Gorgonzola Popovers

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We’re going to be magicians today. We’re going to create magic by taking a little bit of flour, some eggs, milk, and tangy Gorgonzola cheese and make wonderfully cheesy Gorgonzola popovers. Seriously. No magic wand or white rabbit needed. Let’s get crackin’. Start by heating your oven to 450. We want that baby hot!

Our main players: flour, eggs, milk, butter, Gorgonzola, and salt and pepper. Whisk the dry ingredients together, then mix your wet. Combine them in your stand mixer and whisk until it’s just combined.

You don’t need a fancy pants popover tin to make popovers. You can use a standard muffin tin and still get the height and drama. Grease up that muffin tin and pour in the batter. Fill the tins up about 3/4 of the way full. We want some room for the batter to rise. Top with crumbled Gorgonzola cheese and some freshly cracked black pepper. Place in the oven for 10 minutes and DON’T PEEK! Once your 10 minutes is up, turn the heat down to 350 and bake for another 8 to 10 minutes or until puffy and golden.

OMG!! We have popovers! Look at how much they’ve risen. Take your little puffy biscuits of heaven out of the muffin tins and transfer to a bowl. Slather with butter and/or honey and eat right away. Look at how easy that was!

I need a close up of that popover with the melty butter. Enhance.

What did we just create? Did you realize that you were a champion? Yes, you did!

Psst! Like working your magic with blue cheese and making it rise to new heights? Of course you do! Check out this post from last year on Roquefort Souffles.

Chicken Banh Mi

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I’ve never had banh mi before, but I’ve been hearing people rave about this Vietnamese sandwich for quite a while. While I was thinking about what to make for dinner tonight a little voice in the back of my head said “Banh mi.” “But I’ve never even had a banh mi before. How will I know if I’ll like it?” I replied. “Trust. Look up a recipe.” So I did and oh my gosh I’m so happy I trusted that little voice. The combination of the pickled carrots and veggies with the tender chicken and Siracha mayo was a flavor explosion. Yes, an explosion of flavors. Now, all I have to do is find an authentic banh mi and see how well mine compared.

Chicken Banh Mi with Siracha Mayo

For the pickled veggies:

1/3 cup rice wine vinegar

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

shredded carrots

shredded cucumber

For the chicken:

Skinless chicken breast

1 chopped garlic clove

1 tbs peanut oil

Your favorite soy sauce or terayaki sauce

The rest:

1 spoonful of mayonnaise

Siracha to taste

1 soft baguette

Combine the rice wine vinegar, sugar, and sea salt in a small sauce pan. Cook on high until the sugar and sea salt have dissolved. Turn off the heat and let the mixture cool. Once cooled, add the shredded carrots and cucumber. Let sit for at least 30 minutes.

Heat the peanut oil in a large saute pan. Salt and pepper your chicken and throw in the pan. Cook in the oil until the chicken is a nice golden color. Add the garlic and your sauce and cook on medium heat until the sauce has thickened.

Meanwhile, cut your baguette in half and lightly toast. Mix the mayonnaise with the Siracha for desired spiciness. Now build your sandwich! Spread the mayo on both sides of the baguette, lay on the chicken, and top with the pickled veggies. Enjoy!

Nailed It

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So, as a follow up to this post, I finally got my quirky Penguin postcards framed and nailed to the wall. I’m actually really glad with how they turned out and I think they’ve really added a nice, interesting pop to my formerly dull wall. Check it out!

I bought the frames from Target for about $2.99 each, I actually had to go to two different Targets to get enough to fill up the wall. I decided to go with the brown faux wooden frames since they looked a little more old school and went well with the retro designed book covers.

I don’t think I’m done with this wall quite yet. I’m not sure if I want to add another row or two of framed book covers or if I’d like to get two larger framed pieces to put on either side. But! As a bonus, I also got my dining room art hung up.

I put up my favorite pieces (my Oakland map, old Parisian travel ads) and even used a couple of the Penguin postcards. But, my favorites are the silhouettes. Take a look.

The one on the left is a silhouette I had done when I visited Disneyland at age five…

And the one on the right I made myself in 2010, twenty years later.

And the view from the dining room table. I couldn’t help but pick up those proteas and ranunculus when I saw them at Trader Joe’s, they were just too darn cheery. Well, two rooms framed…quite a few more to go.

Postcards From Penguin

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I’ve had my eye on Postcards from Penguin for quite a while and I finally got my hands on it today. Beautifully packaged in a box disguised as a rather thick book, this collection consists of 100 of Penguin’s most beautifully designed book covers.

Though they will be perfect to send as postcards or use as gift tags, I plan to use them to help decorate my apartment. As an avid reader and admirer of well-designed book covers, I couldn’t think of a better way to adorn my walls.

The culprit: This rather large, and hella boring, wall. I’ve been wracking my brain about what to do with this wall since I moved into my apartment and using the postcards as mini pieces of art was my solution.

I went through the 100 postcards and pulled out some of my favorites in the colors that go with my living room: Yellows, blues, and greys. Some are just nicely illustrated (The Penguin Knitting Book) and others are literary classics (The Catcher in the Rye). I mocked up a layout on my living room floor and played around the with ordering until I found a scheme that I liked best. Now I just need to buy the frames and nail ‘em to the wall.

In the meantime, I pulled a few cards that I thought would go well in my kitchen. Mantrap. Get it? Because the best way to a man’s heart is through his stomach? Wocka, wocka. That was my Fozzie Bear impression. Anyway!

I chose the Cakes and Ale (because what’s better than beer and cake?) and Plats du Jour. I thought the reddish color went best with the bright blue frame already hanging in my kitchen and I just loved the titles and Plats du Jour’s cute illustration.

Here’s a full view. Man, my kitchen is WHITE. More pictures to come once I buy the frames for the living room wall!

Hot Cross Buns for Easter

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Happy Easter! We couldn’t ask for a more beautiful day out here in Oxnard. The sun is shining, the ocean is nice and clear, and I’ve made Hot Cross Buns to mark the occasion. I never actually knew that Hot Cross Buns were a real thing, besides a song you learn on the recorder as a kid. But, now that I’ve been educated, I can definitely say that these will on my Easter menu from now on.

Guinness and Cheddar Chive Bread

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Well, St. Patrick’s Day has definitely come and gone, and even April Fools Day, but I’m determined to make this post about my Guinness and cheddar chive bread happen. Even if it is a couple of weeks late for the occasion (almost three weeks, but who’s counting?) Let’s gather our ingredients, shall we?

The usual suspects: flour, baking powder, salt, pepper, butter, and sugar. Then we’ve got a few extra special additions in the form of chives, Guinness, and cheddar. I made sure to stick with the Irish theme and get a nice Irish cheddar, as well as Irish butter. Got to go all out, am I right? Mix up your dry ingredients in a mixer, then add the Guinness.

The cool thing about this recipe, and beer breads in general, is that you don’t need yeast. The beer takes on the same properties as yeast and makes it rise. Super simple and almost anyone has a can of beer in their fridge. Mix that all up then add your chopped chives and shredded cheddar.

A thing of beauty. I tend to go pretty heavy on the cheese because, well let’s face it, I love me some cheese. I even added a few chunks of cheddar for a nice, unexpected burst of melted cheddar. Fold that in until it’s nicely incorporated.

Pour your batter into a lined bread pan and top with melted butter. Throw it in the oven and let it bake for a few minutes. Your kitchen in going to smell amazing. Trust me. Take the half-baked bread out of the oven and throw some more shredded cheddar on top of the bread. Resist the urge to eat your half-baked bread and put it back in the oven for a few more minutes of cooking time.

Ta-da! Look at that beautiful Guinness bread. You may want to stuff your face into this cheesy, chivey, buttery concoction but don’t! Avoid burning your tongue and let it cool for a bit. I know, it’s torture.

Now, you may feast. Add a nice dollop of butter, maybe even some honey, and enjoy. This recipe can be adapted with other types of beer and tasty additions. Get creative! Maybe a honey wheat hef with orange zest for a sweet, summery bread. Or go total hipster style with a PBR and bits of bacon. The possibilities are endless!

Dinner on the Fly

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Dinner tonight wasn’t planned at all. I knew I was going to make Ina Garten’s pasta with truffle butter, an easy go-to dinner that’s a step up from opening up a box of mac and cheese, but that was about it. As I rummaged through the kitchen and pulled out more and more components, I was beginning to put together a pretty tasty meal. I just went to the farmers’ market today and picked up some asparagus (in winter? YES!) and I had some left over prosciutto from a soup recipe I made the night before. Steamed the asparagus, fried the prosciutto in olive oil, and tossed them together with mozzarella, lemon juice, and salt and pepper. Voila! A delicious dinner that was ready for my eating pleasure in less than thirty minutes.