Gift Mason Jars

As some of you may or may not know, I recently became the president of the woman's organization in my congregation. Assignments given at church are not things one volunteers for. My bishop asked and I said yes.

This past Saturday we had an activity where women from the ward (congregation) could make gifts for the holidays. One of my counselors (I have two and a secretary) came up with the idea of putting together dry mixes into wide-mouth quart size mason jars. (That is her below. I don't think she wanted her picture taken. Oops!)

We had the option of packing a muffin, cookie or a soup mix. Contents needed to be packed down well or they would not all fit! There was quite the mess to clean up afterwards, but we all had fun.

Here are 4 finished products. Aren't they cute? Instructions are attached to the jars for the recipient to follow. I haven't decided yet if I'm going to keep mine or give it away. :-)

"The Air Is Full Of Spices"

Greg and I made a wonderful discovery a few months back. We originally went to Cost Plus to find Swedish fish as part of a 25 & 3/4 birthday gift for Lindsie and Greg wanted some loose leaf tea. We somehow wandered down the aisle with the spices and were pleasantly surprised that Cost Plus sells their spices for much less than regular grocery stores. Greg and I do not usually like to shop but when it comes to food, we are all over it.

As we were in the same shopping complex as Cost Plus this evening, we stopped by to pick up a few spices to replace old ones that have lost their potency. They had a Buy 2 get 1 Free sale, so we stocked up.

A dear friend (thanks Grace!) gave this masala dabba to Greg and we are finally putting it to good use! Some of the spices we bought were in baggies so those are the ones that made their way into this awesome spice organizer. There's Cajun spice, garam masala, curry powder, tandoori, and oregano. You can probably guess that near future meals will be Indian influenced.

We also got paprika, chili powder, cayenne pepper, ancho chili, & we picked up the Chinese five spice when we first discovered the spice aisle. We can't wait to make chili as the flavors will pop now.

(20 points to the person who can tell me where the title came from)

Bouchon Bakery

After our afternoon of walking around on 9/11,
we stopped by Rockefeller Center to check things out.

Across the square was Bouchon Bakery.
Lindsie is a fan of the owner/chef, Thomas Keller, so we had to stop in and have dessert.

We ordered a pistachio macaroon, 2 parfaits, and hot chocolate.

The pistachio macaroon was very flavorful and had a rich pistachio flavor
and not overly sweet.

The Cookies n Cream parfait was very good and
my favorite part was the crumbled cookies on top.

The Strawberry parfait had a gel on top with an intense strawberry flavor which was quite addicting. Out of the two, the strawberry was my favorite, which is saying a lot as I am a chocoholic.

We both enjoyed our hot chocolates.

After our pit stop, we headed to St. Patrick's Cathedral to listen to a
special choral concert in honor of 9/11.

We actually lucked out on this concert. We were walking around after dessert and thought we'd just look inside. There were a lot of people inside and the choir had just walked onto stage so we decided to stick around awhile. The pipe organ rocked!

Katz's Deli

After church on 9/11, I ate the best pastrami sandwich at Katz's Deli. I told Greg he needed to visit this place when he was visiting Lindsie back in February. They sent pictures to my phone of these beautiful sandwiches they ordered, a pastrami and a Rueben. Since they are so big, Lindsie and I opted to split one, which was more than enough for us along with the pickles. Greg said if he had to pick one, it would be pastrami. Hence the reason we went with the pastrami over the Rueben. He said both were very good, just that the Russian dressing was a tad sweet for his liking.

Upon entering, each person is given a ticket on which the sandwich makers write your order on, so you can pay on your way out. You do not want to lose this ticket! As Lindsie and I only ordered one thing, we turned in the blank ticket at the register on our way out. Otherwise they'll charge you a hefty amount. They try to prevent people from 'losing' their ticket so they don't have to pay their fair share.

Lindsie knew the trick for getting samples while waiting for your sandwich, something she picked up from her last trip with Greg. You tip the sandwich makers a dollar or two and they'll cut off slices of whatever meat they are cutting for you to sample.

Isn't it beautiful? Thick slices of succulent pastrami on rye. The pickles were good too.

I can't wait to dig in!

I hope you're hungry!

The pickle I'm eating (thanks for the most flattering picture Lindsie) wasn't pickled very long as it still tasted mostly like cucumber. It was a nice refreshing compliment to the rich pastrami.

Here are a few pictures of our afternoon after Katz's Deli.
This officer is certainly packing some heat.

Brooklyn Bridge

Near Ground Zero

An empty subway train car! I had to document this.

After our adventure downtown, we stopped by Little Italy to have a slice of pizza.

More posts to come of the wonderful food I had in NYC!

Fette Sau

I went to NYC for a week (Sept 9-Sept 16) and spent time with Lindsie before school started up again for me, and before Lindsie flew to Portugal for lab. We ate at some amazing places while I was there. The first place we went to was Fette Sau in Brooklyn. The train that takes us almost directly there was not in service that Saturday so we took a less-direct route and definitely built up an appetite.

The name means 'fat pig,' so naturally we had to get the pulled pork. It was the best pulled pork I've ever had. We also ordered some beef brisket, a sausage which reminded me of pepperoni in flavor, homemade baked beans with chunks of pork swimming in it and sauerkraut. Our eyes are always bigger than our stomachs but we made a good dent on the food.

On each table there was a selection of 4 sauces. One was spicy, one was your traditional tomato based bbq sauce, one was vinegar based, and the last one was a mustard/horseradish combination. My favorite out of the bunch was definitely the vinegar as it cut through the richness of all the meat quite nicely.

Lindsie enjoying the 'pepperoni' sausage.

We washed it down with water and now had the energy for 9 more hours of walking around NYC. It was a long day but well worth it.

Here are a few pictures from the trip before we made our next food stop that evening.

Because the 10th anniversary of 9/11 was the next day, the city was covered with NYPD and the ferries also had the coast guard escorting it to and back from Staten Island. I thought it was awesome.

Manhattan in the background.

At a near by park from the ferry building, there was a 9/11 memorial where each flag represented a life that was taken that day 10 years ago. It was quite sobering and made the events that happened that much more real to me.

This is a picture of the most massive Reese's peanut butter cups I've ever seen. Each cup is 8 ounces and 1150 calories. I bought it just because it was so ridiculous. I've yet to crack it open.

Leg of lamb

When cooking with wine, one is advised to cook with something you'd drink! Since I don't drink wine and Greg had never bought a bottle before (neither of us are wine connoisseurs), Greg called Lindz and asked what kind we should get. Having watched plenty of Julia Child (when she was older), she recommended this brand. It was the only one I recognized so we went with it. Greg's very first purchased bottle of wine! It cooked down very well in the sauce.

Our list of ingredients: Leg of lamb, lemon juice, garlic, rosemary, chives, onion, parsley, chicken broth, red wine and couscous


Rubbing on the garlic, rosemary, lemony goodness! (Salt and pepper as well)


Caramelizing in a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes before turning it down to 325 degrees and cooking for 60 more minutes or until internal temp is 130.


Creating a sauce from the pan drippings! This is where the red wine, broth, onion, parsley, chives and rosemary come into play. Reduce til desired consistency. (Took about half an hour for us.) We strained ours at the end.


Lamb resting so the juices don't run when cutting. (Yes, that is a pampered chef cutting board you spy!)


Greg slicing away at his masterpiece.


He wishes it was more pink, but it was left in the oven a little longer than he wanted. I thought it was great, but I know how I can be hard on myself when baking/cooking. Not bad for the first time!

Side dish of couscous to which we added toasted pine nuts.

I tried to get a nice picture of it all together, but no luck. I'll need to keep practicing with presentation. The dish itself is a success and we will have lamb for several more meals. Next task is to come up with flavorful recipes for leftovers!

Mascarpone Frosting

This is a recipe for one of the best frostings ever. That is saying a lot as I am not a fan of frosting, my least favorite being cream cheese frosting. I usually have cream cheese in savory applications so my brain has never been able to wrap around the idea of cream cheese being sweet.

Mascarpone is an 'Italian sweet cream cheese.' According to the container, it has 1/2 the calories of butter.

Ingredients
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

1/2 cup mascarpone cheese

2 cups powdered sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp vanilla

1. Mix together butter and mascarpone.
2. Add powdered sugar. (The powdered sugar I added was just shy of 2 cups.)
3. Add salt, lemon juice and vanilla.
4. Texture of the frosting isn't smooth, so once everything is incorporated, it is ready to go.

I came across this recipe thanks to my friend Rachel. She sent me a link for a poppy seed cake with mascarpone frosting. The cake itself turned out fine, though I fear I over-cooked it just a tad. I decided to make cupcakes instead of cake rounds (easier for me to transport) and wasn't sure of the time needed. It is a buttery batter that compliments the sweet frosting nicely. It was topped with freshly sliced strawberries to cut the richness of the dessert.

The finished cupcakes were eaten before I realized I hadn't taken a picture. But believe me, they looked cute and were quite yummy.

Lindsie Birthday Cookies

We (Greg and I) have made these for Lindsie a couple of times now. Since she likes them so much, there's no need to send her anything else. Her former roomie from Berkeley enjoyed them as well. (She called me a cookie goddess. I'll take that as a compliment!) We sent these to our mom this year for Mother's Day and they were well received.

Ingredients

• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter
• ¼ cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 cup (milk or semi-sweet) mini chocolate chips (we cut up some Hershey's candy bar one time instead of the chocolate chips)
• 1 cup of toffee (Sometimes Heath bars come pre-chopped in the baking aisle or you can buy a bag/bars and chop away!)
  

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix/cream the sugars and butter together.
3. Add egg and vanilla.
4. Sift/mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a separate bowl.
5. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix.
6. Fold in chocolate and toffee.
7. Place tablespoon sized balls onto non-greased sheets.
8. Bake for 10 minutes.
9. Let cool before eating. :)

Happy Birthday Lindsie! Have fun in Wisconsin!

Pomegranate Sauce

Greg and I served this with pork chops but I'm sure it will work great with poultry too. (Cooking times for various meats will differ.)

Pomegranate Sauce

1 cup plain pomegranate juice (such as POM Wonderful)

3/4 teaspoon cornstarch

1 tablespoon water

1 to 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1. Sear thick pork chops (that have been brined and seasoned with pepper) in an oven-safe skillet on medium-high heat (4 minutes each side).
2. After searing, place in a 375 degree oven to finish cooking for 15 minutes or internal temp is 140-145.
   
3. Take pork out of the oven and move meat to a separate plate.
   
4. While the pork rests, pour off and discard any fat from the skillet. (Leave the brown bits on the bottom!)
   
5. Add pomegranate juice to the skillet and boil over moderately high heat until reduced to about 2/3 cup while also scraping off the brown bits from the bottom. (Reducing to 2/3 cup takes about 3 minutes.)
   
6. Stir together the cornstarch and water and whisk into juice.
   
7. Add mustard and then boil sauce until thickened slightly, 1 to 2 minutes.
8. Remove from heat and swirl in butter until incorporated.
   
9. Pour sauce through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl to get rid of lumps.
   
10. Season with salt (optional).
11. If you like your sauce thicker, add a little more cornstarch or cook longer.
    

We have come to a point in our cooking where sauces are starting to play an important role in the dish. (We made a pan gravy for our chicken last night that turned out really good too!) The pomegranate sauce was a delicious, not too sweet syrup that nicely complimented the pork. It was served along side a simple salad of lettuce, cucumber and tomato and a slice of cantaloupe. I'm sure this sauce will become a new favorite.

[I forgot to take any pictures.]

StillTasty

I've never been one to eat leftovers. I was roommates with a friend that had the same 'fear.' Needless-to-say, we stopped bringing home doggy bags.

When living with different people, it can be expected that not everyone has the same ideas on how long food lasts. In my current living situation, my timeline for touching leftovers is only 2-3 days MAX! Greg can wait up to a week and Uncle Dean's timeline is much longer.

How can we settle disputes that may arise on whether something is still good? The answer to all your questions can be found in this website: StillTasty. It gives you a guideline on how long things will last in the fridge and the freezer.

Thanks to Mo' for sending me this link! It will be useful in this household. :-)

Ginger-Lime Marinade

6 6

Since we live so close to Ranch 99, Greg & I walk there to get our vegetables/produce because we feel it is of better quality and cheaper than grocery stores. A win-win for us! Last time we were there, they had lime and ginger on sale. Since we try to use ingredients we have on hand, Greg found this yummy recipe for a marinade that used ginger and lime which we used for chicken.

Ingredients:

Servings Size

• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 lime zest

Mix all together and marinate chicken for 2 hours (so says the recipe). Greg cut the chicken breasts in half and pounded them flat so they would cook more evenly in the skillet. We let the chicken marinate for an hour because we were hungry. We added cayenne pepper to add a little kick and it wasn't overpowering.

It turned out really well! We had a side of homemade mac & cheese with broccoli. Was a wonderful meal and the marinade is definitely worth a try! Simple yet delicious.

Chocolate Biscuit Cake

I have every intention of making this cake. I thought I was going to have more time on my hands but Stanford called and I have a job again for another 4 months. Once the quarter is over in June I will make it. I can't wait to try it!

Next Recipe: Chocolate Biscuit Cake

(I love her dress.)

Who doesn't love Prince William?!? Well, maybe most of my readers, but that's ok. His Chocolate Biscuit Groom's Cake sounds yummy and the actual recipe is so easy. I will give it a try next week as I have projects for school to be completed and a banana loaf that still needs to be finished off. I can't wait!

Chocolate Dipped Strawberries

To my surprise, this case of strawberries was only $10. Less than half this size is $8 at the grocery store. Thank you to the man on the side of the road selling them! I was in San Jose teaching piano lessons as I usually do each Saturday morning and saw all these glorious strawberries waiting to be eaten. I had to eat one in the car on the way back to Fremont. When I got home I melted about a 1/3 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips and dipped a few strawberries in it. They are hardening in the fridge as I type this. I'm sure they'll be divine. This is also the first time I've used my silicone baking liner. Strawberries should have no trouble coming off the pan. (Pics were taken from my phone, hence the poor quality).

Chocolate Mint-Chip Muffins

I received a gift card to King Arthur’s Flour back at Christmas and ordered mint chips. They’ve been sitting on the kitchen table ever since staring at Dean saying “eat me!” I saw a recipe on tv for chocolate chocolate-chip muffins and figure I could easily add my mint chips. I seem to need a reason before baking and this time they are for my Aunt Dawn. She won’t actually see these until she gets back from Lodi over the weekend, so hopefully it’ll be a nice birthday surprise for her when she gets home. (The formatting is not cooperating with me today.)

Chocolate Mint-Chip Muffins

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour


• 2 teaspoons baking powder


• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda


• pinch of salt


• 3 tablespoons best quality cocoa powder


• 3/4 cup superfine sugar


• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips, plus extra for sprinkling on top


• 1/4 cup mint-chips


• 1 cup milk


• 1/3 cup plus 2 teaspoons olive oil


• 1 egg


• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

• Special equipment: Muffin tin with paper muffin cases


• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.


• Put the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa, salt, sugar, and all the mint & chocolate chips into a large bowl.


• Pour all the liquid ingredients into a measuring jug.


• Mix the dry and wet ingredients together. (It's ok if the batter is lumpy).


• Spoon into the prepared muffin cases.


• Sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips on top and then bake for 20 minutes or until the muffins are dark, risen and springy.

I added mint chips to the top as well but the color bled and even though it tastes great, it looks a little weird. They taste lovely so I hope she enjoys them. Happy Birthday Dawn!