Weekend, in review

We had a lot going on this weekend with family and friends. We had dinner with friends Friday, where we made a paneer dish and aloo kofta. Earlier that day my friend showed me how to preserve lemons, Moroccan style. Saturday was family day, with lots of driving around to various houses and drinking coffee together. Sunday was a bit random and hectic, but we ended it out with a dinner at my mother-in-law's house for my birthday and it was really warm and lovely. All that to say, I'm exhausted but feeling really lucky to have such great family and friends. So, thanks guys, I love you! Now, to the photos!

A, on the phone (in a gyro shop)

Spinach and curry soup with sesame seeds (not super photogenic, right?)

Making Valentine's

Preserving Lemons

Breakfast, daily

This week is all about organizing the last messy room in our house. Maybe more on that later, depending on how much we can get done.

Cake day

Today's my birthday, so I'm eating pie in bed. I think that pretty much sums it up. Be back tomorrow with weekend photos and all the regular business.

Organized

Products, contained

You know you've reached a different place in your life when the discovery of a gift card to The Container Store, that you'd previously forgotten about, causes an actual shout of joy. Hope everyone has a lovely weekend, there's lots going on over here but all of it fun with friends and family. Enjoy!

Zing!

I told you earlier that we have an overabundance of citrus in our house. The supply is getting smaller, but it's nice to have so much around during what has become a cloudy, grey week. This citrus juice is a by product of making citrus salt (more on that later, it's super easy). I like it mixed with some sweetened sparkling water or in a small glass with a little "lemongrass water" which is just water that's
had grated lemongrass wrapped in cheesecloth steeping in it.

It's not even really a recipe, I just juiced 5 clementines, 5 Persian limes and 3 Meyer lemons. That made about 1 1/2 cups of juice, so I stored it in a jar in the fridge and mixed it half and half with sparkling water sweetened with a 1/2 teaspoon of orange blossom honey. You could use whatever sweetener you like. These ratios make for a pretty strong drink with a lot of "zing", but you could play around with whatever mix appeals to you. It's a pretty perfect mid-afternoon pick-me-up.

Savory Bread Pudding

The phrase "Savory Bread Pudding" sounds borderline gross to me, so I read this recipe a few years ago and didn't think twice about making it. Then I picked up the same cookbook and finally looked at the photo and thought "I'll try it out for a holiday brunch." Since then, I've made it for each of the Thanksgiving and Christmas brunches my side of the family is so fond of. It's not at all "pudding" like, much more somewhere between a strata and a casserole. This dish is super easy, colorful and everyone likes it. Originally I pulled it from Seriously Simple Holidays and over time I've made some adjustments for a slightly different taste.

Savory Bread Pudding

The recipe works just as well if you cut everything in half. With the amounts below, you can easily feed 6-8 people. I either bring it to a potluck style meal or pair it with a fruit salad. You could add up to 1/2 lb. of cooked bacon, or swap out the Gouda for an Extra Sharp Cheddar. I like to use a rosemary ciabatta loaf, but you could also try out a sourdough or a focaccia. Just be sure you toast the pieces well. Above I put the dish into a rectangular dish, but it does just as well in an oval or round one.

One 14-ounce loaf of bread, crusts removed, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (see note for bread choice)

3/4 cup jarred roasted red peppers, drained, and chopped
2 1/4 cups spinach leaves
2 cups grated Gouda cheese, plus 1/4 cup for topping
6 large eggs
4 cups milk (I used 2% because that's what A always drinks, any percentage will work)
2 teaspoons stone ground mustard
Salt (amount depends on how salty your cheese is and if you include bacon)

 Toast bread at 375 for 10 minutes. Cubes should feel like croutons. Once done, let cool. In the meantime, butter casserole dish of choice, 9x13 if cooking the full amounts.

 Whisk together eggs, milk, mustard and salt.

 In dish, combine the bread cubes, red peppers and spinach. Sprinkle cheese throughout and use your hands to ensure everything is evenly mixed.

 Pour milk mixture over the bread mix. Cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate for at least 7 hours, I always do it overnight.

Remove from fridge and let sit at least an hour. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Remove foil from pudding and top with remaining 1/4 cup of cheese. Bake 45-50 minutes, until cheese is a golden brown and the dish puffs up. 

Let rest for at least 5 minutes then cut into squares and serve.

Weekend, in review

We spent Thursday-Saturday in New Orleans. Tucked between St. Louis Cathedral and Bourbon Street, we wandered in and out of random stops and generally avoided having a plan. We caught up with a few friends and chatted in the warm sun.  We drove home late on Saturday (I hate waking up to a drive home) and spent Sunday on random to-list stuff around the house. We topped it all off with an impromptu taco night at our house with A's sisters and our nephew. Photographic evidence below:

Balcony snack with friends

Afternoon light

Cathedral at night (This photo gives me the giggles)

A loves po-boys

Dancing child

Quarter alley

Abundant citrus

Remains of taco night

Noahman+Lincoln Logs

-That wine in the first picture came from a box.The people who partook were skeptics, but not for long.
-Each night the giant Jesus shadow led us to our temporary home.
-What you can't see in the photo of the little girl dancing are the 3 dogs who were gathered around with their owners. Apparently taking photos of strangers with their dogs is "creepy"?
-Our kitchen looks and smells like a citrus orchard. That photo is 1/5 of the bounty. More on this later.
-Noah always puts each of the logs away, one by one, when he's done playing. And if you try to help, he'll shout at you. I like his style!

Random Things I Like

I was putting this post together and was going to do this whole bit about fast dinners. But, I ended up just writing about this condiment and microwavable rice I really like. So, fast dinners will come at another time, I guess.

If I'm eating dinner in a hurry, or preparing it in a hurry, I always include some kind of rice or whole grain. It'll keep me full for a long time and it's easy to pair with other random things. I try to have pre-cooked rice ready in the fridge or freezer, but some weeks are too busy for even that. So, I buy a few Seeds of Change ready-to-heat rice. I actually really like the Quinoa and Brown Rice blend.

I also really like gomasio as a topping for rice bowls. Gomasio is a blend of sesame seeds and salt, pounded together lightly. I like the kind with seaweed mixed into it. You can find it with all kinds of mix ins or just plain. Our co-op and our regular grocery stores sell the Eden brand, and one of our Asian markets sells a bunch of various brands and varieties. I love sesame seeds/oil so I end up using it an awful lot. I feel like this would also be good sprinkled on top of a veggie pizza. We'll see!

Winter Sangria

I love sangria. We served a red wine sangria at our wedding reception along with a spiked apple cider. It was all delicious, and I think a few of the guests (myself included) learned a valuable lesson: eating fruit that's been soaking in liquor overnight is a real choice you have to consider carefully before making it. Because it might taste good (it probably won't), but you also might mess up your night. And the next morning. In the case of this sangria, don't eat the fruit. That being said, I think sangria is a drink for all seasons!

It's pretty easy to find a yummy sangria recipe, so you might already have your own favorite. I like a peach white wine sangria I have from an old page of Gourmet during the summer. It's light and refreshing, with a splash of sparkling water.

During the winter, I crave something a little heavier. Something with a bit of warming brandy, that's not too sweet and just a little tart, to be drunk warm or cold. This sangria is pretty much perfect for just that craving.

Winter Sangria

The recipe makes a large enough batch for 4 people to enjoy at least two glasses each. It can be served over ice or just straight from the fridge. It'd even be good warmed a bit, but I think you'd want each serving to be smaller in that case. This sangria packs a punch. We used Cara Cara oranges and a Granny Smith apple, but I think you could just use your favorite variations. If you want, this would be lovely garnished with a blood orange slice and floating fruit inside. One word of caution: don't eat the fruit that's been floating in the sangria. It soaks up mostly the brandy flavor and does not make for a pleasant experience.

1.5 liter bottle of red wine, I prefer Cabernet Sauvignon 

1 cup Lillet Rouge

1/4 cup Triple Sec

1/4 cup brandy

1 cup orange juice

2 tablespoons agave nectar

2 oranges, sliced into rounds

1 apple, cored and sliced

Mix all the liquids in a pitcher. Whisk in the agave nectar, spend about 30 seconds at least so that you know it's broken up. Add the fruit slices and refrigerate at least 5 hours, 24 hours would probably be even better. If you want to serve with fruit floating in glasses, slice fresh fruit to use for that.

Weekend in Review

My friend Andrew visited over the long weekend and we spent some quality time catching up, eating good food, drinking wine and shopping. It's always fun to show your city to a far-away friend!

Guest bed, prepared

Winter Sangria

Shoe twins! (Andrew and I)

Brunch table, set

Savory Bread Pudding

Notes:
-Andrew and I made up the sangria recipe somewhat on the fly, and it turned out to be delicious. It's definitely a bit boozier than your standard sangria, but yummy.
-We didn't plan matching outfits, but when it works out that way, you just gotta roll with it!
-My friend Ashley joined A, Andrew and I for brunch Saturday and it was low-key and delicious, I made Savory Bread Pudding. It's my go-to when making breakfast or brunch for a crowd. I'll post a recipe for the sangria and the bread pudding later this week. Hope you all enjoyed the long weekend!

T-shirts Tee-shirts Tea-shirts

I have a dear friend coming into town today and staying through the long weekend. So, I'll be away. But, I do have a random bit of shopping recommendation:

If you're looking for some basic tanks/t-shirts check out Threads for Thought.I'd been looking for t-shirts that 1) are long enough for my torso 2) are well-made 3) are affordable and 4) can be dressed up a bit with a blazer or jacket. I also have a few tanks for yoga class, which the last place you want to worry about a too-short tank top!

These are also made by a company that works towards a sustainable business ethic. The only hitch might be that they might be too long for short-waisted women, but the return policy is super generous. Also, they carry a full line of clothing, not just basics. I've never quite found anything I loved in their overall collection, but that might be worth checking out as well.

**This seems like a weird thing to have to say, but I got two emails asking this question over the past week so I just thought I'd answer here. When you see a paragraph like the one above, it's just about something I like and randomly decide to tell you about. There aren't any sponsored posts, and the blog itself isn't sponsored at all. It's just me, telling you about well-made t-shirts because I care. I care.

Dog Personality

We have two dogs, June (a 3 year old mutt, with some boxer, some pit and maybe some kind of hound mixed in) and Bailey (a 5 year old Golden Retriever). Both were adopted, and between the two of them they make our little family pretty hilarious.

Bailey+A's rabbit costume

Frisbee catch

Napping June

We found her sitting here, she allowed a few regal shots

The actual weekend, in review

carrot+sesame+miso soup

blood orange

overnight waffles

Bailey+morning light

A's notes+plans

frozen yogurt, fruit, salted caramel sauce

Notes:
-The soup is from Smitten Kitchen and it's great. I froze a bunch (without miso, always add that after heating soup up)
-Lots of citrus eating going on here, our co-op has a ridiculous amount of blood oranges, cara cara navels and satsumas.
-Waffles from this book. Really delicious and super easy to throw together.
-We bought an ice cream maker and immediately used it to make frozen yogurt. The caramel sauce is from Yummy Supper. I let the sugar cook to a really dark brown rather than just amber and I use a bit more salt than called for.
-I think A is working on a chair in those plans.

Everything up to the weekend, in review

I went away for awhile, to enjoy the time post-Christmas and the New Year celebrations. But, now it's back to business as usual. And for January, that means lots of visits and lots of travel. Here's what I've been up to:

The start of a giant pot of veg chili

Winter fruit salad

A friend leaves part of her Christmas decorations up and calls them "winter decorations"

NYE Bubbly, all class, all the time

A sweet friend shows off THE BEST SALSA you can buy in a jar

I make coffee, all the coffee.

Not shown:

Watching half of the first season of Breaking Bad (it's just as good as everyone says), listening to lots of this guy, thanks to a big box set we got on major discount at a local record store, eating so much citrus fruit that my mouth kind of hurts and taking lots of naps.