a homemade christmas

without any hand-me-down ornaments or decorations to put up .. monstie and I worked on our own little  crafty wonderland of home-made holiday goodness .. filled with "beezlebubs", cranberry garlands, wreaths and some delicious gingerbread mmmcakes

beezlebub bows

gingerbread cupcake + cream cheese frosting

adapted from Gramercy Tavern's Gingerbread Recipe

for the cake

1 cup oatmeal stout or Guinness Stout

1 cup dark molasses (not blackstrap)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

2 tablespoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Pinch of ground cardamom

3 large eggs

1 cup packed dark brown sugar

1 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup vegetable oil

 
for the frosting
2 packages of cream cheese, room temparture
1/2 stick of unsalted butter, room temperature
4 cups of powdered sugar
4 teaspoons vanilla extract
 
instructions for the cake
Preheat oven to 350°F.


Bring stout and molasses to a boil in a large saucepan and remove from heat. Whisk in baking soda, then cool to room temperature.
Sift together flour, baking powder, and spices in a large bowl. Whisk together eggs and sugars. Whisk in oil, then molasses mixture. Add to flour mixture and whisk until just combined.

Pour batter into individual paper cups about 3/4 full and place cups on a cookie sheet. Bake in middle of oven until a tester comes out with just a few moist crumbs adhering, about 10 minutes. Cool cupcakes before frosting.

instructions for the frosting
Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl and beat with a handmixer until the frosting is fluffy. Place the frosting in a pastry bag and pipe onto the individual cupcakes and top with a fun holiday sprinkle.

etouffee

I cannot wait for new orleans in april! in the mean time ... i'll enjoy a nice hearty pot of shrimp etouffee.

shrimp etouffee

adapted from a recipe by Rob Newsom

1 large yellow onion, chopped
4 sticks celery, chopped
6 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 bell peppers, chopped (one red, one green)
2 pounds of shrimp
2 bunches of green onions
1 stick of butter
4 cups of shrimp stock* (directions on how to make this below)

for the seasoning mix:
2 tsp salt
1 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp basil
1/2 tsp thyme

Mix all of the dry seasonings and set aside. Peel the shrimp, and set aside in a bowl. Put the shrimp shells in 8 cups of water and simer them down to 4 cups of stock. This should take about 30 minutes.

For the roux .. heat 1/4 cup of vegetable oil in a cast iron pot. Stir in 1/4 cup of flour and stir continuously and vigorously to make sure that everything is combined and that the roux doesn't burn. Continue to heat and stir the roux over medicum heat until it develops a nice dark brown color. This can take about 15-20 minutes.

Once the roux gets to the desired color, stir in the onions, garlic, celery and bell peppers and stir for a few minutes. Add 1 tablespoon of the dry seasoning mix and stir well. Stir in 2 cups of the shrimp stock and one stick of butter and stir until melted. Simmer to reduce the liquid. About 20 minutes.

In the mean time, use the remaining shrimp stock for the water to make the rice. When the rice is 5 minutes from ready, add the peeled shrimp and chopped green onions to the etouffee pot. Slowly add the remaining seasoning (to taste) and stir. When the shrimp is done (about 3-4 minutes), pour the etoffee over the rice and serve with crusty bread.

gobbledigook

Some mocksgiving moments ...

yellowy billy balls

elpie setting the table

pomegranate momtails

...and the bird that unites us all

Roasted Turkey.. salt herb brined and cooked with tom collicchio's herb butter

apapted from two Gourmet recipes

For Turkey and Herb Butter

14-16 pound turkey

2 sticks of butter

2 teaspoons, minced, fresh rosemary + 5 sprigs

2 teaspoons, minced, fresh tarragon + 5 sprigs

2 teaspoons, minced, fresh sage + 5 sprigs

2 teaspoons, minced, fresh thyme + 15 sprigs

2 bay leaves, torn into small pieces

1 teaspon, freshly cracked black pepper

4 cups of chicken stock

For Herb Salt .. Dry Brine

1/3 cup of kosher salt

2 teaspoons dried rosemary

2 teaspoons dried rubbed sage

2 teaspoons dried thyme

1 teaspoon cracked black peppercorns

3 small bay leaves, coarsley torn

Brine Directions

24 hours in advance of beginning to roast your bird, rinse the turkey inside and out and pat the herb salt all over the inside and outside of the bird. Place into a roasting bag and refrigerate for 18-24 hours.

Roasting Directions

When you are ready to begin roasting the turkey, remove the bird from the roasting bag and rinse inside and out. Pat dry inside and out.

Mix 1/2 cup butter and all minced herbs in small bowl; season herb butter with salt and pepper. Transfer 2 generous tablespoons to another small bowl and reserve for gravy; let stand at room temperature.

Set rack at lowest position in oven and preheat to 425°F. Rinse turkey inside and out; pat dry. Starting at neck end, slide hand between skin and breast meat to loosen skin. Rub 4 tablespoons herb butter over breast meat under skin. Place turkey on rack set in large roasting pan. Sprinkle main cavity generously with salt and pepper. Place 4 tablespoons plain butter and all fresh herb sprigs in main cavity. Tuck wing tips under. Tie legs together loosely. Rub remaining herb butter over outside of turkey. Sprinkle turkey generously with salt and pepper.
Place turkey in oven and roast 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Roast turkey 30 minutes; pour 1 cup broth over and add 1 tablespoon plain butter to roasting pan. Roast turkey 30 minutes; baste with pan juices, then pour 1 cup broth over and add 1 tablespoon butter to pan. Cover turkey loosely with foil. Roast turkey until thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh registers 175°F, basting with pan juices and adding 1 cup broth and 1 tablespoon butter to pan every 45 minutes, about 1 hour 45 minutes longer. Transfer turkey to platter; let stand 30 minutes (internal temperature will rise 5 to 10 degrees).

Use the pan juices and homemade turkey stock to make a delicious gravy to accompany the bird.

Globble Wobble.

winter greens

The wet Seattle winter has arrived. The beautifully, vibrant mossy greens around the neighborhood inspired me to try a hearty winter greens gratin.

Winter Greens Gratin with Italian Sausage

adapted from a recipe in Edible Seattle

1/2 pound of spicy italian sausage

1 pound of kale (red or green)

1 pound of collard greens

1 pound of mustard greens

1/3 cup of heavy whipping cream

3/4 cup of freshly grated parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Rinse the greens and remove the bitter core from the center of each leaf. Cut the greens in 1 inch strips and set aside.

Remove the sausage from casings and cook in a cast iron pot over medium-high heat. Separate the sausage into small bits with a wooden spoon. Cook until golden brown. Remove sausage from the pan with a slotted spoon and set-aside.

Add the greens to the pot gradually. Continually adding more greens as the greens in the pot start to shrink and can allow for more room in the pot. Continue stirring the greens until all of the strips fit into the pot. Cover with lid and simmer over medium low heat for 10 minutes, until the greens are tender.

Meanwhile, butter a gratin dish. Once the greens are tender, add the sausage back in the pot and stir to combine. Pour this mixture into the gratin dish. Drizzle the heavy cream over the top of the mixture. Top with grated parmesan cheese, evenly and bake for 20 minutes until the cheese is golden brown and bubbly.

tarte aux pommes

a rainy saturday was the perfect weather for staying in, watching some football and baking an apple pie. a slice of americana ..

apple pie

6 large apples, sliced in 1/4 inch slices
pie crust .. basic recipe
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons of flour
1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Add the fresh squeezed lemon to the apple slices in a large bowl. Stir in the dry ingredients and toss to combine. Pour this apple mixture on top of the pie crust. Top with a pie crust. Cut 4 slits for vents and stick in the oven at 425 degrees for 45 minutes.

wallula

spent the week in the midst of harvest. went to the always breathtaking wallula vineyard and hung out with the sheep :)

chair

... finished champagne wire chairs

mmmcakes

laura and I baked our first batch of lil mmmcake lovies. looking forward to many more!

thanks alisha for being our guinnea pig! happy birthday :)

brick-ulents

... the latest batch. I need close to 80 for the Design*Sponge shoot at the end of the month! So here is an update on the latest lovelies.

Thank you boobie for continuing to let me loot!

meat crack

This is hands down one of my favorite things to eat. There is nothing better in this world than succulent, sweet meat. It's a head to head battle between the Vietnamese candied pork variety (suong ngo) OR the Korean candied beef short rib variety (kalbi). I love both, so I'm posting the two recipes for you to enjoy :)

KALBI SHORT RIBS

1 1/2 cups soy sauce
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup sesame oil
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
8-10 cloves garlic, chopped
6 green onions, chopped
4 lbs Korean style short ribs
(you can find this at Uwajimaya, it needs to be the kind of short rib that is cut across the bone)

Combine all of the marinade ingredients (soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, vegetable oil, garlic & green onions). Cover short ribs with the marinade in a freezer bag and make sure the meat is completely saturated in the marindade. Refrigerate overnight or for at least 4 hours.

Preheat oven to the highest broil temperature (500 degrees). Remove short ribs from the marinade and place on a baking sheet and put in the oven. Broil the ribs for about 5-7 minutes on each side until the meat is cooked and developing a nice char.

In the mean time, pour the marinade into a small saucepan and simmer until slightly thickened (about 10 minutes).

Serve the Kalbi with white rice, kimchi, a Korean green salad and the side of thickened marinade as an additional sauce.


VIETNAMESE CANDIED PORK

3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup fish sauce
6 cloves garlic, minced
4-5 hard boiled eggs
4 lbs of fatty pork, cut into 1 inch pieces (pork shoulder or boneless country pork ribs, look for a healthy amount of marbled fat .. or if you're feeling very committed to deliciousness ... opt for some pork belly)

You'll essentialy start with making a dry caramel. Heat a large pan on med heat. Add the sugar and stir with a wooden spoon constantly. The sugar will slowly melt and turn a golden caramel color. Keep stirring to make sure all of the sugar melts and doesn't clump. If the caramel isn't turning golden and doesn't look like it's at risk of burning, slowly increase the temp to med-high. Once the caramel is a nice dark honey-golden color, add the pork and continuously stir to combine the caramel and pork. (Be careful during this step. The caramel clumps and sticks to the wooden spoon very easily. So you'll want to keep stirring and keeping the caramel off the spoon so that it can combine with the pork).

Stir and brown the pork for about 2 minutes, then add the chopped garlic. Stir to combine. Add the hard boiled eggs whole and stir to cover the eggs in the golden brown sauce. Let this simmer on medium heat for about 8 minutes. Occasionally stir and continue to check on the pan to make sure the caramel doesn't burn.

Add the fish sauce to the pan and stir. Let the mixture and sauce bubble and reduce. Check the sauce to make sure it is the perfect balance of salty and sweet. Add more sugar or more fish sauce if it seems off balance on either side.

Top with a few turns of fresh ground pepper and serve with white rice.

If you're meat-centric and hungry enough to try both ... let me know which one is your favorite!

- Queen LaBeefa

posole rojo

The rich blend of chipotle chiles, braised pork and earthy hominy contrasted perfectly with the freshness of the fresh radish, lime, cilantro and red cabbage garnishes.

posole rojo

for the stew

5 lbs of bone in shoulder pork, cut into 4-5 pieces

1 tbl vegetable oil

2 large onions, chopped course

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 can of stewed tomatos, 14 oz can, sliced

1/2 can of chipotle chiles in adobo, half the sauce and half the chiles

1 tsp dried oregano

6 cups chicken broth

1 large can of hominy (28 oz)

for the garnishes

2 limes, cut into quarters

1/4 red cabbage, sliced thinly

1 small onion, chopped finely

cilantro, roughly chopped

5 radishes, sliced thinly

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Heat a large pot to medium high, add vegetable oil and onions. Stir frequently until softened, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and stir for 30 seconds.

Add the pork, and brown all sides. Once browned, add tomatos, broth, oregano, and chipotle chiles. Bring to a boil  then cover with a lid and place in the oven. Cook until the meat is very tender, about 3-4 hours.

Remove the pot from the oven, remove the meat from the pot and shred the pork until smaller chunks (not too shredded). Return the pork to the pot, add the hominy and simmer for another 30-45 minutes until all of the flavors have melded together.

Serve with garnishes.

tomato

Beautiful green tomatos from boobies garden..

I wish I had some of these for the pizza I made a few days later .. had to settle for some trader joes colorful heirloom tomato minis instead ..

sundried tomato pesto pizza + artichokes, kalamata olives and pancetta

for the pesto

16 oz. of canned sundried tomatos (with oil)

1 cup of fresh basil leaves

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoone tomato paste

1/2 cup of water

1 tsp chili flakes

for the pizza

prepared pizza dough (from trader joes or whole foods)

mozzarella

pancetta, sliced

chopped artichokes (marinated)

kalamata olives, halved

cherry tomatoes, sliced

pine nuts

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Roll out the pizza dough and place onto two greased pans. Bake the pizza dough for about 7-8 minutes, or until turning a slight golden brown. Remove from oven.

In the mean time, heat the garlic and red chili flakes in a little bit of olive oil. Add the sundried tomatos, tomato paste and water. Simmer for about 4 minutes. Add the basil, then transfer to a food processor and blend. Pesto should be a slightly chunky.

Spread the pesto onto the par-baked pizza dough, add mozzarella and all toppings and bake for another 10 minutes until ready.

DELICIOUS.

the usual suspects

this week i'll be posting a series of my favorite recipes. things that are savory, delicious and will be a part of my recipe repertoire for the rest of my life..

installment one: spinach + roast chicken linguini ... a ferguson original :)

1/2 stick of butter
2 bags of chopped frozen spinach, thawed with most juices squeezed out
red chili flakes ... I never specify an amount, just use incredibly liberally
4-6 cloves garlic, chopped
2 onions, sliced in quarter inch rings (red or yellow)
1/2 cup white wine
4 chicken thighs (bone in, skin on)
1 lb package of linguini
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
salt + pepper

1. preheat oven to 400 degrees
2.melt butter in a large pan on medium
3. toss in onions and garlic ... until fragrant and slightly softened .. 3 minutes
4. add red chili flakes .. stir .. 1 min
5. add white wine .. increase heat to medium high .. reduce 2 minutes
6. season chicken with freshly cracked salt + pepper on both sides
7. add chicken to the pan and place in the oven
8. bake chicken and onion/garlic mixture in the oven for 40-45 minutes, periodically basting the chicken with pan juices
9. meanwhile, cook the linguini in boiling water and reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water
9. once the chicken appears to be almost finished, achieving a crisp golden brown skin, remove the pan from the oven
10. remove the chicken from the pan, place in a separate baking pan with 1/2 cup of chicken broth (skin side up) and return to the oven at a reduced 200 degrees
11. meanwhile, heat the onion mixture over the oven on medium, add the spinach and salt to taste
12. add cooked linguini to the pan and toss (add reserved pasta water if you need more liquid to loosen)
13. remove pan from the stove and toss with parmesan cheese, and top with the roast chicken

san francisco

... or sampy-sisqoo as monstie calls it. Today's blustery day was the official beginning of fall in Seattle. Reminded me of windy windy summer afternoons in SF.

sun and sand at north beach

market fresh

miss you pinkin.

you're a jerk.. you're a jerk

JERK CHICKEN RECIPE
my fingers are still burning from chopping the habaneros .. note to cook: WEAR RUBBER GLOVES!

MARINADE:
3 green onions, chopped

4 large garlic cloves, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

4 to 5 fresh Scotch bonnet or habanero chile, stemmed and seeded

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

2 tablespoons soy sauce

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 tablespoons salt

1 tablespoon packed brown sugar

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

2 teaspoons ground allspice

2 teaspoons black pepper

3/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

INSTRUCTIONS:
1. mix all marinade ingredients in a blender, food processor, magic bullet, whatev
 
2. divide chicken (4-5 lbs of drumsticks, thighs, breasts .. whatever type of chicken you like) into 2 freezer bags
 
3. pour half of the marinade in each bag and massage the marinade into the chicken
 
4. place the bags in a baking pan in the fridge for 1-2 days
 
5. sear each side of the chicken and grill for 25-30 minutes on low (to prevent the marinade from burning)
*if you can't grill ... you can roast the chicken in the oven on 400 for 45 minutes
 
Thank you everyone for another fun BBQ!

hello sunshine

the best way to start the day.

for me: fresh baked fairscones with glutonous amounts of butter and raspberry preserves + cup of coffee + last nights colbert

for monster: brand new doggie donut + sunbathin on the front porch

lovely

recipe: back to basics

fisher fair scone mix + raspberry jam + butter

add water .. and you're done :)

emerald florets + greenie seat bottoms

what i've been up to lately ..

the new proto-type photo-type