I received my foodie package from Bridget, blogging at The Road Not Processed. In our email exchange I mentioned I was a bit of a Francophile, her appropriate response was a drawing of a Monsieur Chat. I love his striped scarf!

On Sunday afternoon I enjoyed the Almondina with bits of chocolate and a nice cup of Earl Grey. Perfection! Thanks B!

I definitely enjoyed this experience. Who doesn’t love to receive packages filled with food?? It was also a lot of fun to put a package together for someone else based on their palate and preferences. Unfortunately I had trouble getting a response from the person I was assigned to mail something to. I’m hoping for better luck next month.

Foodie Pen Pal Rules

-On the 5th of every month, you will receive your penpal pairing via email. It will be your responsibility to contact your penpal and get their mailing address and any other information you might need like allergies or dietary restrictions.
-You will have until the 15th of the month to put your box of goodies in the mail. On the last day of the month, you will post about the goodies you received from your penpal!
-The boxes are to be filled with fun foodie things, local food items or even homemade treats! The spending limit is $15. The box must also include something written. This can be anything from a note explaining what’s in the box, to a fun recipe…use your imagination!
-You are responsible for figuring out the best way to ship your items depending on their size and how fragile they are. (Don’t forget about flat rate boxes!)
-Foodie Penpals is open to blog readers as well as bloggers. If you’re a reader and you get paired with a blogger, you are to write a short guest post for your penpal to post on their blog about what you received. If two readers are paired together, neither needs to worry about writing a post for that month.

If you’re interested in participating visit Foodie Pen Pals.

Some very wise and inspiring words from the dame of French cuisine. Interest is something of great importance because it is fundamentally internal. It is how I feel about food and cooking. I have no desire to make money from it or to work in a restaurant. I’m interested in food simply because I find it fulfilling. Taking classes or enlisting at the Cordon Bleu (gasp!) would be interesting for the sake of personal enrichment. But for now….

I am stupendously happy sharing my love of food with others. It is rewarding that people equate a visit to my house with feasting, and that this little one (Flautamom’s kid) believes that I am synonymous with baking cookies.

So- follow your passions and don’t forget to share them!!

Have a Happy Weekend!!

ingredients

2 pounds medium and small potatoes
salt & pepper
3 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon chopped anchovy
1 tablespoon chopped capers
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
4 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 pound French beans or wax beans (or a combination of both!)
4 eggs
2 tablespoons fresh herbs (either chives, parsley, or basil)
6 to 8 anchovy fillets
a bunch of arugula

The Recipe

1. In a large pot bring well-salted water to a boil. Add the potatoes and bay leaf. I ended up using a combination of French fingerling potatoes and a variety called Nicola (bonus: this variety has the lowest glycemic index of any potato!). I tend to prefer mixing varieties to get a more colorful dish. Potatoes should be boiled for 30 minutes, until they can be easily pierced but are still firm. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
2. While you have the potatoes on the stove boiling, make the vinaigrette. Peel the garlic cloves and smash into a paste. I used a mortar and pestle, which did the trick, but using the edge of a knife will work just as well. Give the garlic a good mix and sprinkle with salt. In a small bowl stir together the garlic paste, a tablespoon of chopped anchovies, capers, mustard, and vinegar. Slowly whisk in the olive oil. Season to taste with salt & pepper. I’m a huge fan of bold flavors, and the elements in this vinaigrette combine so well, I promise it will blow your mind.
3. Once the potatoes have cooled remove their peels and cut into 1/4 inch pieces. You can opt to keep the skins intact, if you prefer. Place the potatoes in a shallow bowl, season with salt & pepper, and dress with half of the vinaigrette (which made need an additional whisking, if it has separated). Gently coat the potatoes. Cover and set aside.

4. Trim the beans, simmer in salted water for about 3 to 4 minutes. Cool under running cold water and pat dry. Coat with the remaining half of the vinaigrette and set aside.
5. Boil the eggs to your liking. I love a soft-centered yolk, which takes about 8 minutes. If you’re into hard-boiled shoot for 13 minutes. Cool the eggs in cold water, crack, peel, half, and season with salt & pepper.

6. Bring out the plates! Layer each with a bed of arugula. Combine the beans and potatoes. Serve onto plates. Sprinkle with fresh herbs. Distribute the eggs, garnish with anchovy fillets. Uncork the wine. Be prepared for your instant trip to France!

What is your favorite french dish??

Bon apetit!

Original recipe: NYT French Potato and Green Bean Salad

I present to you my labor of love:

Recipe: Savory Zucchini Cornbread Muffins

First you must pick your poison. You can go with the ultra “whole-foodie” Bob’s Red Mill cornbread mix or “America’s Favorite” Jiffy cornbread muffin mix. Bob will cost you about $3.99, Jiffy is a serious $0.79. You can read the ingredient list of each (or any other mix you happen upon), consider your budget and then decide. I will not judge.

Now the whole point of the recipe was to find a clever way to incorporate MORE veggies into my quickie lunches. Grab-N-Go. Zucchini is a MUST. DO NOT SKIMP on this. However, the second portion of the recipe allows for some creativity and taste preference. Green is the easiest color to incorporate into your plate, every other hue is a little more difficult. Zucchini/Green=check!! Now for the second part… Because of Fall I decided to concentrate my energies on the Orange family. I made a batch with shredded carrots and another batch with shredded sweet potatoes. Both came out equally wonderful. To continue the orange theme you could also use shredded squash or shredded pumpkin. If you think of another color family please, do share. I considered adding mushrooms, but have not ventured forth, perhaps on another post if there is enough interest.

The second step: Follow the instructions on your package. This is a “convenience” recipe. After all, we are using a “cornbread muffin mix”. If anyone is terrified by the ultra long list of ingredients on these packages, and I get enough interest, I will seek out a “from scratch” recipe. So the instructions are the first step in preparing the “dry”mix. Now for the experimental portion, on which I so diligently worked. The trick, as I previously mentioned, is to get the perfect ratio of muffin to vegetable.

• If you’re using one box of the Jiffy Mix, you want to use a total of 2 cups of shredded vegetables. One box yields 6-8 muffins. So that would be:

1 box Jiffy Mix (following the instructions by adding 1 egg & 1/33 cup Milk to dry mix)

After following instructions on box, add:

1 cup shredded Zucchini

1 cup shredded orange veggie (carrot, sweet potato, squash, or pumpkin, etc.)

• If you’re using Bob’s Red Mill Cornbread Mix, it yields approximately 16-18 muffins. Follow instructions on the package. THEN:

Add 2 cups shredded Zucchini

2 cups shredded orange veggie (carrot, sweet potato, squash, or pumpkin, etc.)

• If you are using a mix other than the ones stated, it is very simple to adapt my ratios. For every 6 muffins you need to incorporate 2 cups of shredded vegetables.
• So if your mix yields 6-8 muffins, add 2 cups of shredded veggies after you have followed the instructions for the mix
• If your mix yields 16-18 muffins, add 4-5 cups of shredded veggies to the mix, after you have followed the package instructions.

Are you interested in a mix made from scratch?? (without all the additives??)

Wonder what mushrooms will add to this ensemble??

How do you make your savory muffins??

It’s Bistro Night. You have your wine, bread, cheese, and cold cuts. But you want something different. Something decadent. Well I have just the thing for you. These little morsels will add some pow to your palate.

It’s quite simple, three ingredients:

Dates, prosciutto, and Mascarpone.

1. Cut the dates in half and remove the pit.

2. Fill each half with a teaspoon of Mascarpone.

3. Delicately wrapped each Mascarpone filled date with half a slice of prosciutto.

4. As you’re making these, make sure more bites end up on the plate and not in your mouth. Your guests must try these too!

Now, go grab a glass of wine and maybe a bar of this:

Everyone WILL be happy! Enjoy!

Recipe source: the bestie!!

This Photo Friday will be slightly different. Flautamom, Cin, and I took the munchkin to the Half Moon Bay Pumpkin festival, and there were simply too many great pictures to post just one. So here’s a photo essay instead!

 Pumpkin Truck

Pumpkin Feet

Pumpkin Patch

Pumpkin Champagne.

J/K. Bubbly from a local winery, La Nebbia.

Pumpkin Ice cream. Ohh, so good.

Pumpkin Pie.

Yes. Pumpkin Mac n’ Cheese.

I didn’t care too much for it…

But these… Pumpkin Macarons… Oh, they were

melt-in-your-mouth-divine!!

Pumpkin Face.

Flautamom guilts us onto the Hayride.

Quick! Scare-crow!!

Three weeks into October and I have yet to make the perfect loaf of pumpkin bread. Thanks to my beautiful, fall themed pan I bought a few years ago from William & Sonoma, aesthetically the loaf IS perfect. I’ve made three batches and eaten countless slices. The taste is the exact balance of spice and sweetness. It’s the consistency that is my problem. My creation comes out as a hybrid between bread and a slice of pumpkin pie, a toasty bread shell and a gooey center. I want it to veer more on the bread side. More crumbly, less density.

I’m a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to baking (among other things). I won’t give up until I’ve perfected a recipe. I also will not give out a recipe unless I’ve personally tried it myself, and I never exactly follow the instructions of a recipe. Yeah, I’m that person. I’ll cut back on the sugar, or substitute the flour for whole wheat, or use apple sauce instead of oil. The list can go on. I am an intuitive chef. I go based on tastes and moods. This works with savory dishes, however, baking is a science. If you throw off a ratio you end up with pie when you wanted bread, or a pancake when you wanted a cookie.

This pumpkin bread/pie debacle has led me to try a different approach. I think I’ll ease up a little on the experimenting and do a little more research first. Yes, that means an excuse to buy another food book, score! I think I will start with: How Baking Works: Exploring the Fundamentals of Baking Science. I’ll report back on what I discover, and will hopefully have a pumpkin bread recipe to post before the end of October.

Have your baking experiments ever led you to any new realizations??

What is one recipe that you couldn’t give up until it was perfect?

On Sunday we left San Jose (thank you Flautamom for the ride!) super early so I could support my friend (and LSAT study-buddy) at the Nike Women’s Marathon! Angelica and I first became friends when we realized we both had the same aspiration of going to law school and were freaking out about LSAT, so we became study buddies. THEN, we realized we were both huge foodies and loved cooking. Not only that, we’re also both interested in advocacy for food justice. As if that wasn’t enough… she’s also a runner! Seriously, this girl could be my soul mate.

I think it’s always important to have support at the end of a race. You’re fatigued both mentally and physically. And nothing boosts you right back up like having someone waiting for you at the finish line. Something else I find incredibly important is post-race fuel. Most of these races offer a gamut of sports drinks, plain bagels, bananas, and energy bars. I personally take a more natural approach to fueling my body and I knew Angie, as both a foodie and runner, would also appreciate my snack bag.

I wasn’t sure what exactly she would crave after running 26 miles, so with Cin’s help we packed a little bit of everything, concentrating on having a good mixture of both protein and carbs:

• orange slices
• Horizon organic chocolate milk (my personal favorite after a super long run)
• Martinelli’s apple juice
• dried apricots (another favorite of mine)
• homemade trail mix (granola, peanuts, almonds, chocolate chips, walnuts, and dried cranberries.
• Honey Crisp Apple (Angie’s favorite)

Angie dug right into the trail mix and loved the chocolate milk. I’m happy to report that most of the snack pack was devoured.

Even though I wasn’t running, simply seeing other people run filled me with so much emotion. The energy is palpable; there is so much excitement. I truly wished I was one of the participants. That said, I’m definitely running this race next year. Receiving a Tiffany necklace instead of a medal is only one of the major perks…

Kuleto’s

After wards, we met up with another friend who took us to Kuleto’s for an Italian lunch, (a perfect choice for more post-race carbo loading) to celebrate Angie’s completion of the marathon. Kuleto’s was a special treat, they pride themselves in offering fresh, seasonal, and locally sourced ingredients. Go sustainability!!

Sure it was the middle of the afternoon, but you can’t take me out to eat and expect me not to order a glass of wine. I even managed to convince our whole table to indulge in some vino. Besides, you cannot have a celebration without a little wine. Leave it to me.

The bread basket was a piece of art. I liked the crumbly bread sticks the best. They were dusted with a tangy Parmesan that really brought out the flavor of the bread. You can see Angie in the background, sporting our school’s logo. Go Cal!

That was followed by a roasted beet salad, nestled in a bed of arugula, and topped with goat cheese. Oh, I was in heaven.

The entree was amazing! Linguine with manila clams and pancetta. What?? Every bite was a delicate morsel of flavors. Slightly sweet married with savory. I wanted to run into the kitchen and kiss the chef. I stopped myself.

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This day made me wish that every Sunday was race day. Running, friends, food. Angie and I have also decided to run the next marathon together. Yes, it’s time for me to start training. We have not yet decided which race we will run, but I will keep you posted. I’ll also let you in on a little secret dream, we’re hoping to qualify for Boston. There, it’s out there. Now to hold ourselves accountable.

What is your favorite post-run fuel??

Photo Friday is back!! And what better way to celebrate it than with a photo toast to autumn?? If I could bottle-up everything that I love about Fall and pour it into a glass, this is what it would look like. Liquid autumnal leaves.

As someone that loves to spend time in the kitchen, I feel that no other season is more inviting than autumn. The hot sunny days of summer repel me from the kitchen. The last thing I want to do is stand over a hot stove, much less turn on the oven. But as the weather begins to chill and everyone is drawn indoors, the true cooking season begins. The benefits of baking, especially, are plentiful. The house is given extra heat from the oven at work, the air is infused with cinnamon and cloves, and then there are the expectant faces eagerly waiting.

With all the baking and cooking comes an increase in caloric intake. We are all susceptible to gain a few extra pounds. Coincidentally, autumn is also my favorite season for running. The weather is absolutely perfect all day. I find that during the summer I only run in the evening, never in full sun (energy-depleter!) During the fall, however, I can go out at any time. This year (thanks to my bestie!!) we’re starting a new tradition, we’re running a Turkey Trot, the Applied Materials Silicon Valley Turkey Trot. So, hopefully we can end the season fitter than when it started!

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I see, when I bend close, how each leaflet of a climbing rose is bordered with frost, the autumn counterpart of the dewdrops of summer dawns.

The feathery leaves of yarrow are thick with silver rime and dry thistle heads rise like goblets plated with silver catching the sun.

- Edwin Way Teale

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What are you doing to celebrate the season??

Mrs. Q, a school teacher from Chicago, and the blogger behind “Fed Up With Lunch” revealed her identity and released a book about her experience. She photographed and documented a year’s worth of cafeteria food; it’s definitely an eye-opening account of what children are being fed every day.

President Obama released a Presidential Proclamation of National School Lunch week. He highlighted some of the achievements of Lady Obama’s (<3 her!!) Let’s Move Initiative, discusses The Healthy, Hunger Free Kids Act of 2010, and emphasized the importance of nutrition in schools.

But what truly got me excited this morning was watching the latest Nourish video (read about them here) featuring…. Professor Pollan!!

Now… it’s time for me to pack my own lunch!

What are your thoughts on school lunch??