every day is coffee day!

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Happy International Coffee Day, my fellow caffeine-dependent friends!

Though the origin of this day is unknown, we can all guess that coffee retailers had a lot to do with it.  7-Eleven and Dunkin’ Donuts are offering free coffee today, although apparently Starbucks is not, according to the huge number of  irate Starbucks patrons who’ve taken their outrage to Facebook.

These days my coffee ritual starts at home with my personal barista (Chris) handing me my first latte of the morning.  This is my favorite time of the day as Chris and I drink our lattes and talk about the events of the day ahead.  It’s our special  time together! 

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tri-tip with romesco sauce

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I was watching the Cooking Channel last weekend and saw Mark Bittman prepare this recipe on his cooking show, The Minimalist.  His enthusiasm for this recipe and the simplicity of his version of the sauce made me want to try it.  I had never heard of the romesco sauce and I found the combination of almonds and tomatoes intriguing.  Since I had a surplus of tomatoes and jalapeños and I have the pimentón, Spanish smoked paprika, in the pantry I decided to give it a try.

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chocolate ganache and raspberry tart

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I was dragging all day last Sunday, waiting for Chris to get home from his camping trip.  My iMac’s hard drive crashed so I couldn’t blog or surf the ‘net.  My big activity of the morning was making breakfast.  I had the leftover filling of goat cheese, pepperoni, and chives from the stuffed zucchini blossoms so I made an omelette with it for breakfast.  While waiting for the football games to start, I needed something to do so I decided to practice my crust-making skills.  I really liked the pâte sablée crust I made a couple of weeks back, so I got to work on making it again.

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zucchini blossoms

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I love it when things work out!

Last weekend, Chris went camping and I was home alone.  I was too lazy to go to the grocery store, so I decided that I would make do all weekend with whatever food was already in the house. So for dinner that Friday, I had bacon, eggs and rice.  I love breakfast for dinner.  I sat in front of the television all night, watching the two Sex and the City movies.  FUN!!!  Not so fun was what happened on Saturday morning.  I turned on my computer and after a couple of seconds, the flashing folder with a question mark appeared.  Hhhhmm!  I’m home alone and no internet.  Bummer!!!  I’m still too lazy to go to the store so I’m determined to eat whatever is in the fridge or pantry.  I moped around for a bit and then went outside to check on my garden.  Lo and behold…overnight, the little zucchini plants have produced a whole bunch of blossoms.

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classic comfort food: chicken pot pie

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I was drawn to this recipe of chicken pot pie from the first moment I saw it on the cover of the cookbook Easy Comfort Food: Simple Recipes for Feel-Good Favorites. This version of chicken pot pie is fairly simple to make, especially if you use frozen pie crust or puff pastry and grocery store rotisserie chicken.  The recipe also calls for my favorite herb of the moment, tarragon, which pairs very well with chicken. Best of all, this chicken pot pie does not contain anything I have to pick out, namely carrots or peas.  I added shiitake mushrooms to make the filling more hearty and because I like mushrooms.  To get all the fond, or caramelized browned bits of chicken stuck on the pan, I also recommend deglazing with some white wine.  This step adds wonderful flavor to the filling.  I converted this recipe from one large pie into 4 individual ones because the pies served in ramekins makes for a nicer presentation and they’re easier to serve.  To ensure that there is ample pie crust for each serving, I cut the dough into rounds and placed a piece of dough on the bottom of each ramekin, added the filling, and then topped it with another piece of dough.

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pumpkin ice cream with maple walnut crunch

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Chris was cleaning out the fridge and found the pumpkin purée that was leftover from that awful latte recipe, so he decided to make pumpkin ice cream with it.  Neither one of us had made ice cream lately, so this was a welcome treat.  It is a nice transition from the lighter flavors we’ve been making this summer .  The recipe is adapted from our favorite ice cream cookbook author, David Lebovitz. The walnut topping adds some crunch and pairs very well with the pumpkin.

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PSL

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 It’s baaaaaack!

Thank you, Starbucks!  PSL, barista-speak for the Pumpkin Spice Latte, is my favorite espresso drink at Starbucks.  However, it is a seasonal drink, available only from late August to January.  The reemergence of PSL signals the arrival of the fall season.  Forget that we are still experiencing beautiful beach weather here in Southern California and that my tomatoes are producing like it’s the middle of August.  When Starbucks says it’s fall, it’s fall, darn it!

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lemon shortbread cookies

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Yesterday I needed a break from the weekend chores so I decide to make some shortbread cookies.  They are easy to make and I had all the ingredients on hand.  This recipe is adapted from one given to Aunt Janet by Mrs. Beaten, a Scottish neighbor of hers when she lived in Hilo, HI.  These cookies have a great lemony flavor and are perfect with a cup of tea.

Lemon Shortbread Cookies
Adapted from a recipe by Mrs. Beaten
Yields 2 dozen cookies

Ingredients:
10 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup sugar
zest and juice of 1 lemon (preferably meyer lemon)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups flour, plus more for rolling out the dough
1 tablespoon lemon thyme, finely chopped for garnish

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my urban vegetable garden

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Chris & I devoted most of the last week of August working on our new garden.  Chris tilled and leveled the soil and removed some tree roots left by two huge trees in preparation for the placement of four new raised beds he built.  I had it fairly easy; I was in charge of  selecting, buying and planting all the vegetables and flowers.  I included flowers around the vegetables to add splashes of color amidst all of the green foliage.  I also transplanted all the herbs that were scattered around in different pots to a single raised herb bed.  Now most of my herbs – French tarragon, Greek oregano, Italian parsley, rosemary, sage, lemon thyme, and garlic chives are together.  I also have basil but I read that it is the perfect companion to tomatoes so I planted them together in a separate pot.  The basil is supposed to keep insects away and even enhance the flavor of the tomatoes.

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egg salad sandwich

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What makes a good egg salad sandwich?  Everyone has their own answer to this question.  For me, it  all starts with fresh, perfectly cooked soft-boiled eggs.  I add a little crunch for texture, a little acidity to balance out the creaminess of the eggs, and a dollop or two of mayonnaise to bind it all together.  I add a sprinkling of fresh herbs and spices to brighten the flavor.  All the ingredients are mixed together and put between two pieces of lightly toasted and buttered white bread.  The butter prevents the bread from being soggy.  I often cut the crusts off the bread as well.

Some people add olives, capers, pickles, dill, chives, and/or whole grain mustard, etc.  Personally, I add some tarragon, curry powder, and dry mustard to make my perfect egg salad.   I love the taste of tarragon and it goes perfectly with eggs.  It’s really very simple and easy to make.

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roasted fig and mascarpone tart with candied walnuts

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Time really does fly when you’re having fun…and what fun I’ve had this past week!  From celebrating my wedding anniversary to transforming my backyard into an urban vegetable garden to making some yummy desserts, this staycation has definitely been a blast!!

One luxury of my time off has been to indulge in longer baking sessions than I would normally have time for during a regular work week.  As such, I was able to develop this tart recipe.  This was a perfectly sweeet ending to my weeklong staycation.

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peanut butter pie for chris

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A few days ago, Chris requested that I make something with peanut butter.  Since I was in the mood to make some kind of dessert, I decided to make a peanut butter pie.  I Googled “peanut butter pie” and the results were a little puzzling.  The internet was buzzing with many  food bloggers making peanut butter pies “for  Mikey.”  After further research, I learned that last month prominent food blogger Jennie Perillo’s husband, Mikey, suffered a heart attack and died leaving her to raise their young children alone.  To honor Mikey, Jennie wrote a touching tribute on her blog, part of which I share with you.

For those asking what they can do to help my healing process, make a peanut butter pie this Friday and share it with someone you love. Then hug them like there’s no tomorrow because today is the only guarantee we can count on.

~ Jennie Perillo, food blogger

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