Mandy's Meals

Mandy's Meals. Healthy Shouldn't Taste This Good.

2011-05-18T17:26:00.000-07:00

MandysMeals.com
mandy@mandysmeals.com
310.237.3366

Welcome! My focus as a personal chef is on healthy comfort food (but I can also roll with sugar, butter and bacon...I have dessert for dinner at least twice a month).

I am a graduate of The New School Of Cooking who is fully licensed, insured, ServSafe certified and a proud member of the USPCA.

How It Works

I come to your home and whip up beautiful dishes for your family. You choose from my extensive menu (or let me know what you’re craving), and I do the shopping, cooking, storing, clean-up and leave you with heating instructions and your kitchen exactly how I found it (if not cleaner). I am your food fairy!

The "Stock Your Fridge and Freezer" Service

4 entrées, 2 sides, 6 generous servings each, plus one dessert and one breakfast entrée
(30 total meals, plus sides and dessert)

Plan, Shop & Prep Service

Feel overwhelmed by the grocery store? Have trouble coming up with fresh menu ideas? Like to cook but hate to prep? This is the perfect service for you. I will plan your weekly menu, shop for all ingredients, and prep the meals.

Cooking Only Service

This is the opposite of the last service. If you know what you like, and know where to get it, but don't have time to prepare it, I'm your girl! Once your menu is set and your groceries are in the kitchen, I will appear to whip them into delicious meals.

Not the right plan for you? No worries. Let’s come up with the perfect solution!

Please contact me for pricing. Pricing depends on menu preferences and distance.

Hiring someone to shop and cook for you is an investment in your health. Whether you have a new family, no interest in cooking, are too busy to cook, have health concerns, or are simply suffering from restaurant burnout, I am here to help! You will know that your food is fresh, of the highest quality, and not loaded with sugar, salt or fat. The vast majority of disease is lifestyle related; by putting the best food possible into your body is the best way to insure a long and wonderful quality of life.

Please contact me for a free consultation. I can't wait to start cooking for you!

Pineapple Cake with Coconut Frosting

2011-04-23T15:28:00.000-07:00

For my parents 37th wedding anniversary, I baked. It felt really good. Think I'm almost ready to go back to work...a little bit.

Read all about it.

I Am Not Dead

2011-04-01T11:26:00.000-07:00

Hi y'all. I'm sorry I have not touched this blog in three months. It's not that I'm not eating, I'm just not cooking. Or cheffing. I'm mommying, and this has zapped all kitchen creativity from my soul. I am cautiously optimistic that my verve will return one day, and actually have a couple of culinary ideas in the pipeline, but for now this is what my food world looks like:

String cheese

Vegan cookies. They're healthy cuz they're vegan. Shut up.

Nuts

Frozen green beans

Bars. Lotsa bars.

Frozen Broccoli

Versailles Chicken

I am still blogging! If you miss my stunning wit, or are wondering what the hell I'm doing with myself, come find me at MamaMandy.com

xoxo

Mandy Had A Baby

2011-01-09T20:38:00.000-08:00

Read All About It

Hot Dogs for Dinner

2010-12-29T20:50:00.000-08:00

So here's the deal. Way back when I started this blog, I simply took pictures of everything I ate, and blogged about it. Then I started personal cheffing, and the blog became more about what I cooked for clients. I am at a loss now being 37 weeks pregnant, not currently cheffing, as to where to go with the blog. If you have any ideas, let me know! In the meantime, I'm gonna go back to my Eat Repeat roots, take pics of my food, and tell you all about it, and about what's going on with me. Sound good?

My dinner: One kosher beef hot dog and one organic turkey dog with ketchup, mustard, green onions, pickles and one shredded up piece of string cheese I divided between two buns. I freaking love hot dogs during this pregnancy. Pre-pregnancy, I probably ate hot dogs twice a year. Now they are a staple. I wonder if it has anything to do with the fact that my favorite toddler foods were hot dogs and apple sauce (not together, although it could work...). My mom said I used to go into the kitchen, slap the refrigerator door and say "Sauce!" or "Ketchup Hot Dog!" What a clear communicator, even back then.

My hot dogs came with a side of roasted broccoli and a giant pear. Pears are my favorite fruit.

Husband's dinner: One turkey hot dog with ketchup, mustard, green onions and pickles, tater tots, and a big side of baked beans with more cut up hot dogs. He worked hard today in informercial land and ate everything, plus a tuna sandwich. Hungry husband.

In other news, I had my 37 week check-up today with the lovely midwives at The Sanctuary. All is well with Ian, except that his spine is a little more towards my left side than they'd like (shortly before birth, the optimal position is for their spine to be between the left side and the mom's belly button, with the spine pointing outward, rather than towards mom's back, which is what causes "back labor"). So I've been encouraged to hang out on all fours for a little while each day to move the little guys back a bit. Tonight I crawled around on the carpet while watching The West Wing.

I feel really good today physically, and did a brisk 30 minute elliptical workout. I had the midwives measure my "waist" which is a hearty 41 inches. I have no idea how much weight I've gained, nor do I care to know until the very end. On that note, I think I'll have a snack...

Christmas Cookie Attempt Number One

2010-12-16T08:22:00.000-08:00


This is what I was up to yesterday

Click here to get the low down. xo

Pot Roast for Breakfast, Apple Bread Pudding for Dinner

2010-12-09T20:39:00.000-08:00

This is what happens at 34 weeks pregnant. People want to take your picture for no reason. You want pot roast at 9am, and french toast at 7pm. Why ask why?

Yum. Leftover potroast, steamed green beans, and spiced yam mash. Kept me full all day long.

Apple Bread Pudding

1 baguette French bread, cut into small pieces

7 egg whites

3 cups unsweetened vanilla almond milk

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 dropperful liquid vanilla stevia

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 cup chunky unsweetened apple sauce

Combine eggs, milk, spice, vanilla, stevia and salt. Pour over bread, and mix in applesauce. Let sit, covered, in fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Pour mixture into buttered 9x12 inch pan. Bake for 40 minutes or until top is golden brown and eggs are set. Top with as much butter and syrup as you desire!

Breakfast: It's what's for dinner.

Showering The Baby

2010-12-08T21:33:00.000-08:00

The Spread

The Cake (Jamaica's Cakes)

Beautiful, organic veggies. Thanks, Melinda!

Melinda and Husband. Happy little eaters.

Elysia, me and Marnie looking at the AMAZING baby book Samantha put together. No words, Sammie. And yes, I sit like a line backer right now. Don't judge.

Lovely neighbors Yvonne and Mary, sandwiching uncle Jerry.

Emarie

The cutest family that ever was. The Valleros. Joe, Loretta, Joey and Emarie. They make it look easy.

Grant on guitar and Austin holding court with his grandpa.

From left; Steve, Suzanne (holding Cookie), Kelly, Rachel, Elysia and Marnie

Baby Ann Arbor t-shirt. Too big to be his first outfit...

Starting a book collection

There's a baby in there

Beautiful album from best Sis-in-Law, Angie!

Thanks for the bouquet, Laura! We've enjoyed it all week.

Halloween's covered.

Frog bathrobe. Big pimpin'. Pretty smile, Kathryn!

Clothes, clothes, clothes!

Yup

We love you all! Thank you so much for loving and supporting our growing family.

Giving Thanks, Ohio Style

2010-11-29T12:55:00.000-08:00

Aunt Shano looking fabulous in purple with her giant pumpkin.

The table.

Snuggling with mom.

Dad in his Burberry shirt and Husband in his Burberry scarf, courtesy of mom.

Cousins

Sister giving Ian some love.

Beautiful Molly.

Dad lost his ring the last time he was in Ohio. Someone found it and left it in the Fuller's mailbox. This is the second time my dad has lost a wedding ring and it was mysteriously found and returned. What does that mean?

Meredith getting the table ready for the big meal.

Husband saying something witty.

Pregnant lady meditating on pumpkin and replacing her electrolytes.

It takes a village to make Thanksgiving happen.

Shano and Meredith. Yes, that's a shotgun. Welcome to the Midwest.

Sister taking a break.

Gingerbread decorating! I like just a little bit of cookie with my frosting.

These were my creations. I was impressed with myself. Decorating patience must be part of nesting...

My gingerbread baby.

More diapers!

Sister turns 29, and we have another excuse to consume mass amounts of sugar.

Reddiwhip on sheet cake? Totally normal.

Mom's Gorgeous Thanksgiving Tree (Dad's Gorgeous Photography)

2010-11-28T13:35:00.000-08:00

I think I need to trade cameras with him...jealous.

These are made of cinnamon and applesauce. You dry them in a low oven for a couple hours and you have lovely, spicy ornaments.

Gingerbread ornaments I get to take home!

Homebaking

2010-11-28T06:02:00.000-08:00

I have eaten enough sugar in the last week to...I don't know what. Make a horse sing, or fly, or something. Everyone wants to feed the pregnant lady, including the pregnant lady. Hopefully I won't give birth to a twelve pound Sugarbaby. Anything's possible.

I love hanging in my parent's kitchen, making whatever. Yesterday, I made "detox" soup (onion, garlic, carrots, celery, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower and spinach-sweated with a bit of Earth Balance, salt and pepper, then added 6 cups of homemade turkey stock and simmered for 25 minutes, pureed and served with Zingerman's Farm Bread), which was sorely needed. A few days prior, when I was feeling virtuous and full of Thanksgiving spirit, dad and I whipped up two pies and a batch of his famous divinity.

First, you have to check out mom's gingerbread babies:

Frosting diapers. Genius, mom.

Dad and I got busy making pies before we hit the road.

Pecan pie's a bakin'

Ta dah!

Pumpkin. Filling made from scratch. Graham cracker crust made by Keebler.

Logan: An American Restaurant. An Ann Arbor Culinary Must!

2010-11-17T10:21:00.000-08:00

Logan is family owned and has just ranked as one of "America's Top Restaurants" in the 2011 national Zagat guide. If what I'm about to tell you doesn't inspire a trip to Logan, this distinction must!

Anyone who's known me for more than five minutes knows that I have mad love for my hometown, Ann Arbor, Michigan. Minus the Winter, it is the perfect place, in my humble opinion. Great music venues, bookstores, shopping, yoga, movie theatres and yes, great food, all wrapped up in a cozy, tree lined hamlet.

The last time I visited, a dear friend took me to Logan for my birthday lunch. I am embarrassed to say that I had passed by Logan many times, having no idea what I was missing. With institutions such as Zingerman's and The Earle, and the quite decent (although the service and acoustics leave much to be desired) Cafe Zola right across the street from Logan, my full belly didn't give it much thought. That will NEVER happen again.

An intimate, quiet dining space that is at once elegant and comfortable greeted me. The service was attentive, yet casual. I already knew what I wanted because I'd perused the menu online before arriving (good foodie): Roasted asparagus sandwich with sauteed mushrooms and gruyere cheese. Sold.

My lunch companion ordered gnocchi for her entree, but first we started with fresh corn chowder and a shaved fennel salad. The chowder was super light and tasted like amplified corn on the cob, with bright chopped chives on top, bursting with mellow onionness. The fennel salad was a revelation. I told my friend I was not a fennel fan, and she encouraged me, like a good mama, to try a bite. I LIKE FENNEL! Or, at least, I like this fennel. Shaved so thin you can see through it, mixed with shards of earthy cheese and tossed in a lemony vinaigrette, I could have eaten the entire plate, but I was polite and shared.

Then, the sandwich arrived. Back to Zingerman's for a moment. No love lost for my cherished Zingerman's, but this sandwich owned any sandwich I've had there. Maybe comparing pastrami to roasted asparagus enveloped in sherried mushrooms and bubbling gruyere is like apples and oranges, but I don't care. One thing that sets apart the Logan experience is the attention to detail. I am someone who appreciates when the chef takes the time and truly shows the love with each component of a dish. In the instance of their perfect sandwich, the bread was perfectly toasted and lightly slathered with vinaigrette, the mushrooms sauteed to perfection in a sumptuous sauce, the asparagus was seasoned and roasted so that it was hot, a tiny bit crusty and tender, but not mushy, and the cheese was melted and plentiful without overwhelming the veggies or bread.

I loved this meal so much, I ordered it again, times two for my mom and I to inhale on her first day home after a successful knee replacement surgery. She ate half her sandwich, all of her house made potato chips, and promptly fell into a blissful sleep while I finished my sandwich. And hers.

The Making Of The Perfect Sandwich

I promise you an exquisite dining experience. Off you go.

Fries for Breakfast, and a Fabulous Dinner Party

2010-11-04T08:52:00.000-07:00

I wouldn't say this pregnancy has induced cravings so much as it's induced severe impulse buy susceptibility. Yesterday, I was innocently walking by the freezer cases at Whole Foods when I spied organic crinkle cut fries. My inner Homer crooned "crinkle cut fries" and 30 minutes later I was having fries for breakfast. They tasted really healthy, but I felt good not having gone to Jack In The Box instead, especially since I knew I had a feast coming in a matter of hours.

I decided it would be a grand idea to get a few of my lady chefs together to meet, bond, network, whathaveyou and so I planned a Fall harvest themed potluck. Of COURSE it was 93 degrees in Santa Monica, sans any kind of breeze, so we all lost a lot of water weight preparing our pumpkins and squashes and broccoli. Above are the wet ingredients for my Bohemian Wedding Cake.

The cake part is your basic pumpkin spice. It was good and moist and...good. Not rock your socks amazing. I feel like it needed more zing. Maybe some minced candied ginger or some lemon zest. Something. But totally tasty.

The frosting, on the other hand, was a revelation. This recipe is from The Pioneer Woman and holy God, I think it may have ruined all other frostings for me. It tastes like Twinkie filling, without the crap. It contains flour, which I had never come across before. You must make this, and just put it on anything. I mean it. That's an order.

I also made mushrooms glazed in balsamic/garlicky syrup and stuffed with cheesy polenta. I was reviewing a book for Food Fanatics Unwashed, and thought I would test these babies on my girly chef crew. They likey (I thought the polenta seemed a little undercooked, and they probably did, too, but the flavors were on point).

This was Krista's Farro Salad with Middle Eastern Sour Cream. YUM! Farro is something I've heard of a million times but never tried and I LOVED it. The chew factor is amazing. Krista said the farro must be soaked overnight and then cooked, and it was dressed with lots of garlic, lemon, tomatoes and parsley. It was the perfect way to start a harvest meal.

Tiffany's butternut squash shepherd's pie. Again, YUM! Sweet and savory with squash, corn, beef, cheese and even a tiny bit of Sake (instead of white wine), it was gorgeous.

Krista's slow-cooked broccoli. Redolent with garlic and chilies, it was bursting with umami and just spicy enough. She said she often takes a piece of toast rubbed with garlic, tops it with soft scrambled eggs, feta and the broccoli. If that's not an orgasmic way to eat your eggs, I don't know what is. I think I have to make that in the next few days...

Lisa's BEAUTIFUL chicken pot pie! It was christened with her first homemade pie crust, made with cream cheese and butter. It was flaky and tender and simply scrumptious. My, what a happy day.

The shepard's pie goodness.

The pot pie goodness (mmmmm, baby loves chicken).

We all have to exchange recipes. Today!

I cannot thank you ladies enough. It was so cool to be on the receiving end of such lovingly prepared, amazing food. It made me proud to think THIS is what we serve up for our clients and loved ones. Savvy business women with such talent. I am humbled to know and love and eat amongst you.

Happy Halloween Eve

2010-10-30T22:06:00.000-07:00

We started the day with blueberry pancakes.

And turkey bacon. And scrambled eggs.

Gotta have a variety of syrups. And butters (real for me and Austin, vegan for husband).

Laying down the tarp (garbage bag) for the giant pumpkin. Austin's looking ghosty!

And the carving began. We got halfway through and broke both pumpkin saws, so we have to go back to the store to get another kit. We only have half a witch with her cauldron...

Turkey chili. I daresay this is the best chili I've ever made. Why? Two reasons. I used white corn, which for some reason was super sweet, which offsets the savory/spiciness, and I added a dollop of almond butter to help tighten the sauce and add creaminess, inspired by Heather. You are brilliant, darling!

Cornbread mini muffins.

Dinner's ready.

Mine. I added cheddar cheese and half a bread stick to mine. And had a big bowl of green beans. We watched The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, and had pumpkin pie for dessert, which I did not photograph because I was too full and lazy. It was amazing. Why does anyone want pie with a normal crust when you can have a graham cracker crust? Beyond me.

Zesty Sirloin Steak, Sausage and Kale Split Pea Soup, Buttery Parsnip Puree, and more!

2010-10-25T16:38:00.000-07:00

What I cooked for clients today:

Steamed fresh green beans and buttery parsnip puree.

Zesty dry rubbed sirloin steak (to go with the green beans and parsnip puree). Juicy!

Sausage and kale split pea soup. The kale adds a satisfying chew and really pumps up the nutrients.

Cavatelli pasta with chicken and basil in a light lemon garlic sauce.

I also made World Peace cookies, which I forgot to photograph. Mama is tired today. I ate deep fried French toast and a butterscotch sundae for lunch yesterday (baby celebration luncheon-SO great) and I swear I still feel full and slightly sick...but it was delicious!

Flourless Pumpkin Spice Bread

2010-10-20T21:40:00.000-07:00

Oh yes, that's right. Got the recipe here. I made a few adjustments based on what I did and did not have on hand. So exciting! Husband's been on a health kick so I thought this was a perfect thing to send him to work with. He's been living on raw fruit smoothies, nuts and cucumbers. Except when I make him eat hot dogs with me...

1 cup pumpkin puree (next time I might sub some of the pumpkin with a smashed banana for a little sweetness)
1/2 cup coconut butter (original recipe used almond butter)
3 eggs
3 Tablespoons ground flax
1 heaping Tablespoon chia seeds (mix in a small bowl with 3 tablespoons of water…will form a “gel” after about 10 minutes)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (can use extract)
1/4 cup water

Mix ingredients. Pour into greased loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour. Important! Let the loaf sit for at least 15 minutes before you try to get it out of the pan.

It is mucho moist and more like a pumpkin bar than pumpkin bread (how did Alex and Heather get their bread to puff up more?), but very, very tasty. Eggy. I think I will top mine with some cinnamon sugar cream cheesy love. What about you?

Dad's Flourless Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

2010-10-17T05:44:00.000-07:00

I catered two parties last week and did not take a single food photo. I am so fired. In my defense, I was hot and pregnant and confused, but happy, and just didn't feel like it (crying shame-the food was beautiful). Here were the menus:

Company Picnic:

Grilled Kosher Hot Dogs with Traditional Condiment Bar

Mediterranean Grilled Chicken

Turkey Burgers with Grilled Peppers and Onions

New Potato Salad

Corn on the Cobb

Fruit Salad

Italian Baked Beans

Potato Chips with French Onion Dip

Shrimp Cocktail

Rocky Road Fudge

Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies

Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream

City of Hope reception:

Pigs in a Blanket (This was all the guests wanted to eat. Grrr.)

Walnut and Gorgonzola Stuffed Dates

Hot Roast Beef Party Sandwiches

Chicken Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms

Zucchini Cheddar Bacon Bites

Curried Carrot Hummus Spread On Pita Triangles with Cucumber

Mint Oreo Truffles

Gingersnap Truffles

Pumpkin Loaf

Snickerdoodle Cookies

Husband's pasta bolognese with organic green beans. Why do fresh green beans, simply steamed with a tiny bit of kosher salt taste SO good? Did you know green beans are technically a fruit? Maybe that's why...

This bolognese was made with beef, pork sausage and bacon...woah.

Dad has done it again! This is a completely improvised cookie, which he proclaimed as "Diversity Cookies". Whatever you say. Here are the list of ingredients:

Oatmeal, walnut, chocolate chip, almond extract, crisco, salt, sugar, brown sugar, eggs and baking soda. I'm assuming they baked at 350 degrees for maybe 12-14 minutes?

So, he went flourless! How very hip, dad. I'm ordering a batch of these be ready and waiting when I walk in the kitchen on my next visit. They look scrumptious.

My belly as of yesterday, October 16. We're closing in on the last trimester. I was filming husband giving a talk on making peace with money and thought I'd film his son for one second. He kicked a lot listening to dad. Happy sigh.

Babymoon!

2010-10-09T11:32:00.000-07:00

Hi everybody. I'm back, and this post will be mostly photographs, otherwise it would be waaaayyyy too long.

I've been trying to perfect a stuffed pumpkin recipe (filled with bread, cheese and cream). I tried it with pumpkin and found the pumpkin to be bland city. So I tried again with a kabocha squash and it was better, but I've decided I like my squash roasted much better than steamed, so although the presentation is gorgeous and the stuffing is amazing, I feel like I'm wasting a perfectly good squash. Hmmm.

Baby shower cake tasting at Jamaica's Cakes. I love her. I inhaled her gingerbread, carrot cake and pumpkin spice cake and although they were all delectable, the pumpkin spice won out. Cream cheese icing will compliment it and I'm ordering a big old round cake to celebrate my baby.

I ate everything you see here, plus a molasses cookie and a pecan bar.

Husband and I had a lovely therapist sesh before we hit the road for the babymoon (we are kind of really not good at vacations). Our first stop was a cafe/store/hippie shack called Follow Your Heart, which husband worked at once upon a time. Husband is experimenting with raw/vegan eating, so this was a natural choice. I'm down for whatever tastes good.

I started with a small salad with balsamic vinaigrette. One thing I love about dining at veggie friendly restaurants is that the produce is really fresh. Nothing worse than a sad, limp salad. This was very yummy.

Husband ordered vegan black bean nachos.

And cornbread. And a cup of lentil dal. And a strawberry banana smoothie. He was full until the next day.

I had spinach lasagna with garlic bread. So good! But I was a little full, too.

This is a very sexy shot of my hot feet after sock removal. Might be retaining just a little bit of water.
Ew.

We stopped at Babies R Us to look at cribs. Ghetto fabulous. But we got to take advantage of some clutch parking.

I guess I was too tired to take a picture of our first night's dinner at Bodees. We had been coveting their calamari dish since we had it three years ago. Alas, they changed the dish and it wasn't even close to as good. The rib-eye we had was incredible, though.

The picture above was the view from our table at Suzanne's, which was our favorite meal of the trip. Talk about tasting the love.

We were ready to eat after our trip to Ojai Valley Inn & Spa for a day of pampering. I got a facial and "mother's massage". Husband got a sage and rosemary body scrub and a deep tissue massage. I wasn't sure I would be able to shake him from his coma in the lounge afterwards...but I got him up eventually.

My appetizer at Suzanne's-asiago mushroom crostini with arugula salad.

Husband's dairy free roasted tomato soup. Excellent!

The best entree I had on the babymoon: mustard crusted rack of lamb with veggies and garlic mashed potatoes. Oh my God, I want to make a rack of lamb for Christmas now. Will I want to make a rack of lamb at nine months pregnant? We'll see.

Husband's salmon and veggies with mango salsa. Not nearly as sexy as the lamb (how could it be?).

Sour cherry crisp for me.

Chocolate peanut butter torte for husband. We had to abandon these after a few bites to rush down to the sweet little Ojai movie theatre to see The Town. We liked it! And they had the nicest movie theatre bathroom I've ever experienced.

While in Ojai, we stayed at the quaint Emerald Iguana, in the tadpole room. Our room felt like a cave, however. Husband found an amazing hiking trail and we also took a yoga class here. It was nice, if a little too easy.

Next up...Bacara Resort.

I loved this huge daisy centerpiece in the lobby. They change the daisies every Thursday.

Our room. With a fireplace. And an ocean view! Incredible.

We tried a vegan/raw friendly restaurant in Santa Barbara, Spiritland Bistro. Above was my salad. Beautiful presentation. It didn't blow me away but wasn't bad either. It was tossed in a tahini dressing that I think I liked. It was hard to tell; I had really bad heartburn.

Husband's sweet potato coconut curry soup.

Husband's vegan potstickers. He liked everything but the filling.

My polenta with gorgonzola and balsamic reduction. Very tasty, and huge for an appetizer.

Husband's tofu curry thing with brown rice.

Husband's sadface for having such a healthy dinner (he was jealous of my polenta).

Love all these excited people wanting to celebrate our baby! This was husband's dessert- a banana, macadamia nut, vegan chocolate thing. I passed.

Our final night's dinner was at Miro onsite at Bacara. It was the most expensive meal we've ever had. Husband had the five course pre fixe and I ordered the lamb. We shared everything and I forgot to take picture of each course...sorry. Sadly, most of the food was unremarkable. Not bad, just...whatever. Not worth a $250 bill. But it was fun to splurge.

Above was a grilled calamari salad. I like the super lemony dressing and fried garbanzo beans. Husband was not a fan.

Roasted globe artichokes. Tasted steamed rather than roasted and were in desperate need of salt.

Best course of the evening. Homemade tagliatelle pasta with rabbit and mushrooms. Yum.

Halibut with almond foam and parsnip puree. I only had one bite since I may or may not have a fish allergy. It was whatevers.

Homemade peppermint patties and an almond petite four finished us off. We slept very well.

My favorite moment of the whole trip was swimming in this salt water pool overlooking the ocean. I always forget how much I LOVE to swim! This will be the "happy place" I go in my mind whilst laboring.

Pregnant Woman Cooking

2010-09-28T13:59:00.000-07:00

Pregnant women can cook. Pregnant women cannot remember to take photos of said food they've cooked. Below is a smattering of what I made, minus the dishes that I made and forgot to photograph, although my camera was sitting there, patiently.

Salmon steaks stuffed with feta, cream cheese and chives. Topped with crushed pistachios. Recipe courtesy of Cincinnati Personal Chef Extraordinaire Debbie Spangler.

When you start with good ingredients, you don't need to do much. Beautiful, organic broccoli and cauliflower, steamed in a bit of chicken stock, topped with sea salt and fresh, cracked pepper. Perfect.

Pan-fried butternut squash with caramelized onions. I forgot to photograph the Parmesan risotto that went with this. Oye.

Chunky spiced apples. Peeled Golden Delicious, splash of cranberry juice, pumpkin pie spice, and 1 teaspoon of butter to finish.

Chicken and biscuits.

Lasagna, Ribs, Italian Baked Beans & Oreo Truffles

2010-09-20T16:09:00.000-07:00

My clients like to eat "real food". I'm all over it. Who wants lasagna? I made this with Sicilian chicken sausage.

It's not gonna be fun to clean this dish, but I love nothing more than a clump of burned cheese.

Chicken tetrazzini. Shredded chicken thighs, sauteed mushrooms, peas and penne in a bechamel sauce with parmesan and a panko crust. Oh yeah.

Pork baby back ribs. Because they're served with saucy beans, I simply did a dry-ish rub on these babies: mustard, worcestershire sauce, chili powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper.

Italian baked beans. I love these because they're not too sweet, but are still rich and wonderful.

Oreo truffles. Just to finish off a nice, light meal (what, it's Autumn! We have to have a little extra padding for the cold months ahead...).

Look What Auntie Lisa Brought!

2010-09-16T17:49:00.000-07:00

My foodie friend and culinary partner in crime, Lisa Levine, came by today for tea and sympathy (I was in a MOOD yesterday, let me tell ya). Luckily for her I was in a much better space today and we had a great time catching up.

She brought BBU (Baby Boy Unruh) the most adorable onesie. The peanuts on the sleeve are the best part, and a good omen I think (I've been eating peanuts in the hopes that little man won't develop a peanut allergy-I heard it's good for mom to eat now so his body won't interpret peanuts or peanut butter as foreign).

She also brought these scrumptious chocolate chip banana muffins. Oh my heart, I only ate one, which is a miracle, but seeing as dinner is less than an hour away, these babies are gonna be dessert and that's all there is to it. Husband may get lucky with one, maybe I'll heat them and serve with a dollop of peanut butter and chocolate coconut milk ice cream. Me and my busy food brain...

Hit Lisa up for the recipe!

Caramel Pecan Shortbread Cookies (And a Vat of Pastitsio)

2010-09-12T09:25:00.000-07:00

I made a basic shortbread recipe, and topped it with caramel dripping with pecans. I didn't try one, and I'm still sad.

This is the vat of pastitsio I made for my client's Labor Day party. I also made a vat of mac and cheese, green beans, green salad with homemade ranch dressing, baked chicken, roasted potatoes and better-than-crack-brownies. I'm pretty sure they're still eating. Thank God there were six or seven boys in their young twenties. They liked watching this old pregnant lady cook.

The day before the Labor Day party gig, husband and I were invited to our friends new home for a barbecue (we live in their last home!). I made peach ice cream.

It turned out pretty well. Next time, I will cook the peaches a bit, maybe with some cinnamon, and then puree and add at the end of the ice cream churning process, making a sort of spiced peach swirl. Oh yeah.

This week, client's enjoyed rib-eye with blue cheese, garlic and parsley butter.

Steak served with butternut squash puree.

Garlic and lemon shrimp over soft, creamy polenta.

Husband took a picture of this house. We both loved it, both for the house and the location. It's probably worth 3-4 mil. We can dream.

Heart Melt. Dad's Super Special Rice Krispie Treats.

2010-09-10T09:21:00.000-07:00

Dad sent me these pictures along with this note. How much do we love?

Dear Mandy,

I am so glad I managed to take these pictures of a cross section and the top of the crispie treats I made on my birthday. Now there is nothing left but the clean glass pan. All the rest just eroded into the ether. May make some more someday though.

30 Marshmallows, a cup of chocolate chips and a cup of nuts; mine were mixed because they were handy and four cups of Rice Crispies. I slowly melted the chocolate chips and marshmallows and blended the nuts into the melt then poured the mixture into the rice crispies. The hard part was waiting until the mixture cooled.

Your Mom and I were both unsuccessful with that part.

The main reason for this note is to thank you very much for all your help with your Mom and for your attention to me. I was very happy having you here.

Love, Dad

Pastitsio, Jerk Chicken, and S'mores Cookie Bars

2010-09-03T07:04:00.000-07:00

Heirloom tomatoes and fresh basil tossed with garlic, olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Toasted french baguette tossed in some fresh garlic butter. Combine with tomatoes and you've got yourself a gorgeous panzanella salad. I eat that alone for a perfect summer supper.

Roasted jerk chicken...

...with rice (chicken is sweet and spicy).

Fusilli with prosciutto, peas and mint in a light cream sauce.

Pastitsio. Clients loved this so much I'm headed out to a Malibu beach house today to make another batch for a family Labor Day weekend. My job is crazy...

S'mores cookie bars. A sugar cookie crust, topped with a layer of marshmallow fluff, a layer of chocolate, a layer of crushed cinnamon graham crackers, topped with more sugar cookie dough. Baked until golden and bubbly.

What are you gonna eat this Labor Day weekend? I just ate my baby's weight in waffles with butter and syrup...xo

Peach Pie with Lard Crust!

2010-09-02T08:13:00.000-07:00

First of all, I just have to say that the baby is rolling, rolling, rolling this morning and it makes me SO happy! Baby dance in there.

I had the supreme pleasure and honor of baking with my best Aunt Shayno, and we made a peach pie with LARD crust. It's all about the lard.

We went to the farmer's market to buy the peaches and we kept moaning about having to go the grocery store just to get Crisco, when I thought, I wonder if the butcher would have lard for sale? He did. Beautiful, snow white, freshly rendered pork fat, y'all.

This pie was amazing. What I learned was similar to my maple syrup experience earlier: If you eat a little bit of the REAL THING, you are completely satisfied and have no desire to eat enormous quantities. I have a sweet tooth's sweet tooth, and I couldn't imagine having more than one slice of this peach pie. Why? The lard in the crust made for such a complex, rich experience, two slices would have been too much (this is coming from the girl who ate half a store bought pecan pie on Christmas Day).

Use lard! And real maple syrup!

My piece with a whipped cream skirt. And yes, that is a bunny in the background. Hungry bunny.

Aunt Shayno's Peach Crumb Pie with Lard Crust

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

Pie Crust:

For single large pie crust
1 1/2 cups flour all-purpose
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup lard, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup ice water, 1 tbsp at a time until right consistency

Combine flour and salt. Cut in fat with pastry blender, two knifes, or just pinch mixture together until the fat is the size of small peas. Add ice water, one tablespoon at a time, until the dough just comes together.

Place ball of dough on a lightly floured piece of waxed paper. Press down with your hand. Add a touch more flour and put a second piece of waxed paper on top. Roll out dough with rolling pin until it is about 1/4 inch thick. Place dough in an un-greased pie pan, cutting off extra dough from sides, if needed.

Lightly press the crust in pan, and create whatever edging you desire. Refrigerate while you make the rest of the pie magic happen.

Crumb Topping:

1 cup flour
1/2 cup butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup brown sugar

Combine flour and sugar. Cut in butter with pastry blender, two knifes, or just pinch mixture together until you get a "coarse sand" consistency. Set aside.

Apple Filling:

about 5 cups sliced peaches (peeled and pitted)
1/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp vanilla extract or paste
pinch of ground cinnamon

Toss peach slices in a bowl with the sugar, cornstarch, vanilla, and cinnamon. Stir to combine and set aside.

Put peach filling in pie pan, followed by crumb topping. Bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 375 degrees and bake for 40 minutes, or until top is golden brown and filling is bubbling.

Aunt Shayno in action:

Pecan Raisin French Toast, and a Love Affair with Ann Arbor

2010-08-25T10:53:00.000-07:00

This morning, I did something I never do. I took myself out to breakfast. I don't do it because I feel self-conscious, but I'm hungry and pregnant and yesterday was my birthday, so calories still don't count.

This morning I walked to Zingerman's and thoroughly enjoyed their Pecan Raisin French Toast with Michigan maple syrup. I was once again reminded of the marvels of REAL maple syrup. While I want to use half a bottle of Mrs. Butterworth's on my waffles before I feel satisfied, one or two tablespoons are more than enough to make two large slices of French toast sing. Simply amazing, and I will be full until dinner.

The view from my solitary table. If you know me, you know that I covet Zingerman's. It's just a happy place and the food is guaranteed to be extraordinary.

I was waiting for a dear friend, and fellow "magically hip mother", Claudette, to pick me up for my birthday lunch, and decided to take a picture of one of my mom's plant creations. Notice the pot with painted pears and the wee little fairy bird house. This is how she decorates her entire world; every nook and cranny has a whimsical surprise, but you need to be quiet enough to really look. She's amazing.

Claudette introduced me to Logan, and I am so very glad she did. I had their roasted asparagus, mushroom and gruyere sandwich, and it was life affirming. I LOVE when a restaurant is THOUGHTFUL: Each component was perfectly seasoned. No salt shaker needed. I will be going back, and I will be taking family with me!

For my birthday dinner, sister took me out to The Blue Nile. It did not disappoint. I was telling a friend today who inquired about what I like about Ethiopian food that it has everything I love about Indian food (lentils, veggies, stewed meats...) with none of the stuff I hate about Indian food (too pungent, too sweet, whole seeds crunching in my teeth, too milky...).

We were very, very full, but not too full to enjoy this:

Cake Nouveau is a relatively new cake joint just down the street from my parents house. I sampled their vanilla cupcake, lemon meringue cupcake, and blueberry, almond and birthday cake "truffles" (remember my oreo truffles? Similar idea). I have to be honest and say I was not blown away. Flavors weren't pronounced and the cake was very dry and a bit hard. Didn't stop me from eating most it, though!

The remainder of this post is dedicated to my love of Ann Arbor. I took these on my walk through downtown this morning. I can only say that this is my HOME. Los Angeles is where I live, where my lovely husband is, where my lovely apartment is, where my lovely friends are, where my incredible support system is, where my amazing work opportunities abound...but my home is here. My dream is to summer here, and let LA be LA for the rest of the year (must admit I am very excited to be delivering my boy in January, and be able to WALK him to the Farmer's Market the same month).

I give you Ann Arbor...and this is me.

Terra Chips Giveaway Winner!

2010-08-13T12:49:00.000-07:00

Thanks to everyone for your interest and for entering. I chose the lucky winner through Random.Org, with the following results:

Congratulations, DG! I'll send your information along to the good folks at Terra Chips! Have a wonderful weekend, y'all. What's everyone cooking? I'm all about the farmer's market tomorrow, gonna let that dictate the menu...xo

Terra Chips Giveaway!

2010-08-08T12:14:00.000-07:00

I've long looked at the fancy bags of Terra Chips at Wholefoods, but had not tasted them until the good folks at Terra sent me a VERY generous care package. They are delightful; just enough salt to enhance the natural flavors of the potatoes (and other root veggies), with a light crispness that stands up surprisingly well in dips and even tossed in salads. Goodbye, croutons!

Terra Chips now offers an online entertaining guide providing summer entertaining tips, pairings and nine mouth-watering recipes (Blissful Bruschetta, Spicy Fish & Chips a la Terra, etc.).

Separately, they are holding a “Fire Up the Flavor” online sweepstakes, running through August 31st, which features 25 grand prizes (charcoal grill, serving bowl, $250 grocery gift card, 12 bags of Terra Chips and a printed entertaining guide) and 50 first prizes (six serving bowls, an array of Terra Chips and a printed entertaining guide). Details on both are located here.

Last but not least, they have offered to send one of my readers a care package of their own, complete with four bags of chips, coupons, a serving bowl and a summer entertaining guide.

To be entered in the giveaway, go to their website and enter their "Fire Up the Flavor" sweepstakes, then leave me a comment letting me know you've done so. I will select one winner at random on Friday, August 13!

I know what you're thinking. What are you going to do with four bags of chips (other than inhale them all by yourself while sitting in a baby pool)? The possibilities are endless.

I was inspired by Terra's zesty new A La Mexican flavor and made a taco salad and potato nachos. This was a super fun (and tasty) way to mix up traditional nachos and taco salads; no corn tortillas here! I'll post pics of those dishes very soon...

Pupusas!

2010-08-08T11:34:00.000-07:00

I was so excited to go the farmer's market this morning. The sky was overcast, and I walked from home with my big red produce bag slung across my growing belly. Once there, I stocked up on freshly shucked corn, heirloom tomatoes and baby yellow and orange melons.

My friend Amy told me about the pupusas here, so I decided that would be breakfast. I'd heard of pupusas but had never tasted them. As instructed, I ordered one vegetable and cheese.

Mistress of the grill. I knew these were going to be good; there was a line at 9:30am.

A complete meal for three bucks, y'all. The pupusa is not a wispy little thing either, it had heft, and was piping hot. Served with a cabbage salad, fresh salsa and avocado. I ventured across the street and sat on the steps of an elementary school to people watch and listen to my Good Food podcast while I enjoyed my meal.

So so so so good! The corn masa was crisp on the outside, tender on the inside and brimming with thinly shaved squash, carrots, maybe spinach (?), and a creamy, slightly salty cheese. The salsa was just spicy enough and the bitterness of the raw cabbage balanced it all perfectly. I know what Sunday breakfast is going to look like for a LONG time to come.

Now I want to make these for my clients! I think they would reheat beautifully....

A Catering Love Fest

2010-07-29T20:02:00.000-07:00

Lisa and Tiffany prepping away

The Dream Team: Tiffany Wu, Lisa Levine, and Jenny Park

I'm so white I match my chef's coat

Lisa was our Grilling Goddess. She did not disappoint. Both the chicken and the lamb were perfection.

Chunky Avocado Salad on Corn Tortillas

The Pigs In A Blanket were the runaway hit, as guaranteed by my client. He wasn't kidding!

Tomato and Basil Crostini

I don't think last night could ever happen again. The house, the clients, the guests, and my fellow chefs were all just SO GOOD (save for one lady guest who hovered and insulted, complaining about no food being available during the business presentation- can't please 'em all). Everyone helped and supported and enjoyed and embraced the whole experience. I'm completely inspired to cook all over again, and it's so ironic to be carrying a baby at the same time. I'm over the moon to be a mama, and at the same time, am more excited by my career than ever. Gotta trust the process and believe there will be room for both!

Here was the menu in it's entirety:

Chunky Avocado Salad on Corn Tortillas with Cilantro

Crostini with Marinated Tomatoes and Basil

Baked Gorgonzola and Walnut Stuffed Dates

Deconstructed Asian Chicken Lettuce Cups

Greek Salad Kebabs

Pigs in a Blanket

Lamb Skewers with Mint Yogurt Dipping Sauce

Thai Chicken Satay Skewers with Peanut Dipping Sauce

Apricot and Walnut Phyllo Cups

Rocky Road Fudge

Cream Puffs

Fresh Berry Salad

I was really proud of most of the dishes, and a few were I think of as learning experiences. Serving 12 dishes for a single party is no small feat, and overall I am happy with how everything turned out. The chunky avocado salad, the dates and both meats I would rate as craveable. None of us even got to taste the pigs in a blanket, they were snarfed in warp speed. I guess there's a reason they've been beloved since the 1950's...now I want a hot dog. Buh bye!

Red Beans and Rice, Pistachio Pesto, and Peach Cobbler

2010-07-26T12:16:00.000-07:00

The secret to my red beans and rice is to use sweet stewed tomatoes. This off sets the heat of the chilis and makes your mouth sing. Laaaaaaaa. This version was veggie, but hot links can be easily added. I find clients tend to like less meat in the summer. Me, too.

My clients love sticky rice, so much so that they have a giant vat of it in their pantry, so that's what I use. It's pretty much the only grain they want...

Okay, this pesto is exciting, especially for my lactose intolerant friends. Here's a (very) loose recipe, just play with the ingredients until you get the texture and flavor you crave.

Pistachio Pesto

Fresh parsley, washed (about 1 cup, packed)

Juice of one medium lemon

1/4 cup roasted, salted pistachios

1 garlic clove

Water (or chicken stock or veggie stock)

Olive oil

In a food processor, combine parsley, lemon, garlic, and pistachios. Should form a thick paste. Thin with whatever combo suits you. If you want a lower fat pesto, try just using stock or water to get your desired consistency. I used a little oil and a little water and kept mine on the thicker side.

Toss with pasta, or top fish or chicken, or use as a dip....awesome!

This was a filet mignon that I roasted until medium rare, sliced thin to toss in a green salad with a ginger lime vinaigrette.

Peach cobbler. It was all I could do not to dive into this. Cobbler is fun! I never knew what the process was, but now I'm obsessed. You start by melting butter in the bottom of your baking dish, topping with a thin batter that consists of flour, sugar, baking powder and milk (not stirring it into butter). Top with cooked fruit and bake until bubbly. This baby got just a hair past "golden", but was not burnt, thank God. My client's oven runs hot, and I set the timer a full 15 minutes before it was supposed to be done...oh, well.

Chocolate Pudding with Marshmallow Creme is the word

2010-07-22T18:00:00.000-07:00

I'm still obsessed with zucchini bread. I made this for a friend's 50th birthday potluck. People weren't eating it (it was tucked back in a corner), so I took most of it home. Tacky, I know. I'm gonna pull the pregnant lady card on this one.

This is some rib-eye marinated in garlic, lemon and olive oil and quickly broiled. The cut was thinner than I'm used to, so it wasn't as pink as I'd hoped, but was still juicy, tender and flavorful. Client's enjoyed this with roasted balsamic asparagus and spiced yam mash (see below).

Spaghetti carbonara. What's not to love?

Spiced yam mash. I still can't believe this has no sugar. The secret is to roast the yams first, skin on, to caramelize all the natural sugars. All I do is peel the skin off, and toss in a bit of salt, pumpkin pie spice and butter. Better than pumpkin pie.

I didn't think I liked pudding, until I went to culinary school and tasted real, home-made pudding. A revelation. I topped this batch with a dollop of marshmallow creme. What? It is fat-free...

What are you craving?

A wee little, tiny announcement

2010-07-18T14:29:00.000-07:00

We love you and can't to meet you! January 18, 2011

This is why the blog has been sorely neglected. Yes, the chef has a bun in her oven, and I have been sick, sick, sick since the end of May. Cheffing has been a challenge, and meant cooking at home was all but abandoned. I am starting to feel better every day and hope to be back to my old cooking and photographing self very, very soon!

We are beyond excited, and so far, so good for baby and mama. I have started a preggo blog, not sure what I'm going to do with it yet. Please feel free to check it out!

I plan to cook and blog throughout the pregnancy and beyond. I'm thinking lots of baby food recipes are in my future (maybe a Vitamix, too...) and I'm sure you'll see wacky meals based on cravings (hello pickle and goat cheese cracker sandwiches).

Summer Pastas & Other Bready Things

2010-07-14T09:04:00.000-07:00

For me, with food, I find, simple is best. Tasty ingredients, simple preparation...done. This pasta could not be simpler or tastier. Sweet stewed tomatoes simmered gently with a bit of fresh garlic and olive oil, tossed with al dente spaghetti and asiago cheese. Lovely hot or cold, all day long.

Mediterranean orzo salad: Orzo (duh), red peppers, orange peppers, celery, carrots, tomatoes, artichoke hearts and feta tossed with an olive vinaigrette. Refreshing, tangy and creamy.

Buffalo-style baked "fried" chicken.

Roasted fingerling potatoes.

Zucchini bread! It took the power of God for me to not steal a piece of this (made for clients). Yes, I am making it for myself this morning. Recipe inspiration found here.

My mom always made zucchini bread, and I haven't had it in years. Cannot wait to break the zucchini bread dry spell. The only question is, will I top my slice with butter or cream cheese? Guess I'll have to have two slices...

I made a new friend. Her name is Danielle. She works with husband, and funnily enough, rents an apartment from one of our dearest friends (and a VERY loyal MM blog reader), Rachel! The world just keeps getting smaller.

Danielle and I blabbed and blabbed and blabbed about foodie things at Rachel's Fourth of July BBQ, and not a week later, my husband came home with a freshly baked loaf of Potato Dill Bread with Caramelized Onions! Dying.

This is what my morning breakfast looks like these days...oh my heart.

What are your favorite bready things?

Lately Food Ventures, including Andrew's Cheese Shop. Yum.

2010-07-05T17:47:00.000-07:00

What are you looking at? Red organic grapes rolled in goat cheese and crushed, roasted pistachios. These were inspired by my lovely friend Samantha. She made a version of these for an Oscar party she hosted and I made a huge pig of myself with them. Naturally, they were a no brainer for a Fourth Of July BBQ.

Husband's mom bought us this deviled egg tray, to which I initially scoffed. I was SO wrong. I've used this lovely tray more times than I can count for appetizers, cookies, truffles...I love you, Mama Lisa. One day I may even make your son some deviled eggs (he lurves, me, not so much).

I made two new dishes for some clients today. This one was beyond delicious, and I think I need to make it for myself tout suite, minus the shrimp (allergic). It is a Vietnamese rice noodle dish with carrots, sugar snap peas, peppers, cilantro and bean sprouts. Served cold or room temperature, the dressing makes it, which is a combo of fish sauce, rice vinegar, lime, sesame oil, a little sugar, jalapeno...YUM! So refreshing.

This is my version of Chicken Saag. I like, but don't love Indian food. I like spice, but not overly spiced, and I don't enjoy chewing on whole coriander seeds or fennel seeds or mustard seeds...you get my drift. So I cook "Indian light", meaning less fat and less spice, so you still get curry and ginger and chili without drowning in it. I made this for my client last week and she requested it again! Love that.

The other new dish; flank steak rolled with veggies and cheese, Italian style. I sauteed garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, carrots, spinach, and red peppers. When the veggies were tender, I mixed in mozzarella and Romano cheese, topped with chopped fresh parsley and stuffed the steak, which I tenderized and marinated in a bit of olive oil and Worcestershire sauce. I hope the steak is tender...it looked good!

I had some coconut cake...

...and CHEESE (not in the same meal). I'm obsessed with cheese lately (more than usual), and decided after my cook session I had to finally check out Andrew's Cheese Shop (I've listened to him on Good Food and have fantasized about going for over a year-yeah-I don't get out much). Andrew did not disappoint. He was friendly and confident and bold with his cheese choices for moi. I told him I was hungry and the only cheese eater in my house (husband is lactose intolerant) and could he hook me up with enough cheese to gorge myself for the next week or so. He picked three (and gave me info on them-check it out):

Brillat-Savarin (the brie at the top of the plate):
Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin was a French lawyer who became renowned as a food critic. He was the author of the great book, "The Physiology of Taste" (1825). The cheese was created in his honor in the 1930s by Henri Androuette, founder of the world's greatest cheese shop. This is the original triple-creme. The cheese is made in Normandy and the flavor is as rich as it gets with a gentle hint of mushrooms.

Tomme Dolce (next to the brie with the orange rind):
Tomme Dolce is one of many extremely small production cheeses from Andante dairy in Petaluma, CA. Soyoung Scanlan, the cheesemaker, creates a variety of handmade artisan dairy products with musical names. Tomme Dolce is made from goat's milk and the cheese is given a bath of brandy and plum jam which is where the smell comes from. The flavors are fruity with hints of honey, cinnamon, cloves and anise.

Kirkham's Lancashire (the crumbly one):
Curds from three days of cheese making are combined to make Kirkham's Lancashire. The texture is moist, rich, crumbly and creamy with what's locally known as "buttery crumble". Don't be alarmed if you see some bluing in this cheese; it's a mark of distinction here as it is in other English farmhouse cheeses.

This was my dinner: sugar snap peas, cucumber, grapes, pears, pickles, crackers and CHEESE. So happy. Could this be the new "ritual meal"? Hmmm...

What are you craving?

Summer Lemon Poppy Seed Pound Cake

2010-07-01T17:06:00.000-07:00

Where the fudge have I been? I've been here, and I will return on a regularly scheduled basis VERY soon and I have a very good excuse...so please stay tuned!

Lately my sweet tooth has been quite selective. Normally, anything involving sugar is aces with me, but these days the thought of anything chocolate, or ice cream, or Pop Tarts, or Starburst....can't deal.

Lemon remains a favorite flavor, so making this pound cake was a pleasure. The recipe is from my days at The New School Of Cooking, and was one of the most amazing things I tasted while I was a student.

Summer Lemon Poppy Seed Pound Cake

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp finely grated lemon zest

1/4 tsp         salt
8 ounces      unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup        granulated sugar
2 large         eggs
2 Tbsp         poppy seeds
1 1/2 cups    confectioners sugar
3 Tbsp         fresh lemon juice

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Butter a 9-inch round cake pan (or loaf pan).

Whisk together flour, baking powder, lemon zest, and salt in a bowl.

Beat together butter and granulated sugar in another bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until pale and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in eggs until combined. Reduce speed to low, then add flour mixture and poppy seeds and mix until just combined.

Transfer batter to cake pan, smoothing top, and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean and the top is golden brown, about 30 minutes. Cool cake in pan on a rack for 5 minutes, then invert onto rack.

Whisk together confectioners sugar and lemon juice in a a bowl until smooth. Pour glaze over warm cake, spreading it with a spatula to drizzle over edge. Let stand until glaze is set, about 15 minutes.

Serve warm or at room temperature. Enjoy!

Filet Minon and Chicken Noodle Soup

2010-06-08T22:12:00.000-07:00

This was super yummy. A seasoned filet mignon roast was baked for just 30 minutes and was a lovely medium rare. I took the juices, reduced them and flash sauteed artichoke hearts 'til they were a little crusty. Add oven roasted fingerling potatoes and you've got a meat and tater dinner that is not average.

I love when clients request chicken noodle soup. It is not something I normally propose, but when you need comfort, there is nothing better.

In non food news, my husband had a short script selected for a competition in the Dances With Films festival in Hollywood. The short script was about Death and his son, minding their own business when the cops come a knockin'. Death's son, "Little Death", was played by my stepson Austin. His outfit, complete with bony hands, rocked.

Finally, my friend Claire came to town and introduced me to Father's Office (yes, I've lived here for almost 10 years and never had it, don't judge). It was amazing, and the sweet potato fries need to be illegal.

Toast

2010-05-21T19:50:00.000-07:00

Today, I needed toast, so I drove to Bed, Bath and Beyond and bought a toaster. Took me ten minutes. It reminded me of a story my mom has told me a thousand times.

I was three years old and we were taking a trip to grandma's house. I was potty training so we were taking my potty along. After we were all packed up and ready to go, my dad backed out of the driveway...and my potty.

Apparently, my reaction was a combination of shock and despair and I kept repeating, "oh no, not my potten chew."

What did my wonderful parents do? Drove directly to Kmart and bought me an identical potty chair. I carried the box out of the store with pride.

My toast spread of the day: Raw Crunchy Almond Butter and Strawberry Jam. Nummy.

The toast of the day is Ezekial sprouted cinnamon raisin bread. I also enjoyed some nuts and sliced organic strawberries. The berries were exceptional.

I also enjoyed chips and salsa. Especially the salsa. I'm trying a new way of eating: many small meals throughout the day. I have long known that this is a very healthy way to live but have only now gotten inspired to do so. I must say that so far, I love it. I get to eat many different things and it actually feels like I'm eating more...highly recommend it. My only concern is going out to eat. I have a really hard time not cleaning my plate, no matter how grotesque the portion.

Husband got a "normal" dinner that I was actually (sort of) inspired to cook: BBQ chicken legs, roasted yam with cinnamon pecan butter and steamed veggies.

My First Cream Puff

2010-05-17T17:24:00.000-07:00

Is their anything prettier than a cream puff? I was having a Monday, for sure, and languishing over these little babies for my favorite clients made me happy, happy, happy (clearly I'm in the right profession-I was seriously cranky).

I got the cream puff recipe here. I especially loved a tip left by a reader who said to leave the puffs in the oven after baking. Simply turn off the heat, crack open the oven door, and let them sit for awhile so the dry completely, in order to prevent "sagging". Cream puff dough is kind of like a souffle; it will puff way up but will deflate quickly if it's not completely dry.

The recipe I used suggested filling the shells with pudding. Eww. I'm not a pudding fan and will gladly put whipped cream on almost anything. This is how the whipped dreaminess was created:

1 cup whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp granulated sugar

Stir cream, vanilla and sugar together in a large metal bowl. Put whisk in bowl, cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes (cold cream, bowl and whisk makes for faster whipping).

Whisk until soft peaks form.

I was super fancy with filling the shells: cut shells 3/4 of the way (left them whole at the back), put whipped cream in a freezer bag. Cut the tip with scissors and piped the fluffy clouds into their little bready homes.

I have a feeling my clients will pour some chocolate sauce on top of these (I found some in the fridge). They also have fresh cherries, which I pitted, chopped, added a tiny bit of sugar to, and left for them to do what they will. My next baking challenge will be macarons. I had these for the first time over the weekend, courtesy of Daydreamer Desserts, and they changed my life.

In other news, I just returned my first blog conference, Camp Blogaway. It was wonderful and I am completely traumatized. This has nothing to do with the conference and everything to do with me. I am overwhelmed and extremely busy comparing my blog with everyone else's blog, and feel like a complete blog, photographer, culinary and social media failure. I'm ready to become a ultrasound technician now. Just sayin'.

388 Calorie Oreo "Blizzard"

2010-05-13T11:51:00.000-07:00

This isn't really a recipe. More like an assembly.

Because I'm not a "bite of this, sip of that" kind of girl, I'm always looking for a way I can eat a lot and still fit in my clothes. I discovered Arctic Zero at Whole Foods, and although it is not bad on it's own, it's a bit like eating icy hot chocolate air. I had to sex it up. Some call this being a "food pharmacist". I call it art.

I started by whipping the hell out of it in my trusty Ninja, which gives it the illusion of creamy.

Next up: four Dairy Free, Gluten Free Newman-O's (they taste exactly like Oreos with a little less crap in them).

Aaaaahhhh (angels singing)! I'm sure this has no nutritive value, but it is a way to inhale a pint of creamy, chocolatey frozen goodness sans guilt. It's also a great way to stretch the value of four little cookies. I'm all about stretching.

This is only the beginning. A swirl of chunky peanut butter (or any nut butter), frozen chunks of banana, coconut, caramel sauce...what would you mix in?

Hipstamatic Food

2010-05-10T16:03:00.000-07:00

Forgot to take my real camera to work today, but never fear! I used my Hipstamatic (iPhone app) and snapped some food pics for the masses. The result? Very funky color. We'll just say it's retro and call it a life.

Above is Northern China Pork Stir-fry with rice noodles, bean sprouts, carrots and cucumbers.

Pineapple salsa (to go with the chili rubbed chicken below): fresh pineapple, diced jalapeno and lime juice. Zesty and refreshing.

Okay, chocolate chip cookies spread, but miraculously came apart beautifully once cooled. These are chewy, not crunchy, per clients suggestion. What makes a chewy cookie? Add an extra egg yolk and under bake just a smidge (take them out before they look completely cooked).

Sweet chili rubbed crispy chicken. I made a mixture of dried, ancho chili, garlic powder, Mexican oregano and a pinch of brown sugar. Toss in a freezer bag and toss in chicken (this is bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs). I love cooking WITH the skin because I don't have to add any additional fat and it helps the meat stay juicy and flavorful.

Carrot puree. SO good. This was actually my favorite dish of the day: carrots simmered in homemade chicken stock until completely tender. Drain, put in food processor with light cream cheese and a touch of salt and pepper. Sweet, creamy, full of vitamins.

Sugar snap peas quickly sauteed in a tiny bit of sesame oil and fresh garlic. Salt and pepper. Done.

What are you craving?

Mothers

2010-05-09T14:01:00.000-07:00

Between you, me, and the lamp post, I'm a little obsessed with motherhood (I know, you're shocked). I just took myself to see Babies and when I wasn't crying happy tears, I was smiling until my cheeks ached.

I have further proof of my obsession here.

This is my mama. She lives in Michigan. When we are together, we like to do the following: Eat, gossip, shop, decorate, take road trips and gossip.

If she were here, I would take her for gelato.

I would also make her this.

This is my new mama friend and her baby, Peach head (Charlie).

Happy Mother's Day!

Yoga Pose May: Cat Pose

2010-05-06T14:04:00.000-07:00

This is not a food post. Ohm. I was so excited to be a part of Yoga Pose May! Tina and Kate are the brilliant minds behind the concept; bloggers sharing poses, personal yoga practices and philosophies. Love it.

This is my yoga studio: My living room. I do occasionally get my lazy self to Santa Monica Power Yoga Studios, but I LOVE to practice at home. Husband usually joins me (he's the blue mat, I'm the green mat).

We happily subscribe to YogaGlow.com. It's fabu because they continually have new classes AND the archives are always available; if I'm bored, I take a new class, if I love an old class, it's right there where I left it. $18 a month, y'all. Killer deal.

On chilly mornings, I have my little space heater so I won't injure my big muscles.

I try to practice at least twice a week. I plan to do yoga for the rest of my life and believe it is a cure all. Having a bad day? Try some yoga. Bankrupt? Hit the mat. Not enough work? Too much work? Torrid affair? Breathe it out, baby.

Ready for cat?

Cat is a great back warm-up. Click here for more posey info.

Yeah, photos by husband.

I guess he wanted to show the goods and then remind the world that I'm married. Cheeky husband (pun intended).

What's your yoga story?

Watch Me Make Chicken And The Sweet Potato Pancake Mission Continues With A Little Help From My Friend

2010-05-04T16:12:00.000-07:00

Okay, I don't love this video, but it's a start. I'm officially growing out my bangs and promise not to wear the giant plaid shirt with an apron. Ever again.

I am STILL trying to get those sweet potato pancakes right. I have a new culinary friend, Paty Winters, who took to her kitchen and shared her experience, and her photographic prowess (thank you a million times, Paty!).

"I tried both animal crackers and ginger snaps. Liked the GS a little better as they caramelized a bit better. Used your recipe but added a bit of powdered ginger and nutmeg and a pinch of red pepper flakes and about 1/4 cup of the crumbs per potato.

Trick I used to getting them to stay in a nice shape: refrigerated mixture in a plastic bag for 1/2 hour or so. Used an egg round in a hot skillet w/ canola. Put a little of the cookie crumbs in it, then squeezed in the batter (from corner cut in plastic bag) and topped w/ more crumbs. Let them cook slowly to let the eggs cook, until golden.

Removed the egg round and gently flipped. Cooked until the other side is golden and removed to paper towel. Served on a bed of mesclun dressed w/ evoo and balsamic. Both versions were actually really good. The animal cookies have a slightly lemony flavor; the ginger snaps just had the caramelization factor down a little better.

One other thought. If you want an easier option you could bake the mixture off in a sheet pan or 6x6 pan until it is set then cool it and cut it with a cookie cutter round (or whatever) and then fry it off (kind of like you do with polenta)".

Thank God Paty isn't a personal chef or I'd be out of business!

Ribs (Prounounced "Reeeeaaaaahhhhh")

2010-04-28T20:59:00.000-07:00

Husband spent the day editing a little cooking video of yours truly (yippee!), so I showed my love and appreciation the best way I know how: By feeding him. Tonight's special: Baby Back Ribs with smoky peach bbq sauce and fried yam mash.

I just realized the sweet potato looks like a heart. Awww.

As you will soon see in my cooking demo, I tried to make sweet potato pancakes last week. The taste was spot on, but the potatoes were not cooked all the way. Kinda crunchy and raw in places. Not good.

I decided to first roast the sweet potato, remove the skin and mash it up with a little salt, cinnamon and one egg.

Now, my plan was to cook 'em up pancake style, thinking that the egg would hold it together.

Hot buttah.

Pre-flip.

Post-flip. Fail. Okay, I think this would work in the future if I a: chilled the mixture for an hour before frying, and/or b: coated the chilled patties in some sort of bread crumb to make them a bit drier. I'll keep trying, y'all. This mush did taste good! It made me think about making a baked sweet potato casserole...I'm sure you will be seeing that soon. We eat our weight in sweet potatoes here.

These ribs are from Trader Joe's, and they are awesome! The meatiest baby back ribs I have encountered. If you have a TJ's in your area, I advise you inquire immediately about these.

I love "making" my own BBQ sauce (which means I throw random things in a pot and taste it until it makes me slap myself with happiness).

This particular sauce was made from Trader Joe's Spicy Peach Salsa, ketchup, mustard, fresh garlic, balsamic vinegar and worchestershire sauce.

Shut up (that's a term of endearment). xo

The Client Is Always Right

2010-04-27T21:20:00.000-07:00

I have a client who lurves Huckleberry. Can't blame her. She asked if I could replicate their cauliflower salad and their turkey meatballs, and I was like, oh yes I can!

The cauliflower salad is basically roasted veggies with lots of olive oil and...maybe a touch of cayenne?

Huckleberry uses sunchokes, which is awesome, but I went to two stores with zero sunchokeness, so I subbed with parsnips.

Husband said this would DEFINITELY be a way for me to get him to eat his veggies. Word.

Up next; turkey meatballs. The ones at Huckleberry are ginormous, so I grated one medium onion, added it to one pound of turkey, salt, pepper and some crushed Town House crackers (classy). I plopped them raw in some sauce and let them burble for an hour.

They did not disappoint, and cooking meatballs in the sauce (as opposed to baking or pan frying) makes the sauce much richer and tastier.

Another client lurves her some chocolate. I've been making them choco "surprises" for the last few weeks. This week it was all about Rocky Road Fudge. Marshmallows are a happy food, don't you think?

Butter, sugar, and evaporated milk.

Bubbly.

Chocolate lover clients also got some guacamole (to enjoy with chicken enchilada bake).

Lamb chops.

More roasted veggies.

Mexican spice rubbed chicken thighs (to be used in chicken enchilada bake).

Spanish rice.

Fig and citrus sauce to go with lamb chops.

"Fried" ravioli (cooked ravioli dipped in egg and panko and baked until toasty and brown-dip in marinara).

The rocky road in it's final form.

There is a bunch leftover in their freezer. I'm thinking I need to whip up some mocha ice cream and mix the fudge in...and make them think it's their idea!

The client is always right. xo

What's The Answer?

2010-04-24T22:22:00.000-07:00

This was fun. I ~~stole~~ got my inspiration here. Join me, will you?

Don't overthink it...

The trait that I love most about myself is: My creativity. It's the positive part of overthinking.
My favorite website is: RunEatRepeat.com (we're not counting Facebook, which is beyond an obsession, I just consider it working at this point)
In 10 years, I’ll be: A mom!
When it comes to eating, I say: Life is too short to eat low fat.
My favorite meal is: Roasted broccoli, a wheat-free lemon cloud from Whole Foods and a slice of carrot cake from Whole Foods (Denny's french toast comes in at a very close second). Totally normal.

Latkes!

2010-04-24T16:22:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I've lived 33 years without making these babies. Can we say easy? Can we say delicious?

What I love the most is they are a great way to get your potato fix without planning ahead (roasting or baking take about an hour, and microwave is NOT an option). You can start with a totally raw tater, peel it, whizz it up in a food processor with some onion, drain, mix with an egg, bread crumbs (or matzoh meal or panko or crushed Ritz or crushed Cheez Its or...) and fry 'em up!

I used a healthy amount of grapeseed oil for these babies, but when I cooked them the next day for my client, I just used some canola spray and they turned out great (maybe just a bit less crunchy?).

I'm so inspired now. I'm thinking about sweet potato pancakes, cheesy potato pancakes, corned beef hash potato pancakes, bacon and potato pancakes....nom nom.

I rounded out the latkes with some grilled Portuguese sausage, mustard, steamed broccoli and cauliflower, and cinnamon applesauce.

Latkes!

5 large russet potatoes, peeled
1 medium onion
4 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup matzo meal
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup canola oil, for frying

Grate potatoes and onion into a bowl or pulse in food processor. Drain any excess liquid, then add the eggs, matzo meal, salt and pepper.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Spoon the mixture into hot oil forming small pancakes. Cook until underside is golden, about 2 to 3 minutes. Flip pancakes and cook until other side is golden and potatoes are cooked through, about 2 minutes more.

She Cooks.

2010-04-19T18:24:00.000-07:00

Hi folks! How goes it? Husband and I are officially one hundred years old: we had dinner at 4:45pm. Awesome.

I whipped up some split pea soup recently (husband request). I love, love love making soup as it gives me the perfect excuse to eat copious amounts of bread.

This split pea started with sauteed leeks and carrots and one Portuguese pork sausage. I let them get all brown and crusty and then added chicken broth and split peas.

Simmer simmer simmer. 1 1/2 hours later; done. I whizzed half of it in the Ninja and left the rest chunky.

Happy husband.

Today, clients got some organic BBQ chicken legs. I'm afraid of grilling (cuz I've never done it before), so the oven is it for me. The secret to my browning success? Parchment paper. It's genius. I really should learn how to grill, though...

As warmer weather approaches, I like to incorporate more salads, and this is one of my favorites: Mango, black bean and corn salad. So refreshing.

I've learned that kids like Asian food. A lot (good to know). This is veggie Lo Mein, which didn't have that super oily look that take out Lo Mein has, but the flavor was great (and much healthier, I can only assume).

Egg drop soup. Hard to take an appetizing photo of soup in Tupperware. My apologies.

I don't know how I kept myself from eating ~~all~~ one of these. Flourless Chocolate Loves Peanut Butter Cookies. Holy moley.

Here's the recipe, kiddos. Couldn't be easier.

1 cup chunky peanut butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix all ingredients, except chocolate chips. Once incorporated, stir in the chips. Drop spoonfuls onto a baking sheet covered in parchment paper. Bake for 10 minutes. Obliterate.

Lastly, I made spinach stuffed shells. There must have been some air pockets in the shells, cuz little mozzarella bubbles developed during baking. Fancy.

What Are You Eating This Summer?

2010-04-15T20:01:00.000-07:00

You probably have no idea (and that would make you normal). I'm guessing you're summer thoughts include sunsets, beach days, rocking chairs, road trips...and I'm guessing they don't include making dinner.

Enter Mandy's Meals. I'm here to provide all of your culinary needs; be it breakfast, lunch, dinner, all of the above, or simply menu planning, shopping and prepping so your time in the kitchen is minimal. No job is too big or too small. I'm here to make your summer more satisfying (and delicious).

Click here to learn more and click here to contact me for a free consult. I can't wait to start cooking for you!

Quiet Days

2010-04-14T11:09:00.000-07:00

Hello. I am still here and still cooking. Promise. I've been on the down low lately and, quite frankly, am finding myself in a bit of an introspective, reflective place. Trusting it, y'all.

I made some pumpkin pancakes for my boys on Sunday. Husband topped his with Earth Balance, syrup and sliced bananas. Austin had EB and syrup, and I also made them tofu cheesy scrambled eggs.

Film noir pumpkin pancakes.

This was a good idea in my head. Honey Bunches Of Oats, mini marshmallows and peanut butter chips. Tried to nuke it for 10 seconds at a time and thought it would make an ooey gooey Rice Krispie Treat sorta thing. Nope. Just got hot and marshmallows turned to little burney rocks. Fail. Next time, stove top!

Cooking & Eating & Holding New Babies

2010-04-07T13:32:00.000-07:00

I wanted to provide a Spring inspired menu for my clients this week. I started by marinating an organic, humanely raised ham in pineapple juice, ginger, garlic, soy sauce and sesame seeds. The next day, I baked it at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Scalloped potatoes. Thinly sliced yukon potatoes, sauteed with a little butter, minced garlic, half n half, cream fraiche, nutmeg, salt, pepper and thyme. I sprinkled in a tablespoon of flour and let it just come to a boil.

Transferred the mixture to a greased casserole dish and baked at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Fresh asparagus, blanched in boiling water and tossed with a champagne vinaigrette. I LOVE asparagus!

Paula Deen's Corn Casserole. I lightened this recipe, using another can of corn instead of creamed corn, light butter and low fat cheese. Still sinfully delicious.

In other news, I finally went to Akasha in Culver City. I really, really wanted to love this place. I did not. Above was my skillet macaroni and cheese. No flavor. I ate the breadcrumbs and called it a day.

I saw these onion rings on The Best Thing I Ever Ate and was so excited to try them. No flavor. Onions were raw and tough. I had to salt everything we ordered. Boo.

Dessert was the best part. I had an assortment of baby cupcakes and a tiny scoop of salted caramel ice cream, all made onsite. Ice cream was solid, and I liked all the frostings, except for the cream cheese frosting (too cheesy). The vanilla cake was super dry, the chocolate cake was decent, and the carrot cake was too dense. Weird. This is a hugely popular restaurant, critically acclaimed...what happened?

Also, I hated the seating. We are booth people. I do not want to sit across from my husband at a tiny two-top, with strangers 5 feet away to the left and right of us. I don't need to hear about their sexploits and they don't need to know that I salt my ice cream.

In a final, non-food moment, this is Peach Head. Actually, this picture makes me want to call him Waffle Cone, but I won't. Don't worry.

I love him and I love his mom and dad. They are kind enough to let my biological clock run wild and hang out with them way too much and ask way too many questions. Peach Head is better than cake.

My 700th Post! Honeymoon: Take Two. Part One Of ?

2010-03-31T20:45:00.000-07:00

First of all, I cannot believe this is my 700th post! I feel so productive.

Our dear friends, Kenny and Izumi, offered to let us stay in their beautiful cabin in Pine Mountain Club, California.

Husband has dubbed this our honeymoon do-over. Word. This was our first honeymoon. We did everything wrong and learned things like it is best to have a place to stay beforehand. And not to eat clam chowder.

I like to start my vacations at Denny's because, as you know, vacation calories don't count.

Husband's hot chocolate. Don't really get hot chocolate with french toast for breakfast, but he doesn't get salt on my french toast. No judging in happy marriages.

The iPhone is still active, which means vacation has not yet kicked in.

Mine. Yup, three slices, but I used sugar free syrup. Yummmm, malitol.

Husband's french toast slam. I don't opt for the egg and bacon chaser, I mainline the sugar and carbs.

The view from the livingroom. See our yoga mats? We haven't utilized them yet, but we have gone on two hikes! One in the snow!

Husband bought tulips. Romantical husband.

Izumi advised us to bring our own food. Pine Mountain Club makes a small town look like a big town. They barely have any restaurants, at all, but they have lots and lots of liquor stores. Hmmm.

We stocked up on cereal, nuts, stuff to make smoothies and Green Monsters, and some good crap, like reduced fat cheese puffs and chocolate covered almonds (vacation calories, remember?).

We went to La Lena in the Pine Mountain village and got our Mexican on. We won't talk about the fuschia bathroom with a tiny turquoise door to nowhere or the sticky menus, the food tasted pretty good. Started with chips and salsa.

Husband wanted a margarita, but La Lena's is without a liquor license...don't worry! They do serve a wine margerita and a wine pina colada. Husband had the "Winerita" which he said almost worked, until it started reminding him of his wine cooler puking junior college days. Oh well. Love the crystal pimp cup, too!

Mine (don't worry, I didn't finish it): tres amigos enchiladas-one beef, one chicken, one cheese. The sauces were yummy, the meat was flavorful but dry. I gave husband my guacamole.

Husband had the chicken enchiladas.

Now, nobody got sick, but I was not hungry until noon the next day, and husband's stomach is still talking to him (grumble, grumble). Eating out in small towns is like going barefoot at a public pool.

For brunch, husband made himself a smoothie (self sufficient husband) with fresh mango, banana and frozen berries and cherries.

Mine: cucumbers, carrots, organic string cheese (watched Food, Inc. and have a renewed passion/panic for organic, sustainable food) and...

...a Trader Joe's Inside Out Carrot Cake Cookie. The cookie part was pretty good-cinnamony, moist, chewy, lots of raisins. The frosting part did not work for me (should have known when the check-out girl told me these weren't her "favorite"). It was too cheesy and dense. I would like it more whippy and sugary.

For our afternoon activity, we predicted our futures. Word.

This is the future of our baby (not yet in existence, probably).

This is the future of husband's film making.

This is the future of my personal chef career.

I loved the little girl on my "goal" card. She reminds me of me: the hat, the boots, being alone in her room, her rainbow rug. As husband said, often when I get dressed I look like "a rainbow threw up." I love compliments.

Husband's future eating habits. Right on.

Cooking For Mama, For Husband, For Everyone.

2010-03-22T21:28:00.000-07:00

Okay, first up, I am totally obsessed with buffalo wings (which I had never eaten before). A client requested them, and I don't do frying (always burn or make greasy-soggy-mess), so I did some e-research and found my home with good old Alton Brown.

I find him completely annoying on television, but his recipes are usually solid, and these wings are no exception. What I love is that the double cooking process (steam then bake), makes them super crispy, yet renders almost all of the fat.

Granted, you add all the fat back in when you toss the wings in the sauce, but I used less butter, used light butter instead, and added splashes of balsamic vinegar and Worcestershire sauce to tang it up. The result is heaven.

I was nervous to make these for the client, so I had a trial run at home, and they were a hit with everyone. I made them for another client today.

Mom is still in town, so we've been showing her the town via stuffing our faces (that's how husband and I roll). We had to take her to Don Antonio's, and she loved her chicken burrito, which she saved half of and enjoyed a few days later while watching Damages.

Husband had his usual chicken enchiladas and I busted out of the box by ordering the Don Antonio's House Special: Crispy chicken taco, Chile Relleno and Cheese Enchilada. It was a lot of cheese.

Saturday was a play day for me and mama. We started at the Santa Monica flea market where we purchased some funky wooden picture frames, then we went to the Santa Monica Farmers Market, where we did not eat anything organic. Nope, amongst all that green bounty, we had gelato.

I had the rainbow cone, with one scoop of pecan pie gelato, mama had one scoop of coconut. It was awesome. She had it with my aunt and uncle and cousins the last time she was here for our wedding. I'd never even heard of this place that is 2 miles away from my house. So funny what you don't see until someone who doesn't know your city pops in. Genius! I probably won't go back until she comes back...

After playing for two days, it was back to work for me. Above is a penne pasta in a simple stock reduction with toasted pine nuts, fresh basil, panko bread crumbs and shaved Parmesan. Tasty!

I made them the buffalo wings, with roasted fingerling potatoes and...

Roasted green beans. I love to roast everything, clearly.

Cheese and herb strata. Simple egg casserole with torn french bread, thyme, aged cheddar and Parmesan. Puffy and golden, it reheats perfectly.

Chocolate insanity brownies. Fudge brownie with dark chocolate chunks and toasted walnuts.

Yeah, they look messy, but trust me, it was all I could do to not plant my face in the middle of this plate and eat my way out. Seriously.

BIG lunch at Westside Tavern

2010-03-18T20:25:00.000-07:00

Mom came to visit all the way from Ann Arbor, Michigan. This is cause for celebration, and what better way to celebrate than overeating? I can't think of anything...

When we got there, we each had an empty plate, which made husband promptly sport his best Oliver face.

Mom does a pretty good pathetic face as well.

Don't worry, they fed us. The Westside Tavern had won an award for best burger in the city, so we ordered them all around. We started with fries, which I only ate a couple of. They were meh, in my opinion, but I'm not a fry connoisseur.

Husband ordered a cup of vegan tomato basil soup. It had a lot of flavor, but was a bit too acidic. It was kinda like pasta sauce. As a chef, I know that tomato sauce, soup, whathaveyou, is hard to balance the acid without going too sweet.

The burger. LOVED the egg bun, loved the juiciness of the meat (done medium rare), but the flavor of everything else was unremarkable. I couldn't taste the cheddar cheese or the arugula or the caramelized onions...guess I'm a big flavor girl.

Then, I got in big trouble.

After eating my entire cheese burger...I ordered sticky toffee cake. Oh my.

So freaking good, but I swear, if I'm going to order dessert, I should just eat dessert because I cannot stop eating it, and this was no small piece of cake.

It was awesome, and I will say worth every bite, but I think I just gained five pounds. Eek.

More to love, right?

Frozen Fudge Mousse

2010-03-12T12:32:00.000-08:00

I've been making some changes. I'm letting go of diet soda and bars that are full of weird stuff (soy protein isolate-wha?).

These changes inspire me to get creative with treats. Mama can't have frosted Luna bars anymore, so what can she have?

It was time to get out the Ninja and start playing with frozen bananas and this concoction...I am not kidding. This is a revelation.

If you are craving ice cream or fudge or frosting...look no further.

This is richer than you can imagine, and would be amazing with berries or a slice of cake.

Frozen Fudge Mousse

Serves One

2 tbsp coconut flour
2 tbsp cocoa powder
2 tbsp almonds
1/8 tsp xanthan gum
1 frozen banana (make sure to peel banana and cut into chunks before freezing)
3 or 4 drops liquid vanilla stevia
1/4 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk

Total calories 294

Combine flour, powder, almonds and xanthan gum in a blender of food processor. Blend until almonds are in little, tiny pieces. Add banana and stevia, process until smooth. Add milk gradually until you get the desired consistency.

Devour.

Cooking On A Monday

2010-03-02T18:18:00.000-08:00

Pappardelle with lemon, spinach and ricotta.

Cauliflower steamed in chicken broth and pureed with butter.

Chunky cinnamon applesauce.

Cider braised pork shoulder.

Reducing the cider and leeks.

Dinner!

Who's Hungry For St. Patrick's Day?

2010-02-28T14:25:00.000-08:00

All the details are here. How will you celebrate?

Pizza, Lasagna, Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies, Orange Poundcake & A Brisket Dinner. No Diets Here!

2010-02-22T18:31:00.000-08:00

This is a "high tech vegetarian" pizza from Earth, Wind & Flour. It's thinly sliced, roasted eggplant, basil, and enough garlic to turn my husband gay. Yum.

Simple tomato and cheese lasagna.

Vegan chocolate chip cookie dough.

Ready for the oven.

I cannot keep these in the house. Crack.

I also made an orange pound cake with I Can't Believe It's Not Butter. I was testing a recipe for a client.

It was good! Subtle orange flavor, and I love anything that involves glaze.

I added the glaze while the cake was still warm so it would soak in and develop a thick, sugary crust.

My cousin came to stay with us and requested some home cooking. Done!

Mustard crusted brisket, garlic smashed yukon gold potatoes and steamed green beans.

Babyholic

2010-02-20T01:09:00.000-08:00

While I'm on a non-food blogging jag, I will share this video with you. Our dear friends, Paul and Sam, have dear little Charlie (Sam and Charlie are both girls, btw). Charlie is approaching 1 year and we had still not gotten a chance to meet her (pathetic I know-that's LA lifestyle for ya).

They surprised me, and it was all I could do not to burst into tears. My biological clock is "ticking like this".

She's perfect.

Starstruck Twit

2010-02-19T23:46:00.000-08:00

I love Adam Carolla. I love his wife, Lynette, and Teresa Strasser, and their new podcast, The Parent Experiment.

I was up late watching Real Housewives Of Orange County and hanging out on Twitter, cuz I'm a classy multi-tasker, and I noticed Lynette Carolla was tweeting about the show...so I tweeted her back, and then she tweeted ME back!

This most likely is completely unimpressive, and I get that this has nothing to do with food, but I had to share nonetheless.

Love you, mean it, will be documenting a lovely meal for my cousin whom I have never met who is coming to stay with us tomorrow. And guess what, he is a HUGE Adam Carolla fan! Of course he is...

What Am I Doing?

2010-02-17T21:37:00.000-08:00

Let's start with dessert, shall we? My lovely clients have a bit of a sweet tooth, and although they only request dinners, I notice the cookie dough and chocolate candy and Rocky Road ice cream. I wanted to make them some homemade treats.

Enter: Chocolate Puddle Cookies. Almost like meringues, the cookie batter is chopped walnuts, cocoa, powdered sugar and egg whites. When baked, they get shiny and crackly, but stay gooey on the inside.

Mandy being Mandy, I forgot to take a picture of the finished product, so I stole this picture from the world wide interweb. Mine look like this, only a lot lumpier.

How cool is their little green teapot?

Oven roasted tomatoes. Roma tomatoes with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, thyme, salt, pepper and asiago cheese. Served with stuffed portobello mushrooms.

Minestrone soup. Topped with pesto and Parmesan, served with sourdough baguette.

Portobello mushrooms stuffed with ricotta and spinach and baked until bubbly.

My apologies for the iphone pics. Between jury duty, house guests, and my upcoming surgery, I think I am mighty distracted. I also cooked for clients yesterday and plum forgot to take photos. My. Bad. I love you all!

Workouts have been good. Jogging, yoga and a new DVD I love, Ballet Body. I still have no regrets quitting the gym

Husband's Proper Birthday

2010-02-14T10:12:00.000-08:00

Jam session at our place. Ummmm, too loud. Gonna have to rethink the drum plan.

Smells like teen face.

The spread: baby back ribs, spiced yam mash, oven baked beans and roasted green beans with leeks.

First time cooking ribs, people. Very easy and very tasty.

For baked beans, I always start with one can of actual "baked beans" and the rest are plain. I caramelize a ton of leeks and garlic, add vinegar, ketchup, mustard, Worcestershire sauce and molasses before adding all the beans. I put that mess in an oven proof dish, cover and let them bubble away for a couple hours.

Wow, can you tell this cake is homemade? I assembled and frosted this sucker in my mind about 50 times, but it had a mind of it's own.

See the 43? I bought a 4 candle and a 3 candle, but somehow the 4 candle did not make it into my shopping bag, so Austin and I improvised, making the number 4 out of regular birthday candles.

It's the thought that counts.

When making a wish, before one blows out the candles one should raise their left foot.

The cake. The cake itself was a bit dry, although it felt moist when I cut it. Weird. I used gluten free flour and chocolate soy milk, so I knew it was a bit of a crap shoot. Flavor was decent.

The frosting was awesome! I ran out of chocolate mocha buttercream (made with Earth Balance), so at the last moment Austin and I whipped up a batch of peanut butter buttercream (made again with Earth Balance). SO good!

Here's what to do:

Take 1 cup of Earth Balance, put it in a mixer and whip it for a couple minutes, until light and fluffy.

Add 1 teaspoon vanilla and whip some more.

Add sifted powdered sugar, about 3/4 cup. You need to sift it because otherwise you get little lumps of powdered sugar in your frosting (which actually isn't terrible, it happened to me and it tasted fine).

Finally, add your flavoring of choice.

For the chocolate mocha, I added 1 cup of melted bittersweet chocolate and 2 Tablespoons of hot espresso.

For the peanut butter, I added 1 cup of melted peanut butter chips. You could easily sub peanut butter, although it might make a stiffer frosting.

I had two pieces because I am a sugar addict. I am now giving away copious amounts. Come and get it.

Husband Birthday Dinner Prep And A Cheesy Little Secret

2010-02-12T22:39:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow, we have Austin overnight. This is a very big deal and cause for celebration. Since husband's birthday was two weeks ago and we were out of town celebrating someone else's birthday, I thought we should have a nice, big, birthday meal with all the boys (husband, Dirk and Austin Baustin).

Above is some gluten-free, dairy free chocolate cake batter, all ready to be baked to perfection. I have no idea if it tastes good, but it looked and smelled good. Fudgy, almost like brownie dough.

While the cake was baking, I started in on the chocolate Earth Balance cream frosting (instead of butter cream as husband is lactose intolerant). I felt the need to take several gratuitous melted chocolate shots.

This is the Earth Balance getting all whippy in the Kitchen Aid mixer. I added one egg yolk, vanilla, and 1 1/4 cups of organic powdered sugar. Frosting makes me almost as happy as whipped cream. Or whipped egg whites.

Added a touch of hot coffee and the chocolate last. Divine.

Cake post bake. I plan to cut this sucker in half, then slice each half in half, making four layers. I will document the final, don't you worry! I will also document the rest of the meal, which will consist of pork baby back ribs, yam mash, baked beans, roasted green beans and said cake.

I had cheese puffs for dinner, but that's not the secret. The secret is that I heat a cup of good chicken stock until it simmers, then I slowly pour it over the cheese puffs.

It makes the puffs chewy and sticky and gooey and saucy. It becomes this weird concoction that feels like a cross between buttered popcorn and macaroni and cheese.

If this sounds disgusting, you are probably right. If this sounds good...you're welcome.

PS Trader Joe's Reduced Fat Cheese Puffs are the best. By far.

Vegetarian (Plus One Roasted Chicken)

2010-02-08T16:48:00.000-08:00

I've been cooking mostly vegetarian meals for one of my clients, which I LOVE (I'm mostly veggie myself-just don't crave meat). I did roast husband an organic chicken, which was brilliant because I stretched it out to four meals. This was meal #2: lemon roasted chicken with Cuban black beans and fried bananas.

Eggplant Parmesan.

This turned out really yummy. Corn chowder with zucchini, potatoes, sweet peppers, leeks, bacon and roasted corn. I used very little dairy in this and I'm thinking I could actually omit the dairy all together as the starch from the potato and corn would thicken it quite nicely.

I instructed my clients to heat the chowder, and top it with some cheese puff "croutons". Genius!

In other news, I am still on jury duty. Hoping the case will end this week so I can get back to work! I've been good about exercising but have been doing a bit of stress/boredum eating (i.e. planning on having cake for dinner).

We watched the Jackson family arrive as well as the doctor. Whole thing makes me sad.

Jury Duty

2010-02-04T21:01:00.000-08:00

I should be cooking. I should be posting my cooking and my recipes.

I have been called and I have been selected. I am no longer a personal chef. I am juror #6.

My days consist of driving to the airport courthouse, listening to lawyers argue, and staring out the very large windows at the smoggy wasteland that is LA.

Above, I am enjoying my lunch (two Zone Perfect bars and a diet coke) and reading a W magazine from July, 2006.

Do you love my Vera Bradley laptop bag? Me, too.

Here is the only exciting part of my jury experience. Michael Jackson's doctor is being arraigned in the courtroom next to ours. SO, if you see a chick in glasses wearing a quilted Anthropologie coat that kinda looks like me...it's me.

The press started arriving this morning. I can only imagine what I will be snapping with my iphone cam during our many, many trial breaks (trials must be taken in bite sizes only).

The biggest bummer is missing cooking for my clients. Hate it. Miss you!