Two Tias Supper Club

Don't Be Radicchio-lous

2010-02-25T12:50:00.000-08:00

Dear Tia T -

I don't think it's stealing at all. Perhaps whoever left those magazines there wanted them taken off her hands! Sometimes I find myself walking out of the gym with a magazine that is not mine, and the way I make myself feel less guilty about it is by bringing another magazine to take its place the next time I'm in. More importantly...what fantastic recipe finds have you acquired? And when will you share them?

Speaking of guilt...Happy Lent! I agree that being pregnant totally negates the whole giving something up thing. Right? Another way to look at it: why give something worldly up when your entire body is working towards giving something back to the world?

Quick question: why doesn't Tia Tay get treats? Are healthy things like veggies what your body/baby wants, or is it a recommendation from your doctor? Do you still get to eat cheese? What about dairy in general? I'M SO SCARED OF GETTING PREGNANT AND NOT GETTING TO EAT CHEESE.

Speaking of cheese (I know, another horrible transition) and vegetables, this radicchio, provolone, and ground beef pizza was a pretty good (and surprisingly light) dinner for us the other night:

I had never bought radicchio before. Up until I saw the sale sign for it at the store, my only acquaintance with the cabbage-like veggie was at nicer restaurants where it seems to be served alongside some sort of reduction or aioli or foam whatever weird things they're calling "sauce" these days.

Radicchio and Provolone Pizza

1 ball of pizza dough (I used some fresh pre-made multi-grain stuff from Whole Foods)
3 slices of provolone cheese, sliced into 1/2 in matchstick-looking pieces
1/2 lb of ground beef (though I'm sure you could use sausage as well)
1-2 tbs olive oil
1/2 head of radicchio, finely chopped (I tossed the rest with arugula for a side salad)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 medium onion, chopped

1. The morning or early afternoon of the day you make this, coat the inside of a bowl with a little bit of olive oil. Place the ball of dough in the bowl and cover with plastic wrap. The dough should be doubled in size by the time you're ready to work with it.

2. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

3. Heat a little olive oil over medium heat. When hot, add ground beef, occasionally breaking up the meat until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Add onions and cook for another minute, then add garlic, cooking again for another minute. Remove from heat and set aside.

4. Sprinkle a clean surface or cutting board with a little bit of flour. Take your pizza dough and divide it into two balls (ha. ha.). Knead each ball for a bit (this just gets worse and worse) then roll out into rounds that are about 1/2 inch thick (or to your preference). Place rounds onto an ungreased cookie or baking sheet.

5. Brush the tops of each round with a little olive oil. Layer the ground beef, onion and garlic mixture evenly between the two crusts. Follow with the radicchio, then the provolone.

6. Place in oven and let bake for 15-17 minutes.

It wasn't as healthy as a plateful of fresh veggies, but between the multi-grain crust, radicchio, and salad, it was satisfying but not overly filling.

In honor of Lent, I'll leave you with the beginning of a list of self-imposed rules I hope will help me develop self-restraint:

1. Do not keep Nutella and graham crackers in the house at the same time.

2. Do not go grocery shopping hungry. That giant wheel of Brie isn't going to un-buy or un-eat itself.

3. Do not be tempted to make any dessert (avert your eyes if they're sensitive to chocolatey goodness) that calls for only half a bag of butterscotch chips as you will find yourself sleepwalking towards the leftovers and waking only when they are already half-chewed in your gaping maw.

4. Do not go to Target wearing grubby or outdated clothes because you will be tempted to buy fresh, pretty, fanciful ones.

Do you have rules for self-restraint?

Loveyoumissyou,

TF

Recycling or Stealing

2010-02-23T07:42:00.000-08:00

Dear Tia Fia-

Dripping wet (after pool time) at the Y locker room yesterday, I found 4 Cook's Illustrated from 2002. With my breath short and my heart pounding, I wrapped them up in my towel and covertly stashed them in my book bag.

B thinks my propensity to take magazines from various places (dr.'s office, y, eating area at Whole Foods) is stealing, but I like to call it recycling. What do you think?

Love,
TT

Lent

2010-02-17T07:37:00.000-08:00

Dear Tia Fia-
Your chocolate cake looked amazing. If I'd been at your apartment you would've had to physically restrain me as I took an intentional nosedive straight into it- then I would've sucked down that whip cream with a huge straw and asked for more. Seriously, Valentines at my house was much more staid- no alcohol, no chocolate, and only a little whip cream. Pregnant Tia Tay doesn't get treats- which is why it's slipped my mind to give up something for Lent. I keep meaning to check the rule book- are pregnant women required to participate? I'm kinda like the Virgin Mary, o.k. not the virgin part, but I am a woman and knocked up. Also, some religious groups on the internet refer to the gestation period as "doing God's work". Do I really have to do anything else?

I mean really; I have nothing else to sacrifice. I spurned multiple boyfriends when I met B, cigarettes (I haven't had one in over 2 years!) when we moved to Chicago, and now with the pregnancy I don't drink the wine, vodka or margaritas I love or eat sugar. What's left? I try to replace the aforementioned with expensive beauty supplies, but the brown sugar kumquat body scrub I got the other day just didn't do the trick. Beauty products just take energy to use and that energy has been on the Much Needed list for the last 4 months. Furthermore, I LOVE a buzz- be it from alcohol or sugar.

I could abstain from complaints, but I'm not ready to give up what I consider a temporary pass to grumble about everything from the way my feet feel to the way E. Bean kicks my cervix in the middle of the night. Also, I just had to purchase a belly bra (more to come on that one) and it's too easy of target to give up voluntarily. I mean if you had to eat like this:

everyday; what would you do?

Let me know. Love you .

Tia Tay

What's Love Got to Do with Chocolate

2010-02-15T08:46:00.000-08:00

Dear TT,

It's President's Day, and I'm sitting in my reading chair, post-oatmeal, blissfully enjoying the silence of the morning. Except for the neighbor's loud Rage Against the Machine (really, red-eyed, greasy-haired neighbor? Must your musical choices be so predictable?), the corner's presumably gay gentleman screaming in a high-pitched voice at his presumably unfaithful partner, and the usual distant whine of cop cars, ambulances, and hipsters.

You'd think we lived in downtown New York or San Francisco (though I believe there are REAL hipsters frequenting those locations) with all the racket, but it's just Richmond. Speaking of racket - how was your Valentine's Day? That has to be one of the worst transitions written in history, but I'm having trouble concentrating this morning.

I feel pretty ambivalent about Valentine's Day, though, like most women, enjoy the opportunity to dress up and eat chocolate. I spent yesterday afternoon baking so at least one of the two could happen, and I chose a cake that would yield some tasty, gooey, salmonella-laden batter: as good for licking off the spatula as it would be for eating in cake form later.

However, unlike 90% of the couples in the city having awkward Valentine's Day conversations over overpriced, oddly themed dinners, J and I celebrated in ratty jeans and rattier sweatshirts. It was GLORIOUS. Except for the part where I made an 11th hour grocery trip to buy heavy whipping cream to top the cake. After lovingly adding grated lemon zest, lemon juice, sugar, and vanilla to the cream, I went to work with my hand-mixer for, like, twenty minutes. Only to end up with really pretty pictures of cake covered with light cream that has been whipped into foam that looks like spit.

At least it tasted good. The best part: we glutted ourselves not just on the cake, but on so many episodes of Arrested Development that we're still talking like some of the characters this morning.

Hope you, B, and E. Bean had a great weekend...I look forward to reading your next letter!

Love,

TF

I Don't Want To Cook

2010-02-11T08:34:00.000-08:00

Dear Tia Fia,

I'm so over cooking right now. With the Bio class, the full time job, my volunteer service and the whole sharing my body with another human thing (that I don't even KNOW) cooking has made me feel more and more like an indentured servant. My generosity levels have been depleted. I think B can tell- right now he gets a can of beans with cheese on top instead of a meal.

Because I don't have much to give we went out twice for fabulous meals on his b-day weekend.

One was Mixteco (my favorite):

And the other was a Korean BBQ place, San Soo Gab San. They bring out a grill and you cook your own meat. B did all the work.

Gotta go! I love you. Stay warm in all that snow.

Tia
T

P.S. I have a longer letter for you, but I wanted to get this out.

Chikun Good

2010-02-08T12:04:00.000-08:00

Dear Tia T.,

Congratulations on your first BIO class as a nutritionist-to-be! Thinking about going back to a college science class gave me all sorts of scary feelings, but I know you'll do great. I was totally terrified about going back to school - I think I spent at least two days alternating between binge-eating and driving your brother crazy by asking him what outfit he thought I should wear on my first day back despite the fact that I had no desire to try on ANYTHING since all of that binge-eating made me feel fat.

I've been thinking about my college years a lot lately, coincidentally - mainly because I think I now understand what the phrase "a fully stocked pantry" actually means. I spent all five of my college years carting around what seemed like the same bag of flour, ramen noodles, bottles of ketchup and mustard, and three plastic spatulas from dorm room to apartment to apartment. Now, however - I finish entire bags of flour, and have to restock the pantry's supply of canned tomatoes, rice, and breadcrumbs more often than I ever have. It's a little frightening to be so much of an adult that I plan out a weekly menu for all of our dinner meals before I go grocery shopping. . . but part of being an adult is embracing anything that will make my domestic routine a little easier.

The snow has been a huge detriment to my domestic routine. Girl, I am OVER IT. What was once beautiful sparkling mounds are now impossible-to-navigate piles of gross muddiness that have been shoved to the sides of the roads. What was an exciting reason to stay in and play with the cat and make homemade hamburger buns is now a desire to get out of the house and do anything that doesn't involve getting my feet wet from the sidewalks covered in slush.

I think I'm also a little over cold weather food. I realized that most of the meals I've been writing you letters about are served in bowls and eaten with spoons. Don't get me wrong - I think stews and soups are amazing in how they often hit the high notes of every food group. But I've been getting a little tired of them. So I was pretty excited yesterday about more than one thing: a) the sun was out all day b) I could drive to the gym without worrying about slipping and sliding into the car in front of or beside me and c) I made something for dinner that tasted like springtime.

This oven-baked chicken was so easy to make. I know your mom swears by panko bread crumbs, but I had never cooked with them before. Girl, I'm never going back. I did all the prep work for the chicken and threw it into the oven, and by the time I had showered, set the table, and made a quick arugula salad, it was ready. And spicy. And juicy. And crispy.

Oven-Fried Panko Chicken for Two

1 c panko breadcrumbs
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted
1 1/4 lb bone-in chicken thighs
salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 450 with rack in middle.

2. Stir together panko, cayenne, and a few grinds of salt and pepper together in a plate.

3. Stir together melted butter and a few more grinds of salt and pepper. Brush butter mixture all over chicken pieces, front and back.

4. Add chicken pieces one by one to crumb mixture, using your hands to press the crumbs into both sides of chicken until pieces are evenly coated.

5. Transfer pieces to a shallow baking pan. Bake chicken until well-browned and cooked through, about 35 minutes.

I served this with an arugula salad dressed with lemon juice, olive oil, and shavings of Parmesan.

Can't wait to hear all about your class, little bean, and everything else. Write back soon!

Love,

Tia F.

PS: I made that spinach artichoke dip for my friend Anna Claire's Super Bowl party. It was a huge hit! I don't think the onion and artichoke matters as much as all the creamy goodness.

PPS: Please tell B that J and I are very sorry for the horribly off-key rendition of "Happy Birthday" we left on his voicemail. Blame it on the snow.

I Swear It's Not Baby Brain

2010-02-01T20:46:00.000-08:00

Hey Girl!
Hanging around in a mumu sounds perfect. I want a hot pink one, but my leopard print Snuggie is gonna have to do. It's the best thing ever, but I think B only lets me wear it because I'm pregnant. It is really unflattering. How's Virginia? I saw y'all got snowed in this weekend. You've probably gotten more snow than we have this year. Chicago has been MILD; it better not stay this way or everybody'll want to move here.

The easy January and already look'n good February has left me spoiled. I've actually wanted to leave the apartment and I've barely seen snow on the ground. My new snow boots aren't even needed! All of this is lucky though- I've had a huge change in my schedule and anything that makes it more doable is fine with me.

The huge change? I've gone back to SCHOOL and I'm starting with Bio 121 for SCIENCE majors. My first degree was in English; now I want to get a B.S. in Nutrition. The absolute terror with which I've read my first few chapters has left me tense and irritable; B, Leland and Pretty Girl Earl lock themselves in the bedroom when I take out my books to study.
So with all this science class pressure I can't seem to follow a recipe. On Monday night, B and I were invited to a friend couples house for dinner. My ONLY responsibility was to bring the appetizer. I decided to make it in between studying, swimming, and writing thank you notes.

When we arrived, I was so impressed by her kitchen prowess. She'd made Parmesan crisp bowls to put her salad in- they were so good! Not only was the salad great, but we had Beef Wellington, asparagus and risotto: all of it excellent.

I was somewhat intimidated, but glad I'd taken my Spinach Artichoke Dip (it's like queso to Mid-Westerners) because it's a safe bet that everybody in the crowd will love it. I used a recipe from Casserole Crazy and put additional pepper flakes in it. When I took it out and heated it up I thought something was missing, but I couldn't tell what. The next day on the bus I realized I'd forgotten salt, onion, and also the artichoke. I wonder if they noticed?

Spinach and Artichoke Dip
2 (13.75 ounce) cans quartered artichoke hearts, roughly chopped
2 (10 ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 large white onion, chopped
16 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup of mayonnaise
1 tablespoon of dried basil
1 1/2 cups Parmesan and or Romano cheese, grated
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste
l

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Transfer to a 2 1/1 to 2 3/4-quart baking dish and bake, uncovered, for 45 minutes to an hours, depending on how deep your dish is. You'll know when it's done when it's bubbly. I like to sprinkle a little of the Parmesan/Romano on top before I stick it in the oven.

I want to hear all about your snow weekend!

Love,
Tia T

Boom Boom Pao

2010-01-29T10:32:00.001-08:00

Dear TT,

Your hair has gotten so long! You look so beautiful! Save some sexy mama-ness for the rest of us, T! I want to punch that nurse in the face. I always thought one of the most amazing things about being pregnant is the ready made excuse to eat anything you wanted. I imagine my pregnant self in a floral-patterned mumu, farting and eating ice cream, and totally not caring how I look (or, clearly, smell).

I can completely understand being terrified about having a girl. I've been thinking a lot about the particular relationship a mother and daughter have with each other ever since my grandmother passed. I think one of the most amazing things about being an adult woman is that I think of my mother as both a whole, individual person as well as the woman who gave me birth and, as you wrote, always exemplified that balance between strength and softness. I remember being totally shocked by the realization that my mother had a life before I came into it, though of course it seems so obvious. I can't wait to see that relationship unfold between you and E. Bean. I also can't wait to share with her who you were (are?) before you were her mother.

Speaking of softness, I'm so sad that you're not eating carbs! Though you know, of course, better than anyone what your body wants and needs for yourself and E. Bean. How does she feel about Chinese American food? In addition to being carb-freeily delicious, this Kung Pao Chicken was a great excuse to use the beautiful chopsticks your mom bought us:

In fact, it was with the chopsticks in mind that I went hunting for a recipe that would necessitate their usage. Another important thing E. Bean will learn from you, your mom, and me: the power of accessories. These chopsticks were like a pair of dangly earrings that dictate the rest of the outift.

Kung Pao Chicken for Two (or 2 + a bean)

adapted from Cooks Illustrated

1/2 lb of boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 1/2 tsp dry sherry or rice wine
1 tsp soy sauce
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp ginger paste (or 1/4 inch fresh ginger, minced)
2 tbs + 1 tsp peanut oil
1/4 cup roasted cashews
1/2 tsp dried red pepper flakes (though I think whole dried red chilies would have been better)
1 tsp cider vinegar (the original recipe calls for black rice or plain rice vinegar)
1/3 cup chicken broth
2 1/2 tsp oyster sauce
3/4 tsp cornstarch
1 small bell pepper, cut into strips
1/2 onion, cut into strips

1. Toss chicken with soy sauce and sherry in bowl, allow to marinate for 10 minutes. Mix garlic and ginger in small bowl, set aside. Mix broth, vinegar, 1 teaspoon of peanut oil, oyster sauce, and cornstarch in another small bowl, set aside.

2. Heat 1 tablespoon of the peanut oil over high heat until just beginning to smoke. Add chicken and cook without stirring for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, allowing chicken to brown on one side. Stir and cook 1 1/2 to 2 minutes more, until no longer pink. Stir cashews and pepper flakes into chicken and continue cooking until cashews have darkened slightly, about 30 to 40 seconds longer. Transfer chicken, cashews, and flakes to a bowl.

3. Return skillet to heat and reheat briefly. Add remaining tablespoon of oil, swirling to coat. Add onions and bell pepper and cook until slightly softened, about 1 minute. Clear center of pan, add garlic-ginger mixture, mash into pan with spoon for 10-15 seconds, then stir into pepper and onion mixture until combined. Stir broth mixture to recombine, then add to skillet along with chicken and cashew mixture. Cook, stirring up any tasty brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pan, until sauce is desired syrupy consistency.

My one complaint about this recipe was all the bowls (that had to be washed). I'm making lentil soup tonight, which requires no bowls and one pot.

Looking forward to hearing what you've been up to -

Exes and Ohs,

Tia Fia

Porky

2010-01-26T07:16:00.000-08:00

Dear Tia Fia-

I am so sorry about your grandmother; while thinking about you in Bangladesh I didn't once think how hard it would be to visit without your grandmother there. It must've been such a long and draining trip: to travel half-way around the world and have a major person missing- I really can't imagine.

But of course I still want to exchange Internet letters! B and I found out (2 weeks ago) that we are having a little girl. No longer Little Arroz she's now referred to as E. Bean and I even have a few new pink (can you believe it?) outfits. For several complicated reasons, some saved for future letters and others reserved only for myself, raising a girl into a woman seems like an arduous journey. Not hard in that UGG! way, but hard in that oh-dear-God-I'm-not-sure-if-I-can-do-this-but-it-is-so-worth-the-effort way. I mean, just keeping her physically safe is a formidable task, but also teaching her the tight rope walk of softness, strength, taking care of others, but not letting them take advantage of her seems like a big job for two people. Which is why we must continue these letters: I NEED HELP!

Also, I needed the break from cooking too. At my 20 week dr's appt. I'd gained 11 pounds. Not since I got pregnant, but since my 16 week appt. Not good. After the medical assistant weighed me, there was a sharp inhalation of breath "Oh, my God, you sure enjoyed Thanksgiving, didn't you?", she asked. Not stopping there, even though my mouth was hanging open, she then questioned, "Are you still WALKING?" and still not feeling like she'd gotten to the bottom of the problem then said,"It must be twins- are you sure it isn't?" I can only thing of two words to describe this woman: F****** BITCH. My heart still pounds when I think about her.

So when my midwife talked to me she didn't seem to think it was a big deal. She just said, "watch your carbs." Which means I can't read carbohydrate-filled recipes like they're literature anymore. So- it was chicken breasts and steaks with cut vegetables for awhile and now I'm back to cookbooks. I just avoid the casseroles, coffee-cake filled with cream cheese, and pastas with pestos. Bringing me to the recipe below:

Indoor Pulled Pork

1 cup plus 2 teaspoons table salt
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons of liquid smoke
1 boneless pork butt (about 5 pounds) cut in half horizontally
1/4 cup of yellow mustard
2 tablespoons ground black pepper
2 tablespoons of smoked paprika
1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper

BBQ Sauce (make if you want or just take the bottle stuff and thin it with 1/2 cup of pork drippings)
1 cup cider vinegar
1/2 ketchup
1/2 cup of water
1 tablespoon of sugar
3/4 teaspoon of salt
3/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon of ground black pepper

1. FOR THE PORK: Dissolve 1 cup salt, 1/2 cup sugar, and 3 tablespoons liquid smoke in 4 quarts cold water in large container. Submerge pork in brine, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 2 hours.

2. While pork brines, combine mustard and remaining 2 teaspoons liquid smoke in small bowl; set aside. Combine black pepper, paprika, remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, remaining 2 teaspoons of salt, and cayenne in second bowl; set aside. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325.

3. Remove pork from brine and dry thoroughly with paper towels. Rub mustard over entire surface of each piece of pork. Sprinkle entire surface of each piece with spice mixture. Place pork on wire rack set inside foil-lined rimmed baking sheet. Place piece of parchment paper over pork, then cover with sheet of aluminum foil, sealing edges to prevent moisture from escaping. Roast pork for 3 hours.

4. Remove pork from oven; remove and discard foil and parchment. Carefully pour off liquid in bottom of baking sheet into fat separator and reserve for sauce. Return pork to oven and cook, uncovered, until well-browned, tender and internal temperature registers 200 degrees on instant-read thermometer. Transfer pork to serving dish, tent loosely with foil, and let rest for 20 minutes.

5. FOR THE SAUCE: While pork rests; pour 1/2 cup of defatted cooking liquid from fat separator into medium bowl; whisk in sauce ingredients.

6. TO SERVE: Using 2 forks, shred pork into bite-sized pieces. Toss with 1 cup of sauce and season with salt and pepper. Serve, passing remaining sauce separately.

I've gotta go! That pizza looks great- I wish I'd been in Virginia to share it with you.

Love,
Tia T

Dish This

2010-01-22T07:33:00.000-08:00

Dear Tia Tay,

It has been a while...too long! In the past month I've been to both Texas and Bangladesh and back again. I attended numerous wedding events, wore multiple saris, and ate countless meals. In Bangladesh, some of those meals were violently wrenched from me by a horrible and mysterious stomach virus that seemed to affect the most careful of eaters.

And casting its long shadow over it all: the aftermath of my grandmother's sudden passing. As the matriarch of my mother's family, she often dictated what the nightly menu would be, and was often found in the kitchen, inspecting the cook's progress, perhaps making an emphatically stated suggestion. In order to make less arduous the impossibly long trip to Bangladesh, my mother and I would often make each other salivate by making lists of what we were going to eat when we finally got there. It was a given that my grandmother both knew my favorite Bengali foods, and that I would get a chance to eat all of them under her watchful eyes.

This trip was, of course, very different. There was no one there to remember that I loved bini baat, coconut rice served with fresh cream and date syrup. There was no one in that corner room where the cousins and aunts and uncles would often congregate in shifts, where my grandmother would wave a hand airily towards the high shelves stacked with tins that would eventually be pried open, revealing deliciously thin and crispy treats enjoyed best with milk tea.

So when I came back to Richmond, I found it difficult to get back into the swing of cooking. It just wasn't fun for awhile, or worth mentioning. In some ways, though, I realize that it is the most necessary of activities: I'm honoring my grandmother's high culinary standards. In the end, I think you and I both know that the act of cooking and the act of eating must stem from both feeling and tradition. I think that's why it's so important that we continue writing to each other this way, despite my very long hiatus away from it. I hope you will still want to after my negligence!

There doesn't seem to be a much better way to make good on my resolution to keep writing to you than to make a meal that made me think very much of you and little arroz: Chicago deep dish pizza! With the help of J and our friends Ben and Laura, I'm happy to present to you a picture of our golden-crusted masterpiece:

What other meal could be more comforting or more delicious for a gestating pre-mother in one of the coldest effing places in the United States during winter?

I got the recipe from the most recent Cooks' Illustrated, whose cooks your mother, never one to mince words, once called "those OCD people who love food so much." This recipe epitomizes that claim to fame, and how: it takes a long time, a few hours, and the directions are painstaking. But. It is. So. Worth it. Apparently what makes this pizza crust sing is butter, and lots of it.

Chicago-Style Deep-Dish Pizza

Ingredients

Dough
3 1/4 cups (16 1/4 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (2 3/4 ounces) yellow cornmeal
1 1/2 teaspoons table salt
2 teaspoons sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons instant or rapid-rise yeast
1 1/4 cups water (10 ounces), room temperature
3 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted, plus 4 tablespoons, softened
1 teaspoon plus 4 tablespoons olive oil

Sauce
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup grated onion , from 1 medium onion (they suggested using a box grater, which worked great)
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
2 medium garlic cloves , minced or pressed through garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Ground black pepper

Toppings
1 pound mozzarella cheese , shredded (about 4 cups) (see note)
1/2 ounce grated Parmesan cheese (about 1/4 cup)

Instructions

1. FOR THE DOUGH: Mix flour, cornmeal, salt, sugar, and yeast in bowl of stand mixer fitted with dough hook on low speed until incorporated, about 1 minute. Add water and melted butter and mix on low speed until fully combined, 1 to 2 minutes, scraping sides and bottom of bowl occasionally. Increase speed to medium and knead until dough is glossy and smooth and pulls away from sides of bowl, 4 to 5 minutes. (Dough will only pull away from sides while mixer is on. When mixer is off, dough will fall back to sides.)

2. Using fingers, coat large bowl with 1 teaspoon olive oil, rubbing excess oil from fingers onto blade of rubber spatula. Using oiled spatula, transfer dough to bowl, turning once to oil top; cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let rise at room temperature until nearly doubled in volume, 45 to 60 minutes.

3. FOR THE SAUCE: While dough rises, heat butter in medium saucepan over medium heat until melted. Add onion, oregano, and 1/2 teaspoon salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid has evaporated and onion is golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomatoes and sugar, increase heat to high, and bring to simmer. Lower heat to medium-low and simmer until reduced to 2 1/2 cups, 25 to 30 minutes. Off heat, stir in oil, then season with salt and pepper

4. TO LAMINATE THE DOUGH: Adjust oven rack to lower position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Using rubber spatula, turn dough out onto dry work surface and roll into 15- by 12-inch rec-tangle. Using offset spatula, spread softened butter over surface of dough, leaving 1/2-inch border along edges. Starting at short end, roll dough into tight cylinder. With seam side down, flatten cylinder into 18- by 4-inch rectangle. Cut rectangle in half crosswise. Working with 1 half, fold into thirds like business letter; pinch seams together to form ball. Repeat with remaining half. Return balls to oiled bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and let rise in refrigerator until nearly doubled in volume, 40 to 50 minutes.

5. Coat two 9-inch round cake pans with 2 tablespoons olive oil each. Transfer 1 dough ball to dry work surface and roll out into 13-inch disk about 1/4 inch thick. Transfer dough to pan by rolling dough loosely around rolling pin and unrolling into pan. Lightly press dough into pan, working into corners and 1 inch up sides. If dough resists stretching, let it relax 5 minutes before trying again. Repeat with remaining dough ball.

6. For each pizza, sprinkle 2 cups mozzarella evenly over surface of dough. Spread 1 1/4 cups tomato sauce over cheese and sprinkle 2 tablespoons Parmesan over sauce. Bake until crust is golden brown, 20 to 30 minutes. Remove pizza from oven and let rest 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

7. In order to convince oneself that a generous slice of buttery, cheesy pizza is healthy, serve with a salad.

Whew. That was a long post. I'll try not to wait this long in the future. I can't wait to hear what you've been up to lately, and to hear some updates about the progress of little arroz!

Love to you and B -

Tia Fia

Failed Mac-N-Cheese

2009-12-16T06:55:00.000-08:00

Hey Tia Fia!

Long time- no talk. :( I've missed our letters. I know that you've had some time-consuming stuff going on, but I just sit around and gestate. Seriously. Little Arroz is doing well- B and I got to hear the heart beat (for the first time) yesterday. I think I've been waiting for confirmation something is in there and that I'm not just puffy. Not once, in the last 24 hours, have I called L.A. "evil fetal parasite".

In other news: I went to a Mac-N-Cheese cook-off on Monday night. Yes, I said it. Mac and Cheese COOK-OFF. The evening included 9 cheeses, carbohydrates galore, shallots, pepitas, and bacon grease; it was a chubby 12 year-old girl's wet dream (the one that inhabits my 30-year-old body). Although it's one of my favorites, I've never made a macaroni and cheese. It's a dish I avoid because I'd gulp it down before B got home and then I'd have to lie and make a whole new batch. Really, I don't need that kind of complication in my life.

So000- my first mac-n-cheese looked great. I took it to the party, heated it up in the oven, and had huge hopes it would be the winner. I'd chosen a basic recipe that added corn right before you baked it (again from Casserole Crazy). The name- Seduction.

Did it seduce? NO. For some reason all the cheese floated to the top and left the body of the casserole just noodles and corn. How sad was that? I about died when the first person tucked into the casserole. Thank God we didn't have to put our name on anything.:)

Here you try it and see if you can figure out what I did wrong.

1 pd small shell macaroni
1/2 stick of butter
1 cup of milk
4 cups shredded cheddar
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese ( I didn't include this. B and I'd gone to get groceries and I left a shopping bag somewhere in Andersonville- by the time I'd figured it out it was too late.)
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and Pepper
1 bag frozen whole-kernel sweet corn

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Parboil the pasta, drain, and set aside.

In a large pot over medium heat, mix the butter, milk and 1 cup of the cheddar cheese. Stir until smooth. Add the pasta and mix until well coated. Gradually add 2 cups of the cheddar cheese to the mixture, stirring constantly. Once mixed and the cheddar begins to melt, add the Monterey Jack to the mixture and stir. Add 1/4 cup of the Parmesan cheese and continue to stir. Salt and pepper to taste. Gradually add the corn while continuing to stir.

When thoroughly mixed, transfer to a buttered 2 1/2-quart casserole dish. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of the cheddar and 1 tablespoon of the Parmesan on top. Bake, uncovered, for 35 to 45 minutes or until bubbly and lightly browned.

Remove from oven and layer remainder of the Parmesan and cheddar on top. Bake 5 to 10 more minutes or until top layer is lightly browned.

Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Hate- A Four Letter Word

2009-11-16T17:45:00.000-08:00

Dear Tia Fia-

That Sausage Lentil soup looks so GOOD. Lentils I don't have much experience with, but sausage is one of my favorites. I am going to try the soup this week- do you make your own beef broth or buy it? The soup and the poem both brightened my day: although we haven't hit super low temps in Chicago, it gets dark at 4:55. We see no sun.

I thought a lot about the KKK after you mentioned them last week; the picture you posted stood in stark contrast to my impression of them as impotent, uneducated, probably inbred, hick hate-mongers who like to appear on Jerry Springer. It's lucky, for them, that those white hoods hide so many IMPERFECTIONS. It's bad, for us, that their headwear demands such feelings of fear and intimidation.

Speaking of hate, I loathe what most Mid-Westerners call Fall Favorites. In this list, I place beets, butternut squash, acorn squash, yams, and any pumpkin foodstuff. I've probably neglected to name them all, but if it's a vegetable and somebody is willing to pour maple syrup on it- Don't get it near me! Really, my thinking is too rigid to include sweet/savory side dishes when all I really want is spicy. But B, the liberal and flexible side of this duo, keeps asking me to include the above in my weekly repertoire. Begrudgingly, I found this tart in Puff Pastry Perfection, another generous gift from my mom. It includes puff pastry (I swear this is the real God's gift to women) and goat cheese. Two things I love and then the squash for B.

Butternut Squash and Farmer's Cheese Tart

1/2 of a 17.3- ounce package of frozen puff pastry, thawed for 30 minutes
3 tablespoons of unsalted butter
12 ounces of butternut squash, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 2 3/4 cups)
3 garlic cloves, minced
salt
pepper
1/8 teaspoon of allspice
4 ounce of crumbled farmer's, feta, or goat cheese
1 green onion chopped

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface roll out the puff pastry to a 10 inch square. Place pastry on cookie sheet and refrigerate for a least 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet on medium heat melt the butter. Add squash and saute five minutes. Add garlic, salt, and pepper and saute until squash is soft, 1-2 minutes. Stir in allspice and additional salt and pepper to taste. Cool to room temperature. (This can be prepped 2 days ahead if you want to make this a quick week-night meal.)

Preheat oven to 400.

Sprinkle three-fourths of the cheese on the pastry, leaving a 1-inch border. Arrange squash mixture on top. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Bake tart for 20-25 minutes or until edge is puffed and golden. Sprinkle with green onion. Serve warm or at room temperature. Makes 4 servings.

Have you tried anything from Puff Pastry Perfection?

Love,
TT

Thinking of Flowers

2009-11-12T11:26:00.000-08:00

Dear Tia Tay,

I have been shamelessly negligent in my letter writing lately! I don't have any excuses, either, so I won't bore you with made-up ones. I'm so glad that you and the little arroz have recovered from your bout with H1N1 - I got to experience being terrified and relieved all in one strange surge of emotion as I read your letter. It was a pretty confusing moment for me, and J couldn't understand why my face looked as though I had eaten something horribly disagreeable (like stewed carrots, for example, ugh) but seemed to enjoy it.

While you've been considering huge philosophical issues of mortality and responsibility, I've been doing a lot of staring out the window and thinking about the KKK. Random, right? But they've been supposedly handing out leaflets in the suburbs, reminding me that I live in a city that still bears the scars of being the former capital of the confederacy. This picture I came across in my googling about them haunts me, since it was taken here in Richmond. It sounds idealistic, I know, but I feel so helpless sometimes about how difficult it is be human, as you know from your recent experience with being physically ill while pregnant!

But how amazing to be human - and to know that inside you another human life is growing, and to know that you will literally bear it, and tend to it as you have the flowers filling their pots on your balcony. Speaking of flowers, I thought I'd share this poem with you so we can both fortify ourselves against the coming cold of winter, and against the forces in the world that might otherwise scare us so:

February: Thinking of Flowers
by Jane Kenyon (from Otherwise)

Now wind torments the field,
turning the white surface back
on itself, back and back on itself,
like an animal licking a wound.

Nothing but white - the air, the light;
only one brown milkweed pod
bobbing in the gully, smallest
brown boat on the immense tide.

A single green sprouting thing
would restore me . . .

Then think of the tall delphinium,
swaying, or the bee when it comes
to the tongue of the burgundy lily.

Speaking of green sprouting things, I made some lentil soup on Sunday and just heated up and topped a big bowl of it with a handful of arugula. . .

. . . since I probably need more than poetic fortification for an afternoon of errand running in the rainy cold.

Sausage, Lentil, and Red Onion Soup

1 cup or more of dried lentils
4 cups beef stock
1 lb. chicken sausage, cut into slices
1 large red onion, chopped
2-4 cloves of garlic, minced
a few handfuls or arugula, spinach, kale, or whatever other greens
1 tbsp. olive oil

In a dutch oven, bring lentils and stock to a boil, then turn the heat down to low. Simmer for about an hour.

Thirty minutes later, brown sausage in pan. Add onions and continue to cook, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes, or until onions are softened. Add garlic and cook for a minute longer. Add greens, cooking until slightly wilted.

Pour sausage mixture into lentil mixture and stir until incorporated. Cook over low heat for another 20-25 minutes, or until lentils are soft.

Roll up the last (sob) of your secret stash of HEB tortillas that you bought on your last visit to Tejas, where tortillas is serious business . . .

. . . and dip into soup. Eat. Repeat.

Hope you, little arroz, and B are staying dry and warm -

Love you,

TF

Dinner, Interrupted

2009-11-06T17:37:00.000-08:00

Dear Tia Fia,

First let me say (as I'm jumping up and down and doing that high-pitched girl thing) "You submitted your book, you really did it, I'm so proud of you!" Hugs and more jumping- just to convey how excited I am. I can only imagine that when the Powers at the Publishing House recieve your manuscript they will stand up dramatically, raise the poems above their heads and intone, "This my friends, this is it. Our quest is over."

My Sunday started out a lot like yours. B played hooky from his homework and asked me to watch the Bears game with him. I'm guessing he was inspired to ask me on a date because I hadn't made that awful dry-heave noise in the last 48 hours. I felt so GOOD (except this little cough that I tried not to think about) that I hot-rolled my hair, put on eye-liner and even wore my largest, most purple, f-me earrings:

.

Our day went as planned, Bears and bar food at Bar on Buena, window shopping at Broadway and Belmont, and then a bus ride home. At that point, I was feeling a little tired, but didn't think much of it- I've been tired for a good three months now. When we got home, I started to make dinner. B has pleaded for Pozole Roja for the last year and I'd finally decided to make some. I chopped onions, seared the pork and dumped in the chicken broth- just as I left it to braise in the stove, I felt the first of the CHILLS.

I don't know if everybody gets them, but I know when I can't move my arm without feeling like I just plunged into Barton Springs pool I've got a temp that's about to rise a few degrees. First, I thought "swine flu". Second, I thought "I'm going to die." I know, Tia F, I know that seems dramatic, but the fear was reinforced when I googled H1n1 Chicago; I'd just wanted to see if there was an outbreak. Do you know what the first headline to appear was? Just guess. Chicago: 25 Year Old Pregnant Woman Dies of Swine Flu on Friday. Reassuring, right? B and I then both look at each other, grab our respective cell phones, he calls the doctor and I call my family. Both of them tell us to go straight to the ER. We made sure the stove was turned off, gathered up our things, and quickly hailed a cab.

We were at the ER for a good six hours, not much of note happened, except that I got put on an IV, they diagnosed me with swine flu, they took x-rays of my lungs then diagnosed me with pneumonia, then gave me a ton of medication that is safe for our little Arroz and would make me feel better within days. Whew! Close call.

Rewind to two weeks earlier. I've wracked up a number of absences(all that icky morning sickness) and I'm participating in a meeting that ends with me signing a warning that states "two more absences and I'll be fired." Uhhggg. So in the past month I've been written up several times at a job I can't afford to lose (this has never happened), I've seen my ob/gyn more than my friends, and I've spent some time in the ER, another first for me.

I just wanna demand, "Alright LIFE- Just Stop Where You Are!" I do not want to learn this lesson on vulnerability. My fantasy pregnancy life involved a beautifully painted nursery, hand-holding with B, and cute little kicks in my abdomen. I never imagined how defenseless it would make me to financial and physical forces outside of my control. But that's life, right? I better buck up and bear it. And while I'm at it- I better finish that Pozole that I started.

Pozole Rojo

Stew
1 bone-in picnic shoulder roast
Salt and ground black pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 medium- large onions, chopped coarse
5 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 ounces dried ancho chiles
11/2 cups boiling water
3 (15-ounce) cans white or yellow hominy, drained and rinsed

Garnishes
2 limes, cut into quarters
1/2 head of cabbage (the recipe says lettuce, but I think that's because they're based in Maine)
6 radishes
1 small onion
1/4 cup pureed ancho chiles
soft flour or corn tortillas

1) Heat the oven to 300 degrees. Trim the thick skin and excess fat from the meat and cut along the muscles to divide the roast into large pieces of various sizes; reserve the bones. Season the meat generously with salt and pepper to taste.

2) Heat the oil in a large ovenproof Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onions and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onions have softened, about 4 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

3) Add the meat and bones and stir often until it is no longer pink on the outside, about 8 minutes. Add the tomatoes, oregano, broth and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Increase the heat to medium high and bring to a simmer. With a large spoon, skim off any scum. Cover the pot and place it in the oven. Cook until the meat is very tender, about 2 hours.

4) Meanwhile, remove the stems and seeds from the ancho chiles; soak the chiles in a medium bowl with the boiling water until soft, about 20 minutes. Puree the chiles and soaking liquid in a blender until smooth. Pour the puree through a strainer into a bowl and reserve 1/4 cup of the pureed anchos for garnish.

5) Remove the pot from the oven and remove the meat and bones to a cutting board. Stir in the hominy and the remaining 3/4 cup ancho chile puree Cover and bring the stew to a simmer on top of the stove over medium-low heat. Cook until the hominy is hot and the flavors meld, about 30 minutes.

6) When the meat is cool, shred it using your fingers or the tines of two forks; discard the bones. Stir the shredded meat into the stew. If serving immediately, spoon off any fat that rises to the top and then simmer until the meat is hot, about 10 minutes. (The stew can be covered and refrigerated for up to 3 days. Spoon off the hardened fat and bring back to a simmer over medium-low heat.) Adjust the seasonings. Ladle the stew into individual bowls and serve immediately with the garnishes.

This one was WAY long. I'll try never to have to catch you up this much again.

Love,
TT

Show Me the (Papri)kash

2009-11-01T17:54:00.000-08:00

Dear Tia T.,

It's my turn to apologize; I've been slow to write as well. As a child, I would tell my mother that I would clean my room, help do the dishes, or make my bed in "just five more minutes," at which point I would continue to bury my nose in whatever novel I was reading. Five more minutes would inevitably become ten, then fifteen, and then my mother would become a towering inferno of maternally indignant rage. As an adult, my "five more minutes" stretches out to days, weeks, and months. Though my mother is still capable of making me mind, it's harder for her to do so since I can just hit the end button on my cell.

While you've been preparing your life for the arrival of some very precious cargo, I've been preparing mine for its departure. After many days of arranging, rearranging, and agonizing over revisions of almost seventy pages of poems, I finally sent out my manuscript on Friday to a couple of first book contests. While I'm sure I missed more typos and poorly written sentences than I want to think about, at least it's out, and I can pretend to myself, for a little longer, that I'm not a failure. (Insert poorly differentiated exchange with myself here.)

Sundays are usually the days that J buckles down from noon 'til night to finish all his homework in one frenzied, cranky sitting, but he had a lighter load this weekend, which meant that either we were going to enjoy each other's company all day, or that I would hate him because he sometimes breathes weird. Thankfully, the former seemed to be true. Tolerating each other was made easier by our favorite foodstuffs.

I think that we took y'all here when you came last spring. Perly's has some of the best damn breakfast in the city. They also have that cool looking antique cash register and this homemade green chili sauce bidness, thereby utterly satisfying my inner condiment whore:

Who wouldn't want to fall in love again after fortifying oneself with this plate of goodness? While awesome, after breakfast J and I both agreed that something felt...amiss. After collapsing on our couch in mutual fullness, ahem, adoration, we got to work making some brownies. And then, because we are so young and hip and full of joie de vivre, enthusiasm, etc., we ate them and almost put together a whole 1/150th of a puzzle. J did manage to categorize many of the pieces according to shape and color, which we both agree will help in future assemblage.

Exhausted by all the time we were spending together, J finally got to work on his little bit of homework, and I began making dinner. Since J has class until late on Monday, I try on Sundays to make something that will taste good heated up and will last a couple of days. Did you know that paprikash has, um, a lot of paprika in it? Weird, right?

Chicken Paprikash (adapted from Cook's Ilustrated)

8 bone-in skinless chicken thighs
1 tsp canola oil
1 large onion, halved and sliced thin
1 large green bell pepper, halved and sliced into 1/4 inch strips
1 large red bell pepper, halved and sliced into 1/4 inch strips
3 1/2 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp flour
1/4 tsp Herbes de Provence
1/2 c. chicken broth (original recipe calls for 1/2 cup white wine, which I'm sure would be delicious)
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
1/3 c. sour cream
salt and pepper

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Salt and pepper both sides of each thigh, and heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. When the oil is shimmering but not smoking, add four chicken thighs. Cook without moving them until crisp and well-browned, about 5 minutes. Flip thighs over and cook for another five minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate and cook remaining four thighs.

Discard all but about a tablespoon of fat from the pan. Add onions and cook for about 5 minutes or until soft and starting to brown. Add peppers and cook until slightly softened, about 3 more minutes. Add paprika, Herbes de Provence, and flour, then stir until fragrant, about a minute. Add broth or wine, tomatoes, and a few generous pinches of salt. Add chicken pieces, and submerge in the sauce mixture. Bring to a simmer, about 1-2 minutes, then cover with a lid and place in oven for 20-25 minutes.

In the meantime, add a few glugs of Tabasco or hot sauce of your choice to sour cream. Mix to incorporate. Take chicken out of Dutch oven long enough to incorporate the sour cream. Return to mixture.

Served over white rice, it was filling enough that my favorite cohabitant only ate one serving. Though maybe the reason for that had more to do with the brownies I saw him sneaking all afternoon...

How was the rest of the weekend? What should I do with two Russet potatoes, ground beef, and spinach? How did your pozole turn out? I've been dying for that recipe ever since you made it two Thanksgivings ago. Speaking of...let's do some brainstorming about Thanksgiving eats soon.

Loveyoumissyou -

Fia

Excuses

2009-10-29T07:14:00.000-07:00

Dear Tia Fia-
My mom always told me to never make excuses. "Nobody cares", she'd always say as I'd tried to tell her why my room wasn't clean or my homework wasn't done, "Just get it done." So, while composing this entry, my internal maternal voice keeps rolling her eyes and yelling "NOBODY CARES" as I want to write, "but I didn't feel good", "my tummy is upset", "I feel so icky" in defense of my infrequent updates. It seems necessary to explain that I wanted to write, but just wasn't able. Because no excuses are forthcoming the only way I can adequately explain is to illustrate:

I've looked exactly like this for the last five weeks.

Although, there may be a light at the bottom of the toilet. I've only dry-heaved once this morning and yesterday! I had a friend over for brunch. It was an interaction that wasn't the cat or a co-worker and it was so much fun.

So, because I'm planning on feeling better this weekend I'm going to make Pozole and can't wait to post the recipe here.

Let me know what you've been cooking, what you're doing for Halloween, and how you're Dallas trip went ( I hope the cougars didn't eat you and muss up their hair).

Love,
T

P.S. Did you get yourself that chocolate bar and trashy magazine(s)?

That's What She Fed

2009-10-22T17:13:00.000-07:00

Dear TT,

I love knowing that you, too, bribe yourself into productivity. So far today I have tried to appoint myself the future recipient of fancy lotion, an evening with J at Richmond's new hot spot, and $20 worth of new books. All to no avail. You see, by 7:15 tomorrow morning, I am supposed to be on a plane to Dallas to attend a family friend's wedding.

That's not going to happen, now. Because this is as far as I've gotten in packing:

That's right. Two saris. Both of which I will presumably wear without a blouse, underwear, shoes, or makeup. Apparently I will also not brush my teeth for three days, nor will I wash my face or brush my hair. As far as hanging out in Overdone Cougar, TX during the day? I've recently decided to become a nudist.

Why is it so hard to make oneself do things? I hate packing because of all of the stupid, little, necessary things that need to be accounted for. Deodorant. Night clothes. OPTIONS. I did anything I could today to avoid the tedium of packing: wandered the aisle of Target fingering Tweeny fashions I will never wear, got my entire face waxed and threaded, watched Peanut move half an inch in one hour, stalked my friends on Facebook, and considered just how creatively my mother is going to use curse words in her native Bengali when I call her to say that I can't make it to the wedding. Because I just. Couldn't. Finish. Packing.

The fact that J isn't home this evening because he has a soccer game doesn't help - normally I might be shamed into packing by his presence. Instead, I'm picking at my nails, shaking my head at celebrity fashion, and writing to you. At least I made dinner - though to be honest, that in and of itself was yet another form of procrastination.

We're at the end of our grocery supply for the week, so I could have made either peanut butter and black banana sandwiches, or something with canned tomatoes, rice, and turkey Andouille sausage. Since J gags at the thought of any kind of peanut butter miscegenation, I opted for the latter:

That's What She Fed Jambalaya

1 10-oz. can diced tomatoes
4-5 garlic cloves, minced
1 yellow onion, chopped
1-2 tbls olive oil
a little butter
2 c. long-grain white rice
1 12-oz. packet of turkey Andouille sausage, cut crosswise into thick slices
2 cups chicken stock
1-2 tsp. cayenne pepper, or other spices of your choice
1-2 tsp. smoked paprika

Heat olive oil and a little butter in a pot over medium heat. Brown sausage, about 4-5 minutes. Drain sausage on a plate covered with a paper towel. In the remaining fat, cook onions, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, and cook for a minute longer.

Dump tomatoes and chicken stock into pot, then stir to combine. Add spices, and cook for a minute longer. Add rice, then turn the heat up to high and bring mixture to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 25 minutes or until rice is cooked through. Add sausage to rice mixture and stir.

I made a big pot of it so J would have something to eat both after his soccer game and this weekend. It turned out not too terribly, though I had to doctor my serving with Sriracha and the last little bit of pepper jack cheese left in the fridge.

It is almost 9 PM now, and there is much to be done. In the course of writing you, I've decided to replace my $20 worth of books to a bar of chocolate and trashy magazines to read on the plane tomorrow.

Love you,

TF

Mom To The Rescue, But I Couln't Be Saved

2009-10-20T09:48:00.000-07:00

Dear Tia Fia-

I love that you just stayed cozy in your house all weekend. I'm sure Peanut's cute cat chub is an excellent foot warmer. The past few weeks I too have been using my cats as warmers, friends and confidantes. I've spent so many hours in bed, under covers, and on the couch that I've brought our relationship (me and the cats) to a whole new level. I think that they are now considering me an honorary member of their pride.

The three of us, Leland, Pretty Girl Earl and me, are becoming so close that I've begun to find communication with humans difficult. Example- my mom calls me at about 1:15 p.m. yesterday. Instead of getting ready for work (which is what I'm supposed to be doing), I've got one cat on my head and one on my feet. Spending the last 10 minutes promising myself little gifts if I'd get up, I'd gone from ice cream to a pedi/mani by the time the phone rang. Then, when I heard my mom's voice, I started SOBBING. I know I given you no lead-up to explain the crying, but that's the point, there was NO reason for it. To account for my outburst, I blubber, "I've got all these veggies and I don't know what to do with them, they're so gross." My mom calmly asks what I've got and I'm all like," spaghetti squash, spinach, tomatoes, celery." And without even thinking about it she says,"just make a sauce with the tomatoes and spinach and cook the spaghetti squash and throw the sauce over it." And I'm all like,"that's genius" and I'm grumpy because I didn't think of it.

So- fast forward to later that night. I'm happily and with purpose making my tomato sauce with spinach over squash dish. And I'm doing the tomatoes just right, in fact tomatoes are one of the things I LOVE right now so I'm actually kinda enjoying this experience. I sauteed 3 diced cloves of garlic and then dumped 1 can of tomatoes in the pan. Then I added alot of olive oil, basil, oregano, salt and pepper. I let that simmer for awhile. After that I found some anchovies in the fridge, YAY! This stuff was tasting good. Time for the spinach. Rinse, chop, throw it in the pan. It's that easy, right?

Have you ever used spinach that wasn't bagged? F****! It needs something like laser removal to get all that dirt off. Right after I drop a ton of it in the pan and mix it in I take a bite. My heart drops- when I chew I can hear the grit grinding between my teeth. And then I make a decision. I still serve it to B.

This is how nice B is. He ate all of it and never said a word.
Ill-Fated Tomato Spinach Surprise.

1 Spaghetti Squash
3 cloves of garlic
1 can of tomatoes
glugs of olive oil
salt
pepper
oregano
basil
maybe some mint
maybe some anchovies
well-cleaned spinach; preferably bagged

1. To prepare the squash. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Poke holes all over the squash. Put squash in oven for 1 hour. Afterwards let squash sit until it's cool enough to touch. Cut longways in half. Scoop out the seeds. Then, take fork and scrape at meat in squash. It will shred and look a little like spaghetti.

2. For sauce: Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a pan. Use garlic press on cloves and saute them for about 30 seconds. Dump in can of diced tomatoes. Put your choice of flavorings in pan. Let simmer for about 20 minutes. At end toss in chopped spinach or whatever green you have on hand. Put on top of shredded squash. Voila. Dinner.

Love you. Gotta go.
T

The Breast Things in Life

2009-10-18T10:26:00.000-07:00

Dear TT,

Happy anniversary! I can't believe it's been five years since we ate that amazing barbecue and that cake decorated with fruit and pearls at your wedding. Count on me to remember little else but the food. Okay, I do also remember how beautiful you looked in your dress, and how dashing B looked as he took your hand and walked you back down the aisle.

Who would have known then that five years later you'd be writing your sister-in-law about your huge breasts being personified by your husband as strange, possibly demonic creatures with minds of their own? Certainly not I. But now you know how I feel, carrying those damned heavy creatures around all day.

But you probably don't want to hear about that as much as you want to hear about what I cooked for dinner last night. Richmond has a known diagnosis of bipolar weather disorder, so it was of little surprise when the city's too-warm autumn mania abruptly gave way this week to a deep, wintry depressive episode.

It's been in the 40s and dreary for almost an entire week now, and in addition to Febreeze-ing my musty sweaters and (finally) submitting my Fulbright application, this weekend I've been cozying up a lot to J and the cat. They're both easy to be around, enjoy couch-sitting, like it when I feed them, and are clumsy but effective foot-warmers.

As you can see, Miss Peanut is fattening herself up for Thanksgiving. Don't her haunches look like turkey legs? Contrary to Peanut, I wanted to eat something light but filling, and I wanted to get rid of the arugula (arugula glut!) and tomatoes in our fridge that were on their last legs. Everyday Italian was the perfect go-to cookbook: Giada de Laurentiis's arugula pesto was yummy both for bread-dipping and when tossed with angel hair pasta and roasted tomatoes.

Capellini with Arugula Pesto and Roasted Tomatoes (adapted from Everyday Italian by Giada de Laurentiis)

For pesto:

2 cups fresh arugula
2 garlic cloves
1/2 c. olive oil
1/2 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper

For roasted tomatoes:

plum tomatoes, cut in half
olive oil
salt

Heat oven to 350 F. Cover a cookie sheet with foil. Toss tomatoes on cookie sheet with a few grounds of sea salt and a couple of glugs of olive oil, then place in oven for 40-60 minutes. Check on tomatoes every now and again as they might burn. Tomatoes are done when they're kind of shriveled up looking.

While tomatoes are roasting, blend arugula and garlic in a food processor until finely chopped. Add olive oil while pulsing until well blended. Transfer the pesto to a large bowl, and make your husband grate the parmesan cheese into it. Add salt and pepper to taste, and stir.

Follow the directions to make the pasta of your choice. Drain, then toss hot pasta into bowl of pesto until evenly coated. Plate pasta, then top with 4-6 roasted tomatoes and freshly grated parmesan cheese. Twirl on fork. Eat. Repeat.

It didn't hurt to have snacks to nibble on while we waited for the tomatoes to roast:

All in all, it was a lovely, quiet evening, in stark contrast to this afternoon's loud neighbors freaking out about whatever football game they're watching. To answer your questions about the Fulbright: I don't know. I guess I feel something approximating relief, though that's not quite right either. Right before I clicked the all-powerful "Submit Application" button, I didn't take a deep breath, pray, or cross my fingers. I just got up afterwards and poured myself another cup of coffee.

I've decided since I don't hear anything until January 31st that either I will a) drive myself crazy worrying about it incessantly (a likely possibility, since I'm a masochist) or b) forget I ever applied until January 31st, at which time I will either be happily or unhappily surprised by an email besides the usual spam in my inbox.

Either way, I'm excited about seeing you in Philly soon - one of J's co-workers used to live there, and she's putting together a list for us of restaurants to visit. We'll take lots of food-gasmic pictures and coo about baby clothes!

Hope y'all had a good rest of the weekend - how did you make that whipped cream look so purty?

Love,

Tia F.

Happy Anniversary

2009-10-16T11:14:00.000-07:00

Dear Tia Fia-

Did you get that Fulbright application complete? When do you hear back? I just know I'm going to be visiting you in Bangladesh next summer. I can't believe the whole process is about to be done, do you feel a little let down and depressed or jubilant?

I think I'm going to have to send B to you for the next three weeks. He positively drooled over your chili. Poor thing, every time I make him something he douses it in ketchup, ranch dressing, or Siracha. For the first time in my life, I identify with those skinny little girls that pick at their food- I have no interest, I don't care to cook and when I do I take no time with it. Yuck. Although he might be reticent to leave because my cooking isn't the only thing that's changed.

I have HUGE breasts. Tia Fia, my prayers have been answered about 17 years too late. My little shirts no longer fit (I don't think my sugar-induced tummy is helping that much) and when wearing them I look like a sausage with outrageous boobs stuck in a turquoise v-neck. Really. Then, at night, when I unleash the monsters from their too small brassiere B takes one glance at my pendulous Tatas and starts screaming "they're ALIVE!, they're Alive! AHHHH!" and runs from the room. I've convinced myself that he is only being funny.

With all the growing going on, I almost forgot that today is our five-year anniversary. For B, I'm going to pick up a bottle of wine- a habit I stopped when he knocked me up. For me, I made pudding. I planned on attempting homemade from this recipe, but with all the intricate instructions it seemed akin to the scientific knowledge needed for baking and I just couldn't handle that. So, I just picked up a box of instant in the baking aisle instead.

Anyway, I miss you and I wish we could hang out in person this weekend. Only five weeks 'till Philly! See you soon and let me know about your weekend.

Love,
Tia Tay

T-T-T-Tia!

2009-10-13T15:41:00.000-07:00

Tia T -

Oh. My. God. Girl. I'm going to be an actual tia! Tia Fia! And you, a mamacita! I'm so excited I can't stand it. Can't. Stand. It!! Words can't possibly convey how happy I am for you and B. I wish I could be there to help make your cinnamon toast and bark orders at you to stop lifting heavy things! to lie down, because, for pete's sake, if you won't put a wet rag on your head and lie down, I'll do it for you!

Actually, being in a dark room with a wet rag on my head sounds pretty delightful. I might do that forthwith. Right after I revise! For the last time! My Fulbright application!

I've had a lot of coffee. And I'm excited about little Arroz. So forgive the exclamation points.

I love the idea of Arroz demanding food befitting childhood. I must admit, I love all of those foodstuffs you listed, and will add to them a strong fondness for slices of American cheese wrapped in plastic, microwavable packets of apple and cinnamon oatmeal, Kix, and Tang.

I have so many questions! When you wake up from your sleep binges, do you feel rested or still really tired? How long is the morning sickness part supposed to last? Are you really only sick in the morning? Would you get sick at the sight of this?

It was cold and rainy yesterday, and I could think of nothing better to do than to dust off my faded, fleecy hoodie, make a cup of hot tea, and let simmer ground beef with bell pepper, kidney beans, tomato puree, and spices while I took notes towards some new poems and worked on my Fulbright application.

Because J has a strong aversion to beans, I invited my friend Marie to help me eat steaming bowls of chili and cornbread after we both did this grueling workout class. When I tell you that I hobbled through Richmond today like a woman three times my age, I am not exaggerating.

Although apparently I didn't need Marie's help (though of course it was appreciated), since J came home from class and shockingly, SHOCKINGLY, put down an entire bowl of it. Just imagining it again makes me want to weep with gladness...

Simple Beef Chili (adapted from Cook's Illustrated)

(makes 4-6 servings)

1-2 tablespoons vegetable or corn oil
1 medium onion, chopped fine
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
4-6 medium cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 cup chili powder
1 tbs ground cumin
1-2 tsp each of coriander, red pepper flakes, dried oregano, and cayenne pepper (more of the cayenne and red pepper if you want it spicier)
1 lb lean ground beef
1 15-oz can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 15-oz can tomato puree
1 15-oz can diced tomatoes (Ro-Tel would probably be tasty as well)
salt, to taste

Heat oil in large heavy-bottomed nonreactive Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering but not smoking, 3 to 4 minutes. Add onions, bell pepper, garlic, chili powder, cumin, coriander, pepper flakes, oregano, and cayenne; cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened and beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high and add half the beef; cook, breaking up pieces with wooden spoon, until no longer pink and just beginning to brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Add remaining beef and cook, breaking up pieces with wooden spoon, until no longer pink, 3 to 4 minutes.

Add beans, tomatoes, tomato puree, and a few more pinches of salt; bring to boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour. Remove cover and continue to simmer 1 hour longer, stirring occasionally (if chili begins to stick to bottom of pot, stir in 1/2 cup water and continue to simmer), until beef is tender and chili is dark, rich, and slightly thickened. Adjust seasoning with additional salt.

I topped the chili with pepper jack, though you could put so many delicious things in its place: avocado, fresh tomatoes, cheddar. What I loved about this recipe was how pantry-friendly it was; I only had to buy the beef!

I officially have a strong craving for cinnamon toast, so you'll excuse me. But before I attend to that, I just wanted to say that I love you, that I'm so happy for you and B, and that I can't wait to be (officially!) a tia.

Love,

Tia F.

Oohh! Baby Baby.

2009-10-12T19:07:00.000-07:00

Dear Tia Fia-

Here's why I haven't written:

green beans = a gag.
strong cheeses = heavy dry heaving.
any type of herb = retching.
coffee= get it the F away from me unless you want vomit on your lap.
eggs, poultry, red meat= me running to the bathroom where B kindly holds my hair back while I spew all over the toilet.

We're having alot of fun now!

Because I'm, TADA( imagine jazz hands), 8 weeks pregnant. To help bring our little Arroz along, my body is raging with large amounts of progesterone and estrogen. These lovely hormones have reduced my palate to that of a five-year-old's. I only eat fruit (oranges), bread, creamy dairy products, mac and cheese, and Gatorade. Oh, and Saltines are like a gift from the Gods.

Not only have my food preferences changed, but I'm now sleeping about 16 hours a day. This morning I went on a 30 minute walk- when I got home I had to sleep for TWO hours. My new sleeping patterns are getting in the way of everything- I can't even go to the library without stopping at a park bench for a short nap.

So whenever I eat it has to be something fast and something I can stomach. I haven't eaten my Mom's cinnamon toast since I've grown up, but this morning it really fit the bill.

Mom's Cinnamon Toast
2 slices of bread
butter (enough to cover both slices)
sugar
cinnamon

1) Set the stove to broil. Spread bread slices with butter. Sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on top. Place under broiler. Wait and check every 30 seconds. Things burn fast!

I hope you're doing well! I saw your Texas Trip pictures and it looked like you were having alot of fun. Let me know how you're doing. I promise I won't take so long to write back.

Love,
TT

P.S. You're going to be a real TIA! Yeah!

The Girl with the Most Cupcake

2009-10-06T14:39:00.000-07:00

Dear Tia T -

I can't wait to hear about your eating adventures in California! In Richmond, it's dreary and humid, so I'm completely jealous of whatever kind of gorgeous weather you're experiencing out there.

I just got back from Texas late last week, bearing with me an unexpected present given to me by my little brother: the flu. Fortunately, it wasn't of the freakishly strong oink-oink variety, so after a few days of exhaustion and copious amounts of Emergen-C laden orange juice sucked through bendy straws, I'm finally back to my normal schedule of eating, cooking, and writing.

While I was in Texas, though, I totally made good use of my access to amazing Tex-Mex:

migas at Magnolia South

(crispy beef tacos at the new Northside Grill in Canyon Lake)

I obviously did go to Magnolia, as you correctly predicted I might, and Polvo's too, though I forgot to take pictures there because I was so overcome at the sight of my enchiladas de la casa. I also had a wonderful visit with my friend Kate and her adorable daughter, so much so that I'm officially adding baby cheeks to my list of favorite things to eat with cupcakes:

(cupcake courtesy of Flipnotics)

Though you have, perhaps rightly so, observed that I'm a horrible person to share dessert with because I eat less than my fair share, I sucked that thing down like the barbarians were upon me right after this picture was taken. Thankfully, I'm back to my reasonably sized meals, which hopefully means soon I will be my reasonably sized self again as well. With that in mind, Sunday's dinner was judiciously healthy, but tasty. I think you could do this with chicken as well as fish, though you might have to brown the chicken boobies on the stove first.

Salmon Baked in Foil (adapted from Everyday Italian by Giada de Laurentis - why does she get to eat gnocchi and be so thin?)

1 can diced tomatoes in juice, drained
one small red onion, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
the juice of one lemon
1 teaspoon dried Herbs de Provence (Giada recommends fresh oregano and thyme, though, which would probably be as good if not better)
salt and pepper to taste
2 salmon fillets

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a medium bowl, stir tomatoes, onions, oil, lemon juice, and herbs.

In the center of each of two large sheets of aluminum foil, drizzle a little additional olive oil. Place 1 salmon fillet atop each sheet of foil and turn to coat with the oil. Sprinkle the salmon fillets with salt and pepper, then spoon the tomato mixture over the salmon.

Fold the sides of the foil over the fish and tomato mixture, covering completely, and seal the packets closed. Place the foil packets on a large, heavy baking sheet.

Bake until salmon is just cooked through, about 25 minutes. Open the packets and take a picture:

then serve with spinach wilted in butter and garlic.

Can't wait to hear from you -

Love to you and B,

TF

Irresponsibility, Both Predicted and Fulfilled

2009-09-30T14:50:00.000-07:00

Dear TT,

I forgot to bring the cord that connects my camera to the computer, so I won't be able to post any of the foodgasmic pics I've taken on my Texas trip until I get back home to Richmond! And I'm scrambling to get my Fulbright stuff in (AGAIN, arrgghhh) by Friday. But I promise to write soon.

Despite all that, I wanted to wish you and B the best of times in California - can't wait to hear all about the fabulous meals and adventures you have!

More soon, and much love,

World Travel

2009-09-27T19:59:00.000-07:00

Dear Tia Fia-
How was Austin? Where did you go- Polvos, Magnolia Cafe for the Mag Mud, Guero's for the margaritas? My mom was thrilled that y'all went to visit her; she told me she had so much fun playing with the baby.

B and I are preparing for our trip to California tomorrow morning. Somehow he agreed to pack the bags while I wrote this letter. I think he hopes that in return I can calm down and maybe wrangle some of my free-floating anxiety into submission.

I love to travel, but I have a hard time believing things will go smoothly. It is my strongly held personal belief that if I do not wake up in the same bed, at the same time, drink coffee from the same cup, touch my nose to the glass table a certain way when the cat meows that my life will going spinning out of control. These life-out-of-control fears cover a broad spectrum. Ranging from the mundane to the fantastic, each worry has an explicit daymare to illustrate the havoc or sadness it would bring to my life. The following concerns have all found me in the last 24 hours:

1. Fire. The cat leaps onto the stove, accidentally turns it on, and then runs around the house in fear lighting furniture on fire with its tail.
2. The plane will crash.
3. I will lose my job because they didn't actually take me off the schedule.
4. Pretty Girl Earl (who has alot of hairballs) will choke while we aren't here and we will not be able to save her.
5. Somehow that fantastic meal I ate out will cause me to bloat so much that I won't be able to wear any of the clothes I brought for the trip and I'll have to run to Wal-Mart for a sweatsuit.
6. Our apartment will be burglarized. (This one doesn't bother me much- we don't have anything to steal.)

There you go. I'm completely normal. Right? So with all these worries, I don't have much brain space to plan meals- meaning, this evening found me staring at 2 lone chicken breasts, frozen peas, a box of macaroni and cheese, a tomato and a cucumber. Put it all together and what do you get?

YUM. Kinda.

Gotta go. It's late and we've got an early flight. I can't wait to hear about Austin.

Love
Tia Tay

Self-Absorption

2009-09-20T15:03:00.000-07:00

Dear Tia Fia-

So I just got done reading your letter. While reading, I took the liberty to infer your reasons for feeling bad. "I know why she's down", I think to myself. " She's in a transitional state. Will she be awarded the Fulbright or will those Fulbright people make an idiotic mistake and reject her? Will she get to jump up and down with glee or does she have to revise her plans and take another go at it?" I'm thinking all of this and then suddenly it hits me SMACK! (that's the sound of my palm hitting my forehead) I'm not thinking about you I thinking about myself!

Ashamed that I had the audacity to psycho-analyze others, I had to lie down and put a cold rag on my forehead. A trick taught to me from my mom, a cold rag can be a balm for a wide range of ailments. It helps with hangovers, a 103-degree fever, or to provide the illusion of sickness when wanting to avoid certain chores.

This particular solace under the washcloth helped me realize I am in no state to craft complex meals requiring difficult instructions. It is a period for simple no-nonsense stuff that can be easily re-heated when I get home from work, it's time again for Casserole Crazy: Hot Stuff For Your Oven.

Because I still had eggplant left over from my first CSA Surprise! and I wanted to hide the texture and taste I chose this recipe:

Eggplant Casserole

2 cups of cornmeal
2 cups of water (or broth)
1 jar tomato sauce
2 eggplants
3 eggs
1 cup of ricotta
1 cup of cream
1/2 cup of parmesan
Enough fontina or mozzarella to cover the top of the casserole

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bring to a boil the two cups of water or, if you don't want to be a vegetarian, the broth. When water is boiling dump in the 2 cups of cornmeal. Stir together, off of the heat, until everything is mixed in and not lumpy. Set aside until cool and thick.

2) Slice eggplant. If you don't like the flavor make it very small. Heat a large pan with olive oil and then fry the eggplant in batches. Make sure to flip the eggplant to each side so both sides are brown. Flavor with salt and pepper as you go along.

3) In a separate bowl, mix 2 eggs, 1 cup of cream, 1 cup of ricotta (if finances don't allow use cottage cheese) and some Parmesan. Mix together.

4) Open bottle of tomato sauce.

5) Mix into prepared cornmeal (really it's polenta) 1 egg and some Parmesan. Make sure to add some salt and pepper. Spread into the bottom of your casserole dish. Then spread a layer of your eggplant down. Next goes the cheese mixture and then a layer of the tomato sauce. You used all of your polenta with the first spreading, so starting with the eggplant do the whole thing again. Everything should be used up and you top the whole thing with the mozzarella. Put in oven for 45 minutes to an hour. Covered. After the hour, remove lid and brown cheese on top to your liking. I like mine really browned and chewy, but others like theirs just melted. It is up to you.

This casserole was great because the eggplant was well hidden. J might even go for it if you don't tell him the ingredients.

Well, I keep wanting to say I hope you feel better soon, but that's not quite right. If you're writing alot and you like the results this period of introspection and seeing the world in a new way is probably kinda good. I'm not trying to sound insensitive, I just don't have the adequate vocabulary.

I can't wait for updates on your Austin trip. I hope you have so much fun.

Love,
Tia T

P.S. I've turned B into one of Pavlov's dogs. Every time he hears the camera click he asks in anticipation "dinner's ready?" Even if I'm just taking pictures of the cat.

Moody Stews

2009-09-19T13:15:00.000-07:00

Dear Tia T -

I've been having one of those weeks where I feel so raw the slightest thing could catapult me into sobbing into my soggy morning cereal (is there anything worse?), so I was thrilled to have your most recent letter distract me into laughter. I did, of course, immediately ask J what planet parmesan was from, and he, of course, immediately smuckled and said "Uranus." Ain't it grand when the right questions have the right answers?

I do two things when I feel raw: I write poetry, listen to sad music (how cliche, right?), and obsess over food. Okay, to be fair, I do those things anyway (especially the latter), but there's a particular kind of force that I feel barreling through me that leads to some furious writing and and cooking. I feel suddenly awake and affected by every little thing I see - every little thing seems to remind me how simultaneously beautiful and awful the world can be. It reminds me, actually, of how you and your mother pay attention to plants and flowers as y'all move through the world - each petal and stem and leaf matter, and each have their own unique way of being present in the world. I've learned from y'all that plants are certainly more than just garnish along a city sidewalk.

So a couple of afternoons ago, I was writing at home and thinking about what to make for dinner. I wanted something bold, filling, comforting - something that would rise rich in the air, something tangible. I also wanted to make use of 2 pounds of chuck roast J bought, inexplicably, while I was in Brooklyn, and the last of the peppers that my friend Keith had given us.

I found this recipe on a Texas Monthly message board, and it totally fit the bill. The stew did fill the air with deliciousness all afternoon and early evening, and staved off, thankfully, more self-deprecating behavior. I served it alongside a spinach and bell pepper salad and some leftover parathas. It was a nice East meets West kind of meal - I felt like I was honoring both my heritages at once. It also warmed up really nicely, so J and I ate on it the rest of the week without once getting tired of it.

Also, I wanted to tell you - my Kentucky friend M is in town for the weekend, and I knew he was going to drag all the boys into a long night/morning of poker, so I decided to make a couple of those delicious looking beef and spinach pies you made to sustain their erstwhile efforts. The girls came along too and we stayed in and chatted after they left for their game, making it two! official girls' nights in between the two of us. Represent!

Your soup looks absolutely delicious, and perfect for both my recent obsession with slow cooking and the onslaught of cooler weather. I love the idea of a submerged sprig of rosemary - how cool a word is sprig, by the way? I wish we could have sat in your lovely apartment next to the window and dipped chunks of bread into it together.

By the way, I feel as though I should apologize for how depressing my recent letters have been - I'll be in Texas next week, so hopefully I'll be blogging about being cheered up by some serious Tex-Mex instead. My friend Kate is meeting me in Austin with her baby girl - be prepared for some serious baby gushing. Any ideas of baby-friendly places or things to do while we're there?

Hope your injury is better too - I'd advise using it as an excuse to B not to wash dishes - it might get infected!

Much love,

Tia F.

Big Bros and Spaghetti

2009-09-15T10:44:00.000-07:00

Dear Tia Fia,

I've heard childhood memories are different for each sibling, but apparently J and I share the spaghetti one. Ask him this for me, "What planet is Parmesan from?" If he answers "Uranus" with a doubled-up belly laugh he's for sure my bro. His joke was a favorite repeat on nights my mom labored over her seriously good spaghetti sauce. Ignoring the joke and the green-canned Parmesan, spaghetti nights were always a plus because they made me feel more sophisticated and loved than our jarred-sauce-eating rube neighbors. Now though I join them- not once have I ever made homemade spaghetti sauce. Hanging my head in shame, I hope to redeem myself by making your recipe. It looks easy and yummy.

As a Texas native, I've been pleasantly surprised that Fall is my favorite season. In the past, it's been marked only by school opening and Friday Night Football- a sweaty event with everyone wearing their new autumn school clothes and the temp still reaching 90 degrees. In Chicago, I look forward to the leaves changing, the actual need for a sweater, and being able to cook a soup without my kitchen getting too hot.

Not for dinner, but to reheat for lunches and snacks I enjoyed my cool kitchen by making this soup last night. The recipe calls for kale, but because I have excess arugula I just threw a whole bunch of that in.

Tuscan Bean Soup (adapted from Cook's Illustrated Website)

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
6 ounces of pancetta, cut up (I always use bacon)
1 large onion, chopped
2 medium celery ribs, chopped
2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
8 medium garlic cloves, minced
3 cups of chicken broth
2 cups of water
4 (15-ounce) cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed well
2 medium bay leaves
1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained and rinsed
1 pound kale or collard greens (I've used lots of different types including spinach and arugula)
1 sprig fresh rosemary

1. Heat oil and pancetta in Dutch oven over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally until pancetta is lightly browned and fat rendered, 6 to 10 minutes. Add onion, celery, and carrots. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened and slightly browned, 10 -16 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in broth, water, beans, bay leaves, tomatoes, and greens. Increase heat to high and bring to simmer. Reduce heat and simmer until veggies and greens are full tender. 20-25 minutes.

2. Remove pot from stove and submerge rosemary in stew. Cover and let stand for 15 minutes. Discard bay leaves and rosemary. Season with salt and pepper. If desired, use back of spoon to press some beans against side of pot to thicken stew. Serve lightly drizzled with olive oil.

I hope you're lip is doing better. I'd advise to stay away from chips and salsa. We'd make a great team. I too am injured after having a little accident with the vegetable peeler. It slipped when I was trying to peel Granny Smiths and ended up peeling my skin off.

I hope you're having a great day.

Love,
TT

Borrowed Childhoods

2009-09-14T10:43:00.000-07:00

Dear Tia T -

The awkward purgatory between summer and fall always leaves me feeling strangely bereft and filled with longing for something I don't understand and can't name. I think part of it is the schizophrenic weather we've been having: super-warm days followed by lightly cool ones. Perhaps it's also that I'm accustomed, still, to the feeling of a school year. As a child, summers seemed endless, indolent, filled with fat novels I couldn't wait to read. It always ended more quickly than I expected, and ever since I graduated from grad school in May, I've been dreading the end of this particular summer, because it's the last one I'll have as a student.

What's fall like in Chicago? I know it's already cooler there, and I'm envious. Though it's still warm here, already the evenings are darkening earlier and earlier, the leaves are beginning to color, and I am drawn more and more to slow cooking, hoping to force fall into its leaf-swirling, cardigan- and scarf-wearing potential.

Apparently, I'm in too much of a hurry for fall to get here, because I fell down the stairs in our apartment building and busted my lip open this past weekend. Though impossible to eat elegantly or pain-free with a busted lip, I wanted, for some reason, spaghetti: plain old, tomato sauce-laden spaghetti. Food of childhoods, of a pot filled with magic stirred and simmered and stirred some more.

Except my mother never really made spaghetti. I realized this when J and I sat down to eat, and I said, "This really takes me back." Except, it didn't really. When I thought about it, I ate South Asian food at home, almost always. I must have eaten it at friends' houses, or in the cafeteria, but I don't actually remember any specific time when I ate a bowl of spaghetti as a child...but what about the pot, and the smell in the air, and the children's voices, and the wooden spoon tipped with red sauce? Stuff of dreams (though J, apparently, has memories of y'all's mother making spaghetti sauce that way, so maybe I just borrowed his) and Ragu commercials. Who says advertising doesn't work?

Anyway, made-up childhood aside, this sauce tasted pretty magical, though it's a more grownup version of what I "remember" eating as a child. Fall, take notice! Slow cooking season has arrived.

Adult-erated Tomato Sauce (adapted from Giada de Laurentis' Everyday Italian)

2 tbls olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
1-2 pinches crushed red pepper flakes
1-2 pinches dried sweet basil (though you could use any amenable herb)
1 28-oz can tomato puree or crushed tomatoes
3-4 ripe tomatoes, chopped (optional, but my friend Katie gave me some from her garden that were about to go bad, so I thought I'd throw them in there)
1/2 c. pecorino romano
salt and pepper, to taste
1-2 tbls unsalted butter

1. Cook onion and garlic in olive oil until soft. Add crushed red pepper flakes and dried or fresh herbs; cook until fragrant.

2. Pour in tomato puree and a few glugs of cooking wine, chopped tomatoes, and let simmer all afternoon, stirring occasionally.

3. When almost ready to serve, stir in pecorino romano, and let sit for a few minutes.

4. Stir in butter until melted. Pour over spaghetti. Swirl onto fork and try to avoid getting tomato sauce in the open wound on your lip.

It would have been great to have some of your arugula for a salad to accompany the pasta! I'm going to think about what else you could use arugula for besides that marvelous looking pizza - inspired, perhaps, by that amazing pizza place near your house you took us to this past spring? I love arugula because it's so peppery, and I can't imagine a single recipe that calls for fresh spinach that you couldn't renovate with arugula.

We haven't gotten our CSA stuff yet, but when we do, I'll let you know. J, the economist, was also reluctant (birds of a feather, you eggplant haters, you), but I think I brought him around. (It's good and good for you! It's actually cheaper than our usual groceries! I'll make it worth our while, I promise!) Though if there are lots of eggplants and cantaloupes, I may have a problem, since J isn't a fan of either.

Oh, also - the idea of a CAT fills me with joy and delight. I want to go to there, please! Let's make that happen. When I was in NY, we mainly ate in Brooklyn, which was so fun because I was born there but have never had a chance to really explore it. The pics: 1) tapas at this place 2) brunch at this place (I was so starved for good Mexican food that, yes, I ate Mexican food in NYC - the chilaquiles, I promise you, were divine) 3) and finally, a sampling of West Indies delights at the Brooklyn West Indian Carnival, a mere 5-minute walk away from my friend Laurel's place.

I'm anxious to hear from you about what else you're doing with that arugula - I'll let you know if I find something fun to make with it. Hope you and B are well, and much love to you both -

-TF

Arugula Glut

2009-09-11T22:40:00.000-07:00

Dear Tia Fia,
Your pictures from New York look amazing- I am SO jealous. Did you go to a favorite restaurant? Eat in China Town? I'm dying to know. Maybe the two of us should organize a Culinary Adventure Trip (CAT) and go! We'll say it's a business expense and eat our little hearts out.

Have I ever told you that B is really into things like sustainable gardening, organic fruits and veggies, and eating from local/regional producers? And that, on the other hand, I really like CHEAP? Politics in our house get tricky as I debate in realistic (B just asked me to change that to "short-sighted") terms like "Have you seen our bank account?" and B debates from the lofty idealistic "what's better for the whole of us is better than what's good for the two of us" stance.
In October we'll hit our 5 year anniversary, so we'll have had this argument for, oh let's see, 4 1/2 years.

Now I'm thanking you from the bottom of my stingy little heart, your mention of a CSA saved B and me from at least ONE perpetual row. We looked close to home and found Farmer Tom's. For 24 bucks a week we get a 1/2 bushel of organic fruits and vegetables that've been grown by a local farmer. The one down side- that 1/2 bushel is a grab bag and you don't know what you're going to get. This week was our first CSA Surprise and it included apples, pears, cantaloupe, eggplant, broccoli, potatoes, tomatoes, nanners, and parsnips.

And 2 POUNDS of arugula.

What do you do with that much? I mean the peppery bitter green is good, but I can't eat that many salads in a week. I guess I'm thinking a soup, frozen pestos, and this pizza:

Prosciutto Pizza with Arugula
2 par baked personal sized doughs
1/4 pound of prosciutto thinly sliced
4 slices of provolone
olive oil (if you have it use truffle oil on the arugula instead of olive oil)
garlic
as much arugula as you can stand
Parmesan
salt
pepper
red pepper flakes according to taste

Preheat oven to 400. First, mix minced garlic with some olive oil- brush over pizza crust. Lay prosciutto over pizza crust (1/4 pound was enough to cover both my par bakes, but you could use more or less). Cut up provolone into matchsticks (I used 2 thin slices per pizza) and arrange evenly over the pizza. You don't want it like a traditional pizza- just the suggestion of cheese.
Place in oven for 6-7 minutes.

While pizzas cook, mix arugula, Parmesan, a glug of olive oil, and salt and pepper in a bowl- like it's a salad. ( You could add lemon. I wanted to, but B had thrown mine away earlier in the day.) When pizzas are done (cheese just melted) just place the arugula on top so that it covers the prosciutto so much you can't see it. Use red pepper flakes to your discretion.

If you have any ideas for arugula please send them and what are you getting in your CSA Surprise?

Love,
TT

Postscript

2009-09-10T07:17:00.001-07:00

Tia T -

Those are bitter melons. I had to ask my mom what they were in English, because I know them as "teeta karala." My mom likes to slice them in half lengthwise, then again into little moons, if that makes sense. She then cooks them with olive oil, spices and potatoes until they're crisp and until I mix them into a big pile of white rice and eat the sh** out of them.

But now I'm interested in how else they might be prepared...I'll do some looking and asking around!

L,

TF

No Sleep 'Til Brooklyn

2009-09-09T09:34:00.000-07:00

Dear Ms. Tay,

After a whirlwind weekend in New York, I'm ready for a night in myself. I'm a little too frazzled at the moment (laundry! unpacking! what will i make for dinner? what will i eat for lunch? oh, god, we don't have anything to eat but frozen chicken thighs. is that a banana? yes! oh. no. grocery store first, or gym first? laundry! unpacking! reading in bed...no, bad tia fia.), but I thought you might like to see some gastronomic highlights from my trip:

I'll write more later. I hope all is well with you...fall is almost here! I can smell it, feel it in my bones.

Love you,

TF

Girl's Night In

2009-09-06T21:39:00.001-07:00

Dear Ms. TF
Oh Girl, you don't have to tell me about four different laundry receptacles. My most favorite is the corner that holds balled-up damp towels employed for face shaving. It's carefully hidden behind the bathroom door and is usually discovered when I'm scrubbing the floor. That would be semi-okay (meaning not yell worthy), but it's always the good towels- the ones saved for COMPANY. Seriously, the only reason I don't actually BUFAD (break up for a day) is that B is the ONE who does the laundry. For this reason I get down on my knees, thank God and then go make dinner-

I baked a toothsome Beef and Spinach Pie this evening. Not allowing the pedestrian name fool me, I chose it from the cookbook Casserole Crazy: Hot Stuff for Your Oven by Emily Farris. A gift in the mail from my Mom, I've always turned to it when I want something "oh so good, but bad for you".

B was late at work and was going out for drinks afterward- so I wanted to make something new, something that I'd love, and something that would taste good to B after he had been drinking. Also, I was hoping that I could mix it all together, stick it in the oven and then watch an episode of My So-Called Life while it cooked. It worked out exactly as I wanted.

Beef and Spinach Pie
1 pre-made 9-inch frozen pastry
1/2 large white onion
2 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1/2 cup sliced baby portobello mushrooms
1/2 pound lean ground sirloin
pinch of cayenne powder
pinch plus an extra of chili powder
1 teaspoon of oregano
salt and pepper
1 cup of pureed tomatoes
2 tablespoons of fresh chopped basil
3/4 cup of frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1/2 cup ricotta
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F.

Bake pie shells according to package directions. I used whole wheat 365 brand.

In a large skillet over medium heat, saute the onion and garlic in the olive oil until the onions are translucent. Add the mushrooms, beef, cayenne, chili powder, oregano, and salt and pepper to taste. When the beef is cooked through, add the tomatoes and 1 tablespoon of the basil. Set the heat to high and cook stirring occasionally, until the sauce is boiling, then reduce heat to low. Let simmer 5 to 10 minutes.

In medium bowl, mix the spinach, ricotta (I used cottage cheese because it's cheaper and better for you) and 1/2 cup of the mozzarella. Spoon the spinach mixture evenly into the bottom of each cooled crust, then cover evenly with the meat sauce. Top with the remaining mozzarella and basil. Bake, uncovered, for 35 to 40 minutes or until the mozzarella begins to brown and the pie is hot throughout.

Let stand 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Sadly, we didn't have leftovers and I had to take veggies for my brown bag lunch instead of a piece of pie.

I will send you a surprise in the mail if you can tell me what these are? and what do you do with them?

B needs the computer so I gotta go. Let me know when the application process is over. B and I just started our "Bangladesh Here We Come" savings account.

Love,
TT

Chile Con Quesadilla

2009-09-04T07:34:00.000-07:00

Dear Tia Tizzle,

I must be having a whip cream kinda day myself - it's only 10:30 in the morning and I'm ready to tear someone's head off. Some of it seems to do with the fact that, unbeknownst to me, there are apparently four different receptacles for dirty laundry in our house. Silly me, I thought laundry went only in the one laundry basket...

So far, none of my usual self-soothing rituals have worked out. I'm going to wait until noon (it seems too decadent to have whipped cream before noon on a working day) to make some of that whipped cream for a bowlful of blueberries, and maybe that will calm me down enough to allow me to continue working on my Fulbright application. How many more times can I say "Fulbright application" before you are completely sick of it?

At least dinner last night was satisfying. After reading your letter, I was visited by a rush of homesickness so swift and so lethal, I went scrounging around to see if I had anything to make some comfort food. Though we're scraping the bottom of our weekly groceries, we had everything I needed to make us a temporary antidote for the Tex-Mex blues: flour tortillas, pepper jack cheese, a can of Ro-Tel, and of course, cow, in ground form.

While it's no Polvo's, the modest table at Casa F looked pretty good to two homesick Texans. J took one bite and closed his eyes before saying, "Somehow, you managed to make chile con quesadilla."

Chile Con Quesadilla

1 lb. ground beef
lots of shredded pepper jack cheese
cumin, ancho chile powder, cayenne pepper
1 can of Ro-Tel tomatoes, drained
flour tortillas

Brown the beef over medium heat until no longer pink. Add two minced cloves of garlic and up to a whole chopped onion to the beef, and cook until soft. Add a drained can of Ro-Tel tomatoes and a glug of red wine (R, there is a magical relationship between wine and tomatoes, there is!), and cook for a few minutes longer. Then add the spices. You could add anything, but I added a few thumbfuls each of cumin, ancho chile powder, and cayenne pepper. Continue cooking until juices from tomatoes are mostly gone.

Put the meat to one side, then warm a skillet, preferably iron-cast, over medium heat. Add a little butter to the pan. When the butter is melted, place a tortilla in the pan. Cover the surface of the tortilla with ground beef and as much shredded cheese as you wish. Place another tortilla on top, then wait a minute or two. Flip the quesadilla, then pull of the top tortilla and add more cheese. Cook until cheese is melty and tortillas are slightly browned.

Repeat to make as many as you want. I took a can of black beans and cooked it with some butter, onions, garlic, and spices, then mashed all of it up to make refried beans.

While there was little to no nutritional value in last night's dinner, it did hit the spot, and made me feel a little less lonely out here on the East Coast. What do you like to eat when you're feeling sad or homesick?

Oh, also, the most interesting ingredient: I'd have to say whole fennel. I wanted to try to recreate this salad I'd had once in San Francisco, but it was a major fail. The fennel overpowered the rest of the ingredients, unfortunately, and I haven't tried to use it again. Oh well.

Alright, lady - I'm going to try to muddle through my day and hope I don't freak out and snap at someone. Hope you and B have a terrific weekend - can't wait to hear all about it!

L,

TF

A Whip Cream Kinda Day

2009-09-02T10:12:00.000-07:00

Dear Tia Fia,

The weirdest ingredient I ever cooked with? Hmmm. I've racked my brain, but I can't come up with anything out of the ordinary. As a white girl from Central Texas, I'm really into things like burgers, fried chicken, mac and cheese, enchiladas, beans, and cow. Stepping my sneaker out of the culinary box makes my heart pound and not in a good way. Think J, but with a little broader palette. I mean, B has to bribe me to make a vegetarian meal. By the way, he really thanks you for the Eggplant Pizza, without your influence he never woulda got to try it. I usually detest eggplant, but I loved it drenched in olive oil. What's the weirdest thing you ever cooked with? Were you disappointed or did you like it?

My preferred food group is comfort and today I really needed it. For no apparent reason it was the most frustrating day EVER! It started with the way B picked up his fork at breakfast, continued when my shirt didn't feel right on my clavicle and ended when, just because a customer asked, "How are you?", I had the distinct urge to step on his big toe.

Years past, this exasperation would've been cleared up immediately with a smoke, but since I no longer carry around a pack of Camel Lights and a lighter I had to turn to something different. That's when I said to myself, "it's a whip cream kinda day."

Usually I have fruit after a meal. It's light, sweet, and is good for ya, but if I need a treat I whip some cream to dollop on top. It's easy and if you have company over you can call it Chantilly Cream.

Here's the recipe:

1 cup of heavy whipping cream
1-2 tablespoons of sugar
1 tsp of vanilla

1) Put large bowl, beaters, and cream in freezer for 15 minutes.
2) Pour cream in large bowl and using a hand mixer mix on high for about one minute.
The cream will first have alot of bubbles, but then they will start to dissipate and the cream
will then get fluffy and smooth. Try to make sure there are stiff peaks, but don't be too concerned it still tastes good if they are soft.

Gotta go! I hope you have a good day.

Love,
Tia T

Sriracha Drizzle, Fo-Shizzle

2009-09-01T18:57:00.000-07:00

TT,

The temperature started dropping here just a few days ago, too. It's warm enough during the day that I'm still donning tank tops and flip flops, but cool enough once the sun descends that I needed a sweater this evening when J and I went for a post-dinner walk.

Speaking of dinner:

It all started sometime last week, when I made your stirfry for dinner. J ate two bowlfuls of it over rice, then reminisced about a period of his youth making daring and delicious stir fry, apparently inspired by this TV show.

Naturally, I told him to put his money where his mouth was. As an aside, [begin rant] I really hate that turn of phrase. It makes me think of putting dollar bills that have passed through so many hands they're all grimy and wrinkled, and maybe some of them have even been tossed on the stages (at the very least) of strip clubs, or thrown down during a street dog fight, or have been stuck in the sweaty back pocket of some gross dude who favors chili cheese fries over bathing [end rant]. Who wants to put that in their mouths? [obligatory "that's what she said" here]

So, ahem, as the above photograph shows, Tia Fia got served. Literally. Get it? Ha. Ha.

Sigh. Working on my Fulbright application is making me stir crazy. Or is it stir fry crazy? Groan. Anyway, it was pretty delicious. He says he:

Took thinly sliced chicken breast and tossed it with two minced garlic cloves, the seeds of a serrano pepper (courtesy of our friend Keith's garden), one tablespoon each of soy sauce, canola oil, and marsala cooking wine I bought ages ago.

While it was marinating, he sliced a bell pepper and a handful of green onions lengthwise, and pulled the ends off of a handful of snow peas.

He then heated the wok on high until it was "really, really hot," added oil, threw the chicken in, seared it, then turned the heat down. He then added the onion and bell pepper until they were "soft but not soft," followed by the snow peas. During the whole cooking process, he kept adding oil and soy sauce and more cooking wine to keep it "liquidy." When the peas were cooked but still crisp, he threw in a pinch of cornstarch, then served it over white rice.

Since I'm a glutton for punishment, I drizzled my already spicy pile of chicken and veggies with Sriracha. Is there anything better than a numb tongue, watery eyes, and sniffling to accompany your dining experience?

Speaking of dining experiences...that pork chop looks amazing, the flowers beautiful, and the tomatoes incandescent. The only way that streudel experience could be improved is if it were accompanied by a heaping spoonful of Nutella, which, I too cannot keep in the house.

Nature's Way looks like the kind of place I wish was right around the corner from us. J and I are joining a CSA this year, and I'm excited to exchange ideas with you for cooking all the different Fall vegetables. I'm definitely going to be asking J to stir fry at least some of them.

I'll miss you too if we end up going to Bangladesh. If we do, I hope y'all will come visit. Think of all the culinary adventures we'll have! In terms of the Fulbright application: sigh. It's going to be a much longer process than I thought. Basically, over the next few weeks, I have to submit my application at least three times to VCU's Fulbright committee for feedback, and then I have to revise per their suggestions. The nice thing is that VCU takes this process seriously. The lame thing is that I won't be done with the whole damn thing for another month or so.

This has turned into a much longer letter than I intended. What's the most interesting ingredient you've ever cooked with? I've been watching a lot of Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations...

-TF

Pork Chop Pork Chop Greesy Greesy

2009-08-31T09:37:00.000-07:00

Dear Tia Fia,

Diving into the pool of excess- oh boy- gotta love it. Really, I'm going to have to make some friends who offer me Nutella. If I bought it for the house, B and I would eat it in a single sitting.

You won't believe how cool it is here in Chicago. It's been between 62 and 75 degrees for the last week. Although the early autumn is pleasant, the crisp weather is foreboding in its promise of 20 below oh my God this could actually kill me freezing cold. I imagine this is the reason people say "Why'd you move HERE?" when tell them I'm from Austin. Yeah cold is a deterrent, but there are an amazing amount of things to do here. It's not just margaritas, Tex-Mex and Barton Springs.
Evidence-
Edgewater Farmer's Market where we can buy:

heirloom tomatoes, lemon cucumbers, and flowers that I thought were pretty in their purpleness, but forgot to note the name.

Hosted by neighborhood store, Nature's Way, the market is a small, but effective, meeting place for neighbors and friends. Nature's Way also has this cool rooftop garden thing going on. They grow some of the veggies they sell on the ROOF. You can check out the details here. We weren't allowed to climb the ladder and get a sneak peak, but they were certainly nice about answering all our questions.

Afterward, B and I split the Cherry Custard Strudel and had a hot cup of coffee at Austrian Bakery.

Whenever we're there we make sure to pick up a loaf of Sunflower Bread (see picture with pork chop) and buy a pastry we've never had. See that sugar on top? It makes the crunchiest, yummiest texture ever.

Because all the above fun was so tiring and expensive, we ate in for the evening.

Pork Chops Saltimbocca (adapted from Gourmet)

2 (1-in thick) center cut pork chops
2 sage leaves, finely chopped
2 very thin slices Italian Fontina
2 thin slices prosciutto
2 Tbsp olive oil, divided

1) Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2) Cut a deep, wide pocket in each pork chop. Sprinkle half of sage in each pocket and stuff pockets with cheese and prosciutto. Pat chops dry and season with salt and pepper. I also like to add a little bit of sugar to the 1st pan down side.
3) Heat 1 Tbsp oil in a ovenproof skillet over medium high heat until it shimmers. Cook chops until undersides are golden, about 2 minutes, then turn chops and transfer skillet to oven. Roast until cooked through. About 5 minutes.

See, easy as pie. Although- I didn't make my pocket wide enough and the double pork goodness was centered in a very small area of chop. Also it says 5 minutes, but I shoulda put an extra 2 minutes on the meat, we couldn't eat close to the bone.
Did you get your Fulbright application sent? I keep thinking about how much I'll miss y'all if you go to Bangladesh.

Love,
Tia T

P.S. New word I will not say- Swab. Even the benign command "Swab the deck" sounds suspect.

The Weekend in Review

2009-08-30T11:34:00.000-07:00

Tia T -

I like to saunter into the idea of restraint and then sprint right out, which totally happened this weekend starting Friday night, when Laura and I made tomato pie. It tasted as cheesily, decadently good as you promised. Laura threw some feta into the cheese mixture, which nicely complemented the basil and tomatoes.

Then, J and I had a wonderful Saturday afternoon that included cinnamon-laced chocolate ice cream from our favorite ice cream shop. I ate a whole serving of it on a sugar cone like ice cream was going out of style while J and I walked hand in hand and window shopped.

And then our Saturday evening began with this tasty chicken dish:

Pretty delicious looking, right? It took no more than 15 minutes to make, was spicy, smoky, and sweet, and went great alongside some leftover orzo. I'm thinking it'd be good on top of some home fries or just plain white rice too, anything to sop up that sauce. J, who is not generally a huge sauce fan, licked that mustardly goodness right off his fork.

Finally, my friend Jess had me and Laura over for brunch this morning. Girlfriend made brown sugar and blueberry waffles, then taunted us further with a jar of Nutella:

I share all these food pron pictures with you to emphasize how briefly I lingered in Spiritual Growth Land. I didn't just fall off the wagon; I leaped. This state of Dionsyian bliss puts me in the right frame of mind to not just admire your refrigerator shelf stacked with cheese, but to wish to acquire my own.

Now, unfortunately, back to work. I hope this weekend found your "project" in an enjoyable phase of its development.

Love you!

-Ti to the Fiazzle

Cheese Heavy

2009-08-29T22:49:00.000-07:00

Dear Tia Fia,

After reading your letter I was struck by the stark contrast in our weeks. While it sounds like your week is one of spiritual growth and sacrifice, mine is one of self-indulgence and idleness.

Although I could offer you tons of evidence to support the above statement I will only give you one:

I call this Cheese Heavy. Yes, that's right. Five cheeses and even more dairy products. The grated Monterrey jack/cheddar mix is for casseroles, the goat is for salads, the Parmesan is again for salads when I don't feel like goat, the small block of cheddar is for my walnuts or my eggs in the morning, and after taking this photo I added a provolone to make your Eggplant Pizza (which was AMAZING).

We usually have only a mild cheddar, but this week is prime time to work on what I call "the Project". Most projects require discipline, hard work, and time management, but for this one the Doc prescribed no running, five more pounds, and relaxation. Not only does an abundance of cheese choices help me gain those pounds, but it also signals to my cave woman brain "him- good provider" about B. Or this is how I explain it to B when he asks, "What the Hell are five cheeses doing in the fridge!!???"

Let me know how your weekend went.

Love,
TT

Ramadan-A-Ding-Dong

2009-08-27T07:48:00.000-07:00

Dear Tia Tay,

It's Ramadan for Muslims worldwide, and I'm struggling to fast often enough that I don't feel the usual resurgence of inherited guilt. When I was younger and living at home, Ramadan seemed like a boundary encircling our house, separating us from the rest of Smalltown, West Texas. Inside, my mother cooked Bengali food without being able to taste for salt or seasoning, my father read the Qur'an, and I wandered from room to room, trying to find something to fill my hands to pass the time. Outside were children on bikes, families warming up their grill for what I imagined were steaks, and what seemed like an entire world able to eat and drink at whim.

We'd break our fast with dates and glasses of milk swirled with this syrup that tasted like roses and candy. I always made a beeline for the water afterwards; that's always been the hardest part of fasting for me.

I think the notion of imposing rigor on oneself temporarily is an interesting one, so part of me was eager to try to keep as many fasts as I could. Yeah, that ship has sailed. Somehow, it's a lot harder as an adult. I'm so reliant on my daily rituals, as simple as they are: a bowl of cereal or a smoothie in the morning, a cup of coffee at the coffeeshop I go to write sometimes, water all throughout the day from the bottle I carry with me everywhere.

Thankfully, my friend Amira fasted with me yesterday. Solidarity means everything when you can't take even a sip of water from sunrise to sunset.

We agreed to break our fast at my place with a light meal and several huge, ice-laden glasses of water. I wanted to make something filling and healthy; heavy food is the worse thing you can do to an entirely empty stomach.

It must be an Elise kind of week, because her Greek meatballs were easy to make, flavorful, and satisfying. And the seasoning is minimal enough that I didn't feel like I needed to taste while I was making them. I served them with a dipping sauce made from Greek yogurt mixed with sour cream and dill and alongside the following orzo:

Orzo with Spinach, Cucumber, and Feta (adapted from my friend Laura)

1. Cook orzo according to the directions on the package. I cooked mine with half chicken stock/half water. Drain.

2. While orzo is draining, slice cucumbers lengthwise, then again into small half-moon shaped slices. Chop a few generous handfuls of spinach.

3. When orzo has cooled, throw it in a bowl and toss with a few glugs of olive oil.

4. Add spinach and cucumber slices, then the feta.

5. Toss to mix. Eat. Repeat!

By the way, B's salad dressing inspired me to try some new dressings. I usually just mix lemon juice and olive oil with some salt and pepper, but I'm definitely going to try that.

Continuing with Elise week, Laura and I are actually making the tomato pie tomorrow night! You captured dead on what makes Simply Recipes one of my favorite food blogs: simple, fresh, and thoughtfully made food. I'm terribly excited, even more so after seeing your pictures. I like the idea of a whole wheat crust, but I especially like the prospect of cheesy goodness. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Hope your week has gone well - what are y'all's plans for the weekend?

Much Love,

TF

Pie

2009-08-25T22:21:00.000-07:00

Dear Tia Fia-

The idea to put a fried egg on a salad is genius! At work, about a week ago, we were discussing odd things that tasted good with fried eggs on them. My list included hamburgers, enchiladas, and hash browns (not weird, but definitely a classic). Nobody mentioned greens, I can't wait to tell 'em about it.

Glad you liked my pseudo food porn pics. I swear to God I will never arrange peaches in the shape of a starfish ever ever again.

After years in the service industry, B and I have finally organized Sundays off together. To celebrate we like to cook, have a fight, and then make up. The picture was taken after cooking and before the fight. The walnuts, goat cheese, and peaches added to arugula was the most exciting part. It tasted kinda like a grown-up version of peaches and cream. B composed the dressing. Together he combined:

1/2 cup of prosecco (reduced to half a cup)
1 egg yolk
lotsa basil
pepper
shallot
garlic
lotsa lemon juice

Dressings are super hard to do though, and we needed to put a ton more lemon or maybe a vinegar in the stuff. It didn't distract from the salad, but it could've added more.

Tonight I pulled from my favorite food blog- www.simplyrecipes.com. Elise always selects the most yummy recipes. She uses a ton of fresh veggies and her ingredients are never high-brow. Today I tried to make her Tomato Pie. Hers looked like this (includes the recipe).
Mine looked like this:

LOOK"N GOOD! Right?

The warm cheesy zucchini tomato goodness was amazing- that is not an exaggeration. Adding the zucchini and using a store-bought whole wheat crust, it was little different than Elise's, but everything else I followed to the letter. This recipe will definitely be made again.

Did you finish your statement of purpose?

Love,
TT

Food for Thought

2009-08-24T12:23:00.001-07:00

Tia Tay!

That does look like an amazing day...details, and fast. Are those peaches in that heavenly looking salad? Goat cheese? WALNUTS?!!! What herbs are canoodling with that chicken? That looks like a restaurant I would want to frequent but couldn't afford - is that your house?

My life is a little more dull at the moment...I'm sitting at my desk, taking a lunch break from a frustrating few hours of working on my statement of purpose for the Fulbright application. I hate this kind of writing, because it always feels contrived to try to find that balance between overly modest and explicitly self-aggrandizing. I wanted to eat something fresh, light, but substantial enough to kick start my beaten-against-the-wall brain. After foraging through my pantry and the fridge and busying myself in the kitchen for a few minutes, I sat back down at my desk with renewed purpose.

A bowl of baby spinach. A can of garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed. A generous handful of grated parmesan cheese. A few glugs of olive oil, and the juice of a whole lemon. One fried egg dusted with ground black pepper. I think I can get back to work now.

Can't wait to hear the details of your day -

Love,

TF

A Long Day

2009-08-23T21:43:00.000-07:00

Um-- Ms. Tia Fia

Your Orange Chocolate Chunk Cake looks amazing. I'm going to have to try it even though I'm a total wuss about baking. I always think bakers are the most brave people on earth- all that science they have to learn.

Anyway, the cake would've gone great with my day. It looked like this-

+

=

an amazing day.

Give you the details later.

Love,

Tia T

Chocolate and Cheese

2009-08-23T17:20:00.000-07:00

Dear Tia Tay,

I'm glad to not be alone in a universe of self-imposed arbitrary rules. I hardly ever make anything I don't have at least the majority of ingredients for. This is true especially for baking. It's such a high maintenance task already - who wants to leave the house on a rainy afternoon for something as ultimately useless as whole jar of instant coffee granules of which you are going to use only ONE freaking teaspoon just for a chocolate ganache?

These are the kind of injustices that haunt me late at night. By the way, "granule" is a word that bothers me, though I'm not sure why. I don't think I can shun it entirely, but it makes me think of having sand in my mouth, and that's gross.

Ganache, on the other hand, is a word I love. It instantly makes me think of creamy, glossy chocolate rippling over some baked good. My love of this glorious concept compelled me to make Ina Garten's Orange Chocolate Chunk Cake to accompany the huge trays of my mother's delicious Bengali food (left over from her recent visit) I served at the party Friday night.

I chose this recipe, in part, to get rid of a lot of foodstuffs that were about to bite it: almost-mushy navel oranges, buttermilk on its last leg, the remaining few eggs in the carton. I almost always have semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate on hand (dangerous, but sometimes necessary in emergencies), and heavy whipping cream as well.

The combination of citrus and chocolate, I thought, might complement the spiciness of the main course. I served slices of it warm with a scoop of tangerine sorbet. Judging by the look on AC's face and the empty cake plate left at the end of the night, I think it was a success:

Orange Chocolate Chunk Cake (adapted from Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa Parties)

1/2 pound unsalted butter at room temperature
2 cups sugar
4 extra-large eggs at room temperature
1/4 cup grated orange zest (from 4 large oranges)
3 cups all-purpose flour plus 2 tablespoons
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
3/4 cup buttermilk at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups good semisweet chocolate chunks

Syrup:
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

Ganache:
8 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon instant coffee granules (which I did not use, obviously, and I don't think it mattered)

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour a 10-inch Bundt pan.

2. Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment for about 5 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, then the orange zest.

3. Sift together 3 cups flour, the baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. In another bowl, combine the orange juice, buttermilk, and vanilla. Add the flour and buttermilk mixtures alternately in thirds to the creamed butter, beginning and ending with the flour. Toss the chocolate chunks with 2 tablespoons flour and add to the batter. Pour into the pan, smooth the top, and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until a cake tester comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, make the syrup. In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, cook the sugar with the orange juice until the sugar dissolves. Remove the cake from the pan, set it on a rack over a tray, and spoon the orange syrup over the cake. Allow the cake to cool completely.

5. For the ganache, melt the chocolate, heavy cream, and coffee in the top of a double boiler over simmering water until smooth and warm, stirring occasionally. Drizzle over the top of the cake.

How was y'all's weekend? I just used the last of the whipping cream to make that goat cheese sauce, by the way, which was perfect since I had leftover goat cheese from the eggplant pizza. I added some shrimp to it and baked it in the oven for our Sunday evening dinner. It ended up being kind of a creamy stew, and I had to stop myself from tipping my bowl back and drinking it. J loved it too - he sends his thanks and his love.

Mine too,

TF

Rules

2009-08-22T14:23:00.000-07:00

Tia Fia-

Not only do I have rules for dining out, but I also have rules for makin' dinner. Existing only in my head, these strict stipulations are based on a complex and emotional framework that changes frequently and is unexplainable. So when B said the other evening, "I think I want to cook tonight," he knew to sit on the couch quietly and listen to-

1) You have to use the chicken breasts.

2) The goat cheese crumbles have to be used up.
3) There will be no going to the store for ingredients. And
4) The vegetables that are on the brink of turning need to be eaten.

Instead of complaining, B rose to the challenge and found a yummy and new recipe on-line.

He baked the chicken breasts and then slowly simmered

3/4 cup of goat cheese
1/2 cup of cream
1/2 cup of chicken broth
1 garlic clove
a handful of fresh herbs from our container garden

He then put this on top of the chicken breasts. Girl- I could eat this EVERY week. I see it on grilled veggies, a chicken sandwich, or on a spoon shoveled into my mouth while I'm standing over the stove.

How was your party? Let me know.

Love,

TT

P.S. I'm putting "veggie patch" on my Will Never Say list- it joins moist, pluck and prune.

Temperate Summer

2009-08-20T13:51:00.000-07:00

Dear Tia Fia,

O.K. don't be jealous-it's 77 degrees and breezy here in Uptown, Chicago. We've had the most mild summer I've ever seen. No air-condition hopping for us, only open windows, sweaters at night, and hot coffee in the a.m. Our lone window unit resides in our bedroom, not because it's too hot to open the window, but because I'm afraid the bad men will break in and steal me. The weather has been so balmy that it has taken 'till August for B's strawberries to ripen-

Because we only have a few plants, B and I each have one strawberry a day. If we had more I'd make this for dessert.

For eating out, I just require that it be really good and that I can't make it. Like for pastor tacos with homemade corn tortillas, I'd require a roasting spit and an altogether new place of family origin. Posessing neither, I have to go to Carmela's (so small they don't have a website) for lunch when I can't stand another day of Yankee food.

The aguas frescas recipe you sent looks great. I'd love to try the mint cucumber.

Love ya,

TT

2009-08-20T11:52:00.001-07:00

Dear Tia Tay,

Richmond's been flooded by a deluge of incredible heat and humidity lately, making me remember more than one Austin summer spent hopping from one air-conditioned place to the next. Today's air-conditioned environment was briefly provided by Croaker's Spot, a local restaurant whose menu is unabashedly seafood-laden. I didn't dare order one of the two chicken dishes there, much less anything from the begrudgingly short list of vegetarian items known as "The Veggie Patch."

I ordered the shrimp po boy, which of course immediately made me think of you. Is it strange that I feel guilty eating something you can't? I must be more poorly differentiated than I thought. In case you were wondering, it was delicious: the bread soft and slightly toasted, the creaminess of the mayonnaise perfectly complementing the crispness of the battered shrimp. I drenched my sandwich in Louisiana hot sauce, and resigned myself to the sound of my arteries slamming shut.

Aside from pondering the psychological issues underlying guilt and whether or not my health insurance would cover me if I had an actual heart attack, today's lunch made me wonder if you had any rules for ordering in restaurants. I rarely eat out these days, and when J and I decide to, I drive him crazy by insisting that we go somewhere I can order something I wouldn't/couldn't make myself. Today's sandwich, for example: no way that you could achieve that kind of sandwich without a deep fryer, an appliance my cholesterol thanks me for not having.

How do y'all choose where to go out to eat, and do you have rules for ordering at restaurants too? Maybe it's just me.

I don't have a picture from lunch, which is a shame, because there were three lofty, beautifully made and frosted cakes resplendent beneath glass domes right next to where we were sitting. Instead, here's a picture of a glass of orange juice, courtesy, again, of my brother:

Hope to hear from you soon - is it hot out there in Chi-town? If so, maybe this will cool you and B off.

Love,

Tia Fia

2009-08-16T20:53:00.000-07:00

Dear Tia Tay,

Ah, house guests. It seems we both have been invaded by this curious breed of human, though it sounds like y'all have had a great time. My parents and my little brother, as you heard, have been in town from Texas since Friday evening, and J and I have had a whirlwind couple of days filled with food, copious walking, and more food. I've just put my feet up to check my email for the first time in what seems like days, and I'm glad to have a new letter from you to read.

We have had a few meals out, though of course I always want to impress my parents and show them that not only am I a grownup (in some ways, anyway - at breakfast this morning, I managed to spill coffee and two separate bites of omelette on my white shirt, causing both my mother and J to shake their heads sadly at me), but that I can cook like one too.

My mother, like yours, is so experienced in the kitchen that it's intimidating to cook for her or around her, while my father's palate is both sensitive and not easily impressed. My brother, who is about to be 13, is just beginning to venture outside the safe realm of burgers and peanut butter sandwiches.

I wanted to make something consisting of ingredients I know they like, but also a little more unique than their usual at-home fare. This eggplant pizza was quick and simple enough to make and looked fancy enough that they were suitably impressed, though, much to my dismay, unsurprised that I knocked over a salt shaker and almost tripped and fell in the process of serving it.

Eggplant, Tomato, and Goat Cheese Pizza (adapted from Gourmet)

1 package Afghan flat bread (available at most Middle Eastern grocers), though naan or the equivalent would work too
6 oz. provolone cheese, sliced into matchstick looking things
2-4 oz. goat cheese, crumbled (basically about less than half a handful)
1 roma tomato, sliced into thin rounds
1 purple eggplant, sliced into 1/2 inch-thick rounds
1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
sea salt
olive oil

Heat oven to 325, then eason one side of eggplant rounds with a few grinds of sea salt.

Heat some (about 2 tbs.) olive oil in a large frying pan over medium high heat. When hot, place eggplant, salt side down, in pan. Salt the other side. Flip over when oil has soaked through eggplant, and the flesh has started to soften.

Place rounds on a baking sheet covered with foil (easy cleanup!), and cook in oven for 15-20 minutes. The eggplant should be fairly squishy when you take it out.

While the eggplant is cooking, mix garlic with roughly a tablespoon of olive oil. With a brush or knife, spread over top of the flat bread until garlic is evenly spread out.

Allow cooked eggplant to cool for about 10-15 minutes. Place rounds on top of flat bread until surface is evenly covered. Sprinkle with provolone cheese. Scatter the tomato rounds on top of cheese layer, then finish with a few sprinkles of goat cheese.

Bake in oven for 15 minutes. The crust should be crunchy but still soft.

Here's a picture (our blog's first one, yay!) of the end result, courtesy of my brother:

I like to eat my pizza drenched with as many red pepper flakes as possible, while I'm sure others prefer to keep their stomach linings intact.

Oh, I wanted to tell you - you helped me break my stir fry curse! I tried your recipe, and J loved it. The beef was tender, the asparagus crisp, and the sauce drinkable. We had no leftovers, quite the opposite from my aforementioned mushy asparagus debacle.

I hope you get a chance to rest and get back to your normal routine - I know I must be getting old, because I get downright crotchety when my routine (such as it is) is disrupted.

Sausage and sauerkraut sounds like the perfect winding down meal - what else have you got planned for the week?

Love,

Tia Fia

Sausage and a Movie

2009-08-07T22:26:00.000-07:00

Dear Tia Fia-

B and I have an unspoken rule that we sit down to dinner. I get home first and start preparing and when he gets home it's about ready and so he sets the table. Usually it's so late in the evening we both clean up. We are both really comfortable with this routine, maybe because we both grew up with it, but for whatever the reason, we keep to it.

This week though we've had to register our DBA as Hotel de D. We've had so many friends in and out of the apartment, plus free media passes to Lollapalooza, invites to private rock shows, and just a hell of alot of booze. It's been such a fun and overwhelming week that the only thing we can do is pull out our folding chairs, pretend they are t.v. trays, download a movie, and make one of the easiest meals ever.

Bratwurst Sausage with Sauerkraut

The bratwurst gets thrown in a pan with half an inch of water and when the water has evaporated you then turn the heat up a little and brown all sides of the sausage.

The sauerkraut comes in a jar and gets dumped into a pot with a little chicken stock and alot of caraway seeds. Usually by the time the sausage is done the sauerkraut has been warmed through.

I like to put mustard on this, but some people like onions or granny smith apples.

Anyway, Chicago has almost had its 6 weeks of summer so things are about to calm down for us. I hear your parents are visiting soon. Do you have to cook meals for them or do y'all get taken out the whole time? I hope its the latter.

Write back. I can't wait to hear from you.

Love,
Tia Tay

P.S. I'll have pictures soon. I just need to get my hands on this usb cord for the camera.

2009-08-05T15:18:00.000-07:00

Dear Tia Tay,

It's funny that you decided to go starch-free for awhile; I've been doing the same thing for almost a week now. On top of our (totally worth it!) visit to CL, and the week spent with my parents snarfing down Tex-Mex like it was going out of style, my Canadian friend M came into town, and of course the best (only?) way to entertain a guest is to feed him. So I did, with a vengeance, in the meantime feeding myself, and now I'm not sure it's just water weight I have to worry about. At least I didn't cave and buy the pint of Espresso Oreo at the local ice cream shop that I felt M absolutely must visit...

But! I do have starch-free dinner for tonight planned, and marinating in the refrigerator: chicken breasts, South Asian style. It's my default weeknight dish, because I always have the necessary spices on hand, thanks to my mother's persistent packages brimming with large, plastic spice packets, and because chicken is so flexible as a meat that it's almost obscene.

I'm excited to hear about your stir fry - it sounds delicious. I tried to make something like that once and I overcooked the asparagus into mushy stringy things that vaguely looked and tasted like asparagus but clearly was asparagus's dumber, pudgier clone.

So here I am in my chair, early evening, writing to you and pondering the dead dahlias that I can't bring myself to throw away. Not for any sentimental reason, but because it seems like a lot of effort. This kind of laziness is probably what got me into this possibly-more-than-water-weight business to begin with.

Curry Marinated Chicken Breasts and Cucumber Yogurt Salad

The Chicken (adapted from my mother)

1 lb chicken breasts
1/4 c plain yogurt
1/4 c garlic paste (available at your local Indian grocer in a giant jar for a modest sum)
1/8 c ginger paste (see above)
1 tsp-tbs turmeric powder (I didn't actually measure any of these spices, but I think they're probably alright)
1 tsp-tbs chili powder
1 tsp-tbs cumin
1 tbs olive oil
1/2 lemon, juiced
salt, to taste
whatever other willing and able spices you have that you want to throw in there, such as cardamom or garam masala

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl until chicken is coated evenly.
2. Stick bowl in fridge for at least an hour, though all day/all night is best.
3. Turn your oven to broil.
4. Take bowl out of fridge, let sit 10-15 minutes or until roughly room temperature.
5. Place chicken breasts in a baking dish lined with foil (makes cleanup easy!).
6. Broil chicken for 5-7 minutes on each side, or until cooked through.

The Salad (adapted from www.simplyrecipes.com)

1 cucumber, quartered then sliced lengthwise
1/2 bell pepper, chopped roughly
1/2 c plain yogurt
1 tsp dried dill
salt, to taste

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl until cucumber pieces are evenly coated by yogurt.
2. If making in advance, refrigerate until ready to eat.

You're right; that was more arduous than I expected! Hope all is well in Chi-town. I'm glad we're doing this blog thing together. I'll put some pictures up whenever I a) find my camera b) figure out how to post pictures.

Love,

Tia Fia

P.S.: Do you have any low-starch recipe ideas for buttermilk on its last leg?

Makin' Dinner

2009-08-05T08:49:00.000-07:00

Hey Tia Fia-

So- I just started makin' dinner again. I was totally thrown off by our weekend in CL last week. Like an autistic kid, I got fussy and inconsolable because my schedule had a slight variation. "Oh MY GOD I wasn't able to paint my toenails the perfect shade of red at exactly 8:30 on Sunday night. My whole week is RUINED!" B heard this refrain a million times punctuated by my foot stomping and crying jags. Last week was more fun than a barrel of monkeys. Attractive, right?

So come the next Sunday I'd resolved to "pull myself together." Meaning scoop the litter box and make a meal. These nightly dinners haven't been creative or researched. I've been going on the formula meat+green=dinner. The only problem with this set up is that while I lose all the water weight I gained on my weekend away B wastes away to almost nothing.

Ignoring his needs, this evening I'm continuing with my no bread resolution. The dinner menu is beef and asparagus stir fry. I usually don't get to eat asparagus, but Edgewater Grocery had it for .99 a pound! Although it's extensive and has alot of ingredients this is one of my favorite recipes. (adapted from Cook's Illustrated)

1 pound of flank steak (I always get what's cheapest)
3 tablespoons of soy sauce
1 tablespoon of dry sherry ( For months I thought the vermouth in the pantry was sherry, B just told me it's not)
2 tablespoons low-sodium chicken broth (if I don't have it I use water)
5 tablespoons of oyster sauce (do NOT think that you can substitute this with fish sauce)
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch
6 medium garlic cloves
1 tablespoon of fresh ginger (if you use the stuff in a jar make sure it doesn't have added sugar)
3 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil
11/4 aparagus
1/3 cup water
1 small red bell pepper
3 meduim scallions

1. Combine the beef and soy sauce in bowl- let marinate. Whisk the sherry, chicken broth, oyster sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, and cornstarch in a measuring cup. Combine garlic, ginger, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of the peanut oil in a small bowl.
2. Drain the beef and discard the liquid. Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons of peanut oil in 12 inch pan over high heat 'till smoking. Cook beef in batches until browned. Put beef aside.
3. Add 1 tablespoon of peanut oil to the now-empty skillet; heat until smoking. Add the asparagus and cook 30 seconds; add the water, cover the pan, and lower the heat to medium. Steam the asparagus until tender-crisp, about 1 minute. Set aside.
4. Add the remaining oil and let heat 'till smoking. Add the bell pepper and let cook 'till soft and with spotty brown places.
5. Clear the center of the skillet; add the garlic and ginger mixture to the clearing and cook mashing the mixture with a spoon 'till frangrant, 15 to 20 seconds. Return the asparagus and beef to skillet and toss to combine. Whisk the sauce to recombine; then add to the skillet; cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce is thickened and evenly distributed, about 30 seconds.

Whew! That was alot. I didn't know that writing the recipe down would take so much time. I think I'll open a bottle of wine to celebrate the first posting. Let me know how you're doing.

Love,
Tia Tay