Monday, April 9, 2012
happy Monday!!!
More power pop (or poppy rock if you prefer) from the always terrific Yukon Blonde. *love* hope you enjoy!
"Stairways"
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Happy Mondays!!
yeah - I know it's Tuesday. but i've been putting up links on FB to a song i'm enjoying. Every Monday. it occurred to me I should be doing it from here.
It's so easy to just be cranky. particularly on Mondays. but I haven't been & now I kind of look forward to sharing something happy with people every Monday.
This week is Broken Bricks - "Boy Dressed in Blue"
You should definitely check out the original but this acoustic version is pretty kick ass too. I'm in the midst of making a mix to send to a pal & this was the first thing on the list.
It's a song I just love to share.
Going to hunt down a few of the earlier ones & post a list.
Ta
It's so easy to just be cranky. particularly on Mondays. but I haven't been & now I kind of look forward to sharing something happy with people every Monday.
This week is Broken Bricks - "Boy Dressed in Blue"
You should definitely check out the original but this acoustic version is pretty kick ass too. I'm in the midst of making a mix to send to a pal & this was the first thing on the list.
It's a song I just love to share.
Going to hunt down a few of the earlier ones & post a list.
Ta
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
man, I love cooking
It takes a bit for me to get ambitious sometimes, particularly if I'm just cooking for me but I really do enjoy it. Even in our tiny kitchen.
So I was recently directed to a sustainable practices butcher here in L.A. which I'm thrilled about. I have no interest in being a vegetarian. I like protein. & meat. but I am seriously interested in the quality of meat I'm eating & where it comes from. Please check out Lindy & Grundy. Their site has a ton of information that I will not repeat. Melissa, who handles all their curing, helped me with my decision making. I picked up a pork top sirloin cut & some lamb medallion.
Sunday morning is also the Farmer's Market near my place, just off Hollywood & Vine. Obviously the options are seasonal but there's a very good herb stand there all the time (don't just take my word for it - Jimmy Kimmel was buying mint!). They had some gorgeous sage & they also have selections of mushrooms. I picked up a bag of shitakes.
So after a little searching for ideas, I came across this for Pork Tenderloin & did some adjusting. This is for rosemary but I subbed in the fresh sage. Due to the size of cut I was using, I halved the marinade. & used cippolini onions. For red wine I used a temperanillo, as that was what I had on hand. I wouldn't go sweeter (like sherry) with this recipe but maybe something a bit bolder like a pinot noir. I hold to the rule that I don't cook with what I won't drink.
Also, I did not make the polenta. I debated doing a side of some noodles but had brussel sprouts & some white beans instead.
It was really terrific & pretty easy, despite the somewhat fussy browning of the pork & the completing the cooking after the onions.
It was really tasty & a bit sweeter than I had expected. The cut of pork had a solid chuck of fat which I left on for cooking but did not eat. I also did not use any celery & did not miss it.
The sprouts were tossed in olive oil, sea salt & cracked black pepper. this Ina Garten recipe gives a good gage for measurement if you need.
The lamb is marinating & I will put up that recipe along with any notes tomorrow. I like to explain if I tweak anything & why. I'm debating on using some Hefe for that & am still undecided.
Photos here, along with my shopping adventures & some other produce I picked up.
So I was recently directed to a sustainable practices butcher here in L.A. which I'm thrilled about. I have no interest in being a vegetarian. I like protein. & meat. but I am seriously interested in the quality of meat I'm eating & where it comes from. Please check out Lindy & Grundy. Their site has a ton of information that I will not repeat. Melissa, who handles all their curing, helped me with my decision making. I picked up a pork top sirloin cut & some lamb medallion.
Sunday morning is also the Farmer's Market near my place, just off Hollywood & Vine. Obviously the options are seasonal but there's a very good herb stand there all the time (don't just take my word for it - Jimmy Kimmel was buying mint!). They had some gorgeous sage & they also have selections of mushrooms. I picked up a bag of shitakes.
So after a little searching for ideas, I came across this for Pork Tenderloin & did some adjusting. This is for rosemary but I subbed in the fresh sage. Due to the size of cut I was using, I halved the marinade. & used cippolini onions. For red wine I used a temperanillo, as that was what I had on hand. I wouldn't go sweeter (like sherry) with this recipe but maybe something a bit bolder like a pinot noir. I hold to the rule that I don't cook with what I won't drink.
Also, I did not make the polenta. I debated doing a side of some noodles but had brussel sprouts & some white beans instead.
It was really terrific & pretty easy, despite the somewhat fussy browning of the pork & the completing the cooking after the onions.
It was really tasty & a bit sweeter than I had expected. The cut of pork had a solid chuck of fat which I left on for cooking but did not eat. I also did not use any celery & did not miss it.
The sprouts were tossed in olive oil, sea salt & cracked black pepper. this Ina Garten recipe gives a good gage for measurement if you need.
The lamb is marinating & I will put up that recipe along with any notes tomorrow. I like to explain if I tweak anything & why. I'm debating on using some Hefe for that & am still undecided.
Photos here, along with my shopping adventures & some other produce I picked up.
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Updates
Shockingly (not) running 2 blogs does not make me any better at keeping either of them up. I'm setting myself some goals to be better at posting on here & not all over FB so I'll be using that & the tweety to direct folks here.
I'm living in the same place in Hollywood. Have been here since December & plan to stay through the end of April. It's a good location, on Franklin. UCBTLA is just up the street & I've to a couple shows. & yes, I see some of the comics around the hood. I hate to post other folks activities on social media but I feel like I should be keeping a list of 'Gary Oldman at Skylight books today' or 'Dax Shepherd at the Oaks for coffee' & the like so I remember.
The Oaks is really the best coffee I've had in L.A., particularly the lattes. Good beer selection too, tho pricey.
I've added the link below to some photos of the house & courtyard. I have a great sunny bedroom & a useful large desk. Kitchen is too small to suit me though & I'd like it a bit cleaner all around. So hopefully I'll be able to find a place by end of April where I can rent out a guest room.
A couple more posts coming. Had a great day discovering a new butcher & good luck at the farmers market so some food photos pending. & keep checking my new film project ShortFilmSunday. We tweet a new short film to champion each week & eventually will have chats with creative folk & the like.
The abode
I'm living in the same place in Hollywood. Have been here since December & plan to stay through the end of April. It's a good location, on Franklin. UCBTLA is just up the street & I've to a couple shows. & yes, I see some of the comics around the hood. I hate to post other folks activities on social media but I feel like I should be keeping a list of 'Gary Oldman at Skylight books today' or 'Dax Shepherd at the Oaks for coffee' & the like so I remember.
The Oaks is really the best coffee I've had in L.A., particularly the lattes. Good beer selection too, tho pricey.
I've added the link below to some photos of the house & courtyard. I have a great sunny bedroom & a useful large desk. Kitchen is too small to suit me though & I'd like it a bit cleaner all around. So hopefully I'll be able to find a place by end of April where I can rent out a guest room.
A couple more posts coming. Had a great day discovering a new butcher & good luck at the farmers market so some food photos pending. & keep checking my new film project ShortFilmSunday. We tweet a new short film to champion each week & eventually will have chats with creative folk & the like.
The abode
Saturday, January 28, 2012
We baked scones
& by we, I mean me. unless you count the dog, who was mostly pissed I spent that amount of time in the kitchen & he didn't get a treat. & Nicole was home later to help with the tasting.
So my lovely & thoughtful friends Russ & Yort sent me jam for my birthday. Blueberry lavender & Cherry Cabernet from a place in Honor, MI called 'Food for Thought' . very good organic jam. I was looking for an interesting option to use them & always have bananas about the house. a little google search found banana-ginger scones & we were in business. The ginger is great for me as a flavour option to the perpetual presence of cinnamon in baked goods.
Not bad at all. it was a bit of an experiment for me. I don't bake much beyond brownies & really hadn't in this kitchen or in California so it was adjusting to the environment on several different levels. I found the liquid called for to not be enough & had to add another few tablespoons of milk to achieve dough. Another time I would make a couple adjustments. I may try the method where you freeze butter & then grate it or use pastry cutter as opposed to hand mix. I was concerned about overhandeling but don't think i had the right consistency. Also, I would cut the bananas smaller or maybe even mash. They'd contribute more moisture that way. I wasn't impressed with the 'chunks' but that just a personal preference.
As I also had some great organic blueberries & more fresh ginger, I found this
I'm much more pleased with the results. I really liked the yogurt egg combo to bind the dough. it worked great. as the recipe didn't call for an vanilla I used a mix of blueberry & vanilla yogurt. In the future I would probably just use vanilla as the fresh berries had plenty of flavour. The ginger was not terribly strong and I would maybe use a bit more of that but otherwise it was a great recipe.
My issue with lots of baked goods (muffins, scones & even pancakes) is they are too heavy. These rose well & were a nice light consistency. It turned out the blueberry jam on blueberry scones was probably overdoing it. they were great plain or would work with a little margarine or maybe cream cheese. I might try some lemon icing on them another time also.
Photo gallery here
So my lovely & thoughtful friends Russ & Yort sent me jam for my birthday. Blueberry lavender & Cherry Cabernet from a place in Honor, MI called 'Food for Thought' . very good organic jam. I was looking for an interesting option to use them & always have bananas about the house. a little google search found banana-ginger scones & we were in business. The ginger is great for me as a flavour option to the perpetual presence of cinnamon in baked goods.
Not bad at all. it was a bit of an experiment for me. I don't bake much beyond brownies & really hadn't in this kitchen or in California so it was adjusting to the environment on several different levels. I found the liquid called for to not be enough & had to add another few tablespoons of milk to achieve dough. Another time I would make a couple adjustments. I may try the method where you freeze butter & then grate it or use pastry cutter as opposed to hand mix. I was concerned about overhandeling but don't think i had the right consistency. Also, I would cut the bananas smaller or maybe even mash. They'd contribute more moisture that way. I wasn't impressed with the 'chunks' but that just a personal preference.
As I also had some great organic blueberries & more fresh ginger, I found this
I'm much more pleased with the results. I really liked the yogurt egg combo to bind the dough. it worked great. as the recipe didn't call for an vanilla I used a mix of blueberry & vanilla yogurt. In the future I would probably just use vanilla as the fresh berries had plenty of flavour. The ginger was not terribly strong and I would maybe use a bit more of that but otherwise it was a great recipe.
My issue with lots of baked goods (muffins, scones & even pancakes) is they are too heavy. These rose well & were a nice light consistency. It turned out the blueberry jam on blueberry scones was probably overdoing it. they were great plain or would work with a little margarine or maybe cream cheese. I might try some lemon icing on them another time also.
Photo gallery here
Friday, October 21, 2011
I'm a slacker
Crazy week, including the apartment I had lined up falling thru. More posts soon, I promise. I have some home cooking trials & some eating out experiences.
Tried to go see the Watkins Family but sold out. fingers crossed for November & also plotting to maybe be in Michigan for THanksgiving. or thereabouts.
Having an iced coffee at Cafe de Leche . They use Stumptown. Nice atmosphere but I think I like the coffee at the Cafecito Organico better.
Trying the York pub in a bit too.
& now you all know why I never kept a diary, even in Junior High. golly, am I a boring blogger.
Tried to go see the Watkins Family but sold out. fingers crossed for November & also plotting to maybe be in Michigan for THanksgiving. or thereabouts.
Having an iced coffee at Cafe de Leche . They use Stumptown. Nice atmosphere but I think I like the coffee at the Cafecito Organico better.
Trying the York pub in a bit too.
& now you all know why I never kept a diary, even in Junior High. golly, am I a boring blogger.
Monday, October 10, 2011
So damn good it made me swear..
Who knew the wonders you coud create with basically left over mashed potatoes? Well, I kinda did, because mom used to fry them up with some scrambled eggs (& onions & cheese or whatever happened to be around)
Thank heavens someone at The Best Fish Taco in Ensenada feels the same. Now I'm guessing they weren't really just left over mashed but it was essentially that, a little cilantro & a thick medium spicy chili sauce on a corn tortilla. And it was SO fucking delicious that I'm swearing for reals & not just like cartoon characters (F$%King) or the Brits (effing) per usual.
Seriously. Seriously. Tasty.
It's a limited menu. they do one thing. they do it well. The potatoes were a special today. Usually it's just the fish taco or a shrimp taco. Seriously. Sodas or homemade tea (jicama or tamarind) or horchata for a $1 to wash it down with. & a condiment bar to doctor things up, including Sessy's Salsa (info on the website), a great cabbage slaw & the family recipe relish. I was partial to the crema jicama.
As owner Joe says -"it's not a food, its a sensation".
This is a great spot & I will be back for more. They have a couple locations but Joe was working the counter in Los Feliz tonight so I made a new friend. Kinda want to get a few more of those potato tacos for breakfast tomorrow......
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