First Blogiversary!

Happy Blogiversary!!  Can you believe it has been one year since I started this blog?  To  reminisce over the past year, I went back and re-read many posts and I'm so happy to have these memories digitzied forever.  It has been quite a year.  I think this is a year and an era that we will look back on for years to come.  Our children will ask us about the Great Recession and the year that Obama took office.  I will remember it as the year I went to London and Barcelona, bought a house, and started a new job.  This is certainly a year that will go down in history, and though I don't write about politics or the economy (just mentioned some of the stimuli), I'm glad I can look back on this year of change with clarity and fondness and of course, remember all the food.

I've settled on two things to celebrate my blog milestone.  The first, is to make my favorite vietnamese soup, known as pho, from scratch.  And the second, to reenforce my dedication to the blog, I am going to participate in Nablopomo in November.  Basically, this means I will commit to writing a post a day for the whole month.  It will be a challenge, but if there is one thing I've learned from the past year, it's the more posts the better!

So back to the pho.  I get this soup on a very regular basis from either Saigon or #1 Pho, but I was very intimidated to try making it myself.  It has such complex flavors and I really wouldn't know where to start.  But I have been cooking out of the Food and Wine 2007 Annual Cookbook this week and I came upon this recipe and it didn't seem too bad.  It does require the broth to be refridgerated overnight and a trip to the Asian Market, but overall, it wasn't complicated, it turned out amazing, and I will definitely make it again.  However, with local restaurants offering the quick and inexpensive pho, I think I will save it for special occasions.

Spiced Beef Pho with Sesame-Chile Oil

6 Servings

Beef Broth

4 lbs. oxtails or beef short ribs (I used short ribs)

18 cups water

1 tsp vegetable oil

1 medium onion, halved

one 3-inch piece unpeeled fresh ginger, halved lengthwise

2 bay leaves

two 3-inch cinnamon sticks, broken into pieces

one 2-inch piece of rock sugar or 6 sugar cubes

kosher salt

4 whole cloves

4 star anise pods, broken up

2 tsp. fennel seeds

In a large soup pot, cover the oxtails with cold water and bring to a boil over high heat; drain.  Add the 18 cups of water and bring to a boil.  Meanwhile, heat the vegetable oil in a small nonstick skillet.  Add the onion halves and the ginger, cut sides down, and cook over moderately high heat until richly browned, about 5 minutes.  Transfer the onion and ginger to the oxtail pot with the bay leaves, cinnamon sticks, rock sugar and 1 tbsp of salt.  Put the cloves, star anise and fennel seeds in a tea ball or tie them up in a piece of cheesecloth.  Add them to the oxtail pot and simmer, skimming occasionally, until the oxtails are tender, about 2 hours.  Strain the broth in a large sieve set over a large heatproof bowl.  Remove the meat from the oxtails.  Refrigerate the beef broth and the oxtail meat separately overnight.

Sesame-Chili Oil

1/4 cup vegetable oil

3 large garlic cloves, chopped

2 tbsp. crushed red pepper

1 1/2 tsp. sesame seeds

1/2 tsp. Asian sesame oil

Heat the oil in a small saucepan. Add the garlic and cook over moderate heat until golden, about 2 minutes. Add the crushed red pepper and sesame seeds and cook for 1 minute. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the sesame oil and a pinch of salt.

Soup Garnishes

1 pound rice vermicelli

1 pound beef round, partially frozen and very thinly sliced across the grain

Asian fish sauce

Asian sesame oil

Sriracha chile oil

Lime wedges

Cilantro sprigs

Basil leaves

Onion slices

Chile slices

Escarole leaves

Mung bean sprouts

I garnished with thai basil, bean sprouts, jalapeno slices, and the sesame-chili oil

Assembling the soup:  Put the rice vermicelli in a large bowl and cover with cold water. Let the vermicelli soak until pliable, about 20 minutes.  Skim the fat from the surface of the beef broth and discard. Bring the broth to a simmer over moderately high heat. Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil.  Place the thinly sliced raw beef in a large strainer and lower it into the simmering broth for 4 seconds; transfer the meat to 6 soup bowls. Drain the vermicelli. Working in 6 batches, put the vermicelli in the strainer and lower it into the boiling water for 30 seconds, or until the vermicelli is barely tender. Drain and transfer to the bowls. Ladle about 1 1/2 cups of the broth over each bowl of vermicelli and add the chilled oxtail meat.  Put each of the remaining ingredients in seperate bowls or arrange the vegetables and herbs together on a platter. Serve the soup with the condiments and the sesame-chile oil.

After reflecting on the past year, I think now would be a good time to think about what goals I have for the next year.  There are lots of house projects to do, many of which are under way already.  Career-wise I have a new job to adjust to and I want to get serious about going back to school for my MBA.  And personally, I want this to be the year I get a pet, settle in with CC and do lots of entertaining (now that I finally have some space to do it in).   I hope you decide to stay tuned!!

Grilled Asian Chicken Salad

In preparation for last night's meal and the beef pho I plan to make today, I ventured to the Asian Market yesterday.  Well, first I went to Westside Market, remembered they were closed on Tuesdays, ate at the cafe so it wasn't a completely wasted trip, and then ventured to Midtown to the Asian Market.  I went into the Asian Plaza where Li Wah restaurant is on E. 30th and Payne.  The grocery, called "Park and Shop" is actually behind the plaza, further north on E. 30th - in case you decide to actually park and shop there.  

The market was situated just like any regular American grocery, except I couldn't read much of anything.  A nice man helped me find everything I was looking for including: rock sugar, thai basil, miso paste, Chinese chili-garlic sauce, and the miscellaneous produce I needed. I wandered through the store and thought about getting some meat form the butcher.  Their short ribs were thinner than what I was looking for, so I passed on buying them and kept wandering down the case.  There was all different kinds of fish, duck, and whole chickens.  I wasn't surprised by any of that, however I was not expecting to find a bucket of live eel at the end.  Then I noticed next to it there was a cage with these huge live soft shelled turtles.  And next to that there was a tank full of live frogs - I felt like I was at the zoo!  I love trying new foods, and I would be all for trying any of these prepared by a chef in a restaurant, but if I took home a turtle or a frog it would definitely end up a pet before it made it on a plate.

Driving down Payne I also passed the Koko Bakery.  Bender has recommended this place to me and it was pretty busy for a Tuesday afternoon, so I stopped in.   The cases are full of asian pastries, and they serve bubble tea and assorted sandwiches.  The lady behind the counter gave me some samples and I bought some things to try, but I really had no idea what I was buying.  These buns (see below) have duck yolk and sweet red bean paste in them.  I tricked CC and the Little Potato into trying them before I told them what they were.  They are sweet, but kinda weird.  I also bought a loaf of sweet bread that is delicious!

Before heading home I stopped at Gallucci's cuz I don't know of a better deal on spice in the city - $1.85 for a tub of cumin, yes please!

Last night's dinner recipe came from Food and Wine's 2007 Annual Cookbook.  I messed a few things up: 1. I asked CC to pick up chicken breast, but the recipe actully called for chicken thighs.  No biggie, just a little healtheir.  2.  I decided to just shred the whole head of cabbage I had in the fridge from the CSA and didn't measure it.  I think it was way more than 4 cups.  I just get so carried away when I start shredding things in the food processor.

The paste has a fantastic flavor and can be rubbed on steak, shrimp, or pork.  But too much cabbage diluted the overall flavor.

Ginger-Miso Spice Paste

Makes 1/4 cup

1 tbsp. finely grated ginger

1 tbsp. miso paste

2 garlic cloves, smashed

1 tsp. Chinese chile-garlic sauce

1 tsp light brown sugar

1 twp Asian sesame oil

1 1/2 tsp fresh lime juice

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mash to a paste.

Grilled Chinese-Chicken Salad

4 Servings

1 lb. skinless, boneless chicken thighs

1/4 c. Ginger Miso Spice paste (above)

1/4 c. vegetable oil

salt

1/4 lb. snow peas

1 1/2 tbsp. fresh lime juice

2 scallions, cut into thin 1 inch julienne strips

10 oz. shredded colesaw mix

1. Light a grill.  Make 1/4 inch deep slashes in the chicken thighs.  In a bowl, combine 2 tbsp. of the spice paste with 2 tbsp of the oil and spread all over the chicken.  Grill over high heat until cooked through, 7 to 8 minutes.  Let cool then cut into thin strips.

2.  Meanwhile, bring a small saucepan of salted water to boi.  Add the snow pease and blanch for 1 minute.  Drain and rinse under cold water; pat dry.  Slice in half lengthwise.  In a large bowl, whisk the remaining 2 tbsp. of paste with the lime juice and the remaining 2 tbsp. of oil.  Season with salt.  Add the snow peas, scallions, coleslaw mix and chicken, tolls well and serve.

Herbed Baked Goat Cheese Salad

Hola!  How long has it been.... oh never mind, I'm back.  Again!  We have to stop meeting like this.  Have I mentioned that my kitchen is a mess?  Yeah, that's all I got...  On with things, we have lots to catch up on!

Lets start with a kitchen update.  Have you heard of KraftMaid cabinetry?  They are gorgeous semi-custom cabinets made right around the corner in Geauga County.  They have an amazing showroom in Chagrin Falls full of dream kitchens, any of which I would die for and are completely out of my price range.  BUT, great news, they have a warehouse store in Warren that is most definitely in my price range.  (It used to be in Lordstown, this one is a bit smaller and only open every other Saturday)  It takes a bit of creativity and early morning drives to Warren on Saturdays, but after 4 trips, CC and I have pieced together our very own dream kitchen that will be installed in the next month or so.  I cannot wait.

Next, a life update.  This is a year of change.  I bought a house, moved in with CC and my sister, and Friday was my last day at the job I've had for the last four years.  I have this week off - plan is to paint as much as I can manage, so don't be jealous - and then I start my new job next week!  And I joined a new gym yesterday.  Ok, you are caught up.

Gorgeous sunflowers from the North Union Farmers Market 

(can you spot my new pet Stinky?)

Last week I forced myself back into the half demolished kitchen and just tried to ignore the holes and exposed dry wall.  I got inspiration from the Fall Entertaining magazine from Cooks Illustrated.  The week's menu: 

Sunday - Herbed Baked Goat Cheese Salad with apples, walnuts, dried cranberries and a shallot vinaigrette

Monday - Beef soft tacos

Tuesday - Coq au vin (great 90 minute version)

Wednesday - Out to dinner at Corky and Lenny's

Thursday - Sauteed Mushrooms with farfalle in a light cream sauce 

All of these dishes were really delicious, but the goat cheese salad was so simple and satisfying I wanted to share the recipe:

Herbed Baked Goat Cheese

Makes 16 Rounds

3 oz. white melba toasts (about 2 cups)

1 tsp ground black pepper

3 large eggs

2 tbsp dijon mustard

4 tsp chopped fresh thyme

1 tbsp plus 1 tsp chopped fresh chives

16 oz firm goat cheese

(Molls Note: I had a goat cheese that was already garlic and herb infused, so I skipped the fresh herbs and it was still wonderful)

1.  In food processor, process the Melba toasts to fine, even crumbs, about 1 1/2 minutes; transfer crumbs to medium bowl and stir in pepper.  Whisk eggs and mustard in medium bowl until combined.  Combine thyme and chives in small bowl.

2.  Using kitchen twine or dental floss, divide cheese into 16 evenly sized pieces (about 1 oz each).  Roll each piece into ball; roll each ball in herbs to lightly coat.  Transfer 8 pieces to egg mixture, and turn each piece to coat; transfer to Melba crumbs and turn each piece to coat, pressing crumbs into cheese.  Flatten each ball into disk about 1 1/2 inches wide and 1 inch thick and set on baking sheet.  Repeat process with remaining 8 pieces cheese.  Freeze cheese until firm, about 30 minutes.  Adjust oven rack to uppermost position; heat to 475 degrees.

3.  Remove cheese from freezer and brush tops and sides evenly with olive oil.  Bake until crumbs are golden brown and cheese is soft, 7 to 9 minutes.  Using thin metal spatula, transfer cheese to paper towel-lined plate and cool 3 minutes.

Salad with Herbed Baked Goat Cheese and Vinaigrette

Serves 8

2 tbsp red wine vinegar

1 tbsp dijon mustard

1 tsp finely minced shallot

1/4 tsp table salt

6 tbsp EVOO

ground black pepper

16 cups hearty mixed greens, washed and dried

1 recipe Herbed Baked Goat Cheese (above)

1.  Combine vinegar, mustard, shallot, and salt in small bowl.  Whisking constantly, drizzle in olive oil; season to taste with S&P.

2.  Place greens in large bowl, drizzle vinaigrette over, toss to coat.  Divide greens among individual plates; place two goat cheese rounds on each salad and serve immediately.

I served each salad with the goat cheese, a few thinly sliced apple wedges, a handful of craisins, and a handful of lightly toasted chopped walnuts.  Beautiful and delicious!

P.S. I won Cleveland Foodie's Beer Week toast contest!  Read my entry here.  Free tickets to Brewzilla - awesome!!  Thank you!

Kitchen Demolition

Work schmerk. It isn't long until my mind drifts to food. And before you know it I have wasted an hour reading food blogs, searching for recipes, and planning my next grocery trip. Shh - don't tell. Or planning my dream kitchen. The great kitchen remodel has begun. So far we have demo'ed one wall and bought three cabinets - progress is slow but steady - or so I keep telling myself.

Moving day was also my sister's (the Little Potato and future Wildwood tenant) birthday. Here is a good before shot of the wall and also her birthday cake. Notice lots of Pimm's scattered around the room and the bottle of Dom left behind - which is being saved for Wildwood's 100th birthday party in 9 years.

Before.

Demo.

It will be awhile before I have an after picture, but I can't wait!!

Check out these beautiful melons - all grown locally and arrived with the CSA. Have you ever had yellow watermelon? It is, believe it or not, juicier and sweeter than the pink stuff, phenomenal.

In the attempt to use the mid-demo kitchen as little as possible, CC and I have been grilling daily. I picked up a whole chicken from Tea Hills on Saturday and thought I would try the beer can chicken craze I have heard about. I used this recipe for the rub, but I forgot to rub some under the skin as well. We don't eat the skin, so I think we missed out on a lot of the flavor. But the chicken cooked up fast (like 45 minutes) and was very moist. It is a simple technique that I want to play around with some more. Plus, it is fun to play with chickens.

Ingredients
Beer Can Chicken Rub:
2 tablespoons smoked paprika
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons onion powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons dried thyme
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons black pepper
2 teaspoons garlic powder

For the Chicken:
4 pounds chicken, washed and dried
Vegetable oil
Beer Can Chicken Rub
1 (12-ounce) can beer

Directions
For the chicken rub:
In a small bowl mix all the ingredients together and use for the grilled chicken. You can store extra rub mixture in an airtight container for up to 6 months.

For the chicken:
Preheat your grill to medium-high heat.
Rub the chicken and its cavity down with the vegetable oil. Season the chicken with rub mixture, remembering to season the cavity. Pour out 1/4 of the beer and sit the chicken on top of the beer can. Place the chicken in the center of the hot grill and cover. Cook the chicken for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until an instant-read thermometer registers 165 degrees F. Once cooked, cover loosely with foil and let rest for 10 minutes before carving.

Pimm's O'Clock

If it's summer in London you are probably drinking a Pimm's. I'm not sure how this has not found greater popularity here in the states cuz this is one seriously awesome - no wicked -summer cocktail. This commercial played a lot while we there and it gives the recipe for the perfect Pimm's:



To recap - Pimm's, a jug, ice, lemonade (what we call sprite or 7-up), cucumber, orange, strawberry, and mint. About one part Pimm's to three parts lemonade. Combine and enjoy.

We instituted a daily ritual of Pimm's O'Clock on our trip, or what we refer to as happy hour here in America. I was only able to bring home one bottle, but I think you may be able to buy it over here. I haven't been to a liquor store yet, so let me know if you find it.

Em and a jug of Pimm's

Our first Pimm's O'Clock was on our impromptu pub crawl through London. We hit up English pubs (of course), an Australian bar, and a very weak Canadian bar and we even met a prince!

Oh Hello

Well I suppose it is time I bite the bullet and write a little something. I have so much that I want to write about, but when I get so behind like this I start to get anxiety and then I don't know where to start and then I just procrastinate until it has been way too long and then I write a post that starts like this and when I have only been writing a blog for like 9 months, doing this so often is just well - me I guess. So I should probably stop apologizing for it since this blog's purpose is much more for personal reasons than anything else. So, hello again blog. Sometimes I wish you wrote yourself.

Why too busy to write? Well first I was gone on my two week vacation to Europe. I left for vacation two days after closing on my house and I moved in to the house two days after I got back. So that took some orchestrating. I have lots of pictures and some videos from our trip which I hope to post about in the future in a few pieces.

And I am a homeowner! The house is LOVELY! It is an oldie, built in 1918, but this house has been loved. The best surprise upon moving in was to discover that we have the best neighbors. This street is a gem. CC and I have now named the house. A little background: the house is set back from the street, but there is no grass in the front yard, it is completely covered in plants and flowers. The backyard is completely covered in ivy, but we want to convert this to a lawn and more usable space. Also, CC really likes going to garage sales and flea markets. I usually give him a hard time about it, but one of his finds is an old iron sign with a landscape setting that says "Wildwood". And that is the perfect name for this house, so now when I refer to Wildwood, you will know I mean home.

I love living here and I really feel at home, but I don't feel settled yet. There are a lot of projects between me and my nesting instincts before I will feel truly settled. The backyard being one for the spring, painting all the rooms (painting being the easy part and picking out colors proving to be the tough part) and the biggest project of all - the kitchen. CC and I began demolishing the existing one and are moving forward with a full-on renovation. I know I will love the final product and it will be more than worth it, but in the mean time, all my kitchen gadgets remain in boxes and we have been left grilling an eating salads. Did I mention I have a grill now?? L.O.V.E.

We got 6 ears of sweet corn from the CSA this week (remember when I used to write about that? well its still going) and this salad was awesome! We ate half like a side salad and the other half as a salsa-ish dip. It was fantastic either way!

Corn and Black Bean Salad with Basil-Lime Vinaigrette
Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis, 2008

Salad:
2 ears fresh corn or 1 cup frozen corn, thawed
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15-ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 mango, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

Vinaigrette:
2 limes, zested and juiced
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions
For the salad: Preheat a gas or charcoal grill. Peel back the corn husks. Remove the silks and replace the husks. Soak the corn in cold water for 30 minutes. Drain and place on the grill for 10 to 15 minutes. Cool completely and remove the husks. Using a sharp knife, remove the corn kernels. In a medium bowl, mix together the grilled corn, black beans, garbanzo beans, bell pepper, and mango.

For the vinaigrette: In a small bowl, combine the lime zest, lime juice, balsamic vinegar, basil, and cumin. Slowly add the oil, whisking constantly until the mixture thickens. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Pour the vinaigrette over the salad and toss well. Refrigerate for 1 hour, and toss again, before serving.

Stacey's Wedding

Cheerio from London!  I haven't posted in a while, but for good reason.  On Monday the title transferred and I got the keys to my new house!  And on Wednesday Blaze and I left for our two week holiday in London to visit Emily.  So between house and moving preparations, wrapping things up at work and prepping for international travel, things have been a bit hectic.  Our trip to London was quite smooth, but we are still suffering from a bit of jet lag.

I have lots to write about our trip and pics to post - we have been busy tourists.  But for now here is the video I finished editing from Stacey and Jeremy's wedding in June.  Music credit is "All you Need is Love" by Nada Surf.