's something wrong. It can't be that easy." "Seriously. It can't be that easy."

People, this stuff was easy. Step 1: Toss chicken pieces (in our case, chicken wings) in cornstarch. Step 2: Fry it.

Ta-da! You've got chicken karaage.

Now, you can dress it up with a sprinkle of fish sauces, some fresh cilantro, pickled onions, jalapenos ... the possibilities are endless. Mike found a wing sauce receipe somewhere on the interwebz, akin to the East Side Kings flavors, and it was lovely. A bit of canola oil, sesame oil, soy sauce, lime juice, sugar and fresh cilantro. We threw in a splash of fish sauce for good measure. Because this wasn't the kind of sauce that would be harmed in any way by the addition of some fish sauce.

What we got from this easy fried chicken and this easy sauce was a taste explosion that rivaled East Side Kings. We hardly talked between the 'ooohing' and 'aaahing,' but most of the conversation went something like this: "I can't believe this shit." "Seriously. This is some great shit." "We never have to leave the house again." "Seriously."

So try this at home. Seriously.

We're not big fryers. In fact, that was my first time to ever fry a meal in my own home; I think it was Mike's second. You won't want to eat this every day, but when you do, pair it with something light. We ate this with a spinach salad drizzled with a bit of canola, sesame oil and soy sauce and a squeeze of lime to complement the chicken.

I can't say enough about this stuff. When you're in the mood for crispy, tangy, sweet, crunchy, spicy, hot, and otherworldly -- this will do in a pinch. Literally.

We caved.

2010-10-11T21:20:00.004-05:00

At brunch last Saturday, there was quite a bit of talk about our new house (!) and our January wedding (!!).

Amid the chatter was a good bit of discussion about wedding registries. We are morally opposed to the idea and swore from Day One that they are tacky and, well, we aren't.

This weekend, though, we came to the reluctant realization (i.e., insistence by the four married people at brunch) that we're going to get gifts we don't want if we don't hit up a highfalutin store and register for those we do.

Enter Williams-Sonoma.

I'll admit, I rather enjoyed that little scanning item, dreaming about all the gifts we might now receive just because we're going to say those two little words. We were going to get married anyway. But now I might get those Wustof knives I've always wanted? A double-burner griddle for the many pancake brunches I'm dreaming about hosting?

And this awesome bit of machinery that's already been promised by my brother and his wife, something I've come *so* close to owning but never did plunk down the $300 to treat myself.

I don't have the courage to go with racy red or even a safe, pristine white. But this one will match our fancy new bottom-freezer fridge.

To Die For Wedding Menu

2010-10-01T18:19:00.008-05:00

Our wedding caterer owns not just 2Dine4 Catering but the venue where we're getting hitched in January -- a renovated Craftsman-era home in east Austin that they use for supper clubs and corporate dinners.

He decided to turn our wedding menu into a supper club, so that we could tweak our Argentinean meal - a big nod to my heritage and, most especially, my father. We invited some of our best friends to join us for the four-course feast, which included complimentary sangrias, watermelon martinis and beer along with three fabulous appetizers for a pretty reasonable $50.

Here are some of the photos from last night's tasting, with the menu pasted below.

Hors D’Oeuvres
Petit Choripan on Homemade Bolillo Roll with Roasted Peppers, Onions and Chimichurri Aioli
Argentine Carne Empandas with Hard Boiled Egg & Fresh Herbs
Argentine Style Spinach & Asadero Cheese Empanadas with Olive Tapenade & Fresh Herbs (V)

First Course
Potato Gnocchi poached in Chicken (or Veggie) Stock with Cream, Wilted Spinach and Argentine Reggianito (C or V)

Second Course
Boston, Romaine & Wild Greens Salad with Red Peppers, Grilled Asparagus, Local Farm Vegetables and Lemon-Oregano Vinaigrette (V)

Third Course
Beef Milanesa a Caballo with Boggy Creek Eggs, Aged Provolone & Spanish Jamon Serrano served with Celeriac Whipped Potatoes and Wild Mushroom Sauce
Eggplant Milanesa a Caballo with Boggy Creek Egg, Aged Provolone & Smoked Tomato served with Celeriac Whipped Potatoes and Wild Mushroom Sauce (V)

Fourth Course
Dulce de Leche Custard Tart with Frozen Citrus Whipped Cream and Cinnamon Cookies (V)

COTF (Clean Out The Fridge) Dinner

2010-09-28T18:47:00.008-05:00

We have been eating out quite a bit, and tonight I offered to scrounge something up with what we've got in the fridge. There were bound to be a few unspoiled gems among the ruins. (Casualties included a half-full bag of pre-sliced baby bellas. That hurts!)

A handful of new potatoes, some eggs, a yellow onion yielded skillet home fries with eggs on top. Nothing green here, and a bit more stove time than I'd like -- but I can handle it thanks to our lovely temps of late.

If I'd been tested on Good Faith Effort, I'd have failed. I was sloppy and impatient. So we got half-burnt bits of onion and runny eggs to go with our potatoes.

Sometimes you hit, sometimes you miss. At least we didn't spend money eating out and the fridge is a little lighter.

Childhood

2010-09-27T22:08:00.007-05:00

Chicken with salad and potatoes was a staple growing up in my household. Of course, we used iceberg lettuce and white potatoes. The dish, like me, has grown up a bit. But it's still home.

Spruced up - er, fattened up - our chicken breasts with herb butter for beneath and on the skin:

Roasted sweet potatoes with carrots and yellow onions, smothered in olive oil, fresh rosemary and lemon:

Rounded out with a salad of grape tomatoes, cucumbers, cilantro, spring mix and homemade sherry vinaigrette:

Tuna salad

2010-09-22T22:00:00.005-05:00

If you haven't caught on, I'm a big fan of low-carb dinners that consist of a lean protein and some sort of green. Of course, every time I succeed in putting together a lean-protein-and-greens kind of meal, I'm craving kettle corn within the hour. Indulging in pasta or anything with a crust after 3pm makes me feel a teensy bit guilty.

A dinner like this one makes me proud. Proud and happy, because I only dirtied a bowl for the salad, a frying pan for the tuna, and a few utensils. Easy. Breezy. Beautiful.

Tea with Jam and Bread

2010-09-22T19:38:00.005-05:00

Smitten Kitchen's dreamy cream scones recipe calls for currants, but I was craving scones and all we had were frozen blueberries.

Turns out, baking can be a flexible sport. These were scrumptuous. And I'm going to be sad when our jar of rhubarb-raspberry jam from Timboon Farmhouse in Australia is nothing but a salad dressing container.

Not your mom's pesto

2010-09-21T21:18:00.005-05:00

All right, so my mom never made pesto. My dad, on the other hand ... he would've made this if my mom weren't the kind of eater who thinks ketchup is on the spicy side. (That is not hyperbole.)

So I came home last week with a small tub of hatch green chile pesto from Whole Foods, optimistic I'd get Mike to make a batch of pasta.

He has officially mastered the art of handmade pasta. We stick with wide, thick strands - a cross between tagliatelle and pappardelle - and he likes to mix things into the dough, much like his employment of rosemary bits or red pepper flakes with raw pizza dough. Tonight, he pulled a bag of mustard greens out of the freezer with only about 1/3 of the greens remaining in the bag - and begging for freezer burn. He minced the hell out of them and mixed them in with the pasta.

I love those green specks from the mustard greens; it looked beautiful tossed with the hatch chile pesto, a splosh of cream and some freshly grated grana padano. It was almost too pretty to eat. Almost.

(We had a simple salad, too, to make me feel less guilty about my third serving of carbs for the day.)

(Okay, four servings.)

Chili Oil meets Chicken

2010-09-21T18:02:00.008-05:00

Take two chicken breasts. Smother in Asian chili oil. Roast in the oven. (Curse Texas summers and your cravings for all food requiring use of oven.) Pair with something green. (Possibly cooked in a little chili oil.) Pile on top of steamed rice. (And dab a bit of chili oil on that, too.)

Dinner is served!

The Frisco Shop

2010-09-19T22:42:00.005-05:00

The first time I met my former boss, I was an Associated Press reporter interviewing him for an article. The Frisco Shop was one of his favorite restaurants, and it was there that he asked me to meet him on the back patio.

Nearly a decade later, when I was working for him, we'd occasionally meet for a meal. Frisco's was part of the rotation.

I never asked Kinky Friedman why he loved Frisco's so much. I'd always assumed it was the food and ambience.

Frisco's was founded in 1953 by Harry Akin. The diner once boasted Austin's only "corn-fed" burger. According to Frisco's web site:

"A true entrepreneur in every sense, Akin developed innovations such as late night service, and even raised his own corn-fed beef to ensure the quality of food."

But there's more:

The founder of Frisco's "hired women and minorities before it was politically correct to do so. In the turbulent civil rights era, Akin was the first Austin restaurateur to integrate his restaurants."

It's only now that I see how much my former boss had in common with Akin. A politically incorrect progressive himself, Kinky participated in his fair share of marches during the civil rights era. He picketed a couple of segregated restaurants in Austin in an effort to integrate them -- including this one, I believe.

Frisco's was pushed several blocks north of its original location, sometime in 2009, to make way for a Walgreen's.

I don't know what my former boss would say about the new location. It's much more polished than the old one.

The 1950s-style pie case displays have been upgraded, and the waitresses no longer wear old-timey aprons. The rich wood booths and wood accents make the joint much cozier than the laminate table tops and plastic chairs of yore.

But the food ... the food is just as good. Perhaps it's gotten better. (My biscuits and sausage gravy didn't disappoint, and the coffee rivals some of the best I've had on our weekend brunch excursions.)

I can't help but hope Kinky is pleased with the new Frisco's. After all, he knows better than most that change can be a good thing.

How Thomas Keller Ruined My Lunch

2010-09-06T23:01:00.018-05:00

Remember when I wrote about scheming to eat as many oysters as possible during our trip to the Bay Area?

Well, the oysters were definitely a priority. But making it to The French Laundry, Bouchon or ad hoc - any one of the three restaurants owned by one of the best chefs alive today - was actually the very first thing we began talking about. (Aside from, of course, attending the wedding and meeting Mike's amazing, fun group of grad school friends.)

I became an instant fan of Thomas Keller after reading The Soul of a Chef (thanks to Jodi and our Austin food lover's book club). I have dreamt of dining at The French Laundry and, in fact, for my birthday in 2009, I treated myself to a copy of the book inspired by the renowned Yountville restaurant.

This summer, we honored the man with a dinner inspired by three of his books.

So when we bought our tickets and planned our Napa weekend, we knew a Keller restaurant would be on the menu. What we didn't know was that he'd show up to his own restaurant, sit right behind us and effectively ruin my meal.

I could not possibly eat with Thomas Keller eight feet away from me. Instead, I spent the first half of our lunch freaking out because he was so close, another two minutes actually speaking to the man, and then the rest of our lunch hour freaking out because I spoke to him.

It was impossible to enjoy my food, though I'm quite sure it was tasty. My favorite dish was our appetizer, a caramelized onion tart on the most fabulous flat bread. (It is no coincidence that the dish I enjoyed most arrived before Keller came in to the restaurant.)

We admittedly have some regrets about 'ordering wrong' -- we chose safe dishes, when we should have had offal for lunch. I chose mussels and the lobster bisque, Mike had an open-faced tuna sandwich with fries. There were more adventurous, Keller-branded options, in retrospect.

Still, I wouldn't have noticed if they'd put a BK broiler on my plate. Thomas Keller probably would have ruined that, too.

Sweet Corn Pancakes

2010-09-02T21:59:00.008-05:00

I love pancakes for dinner, and when I saw these beauties on Deb's site, it was a matter of days before we were feasting on our own.

The recipe is straightforward enough, and though I measured to a T (I'm not the measuring kind; I learned from an 'eyeballer'), they were a bit wetter than they probably should've been.

It would have been easy to add a few more spoonfuls of flour and/or cornmeal, but we were halfway through the batch at that point. Committed - and lazy.

Mike preferred his plain; I doused with syrup and pretended I was at IHOP.

Can you ID this guy?

2010-09-01T20:49:00.007-05:00

A couple of weeks ago, we seared some fish in the cast iron and paired it with a salad. The salad was fabulous. A kitchen sink concoction that included chopped macadamias (still in the freezer from our Oz trip), sundried tomatoes, cilantro and spinach.

The fish was perfection, too. But for the life of us, we can't remember *WHAT* kind of fish it was. I know I bought it at Central Market, on sale. And I know it needed nothing but a little kosher salt, olive oil and lemon juice.

Any guesses on what kind of fish we made?

Paradise by the (Oyster) Bay

2010-08-25T17:26:00.016-05:00

The moment we planned our trip the Bay Area, I began plotting to eat as many oysters as possible. I was dreaming of the kind of oysters pulled right out of the water, rinsed, shucked and presented to me tableside within minutes of their demise.

I had a pretty distinct vision, and this vision was realized on a little two-hour detour en route from San Francisco to Napa last weekend.

Mike's friends had suggested a stop at Marshall Store in Tomales Bay. (Have I mentioned how much I love Mike's friends?)

After taking one of the most awe-inspiring drives of my life, we arrived at Marshall Store around 5:00pm on the hungry side; it had been hours since we'd enjoyed a damn fine brunch at Ella's before hitting a museum on the way to the other side of the Golden Gate Bridge.

Marshall Store is one of a half-dozen restaurants touting fresh oysters along the water's edge in this pristine pocket of northern California. They offer four kinds of oysters -- raw, barbecue, Rockefeller and chorizo butter. So what do you do when faced with four choices? You get one of each!

Each half-dozen order came with warm garlic bread, and we threw in a large clam chowder to share. It all came to $60, and it was more than enough food.

I was giddy at the prospect of the chorizo-butter oysters, but in the end, the Rockefellers trumped all. The raw oysters were a close second.

And, well ... wait. Actually, I take that back. What trumped all was the view:

The Best Thing I Ever Ate

2010-08-24T19:14:00.006-05:00

I love "The Best Thing I Ever Ate." It's one of those Food Network shows I'll just leave playing in the background. (All right, so that's true of most Food Network shows.)

"The Best Thing I Ever Ate" was all I could think about when, after much suggestion-seeking from friends, we settled on R&G Lounge as the one Chinatown restaurant we'd get to visit during our recent San Francisco/Napa weekend.

I knew we'd be ordering the salt-and-pepper crab long before we arrived. The Yelp reviews and photos had me sold from the first Google search. I was open to trying anything else on the menu, but I wanted that crab.

We left our camera in the car, and my iPhone was long dead after a day of walking around the Ferry building and drinks with friends at the Plant Cafe Organic.

Luckily, Mike snapped a shot of the crab on his cell phone before it was all gone. We ordered a couple of other things at R&G that night. And they were good. I just can't remember them right now.

The Ultimate Gourmand

2010-08-09T22:17:00.008-05:00

My dad passed away last week. I won't get into detail; I haven't fully accepted this fact, and recounting any level of detail will only lead to acceptance. I'm just not there yet.

But the one detail I can reveal about my dad is that my love of food comes from him. He was a cook in the Argentine army, he owned a steakhouse for a time while I was in college, and he could make a gourmet meal out of a can of tuna and an old jar of pickles. His handmade pizza was so popular in our community that it was mentioned twice during the eulogies.

My dad inevitably started and ended conversations, in his thick Argentinian accent, with inquiries about a person's favorite foods or restaurants. He taught me that when you meet a Korean college kid, you ask him where he and his friends like to go -- that way you're going to end up at a place where the food reminds them of home and the prices are reasonable. He taught me the importance of owning a couple of good knives and a well-seasoned pizza pan. He taught me to cook things slowly and to be patient, because good food takes time.

When my brother and I cleaned out his office last week, I came across dozens of Gourmet magazines he'd been keeping in the backroom of his store. It is heartbreaking to me that both the magazine and my father are no longer here. I'm going to treat these like some people treat their copies of the King James.

Thanks, Daddy.

Bess Bistro

2010-07-28T14:31:00.007-05:00

I read somewhere recently (probably on one of the blogs listed at right) about the shift in foodie quests. We've gone from seeking out 'best restaurants' to seeking out 'best dishes.'

If that's true, I've possibly found my favorite tuna tartare in Austin at Bess Bistro. I'd never been to Bess, and the reviews have always been mixed. Still, Sandra Bullock's place has always been on my "to do" list because frankly, I adore the woman and her philanthropic tendencies and it just so happens I've seen most of her movies more than once, including "Hope Floats." Sue me.

I'd been to Walton's Fancy and Staple (twice), and while I found the food a bit bland, the space and decor are enough to lure me in a third time. And the bakery. And the cute but entirely unnecessary sundries on display. (Unnecessary because, really, who *needs* a $38 soy wax candle?)

Bess was equally alluring in terms of decor; the cozy factor is off the radar, with warm hues of brown and orange complementing the dark wood furniture. Low light and gas light sconces made it feel like a late-night weekend when it was in fact noon on a Tuesday.

As always, my sushi obsession carries over even to non-Asian restaurants when possible. I perused the menu, and though the salads looked incredible and the crab cake was sounding right up my alley, nothing else seemed to exist from the moment I spotted tuna tartare. Because this was a sponsored lunch (read: my employer paid), I didn't hesitate to order a $15.95 entree (thanks, boss!), and I went so far as to ask our waitress to add a petite arugula salad with lemon-thyme vinaigrette. (I'd noticed the arugula salad listed with the crab cake; they were kind enough to add it to lunch at no extra cost.)

A beautiful, round mound of diced yellowfin arrived, fresh and generous in portion, mixed with avocado chunks. The menu boasts a yuzu-marinated citrus medley, and the citrus flavor blended well and seemed to lighten up the naturally oily tuna and avocado. Toasted crostinis and the added arugula salad were the perfect accompaniments.

This dish most definitely gives the Galaxy salad a run for its money.

Thai Basil Noodles

2010-07-20T23:11:00.011-05:00

Several months ago, we took a cooking class at Thai Fresh with Jam. The class was noodle-centric and, as I've slowly moved my things into my new home over the past few weeks, one thing is clear: between the two of us, we have a sizable collection of Asian noodles in all shapes and sizes. I'm vowing to cook our way through them to make room in the pantry. (Probably for fresher noodles.)

We picked up some ground beef at the Hope Farmer's market recently, and I figured it would make a great substitute for the pork used in Jam's Thai basil noodle dish. (It was, and I always feel great about cooking at home with a more responsible meat option. As a bonus, the meat wasn't nearly as fatty as your hormone-laden, H-E-B variety. It's hard to miss the fat when you're using generous amounts of oil for cooking the garlic, chilies and shallots.)

I'm too lazy to repost Jam's recipe (it's not on her blog; we only have a soy-stained hard copy), but fortunately, there's a near-identical copy out there.

"Everyday Food" is a DVR-must, and the only differences between this recipe and Jam's are the use of palm sugar instead of regular white sugar, the use of both dark and light soy sauce, and noodles vs. rice. Though once we get through our heap o' noodles, I'm going to try it with the EF's coconut rice suggestion.

Serves 6

1 1/4 cups jasmine rice
1 can (13.5 ounces) coconut milk
(Or sub these first two items for noodles!)
Coarse salt
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon fish sauce
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar (We used palm sugar)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 garlic cloves, chopped
(We added a shallot)
3 long hot peppers or red jalapeno chiles, seeded and sliced into 2-inch matchsticks
1 1/4 pounds ground beef sirloin
1 cup loosely packed torn fresh basil leaves
Lime wedges, for serving

Directions

1. In a medium saucepan, combine rice, coconut milk, 3/4 cup water, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cover and bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook until rice is tender and liquid has been absorbed, about 25 minutes.

2. When rice is almost done, combine fish sauce, soy sauce, and sugar in a small bowl; set aside. Heat a cast-iron skillet or wok over high. Add oil and heat; add garlic and half the chiles. Cook, stirring constantly, 15 seconds. Add beef and cook, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon, until completely browned, about 4 minutes. Add soy mixture and cook 30 seconds. Add basil and remaining chiles and stir to combine. Serve beef over coconut rice (or noodles!) with lime wedges.

I take that back. THIS is the worst food photo* of all time.

2010-07-14T11:00:00.005-05:00

But I don't care. Because despite the $30 Samsung camera phone crap quality of this photo, it's the best homemade pasta carbonara I've ever had. (It's also the first, but that is so not the point.)

Mike made the dough - look, Ma! no recipe! - and I tended to a slow-fry of the pancetta, which we'd purchased at the Hope Farmer's Market a couple of weeks ago. I also prepped the egg/parmesan/black pepper sauce. We didn't have cream in the house, so I Googled and found a creamless recipe. I'm always hesitant to use recipes on the Interwebs when the site looks a bit sketchy, as this one did. I'm glad I took the leap of faith.

I have no doubt that fresh eggs, bianco sardo from Antonelli's and farmer's market pancetta jointly elevated the recipe. But without question, the star of the show was the thick-cut, handmade pasta dough -- a cross between a tagliatelle and a pappardelle. It was delicate yet sturdy, and boiled to the perfect consistency.

I had some doubts a few months ago about making homemade pasta. The store-bought variety, I thought, was just as tasty and so much easier. But now that Mike has mastered the art, I'm pretty sure there's no going back. (Unless he's out of town, and I really want some spaghetti.)

*Food photo quality is about to improve dramatically! We found Mike's camera tucked behind some books on the bookshelf, and just last night, I activated a friend's old iPhone so I can use it until I'm eligible for an 'upgrade' in January. No more Samsung!

Most disappointing food photo of all time*

2010-07-12T20:44:00.010-05:00

We'd had calamari steaks in the freezer for a couple of months, so tonight we dipped them in egg wash and bread crumbs a la milanese and paired them with salad. My sister got me hooked on cilantro-laden salad, and tonight I kept it simple: spinach, cilantro, red onion, and some heirloom tomatoes from the best grocery store in Austin. (And in a lucky twist of fate, it is also one of the few grocery stores that is now located between my office and my new commute** home!) The salad was topped with the best - and most fattening - dressing ever. Cashew Tamari from Mother's. I can't explain, really; you'll just have to try for yourself one day.

Because we had such a low-carb dinner, I went and found me some carbaliciousness in the fridge. Our lovely friend Gerald gave us, as a birthday treat for Mike, the loveliest loaf of zuchinni bread on the planet. I raved about it when Gerald brought some to share at our picnic at Blues on the Green last week. It's a far cry from the savory zuke bread my little sis makes on occasion. This one is cakey, chockful of sugar, butter, walnuts and small bits of green that make you feel a little bit better about eating it. I had mere half-slice for dessert tonight, proving to myself that I am capable of exhibiting a modicum of self control.

*I'm still without an iPhone. We can't find Mike's camera. And his Google phone camera is almost as bad as my $30 Samsung phone camera.

**I am officially moved in with my future hubby. Or I will be once we get the last of my furniture into his house next week. My commute is exactly the same, only now I'm a bit northeast of downtown instead of southeast. And I get Wheatsville, the Triangle and most of Hyde Park on my drive home. Double-thumbs up.

Uchiko

2010-07-04T22:37:00.020-05:00

I have a serious confession to make. I've never been to Uchi.

I've tried. Twice! Once on my birthday (too many people/too short notice for a reservation) and once for lunch (closed). I didn't try hard enough, because although sushi is my favorite food in the world, I'm really, really cheap sometimes. And I've heard how easy it is to drop $100 at Uchi and leave hungry. So I held out. And now, I'm glad I did.

Uchiko is the new spin-off of Austin's hippest sushi restaurant -- “child of Uchi,” loosely translated. And though Uchiko has not yet opened to the public, I'm on the email list (thanks, Jodi!) of the PR people who represent Uchi, Uchiko, and Gumbo's, among others.

So when I got an email a couple of weeks ago inviting me to Uchiko's soft opening at 50% of the regular menu price, I jumped. Literally. Out of my seat. Then I quickly sat back down and frantically replied to the PR contact. Once my reservation was secure, I suggest Jodi and Adam contact and make it a four top.

I studied the Uchiko menu days before our reservation; I even printed it out and circled the items I planned to try. I didn't want to be unfamiliar and overwhelmed by the options.

All told, our dinner came to $60 a person (that included a healthy 25% tip; the service was fabulous). Would I go back and pay $120 for the exact same meal? Grudgingly, and it'll have to be a very special occasion. But our comment card, which allowed us to rate everything on a 1-5 scale, came to a 4.75 average as agreed upon by our Party of 4. We left very, very happy -- and very, very full.

Here are some photos, with a promise to fill in actual details later. For now, Top Chef (Season 7, episode 3) awaits!

It's What's For Dinner

2010-07-01T20:00:00.008-05:00

Argentinians love beef. My family is from Argentina; ergo, I love beef.

I try to eat less of it than I used to. I take tips and inspiration from my vegan and vegetarian friends. I agree with our local newspaper food blogger extraordinaire -- if you can't go the all-veg route, cut back on meat consumption. Buy more local ingredients. (And, in my case, stop eating my all-time favorite food: fast food fried chicken. Because what goes into the making of that crap is a nightmare with more ethical and environmental offenses than I care to think about.)

But back to beef.

We were home, you see, visiting my beef-eating Argentinian parents, and lo and behold, there are pounds of meat in the second freezer. So my mom sent us home with about a pound and a half or two of this milanesa-cut beef (neither locally procured nor hormone-free, I'm sure). We invited friends over for dinner the night after we got back. They loved the breaded-and-fried milanesa (we paired it with a beautiful salad courtesy of my sister), but the four adults only consumed about 2/3 of it.

We fried up the rest tonight -- egg wash and whole wheat bread crumbs. (Low on crumbs, we bulked it up with cornmeal this time.) We paired our milanesa with chard (!) from our own backyard (!).

It was lovely low-ish carb dinner.

And then I went and ruined it. At work earlier today, I'd Googled 'sweet potato' and 'gorgonzola' -- two ingredients in our possession, both needing to be cooked sooner rather than later. The first item to pop up yielded this rather rich gratin, and we promptly served ourselves small portions and tucked away the rest.

I'd make this again, but I'd cut back a bit on the brown sugar (at Mike's request) and on the butter (because we wouldn't have missed a little butter).

Brunetti's

2010-06-29T17:35:00.007-05:00

It's not that I don't love a good cannoli. I do.

But, on the whole, I'm a steak-and-potatoes gal more than I am a sweets kind of gal. Ice cream doesn't do much for me, and pastries have to be pretty damn good for me to choose them over something savory. (I do lose all self-control around donuts and beignets.)

Now. Brunetti's in Melbourne's Italian neighborhood is, I have no doubt, an oustanding place for dessert. And I was drooling at the artwork behind their glass cases. But when it came right down to it, only one of our six samplings was worth writing home. It was the Baba Rum - the dessert I was least expecting to enjoy. (Mike picked it out.)

We tried six desserts because Brunetti's has miniature offerings on one end of the store, and I will go ahead and grant them that miniatures never tend to be as good as a full-sized plate of the same thing. Don't ask me why; I've often found this to be the case.

Still. Here are the photos. They're fabulous, but I think the pictures look better than the desserts tasted. (The coffee, on the other hand ... divine!)

Sichuan House, Part II

2010-06-29T17:02:00.017-05:00

Our first lunch at Sichuan House in Melbourne ran just over $50. And while it was worth every penny, we tried to be a bit more conservative on our second visit.

We'd already tried the most popular chef's special (spicy cumin pork ribs) and an out-there dish (sliced pigs ears), so we went with a couple of more common choices. (More 'common,' perhaps. But equally outstanding.)

The Ants Climbing Trees is a jumbled mass of thin, pan-fried rice noodles beautifully seasoned (HEAT, baby!) and dotted with bits of scallion, chilies and ground pork that looked like ants climbing all over the slippery translucent noodles. I can't recall flavors and details (sadly, this post has taken me a month) ... but I do recall the love I had for this dish.

Where, oh, where can you find food like this in the U.S.? I have no idea, but I'll start in San Francisco's Chinatown when we're there in August.

Our second choice, the Mapo Tofu, is one of our favorite dishes at Asia Cafe in Austin. After thoughtful analysis, we both agreed Asia Cafe's Mapo is a worthy rival to the Sichuan House Mapo. (If anything, I'm favoring Asia Cafe. Because on this second visit to Sichuan, I once again bit into an unsavory black bit of anise - or something equally offensive - that overpowered my taste buds and had me begging the waitress for a Diet Coke to wash away the flavor.)

That unsavory bit wasn't enough to keep me from dreaming about future visits to Melbourne and to Sichuan House. (Oh, and our second lunch was $27 with tip.)

Thomas Keller Night

2010-06-23T19:03:00.014-05:00

I was home the week before Father's Day visiting my parents, so on the actual day of dads, I was back in Austin.

We'd set aside Sunday, June 20 for our Thomas Keller dinner night with friends, and unfortunately, Mike and I also waited until the morning of Sunday, June 20 to get prepared. (An invitation that Saturday to spend the afternoon at a friend's lake-adjacent cabin in Wimberley was just too good to pass up.)

We skipped about half the steps required to make a proper artichoke ravioli and striped bass -- there was no homemade, oft-strained broth, there was no emulsified butter, no real artichoke brugole (stew). In fact, we didn't have broth at all. And the stew recipe - from which you were to extract the artichoke filling - was so complex that we took the required ingredients, sauteed them together and threw 'em in the food processor for our filling. Measurements were 'eyeballed' and, as I said repeatedly, Thomas Keller would have been ashamed.

Despite all of that, our efforts yielded a tasty piece of fish and an edible ravioli. Edible mostly because we undercooked the pasta; I believe if we'd boiled it longer or chosen a thinner setting, it would have come out so much better. (And, I can say this with certainty because just this evening, Mike attempted ravioli again and it was spectacular! We took some of the veggies we had laying around for the filling and ended up with a sweet potato-onion-zuchinni ravioli topped with Antonelli's Bianco Sardo cheese and a little butter.)

There is so much more to say about our Thomas Keller dinner, but now's not the time as I'm headed home tomorrow with my lil' sis to visit our father in the hospital.

Instead, I'll post photos of Adam and Jodi's homemade mozzarella with a caprese mix and basil cream, of Nelson's duck confit with a lemon brussel sprouts cream sauce, of Ally's creme caramels, and of our dish.

In addition to some lovely company, the evening was a fete accompli for all. Even us cheaters.

iMiss my iPhone

2010-06-18T17:51:00.006-05:00

I lost my iPhone on the plane between Melbourne and New Zealand, and I could not bring myself to pay $399 for the same phone that three months prior had cost me $199(not to mention the additonal cost of the warranty, which doesn't - of course - cover lost and stolen phones).

So I told AT&T to shove it, and I purchased a $30 phone with no data plan to keep me going until I'm eligible for an upgrade, which means the privilege of that $199 'discount.' (I have to say I'm rather enjoying the bit of disengagement. But I miss the photo capabilities.)

My $30 Samsung turns out dark and blurry photos. The quality is so very poor that I can't bring myself to expose my few beloved readers to such crap photos. They're a disservice to you and, trust me, they're even a disservice to a plate of pasta.

Expect some pics of the weekend, on Mike's trusty point and shoot, as our long-awaited Thomas Keller Tribute Night takes place this Sunday evening. We're hosting my former neighbors (who will cook out of TK's Bouchon), my new neighbors (who will cook out of Ad Hoc), and my sis and our Austin stand-in brother (also cooking out of Bouchon). Mike and I will be cooking out of French Laundry -- and possibly, fingers crossed, dining there in September!

Our task this Sunday involves shopping for and producing a hopefully edible artichoke ravioli and striped bass entree. Wish us luck!

Chop, Chop, Vino, Vino

2010-06-13T15:45:00.017-05:00

A little over a month ago, I chopped off seven inches of hair and celebrated with a very happy couple of hours. My hair stylist Sandra is also my friend, and we'd made plans to meet up with Jill after my appointment.

Jill, Sandra and I were all part of a small group of Austinites on the same trip to Israel in the spring of '08. I'd known Jill long before the trip, but it was there that we got to know Sandra - a Jewish convert with Baptist, West Texas roots. When the three of us get together, there's always too much to say and not nearly enough time; this happy hour was no different. Though there was more ooohing and aaahing over the food.

We'd agreed to meet at Vino Vino -- a wine bar just north of the UT campus with exceptional happy hour food (and equally exceptional prices).

Though it's been several weeks, I remember the conversation and the appetizers fondly. I especially remember my $4 beet salad (normally priced at $8) because ... I don't like beets. But I loved this salad.

It was probably that the beets were masked by some of my favorite foods -- arugula, pistachios, grapefruit segments, avocado chunks and a dressing that managed to be both subtle and tangy at the same time.

A salad that unexpected (read: mindblowing) is hard to top, but Vino Vino did top it with a multitude of $4 and $5 apps including the following: plump jumbo shrimp dripping in garlic and chili oil, meaty pork ribs with spring onions and honey, and mussels in white wine and tarragon sauce coupled with frites and aioli.

I remember coming home that night and showing Mike the pictures of our happy hour. When he saw these olives* with orange zest, he suggested they might make a great color palette for the living room as we begin to redecorate. My future husband has fine taste.

*And I don't even like olives!

Mmmeat Pie

2010-06-05T23:15:00.008-05:00

You know how you eat something, and it's amazing, and then you try it again somewhere else, made some other way, and it's never quite the same, and you know it might never be that good again?

I had only two meat pies while in Australia. That was about the right amount of meat pies to be consumed over a two-week vacation, I suppose. Fact is, I expected to consume more than two, but the first meat pie I tried was of such exceptional quality that I all but avoided other meat pies for the rest of our trip.

It was our first day in Australia, and we'd gone to pick up the nephews after class. On the way to the train station, we stopped to pick up fruits, veggies and meats from the butcher. We made our way to the station, but the kids had hunger pangs, so we popped into a cafe just around the corner from the rail line.

I said I didn't want my own meat pie, that I was tired and would sit outside and wait. I wasn't about to ruin my appetite for dinner or appear like the food-obsessed woman that I am within hours of our arrival, no sir.

But when I saw the boys devouring theirs, I immediately regretted my decision.

So I shared one with Mike. And I immediately regretted my decision. (On the sharing bit.)

Meat pies are truly a genius concept, and I've been meaning to do some research. Why aren't they available here in the States? Have Australia meat pie makers attempted and failed to win the hearts of Americans in the past? Am I, at 37, too young to have missed a meat pie movement? Why aren't they a staple of the already terrifying American diet?

Let's deconstruct: you've got flaky, buttery pastry-like dough (pretty fantastic, right?) that's substantial enough to withstand being stuffed with sauteed mushrooms and quality ground beef (come on). Sprinkle on some poppyseeds, a little catsup if you're into that sort of thing ... What's not to love?

But say you don't like mushrooms. Or you're a a vegetarian. That's all right. The ingredients found within the meat pie tend to vary. You can really mix 'em up, get jiggy with your meat pie. Mike recalls some sort of green curry and scallop pie from a previous trip; we weren't able to find anything of the sort this time though not for lack of trying. I saw so many varieties at the Victoria Market (or Vic Market, as the locals say). Veggie meat pies, potato and meat meat pies, chicken, cheese, fish, ham, salami, proscuitto ... you see where I'm going with this.

Our second meat pie was the Four 'N Twenty, Australia's most popular brand, consumed at an Australia Rules Football match. It wasn't as good as The First Day Meat Pie. But that's okay. If I learned anything on this trip to Australia it's that a mediocre meat pie is still a damn fine meat pie.

You say Szechuan, I say Sichuan House

2010-05-31T07:27:00.017-05:00

*This is the first of two installments on Sichuan House.

Let's talk Australia food. Not Australian food (I'll get to the meat pies later), but rather, the food we consumed on our trip.

Specifically, I need to talk about Sichuan House. Because I believe I started this blog just so that one day I could write about this place.

Just thinking about Sichuan House makes me weepy -- but that's probably just a physical manifestation of the sweat-inducing spice combinations that will forever be locked away in my nostalgic memory bank.

We were introduced to Sichuan House via Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations. We went twice during our trip. And I wept for many reasons during our two lunches there. The aforementioned spice combinations. The perfect levels of heat. The flavors. The leftovers I had to leave behind.

We went a bit sky's-the-limit on our first lunch, spending an extra $13 on an appetizer we ordered simply so we could say we'd done it. I submit to you Exhibit A: chilled, sliced pork ears with chili oil.

These were probably exactly what you're imagining. Hard, cold, rubbery cartilage. All the chili oil in the world wasn't going to change their texture or flavor. I had two bites -- the first to test it out, the second to see if it was perhaps an acquired taste. It was not. But the picture -- isn't it spectactular? It's worth at least $13.

(Another benefit of this exercise? Now I know what my dog is eating when I give her pig's ears to snack on.)

Our first actual course was one of the daily lunch specials: Kung Pao Prawns. Now, I'm not a Kung Pao fan; it's never been my thing. But I compromised, gladly, because there we were, finally seated at this place we'd been drooling about in our daydreams, and I figured if I'm ever going to become a Kung Pao convert, this will be the place.

And it was.

Forget that the traditional brown sauce was some of the best I've ever had -- lighter, sweeter and tangier than what you find in the States -- or that the prawns were plump and fresh and perfectly cooked.

No. What did it for me? The fried peanuts. They elevated this dish to new heights; American-Chinese chefs should take a page. (And go ahead and work on that brown sauce while they're at it.)

Our second course of the first day was decided by me before we'd even opened the door to Sichuan House.

A sign upon entering was advertising chef's specials and I wanted to dance a jig when I read the words SPICY CUMIN* PORK RIBS. (You know you'd do the same.)

While the pictures are rather wonderful, they don't begin to capture what this tower of meat represents to me, and I'm not a strong enough writer to do these ribs justice.

I want to go back and have them again, and I don't just mean back to Melbourne but back in time. I want to start over and eat less rice and have a smaller breakfast and make more room for these.

Without being melodramatic, I'll simply say this: in my culinary heaven, these ribs are the pearly gates. They beckon, like the white light people talk about. They make me want to be a better person, just so I can get in.

While the pork was tasty -- smallish but meaty pieces coated in layers upon layers of cumin and untold spices and then fried (@#$&!%?!*) -- this dish, for me, represented perfection in heat. The Nobel Heat Prize, the World Cup of Fiery Flavor. The levels (and there were levels) of heat were intense enough to make my stomach hurt for hours later, strong enough in the moment to cause a bit of sweating of the scalp and running of the nose and yet mild enough to be consumed without actual pain.

In a word, heatopia.

I will seek out this kind of heat for the rest of my life in all foods Asian; I will find it perhaps only a few more times. And probably only when I'm back in Melbourne, settling in once again at Sichuan House on an empty stomach with plans to bag the leftovers.

*I don't even like cumin!

Australia

2010-05-24T22:08:00.003-05:00

It's raining in Melbourne, which made it easy to stay in today. We're taking a little staycation from our vacation.

We slept til noon, made three-cheese omelets with toast, caught up on Facebook and emails, washed a bit of clothes, and slept some more. I've spent the last hour catching up on food blogs and the Times op/eds.

The house is ours for another couple of hours, and I'd love nothing more than to update AAFB with some of the pics of our travels and eats -- but while there is all sorts of connecting on the internets to be had in Melbourne, the future brother-in-law's* home broadband won't allow me to upload photos to this here site.

So blogging will have to wait a few more days until we return.

I'm off to make a cup of tea and listen to the birds -- it's a completely different kind of chirp on the southern half of the world.

*WE GOT ENGAGED!

El Tacorrido

2010-05-09T09:12:00.004-05:00

Weekday lunch of al pastor and pork belly tacos from El Tacorrido. Served with chopped onion and cilantro and a squeeze of lime. Shared on the back patio while it's still cool enough to enjoy lunch outdoors in May.

Bachelorette weekend recap

2010-05-03T09:47:00.018-05:00

12 girls. 0 drama. Booze, horseback rides, campfires, s'mores and seriously girly conversations. It was a bachelorette weekend the bride-to-be will no doubt cherish for years to come.

As for the food? Our dude ranch cost included three square meals a day. Forgettable, mediocre meals that took us all back to summer camp. (Most of us to Jewish summer camp.)

The best thing I had all weekend was this funnel cake from the local 'market' we visited when a few of us opted out of an afternoon horseback ride and headed into town to explore and stock up on beer and bloody mary mix. (I didn't even get through 1/3 of that funnel cake!)

I deliberately left my phone back at the cabin so I didn't capture our dude ranch meals as I'd hoped. (I opted for a mostly cell-phone free weekend.) Here's the dude food menu, to the best of my recollection:

Friday night - a gray-colored Salisbury 'steak', mashed potatoes and green beans. And some seriously fluffly rolls. There were brownies for dessert but we all passed on them in anticipation of s'mores at the campfire after sunset.

Saturday morning - eggs clearly made from powder and topped with hardly sauteed onions, mushrooms and green peppers, bacon (well done but never crispy enough for me!) and homemade biscuits (fantastic), fresh squeezed grapefruit juice and very weak coffee.

Saturday lunch - blanched (dry) rosemary chicken, overspiced potatoes, green beans, homemade green salsa (not half bad), tortilla chips and those fluffy rolls. More brownies.

Saturday night - barbecue! - surprisingly moist/fatty brisket, sausage, BBQ chicken, beans, potato salad, coleslaw and a dessert consisting of yellow cake topped with canned cherries.

Sunday morning - I slept through breakfast but heard there were breakfast tacos. Likely made with powdered eggs. Sleeping was an easy call. I had coffee and a grilled cheese-add-tomatoes from DQ on the way out of town for $2.59. Totally worth it.

Here are some other random pics from the weekend in the Hill Country, including my first-ever pair of cowboy boots!

Dude food

2010-04-30T10:15:00.007-05:00

Interviewer: What do you think about the El Nino phenomenon?
Bridget Jones: It's a blip. Latin music's on its way out.

Bridget Jones is one of my favorite single women of the screen. My friend Em is one of my favorite single women on earth -- but not for long!

In a few short hours, I'm headed to the Texas Hill Country with about a dozen girls to celebrate Em's last few months of being single. I take full credit for suggesting the dude-ranch-bachelorette-weekend-getaway thing to Em. She and her sister scoured the hill country for a cabin that can accommodate each of us for $99 per day, including three square meals a day.

I expect a lot of home cookin', which I may or may not work off by horseback riding, two-stepping or swimming. And by swimming, of course, I mean taking a nap by the pool.

Expect my next post on Monday. Likely to include some sort of fruit cobbler and possibly a fried protein swimming in gravy.

Cheap Date

2010-04-29T13:47:00.019-05:00

Coupons.

I hate using them, especially in slightly more upscale establishments. They make me feel a little too squirrely, and dare I say a little too Jewish. But I'm getting over that quickly. Restaurants put them out there to be used, right?

Recently, for a mere $21, we procured coupons to 7 restaurants at $25 apiece. That's $175 in restaurant money for the price of $21.

We used one at Buenos Aires Cafe a couple of weeks ago, but the restaurant was too dark for iPhone photos and I was too lazy for a post. We had two dinner entrees and my favorite Argentinian dessert, and our total with a generous tip came to $19. (I'll post in the future on BAC, because I'm sure to return many times. Hint: My review will likely be positive.)

We used a second coupon last night at Cipollina West Austin Bistro. I've always adored this little spot -- because it is completely and utterly, well, adorable -- but the coupons are going to spoil me rotten.

Last night at Cipollina, we shared calamari and two entrees: pizza and duck confit.

The calamari was stand out -- sturdy breading, aioli with a tang, and fresh herbs sprinkled on top.

A little about the duck confit. At $17, it might be a couple of bucks overpriced because though it was billed as a duck confit entree, it's a salad. A tasty, well-seasoned arugula salad with pickled onions and some shredded confit duck on top. The fantastically pan fried gnocchi that came with it were some of the best I've had in Austin - not a stretch given that my demographically-stunted city is short on Italian spots in general - but we wanted a bit more. Come on, Cipollina, if you're going to skimp on the duck, then consider throwing in a few more gnocchi. It's water and flour, for cryin' out loud. Overall, despite my whining, it was a lovely dish. Made more lovely by previously discussed coupon. (Note: we did pick off a few gnochhi before the photo below was taken. One of these days, I'll become accustomed to whipping out the iPhone camera before taking even a bite!)

Now let's talk about the pizza. I've always liked the pizza at Cipollina, and I'm so glad we ordered outside the box with a roasted kale, preserved meyer lemon and goat cheese pizza. It was gooood. I expected the tangy meyer lemon and tangy goat cheese to have some sort of double-negative effect, but the combination was nothing short of genius. This very good pizza would've been great if they hadn't brought it to the table half-burned. Maybe it was only 40% burned; I'm willing to be fair here. You can judge for yourself in the photos below.

Our meal with applied coupon came to $27. One appetizer, two entrees (or a salad and an entree), and one beer for $27. A very good deal. But to paraphrase my thoughtful date, we would've felt gypped if we'd paid an extra $25.

Our coupon spree continued after dinner and a stroll around the Clarksville neighborhood and quick stops to admire Treaty Oak and Things We Can't Afford on our way to Amy's.

I've complained about Amy's in the past, but to be fair, I was complaining mostly about the Burnet location. I think their Mexican vanilla is highly overrated but their Darth Chocolate is the bomb.

We had a few coupons courtesy of Mike's realtor, and I took a road less traveled, combining the dark chocolate ice cream with a creamy cheesecake ice cream and topping the whole thing off with hot fudge.

Viva le Coupon!

growth

2010-04-28T10:07:00.006-05:00

I don't know how long this is going to continue. I mean, things are actually growing in the garden. Plants that came in small square plastic containers were put in the ground mere weeks ago, and they are thriving. They're triple and quadruple in size. We might actually be getting some nourishment from them soon. The cilantro's ready to go, and I find myself wondering if there are recipes out there for cilantro and red chard.

This is insanity. I'm not sure we'll be able to stop this.

I no longer have to choose between sushi and cable

2010-04-28T09:20:00.010-05:00

My sister carted me around to a doctor's appointment yesterday and we stopped off for lunch afterwards at a How Do You Roll? sushi bar, several miles north of my office. My lil' sis introduced me to this place a couple of months ago, and this was my third time back. (There was a fourth attempt but long lines landed me at the chicken place next door.)

There are long lines for a reason. This sushi is fresh, affordable and perfectly customized - you pick your own roll ingredients, right down to the seaweed v. soy bean wrap. You even get to pick your own sauces, and you can double up as I like to do. We ate a healthy amount of sushi and she had miso soup for a mere $19 - that's $9.50 per person! For sushi! And plenty of it!

Our lunch would have easily cost $15 but we upgraded one of the rolls by adding scallops on top and trying soy bean paper. (I'm glad we tried it but I prefer traditional seaweed.)

This was so good I'd be going back for more today if I didn't have lunch plans downtown.

Featured below are the two rolls we shared. The first is the soy bean wrap filled with rice, tuna, sprouts, cucumber and cream cheese. We topped it with scallops and spicy mayo sauce. The second is my go-to roll: seaweed wrap with rice, salmon, cream cheese, cucumber and avocado, topped with unagi (eel) sauce and spicy mayo.

Hinze's

2010-04-26T14:18:00.011-05:00

Wharton, Texas.

An unexpectedly beautiful place. (Perhaps more so in April than August?)

We spent a sunny afternoon in Wharton this past Saturday, and Hinze's was a must-stop upon arrival. I wasn't feeling too well (tummy issues from the previous night's dinner of spicy green curry cocunut soup), and I don't believe I was able to appreciate Hinze's in all its glory. But I did manage to eat most of my plate and sample some of Mike's.

The pork ribs (my fall-back position at most BBQ places) were well seasoned and meaty, the sausage had exactly the right amount of spice, and I've never had such good green beans. Green beans often look sad and brown; these were plump -- and green. I'm also glad it wasn't all-you-can-eat because I could've had three or four servings of the fresh-from-the-fryer fried okra. Mike clearly knew what he was doing when he ordered a double side of bacon and onion potatoes; I've never used the word 'pillowy' to describe potatoes, but these were just that. They were almost as pillowy as the slice of homemade bread you get with each plate. (If I'd been thinking straight, I would have asked if I could purchase a loaf.) Perhaps the only negative was a slightly dry brisket.

I don't fault Hinze's for dry brisket. I've had moist brisket maybe twice in my life. That's my main beef with most brisket - it's always dry - which is why I never order it at BBQ places. I'll stick to my ribs.

Sunday morning in Houston

2010-04-26T11:29:00.004-05:00

Breakfast on the patio at Cathy's, just hours before Hollis' wedding.

Kerbey Lane pancake mix (I'm not a Kerbey fan but these were delish; who knew?)
Magic bacon (bacon roasted with brown sugar + red pepper flakes)
Strawberries
Coffee

I'm sad we didn't think to take pictures of Cathy's garden and patio because it's one of my Happy Places. (Though I did steal the snapshot of the vine below from her Facebook page.) I'm glad Mike got to see her home and spend some time with her. My dear friend is such a great hostess; I'm lucky I've got a home-away-from-home in Houston.

Royal birthday dinner, part I

2010-04-22T15:31:00.006-05:00

We'll be in Australia visiting Mike's family and exploring Melbourne and the Victoria region next month. We're spending one night and having one meal at the Royal Mail Hotel as my birthday conveniently falls at the halfway point of our vacation. Anthony Bourdain has raved about this place and just a few months ago, watching 'No Reservations,' I told Mike I wanted to go there someday.

Someday arrives May 21.

When we called to make our reservations (Bourdain may need no reservations but we called ahead), we were told dinner would take 3.5 hours.

Here's the menu omnivore:

sardine on toast
pork sandwich
heirloom tomato, different basils
pacific oyster, snow pea, grapefruit, marine essence
southern rock lobster, prosciutto, sea lettuce, quinoa
egg yolk, toasted rye, legumes, yeast
pine mushroom and scallop, hints of autumn
menu omnivore
eel, beef tendon, kohl rabi, potato
lamb, eggplant in white miso, pine nut, chlorophyll
rhubarb, licorice, almond, citrus
fresh and dried berries, beetroot, black olive, rose
pistachio, hazelnut, honeycomb, chocolate

This woman is my hero

2010-04-22T14:41:00.006-05:00

I was hunting the web for a cookie recipe for my gluten-free neighbor a couple of years ago. It was a thank-you batch for watching my dog. I found the recipe through Gluten-Free Girl. Today's post has cemented my admiration for Shauna. Mostly because I could relate to this more than anything I've read in a long time. Our lives are vastly different, but there are nuggets throughout this piece I could easily claim as my own. A few of my favorites:

My oncologist told me, directly: you must exercise. Every one of us should. "Daily exercise is the other pill you have to take. Studies have shown it has a much bigger effect on diminishing the risk of cancer than any diet. Do it." My other doctor told me that studies have shown that people with higher body mass index who exercise are in much better shape, and at lower risk of developing cancer and heart disease, than those with lower BMIs who don't move. I'm already in good health — my blood pressure is consistently ideal — but I could be healthier.

So I'm moving. I'm doing the Couch Potato to 5k program, walking and running in this gradual process, three times a week. To my utter surprise, I love it. I love leaving the house with the headphones on, walking down our street to see Mt. Rainier, being washed with the smell of lilacs by that one bush, then entering the forest trail to move my body. Our lives are busy. I work from home. I'm the mother of a toddler without any childcare. I don't have much time to myself. Feeling my feet on the dirt is one of the best parts of my day. Breaking a sweat and feeling the muscles in my legs grow strong makes me much happier than that second piece of cake ever could.

****

I'm out in the garden every afternoon with Lu. That doesn't feel like exercise, but I'm moving my shoulders and bending my back and growing more limber by the day. There's a funny stubborn place when I'm not exercising, a place that makes it seem so impossibly hard to do. And then, when I start, that stubborn place softens, then disappears. I start to love it. And I wonder how I ever went without it.

We're growing some food in our garden. Those are the first pea shoots and fava bean seedlings I thinned yesterday. We've already planted lettuce and arugula, spinach, bush beans, carrots, red cabbage, chard, lacinato kale, tomatoes, summer squash, plus lots of herbs. We have plans for much more in May. Every morning, I go out to the garden to see what has risen. It's all green and growing. We'll be eating our share of vegetables, plus the raspberries from the 20 thriving canes along the fence. It will easier to eat healthier with this.

I've been very inspired by my friend Megan's piece about losing 25 pounds in one year, which she wrote on her blog Not Martha. She articulated how I feel about diets better than I could:

"The bits involving food slowly sorted out into simply eating in moderation. Previously I had tried low carb diets and counting calories or keeping track of what I'd eaten in a day. And you know what? All that being aware of food all day drove me crazy. The result was that I grew resentful and obsessive and felt hungry all the time. And then I would eat a whole bag of Doritos. So instead I decided to try to just not think about all that hard. I ate more carefully, more kale less Annie's Mac and Cheese, and smaller meals with more snacks. I started eating breakfast, something I'm not inclined towards, to keep my metabolism going. Slowly I learned how long it takes for me to get rid of sugar cravings (two weeks), and that bagged baby carrots make me ill, and that I really like farro and kale, and that a little bit of olive oil used to cook a meal makes it far more satisfying than when using one of those olive oil mister things. I cut down on sugar and white flour and beer and eventually started avoiding those things knowing that they would only make me hungry later. Apples and almonds and light Baybell cheeses are surprisingly satisfying snacks, a mug of green tea in the afternoon helps a lot. I ate more carefully during the week and less on the weekends."

***

When I remember to put my fork down on the plate between bites, I feel a difference.

I'm still going to live in food. This is my passion, my joy, my shared work with Danny. I'm just trying to find a new relationship with food in this, a different way of being with it. I'm very much interested in reading Melissa Clark's book, The Skinny: How to Fit into Your Little Black Dress Forever. I stayed away from it because of the title. (I will never be a size 2. I laughed out loud when a doctor told me a few years ago that I actually do have big bones.) But now that I look at it more closely, I see that she has written a guide for living a life of eating well and often while still being mindful.

It's being mindful that matters.

****

I commented on her blog for the first time today. I told her that I was glad she felt the need to write what she did, because I needed to read it today. And I thanked her.

smaller meals

2010-04-22T14:34:00.006-05:00

Lunch #1 @ noon - Jos on south Congress. Green side salad with jicama, carrots, toasted black sesame seeds and green goddess dressing.
Lunch #2 @ 2:00pm - six piece Philly roll*

*I was so hungry after lunch #1 that I devoured #2 before I could take a picture. But trust me, it was everything you could want in a $5 sushi roll from the basement deli of an office building.

Asian Market Goods

2010-04-22T10:55:00.007-05:00

Mike works near Austin's largest Asian market, where you can get a couple dozen plump shitake mushrooms for about two bucks and bok choy is a dollar a pound. He pops in on his lunch break every so often and leaves with about $12 of vegetables, which can last for days.

This was the second attempt at a stirfry boasting a few basic ingredients - noodles, bok choy, mushrooms and onions. We've got the sauce and veggies mastered, but this time around we didn't have the exact kind of noodle we were looking for. These rice stick noodles were good, but I'm longing for the plump, crystal-clear ones we found at the market near my favorite restaurant, Asia Cafe.

Grill + deck + late April weather

2010-04-21T15:59:00.008-05:00

How many things can you put on the fire while it's still hot enough to cook food?

Last night, Mike started with chicken thighs marinated in chili oil, yellow onions and bananas. We realized we had a NY strip in the fridge, one bolillo leftover from Sunday's potluck, a large can of black beans and some whole canned tomatoes. This hodgepodge smorgasbord* resulted in a delicious, all-grilled dinner (except for the creamy, decadent, on-the-verge-of-expiration creme fraiche we bought a couple of months ago from Antonelli's).

We used the creme fraiche on both the black bean-tomato reduction 'soup' and the grilled bananas. Our meal was almost better than the Mars gazing we did after dinner.

*Yes, yes, that is a lot of food. But stop judging; we had leftovers.

Lunch at home

2010-04-20T14:15:00.008-05:00

I'm on a bit of a food-spending hiatus at the moment. It will be short-lived -- I'm trying not to spend money eating out, few exceptions, until we get to Australia on May 12. If I see the kind of savings I expect to see, I'm going to get into the habit of semi-regular spending hiatuses, especially when it comes to dining out.

So I've got a new rule. If I catch myself thinking about tacos on my way home, or wanting to try a new restaurant for lunch, I simply remind myself that I've got a pantry and fridge full of food at home and I redirect my focus. If I don't have fresh veggies or a protein, I'll stop and pick some up. But I'm mostly focused on clearing out some fridge and pantry items before they end up in the garbage.

Today's lunch was a plate of roasted greens from our CSA share with Jodi and Adam, and a white cheddar quesadilla. Quick, easy, cheap, mostly healthy. I'm good with it.

Hot Pink

2010-04-15T15:17:00.007-05:00

This dish isn't pho, but it's from a restaurant called Pho Thaison, just a few blocks from my office.

My former boss introduced me to it, and ever since, it's the only thing I order. I have tried the actual pho at Pho, but only because companions like my sister don't mind sharing.

The Singaporean shrimp consists of three simple ingredients - vermicelli noodles, shrimp and broccoli. The noodles are served plain and warm in a bowl. The shrimp and broccoli come on a separate plate - and they are drowning in spicy red chili oil with bits of scallion floating throughout. I have a very simple method that involves pouring my red hot chili oil shrimp and broccoli into the bowl of warm noodles. I make sure I scrape off every last bit of chili oil and chili bits. (I guess technically all that chili oil qualifies are a fourth ingredient.)

What you end up with is a big plate of hot pink food. (The color is hot pink, and it's spicy hot, too.) It isn't a pretty sight. But it's crunchy and soft and silky and so-very-spicy-yummy. And not all that bad for you if you discount all that oil.

Little Deli and Pizza

2010-04-14T14:24:00.005-05:00

So glad Jodi had a low-key birthday last year at Little Deli and Pizza. I might have never found this gem on my own. Mike and I finally went back last weekend, a full 6 months later, and shared the Special White Pizza with ricotta, mozzarella, roasted garlic, olive oil, artichokes and spinach. It was damn near perfect, and definitely one of the best pizzas I've had in Austin.

Ah. Much Better.

2010-04-14T13:43:00.007-05:00

I finally popped in to Tasty Healthy Meals, a fairly new addition on south Lamar near the Whole Foods headquarters. The signage is bright and welcoming, and I often drive past them while I'm running errands on my lunch break. I especially like the two signs out front: "Turn Right."
"To Eat Right."

Here's a quick review of my Tasty Healthy Meal:

It sure was Healthy. They've got some work to do on the Tasty.

Then there's the fact that my lunch cost $8.65. (I suppose Tasty Healthy Pricey Meals doesn't have the same ring to it.) And sure, $9 isn't horrific, but I know I could spend that much on the exact same ingredients and get two or three meals of out them.

I understand the niche they're after: people with money who don't like to cook. And that just ain't me. I did appreciate the variety of options they offer, and all of the nutritional content on the label was a very nice touch. I walked out with some great ideas for my next few home-cooked meals. Time to hit the new 100,000+ square-foot H-E-B in my hood.

Light* 'n' Healthy?

2010-04-13T13:28:00.013-05:00

"I want to eat light 'n' healthy this time of year." -- Me. Last week.

Oh, fine, I know what I said. But sometimes, a girl needs a donut.

Last night, my sister and roommate joined me and Mike for a 4.25-mile walk around Austin's beautiful Lady Bird Lake. (No disrespect to our former First Lady, but I'll always refer to it as Town Lake.) We had plans to meet friends for dinner at Gourdoughs -- an unfortunate destination for those seeking light 'n' healthy fare.

Gourdough's is one of the newer food trailers in Austin, specializing in donuts -- donuts like you've never had before. Mike and I had been there once before last night, just a few weeks ago. We forgot to capture the "Funky Monkey" at the time. The Funky Monkey is a donut topped with brown sugar, grilled bananas and cream cheese frosting. I was impressed with the quality of the donut (which tastes a lot like a funnel cake), the quality of the frosting and even the amount of caramelization on the banana slices; they aren't fooling around at Gourdough's.

Last night, I had my heart set on another Funky Monkey, but I'm glad I was with someone with a more adventurous palate. Mike and I agreed to split a savory and a sweet, finally settling on the Mother Clucker - a donut topped with fried chicken and honey butter - and the Dirty Berry - a donut topped with chocolate frosting and grilled strawberries. Both were pretty stellar, though I'd swap out the honey butter on the Mother Clucker for some maple syrup. It was a little too much butter flavor, and not enough honey. (Don't get used to me complaining about too much butter flavor; it is so rare that I just looked outside my office window, and a few pigs have taken flight.)

Somehow, my sister managed to get an extra donut on the house, and though it was probably my least favorite of the five I've sampled, The Puddin' didn't disappoint. The Puddin' is cream filled and topped with cream cheese frosting, bananas, and vanilla wafers. (The fifth sample was the Mama's Cake, a donut topped with chocolate fudge icing and then drizzled with yellow cake batter. GENIUS.)

I've heard so many people rave about Gordough's, but they always mention how rich, or dense, or overly sweet the donuts are. Many people say they can only eat half of a donut. "Ooooh, they're really good but just too much." Huh? Not the case with me. It's not a weekly dinner destination, mind you, but it's so different and unique, such a treat. I will make myself eat a light lunch and work out before I go back, but make no mistake about it -- I'm goin' back.

Maybe I'll head back this summer after a long swim at Barton Springs. I've got my eye on the Blackout and the Miss Shortcake - check out some of the Yelp photos.

*They might not be healthy, but donuts could be considered light.

Mixin' It Up*

2010-04-09T14:35:00.015-05:00

The mixmix bibimbop at Koriente in downtown Austin is among the most comforting, filling, healthy meals for under $10 you can find in this town. It's actually $6, though I pay a little extra, as I'm wont to do, for the avocado. Free salad, free miso and free lemon water are a great little bonus. So is their cozy interior and back outdoor patio on days like today. Partly cloudy, warm and breezy.

I met my sis and a good friend - both of whom are unemployed** - for a leisurely lunch on this mid-April Friday. This is the time of year when I'm most likely to shed pounds, mainly because dishes like the mixmix bibimbop actually sound good. I want to eat light 'n' healthy this time of year. And if I don't lose some weight between April and August, I have a lot less hope for the rest of the year.

Koriente's mixmix comes with warm rice, fresh red peppers, purple and white cabbage, salad spring mix, shredded carrots and slivers of cucumber. I use a combination of their house salad dressing and a spicy red Sriracha-like sauce that might rival Huebscher's, though I have only dreamt of hers and have done no actual sampling.

Toss it all together into a jumbled, healthy mess of veggies. What's not to love?

I love Koriente for many reasons but the origins of this place have a lot to do with that -- love, that is. Check out the message painted at the back entrance. I couldn't say it better.

*Thanks, Stewie.
**This was also my little sister's first of many celebratory lunches. She got a new job today! She starts May 4, so the little bugger gets three more weeks off.

Franklin Chopped Beef

2010-04-05T11:45:00.006-05:00

When I got there at 2:00 PM on Saturday, the most popular centrally located BBQ trailer in town was out of their famed brisket. And sausage. And ribs. And potato salad. And beans.

I was all set to order a chopped beef sandwich and a pulled pork sandwich. But after 15 minutes in line, they were out of the pulled pork, too. Two chopped beef sandwiches to go, I guess.

Of all of the offerings at Franklin Barbecue, the chopped beef sandwich would have been the last on my list. But I was hungry, Mike was waiting, and the proprietor was practically giving them away at $2 apiece with a pint of coleslaw on the house -- er, trailer.

Walking back to my car, I was giddy. I love a good bargain -- even if the chopped beef wasn't my first choice. But after taking my first bite, I realized I'd have happily paid full price for these babies. If these are the dregs, I can't wait to go back and try the stuff they're actually known for.

Trailers and Trends

2010-03-31T10:55:00.013-05:00

Austin is fast becoming -- or perhaps already is -- one of the premiere trailer food purveyors. Trailers and food stands are popping up all over the city, offering up a range of options -- Mexican, Asian, Cuban, hot dogs, doughnuts, fancy foods, fusion, and the oh-so-popular (with me) roasted chicken food stand, for starters.

I'm working my way through these mobile marvels, but more often than not, I'm apt to fall back on my favorite: the Mexican taco trailer. These are the original taco stands that dot the east Austin landscape, the ones that have been around for years and years but were discovered by hipsters, college kids and food bloggers in the past 24 months or so. They were cool long before getting your food from a trailer became cool.

Like a lot of Austinites, I first began frequenting these trailers after midnight on the weekends, when the only other options were fast-food joints or Magnolia Cafe. I probably had my first trailer taco in 2005; they were still a novelty, at least to me. I had just moved to my current neighborhood in southeast Austin, and I remember fondly that first plate of mini corn tortillas topped with al pastor pork, fresh cilantro, chopped onion and a squeeze of lime juice and green salsa.

Austin is changing, trends coming and going faster than we can keep up. But I hope these original Mexican food trailers stay frozen in time.

Hello, Lovahhh

2010-03-30T10:36:00.009-05:00

Meet my latest addiction. It's the Asian Salad from Galaxy Cafe. My coworker introduced me to it yesterday, and I'm already ready to go back for more. More, more, more. She's been going on and on about this salad for weeks now, bragging that she goes at least once or twice a week for it.

I finally understand why.

Though this salad is a bit on the pricey side ($10.49, and an extra buck for the avocado), it has some of the best, freshest ingredients I've come across in an Austin salad. It's the perfect blend of crunchy, salty, tangy, sweet and it happens to feel good for you, too. The tuna is cooked perfectly and the portion size is very generous; it's more than I'd normally pay for lunch but I did feel like I got my money's worth.

Here's what's in it (the photo didn't capture everything): A very fresh spring mix of lettuces, rare seared ahi tuna, avocado, red peppers, edamame, crunchy rice noodles, cucumbers and toasted sesame seeds served with a side of the most addictive sesame soy salad dressing I've ever tried.

Very fine, from Monterrey

2010-03-25T10:00:00.006-05:00

A person from Monterrey, Mexico is called a "regiomontano." And all around Austin, small food trailers and outdoor stands are cooking up chicken, Monterrey-style.

We're big fans of "Pollo Regio," a regional chain of Monterrey-style rotisserie chicken stands that includes two very convenient locations: around the corner from Mike's house and a few blocks down the street from mine. You can get a whole chicken, beans, rice, grilled onion, soft corn tortillas and neon green, blow-your-mind-and-make-you-cry hot sauce for about $12. More than enough to feed 3-4 adults.

Last night we stopped at a competitor's trailer, El Norteno, for a bit of comparison shopping. In a taste test, I likely wouldn't be able to spot the difference. We both agreed the Pollo Regio chicken is a little more moist and the rice at El Norteno is fluffier and likely made with more butter. But overall, you get the same deal at the same price and you don't feel too badly about eating this version of 'fast food.' It's quick, inexpensive and beats the hell out of fast food. It was also a great way to treat ourselves after making it to the gym.

*Coincidentally, the word "regio" in Argentina is slang for "fine." And this was indeed some fine-tasting pollo.

Oh, and this photo above? That's only a half-chicken order, sold for a mere $7 and plenty for two.

Good for you

2010-03-24T15:36:00.012-05:00

Quinoa. Think vegan. Think healthy. Think not-really-for-me. But we recently cooked up some quinoa with fresh mushrooms thrown right into the rice cooker, and topped it roasted broccoli. A dinner I'm proud of making and eating, especially when able to resist the 10:00 pm cereal bowl that inevitably follows a meal that's so good for you.

It wasn't oustanding, but I think I can learn to love it. Mike spruced it up by using a shrimp stock he made earlier in the week to cook the quinoa. I undersalted everything as usual. And yet, we produced a filling, healthy and inexpensive dinner. I've got to look up other recipes made with this protein-rich grain; I'm committed to making this stuff a lot more often, so I'm going to have to learn how to make it tasty.

*Photos courtesy of Mike. Cross design of Broccoli-on-Quinoa, also courtesy of Mike.

425 until brown

2010-03-24T10:47:00.008-05:00

I'm a big fan of roasting vegetables. I don't think there's a tastier, easier way to prepare them. Steaming tastes awful. Sauteeing veggies is a bit better but it often leaves the same steamed effect. Boiling is doubly wrong - lose vitamins and flavor? No, thank you.

Roasting any vegetable at 425 degrees until they're caramelized and brown is the way to go, in my book. You can take any veggie, drizzle it with olive oil and salt (you can fancy it up with pepper and dried spices but it's so. not. necessary.), and pop it in the oven at 425. As I like to tell my roast-impaired friends, when you think it's browned and done, wait another 10 minutes. Then it's done.

We've been on a roasting kick lately. I already knew about the delights of roasted broccoli and cauliflower, asparagus and squashes, tomatoes and eggplant. But kale? Leeks? Bok choi? These are transformed at 425 degrees until brown. We're talking all of the taste and crunch of a potato chip, then add nutritional value and take away the calories.

I'll post pictures soon. But I promise you they won't look nearly as good as they taste. (It's true. The picture of roasted leeks below just doesn't convey the crispety, crunchety, salty goodness created when you put these raw onions in the oven.)

Fry and stir

2010-03-17T10:55:00.010-05:00

I don't know why they call it stir-fry, because, really, you're frying first and stirring second. I know this from first-hand experience.

We threw together a quick one this week, and it was a satisfying dinner after a long walk around Mike's neighborhood. The time just sprung forward, and the weather in Austin has been divine lately. So divine that our 2.5-mile walk felt like 1.5.

This extra hour of daylight is going to lead to all sorts of great things. Hopefully many of them well involve shrimp, fresh veggies, shallots, garlic, ginger, honey, soy sauce and lime juice. Which, coincidentally, was all we needed for this tasty fry-stir.

Stealing Green

2010-03-11T10:06:00.009-06:00

Everything about this post is stolen, or at least borrowed, from the photos to the construction of garden beds to the actual purchase of plants. But I'm just so excited about this, I had to throw up a quick post. (I did help with the packing of soil and have provided support via random squeals of enthusiasm.)

Mike's backyard is the epitome of spring these days. He recently built some garden beds, filled them with soil, put down a few plants - can't wait to shop for more this weekend at Natural Gardener! - and though it's only been a few days, I can already taste the chard frittatas and capreses in our future. (OK, fine, so I'll hold my breath on the tomatoes.)

Perhaps once we've had our first salad entirely out of backyard foodstuffs, I'll wax philosophically on the virtues of sustainable living and being more green. But right now, all I can say is, isn't it pretty?

*Photos courtesy of Mike