tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39401858419566281122011-07-07T14:53:07.192-07:00Tales of culinary delights, experiments, travels, and music to accompany them.Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04062832294486704228noreply@blogger.comBlogger191100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3940185841956628112.post-77607659619084815602010-06-25T10:38:00.001-07:002010-06-25T10:38:50.425-07:00

Summer with its harvests of squashes and other dipping-friendly vegetables usually presents a problem for a tiny apartment with a tiny refrigerator and a CSA subscription.Fortunately, WikiHow has a recipe for Vegan Fondue that looks too good not to try.The only grains in there are oats and arrowroot or cornstarch, so it's gluten-free for most people.For the fondue:2 cups white wine (

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818515156689621370noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3940185841956628112.post-88371156004857098642010-05-11T14:00:00.000-07:002010-05-11T14:14:42.919-07:00

Spring is in full swing, which means leeks, potatoes, and fennel are in season. Last week's CSA treasure trove of a box had both leeks and feathery, liquoricy fennel. Coupled with the potatoes my grandmother gave us from her garden, we had the makings of a good pot of soup.A chef friend lent us her soup book filled with all sorts of fun, easy recipes to try. We modified its fennel-leek soup

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818515156689621370noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3940185841956628112.post-52664537216748351192010-03-22T09:01:00.000-07:002010-03-22T09:27:05.439-07:00

Caught in the throes of mushroom withdrawal, Paul came up with a wonderful idea for dinner the other night: portobello mushroom burgers. Unfortunately, our CSA rarely distributes mushrooms, so we had to make a trip to the grocery store for them.A portobello mushroom has been called the vegetarian's steak. I wouldn't call its texture meaty, but it has a heft to it that pleasantly resists your

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818515156689621370noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3940185841956628112.post-35065246142115215252010-01-29T12:00:00.000-08:002010-01-29T12:00:01.904-08:00

Occasionally, Paul will bring home a lovely bottle of wine from Trader Joe's that reminds us of a trip we took or a meal we had. The bordeaux he last brought conjured up memories of Paris, picnicking near the Eiffel Tower with a bottle of Le Canotier bordeaux and stinky Camembert d'Isigny. We didn't quite finish the bottle, and rather than let such good wine go to waste, I decided to use up some

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818515156689621370noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3940185841956628112.post-54170083142387965482010-01-22T13:22:00.000-08:002010-01-22T13:48:17.544-08:00

One benefit of joining a CSA is that I am awash in vegetables, fresh from the farm. Lately I've been inundated with carrots and celery, which make a fabulous mirepoix along with onions. This combination also happens to be the soul of a great vegetable stock.My basic stock recipe stems from the one in Deborah Madison's cooking bible Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, which teaches you everything you

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818515156689621370noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3940185841956628112.post-68112423231104453042009-11-25T20:12:00.000-08:002009-11-25T23:37:35.120-08:00

Ever since we joined a CSA, I've been coming up with ways to use up the plethora of veggies we get each week. Everything we get is fresh from the soil and tastes wonderful.Butternut squash, when we started getting it, baffled me a bit. My handy copy of Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone recommended cutting it in half, scooping out the seeds, then brushing it with olive oil,

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818515156689621370noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3940185841956628112.post-20502814308820588592009-06-09T01:46:00.000-07:002009-06-09T02:04:31.746-07:00

Ever since Paul got a bread machine for his birthday, we've been experimenting with different kinds of bread. Lately we've had a penchant for a really easy French bread recipe that lends itself to many variations. It's crusty on the outside and pillowy soft on the inside, just the way they should be. It's not as flavorful as the ones in France, yet.Basic recipe:2 cups flour2/3 cup water1 t salt1

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818515156689621370noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3940185841956628112.post-78045678994794776082009-05-26T13:54:00.000-07:002009-12-15T14:19:59.505-08:00

One reason why I'm a flexitarian instead of a vegetarian is that I don't want to give up the chance to try native dishes that use animal products. I'm also not ready to completely forgo the fruits of the ocean--after all, seafood has always been one of my favorite foods.My first experience with vegetarian seafood was terrible. When I was in college, a vegetarian friend and I discovered a place

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818515156689621370noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3940185841956628112.post-20412846761986442102009-04-13T09:28:00.000-07:002009-04-13T09:57:27.511-07:00

Believe it or not, it's possible to make great kosher for Passover gnocchi. It takes a while to boil the potatoes and stir the dough together (all in all, it took around two hours), but the results are worth it. We modified a recipe from ChefKosher.com and ate it with homemade pesto and steamed asparagus.Gnocchi3 potatoes (approximately 1.5 pounds), quartered2 cups (12 oz.) potato starch2 cups

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818515156689621370noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3940185841956628112.post-92176671982654147172009-03-30T11:57:00.000-07:002009-03-30T12:11:31.907-07:00

Now that spring's finally here, strawberries are back in season with a bang. I took advantage of the grocery store's strawberry sale and bought two pounds.Meanwhile, Paul and I have been gearing up for our Europe trip by trying different wines about three or four times a week. This usually results in a half-drunk bottle of wine sitting in the refrigerator, asking for some attention. What to do

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818515156689621370noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3940185841956628112.post-35041337410783152042009-03-03T09:18:00.000-08:002009-03-30T11:56:10.041-07:00

In a fit of laziness the day after cooking class, Paul and I decided to try making the pierogi filling recipe with gyoza wrappers instead of handmaking pierogi dough. Not that pierogi dough isn't worth making, but more that we wanted to save time.Gyoza wrappers really are quite brilliant. You can fill them with just about anything, and cooking them is as simple as boiling them in a pot of water

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818515156689621370noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3940185841956628112.post-11852133806361849002008-12-29T16:48:00.000-08:002008-12-29T16:59:27.529-08:00

During the holidays my lola makes hot chocolate and salabat, or a spicy-tasting, sweet ginger tea. Winter in SD this year feels colder than usual, more like a Bay Area winter.For hot chocolate:8 oz good-quality dark or milk chocolate (cocoa that wasn't processed with alkali)2 cups milk2 cups water1-2 pinches chili powder1 pinch cardamom1 pinch cinnamon1 tsp vanilla extractIn a medium pot, heat

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818515156689621370noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3940185841956628112.post-72493080971142566692008-12-05T01:09:00.000-08:002008-12-17T17:57:50.205-08:00

When torrents of rain start pounding my window, I like to watch French movies and drink mulled wine.You will need:1 bottle Charles Shaw chardonnay, or any fruity wine (e.g. merlot)For the sugar syrup, you can substitute 2 cups of port, brandy, or sherry. Any sweet fortified wine will do.1 cup sugar1 cup water1 T vanilla extractThese spice measurements are approximate. I usually season to taste.1

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818515156689621370noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3940185841956628112.post-81467662881673392362008-11-02T21:21:00.000-08:002008-11-02T22:08:52.328-08:00

Tonight for dinner we decided to make breakfast, albeit a savory one. I haven't done savory French toast since college. Inspired by a scrumptious appetizer we had at Sushi Deli earlier this week, Paul picked up ingredients for Korean barbecue tofu at Seafood City in National City. I picked up some monay (uncut round sweet bread) and pan de coco (sweet bread filled with coconut shavings) at the

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818515156689621370noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3940185841956628112.post-86376050976138578522008-10-30T22:37:00.000-07:002008-10-30T22:54:55.431-07:00

One of my all time favorite soups I've ever had was a pumpkin soup I once had at someone's house. Although I've never found the recipe, I've since loved pumpkin soup. It being October and pumpkin season, we decided to try making pumpkin soup ourselves. Unfortunately, when we tried in the beginning of the month, stores had not yet stocked canned pumpkin so we made a corn chowder (to be blogged

Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04062832294486704228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3940185841956628112.post-4040780984010224262008-10-28T11:04:00.000-07:002008-10-28T15:22:45.044-07:00

Whenever we have potlucks at work, I'm invariably signed up to bring salad. This is a basic one that I usually do since I can grab the ingredients at the grocery store near work and throw it together once it's time for lunch. It takes all of five minutes and feeds about ten people.Salad:1 head green lettuce1 head red lettuce1-2 handfuls pepitas1-2 handfuls sunflower seeds1-2 handfuls cashews1-2

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818515156689621370noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3940185841956628112.post-80709774466158438252008-10-28T10:32:00.000-07:002008-10-28T11:03:52.804-07:00

It seems that pasta is our fallback dish whenever we're pinched for time and want something more substantial than a scrambled egg. I like to keep angel hair in my pantry because it cooks the fastest (it's done in less than five minutes) and works well with a variety of sauces.This time I decided to flavor the pasta with extra-virgin olive oil, instead of the requisite jar of pasta sauce. Just

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01818515156689621370noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3940185841956628112.post-46773683253767367402008-10-23T23:56:00.000-07:002008-10-24T00:01:44.805-07:00

Ever since the first time Christina and I made Challah together, we've acquired a reputation for ginormous Challot. Two times ago, we decided to add chocolate chips. Last time, I decided to add apple chunks in addition, and nutella. It disappeared quite quickly.Starting with a modified version of Reina's wholewheat and honey recipe, this time we added a few tablespoons of nutella (and extra

Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04062832294486704228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3940185841956628112.post-90001551224130827992008-10-23T01:38:00.000-07:002008-10-23T23:48:51.528-07:00

For dinner tonight, we made two dishes that transitioned between the seasons. For our first course, we had a gazpacho soup. We followed this by a dish with roasted root vegetables: beet, turnip, yellow squash, and fennel.Gazpacho:In a blender, throw in 1 clove of garlic (we learned the hard way that raw garlic is a lot stronger than in stirfries -- 3 was way too much), some olive oil, and

Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04062832294486704228noreply@blogger.com0