my kitchen addiction

Friday Favorites – Episode 64

2010-09-03T00:45:38Z

This week has been a crazy one for me… After returning home from Seattle, I’ve been trying to get back into my regular schedule, which is easier said than done! I’m sure many of you read my thoughts on IFBC earlier in the week, but I haven’t really shared much more about my trip since then. So, before we get to the Friday Favorites, I thought I’d share a few of my pictures with you…

(Though, I must warn you that they aren’t the greatest, and I did not edit/process them in Photoshop at all.)

For me, the most rewarding part of IFBC was the opportunity to spend time with lots of other great bloggers. So, this week I thought I’d take this opportunity to introduce you to the blogs of a few of the people I had the pleasure of spending time with over the weekend:

Evil Shenanigans – If you follow either of us on Twitter, you know that Kelly and I love to chat on Twitter (in fact, that is where the Forgotten Foodies site got its start!), but it is so much for fun to get together and chat in person. I was thrilled to spend time with Kelly in Seattle and enjoyed Tweeting with her – even when we were seated next to each other!
eat. live. travel. write. – I was lucky enough to get to see Mardi twice this summer. She came to visit me earlier in the summer, and I was thrilled to see her again in Seattle. We had lots of fun exploring Pike Place Market and donning the lovely blue hairnets for the Theo Chocolate Factory tour!
The Merry Gourmet – You may remember that I wrote a guest post for Merry Jennifer a few weeks ago. I was thrilled to meet her in Seattle, and we had a lovely time chatting and finally getting to know each other in person. I was also happy to discover that she also has a Canon S90 point and shoot camera.
Dana Treat – I had the pleasure of meeting Dana on Friday night at Delancey. I didn’t have a lot of time to chat with her (we were busy eating the amazing pizza and sitting at opposite ends of the table), but I am hoping our paths cross again soon. I immediately fell in love with her blog, and I think you will, too!
A Sweet Spoonful – I was lucky enough to be seated next to Megan for dinner at Delancey on Friday night. We had a lovely time chatting about baking, blogging, and how difficult it would be for us to eat all 9 pizzas on the menu. She was also sweet enough to drive us to dinner so we didn’t have to take a cab!
Inuyaki – I ran into Arnold a few times at IFBC… Most importantly, he accompanied a bunch of us when we went for a baked goods and Thai food run after lunch one day. It was a pleasure (and the spring rolls were fantastic!).
Four Chickens – I first met Jeanne at the Big Summer Potluck, and I could not wait to see her again in Seattle. She is one of the sweetest people I have ever met, and I absolutely adore her blog. Between reading about Jeanne’s amazing gluten free baking and attending the Special Diets session at IFBC, I am inspired to start working on some gluten free recipes. Stay tuned!
Savory Sweet Life – I also had the chance to meet Alice for the first time at the Big Summer Potluck. We started blogging around the same time, and I have been following her blog ever since. It has been such a pleasure to get to see Alice twice in one summer (and also helpful that she was a Seattle-native when we were looking for the aforementioned bakery and Thai restaurant!).
Bon Appetit Hon – Are you noticing that IFBC was really just a Big Summer Potluck reunion? Well, Wendi was another lovely lady I met at the potluck and was so happy to see again in Seattle. I was thrilled to have her company on a late night walk to Walgreens for botted water (could not let myself drink one from the mini-fridge!) and enjoyed chatting and eating salted caramel ice cream with her as we strolled through the Sunday farmers’ market!
Fresh Eats - I bumped into Maria early in the weekend as we sipped on drinks prior to IFBC registration on Friday evening. We got along beautifully and I was happy to get to chat with her lots more as the weekend progressed!
Flamingo Musings – I have chatted with Renee quite a few times on Twitter and was happy to finally meet her at IFBC. She is just as witty and fun in person as she is online… Although, she wasn’t wearing a flamingo costume, which made it hard to find her at the reception on Friday evening!
Recipe Girl – Lori is another blogger who I have been following for a long, long time. She joined our group for drinks on Friday night (actually, she was there before I was!) and I recognized her immediately. It was great to finally meet in person!
Dianasaur Dishes – When I met Diana at IFBC, I immediately realized that she is just as sweet as I always thought she was. I am sad that I won’t have the opportunity to hear her speak at BlogHer Food, but happy that I had the opportunity to meet her at IFBC!

This doesn’t even BEGIN to scratch the surface of all of the great people I met last week… I would love to include everyone I met, but this post is getting quite long! I am sure you will see many of the others popping up in my Friday Favorites in the future, though, so stay tuned…

Kitchen Bootcamp Roundup – Vegetables

2010-09-02T00:35:26Z

It’s that time again… Time for this month’s Kitchen Bootcamp roundup!

This post is a few days later than I had planned due to my trip to Seattle for IFBC. While I had the greatest intentions of being able to post the roundup right after my return, I decided to post a few thoughts on the event instead. I hope you’ll forgive my tardiness!

I took on a few different vegetable dishes this month… If you haven’t already seen them, you can check out my Tomato Eggplant Frittata, Oven Roasted Tomatoes, and Coconut Corn Chowder. But, enough about my posts… You’ve probably seen those already. Be sure to take some time and check out the other lovely vegetable dishes that were submitted for this month’s challenge!

I love the sound of this Squash, Fennel, and Leek Gratin from Nesting in New York. It sounds like the perfect end-of-summer comfort food!

This Pasta with Peperonata, Summer Squash and Fresh Mozzarella from Cupcake Muffin looks like a dish that I would just love to dig into!

I haven’t tried roasting beets before, but the next time we get some from our CSA, I think I will have to try my hand at this Roasted Beet and Goat Cheese Salad from eat. live. travel. write.

In this second post from eat. live. travel. write., you will find two more great vegetable recipes – a lovely ratatouille and a fresh roasted tomatillo salsa!

If you have an overabundance of zucchini from your garden this summer, be sure to take a look at these Zucchini Fritters from Torview Toronto.

This Cannellini Bean and Roasted Eggplant Hummus from The Other Side of Fifty was perfectly timed since I have an eggplant in my fridge waiting to be used. I know what I am going to make!

Thanks to everyone who participated in this month’s challenge! Stay tuned for the announcement of the September challenge in the next few days…

Friends of Ivory Hut

2010-09-02T00:34:37Z

In light of my recent trip to Seattle for IFBC, I have been thinking a lot about my fond memories of the Big Summer Potluck, an event that I attended a few weeks ago. It was a very inspiring event for me, and I was most impressed to see how everyone at the event came together as a community. Not a single person at the potluck had an attitude of being better than anyone else in the room, and it created a very welcoming and refreshing atmosphere.

A friend in need…

Since returning from Seattle, my body has been stuck somewhere between the Eastern and Pacific time zones. So, I got up a bit later than usual this morning. It was mid-morning by the time I got up, went for a run, and finally signed online. When I did, I received some very sad news. I saw tweets and messages asking the blogging community to rally around Erika of Ivory Hut (one of the organizers of the Big Summer Potluck) whose house burned down last night. I was immediately overwhelmed with sadness and grief, and I am still choked up even as I write this many hours later.

Though I have only had the chance to meet Erika once, she has been a great inspiration to me. She is an amazing photographer, cook, and writer who has a heart of gold. I am sure many of you have been inspired by her, as well, which is why I am sharing this information with you. I think it is important that we all do what we can to help her out in this difficult time. I know I have been blown away by the support of the food blogging community, and it is my sincere hope that we will all rally around Erika and help to lessen some of her burden.

What you can do…

I am sure there will be many ways to help Erika in the coming weeks and months, and I will do my best to keep you posted. For now, Alice of Savory Sweet Life and Maggy of Three Many Cooks have organized a site to start accepting monetary donations that will be sent to Erika immediately. She lost absolutely everything in the fire and every little bit will be a great blessing to her at this time. Please consider visiting Friends of Ivory Hut and making a donation!

That’s Just Not Me (a reflection on IFBC)

2010-08-31T20:59:04Z

I find some of the typical “food blogger” stereotypes to be somewhat comical at times… It is assumed that I cook a gourmet meal three times each day, dream of the next time I will have a chance to dine on foie gras, and have a deep desire to one day make my appearance on Top Chef or The Next Food Network Star. Well, today I will share a bit of a secret with you… That’s just not me!

Last weekend, as I sat amongst the 250 other bloggers attending the International Food Blogger Conference in Seattle, I was once again reminded of what a diverse group we bloggers really are. From recipes to restaurant reviews, gluten free to gastronomy, and everything else in between, each blogger saw the conference from a slightly different perspective.

For me, the conference evoked a mixed bag of thoughts and emotions. I was surprised by the inspiration I felt in the session on special diets (since that isn’t something I address regularly on my blog and have few dietary restrictions myself). I found it hard to get excited about the session on SEO and cringed at the idea of using trending topics and keywords on Google to decide what to cook in my kitchen and ultimately post on my blog (perhaps you saw my tweets of outrage). While I found the Modernist Cuisine session to be fascinating (and may even have to save my pennies to purchase the book), you probably won’t find a sous vide machine in my kitchen any time soon. I got choked up listening to Penny De Los Santos speak about photography but found myself frustrated with attempts to describe a lemon using all five senses. At times I was much more interested in participating in the so called “aggressive tweeting” than paying attention to the session taking place.

Here’s the thing… More often than not, I found myself thinking, “That’s not me!” But, was that really such a bad thing?

Sure, it would have been great if I left every single session feeling renewed and inspired (and a few times, I did), but the sessions where I felt frustrated or less-than-inspired ended up having an equally important impact on me. Now, as I look back on the conference, I have a much clearer understanding of my personal perspective as a blogger.

I blog because I love to cook and I want to share that love of cooking with everyone who reads my blog. I am not here to give you a flowery description of a restaurant experience (and I even use the forbidden word delicious). I don’t really worry about my blog stats or whether or not my posts contain all of the right keywords to maximize traffic to my site. Instead, I think it is important to focus in the things that I enjoy – cooking with whole foods and local ingredients, baking from scratch, and making food beautiful and enticing while still remaining approachable for other home cooks like me.

So, did I learn all of the secrets to blogging at IFBC and leave feeling refreshed and inspired? Honestly, no. Instead, I was reminded that I need to always remain true to myself. For me, blogging is a hobby. I find joy in cooking and photography, and that’s why I do it. And, if my posts inspire you to get in the kitchen, then I feel that my blog has been a success. No statistics required!

Coconut Corn Chowder

2010-08-26T01:27:08Z

I thought I’d share one more vegetable recipe with you before the end of this month’s Kitchen Bootcamp challenge. My goal with this challenge was to encourage everyone to explore the local produce available this time of year, so I thought I’d develop a new recipe using one of my favorite summer staples – sweet corn!

One of my favorite things to make with sweet corn is corn chowder. I’ve made quite a few versions in the past (including this Sweet and Smokey Corn Chowder if you’re in a Southwest kind of mood). This time, however, I couldn’t get the idea of a corn chowder made with coconut milk out of my head, so I decided to go with it.

By this time in the summer, I also start to crave cooler weather and fall flavors. One of my favorite of those flavors is cinnamon. Sure, it’s great in apple pie or pumpkin bread, but I’ve learned to love it in savory dishes, as well. Since coconut milk gets me thinking of warm Asian flavors, I decided to use both cinnamon and coriander to flavor my chowder. It may not be quite what you would expect in a corn chowder, but I found it to be a nice change. My husband said the first bite tasted like fall (and he happily enjoyed a second bowl, too!).

This chowder is simple to make, but the flavors are anything but… I topped it with a bit of bacon and cilantro (coriander in its fresh form) to add a bit of salty crunch and bright flavor. For a strictly vegetarian version, you can definitely leave out the bacon and just add a little extra salt when you season the chowder.

Coconut Corn Chowder

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
6 white sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
1/4 cup cayenne pepper, seeded and minced
(If you don’t have cayenne peppers, any hot peppers you like will work fine!)
4 cups vegetable stock
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground coriander
8 ears of corn, steamed and cut off of the cob
1 – 13.5 ounce can light coconut milk
Kosher salt
Crumbled bacon and fresh cilantro leaves (optional)

Heat the olive oil in a large soup kettle or dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add the sweet potatoes and minced peppers. Cover the pot and cook for about 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are tender.

Add the vegetable stock, cinnamon, and coriander, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for an additional 10 minutes. Use an immersion blender (or carefully transfer a portion of the soup to a traditional blender) to puree a portion of the soup. I like my soup chunky, so I puree just enough to make the soup thick.

Stir in the corn and coconut milk and cook until heated through (about 5 more minutes). Adjust seasonings and add salt to taste.

Serve topped with crumbled bacon and cilantro leaves, if desired.

Friday Favorites – IFBC Edition (Episode 63)

2010-08-26T01:26:30Z

As you read this, I will be in Seattle for the International Food Blogger Conference hosted by Foodista… So, this week’s Friday Favorites will be a bit different.

You see, normally I am an organized person… Obnoxiously so, at times. I have been known to show up at meetings with an agenda when I wasn’t the one who organized the meeting, and I keep all of my CDs and DVDs in alphabetical order. When I am getting ready to travel, though, everything changes… My unorganized and scatterbrained alter-ego always makes an appearance. The night before I am scheduled to leave, I find myself frantically running around the house trying to figure out what I will wear and what I must take with me. This trip is no different!

Friday Favorites…

So, since I was a bit short on time, I thought I’d do a bit of a “pick your own” Friday Favorites post this week. While I’m in Seattle, I’ll be mingling with a really great group of bloggers, so I thought I’d take this opportunity to introduce you to them, as well. If you take a few minutes to check out the IFBC blogroll, I’m sure you’ll discover a few new favorites of your own!

Follow Me at IFBC…

While I’m at IFBC, I’ll be doing my best to keep you in the loop with everything that’s going on… So, you’ll want to be sure to follow me (@JenSchall) on Twitter and check out the My Kitchen Addiction Facebook page so that you don’t miss anything!

Simple Skillet Peaches (WFMW)

2010-08-17T02:07:59Z

When I have fruit that’s starting to get a bit over-ripe, I will often make a skillet sauce or topping. I find that it will last a week or so in the fridge (I wouldn’t recommend trying to can or preserve it), and is delicious on its own or as a topping for ice cream, pancakes, pound cake, and just about anything else you can think of. So, when I had a few peaches leftover from my peach picking excursion that were looking like they had seen better days, I knew exactly what I wanted to do with them.

For this week’s Works for Me Wednesday post, I could think of nothing better than to share this simple recipe (really, it couldn’t be much easier). With just a few quality ingredients, you get a lot of great flavor without a whole lot of effort. You can use almost any fruit you have on hand, even frozen fruit. The possibilities are limitless!

Simple Skillet Peaches

6 cups peaches, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2 cup raw sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste

Combine the peaches, raw sugar, and vanilla bean paste in a large skillet over medium heat. Bring the mixture to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer. Continue to cook until the peaches are soft and the mixture has thickened (about 20 – 25 minutes). Serve warm or store in the refrigerator for about a week.

Nuts for Smores Bars

2010-08-23T01:13:08Z

After going camping a few weeks back, I’ve been on a bit of a smores kick. While I have been known to roast marshmallows on the gas burners on my kitchen stove when cravings hit, this time I decided to channel my inspiration into these nutty smores bars.

This was one of those recipes that took me a few tries to get it “right.” I started with a recipe for smores granola bars from the King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion. I’m sure the original recipe would have been great, but we all know that I can rarely just leave well enough alone. What fun would that be? Instead, I was determined to make nutty peanut butter bars that were topped with marshmallows and chocolate chips. I also added toasted walnuts and golden milled flax to the recipe to make the bars a bit heartier. My first few attempts tasted amazing but fell apart when I tried to cut them. After a few tries, though, I had sturdy bars that tasted great. Success!

My final recipe yielded these tasty bars (or cookies?) that are a bit of a cross between a granola bar and a Rice Krispy treat… Topped with marshmallows and chocolate, of course! While they may not be what you would consider health food, they do make a fantastic afternoon snack!

Nuts for Smores Bars

(Adapted from the King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion)

2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
1 cup walnuts, chopped
(pecans would be wonderful, too)
2 cups Rice Krispies cereal
1/2 cup golden milled flax
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/4 cup corn syrup
3 cups mini marshmallows, divided
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Lightly grease a 9 by 13-inch pan.

Spread the oats and walnuts in the prepared pan and toast for about 5-6 minutes in the preheated oven, stirring occasionally. Set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, combine the Rice Krispies cereal and the golden milled flax. Once the oats and walnuts have cooled, add them to the cereal mixture and stir.

Combine the peanut butter, brown sugar, butter, and corn syrup in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring frequently until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Bring to a bubble, remove from the heat, and stir in 2 cups of the marshmallows. Continue stirring until the marshmallows are fully incorporated.

Pour the mixture into the cereal in the mixing bowl. Stir with a wooden spoon until thoroughly mixed. Transfer the mixture to the baking pan (you can use the same one that you toasted the oats and walnuts in!), and use your fingers to press the mixture into the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle with the remaining marshmallows and the chocolate chips. Bake in the oven for 5 minutes until the marshmallows have puffed up and toasted slightly.

Cool on a rack for at least 20 minutes before cutting into squares. Individually wrap the bars or store in an airtight container.

Oven Roasted Tomatoes

2010-08-23T02:22:56Z

I have no luck with growing tomatoes in my garden (with the exception of golden cherry tomatoes that grow like weeds). I get 100% full sun in my back yard, and the plants usually dry up and the tomatoes split before they ever ripen… Part of that may be my fault (do I water too much? too little?), but I feel like the odds are against me. The few times that I have had a few almost-ripe tomatoes on the vines, some hornworms showed up and munched on them before I ever had a chance.

Fortunately, our CSA has much better luck with tomatoes than I do. Each week, we’ve been getting a beautiful assortment of baby heirloom tomatoes in all colors – yellow, green, purple, red and orange striped! While I’d love to make tomato sauce to keep in my freezer for the winter, I just can’t bring myself to turn those beautiful tomatoes into sauce. It just wouldn’t be right. Instead, I’ve been making a lot of roasted tomatoes. Roasting the heirloom tomatoes in the oven brings out the sweetness and the flavor, and the possibilities are limitless. They are delicious on their own, but they also make a great topping for crusty bread, pizzas, and even macaroni and cheese!

So, since this month’s Kitchen Bootcamp challenge is all about cooking with vegetables (you thought I forgot about that, didn’t you?), I thought I’d share my roasted tomatoes. It’s not really a recipe as much as a method… You don’t have to measure and you really can’t go wrong!

Don’t forget that you can still participate in the August Kitchen Bootcamp challenge by submitting a blog post about vegetables by next Monday, August 30th.

Oven Roasted Heirloom Tomatoes

Heirloom tomatoes, quartered or halved (depending on size)
Extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Dried herbs (optional)

Preheat the oven to 300°F. Arrange the tomatoes in a single layer in a baking dish or on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, and season liberally with the salt and pepper (and herbs, if you like).

Bake the tomatoes uncovered for about 2 1/2 – 3 hours until they are deep in color. Serve immediately.

P.S. I do realize that tomatoes are technically fruit (from a botanical perspective, at least). For all intents and purposes, though, I think of them as vegetables in my kitchen. So, I think it is fine to include tomatoes for this month’s Kitchen Bootcamp challenge!

Friday Favorites – Episode 62

2010-08-19T20:16:26Z

Last week I wasn’t able to write my Friday Favorites post… But, I had a good reason! We were camping (and by camping, I mean renting a cabin) in the woods, and I had no cell phone or internet access. Honestly, it was relaxing to be offline for a few days.

Now that I’m home, though, I’m glad to be back, and I’m gradually getting caught up on everything I missed while I was away. So, for this week’s edition of my Friday Favorites, I thought I’d throw in a few extras to make up for my lack of favorites last week… Hope you enjoy them!

I have been thinking about these Meatless Muffalettas from Three Many Cooks ever since I was lucky enough to sample them at the Big Summer Potluck a few weeks ago. Take my word for it… They were incredible. I can’t wait to make them myself… I know they’ll become a regular for lunch around here!
I am a big fan of salty and sweet treats, so I am loving these Salted Caramel Brownies from Brown Eyed Baker. I’m almost afraid to bake them, because I know I’ll probably devour entirely too many. And, I’d probably eat the leftover salted caramel with a spoon.
I get a lot of questions about substitutions for my recipes, which I do my best to respond to and address. Of course, it’s impossible for me to try every version of every recipe, though. So, I thought I’d pass along this post on Baking Ingredients and Substitutions from David Lebovitz. There’s a lot of information, so you might want to bookmark this one!
I’m intrigued by this Homemade Pizza Sauce from The Other Side of Fifty… Mags admits that it’s a bit time consuming, but I’m OK with that (sometimes I encourage it… I’m not right). I’m thinking about making a giant bunch and freezing it for some tasty pizza sauce all winter long.
If you find puff pastry intimidating, be sure to check out this Quick Puff Pastry from The Sophisticated Gourmet. Instead of pounding out a giant cube of butter into a rectangle (which can be comical, you should have seen my attempts in the past!), he cuts the butter into the flour and then shapes the dough into a rectangle. Next time I make puff pastry, I’m giving this a try!
If you love peanut butter and chocolate (and even if you don’t), you need to check out these Homemade (chocolate filled) Nutter Butters from Bake at 350. I am always in awe of Bridget’s beautiful cookie creations and I think she has outdone herself this time. Seriously, go check them out. You can thank me later!
As you know, I’m a bit obsessed with peaches lately. So, you know I’m loving this Meeting Street Cake from She Wears Many Hats. She used nectarines, but I think it would be equally fantastic with peaches!