Monday Night Dinner

Yesterday I made dinner for my boss' family and it was fantastic. I'm really loving being able to do this and get the chance to experiment and play more than I usually do. I made a green salad, roasted butternut squash soup, and stuffed zucchinis. 

I have this...thing where I am super amused by making a "green salad." The amusement stemming from the fact that it's a play on words and quite literally the salad is entirely green. I've also found that this is both really beautiful as well as delicious almost no matter what I throw in. This one has greens, including spinach and arugula, cucumber, and avocado. I also made a dressing with fresh Italian parsley incorporated. Other green things that are awesome in a green salad...zucchini, peppers, basil (just incorporate some whole leaves with the other greens and it is fantastic), apple, pear, broccoli, green beans, green onion, artichoke hearts, snap peas...the possibilities are endless!

 The soup I made was amazing and also super simple. I had some compound butter I'd made last week by cutting together butter with thyme, basil, Italian parsley and some garlic powder. I used that and placed pats of it on my butternut squash (cut in half) then sprinkled just a tiny bit of brown sugar over it. I put it in the oven at 400 degrees Farenheit (I know some of you are in Canada) and let it get soft and golden. I did peek in a few times to re-baste the liquid onto it. While that was going on I sautéed some onion with rosemary and thyme. Whenever I have too much of a fresh herb and I know it will go bad before I have a chance to use it I dice it up and put it in a silicone ice cube tray with olive oil then freeze it (I put mine in freezer bags as well so things don't smell). This made it super easy to just pop out one of the rosemary ones and one of the thyme ones to throw in with the onion.

Once the squash was roasted it scooped out of it's skin easily and I threw it in the blender with a splash of cream and the onions. I blended it until smooth and put it into a pot with some vegetable stock I had made and frozen a couple weeks ago. Once it was hot it was done and delicious.

 I worked on my zucchini filling while the squash was roasting and really there was no plan. I sort of just grabbed things we had and needed to use. I cooked lentils and diced potatoes together (the starch from the potatoes helps thicken the lentils), threw in diced tomato, some arugula, mozzarella, and some chilis I roasted.

To make the zucchini fill-able I scooped out the insides with a spoon, put the outsides on a cookie sheet, drizzled with olive oil, ground some salt and pepper over them and threw them in the oven with the squash for about five minutes. When I took them out and stuffed them because the filling was cooked already I really only had to throw them in again long enough to melt the cheese and cook the outsides a little longer, probably another five minutes or so.

Obviously the key was having some things already made in order to do the soup but if you haven't made your own vegetable stock yet you need to. It's incredibly simple and uses up a lot of the waste you have from cutting veggies. Some people cut up vegetables specifically for stock but I just use the "garbage." I take the ends of the carrots and whatever I peel off and the bottoms and tops of celery and the ends of the onion (I made my last stock while making veggie pot pies), throw in some herbs, and let it sit on the stove on loooooow low low for the entire day. It will reduce a lot but you should still have a bunch (use a BIG pot). Afterwards strain it and keep some in the freezer during the fall and winter to make quick and easy soups.

Big News (coming soon!)

I know I've not been a good blogger lately but part of that (a very big part) is because I am working on a new project (the other part os the cough that will not die). I'm super excited about it and trying to get all the details worked out at least enough so that I can begin to tell you about it. It's something that combines bunches of the things I'm most passionate about and that make me happy so obviously it's a jumble of fun.

Also I promise it has nothing to do with my pets.

In other exciting but not secret news I had a review at Sur la Table recently and one of the things I brought up was wanting to help design some vegetarian classes. I never follow recipes so it will be a new experience to write recipes. I also think I'll learn a lot about how I cook and become really aware of what I do and the reasons I make food the way I do. What I'd love from any of you that want to help me out are suggestions for vegetarian meals. I have tons of things I like to make but the reason we don't do a lot of vegetarian classes is people don't sign up for them. Soooo...I need to know what people want to make. If you're a meat eater even better. Also, what do you not want to learn how to make? I'm pretty big on leaving tofu and tempeh out of my cooking because I think you can make so much better food without it so those are probably out but anything else you're tired of seeing or think sounds gross or whatever the reason is let me know. I'm pretty sure the world doesn't need any more nut loaves.

Cooking Day!!

Recently at work my boss asked if I may be able to help her do some cooking a few times a week. Obviously since cooking makes me happier than anything and especially more happy than sitting at my desk I said yes. Today I made an amazing soup (I'm eating some right now). It's a roasted red pepper and tomato base then I added potatoes, zucchini, yellow squash, black beans, garbonzos, tomatoes, roasted red pepper pieces, fresh corn off the cob and onions. It is to die for. And even more awesome with sour cream, avocado, cheese, and/or green onion on top. Next up are enchiladas!

October Class Schedule!

I got my schedule for Sur la Table for October and these are the classes I'm assisting with (as well as some skills classes)...I am way looking forward to this month!


Saveur Magazine's Gourmet Tailgating
Deviled Eggs with Pickled Jalapenos - Spinach and Artichoke Dip - Fiery Oven-Baked Chicken Wings - Grilled Bratwurst - Espresso Brownies


Tuscan Vineyard Supper
Grilled Tomato Bruschetta - Panzanella Bread Salad - Tuscan Rosemary and Lemon Chicken - Roasted Garlic and White Beans - Traditional Cantucci Cookies with Vin Santo Ice Cream


The 5 French Mother Sauces
Hollandaise on Poached Eggs - Sauce Tomate on Grill Bread - Roasted Chicken with a Trio of Sauces (Veloute, Bechamel, and Sauce Espagnole)


Rustic Greek
Marinated Feta Greek Salad - Homemade Pita - Lamb Leg Gyros with Tzataki and Pickled Red Onions - Crispy Olive Oil Roasted Potatoes - Toasted Walnut Baklava


Farmer's Market Autumn Harvest
Shaved Brussels Sprouts and Fennel Seed - Grilled Cauliflower Steaks with Tahini Sauce - Grill Eggplant Cannelloni with Ricotta - Farro Risotto with Jerusalem Artichokes - Heirloom Apple Tart with Almond Filling and Calvados Cream


Martha Stewart Living Halloween Treats
Brownie Coffin Cake - Halloween Whoopie Pies - Pumpkin Chocolate-Spiderweb Tart - Chocolate Rice Crispy Treats


Saveur Magazine's French Holiday Favorites
Duck Breast with Brandied Fig Sauce - Cranberries with Port - Herbed Haricot Vert - Potato Galette - French Pumpkin Pie

These are a few of my favorite things...

Working as a kitchen assistant at Sur la Table I get to play with a lot of really fun and really amazing kitchen tools. It's actually a pretty sweet deal. I can use and work with and clean and have a true experience with most any item before I decide if I want to purchase it. So, why not share that with you?

Everyone knows Microplane graters are amazing. Most of the time though people buy them in long skinny stick form and use them for nuts or hard cheeses or chocolate. I have a couple, one for citrus and one for those other things but then I discovered Microplane makes a box grater. If you want the most amazing grater possible this is it. It's elevated so your cheese or whatever you're grating doesn't end up all mashed and compacted, but it's still super stable. And it's sharp. So sharp that the blade on the side for slicing cheese on a typical box grater can be used to slice vegetables. I have a mandoline but I'm tempted to give it away since it takes up too much room and is sort of a pain to actually use. This grater could easily replace it.


I'm not a total mother earth love peace hippie but I do try to not be a blatant asshole to the planet. For that reason I'm not really into using paper plates. These burger baskets with liners though way cut down on dishes for a large group and definitely seem way less wasteful. Plus they're cute and nostalgic. I used mine for the get together I had Saturday and plan to bring them to the cabin at the end of the month as well so we're not doing dishes for eight people three times a day.


I don't actually own this thermometer but it's on my wish list. We use these at work all the time. It works either the traditional way by inserting it into whatever you're cooking ooooor...are you ready for this? It also works with a LASER. So, say you have a big pot of oil you want to check the temp of. With this you don't have to put your hand within inches of a hot pot of oil and risk losing a limb. you can also use it to find hot spots on a grill or in your oven. The best part though is it never needs to be recalibrated. Most thermometers are off within a year or so, including the ones in your electrics. So you either have to get someone to make them right again or toss the thermometer. Never ever with this one.


I think I've mentioned this thing before but it's awesome so I'll do so again. Instead of cutting off the little end of a garlic clove then painstakingly peeling off every strip of that annoying garlic paper-y stuff with this you just put the whole clove in, roll back and forth, and out pops a clean and perfect clove of garlic. Also it comes in colors that don't suck. Mine's red.


Oh Le Creuset...you have such pretty and perfect cookware. Unfortunately you are also super heavy and I don't really want to move 800 pounds of you every time I want to make something. For that reason I will never be a total die hard Le Creuset fan. But, if you're going to get a grill pan for indoor grilling this is the one to get. Awesome heat distribution, cleans well, and great amount of space. Remember if you're using a grill pan though to let it sit on the heat a bit to get hot before you try to cook anything.


These citrus presses are by Chef'n and I love them. I have a traditional 50s style juicer and while it works it's like your first car. It gets you where you need to be but it makes a bit of a mess of things. This is definitely on my list of next purchases to make.


If you drink soda regularly (or cocktails) you need this. It's called a SodaStream and you will love it. All you do is fill one of the bottles with water, just regular tap or filtered water, and then screw it onto the SodaStream and pull down on the lever on the front until it makes this really weird noise. And now you have soda water! So you can go ahead and make a drink or have it plain or you can add syrup to flavor it and make it into soda. We use this every single class for drinks for people. Just make sure you don't let anyone who doesn't know what it is try to figure it out.

Bragging Rights

This weekend I did major cooking. And I loved it. I had a little get together on Saturday night for screenprinting but if I'm honest my motivation for having people over was more so I could cook food.

I wanted everything to be very snack-able and finger food-y so we could art project and eat at the same time. And I wanted it to be really summery fare. I decided on mini burgers and then as a substitute for french fries (which are a pain to make if you do it right) I wanted to do baby twice baked potatoes. I also made individual caprese salads, fruit skewers, salad skewers, and pasta salad.

I made these skewers using blackberries, kiwi, nectarine, and plum. I am pretty sure I could have eaten the entire plate. I originally intended to use watermelon as well but I think they turned out beautifully this way.


Javier and Tiger are always my favorites but they can be crazy face sometimes. When I cook they both just calm down and lay in the kitchen with me. It makes me happy.



I wanted to make a pasta salad but my goal was also to make everything edible sans utensils. I finally realized I could make it work by mixing together all my pasta salad ingredients minus the pasta and stuffing it in shells. It actually worked brilliantly and tasted wonderful. I made a mixtures of cheddar cheese, celery, carrots, black olives, and mayo seasoned with salt and pepper. Super simple.


I made these tiny individual caprese salads by coring grape and cherry tomatoes and then stuffing them with fresh mozzarella and basil. Before serving I drizzled basil infused olive oil (the same one I use in spaghetti sauce) and topped with fresh cracked pepper and salt.


There's this fantastic hidden little restaurant in Portland in the Pearl called Via Delizia. They used to just be a gelato and coffee shop but they started serving food and it's delicious. They have a salad there that consists of greens topped with pear, beets, and roasted carrots. And it's divine. I decided to use that as my inspiration for these skewers. I roasted the carrots in a bit of olive oil, salt, pepper, and rosemary then let them chill in the fridge. Later I skewered them with pears and beets, drizzled them with a blush wine vinaigrette, and topped them with crumbled gorgonzola.


I made these twice baked potatoes by roasting red potatoes. I then cut them in half and used a melon baller to scoop out the insides (worked a thousand times better than a spoon). I threw all the inner potato into my Kitchen Aid mixer with carmelized onions I had made earlier, a bunch of grated smoked gruyere, some butter, sour cream, salt, and pepper and mixed it up with the whisk attachment on low. Then I scooped the filling into a ziploc bag, cut the corner off, and used it to pipe the filling back in. I baked them for a second time and topped them with diced chives. Everyone was a fan. The smoked cheese made it taste like there was bacon in there as well but kept them vegetarian.


I made the burgers using a Le Creuset grill pan I have for indoor grilling. I made tiny patties with a small pat of butter inside and seasoned them with salt and pepper. I'd actually never made real hamburgers before but apparently I'm good at it. I used dinner rolls from a local bakery as hamburger buns and made my secret delicious hamburger topping made from pimento stuffed green olives and mayo.

(Super Secret Editor's Note: I use those little bowls for dips and condiments all the time. Everyone thinks they're super gorgeous but they're actually candle holders I bought on sale at Anthropologie.)

This wasn't a part of the party but I was craving something sweet last night and since I tend to have nothing sweet but maybe some sprinkles for decorating in my home I had to make due with what I had. Also Craig had eaten all my popsicles. I decided to make a s'more in a jar by doing a graham cracker crust topped with mini chocolate chips then topped with marshmallows. I baked it in the oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for about 10 minutes and it was perfect and amazing and delicious.

Unfortuantely Will Smith Was Not in Attendance

Yesterday was the 4th of July and while we kept it mellow here we definitely had fun. We had a little BBQ in the park, came back to my place for dessert, then watched a movie. No fireworks because I wasn't sure how Tiger would react but he did great. Our BBQ menu was salmon marinated in brown sugar, teriyaki, ginger, and beer, a potato salad with wilted spinach and a thyme buttermilk dressing, rosemary grilled veggies, corn on the cob with feta pepper butter, watermelon, and frozen caramel smores. Obviously it was amazing. I'm friends with Sur la Table the company, not just the Portland store, on Facebook and when they asked what everybody was making for the 4th my menu got "liked" by not only other posters but by Sur la Table themselves which I'm fairly proud of.

This was the beginning of the smores creation. Basically just chocolate ice cream, marshmallow fluff, and caramel swirled together.

These were an absolute delicious mess.

His tail never stops moving.

Berryblosson tea with clover honey steeped in the sun.

My salmon experiment. Apparently it was the best salmon anyone has every had.


Rosemary marinated veggies. So delicious.

The pets were weirdly fascinated by the corn. Javi never gets in trouble and I had to tell him 800 times to go play.

This potato salad was a hit. I just roasted the spuds then cut them in half when they came out and mixed them with the dressing and spinach while still warm. I also ended up adding some mustard which was the key.


Most majestic puppy ever...

I made Tiger a daisy chain. Which he then ate. Because he's an ungrateful child.



Tiger and his stepfather.*

Trista and Zach. The couple where after you hang out with them everyone says "I really like them..."

This is one of my favorite photos of my little munchkin.

He was so exhausted by the end of the day. I don't know if it was that or because he is awesome that he had zero reaction to the fireworks. Also you will notice we are the same color.


*Craig is my pets' godfather. I've made him promise to take care of them in case I die. Before Tiger arrived I went over this with him again and told him he was going to be Tiger's stepfather. Then I corrected myself to say grandfather. It wasn't until 5 minutes later I realized neither of those were what I meant. Calling someone a godfather sounds weird though. And like you're in the mob. So stepfather has stuck.

July Cooking Classes!

These are the classes I'm assisting with in July at Sur la Table. Have I mentioned how much I love this job?

Summer Steak Night
Mozzarella, Basil, and Grilled Tomato Bruschetta - Grilled Ribeye Steaks with Gorgonzola-Walnut Butter - Smashed Yukon Gold Potatoes with Garlic-Parmesan Vinaigrette - Strawberry Pie Sundaes

Havana Summer Nights
Grilled Sugarcane Shrimp - Spicy Mojo Steak with Mango-Avocado Salsa - Grilled Corn on the Cob with Queso Blanco and Lime - Caramel Flan

Summer Cupcake Workshop
Mini-Vanilla Cupcakes with Raspberry Buttercream - Blueberry Hill Cupcakes with Lemon-Cream Cheese Frosting - Strawberries and Cream-Filled Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream

Tuscan Picnic
Grilled Tomato Bruschetta - Grilled Tuscan Chicken with Rosemary and Lemon - Brick-Pressed Italian Sandwich - Homemade Sweet Cream Ricotta with Berries and Pinenuts

Summertime Asian Noodles
Spring Rolls with Shrimp, Basil, and Pickled Cucumber - Soba Noodles with Soy-Glazed Salmon and Snow Peas - Rice Noodle Salad with Lime-Sriracha Glazed Chicken - Chinese Egg Noodles with Cucumber-Peanut Sauce and Red Chile

Summer Cocktail Party
Crab Cakes with Black Truffle Mayonnaise - Thyme-Scented Golden Onion and Gruyere Tartlets with Crème Fraiche - Pork Tenderloin Medallions with Sage and Parsley Pesto - White Bean and Harissa Hummus in Endive Cups - White Peach Sorbet with Basil

Peak of Flavor: Berries
Tomato and Preserved Lemon Bruschetta with Blueberry Butter - Raspberry, Pistachio, and Goat Cheese Salad - Blackberry Gastrique Glazed-Salmon - Strawberry Shortcake with Rosemary Mascarpone Cream

A BBQ Picnic!

As I mentioned before Friday was gorgeous here in Portland. So gorgeous in fact that it allowed Craig and I to have a BBQ/picnic at a park near our apartments. On the menu were hot dogs, southwestern seasoned corn on the cob, buttermilk potato salad, watermelon, pickles, and chocolate chip cookies. We used a portable grill I bought recently and I'm in love with. I don't know if it was the sun or the park or puppykins or what but I feel like our little outdoor meal made me so incredibly happy. I want to spend the whole summer in the park having mini BBQs and being outside with my dog.






Afterward Craig and I went over to my place to watch a movie. Tiger hung out in my lap and Javier slept in what is supposed to be the dog bed. Until Craig left and I walked him to the door. Then Tiger decided he needed to sleep in the bed too.





At least one of them seems content with that arrangement.

What I'm Wearing Today

It finally looks like Summer here in Portland! Which probably sounds crazy to the rest of the country. We've had the lamest June ever. It's been rainy and cool and grey and annoying. I woke up this morning and there was sun! It felt so good.

And even though I wear dresses year round in all kinds of weather it's nice to be able to accessorize with a little vitamin D.






Tonight I'm doing a BBQ in the park. I'm super excited (another reason I'm thankful for the sun). I got a portable grill that looks pretty awesome so we'll see how it works out. On the menu are hot dogs (veggie for me), garlic pepper corn on the cob, watermelon, rosemary potato salad, grilled veggies, and plenty of adult beverages. Mmmm...