Alyssa's Hobby: Jewelry! (with a tutorial)

I've been making jewelry for as long as I can remember.  I sold Fimo pendants to my classmates in middle school, turned my college apartment into a jewelry shop for a day, and had a booth at The Christmas Connection (a huge gift show in Cleveland).  I put away my supplies when I got a full-time job after college, as there was just not enough time to play with beads.  But now that I've got a bit of free time on my hands, I decided to break out the pliers again.

So I started an Etsy shop!  I'm really excited to be making jewelry again.  It's incredibly satisfying to make something with your own hands, and have a finished product to be proud of when you're done.  I thought you guys might be interested in learning how to do the same, so here's a little tutorial on how to make a simple pair of drop earrings.

Carla was browsing my shop the other day and mentioned that she liked a pair with really beautiful faceted red agate and green jasper that I found in Taipei.  Let's make a pair for her.  The best part?  I'll be able to give them to her in just over a WEEK because she's coming to Tokyo to visit!  I'm beyond excited, and this will be a nice welcome gift for her.  But shhh, don't tell her ;)

How to Make Simple Drop Earrings

Alyssa's May Favorites

I don't know about you, but I'm SO EXCITED for the weather to be nice again.  I know it seems a bit early to talk about grilling, but I think May is the perfect month for it.  You might need to throw on a sweater if you're grilling too late, but at least you won't get sweaty from the combination of the hot sun and the grill's flames!  So this favorites post is all about outdoor entertaining.

1. Weber BabyQ Grill.  We have one of these in storage in San Francisco, and I miss it so much!  It has a cast iron grate that puts the most fantastic grill marks on burgers and a perfect sear on your steak.  It's small enough to take it with you to the park or beach, and it's perfect for small apartment fire escapes or balconies.  There's a range of fantastic accessories that go with it, like a folding rolling stand.  Photo from amazon.com

2. Le Creuset Grill Pan.  Since we didn't bring our BabyQ to Tokyo, we make do with a grill pan.  It's not the same, obviously, but it's very convenient.  If you want to be able to grill but don't have anywhere to do it (like most city folk!), then a grill pan is an adequate substitute.  The Le Creuset ones are a bit expensive, but the colors are so beautiful! Photo from amazon.com

3. Beverage dispenser.  They have gorgeous ones at Sur La Table, but this Target one is a bit more budget-friendly (and it's still glass).  I LOVE the built-in chalkboard label.  Acrylic ones are a little more practical, but I can't help but feel like they absorb scents.  Can you imagine how great these would look with sangria in them?  Even water with lemon slices or cucumber would be beautiful. And you could get festive! Strawberries and blueberries for Memorial Day? Photo from Target.com

4. Melamine plates and servingware.  Paper or plastic plates are boring and terrible for the environment.    Melamine is lightweight and won't break if a stiff breeze blows through your party.  Target always has a great selection of stylish melamine and acrylic plates, glasses and servewear.  I love, love, love this coral scalloped Threshold set.  Photo from Target.com

5. Grilled fruit.  While you've got the grill hot, you should satisfy your sweet tooth.  Grilling fruit is a great way to let the ripe summer flavors shine.  You just need a sprinkle of brown sugar or a brush of balsamic vinegar to enhance the fruit's natural sweetness.  Pineapple and peaches are my favorites, but nectarines, plums, mangos and figs are also grill-friendly.  For company, try kebabs or serving the grilled fruit over ice cream.  Yum!

Alyssa's Grilled Cheese Part Deux

As promised, here is another grilled cheese recipe for National Grilled Cheese Month!  It's not as life-changing as the Brie and fig jam grilled cheese that I posted earlier this week.  But this one is more of a classic grilled-cheese-and-tomato-soup combination, and makes a great meal.  It's melted mozzarella and creamy ricotta with a hint of buttery garlic.  Dip it into the rich, sweet tomato-basil soup and you've got a heavenly Italian twist on a traditional favorite.

The garlic butter makes this sandwich special, so don't leave it out if you need to cut corners.  But if you find it a little overwhelming to make everything from scratch, you could find a substitute something store-bought for the tomato soup and save yourself some time (and some dish-washing!).

Mozzarella and Ricotta Garlic-Butter Grilled Cheese with Roasted Tomato-Basil Soup
serves 2

For the soup:
4 large tomatoes, each cut into 8 wedges
2 tablespoons of Balsamic Vinegar
3 tablespoons of olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
Sugar, if needed
4 large leaves of basil

For the butter:
2 tablespoons of salted butter (add a pinch of salt if you don't have salted butter)
1 clove of garlic, minced

For the sandwiches:
4 slices of 1/2 inch thick crusty Italian bread
Mozzarella (I sliced a ball of fresh mozzarella, but you could probably get a really nice stringy melted cheese with deli slices or a block of the mozzarella that has less moisture than the fresh stuff.  I just couldn't find any here!)
Ricotta

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Toss the tomato wedges with the balsamic, olive oil and salt.  Spread out on a sheet pan and roast for 30-45 minutes, until the tomatoes are soft and the juices start to concentrate.  Keep an eye on them though, because the juices can burn and then you're stuck without any tomato-y goodness.  It should look sort of like this:

Blend the roasted tomatoes with the basil leaves.  My puree was a little thick, so I added water until I got the viscosity that I wanted.  Transfer to a pot and keep warm on the stove.  Also, my tomatoes were pretty acidic, so I needed to add a little bit of sugar to make it sweeter (but I guess that's what you get when you use out-of-season tomatoes).

Make the garlic butter while the tomatoes are roasting.  Melt the butter over medium-low heat on your stovetop.  Add the minced garlic and cook until the garlic has mellowed, but before it starts browning.

Warm a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat.  We're toasting both sides of the bread to get more of that fantastic garlic butter into the sandwich.  Brush one side of the bread with garlic butter.  Toast the buttered side of the bread until golden brown.  Spread ricotta on half of the slices and place the mozzarella on the other halves (on the toasted sides).  Pair up the cheeses to make sandwiches.  Brush the outsides of the sandwiches with garlic butter and place back in the pan.  Toast until golden brown, then flip and toast the other side.

Serve with the soup, and enjoy!

Alyssa's Brie and Fig Jam Grilled Cheese

Holy crap, you guys.

Cancel your plans for the next few hours.  You need to get to the grocery store RIGHT NOW and make this.

Carla and I were really excited to learn that April is National Grilled Cheese Month, because we have spent many hours bonding over grilled cheese sandwiches.  I'm not exaggerating.  The closest restaurant to the office building where we met is a grilled cheese restaurant called The Melt.

I had way too many ideas, so I narrowed it down to 3 options and put it to a Facebook poll.  These were the options:
1. Brie, fig jam and arugula on French bread.
2. Mozzarella and ricotta on Italian bread with garlic/herb butter and tomato-basil soup.
3. Gruyere, caramelized onions and thyme on garlic-rubbed French bread.

I thought for sure that #2 or #3 would win, but the response was overwhelmingly in favor of #1.  And wow, am I glad my Facebook friends talked me into it.  I've mentioned before that I usually lean more toward savory than sweet, so THANK YOU for making me change it up!

To be honest, the arugula is not necessary.  It adds a nice peppery bite, and I would use it if I wanted to convince myself that this would make an appropriate lunch sandwich.  But if you don't care about "adult things" like eating vegetables, then you're not missing much by leaving it out.

Brie is fantastic when warm.  It's creamy and melty and just a little bit earthy.  Add sweet fig jam, crunchy toasted bread, nutty browned butter...and wow.  It's tastebud overload in a really, really good way.

Brie and Fig Brown-Butter Grilled Cheese

A wedge of your favorite Brie (spreads best at room temperature, so let it sit out for a little while if you have that kind of self-control)
Fig jam
Crusty French or Italian bread, sliced into 1/2 inch thick slices
2 tablespoons butter (don't skimp on the butter if you think you need more.  Come on, you're already eating Brie so you may as well go all-out at this point...!)
Arugula (optional)

Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a heavy-bottomed skillet.  Let the butter brown on medium heat (but be careful not to let it burn!).
I strongly believe in toasting both sides of the bread, but you can skip this step if you don't share that philosophy: put all of your bread slices in the pan and coat one side with the butter.  Let them toast in the pan until golden brown.
Remove the bread and smear half of them with brie (on the toasted side).  Smear the other slices with fig jam (on the toasted side).  Add the arugula, if using.  Pair up the flavors to turn them into sandwiches.
Brown the other tablespoon of butter in the pan.  Toast the sandwiches on each side, making sure you coat them with butter so that they brown evenly.
Warning: eat this in a place where you don't mind if other people hear you moan.  It's that good.

I had so much fun making this that I think I'm just going to try all of the options I put up on Facebook!  I'll be sure to post the results if any of them are worth your time...

Carla's Honey Goat Cheese Cheesecake

Honey. YUM.

Despite my slight fear of bees and some weird hang-ups about honeycomb (It’s actual WAX! That people eat!), honey is a super spectacular sweet flavoring that I can’t get enough of.  Predictably, I love honey swirled into tea or on crunchy toast with butter.  Instead of thinking of it as an accent for this week’s theme (as I usually do), I decided to brainstorm a dish that would really be able to show off the unique attributes of honey.

Immediately, I thought of how delicious honey is alongside cheese and decided the perfect concept would be to create a type of cheesecake.  This would allow me to combine some of my favorite flavors together with the honey: goat cheese and pistachios.

And so, the Honey Goat Cheese Cheesecake was born:

Honey Goat Cheese Cheesecake

Make in an 8x8 pan for 16 square sized pieces

For the Crust:

-          ½ cup pistachio meat (I was able to buy a small bag of the unshelled goods for only $5 at my Trader Joe’s)

-          1 cup graham cracker crumbs

-          2 tbsp sugar

-          6 tbsp butter (plus an extra pat to butter your pan)

For the Filling:

-          8 oz  cream cheese

-          10 oz goat cheese

-          1 tsp vanilla extract

-          1/3 cup honey

-          1 egg

For the Pistachio Dust

-          ¼ cup pistachio meat

-          1 tbsp sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Pulse the pistachio meat in a food processor to mimic the texture of the graham crackers.  A few larger chunks are, of course, just fine (and likely even desirable.)   Melt your butter on the stove and let it cool.

Combine the ground pistachio meat, graham cracker crumbs and sugar in a bowl.

Once your butter is cool, add to the dry mixture and combine.  After properly buttering your pan, spread the crust mixture into the bottom of the pan.

Throw the pan in the oven for 8-12 minutes to set the crust and give it a nice toasty-brown look.  Set it out to cool.

Begin your filling by combining your cream cheese and goat cheese in a mixer.  Whip until just mixed.

 

Add the vanilla extract, honey and the beaten egg.  (Depending on your sweet tolerance, the 1/3 cup of honey may not be enough.  I wanted to get the honey flavor without too much sugar in order to be able to detect the goat cheese, so I loved it as is.  If you have a small taste of the filling and find it not sweet enough, consider adding a tbsp of sugar instead of more honey.  Since honey is sweeter than sugar, it’s easy to overdo it.)

(PS- If you’re not using a real vanilla extract (imitation extract is, sadly, in rampant use), may I suggest upgrading? My local TJ Maxx, Home Goods or Marshall’s often has versions for a great price and it really does make a difference.)

Pour the mixture over your crust.  Bake (at the same temperature of 350 degrees) for 35-45 minutes.  My oven required a full 45 minutes to set properly in a glass pan- what you’re looking for is a very slight jiggle in the center of the pan.  Once complete, cool the pan on a rack until it is able to be refrigerated.  Allow to refrigerate for AT LEAST two hours (and I ALWAYS prefer overnight for the best flavor and texture).

To create the pistachio dust to top off the cake, candy the nuts on your stove.  Add the nuts and sugar over medium heat.  As the sugar melts, stir to coat your nuts.  Once all the nuts are coated, set them aside and allow them to cool.  After they’re cool and crunchy again, pulse in the food processor before sprinkling over your completed cake.

The Verdict:

This slightly sweet cheesecake picks up some great tang from the goat cheese and a really amazing pistachio crunch from the crust.  A must-try (in my humble opinion).

Alyssa's Honey-Glazed Salmon

Our recipe theme this week is honey.  My first thought was to do a fun dessert, maybe a honey-thyme ice cream.  But I know Carla is going to show you a fancy sweet treat, and I'm not even going to try to compete with it!  So I decided to incorporate honey into a savory dish instead.  When given the choice between salty or sweet, I go with salty any day (see Carla's popcorn post vs. mine! Can you tell who has the sweet tooth?).

Salmon is a really affordable protein option in Japan, and I love eating it as a healthy lunch.  I usually incorporate Asian flavors, making a marinade of miso, soy and ginger.  But after playing around with honey glazes this week, I am definitely adding this into my rotation.  The honey makes a thick, sticky sauce that caramelizes under the broiler.  These blackened bits may look like a mistake, but they're actually the best part of the fish!  I added a little cayenne pepper for a touch of heat, and some soy sauce to cut through the honey's sweetness with a bit of saltiness.  This is such an easy recipe, and you probably have all of the glaze ingredients in your kitchen already!

Honey-glazed Salmon
serves 1

2 salmon fillets or 1 steak (depending on their size and how hungry you are!)
1/4 c honey
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1/4-1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (depending on how spicy you want it)

Preheat your broiler. Line a pan with tinfoil and coat with nonstick spray.  Place the salmon skin-side down on the tray (if using fillets).
Whisk together the honey, soy sauce and pepper.  Brush the glaze liberally over the salmon.
Broil for 3 minutes.  Flip salmon, brush with more sauce and return to the broiler for 3 more minutes.
Brush again with glaze and return to the broiler until done.  My fillets were fairly thin so they only took 6 minutes (and I like my salmon cooked on the medium side, rather than well-done).  You may need a few more minutes, especially if you're using steaks.  The edges should caramelize, so don't be afraid if it turns black in some spots!
Remove from the broiler and brush again with sauce.  I liked the glaze so much that I ended up just pouring it over the salmon!

Enjoy!

Carla's Favorite Blogs

When news came out a few weeks ago that Google Reader was shutting down in July, I was so mad I couldn't speak (I could, however, shame-email my Google employee friend in ALL CAPS and commiserate with equally irritated Facebook friends).  I was a long-time user of Bloglines, which informed me several times over the years that it was moments away from shutting down (and... never did? I'm not sure). They played with my emotions for too long and eventually I gave up and moved to Google Reader several years ago.

The options to switch to a new reader aren't that great so far, in my opinion.  Feedly seems ok, but it's an extension as opposed to a site that I can log into from any computer.  Bloglovin won't let me use folders.  The Old Reader seems promising in that it minimizes CHANGE (BONUS), except it only allows me to transfer 1,000 items from Google Reader.

HA.  HAAAA.

And therein lies the problem: I subscribe to roughly 1300 feeds.

I think you'll agree that there's some challenge involved in paring down a list of that size to a manageable post of favorites.  This may need to become a regular feature since I'm constantly finding new loves, but here's what I've come up with so far (in no particular order):

Recipes and Food:

Honest Cooking: Like Alyssa's suggestion of Punk Domestics earlier in the week, this blog is more of a compilation of recipes, travel reviews and food news.  I love them for their information, variety and inclusion of cocktails.

Simply Recipes: This blog has been around for years- initially they posted old school recipes, but now a lot of their recipes are new inventions.  A WONDERFUL searchable database for classic, easy, homey food.

The Amateur Gourmet: A delightful mixture of posts about food, recipes, how-tos and a heavy dose of wit.  

Love and Olive Oil: Lots of baking recipes, but when they post a savory treat I feel like they come up with lots of flavors that are tailored RIGHT to what I love.

Lottie and Doof: Mostly recipes.  Recipes of the delicious, make-me-now variety.

I ALSO enjoy reading blogs that talk about lots of things I'm interested in: Food. DIY projects and crafts.  Decorating. Clothes.  

Crafts and Recipes and DIY, OH MY

Sugar and Charm: I LOVE the tone of this blog: cheerful, bright, pretty without being twee.  

Elise Blaha: I'm almost sad to share Elise with y'all because I want to be friends with her and you're just going to be competition.  She's a goal-setter who does neat things with food, fitness and DIY (although she's expecting, so a little lighter on the fitness currently).  She also is a part of Project Life and, in addition to the kit she produced for them, she shares tons of tips and ideas, plus photos of her personal project every week. 

Craftzine:  Crafty things from around the web, I feel like I don't miss any great ideas following their stream. 

Honorable Mentions:

Hostess With the Mostess: THE place to search when you're throwing any sort of party, big or small.

Am I missing your favorite?  Come on now, I shared Elise with you- I think this means you owe me.

Alyssa's Favorite Blogs

Ok, this list is admittedly food-blog heavy.  I hope you’re okay with that!  Sorry for the short post, but I've got visitors in town!  They're keeping me wonderfully busy.

•  Smitten Kitchen.  No, it’s not very original of me to list one of the most popular bloggers ever, but I’ve been following her for YEARS.  And in Deb’s case, she deserves her popularity (unlike, say, the Kardashians).  I’ve rarely made one of her recipes and not instantly put it into my rotation.  They aren’t usually quick or easy, but she spends lots and lots of time perfecting them.  So try not to cut corners!
• Punk Domestics. The ultimate DIY food website.  They compile posts from all different bloggers about canning, pickling, making cheese, making salumi, etc, and organize them nicely in one place. 
• Foodgawker.  Another great source of inspiration when you’re stuck.  Food bloggers submit their photos and posts and Foodgawker publishes them in a photo feed.  Click on an appealing image to view the original website.
• Sunday Suppers.  For fancy-pants recipes and dinner parties.  They produce the loveliest events and I want to attend one so badly.
• Decor8. The only non-food blog on my list. This blog is so much fun!  They feature great shops on Etsy, give DIY tips and publish yummy recipes once in a while.  It’s a great place for inspiration if you’re stuck in a rut.

      And here are some photos of the last few days, just to make this post a little more exciting ;)

Colorful shrimp in a tank at Tsukiji, the fish market

Sardines? Also at the fish market

Tokyo Sky Tree, the second tallest man-made structure in the world.

Carla's Strawberry Cake Batter Popcorn

The challenge with embarking on a popcorn recipe week is this: popcorn itself is the best part of popcorn.  Popcorn is great on its own (in my opinion) and serves as a marvelous vehicle for tons of flavor.  Like Alyssa's Chipotle Lime Popcorn earlier in the week, savory flavor opportunities abound!  My absolute favorite is browned butter with a sprinkle of garlic powder and parmesan cheese (the one in the green can) (really).

But I'm interested in the sweet, fun varieties too and so when I remembered seeing this recipe for Cake Batter Popcorn several months ago, I knew it would be perfect for a makeover, Carla Style.

Strawberry Cake Batter Popcorn

- About 10 cups of air popped popcorn (One version of the original recipe used microwave popcorn, but once you see the rest of the ingredients you'll notice this is a Special Occasion Treat.  I figured I should start with air-popped, if possible.  Also, I don't have a microwave.)

- 1/4 cup vegetable shortening

- 1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips

- 1 cup of strawberry flavored cake mix

- sprinkles

In a small saucepan, melt the vegetable shortening over low heat.  Once it turns liquid, add the white chocolate chips and mix constantly until melted.  (Make sure that you are using very low heat here.  The melted shortening will help to melt the chocolate quickly, but it is very easy to scorch chocolate when you're using direct heat in a saucepan.  Plan for a slow melt and it will work out just fine.)

Add the strawberry cake mix and stir until blended.

Arrange your popcorn in a baking pan.  The one I used is 9x13 and fit perfectly.  Pour the mixture all over the popcorn and mix until all the popcorn is coated in the chocolate mixture.

Add your sprinkles!

Set the pan aside to cool.  Look, you've probably already stolen a few pieces just to "make sure it's not poison".  But letting it cool completely makes the mixture less like a sweet, pink pan of Rice Krispie Treats and more individually coated.

Turning on the stove in my kitchen generates quite a bit of heat, so I set mine on a chair in front of my open door.  

It didn't work fast enough (I was on a schedule), so I ended up throwing the pan in the fridge for about twenty minutes.  With cooler chocolate, I was able to break up the clumpy pieces by hand into a more standard popcorn size.

The Verdict:

One sister and two nieces LOVED this.  They were savoring the individual popcorn morsels (I think maybe I didn't give them enough) and were SO excited.  The girls especially loved that there was chocolate AND popcorn AND pink involved, so it's pretty clear that this would be an awesome party item.

Another sister thought it was super tasty (albeit rich), but that it's a bit soft.  The heat and creaminess from the chocolate mixture end up making the popcorn less crispy than you might expect, but I think that's only a problem if you're thinking "popcorn" and not "super strawberry tasty treat of white chocolate delight".  If you tend to like a lot of crunch, I would try adding more sprinkles!  Another tip is to make sure that you chill the popcorn and keep it cool until you're about to serve it.  It definitely softens up easily at room temperature.

I think this is a super tasty treat, easy to make and super versatile.  I love strawberry cupcakes (the fake, shockingly bright pink kind) and so I knew using that flavor of cake batter would be amazing.  But you could use spice cake mix for a gingerbread-y holiday version- and don't forget chocolate cake mix (with milk and/or dark chocolate chips) for the chocoholics in your life!

PS- Since I'm always trying to figure out how I feel about corn in my diet in general (those of you who see me often have probably had me exclaim at you about how popcorn is a GRAIN! Not a VEGETABLE!), I thought it'd be interesting to point you to this article about popcorn's healthy attributes.  Go, popcorn!

Carla's Easy Sides: Roasted Cabbage

When is a vegetable MORE than just a vegetable?  When it's roasted!

As a general rule, vegetables make great easy sides.  They're super quick to steam, blanch or saute and you can eat them on their own without further preparation.  But beyond that, roasting is a great option since you can just throw the veggies in the oven while you prepare the rest of your meal without thinking about them too much. (Considering all the times I've over-steamed a veggie and created a veggie-mush, this is more important than you think.)

My latest roasted veggie of choice?  CABBAGE.

Here are the details:

- Pre heat your oven to somewhere around 450 degrees.

- Give your cabbage a quick rinse and remove a few of the outer leaves.

- Cut up the head into even slices, somewhere around 1 to 1 1/2 inches wide.  I like to make a triangle to remove the core in the center slices.  (you can see this in the photo above!)

- Lightly oil the bottom of a baking pan/sheet with olive oil and arrange the slices inside.  Brush the tops of the cabbage with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper.

- Throw in the oven for about 40-45 minutes.

- Check on them until they look like this:

You see those crispy brown edges?  DIVINE.  I love the texture variety when you roast cabbage this way, since the insides kind of steam themselves and the outsides are more dry and crispy (as opposed to slicing the cabbage into strips and roasting the leaves individually- this is faster, but results in a crispy-overall texture).

Try it!  You'll love it!  Team Roasted Cabbage!

Alyssa's Chipotle-Lime Popcorn

If I could do anything with my life, I would love to own a little popcorn shop.  I would sell both traditional and fun flavors, make gourmet popcorn balls and wrap it all up in beautiful packaging.  The popcorn would be unique gifts or favors and would make movie night extra-special. The shop would have a vintage movie theater feel, or maybe an old-fashioned soda fountain theme.  But mostly, the popcorn would be delicious!

I like to play around with flavors and experiment with combinations, and my guilty-pleasure flavor is truffle oil with Parmesan cheese.  It’s a classic combination that’s been done over and over again, so I won’t bore you with that as my “recipe” for this week.  My other favorite, however, is applewood-smoked sea salt and chipotle.  It’s smoky (almost bacon-y), spicy, citrus spiked, and completely addictive!

First, pop your favorite kernels.  I love Rancho Gordo Crimson kernels on the stovetop in olive oil.  They pop up snowy white and fluffy, with hardly any unpopped kernels left in the pot.  Unfortunately, they are also hard to come by these days!  The company sells out every year.  If you haven’t experienced this popcorn yet (and you somehow manage to get your hands on some), don’t do it.  I’m not just saying this because I want it all to myself; you will never be able to stomach the microwave popcorn variety once you try this stuff.  It will ruin all other popcorn for you, and I can’t have that on my conscience!

Once the kernels have popped, add a squeeze of lime, smoked sea salt and chipotle.  Shake the pot a little to distribute the seasoning, taste, and adjust the flavors accordingly.  There’s no magic ratio.  It depends on your personal taste, how spicy you’re feeling that day, and how salty you like your popcorn.  Just remember, you can always add more chipotle if it’s not spicy enough, so don’t go overboard.  Enjoy!

Carla's Last Minute Easter Menu

So, did Easter sneak up on you too? I mean, the warning signs are always there: the appearance of Cadbury Mini Eggs and tulips, people giving up candy for lent, pretty pastel dresses showing up in all the stores and catalogs.  Still, since the date falls so early this year, it's no wonder you (like ME) kind of forgot about it.

I have a BIG immediate family: three sisters and assorted brothers-in law, plus four nieces and three nephews.  If we all get together without any guests (which we do quite often), there are 14 people to cook for.  This calls for some adjustments: the only "traditional" meal we cook anymore is Thanksgiving, probably because the kids are off the next day and most of the adults end up taking the day off of work.  After YEARS of a traditional Christmas meal (which was essentially Thanksgiving Volume 2), we started to go for Traditional MEXICAN Christmas.  This means that some time during late November and early December we get together and make dozens of tamales, steam them and freeze them for our big Christmas meal.  YUM.

Easter is a BIG holiday, but since we ALSO all attend different churches (not because we don't LIKE to go together- we span three different technical religions) it's MUCH harder to prepare a meal.  Throw in the fact that we all have to go to work and school the next day and... we're having enchiladas.  We're ok with this.

I'm still dreaming of a tastier, more classic meal full of spring flavors though.  Maybe these will make it onto the table of my fellow last-minute cooks!

My first choices were actually lamp chops and asparagus, just as Alyssa posted earlier in the week!  I heartily recommend those recipes too.

For a quick, but ridiculously tasty start, prepare these Pan Roasted Brined Pork Chops:

image from bonappetit.com

For two tasty sides, my recommendation is a Dill Pickle Potato Salad (make TONS extra for work lunches throughout the week- guaranteed to make you a happy camper) and a batch of Parmesan Coated Cauliflower:

images from tasteofhome.com and bonappetit.com

Finally, use the surprise ingredient in these Lemon-Cream Cheese Cupcakes for a moist dessert full of spring flavor:

Have a very Happy Easter, friends!

Alyssa's No-Fuss Easter Menu

It’s just the two of us for Easter this year, so I’m going to make a slightly simpler meal than I normally would.  Usually I would pull out all the stops and make a traditional Italian feast with anise-kissed Easter bread (an ancient family recipe), wedding soup with homemade parmesan/egg croutons, and herb-crusted pork tenderloin.  But I don’t really want to deal with the dishes involved in something so elaborate!

Instead, here’s what I have planned:

1. Rosemary Lamb Chops with Balsamic Syrup recipe from Gourmet.  But I’ll omit the swiss chard, since the Hubby doesn’t care for greens! (image from Epicurious.com)

2. Roasted Asparagus, since it’s a favorite in our house and it positively screams “spring!”  This Bon Appetit recipe with a balsamic drizzle looks good, although 18-20 minutes seems like a long time to roast asparagus if you like it crisp-tender.  (image from Epicurious.com)

3. Fresh baguette from our local bakery to soak up all of those yummy lamb and balsamic juices.

4. Vanilla ice cream and macerated strawberries for dessert.

5.  And if I’m feeling really ambitious, I LOVE deviled eggs.  But they’re an awful lot of work, so I’m not sure if they’ll make it on the menu this year!  This Bon Appetit recipe uses one of my favorite spices, chipotle.  But it probably won’t pair well with the rest of the meal, so maybe I'll save that recipe for another time and go more traditional for Easter. (image from Epicurious.com) 

What's on your menu this year?

Carla's Pickling Recipe: Refrigerator Pickles for First Timers

It's pickling week!  As a first time pickler (in fact, this is my first time using a mason jar to make something myself!), I was pretty nervous.  Folks have assured me for years that it's an easy process, but it seems so involved.  Special brine!  Jar purchases!  Popping!

I may not be a pickler, but I sure do LOVE pickles.  Over the past couple of years, I've seen an increase in pickle prices.  (I can't believe I just said that.)  Since they're only a few bucks a jar it doesn't seem like a huge dent- STILL, I bought all my ingredients at notoriously high-priced Whole Foods this week and the total was $2.73.  For two pint jars of pickles and three cucumbers left over for my next recipe.  SCORE.

Super Fast, Super Easy Refrigerator Pickles

- White Vinegar

- Onions (I used about half of a sweet onion, but would happily have added more.)

- Dill Weed (some recipes call for Dill Seed, but I thought using this type of dill would provide plenty of flavor)

- Garlic (for the love of Pete, use real garlic gloves. I mistakenly thought I had some at home and had to resort to this crushed garlic.  And then it smelled off when I opened it and I had to FURTHER resort to garlic powder.  Just... buy garlic.)

- Picking Cucumbers (I used about 5 for this recipe)

1. Cut up your cucumbers into spears:

2. Slice your onion into strips.  Line the bottom of a mason jar with a layer of onions.  Add one teaspoon of dill weed.  Add one garlic clove (or, in my case, one teaspoon of garlic powder).

3. Slide your cucumber spears in the jar until they're cozy.

4. Add 1 cup water, 1 cup vinegar and 2 1/2 teaspoons of salt to a saucepan.  Bring to a boil, stirring just a bit to ensure the salt is dissolved.  Once boiling, pour the mixture into the jars, leaving about 1/4 inch spare room at the top to avoid spillover when closing.  Place your lid/bands on the jar and close tightly.  

(As Alyssa advised me when we chatted about pickles, you don't even have to use mason jars for this recipe!  Any jar will do- I save old pickle jars and could just have easily used those for this project.)

No one told me to shake them up, but I did it anyway.  (And then I felt a TREMENDOUS sense of pride at having PICKLED something.  Like the olden days.)

5. Throw them in the refrigerator and wait two days before you crack them open to eat them up.  (These babies will technically last for two weeks in the fridge, but I dare you to let them stick around that long.)

The Verdict:

These pickles were, hands down, the best pickles I've ever had.  They're crisp!  And light!  They retain their cucumber freshness along with the yummy vinegar/pickled flavor.

I shared a jar with my man friend before I tasted them and he declared them to be the best pickles he's ever had as well.  

Final tips:

- Sharing is good, but you'll still be sad you decreased your pickle supply by 50%.

- My work friend Jessbee tells me that you should try apple cider vinegar for an extra special/different pickle-y flavor.

- Make more than two pint jars.