back to basics

Thus far, I’ve spent most of the day preparing food or shopping for food for tonight’s dinner. It took awhile to settle on a menu, but I’ve decided on broccoli with carmelized shallots, filet of beef au poivre with matchstick potatoes, a simple salad, and lemon pudding cakes. I made the lemon curd for the cakes this morning, and I’m quite excited to see how the rest of the dessert turns out.

In between cooking sessions, I have my homemade air freshener going (I need to humidify my condo!), and I’m about to take a small break to settle in with a book before I continue cooking and baking. Though this menu seems much easier than what I did last year, I realize that I am just getting much better at organizing and planning special dinners.

Tomorrow, bread pudding is on the menu. I admit, I’m cheating and not making homemade bread this time, but with everything else that’s going on (with tonight’s meal), sometimes a shortcut is necessary. Besides, I think the cinnamon bread I purchased will make a delicious bread pudding.

I’m not much for going out for dinner on New Year’s Eve. I don’t like crowded places, and most things I can cook better myself (unless I’m willing to spend more than $100 for just my serving, not including drinks). Besides, I enjoy the process of planning a menu for the evening, from appetizer to dessert.

Last year, my menu was a first course of a salad with seared scallops, pomegranate seeds, and a pomegranate vinaigrette that I made, a second course of steak au poivre and matchstick potatoes, and a dessert course that I actually can no longer remember! The steak au poivre was one of the best things I’ve ever cooked in my life (and I’ve made that dish several times), and it completely overshadowed everything else…which was even more amazing, as desserts are my specialty.

It’s tempting to do steak au poivre again, because we both enjoy it so much, and because it’s the one time of year that tenderloin medallions are marked down just a bit. Living in the Midwest, I always have access to quality beef, but if we also have a seafood course, we have to see what looks best at the seafood shop and create a dish around it.

I’ve been pondering what to make for a dessert for a few weeks now. I want it to be something special, and probably something I haven’t made before. Molten chocolate cakes (or molten lemon cakes) are easy, yet they look impressive. A lemon mousse topped with whipped cream could be a nice, “light” finish to the meal. If I can find any meyer lemons at the store, I might decide to make something with lemon (which we both love).

If you’ve never tried meyer lemons, it’s really worth your while to check them out. They are a sweeter lemon, if you can imagine that, and they just burst with flavor. In the summer, I love making fruit salads with a squeeze of meyer lemon juice, and in the winter (a peak time for citrus), making desserts out of citrus can be a real pick-me-up when it’s been snowing for days on end.

Time to work on planning my menu for tomorrow!

I don’t really do New Year’s Resolutions, but in 2008 I did set up a couple of goals to work towards. One goal was to try a new food each month, another was to buy myself flowers each month, and the third goal was to take up running. I did fairly well with the first goal; I didn’t schedule a new food to try each month, but I did step outside of the box and try several new foods, including scallops, oysters, figs, pomegranates (the actual fruit), quince, butternut squash, sausage (ok, that wasn’t entirely new, but I dislike sausage and yet tried one at a Brazilian BBQ)… that’s all I can remember at the moment, but I also expanded my repetoire with cooking and canning (I canned preserves for the first time ever!).

I didn’t buy new flowers every month, but I did expand my garden a bit this year (or tried to, as we first had major flooding and then went through a bit of a drought). The running fell through when I threw my back out late last winter. I tried to take up running as I was still healing, and I ended up making things worse. So, that one I gave up for the year.

Overall, I’m pretty pleased with my progress, and now I’m looking forward to 2009. I would like to expand my cooking skills even more, and I am working on cleaning up my diet more. I already do a pretty good job with consuming few processed foods, now it’s time to cut down on the saturated fat and refined flours. I almost included sugar in that goal, but I really don’t overdo the sugar unless it’s combined with white flour.

The final goal is to continue to eat more fruits and vegetables, and to work out creative ways to add them to my cooking. I’m seriously considering participating in a CSA this summer both to try new things, but also to force myself to create dishes based on the food that is available. We’ll see.

I went to the grocery store this morning to restock my refrigerator after emptying it out for the holidays. It’s now a combination of loads of fresh fruits and veggies, as well as a few leftovers from Christmas dinner. For the most part, I’m trying to limit the amount of meat products I buy each week and really focus more on consuming lots of fresh produce and whole grains. And by whole grains, I’m not talking bread, I’m talking about actual grains. That doesn’t mean I am giving up bread (I did that once…never again), but I am trying to ensure the quality of my grains are better.

This afternoon, I’m making chili. Chili is such a great winter food, because the tastes actually get better the longer it sits. Chili is also great to serve company, because you can make it a day or two ahead, and just reheat it to serve (and you’ll know it tastes even better than it would have had you served it immediately after making it).

I don’t really have a recipe for chili, so I likely make it a little different each time. I look through my produce crisper and look at what looks good that day at the store. For today’s chili, I have an assortment of bell peppers, jalapenos, cilantro, limes, garlic, onion, diced tomatoes, tomato puree, cocoa powder, and good quality ground round. Oh, and a little beef stock. I like to serve my chili topped with sour cream, green onions, and shredded cheddar.

As with most recipes, browning the meat is a crucial step. Building layers of flavors as you brown meat and cook vegetables (your onions, garlic, and peppers) will give a complexity to your dish that it wouldn’t have otherwise. It really is the difference between a dish that you eat and forget about, and one that has you asking for the recipe later. For chili, properly browning and building those layers, along with a long simmer (about 4 hours) will really bring out the full potential of your ingredients.

Your bedroom can help you unwind, help comfort you, and help you relax at the end of the day. On the flip side, it can increase your anxiety and be a distraction. A few simple changes can help turn your bedroom into a sanctuary where you can relax at the end of a stress-filled day.

The first step in creating a relaxing atmosphere is to remove the clutter. The pile of clothes thrown over a chair, the heaping laundry basket, the socks on the floor…these all have to go. Clutter contributes to feelings of anxiousness, so pick one night during the week or set aside a block of time on the weekend to organize and declutter your space. Remove anything from your bedroom that isn’t directly related to sleeping or relaxing; this is your bedroom, after all, not your study.

A slight change in appearance may be in order. Take a look at the existing color palette in your bedroom. Does it relax you? A fresh coat of paint on the walls in a color that you find to be relaxing can be just the trick. In general, colors found in nature tend to relax most people. A new print that complements this color palette can elevate the appearance of the room.

You can expand beyond the walls and make sure the color of your comforter plays in with the palette you’ve chosen for the room. A duvet in a new color can make a big change to the room without incurring a high cost. Whether you look to purchase a new duvet or keep the bedding that you have, of utmost importance is that the material is soft. Scratchy fabrics are not going to encourage comfort when you’re trying to relax. A throw pillow or two can make your bed look inviting, but be careful not to go overboard; any more than that, and you’ll just end up with clutter.

Consider low lighting and natural lighting in your bedroom. Harsh lights can create feelings of anxiety, whereas natural lighting can be cheerful during the day, and low lighting can be relaxing at night. An attractive lamp can also serve as a decorative piece.

A scented room can be pleasant, but a scent that brings back memories can really contribute to a state of serenity. Perhaps vanilla reminds you of baking cookies around the holidays, or sandalwood invokes feelings of relaxing in the woods. Whichever scent is most appealing to you, consider purchasing a reed diffuser. Reed diffusers are an attractive addition to a room and can be purchased with glass containers that are a complement to your room.

Finally, consider adding a plant or fountain to the room. The greenery and sounds of flowing water are reminiscent of nature.

My Christmas holiday is officially over. The weather made travel a little tricky, and I ended up coming back home sooner than I expected (thanks to the upcoming weather this weekend), but it was great to see my family. It’s easy to get caught up in the commotion and pressure of the holidays, but after all was said and done, I realized that all I cared about was being able to spend time with my family. Does it really get any more basic than that?

My niece started crawling last week. We all enjoyed watching her crawl after my cat (though my cat didn’t appreciate it nearly as much!), as well as anything else that caught her attention. The gift baskets were well-received…I breathed a BIG sigh of relief after that!

Now that Christmas has passed, it’s time to start enjoying the new gifts…I have some exciting new kitchen supplies that I can’t wait to get my hands on!

It’s fast to stop by a candy store to pick up a box of truffles, but did you know you can make your own truffles just as easily? Truffles are a very basic candy recipe consisting of chocolate and cream. Additional flavorings can be added via liqueuers, extracts, or mix-ins. And while you can take extra steps by coating truffles in tempered chocolate, you don’t have to, you can simply roll truffles in cocoa powder, powdered sugar, or coconut.

Here’s a basic truffle recipe:

8 oz dark chocolate, chopped

3/4 c heavy cream

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 T liqueur (Grand Marnier, Frangelico, Framboise, etc.)

In a small saucepan, heat cream to a boil over medium heat. Pour cream through a sieve over chopped chocolate, allow to sit for one minute. Stir until all chocolate is melted, add vanilla and liqueuer, stir to combine.

Refrigerate chocolate mixture for at least 2 hours. Using a spoon or small ice cream scoop, scoop balls of chocolate onto a parchment lined pan. Refrigerate for 1 hour, then roll in cocoa powder or powdered sugar.

I make several varieties every holiday season, but no one needs to know just how easy this is!

I realized this morning that I’ve been pretty lucky over the years. I’ve always been able to make it home for Christmas…but that may not happen this year. It’s been snowing almost every day; those days that don’t include snowfall are so frigid your car doesn’t even want to start.

We’re due for back-to-back snowstorms, beginning late tonight. Travel for Christmas day looks like it may be promising for me, but then I’m not really sure when I’ll make it back home. Even if I can only be with my family for a few hours though, it will be worth it. I can’t wait to see them, and I can’t wait to hand out gifts. I bought my 11 month old niece new outfits that she will look absolutely adorable in!

All I can do is hope for the best. One thing is for sure, we are definitely having a White Christmas this year.

Last night I sampled my bolognese. There was some leftover from the batch I made for gifts, and I wanted to accomplish two things by reheating some of the sauce for myself.

First, I wanted to make sure it tasted good! I followed Anne Burrell’s recipe (found on foodnetwork.com) instead of my own cooking method, so I wasn’t sure how things would end up tasting. I tried her recipe once before with not so good results. She indicated to heavily salt the dish in the first couple of steps, but the end result for me was that my pasta sauce tasted like a salt block. I had to throw it away.

This time, I seasoned the dish as I would season any other sauce I was making, and I was very pleased with the results. I will definitely make it again, because it’s a very versatile sauce (you can toss it with cooked noodles or with penne for a baked pasta). You have to figure that any sauce that cooks for 5-6 hours has to taste great!

The other reason I wanted to sample the sauce yesterday was so I could finish the instructions to include with the gift basket. This sauce is very, very thick. I needed to have an idea of how much pasta water would have to be retained, so I could properly instruct my family how to create their own dishes from this sauce.

I think they will be happy. I don’t see any of them ever making this on their own, but that’s okay - that’s what they have me for!

This year, the majority of the gifts I’m giving are homemade. I think there’s something special about gifts that cost time, as well as money. Granted, with Christmas less than a week away, I’m ready for it to be over, but that’s because I’ve done something everyday for the past 2+ weeks now, related to Christmas gifts.

 Will people care, or even know, how much time goes into these gifts? I don’t know, but that’s not really the point. Sure, there’s a part of me that hopes people know that I spent time on the gifts, because I wanted to make something for them, but a big part of this process is also for me.

I love making things for people, I love cooking for people. I love the concept of gift baskets, of giving several smaller gifts packaged as one large gift for a person or family. I’ve been busy making candies, cookies, bolognese, holiday fruit preserves, and finally, some holiday scones to round out the baskets. And though a part of me is a bit tired from working on this project every day, I’m also very, very excited to hand out the baskets.