Nurturing my inner... sweet sweet main street

On a trip to CT a few months back, I decided to take my mom to a little town that I'm not sure I've ever been to.  I've heard of it though, because the hooty tooty people live there.  (As opposed to the horse people who live in the town I'm from.)  So here is a little trip into a couple stores in the quaint town of New Canaan, CT.

The reason I took her there was to go to the nearest location to her house of Le Pain Quotidien.  (Where I saw some famous actor who I can't remember his name.)  I had enjoyed it so much in VA, they have a killer cappuccino, that I had to take mom for the waffle.  After we were done with brunch, we walked along the adorable, picture perfect main street.  It had all kinds of shops and boutiques.  I bet you can guess which ones I was drawn to the most.

First stop, Belgique Chocolatier.  Darling artisan chocolate place.  If I lived nearby, I'd go every week.  (No, I'm not kidding.  I really would.)

Practically out of a watercolor.

Inside, it was row after row of decadent, interesting, cleverly-flavored treats.

Can you see the giant chocolate acorn and
flower shapes at the bottom right?

The interior of the shop was like a snapshot out of Paris.  Not that I've ever been to France, but this is what I think a European chocolate shop would look like.  Warm and cozy.  They even had rugs on the wood floor.  (Can I live in there?)

I'm pretty sure this is what heaven looks like.
At least at the entrance.

I used restraint, for a change, and just got four pieces.  One for mom and three for me.  (Hmmm...  That makes me sound rather selfish.  Oh well!  All is fair in love and chocolate.)  They put my lovely gems in a pretty, little cellophane bag with a B sticker to keep it safely shut.  (For the time being.  But a sticker is no match for me!)

Was hard to choose. I wanted them all.

I often go for anything with hazelnut or caramel, but I do also tend to be attracted to the peculiar.  In this case, the flavor that most intrigued me was the Speculoos-filled faceted dome.  Speculoos, in case you don't know (and why would you), is a ginger biscuit traditionally made in Belgium.  I've seen it ground up and made into a spread for waffles.  But then to take the spread and add it into a chocolate - well that is brilliantly unique!  I'm in!

How do they get those detailed designs?
A stencil? An airbrush? Magic wand?

I recommend going for the strangest flavors when you can.  Embrace the bizarre!  Speculoos rocks!  (Even if you can't spell it.)

A view down main street. Sweet old town.

But wait!  I was not done yet.  There was one more place.  A cupcake place.  for my second stop.  Crumbs.

Hello puppy waiting out front. Your owner
is in there getting a quick snack.

Like all good cupcake places, and they are EVERYWHERE these days, the glass case was filled with options.  Colorful ones at that.  I always find it SO hard to choose.  But I have been trying to have a different kind at every place to keep it interesting for both you and me.

I'd rather just back the car around, pop the
trunk and say, "Load 'er up!"

The friendly shop worker handed the cupcake to me in a plastic container with their juggling jester sticker on top.

Thank goodness I was still full from brunch
or I would have just eaten it while sitting
on the bench outside with the dog.

I carried my package home like it was a box of plutonium.  And I'm happy to report it arrived 100% safely with super cute carrot icing detail fully in tact.  That afternoon, I ate half.  It was a substantial cupcake, so a whole one was a little more than I could wrestle down that day.  (Yes, I am a sugar lightweight.)

Another winner!

Might I recommend a chocolate and cupcake world tour for everyone.  The earth would be a happier place.  Can you ever be disappointed with a mini personal cake at your disposal?  I think it's unlikely.  They make you smile.  Plus it's a heck of a delightful way to spend 30 minutes of browsing and snacking.  (I might also recommend that if the cupcakes are smaller, you really should get two different flavors.  Call it investigative research to anyone who looks at you funny.  They're just jealous of your self-assurance and dessert bravado anyway.)

I'm noticing lately that I remember the cities I visit by the food.  I guess there could be worse ways to travel!

Nurturing my inner... from ho hum to yum

If food doesn't look appetizing, you may not be so keen to dig right in.  So it could also be said that simple food when plated in a fancy way can be even more appetizing than you imagined.  You're not getting any actual recipes today.  But instead, a lesson in taking a few extra minutes to present your creations restaurant style.

Cooking a lovely dinner doesn't always have to involve a lot of ingredients or painstaking processes and how you arrange the elements when all is done can make a world of difference in going from ordinary to wowie kazowie.  Here are a few easy pointers.

1. Marinate your meat.  A simple salad dressing will do.  Put thawed beef in a glass dish and cover with dressing.  Leave for a couple hours or longer.

Balsamic has deep tangy notes.

Lots of flavor without a lot of effort.  Can throw on the grill or broil in the oven like I did.

Out of dish, onto pan.

2. Add a little bit of butter.  Simple sauteed butter with garlic or shallots gives plain veggies a fast flavor boost.  And you don't need a ton of butter like they use on TV.  Just a pat or two.  Steam green beans for five minutes in preparation.  Melt butter on medium heat and add sliced garlic.  Saute until soft.

Garlic and butter. Such a simple, but reliable
combo.

Add steamed veggies to butter and garlic and toss for a few minutes until well-coated.  Add some slivered almonds at the end for some crunch.

So quick.

3. Use your tools.  Multipurpose your kitchen tools in new ways to lay a fun foundation.  Large biscuit cutters can be stuffed with wild rice.  Pack lightly before removing the mould to get a shape that stays in tact.

Won't take you but a minute.

Put it all together.  A circle of wild rice, sliced balsamic marinated steak and string beans with garlic and sliced almonds.  That's a pretty ordinary meal that didn't take a lot of time to prepare, but once plated, it looks like you just went to a five star restaurant.

As good as any steakhouse.

Here's a sample of what I did with chicken I bought in a premarinated pack and baked.  I made some black rice and put it in the bottom of a bowl. Then sauteed up some shallots with olive oil and tossed in some fresh snow peas for the next layer.  Cook just for a few minutes.  To finish, I sliced the baked chicken and placed on top.  Again, looking like a pro.

It really doesn't take much to gussy things up.

One more for you.  Fish.  A simple mixture of Israeli cous cous with sauteed zucchini, mushrooms and spinach for the bed on which the fish shall lay.

I do this often. Wild rice or cous cous with
a combo of veggies I change up each time.
(Shallots and garlic, of course too.)

I baked some cod in cornflake crumbs, like my mom used to when I was growing up, and landed it on my mixture from above.  Even though I don't blog all the time about what's going on, it doesn't mean I'm not cooking at home. I may be remaking tried and true favorites or conjuring up slight variations based on what I picked up at the market.  (And on occasion I'm completely failing at something that needs more work before I can present it to you.)

Just two items, but looks like more.

Must be the artist in me, but I think it's super fun to take a regular weeknight dinner and jazz it up with some simple tricks.  Like slicing meat on an angle or piling up veggies over a rounded stack of rice.  And putting my creation on a cool plate.  For a moment, I can picture myself in a small bistro in the city, listening to some lively music by candlelight, taking my time and savoring every forkful.  Now that's nice.  (Not bad for a girl who grew up in the woods with a mom who doesn't like to cook.)

Even if you're just cooking for you, treat yourself well.  Like a welcomed guest in your own home.  Don't always rely on Styrofoam takeout containers to satisfy your physical hunger.  You're not any less deserving of home cooked meals served in lovely ways because, like me, you may not have a family to cook for.  Be your own good company.  It will also feed your soul.

Nurturing my inner... get back up again

Since it's "fall," it appears I had a literal interpretation of the season this year and did just that.  My first crashing tumble while running.  Let me give you some details.  (Like you could possibly stop me.)

As I have done every Saturday for the past four months, I went to my long distance running class, even though I was super tired from particularly late work hours this past week.  That's what you have to do with running - make a commitment.  No excuses.  My run was going okay: not terrible, but not stellar.  Somewhere in between.  I was glad I had a friend by my side going the same pace, so it made for a relaxed, comfortable time and kept me going during the moments I was feeling slightly apathetic about forward motion.  We were on the trails, which are paved, but there was a ton of debris on them from the recent storm.  (Which included a tornado with ghastly 45 degree angle downpours of hard rain.)  Branches, nuts, leaves, rocks, mud and water were left everywhere, so we were very careful to slow our pace, take the down hills particularly gingerly and step onto clear spaces whenever possible.  It wasn't a day to rush.  (Which was good, because we didn't miss the family of six deer that were within feet of us at one point.)  There was a time when my running buddy had stepped onto an acorn or something and almost twisted her foot.  A bit later, I think I hit a rock and did the same slight tripping move.  We were both fine though.  Nothing major.  That is to say, until...

Yeah, well, so much for my being "careful."  It all happened quite quickly.  In an instant, really.  There was a moment when I was trying so hard to catch my balance and then WHAM, onto the asphalt.  The full force of my weight landing hard on my knees and me catching my upper body with my palms as I skidded forward like a kicked empty soda can.  After the initial realization that I had a fight with gravity and lost, I looked back and saw there was about a 2.5 in diameter short piece of stick that had been hidden under some leaves.  I never could have seen it.  I think I stunned my buddy who wasn't quite sure what happened to me because in the blink of an eye I had gone from upright to horizontal.  Looking back she said I actually appeared to hover there in the air for a moment. Probably for that split second when I was working overtime to try and right my very wronged angle as I was saying to myself, "Oh my, the ground is coming up awfully quickly!!"

Wow, no fun.  Certainly one of the most embarrassing three seconds of my life.  Yet, I got up and dusted myself off, glad I had on running capris instead of shorts so at least that helped to minorly protect my knees that were now quite banged up.  A quick wipe of my bleeding hands and we began walking again.  Unfortunately, we were about halfway out and still had a couple miles back yet to run.  This is how you know you're really a runner: after a short walk to the next intersection, I said, "Let's go."  Maybe it was the Adrenalin from my super speedy plunge to earth, but the second half of my run was actually better than my first - sans the painful right knee and throbbing, bleeding left hand.  As another friend said later - take pride, these are your battle scars!  (We runners are messed up!)

Some soap and water to clean up my boo boos back at the store and a couple coffees later, I needed to head home to ice my poor knee.  (That was likely going to divorce itself from my body even after I apologized for falling on it with all one hundred and *muffled sound* pounds of me at high velocity.)

Needless to say, that night I wasn't in the mood to stand and cook.  But I was craving some comfort food.  Thank goodness my fridge held some I had made recently that was ready to go.

Potato Leek Soup

2 lbs peeled, diced potatoes
1 large leek sliced in half and then into 1/4 inch strips
4 cups chicken stock
4-5 sprigs of fresh thyme
2 tbsps unsalted butter
1/4 tsp salt (to taste)
Splash of heavy cream
Dollop of mascarpone cheese

This is how I made it.  All started with a couple pounds of potatoes.  I got some slightly waxy ones.  Thought they would be extra creamy.

Different sizes are fine. They will be diced.

To prep things, I peeled and diced the potatoes and put them in water so they wouldn't brown.

Make them about the same size chunk.

Into the pan I was going to make the soup, my Le Creuset 5 1/2 quart French Oven, I added the butter and turned it on medium.  As it melted, I threw in the leeks and sauteed until translucent.

Gotta love a one pot meal.

If you have the time to make chicken broth, then sure, do that.  I used the box, which I think isn't a bad substitute.

Do I get points for it being organic at least?

Add the stock and fresh thyme and bring to a boil.  Then add the potatoes.  Bring back up to a boil, then turn down to a simmer and cover.  Cook for about 15 - 20 minutes or until a knife can go through the potatoes easily.

A simple combination that will bring complex
flavor later.

I don't own an immersion blender, so I did an easy two step process.  (After I removed the thyme twigs.  Don't forget that part.)  First came out the potato masher.

Such a handy tool.

Into the pot went the masher and I, well, mashed stuff.  Just a little bit.  To scale down the large pieces.

Easy with soft potatoes.

I wanted a slightly creamier consistency than I was getting with just the masher though, so for the second part of the process, I took half of the soup and put it into a regular blender.  (Warning: Do this carefully because it's hot and when you stop the blender and take the lid off, the bubble will burst when it settles and you could get hot soup on you.  You may want to do it in two small batches and wait a minute.)  Pour the blended portions back into the pot and stir all together.

Now that's perfect!  Creamy, but also with
some texture left.

I don't like to freeze things with milk or cream in them if possible, so I put some soup into one cup containers that I popped into the deep freeze for another day and left some in the fridge.  Into my bowl that night, after I heated it up, I added a little heavy cream and stirred it all up well.  Then I added a dollop of mascarpone cheese because I happened to have some around.  Once it started to melt, I was able to stir that in as well.  The soup was so creamy and comforting.  Made boo boos all better.

Mini mascarpone floating island.

The other great idea I got was that I remembered I had some cooked turkey bacon in the fridge from breakfast the day before, so I crumbled that on top as well.  I mean, potatoes and bacon together.  If that doesn't inspire wellness, I'm not sure what would.

It's funny, but you'd be surprised how many runners take a spill now and then.  That was news to me!  I had friends who have done the same thing (as recently as last week) post their stories to my social networking page, telling me all about their nose dives to the ground.  Seems like we're all in good company.  (One girl even said she takes a spill every few months.  Now that is something!)  One thing I know is true about all of us; though we may fall, we get back up again.  And we keep running.  (Which really is a great model for life in general.)  Of course, that doesn't preclude us from sitting on the sofa that evening with a cold ice pack to comfort bruised body parts and a warm bowl of soup to comfort bruised egos.  There has to be healing time.  For the inner and outer us.

Lesson learned: Sooner or later, we're all going to fall down.  Every one of us.  So get back up again.  You've got much more left to do.

Nurturing my inner... things remembered

Beautiful things.  I support purchasing them if you're going to use them.  What good is it to own items of beauty if you're only going to hide them in a locked cabinet getting dusty?  Well I'll tell you - zippo.  So when you purchase lovely things, make sure they get used.  Delight in them.  Like I do.

A friend of mine recently refinished an old mirrored tray she got at a thrift shop and it looked fantastic.  When I got my new bedroom furniture, that reminded me to look for one. After a few unsuccessful trips to nearby thrift stores, I decided to shop using online auctions.  I found just the ideal tray with an interesting shape.  1940s Art Deco style which would go perfectly with my Craftsman style taste.

On my new dresser. (With my favorite-no longer
made, so I have to ration-perfume and birthday
bracelet gift to me from me this year.)

This tray was in just shy of absolutely perfect condition.  And I adore it!  Here is a close up of the incredible detail.

Superb! It's just perfect for me!

As one who appreciates things of a long gone era, I thought I'd make an accompanying treat to celebrate my fabulous, yet functional, purchase.  Madelines.  There of course is an unclear history on how the Madeline came about.  From what I can gather, Madeline Paulmier was either an 18th or 19th century cook and in one way or another they were named after her.  That's good enough for me.  Let's get cooking.

Vanilla Bean Madelines

2 cups flour (can use all purpose, but I used cake)
6 large eggs, room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 tbsps light brown sugar
2 sticks unsalted butter, melted
2 tbsps agave nectar
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
1 vanilla bean
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
Confectionery sugar
Nonstick spray

This is a plan ahead cooking adventure.  But hey, great cathedrals weren't built in a day.  Reminding me of one of my favorite sayings, "The best things aren't always easy, and the easy things aren't always best."  Post that one on your fridge.  So plan to make this batter one day and bake the mini cakes the next.

You'll begin your lesson in patience the first day by taking out eggs and leaving them to get to room temperature.  I don't know what most people would consider safe, but there is no way I'm emotionally capable of leaving them out overnight.  I am only willing to wait about four hours.  Might as well take out the butter while you're at it.

Put them on a flat surface that they can't roll
off of and crash to the floor. I used a frying
pan. Ingenious, no?

In a bowl add the flour, baking powder and salt.  In another bowl add the eggs and white and light brown sugars.  If you have a standing mixer, you're lucky.  I don't.  No room.  So I use an electric hand mixer.  Beat the eggs and sugar for 10 minutes.  (Or for as long as you can stand it.  I lasted for about five.)  Mixture will be light and fluffy.

About to be blended.

After the eggs and sugar are well incorporated, fold in the flour.  If you can sift it in, that would be good.  Add half, fold, add the other half, fold.

So creamy.

Melt the butter in the microwave, which should be already softish because you left it out with the eggs.



Just accept this recipe has two sticks of butter
now and move forward.


Shouldn't take but 30 seconds or so.  Pay close attention.

Where's the popcorn? Oh, wrong entry.

Pour that in to the batter and fold gently.  Not for too long.

Butter is the sports car of flavor delivery.
(I think I need to work on my metaphors.)

This is where you could add one of many flavors.  Almond, lemon, green tea, chocolate.  But since I was making these as a tribute to those classy chicks who came before me, who probably had mirrored trays on their dressers, vanilla was my extract of choice.  That's why I used vanilla bean paste and the inside of a vanilla bean.  (Mostly I just wanted to see the flecks of bean.)

Double dose of vanilla. Why skimp, I say.

For an additional hint of sweetness, as if all this wasn't enough, I shot in a bit of agave nectar.  It's all about the layers.  Fold that in, cover with plastic wrap and put into the fridge for at least a few hours or it will keep for a couple days.

Nice flecks.

In order to make a proper Madeline, one must purchase a Madeline pan.  You've seen one.  Has shell-shaped depressions.  It's a purchase you'll be happy with because you'll definitely make these several times a year.  Especially when you have endless flavor combos to explore.  The French may not like you tinkering with their traditional tastes, but hey, if you're not French, you can do whatever you want!  (Just don't tell them.  They already don't like us too much.  Why give them more material.)

Take the batter out of fridge and let sit at room temperature for 15 min.  Preheat the oven to 350.

I read reviews and ended up with the one
from Williams & Sonoma. They make
such quality products.

Though you could use more melted butter to brush the indentations, I used a butter-flavored nonstick spray.  Makes for fast work.  As did putting the batter into a Ziploc bag and cutting the corner off, like below.  Fill up each well three quarters of the way.  They will puff up when they bake, so you don't want to overdo it.

The bag trick is awesome!

When every well has been filled, you are ready to go!  Bake on the middle rack for 8-11 minutes.  And put on the tea kettle.

Ooh, can't wait.

Look for light brown edges. Insert a toothpick into the middle of a cake or two to make sure it comes out dry.  If yes, then you're done!

We're done!

They will pop right out.  (If you bought a quality pan.)  All three dozen of them.  Let them rest on a cooling rack, then plate.  I had a nice wood tray for them.  I flipped a few over so I could see the seashell side and then dusted them with confectionery sugar.  Divine.  But I needed the proper beverage for accompaniment.

How classic. I'm certain the French would
be proud. (Or at least tolerant.)

The local Expo center had their twice yearly big flea market a couple weeks ago.  I had my sights set on some things that I hoped I might find.  (I properly researched beforehand to know my price limits and to limit my chances of being snookered.  Do your homework - be savvy.)

A flea market is a lot of fun.  An exciting treasure hunt.  At the same time, I found myself feeling a little melancholy as well.  I thought: "Someone once bought this item brand new.  If she was 20 in the 1940s when Fire King Jadeite was manufactured, she could be in her late 80s today.  Did she sip tea in this cup with a dear friend?  Is it here, being resold, because she died?  How often did she use it?  When was the last time?  Did her children not want any of it?  Was there an estate sale and a stranger came in and bought up all her stuff just to resell and make money?"  These and many things I wondered.

Beautiful.

Jolting myself back to the present time... French pastries have a friend in English tea.

Steamy tea and one of my great aunt's
small teaspoons.

As I sat sipping my hot beverage and nibbling my tea cake, I thought about the woman who first purchased this piece of history.  I hope I honored her memory by cherishing this cup, this moment, and delighting in the perfect companion for my Madelines.  Perhaps things aren't ever really lost when passed on to someone who values them.

Nurturing my inner... tools of the trade

Have you ever had gnocchi?  If so, I bet you have one of two views.  1.) It was a light, pillowy, delightful dream.  Or  2.) It was akin to consuming grape-sized pouches of lead that sunk to the bottom of my stomach.  No one likes to be super full after two bites.  So I set out to make the airy and delicate kind.  And I'll show you how I did it.

Potato Gnocchi

2 lbs of russet potatoes, cooked and riced (more on this later)
1 1/4 - 1/2 cup flour (depending on the humidity)
Sprinkle of salt

Not a ton of ingredients, just a little work.  But fun work.  Like playing with clay in kindergarten.

Boil 2 lbs of russet potatoes until soft.  Put them into the pan whole in the skin so there is less absorption of water into the potato.  You may not think this is so important, but it is!  It's one of the tricks of good gnocchi.

30 - 40 minutes. Done when you can stick
a knife through them easily.

They will be easy to peel once they are cooked.  But very HOT!  So use a small towel to hold them and don't burn yourself.

No skins in this dish.

Now for a special tool.  It's called a ricer.  And what it does is finely extrude potatoes.  Keeping them light and airy.  Trick number two for making light gnocchi.  Just pop the cooked potato into the chamber, flip the handle over so the flat part fits in flush and use those biceps to squeeze the potato through!

In ya go, whole!

You might think you could just mash the potato with a fork, but it's not quite the same.  See how the potato is extruded?  It's light, airy and fine.  Pressed, not mashed.

Ribbons of potato!

When you're done, it almost looks like a bowl of noodles.

It's quick work. Really.

Add in the flour slowly and lightly mix with your hands.  (Just get in there!)  You don't want to over mix so the dough gets tough or add too much flour so it gets heavy.  Start with sprinkling in a cup, a bit at a time, then go from there.  If the dough seems a little sticky, add a little more flour.  That's the thing about making pasta.  I can give you a recipe, but you may have to tweak it depending on the weather.

Forms a soft ball of dough.

Next you're going to roll out the dough into logs.  About 1/2 inch in diameter.

See, just like art class.

With a sharp knife, cut into pieces about a half inch long.

Line 'em up!

And here we go!  Second special, yet not expensive, tool of the day.  A gnocchi board.  Yes, you can use a fork to make the marks, but this is more fun and makes them look so professional.

Imported from the homeland. (Through
the Internet.)

Put a piece of the pasta on the gnocchi board, take your thumb and press and roll it to the right.  It will create these lovely ridges that will be very useful later to hang on to the sauce.

Oh yeah, now that's some good ridges!

Flour a baking sheet and place them on top.  Very handmade looking in their uniqueness.  I had a few helpers, so we all had our different flair.  Toss into boiling water for just a couple/few minutes.  They are done when they float to the top.  Skim them off with a cooking spider if you have one.

Can you tell which ones are mine? Didn't think so.
I can't either.

A traditional way of serving gnocchi is with pesto.  I got mine at the Wegmans olive bar.  Best store bought pesto I have ever found.  And you can place it into small baggies and freeze for future use.  (That way I always have some on hand for making bruschetta or flavored cream sauce.)  I added some toasted pignoli nuts and cooked up some diced pancetta which I put on the side as an option.

Look at those beauties. Light version.

For variety's sake, we also made a simple bolognese sauce with garlic, sauteed beef and fresh basil.  Half went into that.  Toss lightly though.  Gnocchi are delicate and you don't want to hack them to pieces when you're stirring them with the sauce.

Hearty version with meat.

One friend brought a caprese salad, another steamed some asparagus.  That looks like a pretty European plate to me!

Some with each sauce. Liked them both!

To be honest, I thought making gnocchi would be harder.  Don't they make it look hard on TV?  (I don't even think my grandmothers made gnocchi.)  Now we know from the photos, it really isn't hard at all.  Having the right tools made all the difference.  You can get them off of Amazon if you don't have a trip to Italy planned any time soon.  The gnocchi were light, soft, tender and took on whatever we flavored them with.  I like that we did the comparison of different types of sauces because it showcased their versatility.  (And lack of lead like qualities!)

Since all this rolling, cutting and crafting made you think of your childhood art classes, I just know you can't wait to make them yourself!  Invite some friends over and have fun!