Thai Papaya Salad (Som Tam)

I'm a pretty big fan of making lists. Shopping lists, number one priority chores list, wanderlusting lists and just things that need to get done. Lately I've been doing a lot more of the latter but I keep on running into one big brick wall, without fail I will lose all the lists I write. Shopping lists somehow always manage to fall out of my pocket or purse somewhere between my apartment and the store. We all know what goes down when that happens, someone ends up with 5 blocks of cheese, no vegetables and a bag of chips. No one wins in that game, even the grocery store because they failed to move out the perishables. 

As I was saying, I've been making a lot of to do lists. It usually goes like this: finally go to the department of licensing (yes, I'm getting a Washington drivers license) and just buck up and write that blog post. The number one spot usually fluctuates depending on the type of hair day I'm having. Don't tell me that sounds silly because let's be real, I'm going to be stuck with that drivers license photo for at least a few years. Little Orphan Annie hair isn't always in vogue.

As you are now reading this blog post, I've obviously checked at least one thing off my list. I made "A" a complete Thai/Lao dinner a few weeks back. I would say when we go out to eat, we seem to lean towards the spicy & noodley variety. One of my favorite things he has introduced me to is green (raw) papaya salad; it's crunchy, spicy and the fish sauce makes it a bit salty too. After I've watched him make it a few times, I felt it was due time I made some too. If not only for the purpose that I could make it all just to gorge myself.

The actual preparation is straightforward and simple, but I do recommend having a few specific kitchen tools. You'll want a mortar & pestle to grind together a good portion of the ingredients and a julienne mandolin doesn't hurt to have to cut up the papaya. However, if you want to make this don't go out and buy a surplus of gadgets. With some basic knife skills, you can easily chop up the papaya and (sshhhh) I've totally ground together the spices and peanuts in a small food processor. No biggie.

If you want a healthy side dish with a flair of the exotic and a kick of spice, look no further.

Thai Papaya Salad (Som Tam)

Adapted from My Cooking Hut

Ingredients:

• 400g green papaya, shredded
• Cherry tomatoes, halved
• Red bell pepper, thinly slices
• 40g cup toasted peanuts
• 3 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
• 2 thai red chili (use more or omit depending of desired spiciness)
• 3-4 tablespoons fish sauce
• 3-4 tablespoons palm sugar
• 4 tablespoon lime juice
• a few sprigs cilantro

Directions:

1. Peel the green papaya and shred with a julienne mandolin. Alternatively, slice the peeled papaya into very thin strips. Mix together with cherry tomatoes & red pepper in a large bowl.
2. Place the roasted peanuts, garlic and thai chili in a mortar and pound to a rough paste. Add this crushed peanut mixture to the shredded papaya, tomatoes & bell pepper.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the fish sauce, sugar and lime juice. Add this to the shredded papaya, tomato, bell pepper and peanuts. Toss well. Garnish with cilantro. Serve chilled.

Roasted Potato Stacks

So those holidays, am I right? I don't know about you, but I feel a slight aversion in my stomach every time a candy cane pops into my peripheral. Don't get my started on how I feel after spying gum drop fairies flying through my thoughts. It's too much. TOO MUCH I tell you! It's not that I'm a ginger grinch and despise Christmas but I don't think my waistline can handle one bit more.

So far my fridge is full of fresh veggies from my CSA, leftover Thai/Lao food I made the night before and just, erm… a few beers I snuck back with me from Michigan. Never mind the last part though - I'm rationing those and they are sentimental, it doesn't count.

As it is the winter, my CSA has mainly consisted of root vegetables and a few fruits shipped up from California. As a girl can only have so many potatoes and carrots, I've actually suspended my CSA for the next few months. Before I suspended, I received one last CSA right after I came back from Michigan and it was full of, you guessed it, every single type of potato ever grown. Ok, that's a slight exaggeration but you know what I mean.

I was sick of your standard mashed/baked/toppings-loaded potato and decided to try out something new. I had seen these floating around the Internet and thought it was due time to try them out. Not only do they look insanely fancy as just an appetizer for one, but they were easy to put together too.  I can't stress enough how much a Mandoline helps here, but regardless of your tools these will be pretty delightful as a side, appetizer or something to singularly stuff your face with.

And I don't know how fancy you plan on getting for your upcoming Super Bowl VVIIXXVW (or whatever number it is) party, but I recommending throwing in some of these. If anything, the ladies in attendance will be impressed.

Roasted Potato Stacks

Adapted from Sea Salt with Food

Ingredients:

• 24 Small Mixed Color Potatoes, scrubbed 
• ¼ Cup Olive Oil
• 1 Tbsp Chopped Rosemary
• 1 ½ Tbsp Lemon Juice, or to taste
• Sea Salt
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425˚F.
2. Lightly oil the 12 molds in a regular-size muffin pan.
3. (Peel the purple color potatoes, if using.) Otherwise, slice all the potatoes thinly with a Mandoline or a sharp knife. Wash the potatoes, drain well and pat dry with a paper towel.
4. In a large bowl, toss the potatoes with olive oil, rosemary, lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.
5. Stack the potatoes and lay them sideway in a muffin pan and bake for about 25 to 30 minutes or until the potatoes turn crispy on the outside and the flesh is soft.
6. Transfer the muffin pan to racks to cool for 2 to 3 minutes before carefully removing the potatoes. Serve warm.

Tomato-Olive Stuffing

Sometimes it's hard to get into the holiday spirit and I guess this would be one of those times. As a girl from Michigan who was frequently spoiled rotten with a fresh blanket of flakes every few days in December, the adjustment to holiday weather in Seattle has been less than jolly. How am I supposed to feel Christmas in my fingers and my toes when it's a balmy 45 degrees and  the ground is damp with freshly fallen rain drops? Bah! HUMBUG!  

Tonight I went for a long walk by all the fancy houses in Queen Anne while listening to my favorite podcast's holiday episodes. I took pictures of silly houses and a decked out Space Needle! My cheeks got rosy! I even had to put gloves on…  Eventually, I felt some of the spirit slip through me, but I don't have the same urge as in years past to listen to non-stop Christmas music from the day after Thanksgiving to the evening of the 25th. I think I might be broken.

No matter, I am preforming some self-therapy and forcing myself to listen to Sufjan Stevens' Christmas album and throwing in the classic Bing Crosby for good measure too. I might even see what holiday offerings Netflix has. No matter what, when I fly into Michigan a week from now, I will be jollier than the man in red himself!

Regardless of if you're a little like me or you're pacifically one of Santa's elves, I'd like to think this stuffing is perfect for the holidays. I personally made it for Friendsgiving (which was ironically a week after real Thanksgiving), which is my mind is one of the greatest holidays of them all! Friends, lots of wine, more food than we know what to do with and college football playoffs? HECK YES! We know how much I love Friendsgiving so we should move onto the stuffing… it's amazing. Completely out of left field and out of the ordinary amazing. After poking around the internet for a few days looking for a stuffing recipe that didn't make me think of a 1950's Christmas television special, I finally came across something that didn't just call for butter and bread. No no, this had olives, tomatoes and rosemary, oh my! Even though I'm positive tomatoes aren't the least bit in season in Seattle, I was able to find a beautiful box of cherry tomatoes ready for roasting.

While Thanksgiving has passed, Christmas is fast approaching.  If you need a dish that reminds you of far-off flavors but in the comfort of your home, look no further. And hey, we can pretend it's totally healthy because it has vegetables in it and stuff.

Tomato-Olive Stuffing
Adapted from The Bitten Word

Ingredients

• 1 loaf crusty Italian bread, cut into 3/4-inch pieces (approx. 8 cups)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for baking dish
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced medium
• 2 large celery stalks, diced medium
• 4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 1 cup halved grape tomatoes
• 1 cup roughly chopped pitted Kalamata olives
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1/2 cup roughly chopped fresh parsley leaves
• 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees, with racks in middle and lower thirds. On two rimmed baking sheets, arrange bread in a single layer. Toast until dry and pale golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool. 
2. Meanwhile, lightly oil a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. In a large skillet, heat olive oil and cook, stirring frequently, until onion and celery are softened, about 7 minutes. Add tomatoes, olives, rosemary and red-pepper flakes and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Transfer to a large bowl and season with salt and pepper.
3. Add parsley, eggs, and bread; stir to combine. Add broth in two additions, stirring until absorbed after each addition. Season generously with salt and pepper and transfer stuffing to dish. Bake on middle rack until deep golden brown on top, 25 to 30 minutes. Let sit 5 minutes before serving. 
4. Great for leftovers, both hot or cold!

Shaved Fennel Salad

Being an adult can be pretty awesome.  You can buy fancy beer, even though I sometimes still blush when they card me. I really should stop doing that, I've been "of age" for a while now.

You can eat pints of blueberries and bunches of carrots from farmers markets and call it lunch. No one is judging.

You can fly your best friend (since the age of 11!) up from Texas just to make her go on a hike with you. No, we did other stuff but really, who are we kidding…

A few days later you can hike up the side of a mountain and stay up late.  Did I mention I did this all in the past few days? No? Yeah, sometimes being an adult is cool.  These are some of the major pros.

Other times, I eat popcorn sans pants and call it dinner when I don't have much time on my hands. Don't judge me.  When you're an adult you'll see all things are possible.  This salad? One of the awesome parts of being an adult. One week I got a surplus of vegetables I don't usually cook with in my CSA box. I had eaten fennel before but had yet to cook with it. Adult arugula? POUNDS of zucchini? Good thing a few days before I finally purchased Heidi Swanson's "Super Natural Everyday."

Anyone who is even slightly acquainted with me knows that I have a slight addiction to cookbooks.  Some I rarely use and others that every page is splattered in stains. Already this one belongs in the latter category. As the name of the book implies, all of the recipes are as natural as possible and relatively free of "additives" (sugars, refined grains, etc).

Moral of the blog post: this salad is easy to put together, you can make it ahead and everyone will think you're a super fancy adult.

Black Bean Hummus

Sorry that I’ve left you hanging friends.  I have some pretty big news.  No no, I didn’t win the lottery.  Nope, did not meet the man of my dreams and am currently siting on a beach in Fiji honeymooning.

I’m moving.

BAM.

Not anywhere particularly exciting.  Actually, I’m only moving one neighborhood over and about 4 miles away from my old apartment.  What is exciting is that this is the first time I’ll have my “own place.”  Probably shouldn’t have said that on the internet, now creepers are going to be coming after me and my single self.  Regardless, Queen Anne, get ready for my arrival! 

So you probably know what that means, almost everything I own is in a box, waiting to go in a box, or somewhat unpacked at my new place.  Basically, my cooking is pretty much non-existent at the moment.  I’ve been sustaining life on some bean soup I made an embarrassingly long time ago, Amy’s frozen meals and lots of coffee.  Lots.

But this black bean “hummus” (it’s really more like a black bean dip, but who’s calling the PC police here) is from a few weeks ago.  My friend Julie & her family hosted a glass sale out of their home to raise money for her dad & brother to go to Russia. John McComish (Julie’s dad) is an extremely talented local glass artist and he went to Russia to install some glass work at an orphanage.  I really recommend you check his stuff out: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hot-Glass-Seattle/209400679084056

Food.  Right.  To help nourish the shoppers, Julie and I cooked and catered for the event.  She made some delicious “faux-mosas” (samosa filling in phyllo dough), I made the black bean dip, cut up some veggies, laid out some tortilla chips & we attempted to make gluten free macaroons (they failed MISERABLY).

The original recipe called for 2 tablespoons of tahini but as we didn’t have any of hand, and Julie conveniently doesn’t like tahini, we did without.  I think it made the texture a little thicker and the bean flavor a little more prominent, two things I was completely ok with.

In other news, I am starting the re-integration process for gluten & dairy!  Today (and today only) I get to eat AS MUCH GLUTEN as I WANT!  (insert evil, maniacal here)

Garlic Bread with Mozzarella and Parmesan

If you had come to at least a few Les Voyageurs potlucks, you would know that I had made this fairly frequently.  When up to it, I would also make my own bread from scratch (I recommend Jim Lahey's No-Knead Bread).  More often than not though, I would run over to Zingerman's and pick up a loaf of the Rustic Italian or Farm Bread.  For this recipe it is crucial to get bread that has a thick crust and a tight crumb.  Most importantly, it keeps the cheese was melting through.  Secondly, these types of bread get a nice crunch when baked (more correctly, broiled).

You ask why I have been making this for so long yet am only now posting the recipe?  I have a good answer, I didn't want my 'secret' recipe available to the masses.  Well, that was selfish on me so I am making up for lost time by positing it right away.  That, and I think my parents will want to make this once I'm in Seattle.

Ingredients:

• One loaf of crusty bread, cut into 1/2 inch slices
• 2 tablespoons of butter, melted
• 6 tablespoons of olive oil
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• Italian seasoning & oregano to taste
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• Grated Mozzarella (about 1/2 cup)
• Grated Parmesan (about 1/2 cup)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to Low Broil.
2. Mix together ingredients, except for cheeses, in a bowl.  Slice bread and arrange on a baking sheet.  Using a spoon, drizzle on olive oil mixture over sliced bread, making sure to cover entire surface of a slice of bread with mixture.
3. Place in oven and broil for 2 minutes, or until bread started to toast.  Remove from oven.
4. Top bread with cheeses and return to over and broil for 3 to 4 more minutes, or until the cheese starts to brown.  But be careful!  At this stage it can go from beautiful to burnt very quicky!
5. Serve hot/warm.

Home Fries

The Ale81 and Diet Coke perfectly accompany an American summer!

Okay, okay.  We already know I love potatoes.  But fun fact, other people love potatoes too!  This is the last thing I made for the boys at the Deathstar - Jake was leaving soon for Seattle and I was moving back home to Brighton for the summer.  That day we grilled, and my we I mean the boys grilled and I made home fries in the oven, the perfect accompaniment to burgers.  These are crispy on the outside, but soft and sturdy on the inside.  I ate a few of these, but Jake and Ron ate most of them with rave reviews. Also, thank you to Jake for recommending that I put a little crazy salt in the salt/black pepper mixture.


Home Fries
Ingredients:

• 4 russet potatoes, scrubbed and cut into wedges
• Olive oil
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Crazy Salt

Directions:

1. Preheat over to 425 degrees.
2. Wash and scrub the potatoes and cut into wedges.
3. Arrange the potatoes on the bottom of a baking pan with the skin side down (so that no part of the inside of the potato is touching the bottom of the pan).
4. Drizzle on olive oil and sprinkle on the desired amount of salt, pepper and crazy salt.
5. Place in the oven for about 30 minutes, but it may take longer.  The potatoes are ready when the outsides are crispy and a fork is easily inserted into the thickest part of the potato wedge.

Fruit Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing

Every brunch needs a light fruit side.  Well, maybe it doesn't need it, but I sure want it!  I made a pretty big batch of fruit salad, but half of what was left over when home with my grandma and the other half stayed with us.  And what happened to that half that stayed back in my fridge?  It was a nice afternoon snack for the next couple of days!  The dressing still tasted fresh and the fruit was still crisp.  For me, that is the definition of a pretty good fruit salad!  I had hoped to have starfruit, but sadly Meijer didn't have any.  I was lucky enough to find kiwi!  But seriously, why is starfruit so amazing?  I first had starfruit in Nashville in August on 2008, a few more times after that… and I haven't had it in about a year.  I really miss it!  It is crispy while still being juicy and it looks very nice on a fruit platter!

I wanted this fruit salad to primarily focus on berries, but I feel like you could use any "summery" fruit; I wouldn't use apples.

PS - This post is "part two, of three," for Mother's Day Brunch.

Fruit:

• Organic Strawberries (even if you don't buy organic, you really should buy organic strawberries, they absorb so many pesticides)
• Half a Honeydew
• ¼ a large watermelon
• Blackberries
• 6 Kiwi

Dressing:

• 1 tsp poppyseeds
• 1/2 cup pineapple juice
• 2 T sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 T canola oil

Add pineapple juice, sugar and salt to a blender and blend until combined. Slowly stream in oil with blender running until emulsified. Add poppyseeds and pour over fruit. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

Parmesan Crackers with Garlic & Rosemary

Ironically, last night I made crackers from scratch because I was craving something crunchy but was too lazy to go out to the store to buy crackers.  And boy, am I glad I didn't!  I can't stop munching on these crackers - the flavor is so amazing and elegant!  It sure kicks any other cheesy-ish cracker I've consumed to the curb!  Another added bonus is that these aren't hard to make at all - while I did use my blessed food processor, this wouldn't be difficult to put together with a pastry masher or even a fork (...but it would take longer).  I don't think I'll ever buy crackers again because the batch I made yielded what would be in a normal sized box of cheese crackers!  Even after offering my housemates one, they kept on asking (and just going back) for more.  The greatest part about this recipe?  It's TOTALLY customizable with whatever spices you have in your pantry or whatever your craving... I'm still thinking about what combination I want to do next!


Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
• 1 tsp. salt
• 4 tbsp butter
• about ½ cups water, plus more as needed (I used about ⅛ of a cup more)
• ½ cup freshly grated parmesan
• ~4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp dried rosemary
• a few turns of fresh cracked pepper

(these are the herbs/flavors I used, but feel free to substitute with whatever you like!)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 F.
2. Place the flour, salt, and butter together in a large bowl or in the container of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Blend with a fork or pulse, until the flour and butter are combined. Add about 1/4 cup of water and blend, then continue to add water until the mixture holds together but is not sticky (see ingredient list above)
3. Add in parmesan, rosemary, garlic, and pepper (or any other herbs/cheese/flavorings) at this point and give a final stir or pulse.
4. Roll out on a lightly floured surface until 1/4 in. thick, or even less (thinner = crunchier).  Score lightly with a pizza cutter if you want to break these into nice squares or rectangles later on & poke holes with a fork in the top. Bake on a lightly floured baking sheet, or directly on baking stones, until lightly browned, about 20 minutes. Cool on a rack & store in an airtight container.

Oven-Roasted Asparagus.

Once again... no pictures. There was no time - hungry people wanted to eat! But here is a very very simple recipe for oven-roasted asparagus. The days of boiling asparagus are over! NO MORE!

Ingredients:

• Asparagus
• Kosher Salt
• Fresh Ground Pepper
• Olive Oil

(I told you, so easy! Only FOUR ingredients!)

Directions:

1. Place a rack in the top level of the oven and then preheat to 450 degrees.
2. Wash and dry the asparagus, cut off the ends, then peel (with a vegetable peeler) the lower portion of the asparagus.
3. Arrange on a large cookie sheet/jelly roll pan and drizzle with olive oil, followed by a nice sprinkling of fresh ground pepper and kosher salt.
4. With a spatula (or your hands), roll the asparagus around on the pan so it gets coated with the olive oil and spices. Make sure that before the asparagus is placed in the oven, it is evenly arranged on the baking sheet.
5. Cook in the oven for approximately 15 minutes, or until the asparagus has started to wilt/look 'roasted'
6. If you want, you can grate some parmesan over the hot asparagus. Otherwise, plate and enjoy!