it’s what’s for dinner.
my boy & i had not seen each other for about a week – he was up north with his grandparents to ring in the new year – & wanted to celebrate his return. we decided that a butter-basted rib eye would do the trick.
butter-basted rib eye (serves 2)
1 1-lb. boneless rib eye, 1 ½” thick
1 T vegetable oil
salt & pepper
2 T unsalted butter
pat steaks dry & season generously with salt & pepper.
heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over high heat until it shimmers. add steak. do not move steak & let sear on one side for 2 minutes. flip steak & sear on the other side for 1 minute. add butter to pan & tilting pan toward you, spoon melted butter over steak repeatedly for 1 minute until butter is lightly browned & steak is medium rare (125 degrees on an instant-read thermometer). transfer to a large plate & let rest for 2 minutes. slice on the diagonal, serve.
so far, so great.
wishing you all a very happy new year & may 2013 be full of tasty clothes & delicious food!!
this year started on the right foot with a very lazy morning & a brunch of wild salmon chowder, brown bread with cambozola & mimosas.
wild salmon chowder (serves 6)
6 small red potatoes
8 slices bacon, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-wide strips
2 C leeks, thinly sliced
1 C fresh or frozen corn
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped garlic
1 tsp. fresh thyme, finely chopped
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp. dried chili flakes
3 C whole milk
1 C heavy cream
1 ½ lb salmon fillet, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
snipped fresh chives for garnish
cut potatoes into 1/2-inch cubes, then cook in a 1-quart saucepan in boiling salted water until just tender, 8 to 10 minutes. drain in a colander & set aside.
cook bacon in a 5-quart heavy pot over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp, about 8 minutes. transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. pour off all but 2 T fat from pot, then cook leeks, corn, garlic, thyme, bay leaf & red-pepper flakes in fat in pot over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until leeks are tender, about 5 minutes. add milk & cream and bring just to a boil. reduce heat to moderately low. add potatoes, salmon, bacon, salt & pepper and cook, gently stirring occasionally, until salmon is just cooked through and begins to break up as you stir, 5 to 8 minutes. stir in lemon juice & salt and pepper to taste. discard bay leaf before serving.
tied up with string.
using sinterklaas as a guide, even though it’s for the littles, i have my eye on presents that could fit in a boot.
love the leather -metal-buckle combination. arrow bracelet / low luv
considered a supernatural bird of power & strength. shazam! thunderbird cuff / low luv
yay!! who doesn’t love a polaroid? polaroid Z2300 / b&h photo
i have lights up year-round. giddy-up!! galloping lights / country supply
indeed. to my health flask / izola
a conversation-piece time-piece. jupiter brown wooden watch / wewood
ssshh… i may have bought these already. but aren’t they handsome? vintage cuff links / tieyouup
when in doubt, say it with butterscotch. or caramel. chocolate covered sea salt butterscotch caramels / trader joe’s
yeah, not quite boot-size but you’ve got to dream big…
an apple a day.
make this & you will be happy. you deserve to be happy.
hot mulled wine (makes 3ish quarts, serves about 12)
2 quarts apple cider
1 bottle dry white wine
2 oranges
20 whole cloves
10 whole allspice
1 whole star anise
4 cinnamon sticks
1 C brandy
stud each orange with 10 cloves & halve oranges. in a large pot, combine the studded oranges & remaining ingredients except the brandy. slowly bring to a simmer over low heat for 20 minutes. add the brandy. ladle into mugs.
these boots are made for everything.
i wear boots many days, year-round & for most occasions. that said, i don’t have dozens of boots – i have one pair that i wear into the ground & then switch up. recently these have caught my eye…
these have won me over / givenchy
loving the toe detail / sigerson morrison
will weather perfectly / frye
keep the rest of the outfit simple / mojo moxy
so versatile / michael kors
- for a winter wonderland / sorrel
taking stock.
so many bones & plenty of time. my house smells like thanksgiving all over again. and again – i must have made 2 gallons of stock these past days, not including a(nother) pot of soup. so when lunch time rolled around (guess what i brought for lunch today?) & i was not feeling particularly hungry, i was not shocked but i was a little perplexed. lunch is, after all, my favorite part of the workday. but then i remembered that my early morning felt more like a monday than a thursday until i reminded myself that tomorrow is friday & celebrated by having bacon with a side of bacon for breakfast.
here is my very casual recipe for chicken stock which also works for turkey. i promise that my next recipe will be very complicated involve more than one pot.
basic chicken stock (makes 4 quarts)
3 1/2 lbs chicken bones, incl. necks
2 large yellow onions, quartered
4 carrots, unpeeled
4 stalks celery with leaves
10 sprigs fresh parsley
5 sprigs fresh thyme
1 tsp. whole black peppercorns
2 tsp. salt
place the chickens, onions, carrots, celery, parsley, thyme, peppercorns & salt into a large stockpot. add 6 quarts of water & bring to a boil. simmer, uncovered, for 4 hours. strain the entire contents of the pot through a colander & discard the solids. chill the stock overnight. skim the surface fat. if not using immediately, pack in soup containers & freeze for up to 3 months.
easy like sunday morning.
november at the farmer’s market.
all that glitters.
…so many festive occasions / parties / tuesday evenings to don some flash as we celebrate that we have made it, are making it, through our days with friends & family, love & great food. shine on!!
obsessed with this dress. mesh gold dress / topshop
festive & sexy yet practical. knitted baroque dress / topshop
- covet. gold python pumps / tom ford
so shiny. so cool. gold shark tooth necklace / seawear
with high-waisted pants or a maxi skirt – yes! studded bralet / topshop
a hidden wedge gives lift. bronze wedge sneaker / isabel marant
salad days.
every year for thanksgiving i have about twenty-seven recipes that i want to make, thirteen of which are desserts. a large part of my preparation, other than obsessively thinking-reading-talking food, is deciding which recipes will make the cut. the other part of my preparation is to try to moderate my intake in the days leading up to the feast so that i can actually button my pants enjoy the fruits of my labor.
oops. forgot to photograph the salad before i ate it all…
kale & spinach salad with almonds & feta (serves 4)
1/2 bunch lacinato kale, removed from stems & sliced into thin strips
8 oz. baby spinach
1/2 C grape tomatoes, sliced
1 avocado, diced
1/2 small purple onion, thinly sliced & pickled*
1/2 C almonds, roasted & salted, coarsely chopped
1/2 C feta, crumbled
vinaigrette (recipe below)
pour dressing into a large salad bowl. add tomatoes, avocado & onion & combine until ingredients are coated by the dressing. add kale & spinach, almonds and feta, tossing gently until combined.
*easy pickled purple onion: thinly slice half of the purple onion into half-moons. place in a bowl & pour 1/4 cup vinegar and 1/2 cup warm water over onion. stir in 1/2 tsp. sugar and season with salt; let stand until slightly pickled, about 30 minutes. drain.
ina’s (aka the barefoot contessa) vinaigrette
1 tsp. dijon mustard
1 tsp. minced fresh garlic (i usually omit)
3 T champagne vinegar
kosher salt & fresh ground pepper
1/2 C good olive oil
in the large salad bowl, whisk together the mustard, garlic, vinegar, 1 tsp. salt & 1/2 tsp. pepper. while whisking, slowly add the olive oil until the vinaigrette is emulsified.
back in the day.
yesterday i was leafing through some old food magazines & found this bon appetit recipe for a delicious sounding retro-yet-revised tuna noodle casserole with gruyere & dill. tuna casserole was not on the menu in the house when i was growing up – my mother is dutch & i don’t remember can opening as part of her dinner repertoire. i do remember trying to convince her to please, please, oh please make me a white bread sandwich with bologna & yellow mustard. what i got was braunschweiger with seedy mustard on dense multi-grain slices. but because of those euro sensibilities on one side & southern black on the other, i had an adventurous palate; think escargots, oysters & really stinky cheese, nose-to-tail eating that included the nose & tail – at a young age. i am still an adventurous eater but i really love the basics done well – a perfect roast chicken, earthy stews, chopped salads… so though i don’t have an original with which to compare, this creamy, crunchy-topped casserole was a hit.
it really tastes much better than this photo looks. really.
tuna noodle casserole with leeks & dill (serves 6)
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
2 1/2 cups thinly sliced leeks
1/4 tsp celery seeds
coarse kosher salt
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
1/2 cup half & half
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
8 ounces wide egg noodles
1/2 cup coarsely grated gruyere cheese (about 2 1/2 ounces)
2 T chopped fresh dill*
2 5 – 6 ounce cans albacore tuna, preferably packed in oil, drained**
2 cups crushed salted potato chips (about 2 ounces)
preheat oven to 375 degrees. butter 8x8x2-inch glass baking dish. melt unsalted butter in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. add leeks and celery seeds to saucepan; sprinkle lightly with coarse kosher salt. cover saucepan and cook until leeks are tender but not brown, stirring often, about 8 minutes. add flour; stir 1 minute. gradually add milk and half and half; simmer until mixture thickens slightly, stirring often, about 5 minutes. stir in lemon juice. season leek sauce to taste with coarse kosher salt and pepper. remove sauce from heat.
meanwhile, cook egg noodles in large pot of boiling salted water until tender, stirring occasionally. drain noodles, reserving 3/4 cup noodle cooking liquid. transfer noodles to large bowl. pour leek sauce over noodles. add grated gruyère cheese and dill and stir to blend; add reserved noodle cooking liquid by tablespoons until mixture is moist and creamy (about 8 tablespoons). fold in tuna. transfer to prepared baking dish.
can be made 1 day ahead. cool slightly. chill uncovered until cold, then cover with foil and keep refrigerated. bake noodle casserole, covered with foil, until heated through, about 20 minutes if freshly made or 30 minutes if chilled. remove foil. sprinkle crushed potato chips over and continue to bake, uncovered, until top is golden brown and filling bubbles, about 10 minutes longer. serve hot.
*if you do not have fresh dill do not substitute dried – instead use fresh parsley
**my go-to tuna is trader joe’s albacore packed in oil because it isn’t mushy like some brands are – fold it in gently so there are nice chunks of fish throughout
whaticookedwhatiwore 