Happy Valentine's Day!

by Laura

We hope you are spreading the love today...I spread the love via dark chocolate cake balls a la Bakerella...

LOVE

Happy Valentine's Day! more V-day treats to come...

I Love...Bagels!

Whether they are topped with strawberry cream cheese, butter, or just plain...I adore bagels. I've talked up bagels before, but I recently discovered nearby Eltana's Wood-Fired Bagel Cafe who have changed things up! They have a unique process to their bagel making: first they boil, then (as their name would imply) they bake them in a wood-fired oven. The result is a mild smokey and crusty bagel on the outside, while the inside maintains a delicious chewy, soft core. They keep it simple with only 7 flavors, unfortunately excluding my favorite cinnamon raisin bagel, but my plain bagel with cream cheese left me feeling comforted and satisfied and most importantly still in love with bagels! 

Where do you love to get your bagel and schmear?

I Love...Delancey Pizza

by Laura

A few nights ago, we ventured out to the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle to enjoy pizza at Delancey. As you can probably tell by now, Diane and I are obsessed with pizza and Delancey has officially multiplied that obsession!

When testing out a new pizza place, Diane and I always order a simple pie, plain or Margherita and a second pie that uses some of our favorite toppings or whatever the pizzeria deems their specialty. At Delancey we ordered a Margherita as our first pie and their Bacon and Onion for the second. We love this ordering technique because you get to test the basic ingredients with the simple pizza, and really enjoy something special with favorites! Bubbling, cheesy, wood-fired pizza was headed our way... Love!

The bacon was salty and perfectly cooked, the sauce was rich and flavorful, onions were sweet and subtle, crust was chewy and crunchy...Love!

The Margherita pizza's simple flavors were delightful, the crushed tomatoes were bright and fresh, the basil was perfectly placed...Love!

And the love continued...the service was sincere...Love...the chocolate chip cookie with grey sea salt brought us back fondly to childhood memories and elevated them in a surprising way...Love...

What pizza pie or place do you LOVE?

The Month to Love...

by Laura

...your food! This month Diane and I want to blog about all the foods we love. Of course there will be a few of our obvious favorites: pizza, pancakes and ice cream, but I am hoping to share a few culinary surprises!

This isn't about food, but it's funny!

What foods do you love?

It's Game Day!

The big game is just hours away, are you ready to party?! If not, you can still get out to the store and whip up some delicious food for friends and family. Check these out:

Hot Sandwiches
Frito Pie
10 Rules of Making Nachos
Grilled BBQ Potato Skins
Spicy Chicken Bites (need a couple hours to marinate)
Diane Can Cook's 2010 Super Bowl recipes

If you still aren't sure you can pull it off, chili is a great start! Below is a clip from the Today Show to fool game-day guests with supermarket chili.





I don't know about you, but I'm ready for the coin toss. Game on!

Super Bowl Staples: Dips

What's a party without dip?! Lucky for you, I've provided two recipes that are sure to please.

First up, a classic: onion dip. This isn't your Lipton's onion dip, although I have to admit I like that too this one has a depth of flavor and a bit of kick from Ina Garten. If the Barefoot Contessa is making it, I'm eating it.

Pan-Fried Onion Dip
courtesy of Ina Garten

Ingredients

• 2 large yellow onions
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup good mayonnaise

Directions

• Cut the onions in half and then slice them into 1/8-inch thick half-rounds. (You will have about 3 cups of onions.) 
• Heat the butter and oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the onions, cayenne, salt, and pepper and saute for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 more minutes until the onions are browned and caramelized. Allow the onions to cool.
• Place the cream cheese, sour cream and mayonnaise in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat until smooth. Add the onions and mix well. Taste for seasonings. Serve at room temperature.

I love Nordstrom, but what does this wonderful store have to do with food? Beyond their fantastic offerings of clothes, accessories, beauty, Nordstrom serves stellar food at their various restaurants and bistros inside their department stores. The standout dish for me is the Herb Fries with Kalamata Aioli, if your mouth isn't watering now, it will be once you read the recipe! I could not be more excited to find this recipe and your guests will thank me!


Nordstrom's Kalamata Aioli Recipe
courtesy of Nordstrom Cherry Creek Bistro

Ingredients

• 1 clove garlic
• ½ cup Kalamata olives, pitted 
• 2 tablespoons roasted garlic (Preheat oven to 350°F. Cut the top off of a whole head of garlic; drizzle with olive oil and wrap in foil. Roast for an hour. May be done ahead of time.)
• 2 cups mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Directions

1. To make the dip, in a food processor fitted with the metal blade, process the garlic, olives and roasted garlic and pulse until finely chopped. 
2. Add the mayonnaise and lemon juice and process until the mixture is well blended and light purple. Transfer to a serving dish, cover and refrigerate.  

Put out the chips, cut up some veggies...and remember, it's called dip, not scoooooop!

Super Bowl Staples: More Wings

Tomorrow is the Big Game and it's not too late to throw a party or at the very least stuff yourself with every fatty, salty, sugary foods you can handle! My favorite way to indulge as if you didn't know by now are WINGS!

Alton Brown's Buffalo Wings
courtesy of Food Network

Ingredients

• 12 whole chicken wings (about 3 pounds)
• 3 ounces (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter
• 1 small clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup hot sauce
• Kosher salt

Directions

1. Place a 6-quart saucepan, with a steamer basket and 1 inch of water in the bottom, over high heat, cover and bring to a boil.
2. Remove the tips of the wings and discard or save for making stock. Use kitchen shears or a knife to separate the wings at the joint. Place the wings in the steamer basket, cover, reduce the heat to medium and steam 10 minutes. Remove the wings from the basket and carefully pat dry. Lay out the wings on a cooling rack set in a half sheet pan lined with paper towels and place in the refrigerator to dry, about 1 hour.
3. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Remove the paper towels on the pan and replace with parchment paper. Roast on the middle rack of the oven, about 20 minutes. Turn the wings over and cook 20 to 30 more minutes, or until the meat is cooked through and the skin is golden brown.
4. While the chicken is roasting, melt the butter in a small bowl with the garlic. Pour this along with the hot sauce and 1/2 teaspoon salt into a bowl large enough to hold all of the chicken and stir to combine. Remove the wings from the oven, transfer to the bowl and toss with the sauce. Serve warm.

I found this recipe from one of my favorite blogs, Andrew Knowlton's The BA Foodist. He stumbled upon these wings back in 2006 at the Brooklyn spot, The Good Fork. When describing these tasty little wings, he said: "these plump wings were perfect--crispy skin, juicy meat, and bathed in just the right amount of fiery sriracha and sambal oelek sauce. They were nothing like the scrawny, over-cooked, over-buttery specimens I ate growing up." I don't know about you, but I'm sold!

Souhui Kim's Asian Hot Wings with Cucumber and Scallion Sour Cream Dipping Sauce
courtesy of BA Foodist, Andrew Knowlton

Ingredients
Wings

• 3/4 cup sriracha (this can get hot, so adjust for heat tolerance)
• 1 tablespoon sambal oelek or other asian chili sauce
• 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
• 1 stick cold butter cut into pieces
• Vegetable oil for frying
• 1 1/2 pounds of chicken wings (about 12 pieces), cut in half with wing tips cut off

Dipping Sauce

• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 3 scallions cut into thin slices
• 1/2 cup diced cucumber

Preparation

1. Add vegetable oil to 12-inch skillet to reach depth of 1 inch. Heat over medium-high heat to 350°. Salt and pepper wings and add to skillet. Cook for 5-7 minutes. Transfer to paper towels.
2. In a saucepan, bring sriracha and vinegar to boil. Whisk in cold butter gradually.
3. Add cooked wings to saucepan and toss to coat. Serve immediately.

Dipping Sauce

1. Mix ingredients in a bowl and season with salt and pepper.

Seriously...get the wet naps! Happy Winging! 

Super Bowl Staples: Potato Bar

When I first heard of the concept of a potato bar, I really thought it sounded kind of low brow. I know, what a snob. I realize now, that a potato bar is actually ingenious! Everyone can choose what they want and everyone can get as full as they want, without breaking the bank! Potato bars are an easy way to entertain and can please even the most picky, hungry, or health-conscious guest; even better, it's an easy way to be creative.

The best part about this buffet/bar is that it's really easy to set up and you and your friends can graze and create whatever flavor profiles you choose!

Here's what you need:

Baking potatoes like russet potatoes, I say one and half per person will do it. (You can always use the leftover baked potatoes later in the week.) 

These are my key toppings:

Meat

• ham (chopped)
• chili
• bacon bits
• smoked salmon (torn into small pieces)

Cheese

• sour cream
• cheddar cheese (grated)
• goat cheese (crumbled)
• blue cheese (crumbled)

Veggies and Herbs

• chives (chopped fine)
• diced tomatoes
• sauteed mushrooms
• sauteed broccoli
• olives
• jalapeños
• fried onions
• capers
• bell peppers

Condiments

• salsa
• butter
• salt
• pepper
• scallions (thinly sliced)
• black beans

Suggested Directions:

1. Preheat oven. Prick potatoes all over with a fork, and rub them with olive oil. two methods: 1) Wrap the potatoes in tin foil and sit them on the oven rack at 350 degrees for an hour and a half. 2) Place potatoes on a rimmed baking sheet; bake at 400 degrees until easily pierced with the tip of a knife, 50 to 60 minutes.
2. If serving right away, cut a deep cross in each potato; push ends together to open. Season with salt and pepper; add desired toppings. If not, wrap each potato in foil to preserve the warmth. You can leave them in the oven at a low heat to keep them warm or set them out in the foil as you wait for guests to arrive.  

These are my humble suggestions, because be creative and make this your own!

Happy Year of the Rabbit!

Happy Chinese New Year! Today begins the year of the rabbit, marked by tranquility and a time for diplomacy. I hope these blessings of the year come soon! On New Year's Day, Chinese tradition requires that you not use knives or scissors, so you do not cut your good fortune short. So, it's suggested that you either do all your prep for your food the day before or better yet, eat out! If you want to eat at home, but keep tradition, try stopping by your local grocer for pre-cut veggies and meats.

photo source: iStock

So you might wonder, does the food you eat have any symbolism? YES! Eat long noodles for a long life. Share a whole fish with your family and friends for abundance and grab some egg rolls (my favorite) for wealth. In Catonese, the word for shrimp sounds like the laughter, so it is said to symbolize happiness. Here is a great recipe for Longevity Chicken Lo-Mein from Grace Young combining a lot of these ingredients. Based on this information, I'm planning a dinner of shrimp fried rice or noodles with egg rolls over here! What about you?

Here are some recommendations to dine out tonight:

Chino Hills, CA (shout out to my hometown!)
Las Vegas
Los Angeles
New York City
Northern VA
Provo, UT
Salt Lake City, UT
Seattle, WA
Washington, DC
 a few other spots around North America...

Start the Chinese New Year out right with delicious foods with the people you care about...and Gung Hay Fat Choy!

Happy Groundhog Day!

Today is Groundhog Day, the day we look to Punxsutawney Phil to tell us how long winter will be, at least I do! If you haven't heard, this year Phil didn't see his shadow which means and early spring! For most of you across the U.S. having an crazy snow day, this news is great! So, inspired by the movie Groundhog Day staring Bill Murray as Phil, I will celebrate by eating and talking about coffee shop fares. At one point, in Groundhog Day, Phil realizes there are no consequences to eating whatever he wants, so naturally he gorges on pancakes, pastries, and downs coffee by the carafe. Although I would never want to be stuck living the same scenario day after day, I do think eating my favorite foods in excess would not be a bad way to endure.

So today, join me in cooking up some pancakes and pastries or heading to your local coffeehouse and celebrate an early spring!