there are just soooo many mouth-watering, finger-licking, nibble-icious blogs out there! how to choose… well, if you are anything like me, you just hit them all. here are a few of my very favorite sites for all things culinary and yum.
do you have favorite food blogs? do share. you can never have enough…
p.s. a big thank you to my devoted research assistant, ben. most of these came from his personal blog collection. mwah!
this was a great weekend. we had lots of sunshine and a lovely breeze.
and we kicked things off with big bowls of spicy goodness from good ol’ chipotle. that place is just so darn good. spice and flavor. and meat. oh, you tasty barbacoa, you.
and then, we wrapped up the weekend {and celebrated cinco de mayo} with a little fiesta with ben’s family. with refreshing homemade sorbet and everything! i’m talking mango + lime sorbet with a sprinkling of ancho chile powder to add some warmth. increíblemente deliciosa. what a relaxing day. street tacos and fresh salsas…oh yes, and hanging out with our baby girl. a baby girl who is looking older and older and less baby-ish each day. sigh.
a few days backmiss elinor, hubby, and i grabbed some early dinner with my folks at st. francis. it was mighty tasty. there is just something about heading to a restuarant on the earlier side and making the most of the evening. it usually gives us license to try more dishes and double up…you can’t beat a happy hour deal, am i right? and in this case, i am talking a big ol’ gourmet burger with a side of hand cut fries for seven bucks. #winning.
the springtime weather was particularly springy and the restaurant opened up the side of the restaurant so there was a perfect breeze while we dined. elinor sat in her little seat just playing away while we sipped some good wine and noshed on baked goat cheese with crusty bread, french onion burgers, chicken salad sandwiches, and radish/bacon/garden pea/buttermilk ranch salad. good stuff. and so local and fresh. it was a simply delightful meal with great company. happiness and satisfied tummies all around.
as some of you may recall, my chef ben decided to set a new year’s resolution for himself - to become baker ben. he normally isn’t too keen on the baking arts. cooking fine cuisine, yes. making up tasty recipes, absolutely. but for some reason he has always left the baking up to me. not that he isn’t into baked goods. he is a cookie fiend. but, he prefers preparing a savory entrée over frosting a layer cake.
so, when he decided to take on the baking realm, naturally, he started with the tough stuff. delicate and intricate and temperamental macarons. way to ease into things, chef. and naturally {slash sickeningly} he killed it. i mean, he totally killed it. and as a result, i have eaten WAY TOO MANY of these little pretties. i can’t wait for the next round. baker ben said that he will make some intense chocolate for me so i expect those to last all of three hours.
{step 1}
create the candied grapefruit peel with star anise and vanilla bean
{step 2}
whip the egg whites to create the merengue and then gently fold in the other ingredients. including a perfectly measured amount of food coloring to create a vibrant pink-orange hue.
{step 3}
melt the white chocolate for the ganache. add in the campari to give it that citrus zing.
{step 4}
assemble the cookies
{step 5}
refrigerate the cookies for 24 hours to let the flavors meld.
AKA endure the brutal wait until you can FINALLY eat the long-awaited cookies. {darn those french and their delayed gratification} but let me say, it is more than worth the wait.
and then…you eat as many as you can handle before slipping into a sugar coma. amazing
happy monday folks! how was your weekend? we had the bestest weekend. lots of time outdoors as a family and plenty of yummy food. have i mentioned how much i love springtime? perfect. it doesn’t get much better than this…
these little tuscan rolls look so, so delicious.
raisins, rosemary, and sea salt with a subtly sweet glaze. sì, grazie.
i have a feeling that i would down quite a few of these cuties. yum.
…
from the gorgeous blog of la cucina spontanea
click here to view the recipe. and don’t fret, they do include the english translation…keep scrolling.
lately, i have been feeling all things french. simple and lovely decor with a hint of opulence. interesting patterns. classic style. soft and sweet scents. a petit and bold espresso to start the morning. a nice glass of red at the end of the day. simple and sophisticated recipes…with lots of herbs and vegetables and of course, butter. and did i mention pastries and bread and cheese? yum.
so imagine my happiness when i was able to feed my desire for french frou frou by participating in a french cooking class with a few gals this past weekend. complete with mother sauce and tarte tatin. scrumptious. recipes and plate snapshots will be shared here soon. {my hubby is kind of dying to taste all the dishes so i need to get on that} and i am thinking that i will serve these little guys as the perfect opening number…
image and recipe from the delightful and brilliant erin gleeson and the forest feast blog.
simple and delicious. quintessential french. and butter. oh, the butter.
holy smokes folks! chef ben made the yummiest tapas-esque meal the other night. it may sound a little bit like a lame potluck sidedish, but no sir! these deviled eggs were to die for! big time flavor in bite-sized {well, three bite-sized for me} vessels. once again, he grabbed the smitten kitchen cookbook and flipped through page after page of yum, settling on these tasty guys. they are sprinkled with crispy prosciutto and salty marcona almonds. i mean, come on!
seriously, they were amazing. we paired them with a vibrant,spicy, and deep rioja from our wsj wine club collection {loving that, by the way}
it was so much fun to pop these guys while sipping on a perfectly paired red. i love flipping the mundane on its head and making it something memorable…and my fabulous chef did that for us this week. boring old eggs made amazing. and a typical tuesday night became an {unexpected} smashing evening of relaxing and savoring and celebrating all the little good things in life.
let’s do this again.
i love date nights with this guy*. we are blessed to have very willing and eager babysitters in our lives {thank you family} which affords us the opportunity to plop miss elinor at their pad and take off for a dinner together. so friday night, we did just that. my hubby and i sat on the patio at one of our favorite mexican food spots, blue adobe and enjoyed scrumptious dips and salsas and spices and peppers and meats. yum. it was leisurely and perfect. a relaxing and ideal way to kick off the weekend.
*how dashing does he look with that scruff? and did you notice how beards were the “it” accessory for hollywood’s men at the oscars last night? my guy is so cool. way to be on trend, hubby.
photo: victor prado/new york magazine. food styling by jamie kimm
so, apparently our occasional meals of vegetarian fare are totally on trend. {patting ourselves on the back} in case you were wondering…cauliflower is where it’s at, people! so saith new york magazine.
