Hot Ginger Love

brussel sprouts anyone?

2009-11-12T15:06:00.000-08:00

i used to hate brussel sprouts, they always smelled funky, and had a weird texture. as i’ve grown older, i’ve developed an affinity for them, and now i consider them to be one of my favorite veggies.

i’m not sure how i thought the grew before but it was only once i started shopping at farmers markets that i found out that this is how they look when they are growing.

i picked this bad boy up a few days ago and am thinking about different way to cook them. i’ll definitely give my tried and true method a go (pan seared with garlic and olive oil and, towards the end, a splash of balsamic vinegar) but i need a few more recipes. any suggestions?

birthday fun

2009-11-11T14:25:00.000-08:00

last saturday was the first annual day long celebration of pete's birth. we started out with some delish sonic burgers and tots. i had never been to a sonic before so the whole experience of cute girls bringing me my tots while on roller skates was pretty much awesome.

pete was super excited to order his sonic burger. he had heard they were better than five guys! his professional verdict? it was good, but hard to tell if it was better. a side by side taste comparison may need to be performed in order to more accurately judge.

the tots though? those tots are good. crispy, potatoey, everything a tater tot should be.

the next item on the agenda was a visit to the long beach aquarium. one of my favorite parts was definitely the jellyfish. i could have sat and taken pictures all day, but alas, i had to make way for some kiddies to take a peek.

on the way back to the car, we caught the tail end of gorgeous sunset and i couldn't help but snap a picture.

and finally, it was off to dinner, where we stuffed our faces full of sushi, crispy pork belly, warm chocolate torte and wine. can't wait to do it all again next year.

what's been going on in our kitchen

2009-11-05T10:41:00.000-08:00

pete’s birthday was on monday so on sunday morning i made him pumpkin pancakes with cinnamon whipped cream and a big french press with my favorite LA coffee (www.lacoffee.com). the perfect fall breakfast, even though it’s still in the 70’s around here.

i get into routines when it comes to breakfast. last month, it was all about scrambled eggs. but it's november now and time to change it up, and lately, it's been all about oatmeal for breakfast. i prefer to make it with milk, sprinkled with slivered almonds and a drizzle of maple syrup, it’s such a delish way to start the day.

last night i made chicken in a lemon, caper, artichoke sauce and at the last minute I stirred in a dollop of crème fraiche i had left over from another meal. i really think the crème fraiche was the star here, it gave the sauce a nice tang and creaminess. it was so good, I actually licked the palte. i read recently that you can make your own crème fraiche at home, and i intend to try it out soon. i’ll let you know how it goes.

sunday afternoon

2009-10-25T18:49:00.000-07:00

sunday afternoons were made for hanging in your favorite coffee shop, sipping an exceptionally well made latte and reading a new book (not becoming my mother by the always amazing ruth reichl).

i love the scene here, there are four stations, and each one is staffed with a vest-wearing hipster barista to craft your delicious drink. it's pricier than most places, but they really know what they are doing here. intellegentsia, you have my heart.

special delivery

2009-10-21T10:42:00.000-07:00

no, i'm not going vegan, i love cheese too much to do that.

yesterday i came home to find a package from amazon waiting on my doorstep! i love getting things in the mail, especially things that aren't bills. a few weeks ago i made the chickpea cutlets from this book and they were SO good that when i saw it on sale for half off on amazon the next day, i went for it.

boris and i teamed up in deciding on the first meal: chile cornmeal crusted tofu with southwestern corn pudding and green pumpkin seed mole? or maybe potato and kale enchiladas with roasted chile sauce? too many choices.

things i've been doing

2009-10-13T11:12:00.000-07:00

The Hollywood Bowl is a magical place to see a show, it’s all outdoors and you can bring your own wine and food to nibble on as the sun sets over the Hollywood Hills. A few weeks ago, I dragged Pete to the Sound of Music Sing Along and joined 18,000 other people (the show was sold out almost instantly, that is how popular it is) to watch my all-time favorite movie and sing along to every song (they put the words at the bottom of the screen in case you don’t know them- as if!). Before the movie started there was a costume contest, with a grand prize of a 7 day cruise to Mexico! The winning costume? Three little kids dressed as “Tea with Bread and Jam”. So cute. It was loads of fun, even though we seriously underestimated the amount of wine we needed as we ran out before the movie even started! Oh well, there’s always next year.

what's for dinner

2009-07-21T16:47:00.000-07:00

Smitten Kitchen's lemony zucchini goat cheese pizza. I officially want to spread lemony goat cheese onto whatever I can get my hands on.

While cutting off the tops of my radishes from the farmers market, I tasted one and discovered that the tops are totally delish. It made me so sad I had thrown so many away. The tops were tossed into the salad bowl with some other mixed greens, an impromptu lemon vinaigrette and some Parmesan shavings.

On another note, my garden is starting to finally show some life, which makes me totally excited, since I thought for sure this year was going to be a bust. I guess I need to learn a little patience. pictures to come.

and they said "i do"

2009-07-13T23:06:00.001-07:00

Pete and I just returned from a week in Vieques, Puerto Rico celebrating the union of two of the most wonderful people, our friends Mia and Ira. To say that it was an honor to be a part of their most special day is an understatement, and I can't think of two people more deserving of a lifetime of happiness. Cheers!

the full set of pictures can be found here.

i'm back

2009-06-16T11:41:00.000-07:00

I can’t believe I’ve been away for over two months. Things got a little hectic for a while, with jobs, school, moving, family, life, but now that summer is here, I’m ready to relax, slow down and enjoy life.

As an offering of my sincerest apologies, I decided to bake you a cake. Back in March, Abby gifted me with the loveliest of books, Molly's A Homemade Life, and I've had the recipe for her Winning Hearts and Minds cake tagged ever since. This cake is so delicious and impressive, you would never guess how simple it is to make. I made a few modifications, such as using Trader Joe's chocolate instead of the recommended "good" chocolate, a 9 inch cake pan because that's all I had, and a tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder instead of regular flour (gluten free bonus!) and I don't think it hurt it one bit.

"it's basically like the moistest, richest, bestest brownie you've ever had" - pete

sweatin' to the oldies

2009-04-02T11:23:00.000-07:00

Imagine my surprise when I woke up this morning to find an email from my mom containing this picture. Apparently old Richard likes to hang out at 30th Street Station wearing tank tops bedazzled with the word "SWEAT".

mantra

2009-03-12T09:27:00.000-07:00

I've been seeing this around the interwebs, and really, it couldn't have come at a better time.

“I must learn to love the fool in me–the one who feels too much, talks too much, takes too many chances, wins sometimes and loses often, lacks self-control, loves and hates, hurts and gets hurt, promises and breaks promises, laughs and cries. It alone protects me against that utterly self-controlled, masterful tyrant whom I also harbor and who would rob me of human aliveness, humility, and dignity but for my fool.” — Theodore I. Rubin, MD

from a Cup of Jo

Prop 8

2009-03-05T09:22:00.000-08:00

It’s not often that things turn political here, but woah nelly, is it a big day here in the Golden State. Today is the day that the California Supreme Court is hearing arguments on whether or not Proposition 8 should be upheld and if so, whether the 18,000 or so same-sex marriages performed should remain valid. While it will be 60 days before the decision is released, I think it’s important today to think about all of the wonderfully brave men and women who have fought for their right to be a part of something that so many of us take for granted. Having just gone through the excitement of an engagement myself, it saddens and angers me that there are so many people out there who are being deprived of the ability to experience that same joy and to build a life with the person they love. Fingers crossed that Prop 8 is soon just a bad memory.

good times

2009-03-02T15:39:00.000-08:00

Just a little heads up to all you Food Network lovers out there. This Thursday, set your DVR’s, pop some popcorn and join us in playing “Spot the Ginger” as Pete makes his network debut on Ace of Cakes. It's going to be a rip roarin' good time had by all.

does this mean i have to get a subscription to The Knot?

2009-02-23T10:03:00.000-08:00

Last weekend, on a regular Sunday afternoon, Pete and I went hiking at one of our favorite spots in LA and he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. I always thought I would catch on that something was up, that I would sense a nervousness about him, but I was taken completely by surprise and true to form, cried like a baby. We’re very, very happy and thrilled by the fact that our friends and family are as excited as we are. Thanks for all the good wishes, it really makes us smile.

saturdays are for adventure

2009-02-05T10:39:00.000-08:00

On Saturday, in an effort to be more varied in our breakfast choices, we decided to try out a new (for us) spot on 3rd Street called Little Next Door. It was a bit of a hike from where we live but it was totally worth it. It is the cutest little French bistro that serves the best latte I’ve had so far in LA. I had the omelet fumé (roasted chicken, sun dried tomatoes and goat cheese- oh. so. good.) and Pete had his first Croque Madame, which, as he said “is everything I love to eat at breakfast rolled into one”.

After we ate, we decided to go on a little adventure and take a drive down the coast. I love driving along the Pacific Coast Highway through all the little beach towns, especially with sights like this:

Ugh. So cute in his little goggles. And such a good little model too.

By the time we hit Laguna Beach, we were starting to get hungry. Since I was craving Mexican, we decided to go to where we knew it would be good: San Diego! I’ve been using Yelp a lot recently for restaurant recommendations, and I turned to it once again to guide us in the direction of some totally delish Mexican. It led us to La Playa Taco Shop, a little shack on the side of the road servin’ up the tastiest and cheapest fish tacos. For good measure, we also grabbed us some meat tacos, which were scrumptious, but quickly realized that when it comes to tacos, fish is where it's at.

Sadly, they don’t serve booze, so my thirst for a margarita was not quenched. Alas, I had to settle for ice cream on the boardwalk. Woe is me.

20x200

2009-01-30T11:17:00.000-08:00

Today while browsing my massively long list of blogs (I'm serious, I might need a blog intervention), I found a link to the site 20x200. This site is perfect for someone like me who loves to decorate my space(s) with art that inspires me, or makes me laugh, or that just makes me happy, but doesn’t really have the pocketbook to support a full blown habit.

found here

Every week, they introduce one new photo and one new work on paper. They then offer them in three standard sizes at three different prices, each with a limited quantity. The smallest size is offered at $20 in a batch of 200 and every single print comes with a certificate of authenticity numbered by the artist. As they say, it’s a great way for people who want to sell their art and people who want to buy their art to meet.

a little bit of this and a little bit of that

2009-01-29T23:21:00.000-08:00

*Ab and Jed came to visit us over MLK day weekend and we partook in all sorts of awesomeness. They really couldn't have picked a better weekend to come, the weather was top notch, and the conditions were prime for a dance off:

*On Friday night, Pete took me out on a surprise date to Craft LA. I have wanted to eat at Craft since before we moved here (if you remember, it was on my list, an update on the progress of the list coming soon) so to say I was excited when we pulled up is a bit of an understatement. It was, hands down, the best meal of my life. The service was great, the food was prepared perfectly, and they pretty much had to roll me out of there they gave us so much food on top of what we ordered. They even send you home with a freshly homemade chocolate chip muffin. That Tom Colicchio, always looking out for you. I want to go back every weekend for the rest of the time I live in LA. Best date ever.

*The soup phase continues, as can be seen over at A Bit Better, with some Spicy Artichoke Tomato Soup. Totally delish and perfect for that cold weather everyone else except us is experiencing (did I tell you it was 80 degrees here a few weekends ago?). Don't hate me.

*One last thing: I bought 10lbs of oranges for 5 bucks last week at the farmers market and I've been eating one or two a day for the past week but I still have six left to use up before they go bad. Any suggestions???

Why my hip-hop posse would include Ina Garten

2009-01-23T19:11:00.001-08:00

Ina Garten
because no one messes with Ina. Plus, we could all chill at her crib in the Hamptons.

sunday morning

2009-01-11T11:03:00.001-08:00

I love me some Sundays, especially Sunday mornings. There is little better in this world than sleeping in, making a big breakfast, brewing some coffee or tea and lounging around, enjoying not having to do anything but meander over to the farmers market and see what looks good. This morning, inspired by my new cast iron skillet (seriously, I love you, but it's going to take a while for me to get used to you being so. damn. heavy.) I decided to make a recipe from Orangette that I've had bookmarked for oh, about 3 years.

Oh lordy, dutch babies are now my new favorite breakfast food. You whir a few ingredients in a blender or food processor. Melt some butter in a cast iron skillet, pour the batter in, throw it in a hot oven for a spell and when it comes out it looks like this:

How can that not be good?? The traditional topping for this is lemon juice and powdered sugar and I also made a blueberry sauce to go along with it, but I think I am a dutch baby purist, because seriously? the tang of the lemon and the sweetness of the sugar with the richness of the dutch baby? Swoon.

Recipe found here. A few notes: If you don't have a cast iron, I read that you can also do this in a glass pie pan, but you would want to have the batter be at room temperature or your pie pan will shatter. Not fun. Also, I used half 2% and half heavy cream and I am pretty sure you can use whatever kind of milk you have in the fridge. I also added a pinch of salt and a few teaspoons of sugar, just because I felt like it.

soup, it's what's for dinner

2009-01-08T11:14:00.000-08:00

While it isn't necessarily as cold as what I am used to, it is definitely winter around here. The air is cooler, the famed orange scarf has reappeared, and I am snuggling under the heavy blanket at night to keep warm. I am also craving soup. Lots and lots of soup. Last Sunday I picked up some kale at the farmers market not really having anything in mind for it, I just thought it was so pretty, with it's ruffly, girly edges. Tuesday night I made this soup, just throwing in what looked good (I'm looking at you red pepper) and what looked not so good (hello, shriveled up, almost ready for the garbage carrots) until it smelled totally delish.

Kale and White Bean Soup

2 carrots, chopped

1 red pepper chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

1 large clove of garlic, minced

1/4 cup white wine

1 can of white beans (I didn't even bother rinsing the beans off, as I wanted that weird bean goo to thicken the soup)

4 cups stock (veggie, chicken, whatever you've got)

1/2 bunch kale, chopped

fresh herbs, minced (I had rosemary, sage and thyme)

red pepper flakes (next time I might do a little siracha as well)

salt and pepper

zest of 1 lemon, juice of half

parmesan

saute carrot, red pepper and onion in olive oil until soft. add garlic, white wine, beans and stock and bring to a boil. add kale, herbs, red pepper flakes and salt and pepper to taste. simmer until kale is tender. add lemon juice and zest. when serving sprinkle parmesan over the top.

laughter is the best medicine

2009-01-07T12:41:00.000-08:00

I am sure you’ve probably read enough 2008 recaps to last you until, well, until it’s time for the 2009 recaps, but if you’ve got room for one more, this one should be it. Dave Barry always makes me laugh, even when he is depressing the hell out of me.

Big shout out to Pete's mom Betsy for sending this to me!

blue skies

2009-01-06T10:19:00.000-08:00

zoom, zoom, zoom

2009-01-04T10:08:00.000-08:00

I put it off as long as I could but if I am going to be a school nerd in a few short weeks (more on that later), it had to happen. I am now the proud new owner of a 2009 Toyota Corolla S. It's been 4 and 1/2 years since I have been a car owner and I am having mixed feelings about it, but I'm sure I'll get over it though, because isn't she (Pete said she had to be a "she" because he didn't need any more competition) so pretty? Plus she gets uber great gas mileage which totally bumps her up to HOT status in my book.

In the Burtuester family tradition, she needs a name. Any suggestions?

2009, i like you already.

2009-01-01T21:10:00.001-08:00

I'm still here, I've just been enjoying the holidays!

Christmas was spent in Kansas with my Dad's side of the family, including my Opa. We made some old family recipes, dressed some dauschunds up in their holiday best, ate our body weight in meat at a brazilian bbq, and played many, many hours of Wii. You know, a typical Christmas. Oh, and how have I not discovered the awesomeness of Wii until now??

Did you think I was kidding?

Tante Gretel rocking out on Wii bowling.

Barb and Aunt Suzi racing some cows.

A Christmas standard in my family: Linzertorte

New Years Eve was a decidedly low key event. Ever the party animals, we spent the night at home, eating steak, sipping bubbly and watching Kathy Griffin embarrass the hell out of Anderson Cooper. Oh yeah, and falling asleep by 10:30. Oops. I did whip up an awesome creme brulee using a recipe from a new book Pete's mom gave me. Mmmm, New Years Eve has never tasted better.

Yes I drink my champagne out of a naked lady glass. Doesn't everyone?

Looking back, 2008 was definitely a year of change for me, most notably, we decided to shake things up a bit and move to the West Coast. I'm still getting used to it, but more and more, this place is starting to feel like home. We have another move planned in the next six months, but this time, we're thinking maybe just 10 miles away instead of 3000. I figure we can take it easy this year.

I'm not much for resolutions, but you can read about my hopes for myself in the new year over here. Here's hoping that your holidays were filled with love, laughter, food and bubbly.

I know mine were.

thanksgiving philly-style

2008-12-18T23:21:00.000-08:00

Yesterday morning I realized that I’ve been back from my fantastical adventure in Philly for almost three(!) weeks and I have yet to get my act together and tell you all about how much fun I had, how much a trip back to see familiar faces was much needed, and how it made me love my amazing group of friends and my family that much more, although I didn’t think that was possible.

There was Mexican food eating and margarita drinking at the Dos Segundos with Meredith and Fran where I started the week off with a bang by bawling. Time it took me to start crying after I got off the plane? 3.25 hours. Ab, you can tally up your winning bets now.

There was more drinking to be had at Johnny Brenda’s. Did you know that the amount I paid for two good draft beers and a Jameson on the rocks is the same as what it costs me to buy two crappy bottled beers here in LA? No joke. This would continue to be a theme throughout the week as I marveled at how much cheaper Philly is than LA, and celebrating that fact by spending as much of my "LA Money" as I could on booze.

There was the first official A Bit Better meeting at our super top secret headquarters, where brains were picked, beers were drunk, thrifting finds were ogled, and much laughter was had as we hammered out the format for the newest incarnation of the blog.

There was a BBQ and cupcake birthday party at Chez Bronstein. I have to give a shout out to Jed, for cooking up the juiciest, most succulent bbq pig (and for being so stach-tacular) and my homegal rkm for the uber delish coconut cupcakes, which I will forever refer to as the crackcakes. And of course to Ab and Otis for being the hostesses with the mostesses.

There was tasty food munching, wine drinking, and pony sweater wearing with Ali, Claire and Jake at the Standard Tap. A familiar face popped in for an unplanned visit and some video was shot, the likes of which have never been seen before and hopefully never will be.

There were the musical stylings of the bitchin’ Goldieboxx ladies, melting the faces off their new fans during their debut performance at the Fire. Go see these ladies now while you can afford it, before they are selling out MSG and don’t remember the names of the little people.

There was my friend Mutlu, continuing the musical genius by slinging his soul stylings all over the place at the Tin Angel. Patron was drank, Stevie Wonder was sang at full volume, and of course, cd’s were sold for by the best looking merch team a musician could ask for.

There was a pre-thanksgiving eve party thrown by Frosty at Silk City that was full of so much awesomeness, I'll just let the photos do the talking.

There was Thanksgiving, also known as the greatest day that ever was, the day of my birth. It was spent with my family, recovering from the previous 5 days of debauchery. We went out to eat, which I was initially against, but turned out to be a great idea, especially since my mom went ahead and pretty much prepared an entire thanksgiving meal for “leftovers”. Now you all know where I get my crazy from.

There were "last day in philly drinks". Notice anything different about these pictures? Those there are pictures taken with the sweet sweet iphone my mama bought me for my birthday! huzzah and big shout out to mom for making her first born's life a bit better.

And then finally there was a birthday potluck hosted by my bestie, Meredith, who does martini fueled fifties housewife like it’s no one’s business. One of the many many things I love about this crew is that they do not screw around when it comes to events where food is involved, and on this particular occasion, they did not disappoint.

And then there was me, sitting on a plane, hurtling back to the west coast, sick as a dog, and ready to do it all over again next time.

If you want to see all 900 million pictures I took that week, or you know, just troll through for some pics of yourself to put on your myspace or facebook (don’t act like you don’t know what I’m talking about), click here.

holiday gift ideas pt. 2

2008-12-18T11:08:00.000-08:00

for the cowboy rollergirl in your life:

coming soon, my long overdue recap of my thanksgiving in the city of brotherly love...

holiday gift ideas

2008-12-10T15:02:00.000-08:00

for the hipster in your life:

can be purchased here: http://www.scandinaviangrace.com/products/bed/accessories/39

excuses, excuses...

2008-12-07T19:45:00.000-08:00

Apologies for the silence around here. I promise that I am still working on my Philly recap. Actually, I can't lie, I haven't started it yet, but I promise I am totally thinking about it.

One of my excuses is that we've had some awesome people kicking it with us this week. My old roomie Katherine and her brother were here so we got to chillax together for a few days before they had to head out to an amazingly posh wedding at the Beverly Hills Hotel. While they were here we visited the Huntington Botanical Gardens, on which I will elaborate at a later date, but for now I will leave you with this one word: stunning.

Jake (aka MC Steak) is also here and as part of his rent, he is required to make us delish food (he is a super totally awesome chef at Standard Tap) and tonight he did not disappoint. Behold, the most scrumptious and elegant food to ever come out of the Hot Ginger Love kitchen:

Asparagus and Jalapeno Soup

Pan Seared Sea Scallops with Fennel Haricot Vert Gremollata

As far as I am concerned, he can move in.

A Bit Better

2008-12-02T15:32:00.000-08:00

Just a heads up that the gals over at A Bit Better have decided to change things up a little and take on two new contributors, the lovely rkm and little old me! It is a site I am honored to be a part of, with three strong, beautiful women whom I adore, who are all trying to make the little things in life A Bit Better.

But don’t you worry your pretty little head; I’ll still be posting over here at HGL. The more places you can read about the interesting workings of my life the better right?

here's a sneak peek of what's to come...and don't mind that smudge on the stove, i'm just keepin' it real.

awesome is not free

2008-12-01T10:09:00.000-08:00

I am attempting to put into words the insane amounts of awesome that were had this past week in Philly, a task that is proving to be monumental, as it seems I took about nine gazillion photos, and my body has decided not to let me party for free anymore, because I am sick sick sick.

Once things return to normal, I will regale you with tales of cheap beer, pulled pork, a pants less girl rock band, a soul singing modern day Jesus Christ, awkward school portraits, and the best birthday potluck ever. Oh, and sweet sweet birthday presents from my man and my mom.

In the meantime, I leave you with these words of wisdom from a wise, wise woman that could not be more true on this Monday morning:

“Work is for Losers”.

men after my own heart

2008-11-20T21:20:00.000-08:00

These guys are pretty much my heroes, combining two of my great loves, BBQ and bluegrass.

it's not all about the 'za

2008-11-18T13:10:00.001-08:00

It appears that my last post caused confusion in the minds of many of Pete’s devotees, who, prior to this post, were under the impression that his cooking repertoire usually involved an oven and a box of frozen Stouffer’s pizza (and FYI, Stouffer’s is in some serious danger of being replaced in Pete’s heart by California Pizza Kitchen). To further confuse, I will now tell a story.

Last Saturday night, after I spent a few hours in the kitchen with the pudding, Pete offered to cook dinner. Working from a recipe from my fave Food Network gal Ina Garten, he added his own little twists and whipped up some penne pasta with grilled chicken, sun dried tomatoes, basil and a parmesan lemon cream sauce that was creamy and tangy and all sorts of delicious.

And to prove that Pete can throw down in the kitchen with the best of them, and that he is worthy of donning the Jules apron, I offer this photographic evidence:

See that plating? We had to buy special white plates at Target last year, because Pete said it made the food "pop" better and regarding the basil, I taught Pete how to chiffonade, and now everything gets chiffonaded (is that a word?)

Then Sunday morning and the apple pancakes rolled around, and we all know how that turned out. Obviously impressed by his culinary abilities he must have decided to go for a hat trick, because when I came home from the bookstore that night, I found him standing in the kitchen, open cookbook in front of him, mise en place (I love using that phrase!) set out on the counter. It was truly a beautiful sight. On the menu? Chicken with red peppers, onions and carrots in a black bean sauce over rice with cherry tomatoes and basil. I didn’t take a picture because I was too hungry, but it was of course, delectable.

So, to wrap this up, it is only sometimes about the 'za.

Pete's House of Pancakes

2008-11-11T15:53:00.000-08:00

I love cooking. I love trying new recipes and feeding people. But sometimes I just don’t want to. Usually those times occur on weekend mornings, when all I really want to do is sleep a little longer. Sunday was one of those days, which great because that was also the day Pete surprised me with tasty apple pancake goodness.

Studded with chunks of apple, sprinkled with powdered sugar, and drizzled with maple syrup, served alongside a mug of freshly brewed coffee, could there be a more perfect Sunday morning breakfast?

While we are on the topic of maple syrup, I need to speak for a moment of my sweet sweet love for the pure maple syrup. Maple syrup and I, we are besties, he is my secret pretend boyfriend and I just need to say that if you are still swilling that fake maple flavored crud and haven’t made the change to the amazingness that is pure maple syrup (preferably from Vermont, this place is my all time fave) then I may need to reevaluate our friendship.

This weekend was actually a Pete Cooking Extravaganza, I guess someone had to pick up the slack after Budino Bummer '08. Stay tuned for more tales of Pete channeling The Barefoot Contessa.

oh, by the way, did I tell you about how I went to pick up my camera, and it was still broken? yup, still rocking the old camera, and not liking it one bit.

butterscotch budino-go

2008-11-08T21:45:00.001-08:00

I always have a hard time with failure in the kitchen. I take it very personally when something doesn't work, I am almost always convinced that it was something I did, or didn't do. I have gotten better lately, reminding myself that some recipes are just duds, destined to go into the trash before I even lift a spoon. But this one, oh I had high hopes for this one.

I had already half written this post before I even started the process of making this. I was going to wax poetic about the creamy pudding, the smooth caramel, the pop of sea salt and the fresh tang of the whipped creme fraiche topping. I was going to boldly proclaim that I should just hang up my Julia apron because this was the best thing I had ever made and I probably couldn't ever make anything better ever again.

and then I made it.

It's not that it wasn't good. I tasted every component of this dish as it was made and they were all totally delicious, but somehow when combined, well the whole was not greater than the sum of it's parts. It was just too much, way too rich, so much so that Pete could only take a few bites before backing away. It was partly my fault, the recipe said it served 10, and I only had 6 serving dishes. I figured that more is always better but in this case, I would definitely have made the serving sizes way smaller, maybe half the size.

It's probably better off though, because had I discovered that I could now make my favorite dessert at home, well, let's just say I'd need to go out and buy some new clothes with an elastic waistband. I guess some things are just better left to the professionals.

edited: after scraping off the sticky sweet caramel sauce and letting the custard chill out in the fridge overnight, I do have to say, that in small portions, this pudding is slammin', all by itself. at least it wasn't a total wash.

so proud

2008-11-04T21:41:00.001-08:00

"If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer." President-elect Barack Obama

thirty one-derful

2008-11-04T15:54:00.000-08:00

I learned quickly when we first started dating that the quickest way to Pete’s heart was most definitely through his stomach. In fact, he once told me that a certain thai sih I make would be his final meal. Nothing says love like saying “Honey, if I were on death row I would want the last thing I ate to be something cooked by you”.

To celebrate we went to Pizzeria Mozza, Mario Batali and Nancy Silverton’s new pizza restaurant. Since it was a special occasion, we went crazy and ordered everything that sounded good (I’m not going to lie, we actually always do this, it’s a problem we both have, that problem being very little self control. We enable each other). It was all excellent, the pizza crust was nice and crispy and the toppings were all top quality. But the thing I really want to talk to you about is the butterscotch budino. You know a dessert is great when you lick the bowl clean and immediately contemplate ordering another one (we didn’t, I said we have little self control, not none at all), or when, the next day, you can’t stop thinking about it and stare longingly at pictures of it online and google it until you find the recipe. Needless to say, I will be attempting to recreate this masterpiece sometime this weekend although I am sure mine won’t come even close.

To cap off the day of gluttony, I made carrot cake cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. Seriously scrumptious and decadent, but yet, you still feel okay about eating them because there’s carrot in there! And carrots are vegetables. And vegetables are healthy right?? Pete took some to work on Monday and one of his coworkers stated that she doesn’t believe that vegetables and cake should ever be mixed together. I just have no words for that statement.

cooking from memory

2008-11-01T21:30:00.001-07:00

When I close my eyes I can still see my Oma's kitchen. The wall of cookbooks, her words neatly scrawled in German in the margins, or on index cards tucked into the pages. The canisters on the counter for zucker and mehl (sugar and flour). The closet full of every kitchen gadget available, including the special edition Kitchen Aid stand mixer with her name engraved in the silver bowl that I lusted after as a child, the one she gifted to me before she passed away.

Rouladen, rotkraut, pfannkuchen, linzertorte; my childhood is filled with memories of foods in a foreign language. A language I couldn't and still don't understand, but is still one of the most comforting sounds in the world to me.

This kartoffel suppe and dampfnudelen was a staple of our visits to Oma and Opa's, all of us gathering around the table, sopping up the hot soup with the rolls. I learned to make it with her standing by my side, guiding me through the process, it's one of the last things we did together. Mine tastes almost like hers, but nothing ever tastes quite as good as when your Oma makes it.

Kartoffell Suppe

6-8 yukon gold potatoes

3 medium carrots

3 ribs of celery

1 medium onion

2 beef bouillon cubes (you can also use chicken or veggie)

1 slice of rye bread, ripped into pieces

2 Tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper

1/2 cup sour cream

Dice the vegetables into roughly the same size. Saute the in a deep stockpot with the olive oil for 4-5 minutes. Add enough water to cover the vegetables plus an inch or so. Add the bouillon cubes and rye bread and bring to a boil. Simmer over medium heat for 40 minutes to an hour, until the vegetables are soft. Remove from heat and puree, either with an immersion blender or in a blender (be careful, it's hot!). Add sour cream and salt and pepper to taste. Serve with Dampfnudelen.

Dampfnudelen

The soup can definitely stand on it's own, but I think you need these rolls, with their pillowy tops and crusted salty bottoms.

2 1/2 cups

1/2 cup, plus 1/2 Tbsp milk, warmed

1/2 package active dry yeast

1 egg

pinch of salt

1 cup warm water with 2 Tbsp salt mixed in

Dissolve yeast in 1/4 cup warm water with a little bit of sugar sprinkled on top. Make a well in the flour, pour yeast into the well and let it stand for 1/2 hour. Add milk, pinch of salt and eggs and mix until dough starts to come together. If it is really sticky, add more flour a little bit at a time. Knead well until dough is smooth. Set in a oiled bowl, cover with saran wrap and let sit in a warm spot for an hour. Cut off 1/2 fist size pieces, roll into balls and let rise on floured surface for 15 minutes. In a dutch oven over medium low heat, arrange dumplings in one layer touching each other. Pour warm salt water into pot, until it comes about halfway up the dumpling. Put the lid on and walk away! Wait for 15 minutes, and remove the lid (this is where Oma would slap my hands when I tried to get an early peek, the steam is what makes these work, so don't lift the lid!!). They should have a golden grown crust on the bottom when you remove them.

been waiting a long time

2008-10-31T11:35:00.000-07:00

can't get much better than that.

it's for real

2008-10-30T17:32:00.000-07:00

It figures that the very same year we decide to move away from Philadelphia, the Phillies win the freaking World Series. It just wasn't the same screaming at the top of my lungs in my living room all by our lonesome selves. We did crack open a bottle of wine in celebration though, and I raised a glass to my girl Fran who is, hands down, the most loyal Philadelphia fan I have ever met. She also has a thing for Hall and Oates but that's a story for another time...

So congratulations Philadelphia, you deserve it. You made me proud, because I expected to log onto the internet this morning and read tales of celebration mayhem, which I did, but only 76 of you got arrested last night! As Pete says, way to keep it classy Philly, way to keep it classy.

photo courtesy of : http://jimmacmillan.com/Phillies_aftermath/

back in the day

2008-10-22T11:20:00.000-07:00

When you are 9 and your mom tells you that you are going to go put on a "authentic" kimono, stick a bird type feather thing on your head and then get your picture taken in front of a hot pink background, you've pretty much just hit the lottery.

me and my sister circa sometime around 1989ish

move over martha

2008-10-20T17:58:00.000-07:00

This weekend I decided to tackle #3 on my list, baking a loaf of bread from scratch, one because I have only done one thing on my list so far (did I ever tell you how much of a procrastinator I am?) and second because I knew we would eat it all before it went bad and I wouldn’t have to watch with tears in my eyes as something I had crafted with my own hands went into the trash.

I have actually made bread before, but in a bread machine, which to me is totally way easier, but why would I want to make anything easier on myself? Plus, with the bread machine, which now belongs to my little sister, you only get these tall, rectangular loaves. I wanted “rustic” round loaves. I used a recipe from The Bread Bible, a book I have owned for over a year and done nothing with, except to every once in a while caress the pages lovingly and then put it back on the shelf. Until now! The dough came together way easier than I thought it would, although from the amount of flour on the floor/myself, you would have thought it was a fight to the death. At the last minute as I was shaping the loaves, I decided to throw all caution to the wind and make a baguette. Woah, I know, calm down. 40 minutes later, this is what I pulled out of the oven:

I am pretty much the next Martha Stewart.

I know, I know, people have been making bread since the Stone Age (I wikipedia’d it), no biggie. But baking bread has been on my list of baking fears for years and years so this is totally a big deal to me. There are some improvements I would make, but truth be told, warm out of the oven slathered in strawberry rhubarb jam, this bread is slammin’.

my bounty

2008-10-19T13:44:00.001-07:00

my bounty

click on the link and you can check out my radical notes

Originally uploaded by jessica mae

A few days ago, one of my girls liz talked about how she often has people asking her about how to eat local and organic on the cheap. I thought about this today as I unpacked my haul from the farmers market and decided to document exactly what I bought and how much it cost me. If I had more motivation, I'd head to Whole Foods and do a little price comparison, but even without that I think we can all agree that, seriously? this would cost WAY more at whole foods. Plus, it's all organic, grown within 5-50 miles of where I live with no pesticides or any other grody stuff.

making tuesdays a bit better since 2008

2008-10-14T15:17:00.000-07:00

This Sunday, for a little change of pace, I paid a visit to the Hollywood Farmers Market. This place would for sure be my go-to market if it were a little closer, but alas, it is not to be. My farmers market is totally nice, maybe a little too nice. I am constantly dodging bougie moms and their tykes dressed in outfits more expensive than mine. At the Hollywood market, I was dodging hipsters and their tykes dressed in outfits more hip than mine. Way more my scene!

I paid a little visit to the cheese stand that was staffed by some hot farmer dudes, who gave me sample of their delish buffalo mozzarella. It was so descrumptious (that’s the word for something delicious and scrumptious), I didn’t even flinch when one of them told me it was 8 dollars a ball.

Yesterday for lunch I was patting myself on the back for the splurge, and also for being smart enough to grab a monstrous heirloom tomato on my way out (you know it’s the end of the season when heirlooms are $2 a pound. sad face that it's almost not tomato season anymore). You know what makes a blah Tuesday a bit better? Having this for lunch:

No, I didn’t eat it all, my eyes were a little bigger than my stomach, but that’s a-o-k because that means more for later!!

I also spied some of these:

Does anyone know what the heck these are? The management here at hotgingerlove would appreciate any information leading to the identification of this mystery gourd.

me + the getty = true love

2008-10-13T12:43:00.000-07:00

This weekend was the first visit by one of the parental units since we’ve been here in La La land. Pete’s dad Wayne flew in for a conference, so he decided to kill two birds with one stone, and visit me! Oh yeah, and Pete too. Wayne once tried to trade me for Pete. True story.

this is Wayne talking on Pete's "blueberry"

This is the tree planted in the entrance to the Fairmont Hotel, which is my fave hotel in Santa Monica (ok, so I have only been to one hotel in Santa Monica). This tree is ginormous and was planted in 1869, which officially makes it the oldest thing I have seen since I have been here.

Friday night we went to Ma’Kai Lounge in Santa Monica. The food was great, and of course, we had the calamari. If you don’t know already, Pete is on a one man crusade to sample the calamari offerings at every restaurant in America. 10 down, roughly a gazillion to go.

Saturday afternoon brought us to the Getty Center, a place that I have been wanting to visit ever since I caught a glimpse of it off of the 405 our first week here. Really, this place is amazing. You park at the base of a hill and a tram takes you up to the top and the most amazing views of LA. The grounds themselves are just stunning. I could seriously live in here for a few weeks just taking pictures of all of the amazing flowers. I was in some major flora heaven; I might have even drooled a little bit.

Pete and I decided that this is the place we are taking every single person who visits us from now on, because it is just so impressive. And we like to impress people. We spent so much time walking around outside, that we hardly saw any of the actual art on display, but never fear, a follow-up visit has already been scheduled.

I am always thinking deep thoughts.

Pete loves it when I make him stop every few feet to take another picture.

We ate dinner at the restaurant in the Getty, which was equally impressive. Their seasonal menu changes weekly and includes a ton of local ingredients, plus their entire wine list is made up of wines from California! California wine = delish. Huzzah to the buy fresh, eat local! You know I love ya.

to see some more pics click here and/or here.

back to life, back to reality...

2008-10-06T17:54:00.000-07:00

I guess you can’t party forever. We’re back from the fabulousness that was Eric and Abby’s wedding extravaganza in the great city of Santa Fe, NM. Great friends, amazing food (seriously, Fackey's, you can amuse my bouche anytime you want), dance-licious music, a farmer's market to end all farmer's markets, stunning scenery, a seemingly endless supply of booze, crazy shuttle drivers, a cowboy riding his sidewalk-pooping horse cross country, the best burger in the country, a slow-jazz rendition of "Straight Up", really what more could a gal ask for?

Well, a functioning camera would have been nice. Yes, on Friday evening, the beginning of the festivities, my brand new Canon Powershot SD1100 decided to punish me and stop working properly, so none of the festivities were captured on film. Well, by me at least. You can check out Ali's wrap-up of the events once she stops celebrating her birthday (which should be right around the time her next birthday rolls around if she has anything to say about it).

I was able to capture one of the many, many highlights of the weekend for me on my phone. On Sunday we stopped by the Cowgirl BBQ & Western Grill, because I needed to satisfy my bbq cravin's and boyee was it lip smackin' good. Too bad I left the other half on the table on our way out...

and good thing Jed is making me his amazing pulled pork for my birthday in November when I invade Philadephia. That's right Philly, I'm coming atcha.

update on the camera sitch: took it to best buy and their "geek squad" had to send it out to get repaired. looks like it's going to be 3 weeks without my new awesome camera so i'll have to settle for my old, slightly less awesome camera.

welcome back boys.

2008-10-01T10:13:00.001-07:00

I know about a million people who are so totally geeked out right now.

PHISH TO PLAY THREE CONCERTS 10.01.08

Phish returns to the stage for three concerts at the Hampton Coliseum in Hampton, Virginia on March 6, 7 and 8, 2009.A limited number of tickets are available directly through Phish Tickets' online ticketing system at http://phish.portals.musictoday.com/ . The ticketing request period is currently underway and will end on Wednesday, October 8th at 11:59AM EST.Tickets go on sale to the public on Saturday, October 18th at 10 AM EST and may be purchased online at http://ticketmaster.com or by phone at 757.671.8100, 757.872.8100 or 804.262.8100. Tickets will not be available at the venue box office and there is a two-ticket limit per show.The band intends to announce additional touring in 2009 early next year.

27 before 28

2008-09-29T13:58:00.000-07:00

Inspired by simplelovely, I have compiled a list of things I hope to accomplish before I turn the ripe, crusty and dusty old age of 28 in a few short months.

27 things to do before I turn 28

1. learn to knit
2. complete a sewing project
3. make a loaf of bread from scratch
4. eat a picnic lunch
5. bike the LA river
6. make a t-shirt using freezer paper stencils
7. visit the los angeles natural history museum
8. use the fallen fruit map to find me some free fruits
9. make jam using that fruit
10. actually finish all 5 books I have checked out from the library
11. put a basket on my bicycle
12. visit a pumpkin patch
13. start learning German
14. eat at Craft
15. decide where I am going to apply for school
16. begin researching my business plan
17. volunteer at an animal shelter
18. frame the art I have
19. actually hang it
20. organize my recipe binder
21. go camping
22. put shelves up in the bathroom
23. make my Oma’s linzertorte
24. and her kartofel zuppe and dumpff noodle
25. visit the Rose Bowl flea market
26. eat at Osteria Mozza or Pizzeria Mozza
27. organize my physical and digital photos

I'll keep you updated....

this is me thinking about checking off all the awesome things on my list. or maybe it might be me thinking I am just as bendy as Nastia Luken. I may or may not have strained a muscle pulling off this sick move.

um...ew

2008-09-29T12:20:00.000-07:00

This is just totally gross and disgusting. Makes in-n-out look THAT much better. Not that it needed the help.

fresh, local and total cuteness overload

2008-09-28T22:45:00.001-07:00

One of my most favorite things about living in LA is that not only are there a buttload of farmers markets every day of the week, but they run all year long. Hooray for the Southern California climate. The biggest and baddest market is in Santa Monica but unfortunately it is on Wednesday and seeing as how I have to work hard for the money, I never get to go. Fortunately, there is one on Sunday a few blocks from my house so I get to get my fix of fresh veggies, cute farm animals and potential celeb sighting (apparently Jen Garner occasionally shops here and I am waiting to spot her, because I know once we meet, we'll totally be besties).

these will be joining my peacock, alpaca and mini-pony. might need to move. patio's going to be crowded.

i loves the squash.

my absolute faves. roasted beets with gorgonzola and balsamic vinaigrette? delish.

kohlrabi. this is on my list of veg to try. anyone have any suggestions?

another plus to southern california living? avocados as far as the eye can see!!

I love farmers markets for many reasons, but mostly I love being able to see and talk to the people that grow the food I am going to be eating. I feel so much better putting money in that person's hand, knowing that that same hand was, just hours ago, pulling those carrots from the earth. Or, as is evident by the feather stuck to the egg above, plucking the eggs from the under the chickens butt. There is also no doubt that, straight up, the stuff just tastes better. How could it not? It traveled straight from the farm to the market in the back of some farmer's pick-up instead of in a refrigerated semi truck to a store 1000's of miles away. Love it.

road trippin' part deux

2008-09-23T23:27:00.001-07:00

The plan was to go camping. Then I found out that all the forests are on "fire watch", and to me camping just doesn’t feel right if it is lacking in a cold beer and a fire to roast some mallows. So, with those plans in le toilet, we decided to do something almost as fun, apple picking!

We went to Riley's Farms, and I read on their website that they are a "living history farm", which apparently means they dress up in colonial garb, and teach you all sorts of super important things like how to throw knives and tomahawks, skills I think everyone should have. But I already know how to wield a machete, so I passed. Besides, we were there to get us some delish apples.

Do you know what Pete loves more than I love and old man and a banjo? apple picking. he isn't posing at all in this picture, it's completely natural.

apple-icious

Afterwards, we continued onto another farm and bought some totally amazing cidah and doughnuts. I also decided I need an alpaca and a peacock, which can chill out with the mini-pony I am going to house for Ali until she moves out here. As a side note, I had a conversation with a friend recently about how I don't like birds, except peacocks, emus, ostriches, and penguins and he pointed out that I only like birds that can't fly. Feel free to extrapolate what you want from that.

no animals were harmed in the making of this photo.

In a rare moment of spontaneity, we decided to drive up to Big Bear Lake and see what it was all about. While the drive up was amazing (seriously) the lake was a total letdown. I don't know about you but I like my lakes to be rustic and this was...not.

It's amazing what a little cropping can hide. What you can't see on the shore of this lake is the huge paved sidewalk that surrounds it.

Which brings us to Sunday night and me conquering one of my cooking fears. I have been weary of pie dough in the past (that pie disaster last christmas did nothing to assuage my fears), but on Sunday, feeling inspired by the huge bowl of apples sitting on the counter, I decided to go for it, and the cooking gods were smiling upon me because it came out pretty damn good. I used this recipe from Smitten Kitchen, following the dough recipe exactly (I like to do that sometimes, it makes it easier for me to blame the recipe later and not my own lack of skills) but like Emeril, kicked it up a notch with the spices. Next up on my cooking fears list: a soufflé. stay tuned...

in closing i leave you with this jewel. this is what happens when you hit traffic in LA.

if you want to see the rest of the pictures from our glorious adventure, click here.

cookin' with jules

2008-09-18T15:38:00.000-07:00

I heart my Julia Child apron. Every time I put it on I hear Julia warbling in my head. She's definitely one of my all time faves and one day I'll make the pilgrimage to the Smithsonian where she donated the kitchen her husband Paul built especially for her (Jules was a tall gal and needed special counters made to accomadate her bodaciousness).

Purchased from Pretty Patti.

Under her mug it says "JULIA CHILD, AMERICAN GASTRONOME, BORN IN PASADENA, CALIFORNIA, AUGUST 15, 1912".

Love it. I busted it out last night when I made Pumpkin Bread for my coworkers from this recipe. I added some walnuts and used freshly grated nutmeg (which is my secret weapon - well, I guess not secret anymore - but if you want to add a little somethin' somethin' to your recipe, when it calls for nutmeg, always go for the fresh ground).

I had made the same recipe a few days earlier and when it came out of the oven, it wasn't that sweet. Then I realized I had left out almost all of the sugar. oops. But you know I still ate the crap out of it.

As Jules would say, Bon Appetit!!

road trippin'

2008-09-16T15:54:00.000-07:00

If there is one thing about me that I feel could use some improvement, is that I am easily unmotivated. And I am messy, and I cry. A lot. But back to the lack of motivation. I had been looking forward to going to Joshua Tree for weeks and Pete and I had decided to go on Saturday. Then, Saturday morning rolled around and I was all, "Joshua Tree what? this pillow is so much nicer, and not hot and not the desert." Luckily, Pete was experiencing a moment of clarity and rallied the troops. I think he just wanted me to buy him breakfast (PS. Literati Cafe? tacos? For breakfast? I think I might love you. Brilliant.). It was totally worth the drive, plus I discovered the outlets, and who doesn't love things on sale? Unfortunately, the le Creuset outlet considers knocking 20 bucks off their ridiculously expensive enamel cast iron a "deal". Oh well, I drooled over the pretty colors and then we were back to the real world.

A wind farm we passed. For a few miles, this was all you could see. So rad.

Good old Truly. Once we got out of the car, the silence was unreal. It's funny, living in a city, you sometimes forget that there are places that don't have constant noise, all the time.

This is one of the campsites the park has set up. It has a picnic table, firepit and a grill. It's not my cup of tea since there are about 10 of these sites pretty close together and I like my camping without other peeps up in my grill, but if you like less rustic camping (i.e. you like to pee in a toilet, not on the ground), you can sleep out under the stars next to some big ass rocks.

I love being slapped in the face with how awesome Mother Nature is. I love that these little yellow flowers were just chilling, like they were growing on the banks of a lush river instead of in the desert.

and then there were the Joshua Trees. Oh how you have stolen my heart with your craggly, prickly arms and ugly shapes that are awesomely beeyootiful. I love you so much that I'll overlook that you are named after a Mormon leader.

this was when i told Pete we'd be stopping at the outlets on the way home.

smell you later. LA, maybe i don't hate you after all.

gardening 101

2008-09-11T15:27:00.000-07:00

One of the nice things about Southern California is that you can grow things all year round. One of the downsides of living in LA, is that most people rent and in a renting situation, it isn’t a given that you will have space for a garden. Luckily, I have a patio. It isn’t huge but it’s big enough that I felt the need, the need to seed! I picked up a few herbs from Armstrong 's, but I was feeling like I needed something a little more adventurous. So, last Saturday I took a class on container gardening with Marta at HomeGrown Los Angeles. 7 or 8 of us urban gardener wannabes met at her (amazing) space downtown and she talked to us about the ins and outs of container gardening. What kind of container to use, how to prepare your soil, watering, when to harvest, etc. and then she showed us how to mix the soil (a mixture of potting soil, compost (with horse poop!), greensand and veggie fertilizer), and we each planted three lettuces, 2 herbs and an edible flower. I can’t harvest it for another two weeks or so (you should wait until the plant has doubled in size) but doesn’t it look so nice?

It joins my herbs (basil, rosemary, parsley, chives, lemon verbena, thai basil, and mint) who don’t seem to be growing that much. They aren’t dying but they aren’t getting any bigger either. Maybe they need some of the heady horse poop compost to help them along?

hello? is this thing on?

2008-09-11T09:58:00.000-07:00

So, I decided to jump on the blogwagon and create my own. It is high time I moved from avid-blog reader/occasional commenter to contributor to the (mostly)mindless banter that fills these interwebs.

I initially wanted to start a food blog, to chronicle my adventures in the culinary world, and that is partially what this will be. But who knows, I may discover a hidden passion for basket weaving and then, this will evolove into a basket weaving blog (are there any of those in existence? must do research). Plus, I really like to talk about myself, so I wouldn't be able to keep it to just food.

So here it is. Hot Ginger Love, in all it's glory. Let's get on with the show.