Summer Plans

It is officially summer.  Kids are out of school and the temperature is hovering in the high 70s.  I love the relaxed feel of the season.  We have lot of bbqs planned and maybe this will the summer where our patio gets a makeover of some kind.  These hydrangeas are a good start.

My kids appear to have green thumbs.

I recently went to Boston on a business trip and had the pleasure of visiting with a good friend.  Her garden is out of this world (out of the world of SoCal, anyway).  

This is less than a fourth of her backyard!  Can you imagine having that kind of space?!?

Enter the Age of the Animal Print

My two recent purchases:

It can only mean one thing - I'm going to embrace my 40s!  

Missing the Parents

My parents live most of the year in Korea.  They came for a visit in May and it felt like Summer.  Lots of day trips and visits to the beach.

The Huntington Library was beautiful.  Doesn't my mom look great.  People are always telling me I look like my dad!  

I hope to plan lots of beach days this summer.  We have the gear (umbrella and chairs) now so there is no excuse.


Here is a easy quick dish for summer.  Quiche is good served cold so prep it ahead and enjoy with family and friends.  This recipe comes from Bon Appetit.

Quiche


1 store bough pie crust (I used Trader Joes - it's so good)
1 bunch of asparagus (really, you can use any vegetable)
12 scallions (this is pah, mom)
olive oil
salt and pepper
1 cup of cheese (any kind of shredded cheese)
1/4 cup of sour cream or plain yogurt
1/4 cup of half and half or milk
parsley
3 large eggs


1.  Roll out pie dough and bake crust according to package (375 at 14 minutes).  Let cool.
2.  Preheat oven to 425.
3.  Cut off asparagus tips.  Slice the rest of the stalk into pieces.
4.  Cut top white part of green onions and halve.
5.  Toss asparagus tips and green onion tops in olive oil and salt and pepper.  Place on a baking sheet and roast for 12-15 minutes.  Transfer to a small bowl.  Reduce oven to 375.
6.  Saute the asparagus in a pan with olive oil and salt.  Stir until asparagus is bright green (6-8 minutes).  Let cool and spread it over the bottom of the pie crust.
7.  Mix cheese, sour cream, half and half, parsley and eggs.  Season with salt.  Pour over asparagus.  Scatter asparagus tips and green onion tops on top.
8.  Bake for 20-22 minutes.  Let cool and serve.

Chicken Fricasee

Chicken breast is tricky to cook with.  Unless I am breading and frying, my go to chicken part is the thigh for obvious reasons.  Lately, I've been watching a lot of America's Test Kitchens.  Love love love.  This recipe is easy and I love it mostly because it's really saucy.  Try it over rice.

Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon Butter
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
4 Chicken Breasts (boneless/skinless)
Salt & Pepper
1 lb Crimini Mushrooms, sliced
1 Onion, chopped
1/4 cup White Wine
1 Garlic Clove, finely grated
1 Tablespoon Flour
1 1/2 Cups Low-Sodium Chicken Broth
1/3 Cup Sour Cream
1 Egg Yolk
2 teaspoons Lemon Juice


1.  Heat the butter and olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.  Pat the chicken breasts dry with a paper towel then season with salt and pepper.  Brown the chicken breasts, about 4 minutes on each side.  Reserve on a plate.
2.  Add the mushrooms, onions, and wine.  Cook for 8-10 minutes to soften.  Stir in the garlic and flour, cooking for 1 minute.  Add the chicken broth and bring to a bubble.  Return the chicken to the skillet along with any juices from the plate, cover and turn heat to medium.  Simmer for 5-10 minutes to fully cook the chicken.  Remove the chicken to a plate and cover with foil.
3.  Measure out 1/2 cup of the sauce into a bowl.  Whisk the sour cream and egg yolk into the bowl.  Pour back into the skillet and stir to combine.  Stir in the lemon juice and some parsley.  Cut chicken into slices and arrange back into sauce.

Striking the Right Proportions

My thing for cropped pants.

Both images from The Sartorialist

Love

Bought.  Beautiful navy wool APC coat at a bargain of a price.  

I know, we are heading into summer but the deal accounts for the off timing of the purchase.  One way to deal with my scary close proximity to age 40 is to tell myself that I will only buy quality, timeless pieces from now on.


Perfect for this collar-less coat (when I win the lottery):

The Right Amount

I like this recipe because of the number of cookies one batch makes.  Just enough to share and not have leftover cookies for the week - dangerous for the slow metabolism-ed.  Also, I like my cookies flat and crispy around the edges.  And one more thing, I like my chocolate chip cookies light on the chocolate chips.  This recipe only calls for one cup.  That way one bag of chocolate chips are good for two baking sessions.  Jim Lahey (of the no knead bread recipe fame - as my sister tells me) really delivers.

Jim Lahey's Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 C. plus 2 T. all purpose flour
3/4 t. kosher salt
1/2 t. baking powder
3/4 C (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 C (packed) brown sugar
1/4 C sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
1/2 t. vanilla extract
1 C. semisweet chocolate chips


1.  Preheat oven to 425.  
2.  Whisk flour, salt and baking powder in a small bowl.
3.  Beat butter and both sugars in a large bowl until well combined.  Add egg and vanilla; beat until mixture is light and fluffy.
4.  Add dry ingredients and mix just to blend.  Fold in chocolate chips.
5.  Bake for 6-8 minutes.  Eat.

Not super pretty but pretty tasty!

Can I Take a Moment

If you think you can do it, it will be done.  My sister is the epitome of the power of a can-do attitude, the I can do anything view on life.  


Armed with a plan, scissors, needle, thread and a gluegun, she made this colonial day outfit just like that - without a pattern, without a sewing machine.  

Weekend Getaway

John and I had a chance to re-charge thanks to family (gift of a hotel stay for John's 40th) and friends (gift of babysitting).  It was wonderful.

Eat More Kale

The best thing about this salad is that you can take leftovers to work the next day.  The miracle of kale is that it doesn't wilt!  It's a mirakale!

Kale Salad Dressing (simplified from 101 Cookbooks)
1/4 C. grated parmesan, pecorino or such
1 spoonful of crushed garlic (depends on how much you want)
salt and pepper
3 T. olive oil
lemon juice from 1 lemon
crushed pepper


1.  Sprinkle salt and pepper into the crushed garlic and mash together.
2.  Add cheese and stir.
3.  Add olive oil and mix.
4.  Add lemon juice and whisk.
5.  Sprinkle in some crushed pepper.  Tada.  


Helpful tip:  I make my dressing in the salad bowl then pour the bag of kale from Trader Joes on top.  Less dishes to wash!  Mix and let it sit for 5 minutes prior to consumption.

Happiness

Lazy Saturday afternoons.

Finding out that the school printer broke and that there is no homework!  

Reaching a goal...together.

Cheeze Pleaze

The hardest part of this recipe was locating the frozen puff pastry.  At the second Trader Joes I visited, I was told that this is a seasonal product (?).  Then I tried two Targets and no luck.  I have an aversion to supermarkets - I think they jack up their prices so I usually stick to TJs and Target.  Anyhow, I ended up paying almost $6 for puff pastry dough (!).  The rest was a cinch.  Thanks to Joy the Baker.

They were gobbled up, my friends.  

Then I saw this.  Cheesy pull apart bread.  It was fabulous.  Next time, I am going to serve it with chili.  

1 round loaf of sourdough

Shredded cheese

Butter

1.  Preheat oven to 320.  Make horizontal slices, then make vertical slices, being careful not to make the cuts all the way through the loaf.

2.  Stuff it with shredded cheese.  I used pepper jack.  Then pour 1/4 stick of melted butter over the loaf.  

3.  Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes.  Take foil off and broil until golden and bubbly.  

Love

She's Got the Look

Dreamy Creamy Scones

It's Colonial Day at Kelly's school and I volunteered to bake 36 scones.  Looks like it's time to test some recipe.  God bless America's Test Kitchen.  It's their job so you don't have to.  

Now, a scone is a dreamier, creamier version of the biscuit.  In order to get it right, you must use heavy cream.  A whole cup of it.  I know, that is creeping into Paula territory but it must be done.  You will thank me (and Mr. Kimball) when you take your first bite.  I promise you.

Cream Scones

2 C. flour

1 T. baking powder

3 T. sugar

1/2 t. salt

5 T. chilled, unsalted butter, cut into cubes

1/2 C. cranberries, chopped

1 C. heavy cream (do not substitute)

1.  Preheat oven to 425.

2.  Place flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in a large bowl and whisk together.

3.  Add butter and using two knives or pastry blender, cut the butter into small pea sized pieces.  

4.  Add cranberries and mix.

5.  Stir in heavy cream and mix until combined.

6.  Transfer dough on a lightly floured surface.  Knead dough by hand and press out the dough.  You can cut into squares, triangles or cut them like biscuits.

7.  Place pieces on a baking sheet and bake for 12 to 15 minutes.  Serve and enjoy.

Simple Dinners and Time Savers

Raising two kids, keeping your man happy and bringing home a paycheck?  Plenty have done it.  Nothing that extraordinary yet it does feel like it's quite feat, doesn't it?  We could all use some help.  So I will come to your aid.

Penne Arrabiata (adapted from Williams Sonoma and simplified further)

1 pound of penne (use Barilla)
3 cans of Del Monte Diced Tomatoes with Basil, Garlic and Oregano (yes, brand matters)
1/4 C olive oil
1 T. minced garlic
salt
basil (buy them from trader joes - i use the entire package)


1.  Boil water for pasta (important to salt the water, in fact over salt the water - this really makes a difference).  Also cook one minute short of the time recommended.
2.  Brown garlic in olive oil.  Dump the cans into the pan and salt.  Cook for 15 minutes.
3.  When pasta is done (or one minute short of being done), dump pasta into sauce.  I use one of those spiders to fish the pasta right out of the pot into the sauce.
4.  Let it cook and meld together.
5.  Add chopped, fresh basil.
That is it!


Another quick dinner idea:
Package of smoked salmon, seaweed, rice.  Make your own sushi.  You can chop up cucumbers (but I never do).  

Another easy meal.  Three simple dinner ideas.  


Here is the time saver part.  Some of you know, I can be kind of compulsive about picking up and clearing out.  I am especially that way with my sofa and my kitchen counters.  So, this David Lebovitz post was just the thing I needed to read.  It gave me the freedom to leave my measuring cups/spoons just out there on the counter for all to see.  And nothing bad happened.


TGIF

Balance

This outfit is not only adorable but visually appealing.  It really exemplifies proportion perfection.  The stripes, the sleeves pushed up and the pant length.  I am forever searching for the perfect hem length.  Being on the short side, I've been told never to wear capris or cropped pants but I just can't resist.  And the shoes...don't get me started.

Happy Valentine's Day!

In My Head

Especially #6.

Be My Valentine!

I love Valentine's Day!  Love the pinks, the reds, the hearts, the sweets.  Love love love.


It is also an excuse to make frosted cookies.  Christmas and Valentine's Day.  My two days to sugar over load.

I use a Martha Stewart recipe and add a bit of lemon zest.  I would double the recipe.

I used to leave these cookies naked.  Sometimes, I would let the kids shake some sprinkles on them.  Nothing special.  Then, I saw a nytimes Melissa Clark video on decorating cookies. This broke down the barrier between me and frosting.  Please watch it.  And then go make your rustically beautiful cookies.  

Royal Frosting
2 T. pasteurized egg whites (as with all good things, available at Trader Joes)
1 t. lemon juice
1 1/2 to 2 C. powdered sugar
food coloring


1.  Beat egg whites and lemon juice until foamy.
2.  Add powdered sugar until consistency is stiff.  Taste as you go, you don't want the frosting too sweet.
3.  Add a drop of food coloring, mix and frost away.

In Praise of Instagram

The iPhone has changed my life in many ways.  One recent (again, I am a late-comer to these things) find is Instagram.  My Canon Powershot is getting less and less playtime these days.  Instagram can magically make any eh-photo into a wow-photo!  

iPhone Before Shot 

Using Instagram Filters

Eh...

Wow!