:::What Can I Say?:::

I had a dream Monday night that blogging friend Jill called me to see what my deal was. In the dream I told her, 'Remember last year when we were sitting at Michelle's dining room table, and I had no idea what to say for myself, about myself, about my life, what I wanted, what I thought I needed? How I couldn't form coherent thoughts about the direction I was taking? How I just didn't know anything? I still feel that way. It's been a year now.'

1. My friend MBC posted a few weeks ago about the many disappointments of Pinterest. How true. I can tell you that the marshmallow-as-frosting trick does not work. Horrible, horrible lie.

I do have a trick that works, but I didn't see it on Pinterest. At a recent Relief Society activity on simplifying, they passed out homemade shower cleaner made from 4 ounces of white vinegar and 4 ounces of blue Dawn detergent. Not sure how crucial it is that it's BLUE Dawn...Anyhow, heat the vinegar in microwave until hot and pour it into a squirt bottle. Add Dawn, put the lid on and gently shake. Spray on tile/fixtures, scrub and rinse. Let soak on tough soap scum overnight then scrub and rinse.

2. I started a new job about a month ago. It's a contract position thing that will probably end in December-ish? Who knows. The work isn't super fancy, but can be interesting. The people are nice. The end.

3. I think about DC every day. I want to go back but don't want to go back at the same time. I still don't feel settled here, but I don't think I ever feel settled anywhere. My visiting teacher told me I have commitment issues. True.

4. My camera broke, so I don't have any recent pictures for you. All the old pictures I have of the past year are on my external hard drive.

5. I've been experimenting with no-knead bread lately. I had a batch ready to bake tonight, but decided to smash it down and roll it out into rectangles instead of making a loaf. This combination is both pleasing to the belly and the eye -- whole wheat flatbread dough topped with sauteed red onions and mushrooms, sliced honeycrisp apple, and blue cheese. A picture would work so well here.

6. It's still hot.

:::The Season -- Thanksgiving Through New Year's Day:::

Some of my favorite photos from the holidays. As you can see, my main goal this year was to cook and bake my way through the season. It was delicious.

:::Cooking Apps:::

Man, I am loving this iPod. I've downloaded just a few apps, my two favorite so far being Martha Stewart's Everyday Food, and Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything. Last night I stopped by Safeway after I got off the metro, connected to their wi-fi network*, and found a simple, quick, and delicious pasta recipe from Martha.

Spaghettini with Lemon Zest and Chives

Serves 4

• 1 pound spaghettini, or thin spaghetti (I used linguine and it worked very well. In fact, I think it worked better than thin spaghetti would.)
• Zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 1 stick butter, cut into small pieces
• 1 cup ricotta salata cheese, or Parmesan, coarsely grated
• 2 tablespoons fresh chives, or scallion greens, thinly chopped
• Salt and pepper
• My sinful addition -- 1 egg to add to lemon sauce

Directions

1. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook 1 pound of spaghettini, or thin spaghetti, until al dente according to package instructions.
2. Grate the zest of 1 lemon into a large pasta bowl. Juice the lemon, and add juice to the bowl. Stir in 1 stick butter, cut into small pieces, and 1 cup coarsely grated ricotta salata cheese or Parmesan.

• 2a. If you decide to add the egg, first scramble it in a separate bowl, then temper it with a ladle or two of the boiling pasta water. Then, add to lemon sauce. When the hot pasta is poured on top of the sauce, it will finish cooking egg.

3. Add drained pasta to lemon sauce, and sprinkle in 2 tablespoons thinly chopped fresh chives or scallion greens. Season with salt and pepper. Toss well, and serve.

I ate some of the leftovers today for lunch with the addition of some grilled chicken and a couple tomatoes. Reheat the pasta in a pan over low heat, then toss in the chicken and diced tomatoes. Yum.



This evening I made the most delicious Chocolate-Chocolate Chip Pancakes based on a variation of Mark Bittman's Basic Pancake recipe.

Basic Pancakes


Think of this as a nice, old fashioned pancake recipe that your grandma would have kept tucked in her recipe box on a faded index card.These pancakes weren't too light or too heavy, and cooked beautifully. I hate pancakes that are too light and foamy, but the hockey puck type aren't preferable either. This is my new go-to recipe.

Serves 4

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 Tbsp. baking powder
• ½ tsp. salt
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 or 2 eggs
• 1½ to 2 cups milk
• 2 Tbsp. melted and cooled butter (optional), plus unmelted butter for cooking, or use oil
• 1 tsp. vanilla (optional)

For Chocolate-Chocolate Chip variation add the following to the dry mixture --

• 1/4 cup cocoa
• 1 handful of chocolate chips

1. Preheat a griddle or large skillet over medium-low heat while you make the batter.

2. Mix together the dry ingredients. Beat the egg(s) into 1½ cups of milk, then stir in the 2 tablespoons melted cooled butter and vanilla (if you are using them). Gently stir this into the dry ingredients, mixing only enough to moisten the flour; don’t worry about a few lumps. If the batter seems thick, add a little more milk.

3. If your skillet or griddle is nonstick, you can cook the pancakes without any butter. Otherwise, use a teaspoon or two of butter or oil each time you add batter. When the butter foam subsides or the oil shimmers, ladle batter onto the griddle or skillet, making any size pancakes you like. Adjust the heat as necessary; usually, the first batch will require higher heat than subsequent batches. The idea is to brown the bottom in 2 to 4 minutes, without burning it. Flip when the pancakes are cooked on the bottom; they won’t hold together well until they’re ready.

4. Cook until the second side is lightly browned and serve, or hold on an ovenproof plate in a 200-degrees oven for up to 15 minutes.



 My favorite thing about having these recipe apps is that it will help me avoid wandering around the market trying to figure out what I could possibly make for dinner. The funny thing is that last week I thought that I should print out a few go-to recipes to keep in my wallet, but now that I have my iPod I have a variety of recipes at my disposal!

I've heard good things about Epicurious's app, so I'll be sure to check that out soon.

Hope your weekend is going well.


*Martha's Everyday Food app requires internet access to run. I don't think Mark Bittman's app does, which is awesome.

:::Potato and Pepper Frittata:::

Here is the recipe for the first frittata that I ever made. I was a quiche person before this foray, but afterward I became a committed frittata person (I don't like pie crust, I think it's distracting waste of calories and fat in an egg dish). I think I made this four or five times in a row over the next two weeks because I loved it so much.

Even though I discovered this years ago, I'm sharing it with you now because...I don't know. Who cares. It's by Lidia Bastianich. I copied the text below from some random website. You can see an image of the recipe in the cookbook Lidia's Italian-America Kitchen here. I'm unmotivated to type that version out for you, sorry. The only differences are stylistic.

Potato and Pepper Frittata

Frittata di Patate e Peperoni

This simple and satisfying dish, can be made even simpler by using a leftover baked potato instead of boiling a potato as a starting point. A cast iron skillet is perfect for making the frittata, but filled with frittata and right out of the oven it is a hot and heavy handful. Work with two heavy oven mitts or pot holders when lifting the frittata from the oven. And take a tip from restaurant kitchens: leave one of the pot holders or mitts draped over the skillet handle as a sign to all that the handle is very hot.

Makes 6 servings

1 large (about 10 ounces) Idaho potato

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 onion, cut into 1/2-inch strips

1 each, red and green bell pepper, cored seeded and cut into 1/4-inch slices

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

12 eggs

1/3 cup heavy cream

1 1/3 cups cubed (1-inch) day old bread

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Place the potato in a medium saucepan and pour in enough cold water to cover by at least 4 inches. Bring to a boil and boil until the potato is tender, about 25 minutes. Remove and let stand until cool enough to handle. Peel the potato and cut into 1/2-inch slices.

Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a 10-inch cast-iron or non-stick ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until wilted, about 4 minutes. Add the peppers and cook until and crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Season well with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat, add the sliced potato to the skillet and set aside to cool.

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Beat the eggs, heavy cream and salt and pepper to taste in a large bowl. Add the bread cubes and let soak until softened, about 15 minutes. Fold in the vegetable mixture.

Wipe out the skillet and place it over medium heat. Add the butter and remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the skillet and heat until the butter is foaming. Add the egg mixture to the pan and cook, without stirring, just until the bottom is lightly browned, about 5 minutes. There should be a few bubbles at a time around the edges- any more than that means the frittata is cooking too quickly and the bottom will be too brown. In that case, remove the skillet from the heat, reduce the heat and let the skillet sit a minute or two before returning it to the heat.

Transfer the frittata to the oven and cook just until the center is set – firm to the touch – about 25 minutes. If the edges are set and beginning to brown before the center is set, remove the frittata from the pan and finish the frittata under a preheated broiler.

If you’d like to serve the frittata hot, let it stand at room temperature about 15 minutes; if you prefer it warm or at room temperature, let it stand longer. Shake the pan gently to free the bottom of the frittata.

Either serve the frittata directly from the pan, or invert it onto a serving platter as follows: Hold a plate larger than the width of the skillet upside down over the frittata. Working with oven mitts or a dry cloth, firmly clamp the plate and skillet together and invert them in one quick motion. Slowly lift the skillet from the plate.