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By Adrianna, April 29, 2010

Like most girls, I’ve thought about what my wedding will be like….err maybe only once or twice (or three times). I think a farm wedding in the summer would be straight up dreamy;  with a barn, and tall grass, mason jars and fireflies–it’d be magic. It got me sort of thinking about how awesome it would be to have a petting zoo, too. A freakin’ petting zoo! How amazing would that be?!  Now, I usually have huge issues with petting zoos, because while I LOVE petting farm animals, I don’t really dig petting goats–they kinda suck.  I don’t get them. We don’t get each other.  And that’s usually all petting zoos consist of…that and random chickens that want nothing to do with you. Kinda boring.

So at my future wedding’s petting zoo, there will be animals I do wanna pet like dogs, cats, pigs, and miniature horses.  And I will pet them in between dances and knocking down champagne, and so will my guests.  It’ll be lovely.

And you know how you you’re supposed to give guests, like, a little gift bag or something? Well, I’d want to give the animals gifts too.  I’d probably give the pigs the leftovers from the reception, the miniature horses would get some sweet apples, I’d give the cats some private time…and the dogs, well, I’d make them these homemade treats.  I bet they’d really like them because I gave them a try and they’re not half bad. Sooo if your dog is peering over your shoulder as you’re reading this blog post, you can tell them this: these treats have a predominate peanut buttery taste, the texture is hearty and nourishing due to the rolled oats, and the finish has a lovely hint of coconut and chicken.  Yum!

Continue reading 'Homemade Dog Treats'»

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By Caroline, April 26, 2010

I’ve been a really bad girlfriend. I mean, one of the bonuses to dating someone that likes to cook should be that you get to eat all your favorite foods all the time, right? Well…Chase likes BBQ and hotdogs and I don’t eat most meat, so… sorry babe. You sorta picked the wrong girl in that department.

But hey, I can bake, right? So Chase should always be able to enjoy  his favorite cake, right? Want to know how many times I have baked Chase’s all-time favorite cake?

Zero.

Not one time.

In fact, when Chase’s mom asked if he wanted his favorite cake as his groom’s cake, he said it had been so long since he’d eaten one that he wasn’t even sure he still liked it.

See, I told you. I’m a bad girlfriend.

Why haven’t I ever made him a cake, you ask? Is it because I’m just not a nice person? I really hope not. I think I’m a nice person. Do you think I’m nice? I hope so.

Continue reading 'Boston Cream Pie'»

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By Adrianna, April 23, 2010

As of late, when I see pregnant women walking down the street—you know the ones that look like they could give birth any day now—I get scared for them.  All the pain! All the agonizing pain! The other day I was at the salon and telling this woman about my new observation and she told me giving birth feels like your hips are breaking. Whaaaaa? Hips breaking? No thank you! Suuuure, you get a pint-size pile of cuteness that I’m sure makes it all seem worth it, but man, can we talk about the pain again?

The idea of one day having a child growing inside me kinda blows my mind. Seriously. Like having this thing just growing and growing inside me.  It’s a bit alien-esque, if you ask me.  And it’s like so reliant on you.  It’s kinda selfless…yep, women are selflesss, especially when it comes to this. I know we don’t’ have much of a choice, but seriously, we’re selfless.

Another thing I’m not ready to deal with? Giving things up: coffee, sushi, wine (the thought of it now just made my lip quiver), and chocolate mousse.  I plan on kindly reminding my future child, when they’re throwing a fit that I won’t give them a cell phone at the ripe age of 4 (I imagine that by the time I have a child, kids will be asking for cell phones upon entering the world), of all the things I gave up; specifically this Salted Caramel Chocolate Mousse.

This isn’t your 1992-Sizzler, ubiquitous chocolate mousse.  Nope.  This stuff is different—it’s sophisticated.  It has an air about it.  I mean, if I were salted caramel, I’d have an air about me too.  Wouldn’t you? The stuff is sexy, in like a Jackie-O type of way.  The hint of saltiness with the gooeyness of the caramel, and bitterness from the dark chocolate all play against each other so well.  And since it’s mousse, that means it’s light, fluffy and airy with a surprise thickness due to the caramel.  It’s quite lovely.  And much easier than your typical chocolate mousse.  Meaning, it doesn’t require seven bowls and moments of utter panic. It’s simply perfect.

And say, you’re reading this and you happen to be pregnant, I say skip folding in the egg whites.  You’ll have an awesome pudding-esque caramel, chocolate concoction on your hands.  I think you should do it, you know, to celebrate your selflessness and stuff.

Continue reading 'Salted Caramel Chocolate Mousse'»

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By Caroline, April 21, 2010

I want to apologize in advance for my less-than stellar photos on this post. I’m not normally a photo-taking person; I don’t carry cameras with me to parties or in my purse, and when I do take photos for our lovely blog, it requires that I eliminate all distractions so I can give it my complete attention. So, when I decided to document what foodie spots Chase and I took his mother and stepfather to on their recent visit, I often realized that I had completely forgotten about the bulky, heavy camera in my purse until everything at the table had been eaten, or until we had left the restaurant completely. Still, lack of photos aside, if you ever come to LA for a weekend I’ve got some good suggestions of things to eat.

For their first meal we took Chase’s parents to Aroma for breakfast. Aroma is amazing, and it is “sooo LA.” Why is that you ask?

Because it’s a restaurant that relies on year-round outdoor seating.

Because the food is fresh, homemade and delicious.

Because their iced coffee is outrageously good.

Oh, and see that woman fussing over her dog? There’s always a few of those there. Always.

Now, when it comes to ethnic food, LA has a lot to offer.  You can barely pass a street corner without seeing a Thai or sushi restaurant. For parents that are fans of both, you gotta hit up Gindi Thai in Burbank. They have phenomenal pad thai and their green curry was blessed by the gods. They also have sushi rolls like The Sun, which includes apple, avocado and spicy tuna wrapped up in a roll, and is then topped with baked lobster. I know, it isn’t even fair. I wish I had a photo, but again, I’m  a bad blogger and am often too distracted by food to remember silly things like photos. Never, ever, ever have I heard someone complain about something they ate at Gindi. If they did, I would be seriously worried about the condition of their taste buds. Continue reading 'Fresh Strawberry Salad + What to Feed Your Future Mother-In-Law'»

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By Adrianna, April 19, 2010

The first thing I ever learned how to cook was French toast.  If I remember clearly, I learned how to make this when I was jumping on my parents bed…as they were sleeping.  And in an attempt to get just 15 more minutes of shut-eye, my dad suggested that I make French toast.  I stopped jumping.  He explained.  I listened.  And then ran to the kitchen.

I imagine I was probably wearing my huuuge Tasmanian Devil t-shirt I always slept in. And I probably pulled one of those country-style chairs we had in the dining room, and positioned it up against the counter so I could reach. I’m also gonna assume that I made a gigantic mess.  I think I was pretty good at that back then.  And I’m positive that when I was all done and my parents ate it, they smiled and said it was good because they sorta had to.  You don’t really tell your eight-year-old kid their French toast is gross.

This recipe is waaay different.  I’ve grown up…not sure if you’ve noticed.

For one, my eight-year-old version of French toast had egg shells in it.  I’ll bet on that. I wasn’t a good egg cracker.  And I’m also guessing it had waaaay too much cinnamon and vanilla extract.  I didn’t understand moderation. More was better. And it was on typical, wheat sandwich bread. This one, however, is on beautiful brioche. And instead of a typical egg/milk mixture, I’ve made a little custard, creme brulee style, to dip the Brioche in prior to frying.  I’ve also topped it with mascerated strawberries–I’ll explain later…

This is what I like to call my redemption French toast.

What was the first thing you learned how to cook?

Continue reading 'Custard French Toast with Macerated Strawberries'»

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By Caroline, April 16, 2010

A few months ago Adrianna and I attended a picnic hosted by fellow LA food blogger Joy the Baker. There were a hay bales on a rooftop. There were cupcakes. There were other fun food bloggers. There was Joy in an adorable pink dress. Overall, it was a good time.

So, when Adrianna and I heard that Joy was now part of On The Lamb, and would be popping up all over LA with more fun events, we got a little excited. When we heard the three lovely ladies would be at the fabulous Surfas, cooking up some strawberry recipes, we were salivating. Strawberries? Surfas? Free Samples? Where do we sign up?

I wish I had some photos of the demo to show you, but to be honest, we were a little too engrossed in what they were cooking to think of anything else, including taking photos. That, and we were a bit distracted by the woman next to us who thought it appropriate to talk on her cell phone during the demo. To the woman next to us – you were very nice, but please don’t distract me from the culinary goodness going on next time, okay? It might get ugly.

Despite unavoidable distractions, we still took a lot away from this demo. First off, I learned how to properly remove the top of a strawberry. See, you use a paring knife to simply cut out the white part, leaving all of the juicy red berry behind. I know, right? Simple things just seem like magic to me. Continue reading 'Strawberry Balsamic Basil Spritzer'»

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By Adrianna, April 14, 2010

There are times when I get bummed out. Like seriously just bummed. Whether it be with careers, relationships, friendships, etc., we all make plans for those things, and when those said plans don’t work out, disappointment can surely set in.  So the other day when I was bumming around and loathing in my own bummed-outness, I decided to take a cue from Erin over at Reading My Tea Leaves.  Each week she posts a few pictures of simple, little objects that made her week. Sometimes when bigger stuff is out of your control, you have to look to the little stuff that makes you happy.

So here are a list of a few things that made my week:

1. A vintage post card that hangs on my fridge. It’s from my uncle that was accompanied with an old Marcela Hazan cookbook.

2. Even though it’s Spring in LA, the chilly nights still make me grab for this cashmere scarf. And plus, it was a gift from my brother (probably picked out by my mom).

3. These daffodils because they’re $1.79 at Trader Joe’s, and that means I can buy a bunch and spread them around my apartment. They’re sunny.

And lastly, this freakin’ frittata.  It was super easy,  super amazing and tasted like Spring.  And also, it has potatoes in it! And the carmelized onions are amazing..and this is coming from someone that quivers at the thought of eating a cooked onion. Seriously.  You must try this.  If you do, I guarantee that it’ll be one of those little things that make your week.

Continue reading 'Potato Frittata'»

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By Caroline, April 12, 2010

I think it’s time I clarify something about my diet. I know that I often tell people I’m a vegetarian, but a real vegetarian does not eat animal flesh of any kind. I, however, eat fish, which makes me a pescetarian. I tell people I’m a vegetarian because I think it’s a less-weird word than pescetarian. Try and tell your Southern relatives that you’re a vegetarian and they look at you like you’re speaking German. Tell them you’re a pescetarian and they look at you like aliens have abducted your body and taken over your brain. So I go for the lesser of two evils, it’s just a easier.

So yes, I eat fish and seafood. Why do I eat fish and not chicken or beef or pork? Well, of all the meats out there it has the least amount of fat, it’s chock full of healthy oils, and quite frankly, because I don’t feel as bad about eating fish as I do cute little lambs or cows.

And cause sushi is awesome.

And crab cakes are amazing.

And smoked salmon is heaven.

Continue reading 'Smoked Salmon Salad with Red Wine Vinaigrette'»

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By Adrianna, April 9, 2010

I have a lot of small/weird, personal dreams.  One of which is to be apart of the feature in Vanity Fair called “My Stuff”, where they pick one person a month, who’s usually sorta famous/successful, and ask them to list their favorite stuff. Which usually includes things like their favorite toothpaste, jeans, charity, lipstick, flowers, etc.  You catch my drift.  And since these people are usually kinda loaded, all their stuff tends to be super fancy and expensive.  But if I did the feature, I’d keep it pretty “real”. Here’s a little example of how my feature would go:

Where do you live: West Hollywood.

Coffee Maker: French Press.

Jeans: J Brand.

Underwear: That’s private.

Favorite Charity: Humane Society.

Sheets: I dunno. I got ‘em at Ross in the discount bin.

Continue reading 'Horchata'»

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By Caroline, April 7, 2010

I have an issue with rice pudding. It’s not that I don’t love it. I do. A lot. My issue is that I always seem to convince myself that this is somehow a “healthy” dessert. I mean, it’s rice, right? How can rice be bad for you? This explains why in the past I have ordered rice pudding for breakfast, ignoring the looks of my friends when they realize my early morning meal will be coming from the dessert menu.

Continue reading 'Brown Rice Pudding with Blueberries'»

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By Adrianna, April 5, 2010

This past week my family welcomed its newest member, the first in sixteen years, my cousin, Isabella Olivia.  The minute I heard she entered the world, two things immediately happened. Firstly, I decided that I’d call her “Bella” (I’m a serious nickname giver), and secondly, my mind began racing thinking about all the amazing adventures that await her.  I wish I could follow her around and be there to see her experience all sorts of stuff for the first time. Simple stuff…like eating a strawberry, seeing the beach, seeing elephants at the zoo…and trying her mother’s Alfajores for the first time.

You see, Isabella’s mother, my aunt, was taught how to make Alfajores by my great aunt who owns a humble, little bakery in the suburbs of Lima, Peru.  Every morning, before dawn, they wake up and bake and talk and bake and talk.  This morning tradition has been going on for forty-something years. Their best selling dessert is their Alfajores.  I’ve been gifted the recipe by my aunt, and unfortunately was made to pinky swear to never share it with anyone, except for my future daughter or son.

I’m not going to lie, this recipe and that recipe have some pretty stark differences.  For one, the dulce de leche (or Majarblanco. Fun fact:  Argentinians call this dulce de leche. Peruvians and various other South Americans call it Majarblanco) is made over the stovetop for hours and hours, requiring a lot of doting and attention.  This method is much snappier and makes for quicker clean-up, and to my surprise tastes quite similarly.  Secondly, the shortbread cookie recipe is drastically different, though both recipes yield a wonderful, light, flaky cookie that is the perfect partner to the decadent dulce de leche.  But what really makes this recipe stand-out, is the vanilla ice cream sandwiched in the center.  The dulce de leche tastes even better super cold, and to my surprise, the shortbread cookie is a total champ and holds up against the melty ice cream, which adds a super refreshing element. 

I think it’s super awesome that Bella will one day learn our aunt’s recipe too, and she’ll carry it close to her, as I do. Sometimes recipes are just recipes that you clip out of a magazine, or find on the internet on some random site, much like this one, but sometimes they’re so much more.  On occasion the directions for how much butter, sugar and flour you use can weave together something that tells the stories of the struggle, happiness and hope that all came before you. Pretty cool…

Continue reading 'Dulce de Leche Ice Cream Sandwiches'»

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By Caroline, April 2, 2010

On my tiny little back porch in my apartment I have 3 little planters, and every summer I plant an assortment of herbs that flourish for those first few warm months. Then winter comes and it is survival of the fittest to see who can make it to springtime. The basil always dies first. Basil is  an amazing  herb but is sort of a wimp when it comes to cold weather. Mint is my prize fighter. Every year it shrinks up and sheds brown leaves and I think it’s totally dead until spring comes and then it regrows with a vengeance.

However, this year the new winner is my chive plant. This little guy hung on with green stalks all through the winter, but now that it’s spring it’s really starting to take over it’s little planter home. I can feel it reaching out over the box like it wants to go play somewhere. Somewhere like…my scrambled eggs?

Continue reading 'Sour Cream and Chive Scrambled Eggs'»