Gimme somma that!

My stack of recent cooking mags is threatening to topple. I just don't get a chance to read through them all anymore. When I do, I end up flagging something that stands out as quick, nutritious, and including stuff that already resides in my fridge. Long gone are the days of my experimental cookery and hunting down fun ingredients. Mommyhood, go figure.

I amazingly had time to put together a dish from September's Food and Wine, stolen from Nikole Herriott's blog. I made a few adjustments to accommodate the aforementioned limits of my refrigerator. The tomatoes alone are a thing of beauty. I'm imagining them topping hunks of crusty bread smeared with homemade ricotta. Oh right, but then I'd have to find time to make some cheese. And we all know that ain't happening.

Halibut and Summer Vegetables en Papillote
Adapted from Nikole Herriott

Ingredients:
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
splash of balsamic vinegar
splash of extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
1 tsp. thyme
4 halibut filets, about 6 oz. each
3 Tbls. butter
Juice of 1 lemon
1 lemon cut into thin slices
1 large zucchini, sliced
1/4 cup kalamata olives
1/4 tsp. coriander
 4 sheets of parchment paper, 15 inches long

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Drizzle the tomatoes with oil and vinegar in a small bowl. Season with salt, pepper, and thyme and toss to coat. Spread cut sides up on a baking sheet and roast for 30 minutes or until softened and browned.

In a large saute pan, melt 1 tbls. butter over medium high heat. Season halibut with salt and pepper and add to the pan. Cook until golden on one side, about 3 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside. Add zucchini to pan and cook for 2-3 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside. Add remaining butter to the pan. Stir in lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.

Spread parchment pieces on a work surface. On each one lay out 3 slices of lemon, top with a piece of fish, scatter tomatoes, olives, and zucchini on top, and drizzle with butter sauce. Fold paper up and twist edges to seal. Bake on a baking sheet for 15 minutes or until paper is puffed up.

Here's what happens when you serve this for dinner in front  of a hungry baby:

Linked to:
Garden Variety Wednesday

Bring it, Irene!

Why do the Emergency Managment teams always recommend stocking up on canned goods in a hurricane? Do high winds and rain suddenly make you crave Hormel chili? I can still make a salad, a sandwich, or grill a steak if there isn't power. And you'd need power to heat up a can of beans anyway, so it's possibly the goofiest suggestion of them all. Batteries, sure. Candles, yep. But Spam? I think not.

I hate to say it (ok, no I don't), but E and I have been laughing our butts off at the level of intensity here in Jersey. It's like the zombie apocalypse is about to strike. No gas at the local stations, empty shelves at the market, and our neighbors are nailing down the shingles on their roof. Mass hysteria over a storm. Just like the Nor'easter warnings in RI that turn into 3 inches of fluff. Maybe it's because we've been through several bad hurricanes before and we are more than used to weathermen and their extremism.We've got cases of E's homebrew, I'm baking flourless chocolate cake, and the propane is full on the Weber. What else could we need to get though a hurricane?

Here you go:

'Hurricane Survival Guide' by jojobeandesigns

According to the NJ Emergency Management team, to survive Hurricane Irene one should have a supply of: canned goods, bottled H2O, flashlights, candles, matches, & first aid. I'd like to add coffee, chocolate, & booze. A good book wouldn't hurt ei

girlingearstud... $25.00	DarkSucks $250.00	BeccaTheBaker $2.00	TwoStoryVintag... $20.00
PendantLicious $6.25	HortonsFarm $3.25	vital $38.00	albrechtsantiq... $6.00
backstashandby... $6.00	ShannonSweets $15.00	The1950sHouseW... $35.00	AproposRoaster... $8.25
CricketsHome $195.00	jennui $33.00	KaydenAshley $15.00	TeoStudio $150.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

Shop Update!

I haven't posted a shop update in ages. Been kinda busy you know ;) Happily my Mom Dukes is here for the weekend. We just returned from a nice walk to the farmer's market, followed by brunch at the corner diner, and now Bean is taking a long nap. Well, I hope it's long. Come to think of it, I should probably be napping now, too. Even if I did get a solid 8 hours of sleep last night for the first time in 4 months. Thanks Ma! 

Here's a look at what is new(est) in the shop, while I work on two sets of custom wedding invitations. 

I'll post those when they are finished!

Happy Camper Postcards

Happy Monkey Thank You Cards

Tree of Love Thank You Cards

Vintage Pram Baby Shower Thank You Cards in Cantaloupe

Birth Announcement Custom Altered Canvas

Make. This. Ice. Cream.

No one told me that nursing a baby would make my sweet tooth rage more than ever. Luckily it also means I'm burning a whole bunch of extra calories. Not that they end up being "extra" around here, since I fill free time by making batches of ice cream and then eating it all. Awesome.

This time I used the sweet cream base from the ultimate ice cream masters: Ben and Jerry. A few tweaks and additions and you have a totally amazing ice cream treat that will disappear in a day. I was tempted to actually use the ice cream to make an ice cream pie, but it didn't last that long. Oops.


Blueberry Coconut Cream Pie Ice Cream
(because for some reason I can't ever make an ice cream with a short name)

Ingredients:
2 eggs
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup coconut milk
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/2 pints blueberries, preferably wild or at least locally picked
Juice of 1 lime
1 cup unsweetened flaked coconut
1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
2 Tbls. butter, melted

Preparation:
Toss blueberries with lime juice and 1/2 cup sugar in a small bowl. Refrigerate for two or three hours, tossing every 30 minutes or so. Drain juice from the berries and set aside. Add blueberries to the bowl of a food processor and pulse until almost pureed. A few chunks of berry should remain.
In the bowl of a stand mixer (or with a whisk and a big bowl) beat eggs until light and fluffy. Slowly add sugar and beat another few minutes to combine. Continue beating and add cream and coconut milk until well blended. Add juice from the berries and blend again until well combined. Fold blueberries into the cream mixture. Place this bowl into the refrigerator.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Toss graham cracker crumbs with melted butter and press into the bottom of a baking dish (it will be crumbled, so don't sweat the aesthetics!). Bake until crisp, about 10-12 minutes. Set aside to cool. Crumble cooled crust into pieces.

Spread coconut in an even layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Place in the oven and every few minutes toss coconut as it toasts until it is evenly golden brown. Remove and cool.

Set up your ice cream maker and process the blueberry cream mixture according to your maker's instructions. (If you have a KA ice cream attachment this just means setting the speed to STIR, pouring in the mixture slowly, then letting it run for 25-30 minutes). In the last few minutes of processing, add toasted coconut and crust crumbles. Pour soft set ice cream into an airtight container and freeze until firm.

The Gift of Meat

I can't believe it. On Thursday our little Boy Who Was Once the Bean will be three months old. It's amazing how time flies. And how incredibly precious it truly is when you feel like you have so little of it. I feel like time is slipping by me faster every day as our chunker grows and hits new milestones. All of this speeding around had me thinking that we needed a bit of time to do something special and slow down to appreciate all of the blessings we have in our lives. Obviously, that meant food.

E's Father's Day gift was a bunch of doodads for our new Weber and the glorious gift of meat. The grilling issue of Bon Appetit arrived a few weeks ago and I dog-eared just about every page. Many of the recipes are too time consuming for me to make right now, but these two were quick and decadent enough to make for a very special meal. I never buy steaks this pricey, but they were perfect and totally worth it. Thank you, Bon Appetit, for making our first Father's Day so deliciously memorable.

Salt and Pepper Bone in Rib Eyes with Celery Apple Slaw

from Bon Appetit's Grilling Issue 2011

Ingredients:

1 1/2 inch thick bone in rib eye steaks

Coarse sea salt

freshly cracked black pepper

Preparation: 

Put steak on a wire rack set on a rimmed baking sheet. Pat dry with paper towels. Season with 1/2 tsp. salt pers side. Chill uncovered for up to 3 hours. Remove steak from refrigerator 1 hour before grilling and let come to room temperature. Pat dry with paper towels. Season again with 1/2 tsp. salt; press in 1/2 tsp. pepper per side so pieces adhere.

Build a two-zone fire in a charcoal grill for direct (medium-high coals) and indirect (medium-low coals) heat. Alternatively, heat a gas grill to high just before cooking, leaving one burner on low. Sear steak over direct heat, flipping once, until nicely charred, 3-4 minutes per side. (If a flare-up occurs, use tongs to gently slide the steak to a cooler part of the grill.) Move steak to indirect heat and continue grilling, flipping once, 3-4 minutes per side. Using tongs, lift steak and sear both edges (the bone side and the fat-cap side) for 1-2 minutes per side to render out some of the fat. Grill steak to desired temperature, 14-18 minutes total or until an instant-read thermometer registers 120° for rare (steak will carry over to 125°, or medium-rare, as it rests).

Transfer steak to a carving board; let rest for 10 minutes. Slice across the grain, season with coarse sea salt, and serve.

For the slaw:

3 Tbls. extra virgin olive oil

2 1/2 Tbls. apple cider vinegar

2 tsp. lemon juice

1/4 tsp. sugar

1 1/2 Tbls. chopped fresh tarragon

3 celery stalks sliced thinly on the diagonal

1 bulb fennel, sliced thinly, plus 1 Tbls fennel fronds chopped

1 green apple, julienned

salt and pepper

Preparation: 

Whisk first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl. Add celery and celery leaves, thinly sliced fennel and chopped fennel fronds, and apple; toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Obligatory baby boy update photo :)

You've got the sweetest little baby cakes

Who takes the first free half hour of her life from the past month and spends it baking for no reason? This girl! It was totally necessary for preserving my sanity. This snack cake recipe is one from my Auntie Cyn, one that is usually done in an 8x8 inch pan or as plain muffins, but it was time for a dressing up. Our boy is six weeks old this week after all, and that calls for a bit of celebrating! The additional 200 calorie cube of Snickery bliss is all the celebration I could manage, but still...

Celebration Baby Cakes

Ingredients:

12 Snickers Peanut Butter Squared Bars

1 2/3 cups flour

1/4 cup cocoa

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1 cup water

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 tsp. white vinegar

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray

 a muffin tin with cooking spray. 

Whisk all dry ingredients in a large bowl. 

Add wet ingredients and whisk until combined. 

Pour enough batter into muffin tins to fill them 

1/3 full. Add a candy bar to each tin and top 

with remaining batter. Bake for 30 minutes. Cool 10 minutes in pan before inverting. Dust with powdered sugar and serve warm.

*Note: Don't rush them out of the pan like the moron I am. I couldn't wait to try one, so I pulled a cake out piping hot and ended up with this yummy mess: 

Oh so tasty, but not so pretty!

And now for a gratuitous baby photo.

Introducing...

Jude McCoy

Born Thursday March 24, 2011, 7:17 AM

9 lbs. 8 oz. 21.5 inches

Our birth story is coming, once I can put our little piglet down long enough to write it up! Until then I'll be off snuggling our boy and thinking up all sorts of dishes I don't have time to cook or blog for you :) Ciao!