Two Years and the Baby Brezza

Today marks two years of blogging. I was hoping to make it to 100 posts by now, but I didn't. I was close - just short by 6! The life of working mama is my life right now, and that's okay with me. My son is a sweet reminder to slow down and enjoy the little things, to not get stressed out about checking things off my to-do list.

I must share, however, that my cooking repertoire has now expanded to baby purees. Exciting, huh? The little man is eating solids and his favorites so far are sweet potatoes and apples. No surprise, right? Green beans come in last place, but he has managed to get them down without spitting them out. For those interested, I've been using the Baby Brezza baby food processor (a gift from my Auntie Lucy and grandma). It's worked pretty well, although I think a piece snapped off after the first use and now it won't steam and blend as one sole function anymore. I have to do each step separately (i.e. press two buttons instead of just one).

Though it's not a necessity to make your own baby food, the Baby Brezza is quite convenient and less to clean up. In about 20 minutes, I can steam and puree fresh (or frozen) vegetables or fruits. I've been using ice trays to freeze portions and I have plenty stored up for the weeks ahead. I puree with what I've got. :) Butternut squash saved up from the winter, apples, green beans, avocado, sweet potato, carrots...next up - bananas, peas, and peaches!

Bon appetit, from Mr. Jake!

For St. Patrick's Day: Cottage Pie

I love pub food. Bangers and mash. Guiness stew. Fish n' chips. Beer. Bring it on!

In honor of St. Patrick's Day, a holiday named for a very noble man, who brought Christianity to Ireland, I'll share a recipe for cottage pie, since potatoes seem very Irish, and it's likely you could find cottage pie on a menu in Ireland, if not somewhere in the Bristish Isles. I ramble. Is that a long enough run-on sentence?

And for those of you wondering (not that you are, but I'll tell you anyway), tonight my family will be dining on corned beef and cabbage - the official Irish American meal of the day. It's in the crock pot as I type. It's tradition here in our household, just as it was when I was growing up in my Chinese American home. We love us some multicultural meals. :)

Back to the cottage pie. So, many people know Shepherd's Pie - ground lamb with onions, carrots, and peas topped with cheesy mashed potatoes and baked in the oven. Well, cottage pie is the same idea, just using beef instead of lamb.

I had potatoes, garlic, ground beef, half a red onion, peas, carrots, and well...I had butternut squash. "Loads" of it, as my British friends would say. If you didn't know, butternut squash is the same color as carrots. They made great addtion in this recipe. It worked. I also had some Boursin cheese to use. And it's creamy enough to incorporate into mashed potatoes to make it special. Mmm.

So, that brings me to the first step. Mashed potatoes. Make them however you make them. I stick the cut up potatoes (about 5 red potatoes or 3 russets) into salted water and bring them to a boil, letting them simmer until the potatoes are fork-tender. Drain the water off and use a masher until the taters are smooth, adding a tablespoon of butter, about 1/2 cup of milk, and some Boursin cheese for extra flavor. Set them aside for later.

Next, the beef. Brown the meat until fully cooked. Use a slotted spoon to remove the meat from the pan and set it aside while you cook the vegetables in the same pot. You can either pour off the grease (if it's a lot, you definitely want to get rid of the extra fat) or use it to cook your veggies. I confess, I used it to cook. It was a little fatty, but it tasted good! Throw in a couple of cloves of minced garlic, onions, and the carrots and squash to brown.

I then added about 1/2 teaspoon each of ground sage and thyme. And salt and pepper to taste. I added the cooked meat back into the pot, threw in about 4-6 good dashes of Worcestershire sauce, and about 1/2 cup of frozen green peas.

After the peas were incorporated, I poured the whole thing into a casserole dish, topped it with the mashed potatoes, and sprinkled the whole dish with grated parmesan cheese. I baked it in a 350 degree oven for about 30-40 minutes, or until the top was golden brown and it was heated all the way through. It made enough for about 5-6 servings.

It's so delicious and easy. And it's a great way to use up those veggies! Happy cookin' and happy St. Paddy's Day. Stay safe!

Mexican Wedding Cookies With A Little Fall Flavor

Pumpkin spice lattes. Pumpkin bread. Pumpkin spice coffee creamer, yogurt, cereal bars, granola...'tis the season for pumpkin...stuff. And, I love it. My favorite is probably just plain old pumpkin pie, but I must admit, Trader Joe's Pumpkin Ice Cream has my heart this year too.

You can imagine then, how excited I was when I saw {this recipe} on Cookie + Kate's website. Well, maybe I should have told you how I really like things covered in powdered sugar or cinnamon and sugar. Like donuts. Mmm. I'm getting off track...

Anyway, I found this recipe on a Thursday and I was determined to make them over that weekend. I thought I had run out of pecans, but I decided to do one last search through my pantry, and sure enough, I found a bag of glazed pecans (meant to top a salad). I knew I had some pumpkin puree from a fresh pumpkin in the freezer, and just enough whole wheat pastry flour (one of my staples) for one batch.

The dough is a little sticky, but forms perfect little 1.5 inch balls, which don't spread when baking, so you can place them pretty close together on a baking sheet.

After they bake, let them cool for 5 minutes, then while they are still warm, but cool enough to handle, you roll them in powdered sugar. Mmmm.

 



They need to cool for another 10-15 minutes, then you can serve them or store them for a couple of days. They are best either on the day-of or the day after. If you wait too long, the sugar may evaporate depending on how moist the air is.

These were easy to make and a great autumn twist on a classic treat. Perfect with a cup of coffee or tea, pumpkin spiced, of course!

This week, my son will be born (he's already 3 days late today) - my doctor has given us an induction date...we are so excited to meet our little one. My guess is that I will be away from blogland for a few weeks, so I will wish you a blessed Thanksgiving and start to the holiday season now. Don't forget to keep cookin' with whatcha got!

xoxo,
Lea

Happy Bloggeversary To Me!

It's hard to believe it's already been ONE WHOLE YEAR of sharing

my kitchen and travels with you!

I've learned a few things along the way:

1. Blogging is a great creative outlet for whatever one is passionate about

2. I love trying new recipes and sharing them with others

3. Don't take food pictures on blue plates - not very appetizing

4. iPhones make great cameras when you misplace

your primary camera for 6 months

5. Don't be afraid to click, "Publish."

My greatest reward has been hearing from you, my readers, throughout the year. I wouldn't keep it up if it weren't for your encouragement! Thank you!

Here's to another year of good food and cookin' with whatcha got!



Our Valentine's Day Tradition: Fondue At Home

On February 14, 2006, the guy I was dating had a very special evening planned for me. It was a total surprise, but I went to his place prepared - with a card and two wine glasses (and maybe a bottle of wine too. I can't remember...) as a small gift.

I walked in to his apartment but he was no where in sight. But then behind the door to his room (he was sharing a place with two roommates at the time), there he was. He had set up a makeshift table with a red tablecloth, candles, and the fixings for fondue for two.
I'd never made fondue before - I probably had only had it at restaurants in Paris where I had been living the year before. He knew how to make fondue? Cool!
So we enjoyed a romantic dinner, shared cards, and headed out to a jazz concert. Such a great memory. That night I told this guy that I loved him for the first time. And every February 14th since then, I've had fondue with the same guy and I've told him that I love him. I love traditions and I love that the fondue-maker is now my husband of almost 5 years.

We've varied the type of fondue we make each year. The first year was Welsh Rarebit. The 3rd year we were in Paris, so we went out to a fondue restaurant there.

This year, our seventh year, we did one of our favorites: gruyere cheese and leeks made with beer. Mmm, good.

First, saute the leeks in a little bit of butter, then add 2 tablespoons of flour to create a roux - the thickening agent to make the cheese a nice consistency.

Add a cup of beer. We used Blue Moon Winter Ale - it's what we had on hand. Then add 2 cups (more if you like) of shredded gruyere cheese. It would work with white cheddar as well.

It should be nice and gooey after all the cheese melts. Yum.

This time we did a vegetarian version and used a whole wheat french bread, cut into cubes, and roasted fingerling potatoes and romanesco cauliflower from our CSA box. Other nice dippers are green apples (sweet and salty are good together sometimes!), sliced sausage, carrots and/or broccoli. Veggies can be steamed, boiled, or roasted - whichever way you like.

Here's my valentine enjoying fondue, some Alsacien Gerwurztraminer, and Leffe Brune, a Belgian ale. And yeah, your eyes are correct. We have drum kit in our dining area. :)

We have an electric fondue pot by Rival, but you can use a traditional pot with a flame underneath, or just make it over the stove in a pot then transfer it to a dish for dipping at the table. The benefit of an actual fondue pot is that it keeps it melted and hot during the whole meal.
Here's the recipe:
Leek & Gruyere Fondue
1 cup finely chopped leeks (be sure to clean all the sand out from each layer)
2T butter
2T flour
1 cup beer
2 cups shredded gruyere cheese
pepper to taste

In a small pot or a fondue pot, melt butter and add leeks. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon until leeks are transparent but not browned. Sprinkle in flour and stir for 2 minutes. Add beer and stir until thickened. Add cheese and continue to stir until completely melted. Top with cracked black pepper. Enjoy with dippers and a glass of wine or beer!

Making Over The Turkey Leftovers

We didn't have a ton of turkey left over from the holiday - it was so scrumptious, most of it was consumed on Thanksgiving Day. Hubby did an awesome job smoking it on our Traeger Smoker Grill. 

I spent a good 40 minutes picking all of the meat off the bones until I had a heaping pile of shredded, smoky, goodness to play with. Here's how we ate (and are still eating) our leftovers. 

Classic Turkey Salad Sandwich Mayo, mustard, hot sauce, sweet relish, salt & pepper mixed with turkey, served with sliced cranberry cheddar cheese (leftover from the cheese plate) on onion cheese bread (leftover). Aunt Deb's cranberry jello salad on the side. :)

Isn't that pumpkin plate cute?

Open-Faced Hot Turkey Sandwich with Roasted Vegetables More toasted onion cheese bread topped with turkey reheated in gravy. I roasted broccoli, fennel, and onions for a side dish. Note: the broccoli was charred a bit in the oven (I overestimated the timing), but hubby liked it like that...they were like broccoli crisps. He asked that I do that again sometime soon. Heehee.

Turkey Rice Porridge "Jook" with Shitake Mushrooms This is my family's classic meal made with turkey leftovers. I made about 6 quarts of stock with the turkey carcass and veggie scraps the day after Thanksgiving. This week, I took the about 2.5 quarts of stock and added 1 cup of uncooked, short-grained rice. I let it boil and then simmer for 3-4 hours until the rice breaks down and fills the whole pot and thickens the liquid. Then I added shredded turkey, diced shitake mushrooms, and salt to taste. That's comfort food for a cold, windy day. Tasty soup to warm your insides. Yum.

These three dishes pretty much used all of our turkey! How did you makeover your leftovers?

Random Images from Turkey Day (Before & After)

Just thought I'd share some photos from our Thanksgiving weekend while I gather thoughts for a more organized post later this week.

I hope that you enjoyed your time with family and friends as much as we did here in Southern California. The sun was shining and we loved the 80 degree weekend with walks outside and stops for gelato and frozen yogurt. I'm thankful!



Prepping the turkey brine.

Turkey ready for the smoker!

Coffee break for the chef. ;o)

Fresh-baked pumpkin pie.

Sauteeing the wild (and crazy!) mushrooms.

Deviled eggs ready to be served on a silver platter.

Pretty turkey! Nom, nom.

Hey, there's a kitty in my Christmas tree!

Advent has begun. May the Hope of the season fill your hearts and home!

I'll be back soon with a full-on cookin' with whatcha got kind of post.



We're Hosting Thanksgiving!

I think I finally feel like a grown-up. We have a house now and we are able to host our family Thanksgiving dinner. On Thanksgiving Day. Last year we had an "early Thanksgiving," but this year...it's the real deal.

Mom and Sister and Nieces and Aunts and Uncle are rolling into our neighborhood this week and well, chances are, they will be rolling out! I'll post pics later, but here's a sneak peek of our menu:

Ringler Thanksgiving 2011

Appetizers
Deviled Eggs
Pike Place Smoked Salmon
Cheese & Olive Plate

Entree
Smoked (and brined) Turkey & Gravy
Butternut Squash Ravioli with a Butter Balsamic Sauce
Green Bean Casserole
Wild Mushroom & Leek (savory) Bread Pudding
Sweet Potato Casserole
Cranberry-Walnut Jello Salad

Dessert
Homemade Apple Pie (from home-grown apples)
Homemade Pumpkin Pie (from fresh pumpkin)

I can hardly wait. Lord, am I thankful for food! What are you excited to eat on Thursday?