Loaded Baked Potato Soup and Sour Cream Cranberry Bars

Dear readers,

I hope you had a wonderful weekend. I don’t know what it is but I’m still in weekend mode and it’s been exceptionally difficult to be super productive at work. Do you have a fix for that? I usually listen to my “Focus” playlist comprised of classical music and the Inception soundtrack but even that hasn’t been helping me lately. I find myself wandering onto food blogs and collecting recipes to try out as soon as the right occasion arises. Sometimes I think I could professional food blog all day but then that would be a pretty sad title for my job. Or would it be?

Speaking of recipe collections, I’ve created a fairly impressive collection of Classic Soup Recipes as of late. I think it was partly my way of pretending it was winter in Los Angeles. I also like soup because it makes for good leftovers. I generally don’t like reheating things because the texture gets ruined or altered the second time around but not so with soup. If it has rice in it, I make sure to keep the rice separate from the broth so the rice doesn’t get too cooked. Otherwise, soup is good to pop into the freezer or to carry to lunch for the next several days.

I was craving Loaded Baked Potato Soup one day. Really badly. I tend to always know what I want to eat for each meal because I have an ultra-craving for it and this one was definitely an ultra-ultra-craving. I don’t know what it was but I wanted a chunky potato soup with bits of fried bacon and a nice, creamy broth.

I think the lighting here more accurately captures how positively cheesy this soup was. 

Boy, did this hit the spot. It was far away the most incredible Baked Potato Soup I had ever tasted. Granted, I’ve only had it at chain restaurants prior to this but this was not too salty or too creamy or heavy (despite the cheese, sour cream, and heavy cream in the base). This makes a HUGE pot. I had my coworkers over for lunch one day and Nick and I had it for at least a few lunches after our first dinner so it went really far.

I actually made these Sour Cream Cranberry bars for a brunch dessert but they work equally well as dessert. These, too, freeze well. They were a huge hit with my friends, family, and coworkers and myself. It makes a large 9”x13” tray so these go really far as well, unless you want to hoard a few to yourself as I managed to do despite all my sharing. The bars themselves are a wonderful texture – the oatmeal cookie bottom and the oatmeal crumb topping are both salty-sweet and the filling is fantastically tangy. Oh, and it uses any leftover sour cream from the Loaded Baked Potato Soup like a charm.

I’ll be back tomorrow with some more soup recipes – if you’re sick, cold, or just like soup for the various other reasons that you should love soup, make sure to check back soon for my very own soup creation that I am very proud of.  

http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/soup/recipe-baked-potato-soup-with-bacon-onion-cheddar-136303

http://www.angryasiancreations.com/2009/04/sour-cream-cranberry-bars.html

Pho!

 First things first, I use starter broth. Yes, I cheat. But it’s so cumbersome and labor-intensive to buy the bones and boil them overnight like my beloved mother used to do for us. I do follow every other step dutifully. Even with the starter broth that you can find in any Asian store, I find it crucial to use the spice bag, add the seasonings, and char the onion and ginger. These steps are pictured below and explained in detail at the link at the bottom.

I char my ginger and onion in my broiler on high for 18 minutes (9 on each side). I don’t like ginger normally but it sweetens significantly when charred and fills your house with a wonderfully fragrant smell.

These are all spices (coriander seeds, star anise, cinnamon sticks, fennel, whole cloves) I bought at a local Indian grocery store. They each came in an individual plastic bag about the size of two Ziploc sandwich bags, cost $2-4, and will probably last me 5 years. Not even kidding. I throw them into a usable tea bag and make sure it’s submersed in the simmering broth.

The thinly sliced beef can be found in any Asian store in their refrigerated meat section. If you don’t see it, you can ask the butcher on duty to slice it up for “pho” and he’ll know what to do!

Pho is eaten with mint, basil, cilantro, bean sprouts, green onions, lime and whatever other garnish you desire. I love bountiful amounts of sriracha and hoisin sauce as well, both for dipping my meat and in my broth.

I use the link below when I prepare pho and I find it extremely helpful and reliable/authentic. I know pho seems intimidating to make at home, and it was for me as well, but it’s so worth it. Your bowl of steaming pho will satisfy you with its lovely rice noodles, hot and very multi-layered broth, and crunchy greens on top like few other dishes can. For Nick, this was a good night because I labored over pho, made a cake, and squeezed some chocolate chunk cookie dough into the oven in between cake layers. The great thing about this guy is even though I do this almost every night, he never fails to be completely grateful :) 

http://steamykitchen.com/271-vietnamese-beef-noodle-soup-pho.html

Random Ramblings: Resolution, A Day in the Life of, and February Festivities

I have several loves in my life. By that, I mean I spend most of my time thinking about the following: weddings, fashion, food, and to a much lesser extent, and often with more grimacing than smiling: fitness. (I think I mainly like to stay in shape for the benefit of fashion and food, not necessarily because I’m enthralled with the concept and activity of running, weight lifting and cardio barre.) I’m beginning to realize that I rarely spend time thinking about how these topics relate to people. I want to spend more time thinking about and then acting on ways to love others through the mediums of weddings, fashion, and food (another reason I’m not such a big fan of fitness is because it is more self-serving to me…though it does put me in a better mood sometimes, which definitely helps relationships : ). It may sound touchy feely to you and let me tell you, I’m the first to shake my head at “getting deep” and being “intimate” and “open” but it’s something that’s been on my heart and mind. I figure one of the most obvious places to start is my blog where who knows what kind of strangers, friends, coworkers, family, etc. read it occasionally.

My favorite thing to do: plan and throw parties! It's bizarre that there are always people sitting and waiting to eat the food that I photograph and post on the blog but you, dear reader, never see them! 

It does make sense that food and people go hand in hand. I am always eating with someone (except perhaps on those lazy, antisocial afternoons at work when I’m blogging and eating at my desk) and it is the heart of Nick and my social activities and entire life essentially. One of my college friends wrote me a letter asking what my life in LA looks like. It’s immensely awesome and full of vibrant community. Last week, we were out of the house 3 out of 5 week nights eating with church friends, grabbing drinks with college friends, etc. Of the 2 nights we spent in, we spent one hosting a big pot roast dinner party with my coworkers. This week has been quite the opposite with every night spent at home making a time-intensive Vietnamese meal like caramelized catfish or pho, or baking a four-layer confetti cake for my boss’s birthday (tomorrow's post), and watching movies almost every night (50/50 was GREAT!). Usually, our weeks are a mix of the past two – we invite guests over at least once a week, go out with friends one other night. 


And weekends? They’re crazy fun. I know the expression “Work hard, play hard” or “I live for the weekends” are soooo over used but they're true! We spent 5 of the 6 weekends out of town visiting family in Arizona, San Diego (2x), Cambria, and Anaheim. When we’re here, it’s back-to-back events and parties and eating out at LA restaurants that I keep a spreadsheet of (I’m a total nerd). I love my life and I love that we have so many people to share it with. If I had to take one picture to describe my life, it would look like one long wooden table with friends sitting all around it, open wine bottles strewn across the table, and me holding a platter of imperfect-looking but perfect-tasting dessert in one hand. 

Some inspiration for my birthday party!

And it’s about to get even crazier (read: better) in about 5 days. If you know me at all, you know that I am head-over-heels, crazy-in-love with the entire, sweet month of February. As soon as Christmas and New Year’s passes, I start preparing for the truly BIG holidays of the year. We start it off with Nick’s mom’s birthday, then Valentine’s, then my sister’s birthday, and finally mine. It’s a ML month if there ever was. Not just because I was born in February but also because it’s full of pink’s and red’s (not my favorite color combination per se but separately I love them!), flowers and the general promise of spring in the air, CANDIES GALORE (I love candy like it’s nobody’s business), and commercialized but still fun games of love and romancing.

Am I superficial? YES. But at least I admit it (edit: and am striving to be less superficial thanks to friends who keep me accountable). Now onto one of the best meals mankind has ever laid eyes on: Pho (I put it in a separate post because text-filled posts freak me out. They just scream boring to me). 

Weekend Recap

We finally had chewy chips at Mas Malo downtown. Sound gross? Yeah, I thought so too at first. But they're seriously addicting and flavorful. You have to try it out! It's the only thing you may want to order while you're there (we didn't try anything else (besides three rounds of drinks) but word on the street is other stuff is solid as well!)

Photo Credit: http://www.weezermonkey.com/2011/08/it-lived-up-to-its-name-mas-malo.html

The decor was also really nice. Overall, it was a place that made me feel very compelled to explore Downtown more.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/mas-malo-los-angeles
Marilynn's Verdict: 3/5

For lunch, we checked out Food + Lab, which was a smaller and more artisanal spin of Urth Caffe mixed with Medocino Farms. The sandwiches are amazing and fresh, but I think what stole the show for me was the coffee, a blend of coffee and espresso from Vienna. One of the best cups I've ever had.

My Chicken Avocado was no lame follow-up though. The lime avocado was bright and fresh, the sundried tomatoes added one other dimension of flavor and texture, and there really weren't too many flavors going on besides those three. I liked it a lot though because it wasn't too fancy but still tasted high-quality.

A beautiful and large prosciutto, fig, mozzarella (?) salad that my friend ordered. Looked divine.

Argentinian Steak. The sandwiches aren't too "loaded" like they are Bay Cities or Mendocino but they highlight the freshness and quality of each ingredient. Great place for a healthy bite.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/food-lab-cafe-and-marketplace-los-angeles
Marilynn's Verdict: 4/5

For dinner, we headed to Gobi Mongolian BBQ in Silverlake. They have all-you-can-eat on Saturday's but honestly, one pass-through the line is enough food for me (and Nick, who has a bigger appetite).

The concept is attractive. You fill your bowl with fresh, organic veggies (I got kale, butternut squash, bell peppers, cilantro, water chestnuts, baby corn, broccoli, and I'm sure a lot more), as much meat as you want (I included beef and chicken), and create an amazing sauce out of different ingredients they provide or follow their list of sauce formulas (I did traditional which involved garlic, lemon juice, soy, vinegar, etc). Oh, and pack on as many noodles as possible. I love this kind of noodle, as you can see from my bowl.

Finished product. I scarfed it down even though I wasn't that hungry. So tasty! I  just love this kind of concept where you build your own flavorful and healthy meal. Too bad it's too far. And the service was nonexistent. Oh well. When in Silverlake, go Gobi, I guess!

http://www.yelp.com/biz/gobi-mongolian-bbq-los-angeles
Marilynn's Verdict: 3/5

On Sunday, we spent the day in Little Saigon with my mom and sisters for Lunar New Year. Craziness ensues when I'm with my little sisters. Part of that craziness may be due to the fact that we ate about 4 desserts after lunch in the span of two hours.

We did start with a wholesome meal at Brodard Chateau. I've been dying to go here and have heard so much about it!! It's one of the few fancy places in Little Saigon but it's also supposed to have amazing nem nuong and other signature dishes.

The best yet. Better than Nem Nuong Khanh Hoa by a smidgen, if only because they put fried eggroll wrappers inside the spring roll for fabulous crunch!

I ordered the wrong dish! I thought the english description was exactly what I wanted (Lemongrass beef with vermicelli and fish sauce-lime dressing) but it wasn't!!! The beef was weird - sauteed in a sweet and sour sauce instead of grilled so it was kind of too soft when combined with the soft noodles. And I definitely didn't taste the lemongrass. I will have to go back and try their signature Brodard Chateau Vermicelli (yes, that's what it's called on the menu and somehow I managed to order the wrong thing). And their shaking beef.

Nick got traditional Chicken Curry. It's not like Thai Yellow curry (although it looks similar). It's better. I grew up eating this! And yes, you eat it with french baguette.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/brodard-chateau-garden-grove
Marilynn's Verdict: 3/5 but willing to try again. I was surprisingly unaffected by the fanciness of the location. I think I am just too used to stark and simple Asian restaurants.

After lunch, we guzzled some traditional Vietnamese dessert: Che! 

Mine was a coconut milk and juice base with fresh tapioca, mung beans, and some other weird gummy goodies you probably wouldn't enjoy unless you were, well, Asian.

We are small people but we like big straws for efficient drinking (well, technically, so we can get to the tapioca). This place has the best che I've tasted in my almost quarter-century lifetime because it's fresh tapioca with good texture, and light and fresh coconut juice. Not too heavy or too sweet.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/thach-che-hien-khanh-garden-grove

Vietnamese Shrimp Quinoa - California Cuisine!

I recently talked about how much I love California cuisine. The following dish definitely falls under that category or genre of food for me. It's called Vietnamese Shrimp Quinoa Salad. First of all, Vietnamese dishes don't contain quinoa. Ever. I don't think there are quinoa trees in Asia so this is the first sign that this isn't a 100% authentic dish (which is the point of California cuisine....it steals from a variety of cuisines). I don't ever recall eating bell peppers at a Vietnamese restaurant either but the rest of the ingredients and flavors are pretty standard Vietnamese fare. The dressing of fish sauce, lime juice, and red pepper flakes is typical for cold noodle dishes, for spring roll dipping, etc. The other accoutrements like shrimp, cucumber, cilantro, and shredded carrot are also very prevalent. Overall though, this is a great twist on Vietnamese salads that I grew up with and also relies heavily on quality ingredients like fragrant cilantro and crunchy bell pepper and so on.

So in an effort to honor the intention of this cuisine and recipe, I went and got awesome ingredients from Trader Joe's including their new organic tricolor quinoa.

What resulted was this wonderful, sublime, healthy, satisfying, fresh, and vibrantly flavored and colored salad:

This was a one-dish night, baby. No need for salad or starter dish and an entree and a side. I got my protein, greens, and grains in this bowl.

And then there was dessert. Duh.

I'm sure I've made Oatmeal White Chocolate Cranberry cookies a dozen times before. They used to by my mom's favorite cookie so I've been making them since high school. But this recipe, found on the back of my bulk-sized Craisins bag from Costco, is the best I've ever tried. Chewy, dense, moist, and not too sweet, it definitely made my night even better when I thought it couldn't get much better than quinoa salad.

http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2012/01/serious-salads-vietnamese-shrimp-and-quinoa-salad-recipe.html?source=thekitchn

California Cuisine? Maybe, maybe not. Delicious Dishes? Definitely yes!

Chicken Tikka Masala: Take 34543529

I've made and blogged about chicken tikka masala at least half a dozen times.
I made it in pizza form here: http://mmmarilynn.blogspot.com/2011/10/200th-post.html
I made a fusion Italian dish from Gastrophoria here: http://mmmarilynn.blogspot.com/2011/09/asian-fusion.html (It's still my favorite!)
And I tried The Pioneer Woman's version, which was featured on The Kitchn, two of my favorite and most reliable food blogs: http://mmmarilynn.blogspot.com/2011/05/eternal-quest-for-perfect-homemade.html (It was disappointing)

And I keep going. If there's something I don't lack, it's determination and stubbornness. It sometimes drives me crazy. :P

I had another go at a new recipe and noticed some commonalities between a few I've tried lately. Marinading the chicken overnight in a yogurt and spice collection seems key (see picture below). I've been broiling my chicken after it's marinaded the proper amount of time to get that nice charred effect. It tastes delicious and still stays moist on the inside.

This one was similar to the pioneer woman's version in ingredients and their relative proportions. It ultimately came out spicier, which we both loved, but still didn't have the depth and layers of flavor I was looking for. Oh well - it tasted excellent but for the time and labor needed, I don't think it was good enough.

Seriously, readers, help me out here! If you have a good recipe, let me know! I obviously LOVE this dish :) 

http://www.katherinemartinelli.com/blog/2010/india-by-way-of-london/

Sofrito Chicken Stew

I made this Sofrito Stew after seeing the recipe heralded by Gina on her blog and because it sounded like something Nick and I would love. We love meat and rice dishes (the Asian in me! I grew up on these kinds of dinners) but what we don't like is how they tend to be on the heavy side. This stew, however, was perfectly saucy yet not full of cream or cheese or some other thickening device – just tasty broth, beer (Nick was in love with the idea of adding alcohol to our dinner dish) and chicken leg juices (that sounds gross, doesn’t it? But I swear it's not!). It had a lot of chopped veggies in it for color, fiber, and texture (we love chopped veggies in filling salads and soups but I find that main dishes or entrees sometimes lack a lot of veggies unless you’re making a curry or an Asian dish) and our favorite spices! Instead of buying a packet of sazon, which is a traditional seasoning used in Latino dishes, I made it at home with spices I had in my cupboard. Yay, for no MSG (and I just used paprika instead of annatto)!

I forgot to brown the chicken but this dish still turned out delicious. I kept the lid on while simmering to trap the alcohol in there. Definitely tasted that beer and it paired so well with the cumin and cilantro, two of our favorite seasonings : )

Nick and I loved this healthy yet filling meal. I can’t wait to try more latino dishes – I usually limit myself to Tex-Mex but this has definitely made me feel more confident and adventurous! 

http://www.bigoven.com/recipe/169417/Spanish-Sazon-Dry-Seasoning

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2008/09/sofrito-chicken-stew-5-ww-pts.html

California Cuisine

We have a strict budget for going out. I like it because it keeps restaurant eating to a minimum which means more money for other experiences like traveling. It also maintains this aura of excitement around eating out. Finally,  I firmly believe that limiting eating out to just weekends is what keeps Nick and I healthy. 5 out of 7 days a week we are eating organic, low fat (most of the time...), freshly prepared meals.

Fortunately and unfortunately, we've been going out way more than usual lately. I love eating at new places so I can review and rate them on yelp and my blog but even I am growing weary of restaurant food. Next week I look forward to making a lot of healthy, fresh, Vietnamese dishes like Bun thit nuong and spring rolls and maybe pho since it looks like winter has finally arrived in Los Angeles (60 degree highs! Oh dear!).

Of course, I still appreciate every opportunity to eat out and relish reviewing them so here's another roundup of some recent eats which happened to be on my list of all-time favorites. I've been pondering my favorite places to eat and why they're up there on my list. All of these places fit the bill of being in a reasonable price range (lunch entrees up to $12-15, dinner up to $20), having flavorful and healthy food (no fast, greasy food for us, please), competent if not outstanding service, and decor (as long as it's thought-out and existing, I'm pretty happy. So many places just don't care). On a more foodie-philosophical note, these restaurants also fall into a general category of food that I'm developing a fonder and larger taste for. Read at the bottom for more about this category or "cuisine" as I call it....

Urth Caffe is a top favorite. We go at least twice a month for their Spanish Lattes but their breakfasts are equally stellar (this veggie, egg white panini on wheat is filling and tasty and just right at $8).

My beloved Spanish Latte.

Many people don't know this but Urth Caffe, beyond it's cheerful, humble, and fast service and delicious food and drinks (try a smoothie here!), also has FANTASTIC desserts. Pies, fruit tarts, croissants, and my favorite version of Tiramisu anywhere. Moist, creamy, and light and fluffy. It has equally strong flavors of espresso and chocolate and rum. 

My favorite restaurant in LA. Hands down. More than Red O or Tarte Tatin or Short Order, Mozza wins. Amazing pizza crust, amazing pizza, wonderful rustic decor, and just a fabulous date every time.  This is the fennel sausage, panna, and leek pizza. 

Little Ethiopia is awesome (and I live right behind it!). My first time at Merkato was great. I liked the decor (umbrellas and burlap hanging from the ceilings, and Ethiopian-themed knick knacks everywere) and I tried TWO new dishes (lamb stew and chicken stew with hardboiled egg), both of which were amazing. I ate about (4) 12" diameter rounds of injera...love that spongy, sour bread. 

Last but not least, 'Lette. The best macarons in town. Even better when one of your best friends knows you so well she gets three of your favorite flavor (salted caramel), and the rest of your favorite flavors (lemon, pistachio, and almond).

As I mentioned above, I've been pondering what type of food calls my name the loudest. I love many things but I definitely tend to gravitate to a type of restaurant. In recapping these restaurants, I realized what that was. It made me feel confident (though hopefully not complacent…) about who I am as a foodie or someone whose thoughts are consumed by food (what to make, how to make it, how it compares to similar dishes, cuisines yet to be tried, how to present it, how to eat it, how to recreate it, etc.) because I can articulate semi-clearly what I love to eat.

When I first moved to LA, I was eager to try EVERYTHING out. And I did. Nowadays, I don’t decline any opportunities to go to a high-end Italian dinner in Beverly Hills or enjoy a greasy burger at a hole-in-the-wall place downtown, but I know that my preferences fall right in between those ends of the spectrum. What is that middle ground for me? The fledgling (relatively speaking) development of farm-fresh, California dishes that combines French cuisine artistry with fresh Italian ingredients with California produce. I totally made up that whole description about what California cuisine is but it’s what (I think) I find and so thoroughly enjoy at Huckleberry, Joan’s on Third, Short Order, Bottega Louie, Extraordinary Desserts and Urth (notice that 5 of those 6 places have an extremely talented pastry chef in house – sweet tooth alert!!!). I jump at any chance to eat ethnic food like Thai, Vietnamese, Mexican, and Indian but am also beyond excited to be right in the middle of the birth of this the ethnic cuisine of California. (On the list to try: any place by Suzanne Goin who is bountifully credited with fine-tuning California cuisine)

Come visit me and see what I mean! I don’t think you’ll be disappointed : )

And tomorrow, Designing Delicious Dishes (Triple D's for short? hehe) will be back with homemade dishes that I’ve been squeezing in whenever I get a chance. There have been some particularly delightful ones lately! 

Weekend Recap

We had our second anniversary trip this weekend and it was perfect. Last weekend we spent three days in Cambria, which was beautiful and too relaxing because I got bored by the end of the trip. There were some definite highlights though: hiking the gorgeous boardwalk atop the beach cliffs, wine tasting in Paso Robles (we had some of the best wine we've ever had at Sculpterra), and stopping in Cayucos where the BROWN BUTTER COOKIE co. is!! It was the happiest corner of earth with free and delicious samples galore, kind and pretty women sitting and rolling cookies together, and I even got to meet the owner who gave me a hint about the recipe! One small step for Marilynn, one huge leap for Marilynn's soul-deep dessert happiness!!!!

I'd still recommend going to Cambria for a peaceful getaway but it left me disappointed in the eating department. This past weekend all then made up for that. Here's a photo recap where I'll try to let the pictures do the talking :)

My dessert after brunch. Delicious raspberry strawberry scones, chocolate almond croissant, apricot tart, and blueberry coffee cake!

Delicious cheeses I paired with strawberry rhubarb jam and fruit/nut bread

My favorite place on earth for all you can eat european breakfast. Everything superb and beautifully presented as always. Fresh focaccia with lox, homemade vanilla beam specked yogurt with homemade chai granola, fresh fruit, home,add jams and toast, cheese platter, and of course extraordinary desserts to round it out.

Mushroom, talleggio, grilled leeks, and truffle oil pizza.

A little too oily and itdidn't taste very truffle-y. The davanti burger was also a wee bit oily and I didn't quite taste all the tasty things it was supposed to have like bacon jam, cheese curds, garlic mayo, etc. It still had great flavor overall from the beef blend.

Davanti Enoteca is the kind of place that is exactly me and Nick. We feel out of sorts at fancy dinner places but we still like to dress up and go out. This has a great atmosphere - vibrant conversations fill the air, awesome rustic+industrial decor with dark but not too dark lighting, and our favorite type of food (pizza, burger, and pasta). It's owned by a Chicago restaurateur who knows his Tuscan food really well but I fear he may not have as much a hand in the preparations here as he does in Chicago. I will say the appetizer pictured above is my favorite new food. Freshly grilled bread, honeycomb, and homemade ricotta. Divine. 3/5

http://www.yelp.com/biz/davanti-enoteca-san-diego

Fabulous happy hour in downtown san Diego. The hours are super extensive (12-7 on Sunday), and the menu is really extensive as well. Margaritas, beers, sangria, and shots are available and the menu, though not ultra-cheap, is enough to be a real meal. These lobster taquitos were incredibly filling. I hear their carne asada fries are awesome too! Oh, and the service is some of the best I've ever had anywhere. 4/5

http://www.yelp.com/biz/las-hadas-san-diego

Great Korean restaurant with wonderfully smiley service. We had the cold spicy noodles and short ribs and beef soup - everything was delicious! 3/5

http://www.yelp.com/biz/o-jang-dong-naeng-myun-los-angeles

Cranberry Bread and Apple Breakfast Puffs

I think I’ve been getting pretty good at scoping out recipes online because almost every single one I try lately has been a new “classic.” Take for example these two new breakfast classics that I will be making again and again throughout my life.

Cranberry bread

I love this bread because it’s very hearty and CHOCK-FULL of cranberries (which I love). It’s moist, dense and not too sweet, with hints of orange zest. Note that I halved the sugar and used white whole wheat flour. It baked in the same amount of time (60 minutes)

Look at how many cranberries are in that thing!

http://leitesculinaria.com/23027/recipes-cranberry-orange-pecan-bread.html

Apple Breakfast puffs

I was making dinner, the cranberry bread, and these puffs simultaneously one night. I usually make 3-4 things at once in the kitchen but I guess I was not as focused as usual because I failed to read the important note in the recipe warning me not to overmix the dough. My delicate French puffs didn’t puff as much as they should have but they still made for awesome muffin-like treats. I can't wait to make these again and get them to the right texture... Oh, and the apple bits are definitely a must – it goes really well with the cinnamon sugar coating on the outside.

I hope you enjoy these treats as much as I did! 

http://mangiodasola.blogspot.com/2009/10/apple-breakfast-puffs.html

Poblano Mac 'n Cheese - gourmet delicious

Mac 'n Cheese is something I never really got into until recently. I was a late-bloomer to the delightfulness of this All-American comfort food just as I was to peanut butter, another American favorite. I guess this is one area where my snobbiness shines through because I only liked peanut butter once I had the all-natural kind and I only liked mac 'n cheese once I had it at a fancy restaurant and it came with four cheeses and texture (otherwise it was too much of one cheese flavor and too little texture). This Poblano Mac 'n Cheese by Homesick Texan, a favorite blog of one of my favorite food friends which should also be your favorite blog (besides mine of course), is most definitely gourmet. I bought sharp white cheddar from Michigan (from Trader Joe's), roasted some poblano chilies in the broiler, and steamed in a bag as directed. During the steaming time, I mixed the whole milk, cumin, lime zest (which definitely made a huge and favorable appearance in each bite), and other spices with the grated cheese. I chose to use orecchiette just to amp the gourmet level even more, and served this in my gifted ramekin.

Nick and I could not stop eating this. The chilies add quite a bit of kick but just make sure to take out all the seeds and you should be fine. I love the white cheddar and the cilantro and lime combination - they all provided a tangy background to the inherently creamy nature of this dish.

Try this dish and see if you're a mac 'n cheese convert like I am. I'm willing to bet you will be! 

 http://sweetlifebake.com/2011/09/09/the-homesick-texan-cookbook-poblano-macaroni-and-cheese/#ixzz1iWi7IeSR

Ribollita soup

Ribollita is quite possibly my favorite soup. It's hearty and delicious but more than that it invokes memories of my amazing semester abroad in Florence, Italy, the birthplace of this peasant soup. I have a tendency to enjoy soups that are (I think) poor people's food because they have that rustic flavor and usually involve some clever way to not waste food. I haven't read up on it but I have a guess this soup was created because someone didn't want to waste hard and stale bread. 

Frankly, I am too spoiled and first world and bought a loaf of french bread and let it sit on the counter for a week so I could make this soup. I should have done this sooner because the result was fabulous. Filled with white beans, a big bag of spinach, carrots, celery, tomatoes, and onions, this soup is so fibrous it will cleanse your system instantly (if you know what I mean). Moreover it tastes like what I can remember I had in almost every trattoria I walked into in Florence. A winning recipe and a winning soup that pairs well with a chianti (I really did want to recreate florentine dinners that night).

http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/soup/ribollita-tuscan-tomato-bread-soup-131359

Marvelous Monday Recap

I didn't get to take a long vacation over the winter, which was weird, because most of my friends did. They're either in grad school or had the week between Christmas and New Year's off, so they got an extended vacation period. I was vaguely jealous (all I had was the Monday after Christmas and New Year's off) but I must say that yesterday felt like a fantastic vacation day that left my vacation heart completely content. I ate two excellent meals, watched Sherlock Holmes, went shopping, and got a massage. Splendid.

The first meal of the day was brunch at Blue Plate on Montana. This is not to be confused with Blue Plate Oysterette facing the beach; the one on Montana is 20-something blocks inland and a lot more affordable. The space is notoriously tiny and therefore constantly crowded, but it's worth the wait. We got there at 11 am, prime brunch time, and had to wait 25 minutes, during which we got a coffee and looked at the cute boutique shops on Montana (like one of my favorite clothing stores, Splendid, one of my favorite designers, Jonathan Adler, and many more).

Once seated (with elbows squished to our sides lest we elbow a neighbor), I went straight for the Vietnamese Turkey Burger salad. I didn't expect authentic flavors but I expected something tasty after reading all the great reviews about it. You know what? It was delicious and remarkably reminiscent of banh mi flavors. The dressing tasted like a thickened daikon vinaigrette, there was romaine, daikon, and cilantro in the salad, and a very tasty and large turkey burger. My friend and I split a basket of fries and she got a huge breakfast plate. Both of our dishes were around $10 and very large and fresh (read: no guilt eating). I would love to go back soon. 4/5

My friend chose pancakes vs. french toast, and home fries and an english muffin vs. cottage cheese, fruit, toast, etc. as two sides. 

For brunch dessert, we headed to the new Milo and Olive restaurant, which is owned by the same people who run Huckleberry (which has my favorite store-bought dessert in town (salted caramel bars) and is one of my favorite brunch spots), Rustic Canyon Wine Bar (gourmet burgers among other farm-fresh dishes), and Sweet Rose Creamery (excellent ice cream). Milo and Olive is also small (like Blue Plate and Huckleberry) and is meant more for takeout (pizzas in particular).However, having just had brunch, we were most curious about their bakery (fresh baked breads including burger buns (!!) and breakfast goods). They had a small but high-quality array of unique pastries like their famed maple walnut sticky bun, glazed donut, whole wheat dark chocolate cookie, whole wheat croissant, ham and cheese croissant, etc. The pastries were rather small but they looked like they were made in batches of about 24 each max. and with the best ingredients available.

My hypothesis was confirmed with the lemon pound cake we got. It was not too sweet, was perfectly dense (with a hint of olive oil perhaps?), decadent, and tart. I don't think I'd go back for a meal because, like Huckleberry, it's hard to get a seat. I'd do takeout again because of this and the fact that I dislike the trendy, elitist feel it has. 3/5

We had our anniversary dinner date at Little Dom's in Los Feliz (which effectively earned me a yelp "crosstown" badge for the day, hehe). Featured on Jonathan Gold's list as a great Italian place, Little Dom's had a lot of hype to meet. Fortunately, it was stellar. This was the truest and most authentic Italian I've had outside of Italy. My rigatoni was divine (though small for $16...), the house wine was a steal for $12 a bottle, and the dessert was phenomenal (we got brioche bread pudding with housemade maple gelato and caramelized apples. I have a feeling the other desserts would be impressive as well). The pizza was not my type of pizza. Very romanesque with its cracker thin crust. Although we don't personally like Roman-esque pizza, we were further disappointed by the total lack of flavor in the pizza. The arugula was stale, the sauce was thin and unapparent, the cheese was so-so, and the prosciutto wasn't even salty (though it was nice and thick). Bummer, because everything else from the dark wood interiors to the impeccable service to the I-want-to-scream-for-more pasta was all top-notch. 4/5