Barefoot Bloggers: Grown Up Mac and Cheese

Obviously, as evidenced by my membership in Barefoot Bloggers, I have a deep love and affection for Ina Garten. Now I have the feeling that I want to marry her and have her babies. I don't think I have ever tried a single recipe of hers that hasn't been simply wonderful. Our first September recipe was chosen by Heather of Randomosity and the Girl. This is something that I wasn't really looking forward to making. While everyone else in the country is boasting about cooler temps and fall, the weather has finally decided to turn summer in Southern California and it's been hot and humid the last few weeks. It's cooled down the last few days, but I made this over last weekend's 90 degree temps. Also, this recipe called for three different kinds of cheeses. Normally, this is something I am totally up for, but due to my dwindling bank account (I need to find a better paying job...and/or a sugar daddy) and the fact that I am not the hugest fan of blue cheese, I decided to leave that one out. Instead, I just increased the amounts of Gruyere and cheddar, but other than that, this was one of the few recipes I actually followed almost to a tee. Ina says this should be served in two serving dishes, but this made enough food to last me for days. It is definitely not something that should be made if you're on a diet, or even think about going on a diet because just thinking about this recipe may cause you to gain ten pounds. Luckily, I don't make mac and cheese very often so I didn't feel horribly guilty about eating this. It takes a bit of time to make and dirties quite a few dishes. I strongly suggest that while it's baking, you clean up the dirty dishes. Visit the Barefoot Bloggers blogroll to see how everyone else's mac and cheese turned out.

Grown Up Mac and Cheese
(Adapted from Ina Garten)

4 ounces center cut bacon
Vegetable or extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
2 cups elbow macaroni or cavatappi
1 1/2 cups whole milk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
5 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated
4 ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese, grated
Pinch nutmeg
2 slices white sandwich bread, roughly chopped (I used ciabatta and it was great)
2 tablespoons freshly chopped basil leaves

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees

Place a baking rack on a sheet pan lined with aluminium foil and arrange the bacon in 1 layer on the baking rack. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the bacon is crisp. Remove the pan carefully from the oven (there will be hot grease in the pan). Transfer the bacon to a plate lined with paper towels and crumble when it is cool enough to handle.

Drizzle a splash of oil into a pot of boiling salted water. Add the macaroni and cook according to the directions on the package, about 6 to 8 minutes. Drain well.

Meanwhile, heat the milk in a small saucepan, but don't boil it. Melt the butter in a medium pot and add the flour. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring with a whisk. While whisking, slowly add the hot milk and cook for a minute or 2 more, until thickened and smooth. Off the heat, add the Gruyere and cheddar, 1 teaspoon salt, pepper, and nutmeg (I forgot the salt and pepper and it was fine). Add the cooked macaroni and crumbled bacon and stir well. Pour into 2 individual size gratin dishes or an 8x8 baking dish.

Place the bread slices in a food processor and pulse until you have coarse crumbs. Add the basil and pulse to combine. Sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture over the top of the pasta. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until the sauce is bubbly and the macaroni is browned on top.

Sweet Chili Shrimp with Sesame Soy Rice

I was flipping through an old cookbook (the one my parents gave me when I moved into my first apartment in college) and I came across a recipe for rice that sounded good. I make it a point to go through old books every so often because you never know what you will rediscover. I decided to combine it with a little shrimp that I cooked in sweet chili sauce. So tasty and so simple, I am loving this living out of my fridge/pantry week.

Sweet Chili Shrimp

Shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 tablespoon sweet chili sauce
Kosher salt
Pinch red pepper flakes
Canola oil
Green onions for garnish (optional)

Toss shrimp in the chili sauce, salt, and red pepper flakes. Heat oil in a medium skillet. Cook shrimp until pink and cooked through

Sesame Soy Rice
(From The Good Housekeeping Step-by-Step Cookbook)

1 cup long-grain rice
1 cup chicken or vegetable stock
3/4 cup water
2 scallions, chopped
2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sace
1/4 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

In a 2-quart saucepan rice, chicken or vegetable stock, and water to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 18-20 minutes until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed.

Stir in green onions, soy sauce, and sesame oil. Serve immediately.

Fig-Sesame Jam

There were so many figs at the farmers market this weekend it was hard to choose just one pack. Also, I wasn't sure if I should get the green or the black, I was in a fig conundrum. I ended up going with the black figs that I have been picking up the last few weeks (I made my ricotta figs again last week at the request of dear Kelly who was moving, but that time made with mascarpone). This time I was going to try a savory fig recipe, but then I came across a recipe that looked easy and would let me enjoy figs for longer than the season lasts. Sign me up! I am so loving the figs. I've never made a jam before, but this coming Saturday I am going to be taking a class on canning and preserving so I can't wait to test my new skills with the end of summer harvest. Oh yeah, I also saw the first butternut squash of the season at the farmers market. I am so excited since I just discovered this wonderful stuff last year pre-food blogging. Get ready to see tons of butternut squash recipes from me!

Fig-Sesame Jam
(Adapted from Epicurious)

1 cup sugar plus 2 tablespoons
3/4 cup water
2 pounds firm-ripe fresh figs, trimmed and quartered
3 1-inch strips fresh lemon zest
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted

Simmer sugar and water in a large heavy saucepan, stirring, until sugar is dissolved. Gently stir in figs, zest, and lemon juice and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until thick and syrupy, 1 3/4 to 2 hours. Gently stir in sesame seeds.

Let the jam cool and store in jars for up to one month.

Donut Muffin..Or Muffin Donut

Last week in the food blogosphere I saw a few recipes that were donuts as muffins or muffins as donuts. This week I am trying to cook with things that are already in my pantry or refrigerator so I couldn't resist trying them. These were to die for. I want to lie and say I only had one, but I had three. Soooo yummy and super easy to make (my personal favorite combination). Of course cinnamon is one of my most favorite ingredients (umm, what isn't my fave ingredient?!) and I love the way apartment smells when it is baking.

Donut Muffins
(From Laura Rebecca's Kitchen)

2 cups flour
1 tbsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt

2 large eggs
1 cup plain yogurt (I used nonfat Greek yogurt with excellent results)
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
4 to 8 tbsp oil
1 tsp vanilla

Topping:
1/2 stick butter, melted
1/4 cup sugar
½ tsp cinnamon

Position oven rack in the middle position and preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a standard muffin pan with paper cups.

Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, yogurt, sugar, oil, and vanilla. Add flour mixture and mix with light strokes until the dry ingredients are just moistened. Don't overmix; batter should not be smooth.

Divide batter among the muffin cups and bake until a toothpick inserted in one or two of the muffins come out clean, 15-20 minutes.

While the muffins are baking, melt 1/2 stick butter and place in a bowl just large enough to hold a muffin. Combine 1/4 cup of sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon in a small, shallow bowl. As soon as the muffing are done, dip them one at a time in the melted butter and then roll in the sugar mixture. Set on a rack to cool.

PS, at the farmers market yesterday, one of the farmers convinced me to try a golden raspberry. I normally can have one raspberry and be done, but these were great. Sweet and slightly tart, but not too much of that "raspberrieness" that usually turns me off from raspberries. I did something fun with about half of them, but if anyone has any other suggestions about what to do with golden raspberries, I am all ears!

Steak Sandwiches

I wanted to make something special to go with my leftover steak. I decided to go with a steak sandwich. To go on top of my steak, I caramelized some red onions I also had some nutty Gruyere leftover so I thought that would be awesome melted over the steak. This was so great, kind of like a modern version of a Philly steak sandwich. I think next time I will add some arugula or spinach or other greens just to have some more *green*.

Steak Sandwich

1 Ciabatta roll
Cooked steak, sliced
2 tablespoons Gruyere cheese, shredded
1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon prepared horseradish
1 tablespoon parsley, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Preheat a broiler

In a medium skillet heat oil and cook onions until caramelized, season with salt and pepper.

In a small food processor, mix together mayonnaise, parsley, and horseradish.

Split ciabatta in half, lay the sliced steak over the bread and top with the shredded cheese. Lay each of the sandwich face side up on a baking sheet and place under the broiler until cheese is melted and bread is toasted.

Spread mayonnaise over the top half of bread. Top the cheese with onions and close the sandwich. Serve immediately.

Grilled Steak with Cebolitas

When I was in my second year of college, I discovered Food Network and more importantly, Emeril Lagasse. I was obsessed with his shows. I literally used to make sure my classes were done by 5PM so I could race home and catch his shows. It wasn't just Emeril. At this time, I discovered Julia Child (who's repeats they used to show at around 2AM just when I was returning home from fraternity parties), Two Fat Ladies (who's dvds are coming out soon!), Bobby Flay, Tyler Florence, and Wolfgang Puck (who I saw at the farmers market a few months ago and almost crapped my pants!!!). Anyway, last year before I started food blogging, I found this great recipe of Emeril's for a grilled flank steak. I am not the hugest steak eater, but I love this marinade so much. It is so flavorful and the steak can be used in so many dishes it is definitely a keeper. I always make sure to marinate the steak overnight to get as much of the flavor into the meat as possible. I had a little mishap when I was making this and spilled my original batch of marinade all over my kitchen. I didn't have enough limes to use the second time around, so I replaced one of them with a lemon and it still turned out great.

PS, Totally un-food related, check out this clip of the lovely and insanely talented Adele on Conan. I had the greatest pleasure of seeing her perform back in May and I am hoping to see her again next month although there may be a scheduling conflict. She is really an artist that everyone should get to know and love.

Grilled Steak with Cebolitas
(From Emeril Lagasse)

1 Angus beef boneless Sirloin fillet
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, plus kosher salt, for seasoning

1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 bunch green onions, plus 1/4 cup chopped
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
Cilantro sprigs, for garnish
Lime wedges, for serving

Combine flank steak, 3 tablespoons of olive oil, garlic, 2 tablespoons lime juice, cilantro, salt, pepper, and 1/4 cup chopped green onions in a large zip-top plastic bag. Allow steak to marinate at room temperature for 45 minutes, turning occasionally. Alternatively, marinate in the refrigerator overnight.

Preheat grill to medium-high.

Remove steak from marinade bag and remove as much of the marinade as possible. Discard remaining marinade. Place the steak on the preheated grill and cook steak for 2 1/2 minutes, then rotate on same side 45 degrees (to create grill marks) and grill for another 2 1/2 minutes. Flip steak and cook for an additional 5 minutes on the other side, rotating 45 degrees after 2 1/2 minutes. Remove from grill pan and allow the steak to rest for 10 minutes under a foil tent.

Meanwhile, trim the root ends of the green onions and toss with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and salt, to season. Place the green onions on the grill and cook for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, (depending on the size of the onions), or until softened and slightly charred. Remove the onions from the grill and toss with the remaining 2 tablespoons of lime juice.
Slice the steak against the grain as thinly as possible and divide evenly between 4 plates. Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil. Top each steak with several grilled onions. Garnish each plate with fresh cilantro sprigs and a lime wedge.

Green Cabbage Stir Fried with Egg

I picked up some cabbage at the farmer's market originally to use with turkey burgers, but then I wasn't in the mood. I wasn't quite sure what I wanted to do with it, but then I came across this recipe. Tom makes some really beautiful Cambodian food. Check out his recent recipes featuring the biggest shrimp I have ever seen!! As with all stir fries, it is essential to have your ingredients ready before you start cooking because they go really quickly. I didn't feel like lugging out my wok so I used a large skillet which worked just fine. I served it with some brown rice and had a great lunch for work!

Green Cabbage Stir Fried with Egg
(Adapted from Under the Tamarind Trees)

1/2 medium head green cabbage, shredded
1 shallot, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
1/2 tablespoon agave nectar
1/2 tablespoon water
2 or 3 drops toasted sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Canola oil for stir frying

In a small bowl whisk together the soy sauce, agave nectar, water, sesame oil, and chili flakes.

Heat the oil in a large skillet or wok. Add the shallots and garlic and cook for one minute. Add the cabbage and cook just until it begins to wilt.

Push the cabbage to one side of the pan and add the egg. Cook the egg for a few seconds, scrape and turn and cook for a few more seconds. Stir the egg into the cabbage and toss until combined.

Add the sauce to the cabbage mixture and toss to coat the cabbage.

The Ominivore's Hundred

Since it's my 100th post (ALREADY?!), I decided to complete this survey that has been floating around the food blogosphere lately. Andrew at Very Good Taste created a list of things that good omnivores should try at least once in their life. All the things in bold are things I have tried. Since I am not good with the Blogger functions, all the things I don't want to try are in italics (instead of being crossed out). If you're interested in doing this yourself, copy the survey and paste it to your site! Also, check back to Very Good Taste to see what other people have to say!


The VGT Omnivore’s Hundred:

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding (not sure how I feel about this one)
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart (At 2AM after a night at the club, hell yeah!)
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes (Arbor Mist counts, right?! Please don't judge, it was in college)
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream (one of my favorites!)
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras (to be perfectly honest, I don't think I would, but I'm not totally ruling it out)
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar (A little of both, but not at the same time)
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores (So many that I will probably never eat one again - side effects of Girl Scouts)
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain (practically everyday being Ghanian)
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

Baked Eggs

Hope you all had a great Labor Day weekend! Mine was bittersweet since I had a great get together with my friends, but I had to say goodbye to a dear friend who is moving away for a little while :( Now to the food! I missed the first Barefoot Bloggers recipe of baked eggs and I have been wanting to try them for a while. I didn't have the ingredients for Ina's version, so I came up with a combination made up of things I had on hand. That's the beauty of baked eggs, you can literally through anything in to them and they come out great!! I am definitely going to be trying many versions of this in the future.

Baked Eggs

2 organic, free-range eggs
2 thin slices organic turkey breast
1 small Roma tomato, chopped
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
Cheese for sprinkling (I used a Mexican 3 cheese blend)
Bread for serving (optional)
Salt and pepper (optional - for the first time ever, I forgot to season and I was pleasantly surprised to find that this combo didn't really need the extra salt)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Butter a small ramekin and lay the turkey slices in it so they are overlapping. Lay the tomatoes on top of the turkey and spread the garlic over the tomatoes. Crack 2 eggs into the ramekin and top with cheese. Bake for 20 minutes until the eggs have set. If you like less done eggs, reduce the cooking time.

Check out the beautiful blueberry and blackberry galette that pre-Jackie made!

Slow Food Nation 2008

I don't even know where to start, Slow Food Nation was such a massive event and I was a little overwhelmed when I got there. I think it was the combination of trying to find the event and the large line of people waiting to get in to the Taste Pavilion. Once, I got in though, all was well. I went a little against the grain. The lines started at the bread pavilion so I decided to go all the way to the back. However, the last pavilion was for wine and I didn't feel much like drinking at 11 in the morning. I had a couple pieces of free cheese and then I decided to start my day with the Ice Cream. I chose the lighter flight which was made up of Cherry Lambec Sorbet from Jeni's Ice Cream in Columbus Ohio Cici's Gelateria in Mill Valley and Strauss Creamery provided Black Mission Fig and Yogurt flavors. I am so glad I picked this flight. The cherry flavor was nice and refreshing and a good palate cleanser. The yogurt was better than (dare I say?!) Pinkberry! And since I just finished a love affair with figs, I slowly savored the mission fig flavor.

The next stop was Charcuterie aka MEAT!! Since I returned to the meat eating world early last year, I love me some meat. I must admit, I hit this one twice. There was an appetizer of mortadella on crostini with sauerkraut and then three pieces of salumi. Prosciutto from Col. Newsom's, Berkshire VA Ham from Surry Farms, and the best (save the best for last) Salame Piccante from Perbacco. Each was great with their salty meatiness, but the spice of the salame put it in a class of it's own.
After the meats came the fish stop. The focus (of course) was on sustainable ways of catching fish. Here I had the Artic char that was smoked and mixed with tomatoes and other spices. Honestly, this was good, but it didn't blow me away. There was also a mix of seafood dishes, but I didn't want to use all my ticket space on this since there was still much more to try, but it seemed to be pretty good, judging from people's reactions.I headed towards the bread pavilions which were made up of pizza and Indian breads. I chose to go with pizza and I am so glad I did. While waiting in line I met Scott and Jennifer. Scott is in finance, but also has a sommelier's license which is how I found out that wine was actually one of the best bargains in the whole place. We all talked and enjoyed the rapini and sausage pizza which was being made right before our eyes in wood burning ovens. Then we headed to the wine. We enjoyed a lovely glass of Rubicon red (the varietal is escaping me at the moment, but I know it was delish) and some discussion. Scott and Jennifer had to leave me early, but not before they left me their extra tickets. (Thanks guys!!!) That left me with more opportunities to taste almost everything there.

The lines for olive oil, chocolate, and tea/coffee never really went down and since by this point, I had already had a couple of glasses of wine, I wasn't really in the mood to wait. I decided to try the honey pavilion and I am so glad I did. I am so passionate about people learning about the disappearance of honey bees and what we can do to help, the only regret was that I wasn't able to buy anything to contribute to the cause. I was able to taste several wonderful varieties of honey, my favorite being the Chicago city honey that had a wonderful fruitiness and a nice floral background.I finally made it through the cheese line and tasted several delicious cheeses, but like the pizza pavilion, there was little information about exactly which cheese I was tasting and where they were from. However, they were all amazing, and in the end, isn't that what it is all about?

By this point, I was quite full, but of course I kept going back for more wine. Sustainable, organic, and local wine? Hello! I am so there!! I tasted the meat again, but wasn't much in the mood for spirits so I went to the pickle and chutney pavilion. I only had one sample, but it was enough to tide me over until I got my flight back home to LA. It was cornbread topped with Newsom ham, and that was topped with a corn relish. I am not the biggest fan of corn, but that relish was enough to make anyone sing about the glories of corn from the rooftop.
My last stops were at the beer pavilion where I sampled a Summer honey brew from Big Sky Brewery in Missoula, MT and the Saison by the Sea from Coronado Brewing from Coronado, CA. Do you remember that song "Summer Love" by Justin Timberlake? That was so *my song* last summer even though I didn't have a summer love and this beer was so my beer at Slow Food Nation. It was bright and fruity and filled with the summer sun. Forgive me if that sounds so cheesy, but OMG it was good stuff.
That was it. My darling sister who lives in San Francisco came to get my lost ass and take me back to the BART station to catch my flight back to LA. Overall, I am so glad I made the trek. Everything was beautiful and the sense of community was so strong. Of course there were organizational things that could have been improved, but for a first event, I would say that Slow Food accomplished it's goal and put on a very successful event. I am looking forward to many more festivities like this in my future.