tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30430298837229481832012-01-17T16:08:04.989-06:00because good food should be sharedstacy :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09737207561559386737noreply@blogger.comBlogger941100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043029883722948183.post-46633103481139934412011-12-21T08:03:00.001-06:002011-12-21T08:06:29.577-06:00

For my friends who have been asking for my marshmallow recipe... I have grand plans for step-by-step pics, but Robbie Burns said it best, The best laid plans of mice and men gang aft agley. Today you get one photo of what marshmallows look like when they're ready to be eaten. :) It's really amazing how easy it is to make your own marshmallows. I love playing with flavors and coming up with

stacy :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09737207561559386737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043029883722948183.post-88017738505793828762011-10-30T19:04:00.000-05:002011-10-30T19:04:52.308-05:00

There are so many talented bakers on the Daring Kitchen. I, on the other hand, am vaguely talented at following instructions, so I can make things that sometimes look pretty and pretend it's because I'm a talented baker. This month, I assembled the ingredients suggested to me and baked 2 really cool loaves of bread. One was with the traditional fillings recommended, and one was with other stuff.

stacy :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09737207561559386737noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043029883722948183.post-31696300088445182142011-10-20T23:46:00.002-05:002011-10-21T15:20:08.654-05:00

This week's ffwd recipe was for a street food from Normandy called pissaladiere. Yes, I prepared a recipe that involved 6 onions, 12 anchovies, and a bunch of black olives, spread over a rectangular flatbread. I even sorta enjoyed the taste I had tonight. Woulda made a good appetizer before our awesome dinner of breaded flounder, rice, and summer squash. However, as I was stuck at work till

stacy :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09737207561559386737noreply@blogger.com14The Woodlands The Woodlands30.195853 -95.531489tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043029883722948183.post-41194545020588751822011-09-30T10:54:00.000-05:002011-09-30T10:54:08.659-05:00

I think our favorite recipes so far from Around My French Table have been the salads. This one was not that different from the bacon and egg and asparagus salad that Mr Leaven references at least once a week. Both have greens tossed in a simple vinaigrette dressing, bacon, and eggs With this salad, you add fresh and sun-dried tomatoes (I used more of those wonderful slow-roasted tomatoes),

stacy :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09737207561559386737noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043029883722948183.post-89782346099041067642011-09-28T14:36:00.000-05:002011-09-28T14:36:51.867-05:00

Fresh croissants are good, y'all. They're also a lot of work to prepare. This month's Daring Bakers challenge was to make croissants, using a recipe from the great Julia Child. There are websites devoted to perfecting the croissant. It turns out that people are really serious about their croissants. Mine were buttery, flaky, and delicious, but I learned after preparing them that they would

stacy :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09737207561559386737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043029883722948183.post-88528887209273191222011-09-23T06:00:00.006-05:002011-09-23T06:00:19.305-05:00

Oh, madeleines, where have you been all my life? When I saw that this week's French Fridays with Dorie recipe was for honey-spiced madeleines, my first concern was whether I would have to purchase a madeleine pan, one of those one-off items that I just knew I would never use again. I checked Amazon, and the nonstick pans were fairly reasonable, so I bit the bullet and purchased one. So far,

stacy :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09737207561559386737noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043029883722948183.post-27236223754978036872011-09-18T10:31:00.001-05:002011-10-26T19:04:02.872-05:00

Since I joined FFwD 8 months after the group started, I was already 36 recipes behind. Lucky for me, some of these 36 I'd already prepared (because I love this cookbook), so I only have 26 weeks of catch-up work (this is starting to feel like one of my recurring nightmares-turned-to-sweet-dreams where I'm late for class then find out I haven't read any of the books all semester and I have a final

stacy :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09737207561559386737noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043029883722948183.post-34269867692501537692011-09-16T06:00:00.002-05:002011-09-16T11:16:18.203-05:00

So I Google searched Cinnamon crunch chicken to see if this recipe had already been posted elsewhere. It had. On my blog, 6 months ago. I love when I forget about my own posts. I took the recipe off the blog, since we don't post the FFWD recipes to encourage people to buy the cookbook - Around My French Table - but it's the easiest thing ever. The most challenging task is collecting 2 of the 3

stacy :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09737207561559386737noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043029883722948183.post-74928620254186598202011-09-14T06:00:00.001-05:002011-09-14T06:00:19.589-05:00

I wussed out for this month's Daring Cooks' Challenge. I wasn't very daring. The challenge was to make a soup and an accompaniment. If you were really daring, you could try your hand at consomme, a lovely clear broth made by clarifying a delicious soup into something even more delicious and beautiful. Truth was, I did try to be daring, but I failed miserably and didn't try again. Sad, but let's

stacy :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09737207561559386737noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043029883722948183.post-74568887449659732122011-09-11T18:46:00.000-05:002011-09-11T18:47:10.528-05:00

The word migas comes from the Spanish for 'crumbs', I learned today on Wikipedia. It was originally a dish made from leftover bread or torta, mixed with other stuff. I don't know when eggs got added to the mix, but the standard Tex-Mex migas include egg, tortilla, tomato, onion, and peppers, cheese, and chorizo, if you're adding meat. Migas have risen in popularity in the past few years. Last

stacy :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09737207561559386737noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043029883722948183.post-72817665669072562632011-09-09T06:00:00.008-05:002011-09-11T18:49:01.081-05:00

Well, I was warned. It says right there in the recipe that this is not a risotto. And it's not. This week's FFWD dish was creamy, cheesy, garlicky rice with spinach. It has the same ingredients as your basic risotto - sauteed onions and garlic, slow-cooked rice, and then spinach/cream/cheese stirred in at the end. What I didn't take into consideration was that in this recipe (unlike a risotto) 

stacy :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09737207561559386737noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043029883722948183.post-73556628357903549412011-09-03T16:40:00.000-05:002011-09-03T16:40:33.817-05:00

The first hint of autumn arrived this morning, after a miserably hot and dry summer that has been going on at least 6 months. Today, the temps were under 80 at 8am and even now at 3pm we can sit outside without whimpering. I know that the heat will return, again and again, before we really get to enjoy autumn, but today has been nice. It makes me anticipate even more the next Movie Night at

stacy :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09737207561559386737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043029883722948183.post-45740441932887720722011-09-02T16:40:00.000-05:002011-09-02T16:40:15.122-05:00

I'm 2 weeks late in posting my August Daring Cooks challenge. Same excuses as always - mostly work ones - but this week is vacation - and it still took me until Day 6 of my vacation to get around to blogging. Anyway, this month's Daring Cooks challenge was delightfully exotic. I'll let Mary, of Mary Mary Culinary, explain it (quoted from the DK page): Hello! I’m Mary, from Mary Mary Culinary

stacy :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09737207561559386737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043029883722948183.post-71597326408013838802011-09-02T16:25:00.002-05:002011-09-05T21:43:53.854-05:00

You know what the French call a Big Mac? A Royale with cheese. As a third-generation Texan, I know a little something about hamburgers. Our family has its own secret recipe. Actually, most families I know around here have their own secret recipes. We go to our favorite restaurant, Hubbell and Hudson Kitchen, about once a week, and 4 out of 5 times we both get burgesr. I worked hard to perfect

stacy :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09737207561559386737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043029883722948183.post-63436198829213933862011-09-02T13:25:00.000-05:002011-09-02T14:08:18.865-05:00

I've gotta say, I love vacation. I'm home from work this week, just kicking back at home, going on walks with the pups, reading obsessively (finished Little Bee this weekend - so good but such an emotional drain!), and of course cooking. Also blogging about cooking, something that just hasn't happened ever since work took a turn for the ridiculously busy. At the start of the week, I wrote

stacy :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09737207561559386737noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043029883722948183.post-36924628987799226592011-09-01T10:42:00.000-05:002011-09-01T10:42:16.983-05:00

I learned how to temper chocolate this month. Then (with the assistance of my wonderful sous-chef, Mr Leaven) I tempered some chocolate. Then I made some bon-bons. Then (again with the assistance of Mr Leaven) I decided I'd never temper chocolate again. The reason to temper chocolate is so that it will be all smooth and glossy when it hardens. It snaps when you bite into it. The reason not to

stacy :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09737207561559386737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043029883722948183.post-57194658619815942932011-08-05T09:58:00.002-05:002011-08-22T11:10:39.229-05:00

I just searched through my old blog entries, sure I'd already written a post about these tomatoes. Ha! And now let me tell you the hilarious story about how Blogger ate my post! I just wrote 2 extremely descriptive (and funny! oh, did you miss out!) paragraphs about my experiences with this recipe, and hit 'Publish Post' and got an error message. I signed back into Blogger, and only the photo

stacy :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09737207561559386737noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043029883722948183.post-85581287496981527872011-07-29T22:11:00.000-05:002011-07-29T22:11:21.566-05:00

So this week we made up for lost time by preparing last week's and this week's Around My French Table recipes, Coconut-Lemongrass Pork for dinner and Citrus Berry Terrine for dessert. The pork dish was not too difficult to prepare but did require exotic ingredients like cardamom pods and a fresh lemongrass stalk that we obtained at the Hong Kong Market Asian food superstore. I thought I'd

stacy :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09737207561559386737noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043029883722948183.post-24977073795826185122011-07-28T14:16:00.000-05:002011-07-28T14:16:05.843-05:00

I completed my Daring Bakers' challenge on time this month and I'm only a day late in posting! Go me!!  Blog-checking lines: Jana of Cherry Tea Cakes was our July Daring Bakers’ host and she challenges us to make Fresh Frasiers inspired by recipes written by Elisabeth M. Prueitt and Chad Robertson in the beautiful cookbook Tartine. Not much is better than fresh strawberries on a hot Houston

stacy :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09737207561559386737noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043029883722948183.post-79473190030712671952011-07-22T08:02:00.000-05:002011-07-22T08:02:13.429-05:00

I'm so late! It's Monday Tuesday Friday and I haven't posted my dish from last Friday! For that matter, I haven't posted for the Friday before either, but that was not because I'm running late but rather because I forgot to take pictures and a food post without a recipe and without a photo is a bit underwhelming. I've kept up with the dishes, even if I haven't written about them (if a food is

stacy :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09737207561559386737noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043029883722948183.post-44479937861744277482011-07-17T12:02:00.004-05:002011-07-17T17:40:17.136-05:00

a guest post from Mr. Leaven I recall few childhood memories as well as my fifth birthday, crisp mental snapshots of green grass, decorations, cake, games, and lots of friends -- a delightfully self-centered day in Derry, New Hampshire.  There is an almost unsurpassable happiness in those memories.  Years have passed since that first day of July 1971, and with them the need for the pomp and

stacy :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09737207561559386737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043029883722948183.post-55056478258949938232011-07-01T16:17:00.000-05:002011-07-01T16:17:56.520-05:00

ooh, imagine how pretty this would be with red onions... I'm learning to love the beet. The secret? Roast those suckers. That really brings them this rich, deep flavor that perfectly matches their deep fuschia hues. This week, I used some CSA beets and a CSA onion (yellow, because there were no red onions in the box) to prepare a lovely beet salad. As with so many of the Around My French

stacy :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09737207561559386737noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043029883722948183.post-38580956060254759952011-06-28T13:34:00.001-05:002011-06-28T13:37:25.103-05:00

http://search.har.com/engine/88-Grand-Regency-Cir-The-Woodlands-77382-1630_HAR93004455.htm This post has absolutely nothing to do with food. Although I could imagine preparing a meal (for, like, 1000 people) in the large-ish kitchen. Or the separate catering room. No kidding, the 'master suite' is bigger than my house. Any takers??

stacy :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09737207561559386737noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043029883722948183.post-39492597746500799272011-06-27T08:23:00.002-05:002011-06-27T12:57:41.276-05:00

This month's challenge? Baklava. From scratch. I've pondered making baklava for a long time now, and I may even have a box of phyllo sheets tucked into the back of the freezer. In this challenge, however, we were encouraged to roll our own phyllo. So to make this recipe, I was to prepare a dough, roll it into paper-thin sheets, chop up spices and nuts for a filling, boil a syrupy concoction of

stacy :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09737207561559386737noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043029883722948183.post-2837225410884181722011-06-23T21:48:00.000-05:002011-06-23T21:48:27.668-05:00

'You know how I said I wanted to be buried in a casket full of risotto? Well, I've changed my mind. THIS is what I would like to be buried in.' - Mr. Leaven, Tuesday night I made this salad Tuesday night. I would have liked to choose a better mozzarella, but Hubbell & Hudson Kitchen didn't have fresh mozzarella and their strawberries were lousy so I ended up picking up mozzarella at Kroger,

stacy :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09737207561559386737noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043029883722948183.post-35034399928815446492011-06-18T10:43:00.000-05:002011-06-18T10:43:47.737-05:00

To my knowledge, I'd never eaten a rhubarb before Thursday night. They're good. I guess they're not too common down here in Texas. Mr Leaven grew up with rhubarb pie and gave me much instruction on preparing rhubarb until he was kicked out of the kitchen. This week's FFWD recipe was just a simple preparation of fresh ingredients, which makes for good eats. Chop the rhubarb, toss with sugar

stacy :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09737207561559386737noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043029883722948183.post-9534434716491693622011-06-18T10:26:00.000-05:002011-06-23T21:21:34.127-05:00

Blog-checking lines: Jami Sorrento was our June Daring Cooks hostess and she chose to challenge us to celebrate the humble spud by making a delicious and healthy potato salad. The Daring Cooks Potato Salad Challenge was sponsored by the nice people at the United States Potato Board, who awarded prizes to the top 3 most creative and healthy potato salads. A medium-size (5.3 ounce) potato has 110

stacy :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09737207561559386737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043029883722948183.post-66531616745324826172011-06-10T23:24:00.000-05:002011-06-10T23:24:59.579-05:00

I figured, since I'm basically cooking my way through Dorie Greenspan's Around My French Table, I might as well join a 'Cook your way through Around My French Table with Dorie' group. So I joined on Thursday and prepared the first recipe in plenty of time to post before midnight CST on Friday... I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have bookmarked Cola and Jam Spareribs on my own, so I'm very glad Dorie

stacy :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09737207561559386737noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043029883722948183.post-55621359596202944882011-06-04T15:20:00.000-05:002011-06-04T15:20:39.800-05:00

We've headed down to my parents' house for the weekend, helping out a little as my dad recovers from surgery, and wanted to make sure we loaded up the folks' fridge so Mom didn't have to worry about cooking at least over the weekend. Last night, I fully intended to bake a quiche and a tart, so we could pack and go this morning. Last night, our neighbors had a little gathering before they move

stacy :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09737207561559386737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043029883722948183.post-39365143954952277762011-05-18T19:52:00.000-05:002011-07-01T00:02:36.837-05:00

I don't actually have a maman, but my mama and my grandma and everyone I've spoken to about gumbo seems to have made gumbo before, so it was about time I gave it a whirl. Being a native Houstonian, only 4 hours from the Louisiana border, I've encountered a lot of gumbo in my life. And being an extremely picky eater the first, oh, 28 years of my life, I've rejected a lot of gumbo. Celery? Bell

stacy :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09737207561559386737noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043029883722948183.post-55859814600657321732011-04-23T14:28:00.001-05:002011-04-23T14:29:28.369-05:00

This is my favorite cobbler recipe so far. It's a prize-winner from Betty Crocker. It's convenient that a recipe so simple can produce a dessert so scrumptious. Of course, dewberries were used in place of blackberries. Just cover berries with sugar Mix the batter (dry ingredients, milk, melted butter) Dump the batter then the berries in a dish and bake. You don't even need to grease the dish!

stacy :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09737207561559386737noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043029883722948183.post-23641713622954435062011-04-22T23:24:00.033-05:002011-04-23T08:34:01.458-05:00

I have inherited a lot of quirky traits from my sweet mother. I will purchase just about anything, if it's the deal of a lifetime. I don't like people to use glass drinkware outside. I resist ordering soft drinks at restaurants ('that's where they get you!). And I live for this time of year, when the Texas dewberries are ripe on the vines and I can scavenge the wilderness, in search of those dark

stacy :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09737207561559386737noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043029883722948183.post-4117847938468760212011-04-04T17:20:00.003-05:002011-04-23T08:35:56.328-05:00

Y'all, I can't even describe how great the weather has been here in the last couple of weeks. Spring arrived about a month ago and so far has stuck around in grand form. This is what we Houstonians love about Houston. Friday, driving home around 5pm, my car thermostat read 92 degrees, which may sound sort of crazy hot, but it was a breezy, clear, extremely pleasant 92 degrees. All this Spring

stacy :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09737207561559386737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043029883722948183.post-13086457448838799102011-04-04T10:01:00.000-05:002011-04-04T10:01:25.138-05:00

Should it bother me that the sourdough starter that the books say takes about 3 days to be ready took off in less than 24 hours on our counter? 1/2 a cup of flour and 1/2 a cup of water in a jar, and it's foaming like crazy this morning. Good reminder to put those leftovers in the fridge.

stacy :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09737207561559386737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043029883722948183.post-55886928337813015432011-04-03T21:20:00.001-05:002011-04-03T22:02:10.867-05:00

Every now and then, I get this great idea that we're going to clean out our freezer and pantry and side door of the fridge, eating nothing that we don't have in the house for a week or two. Poor Mr Leaven kindly plays along and only makes 1 or 2 snarky comments about the freezer burn on the chicken breasts and the source of the tanginess in that mystery liquid used as a base for the broccoli

stacy :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09737207561559386737noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043029883722948183.post-83599587495377080092011-03-27T01:00:00.001-05:002011-04-03T22:17:15.566-05:00

Hoo, boy, am I ever a slacker blogger. Today is the reveal date for the March Daring Bakers' Challenge, and I never even got around to posting my February challenge. And I was so lazy with this month's attempt - yes, I did it, yes, it was a fantastic recipe, yes, I want to make it again and again, but I didn't get crazy with it. I made the challenge recipe and tried a pizza version, which was

stacy :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09737207561559386737noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043029883722948183.post-80309870046234152162011-03-12T22:17:00.002-06:002011-04-03T22:16:47.068-05:00

And... 3 weeks late for posting for DK this month... No good excuse, just the usual busy-ness that interferes with fun stuff like puttering around the kitchen. This month, we made tempura. It was yet another opportunity to fire up the FryDaddy, and it was good. The biggest challenge for me was the dipping sauce for the tempura. Part of the challenge was to cook soba noodles (which I already do

stacy :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09737207561559386737noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043029883722948183.post-90435607933768625692011-03-07T13:36:00.002-06:002011-04-03T22:16:10.614-05:00

A friend's daughter had a St Patrick's Day-themed party this weekend, so I made some cookies for the occasion. It turns out, there isn't a lot of variety in shamrock-themed cookies (see?), and rainbows take so many colors (although aren't these, which were posted today, the cutest?), and leprechauns are just hard... I did my best, and even though I'm obviously not an artist, I think the

stacy :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09737207561559386737noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043029883722948183.post-22036883341051637552011-02-19T08:53:00.001-06:002011-04-03T22:15:27.940-05:00

It feels good. Tonight, we made onion rings, mess-free. The onion rings went in, the onion rings came out, crispy, browned, just a little bit spicy, and delicious. The oil stayed where it was supposed to, and we ate a delicious, well-balanced meal of onion rings, dipping sauce, and a nice field green salad with an Asian vinaigrette. We found a recipe for Bloomin' Onion-style batter and dip. We

stacy :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09737207561559386737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043029883722948183.post-31652114066116020742011-02-06T12:44:00.001-06:002011-04-03T22:14:44.676-05:00

When I woke up this morning, two bright red cardinals flew past the window. Then we watched a woodpecker search for bugs in the tree trunk just outside. Yesterday, 1/2 a mile from the house, I watched a deer graze a few yards from our car. We walked through the forest behind our home, escorting our delighted dog (off leash) to the nearby dog park, and met a heron and a crane on the way. The

stacy :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09737207561559386737noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043029883722948183.post-81825374847512521582011-02-01T21:46:00.003-06:002011-09-03T18:27:00.262-05:00

Tonight I was craving a dish we tried for the first time just last week. My amazing husband whipped it up from a recipe in our new favorite book, Around My French Table, and we devoured every last piece last time and again tonight. There are only 3 major ingredients in the recipe. And one of them is cookies! You cook chicken seasoned with salt and pepper, then add a mix of 1 cup creme fraiche

stacy :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09737207561559386737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043029883722948183.post-9204652943060815252011-01-28T20:22:00.001-06:002011-04-03T22:08:31.175-05:00

Full disclosure: Also the most complicated. I've gotta say, it was pretty satisfying to create something so delicious and kinda cool-looking too. I even think I'm going to do it again someday. This month's Daring Bakers challenge was more a concept than a recipe - a very intimidating concept that it took me most of the month to psych myself up to approach. We were asked to prepare an entremet,

stacy :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09737207561559386737noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043029883722948183.post-21335125714145601942011-01-15T08:31:00.002-06:002011-04-03T22:13:25.212-05:00

This month's DK challenge was a doozy. For me, it was a perfect dish to serve on Christmas day, when our absolutely fantastic family made the trek up to our home in South Dallas (that's a Houston in-the-loop joke) for a cornucopia of foods. I was planning to write a whole heck of a lot of blog posts detailing the recipes we used for Christmas dinner, and then I got caught up with some work

stacy :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09737207561559386737noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043029883722948183.post-24246143859173957102011-01-09T17:04:00.003-06:002011-04-03T22:05:28.747-05:00

I have no pictures for you.  When hot oil is pouring all over your kitchen, pictures are quite possibly the last thing in your mind.  Further, recording these episodes would only have lowered your opinion of me or put you rolling on the floor with laughter.  Darwin Awards are given out for less. It was on my wife's Amazon list, and I, too, have secretly wanted one of these little gizmos for the

stacy :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09737207561559386737noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043029883722948183.post-59379664204514478512010-12-27T14:17:00.002-06:002011-04-03T22:08:47.000-05:00

I'm a few days late, but Merry Christmas!! We had an absolutely wonderful Christmas here at the Leaven household - now we're preparing for the NYE festivities. I'm at the end of a glorious 4-day weekend, Mr Leaven had to go back to work today but swung by for a leftover lunch, and next Friday's another day off. We've spent so much time with family over the holidays so far, opening gifts at my

stacy :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09737207561559386737noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043029883722948183.post-22078125652817436112010-12-17T14:57:00.002-06:002011-04-03T22:09:05.624-05:00

This month's Daring Cooks challenge was poached eggs (well, poached anything, but they did recommend starting with eggs if you haven't poached before). Now, Joe (oops - Mr. Leaven) is a poached egg aficionado, so much so that his wonderful mother-in-law gave him an egg poaching pan for Christmas last year (and guaranteed his undying affection), but I had never even eaten a poached egg prior to

stacy :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09737207561559386737noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043029883722948183.post-74658668195403963872010-12-17T14:45:00.000-06:002010-12-17T15:38:59.291-06:00

Hee! I tried out another souffle thanks to a comment on the blog! It was quite delicious, although I do not recommend that, as I did, you divide your 4 eggs into whites and yolks, then forget that you only wanted to use one yolk and dump all 4 in there instead. The souffle batter was rather viscous and didn't rise as I presume it would have preferred. And I was in a bit of a rush, so I wasn't

stacy :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09737207561559386737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043029883722948183.post-59247685752799116602010-11-27T21:11:00.000-06:002010-11-27T21:11:08.155-06:00

Maybe it's trite to list the things one feels thankful for on Thanksgiving, but I am just so full to the brim of gratitude for the wonderful people, places, and things with which I've been blessed. The most amazing, generous, thoughtful, patient, and brilliant husband in the world. Beautiful pups, one of whom is snuggled at my side as I type. The other is valiantly guarding the house while we

stacy :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09737207561559386737noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043029883722948183.post-52524482003310303042010-11-27T18:18:00.003-06:002011-04-03T22:13:02.930-05:00

The 2010 November Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Simona of briciole. She chose to challenge Daring Bakers’ to make pasta frolla for a crostata. She used her own experience as a source, as well as information from Pellegrino Artusi’s Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well. Not my favorite challenge, but I got my tart baked. I've never gone out of my way to get me some tart.

stacy :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09737207561559386737noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043029883722948183.post-18174175349829748362010-11-17T23:04:00.001-06:002010-11-27T19:06:12.005-06:00

Here is a decadent little cream sauce we love to toss with pasta of any kind. I advise having extra bread on hand, because you will want to sop up every last delectable drop. Seriously, crabmeat, butter, and heavy cream - what's not to love?? A few weeks ago, I was craving it, but we had no crabmeat, so we made it with canned tuna (!). It was still yummy, but believe it or not it's better with

stacy :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09737207561559386737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043029883722948183.post-270989611700645102010-11-14T09:57:00.001-06:002011-04-03T22:12:43.825-05:00

Turns out, I really like soufflés. Like, really, really, really like soufflés. I like to whip the egg whites and fold them into the 'creme patisserie'. I like watching them rise in the oven. I like serving them to my adorable hubby, who also really likes soufflés. And I love to eat them, soft and fluffy and infused with flavor. I have leftovers in the fridge, and I think, 'I could make a soufflé

stacy :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09737207561559386737noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043029883722948183.post-4897808965774246312010-11-04T21:37:00.000-05:002010-11-04T21:37:40.068-05:00

Word on the street is, Marcus Samuelsson, winner of Top Chef Masters this year, will be shilling for Buick Nov 13 and 14 at Hotel ZaZa in Houston!! We at alittleleaven are loyal Top Chef fans, even slogging our way through the drama queen extravaganza of Top Chef: Just Desserts these days, and we love us some Marcus Samuelsson. Per our sources, tickets are going fast, so follow the link below and

stacy :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09737207561559386737noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043029883722948183.post-76657224908615053542010-11-03T21:34:00.000-05:002010-11-03T21:34:21.435-05:00

This is just so yum. So simple too. I've read good things about this cookbook, Baked. I don't have it, so I can't tell you anything but that this pumpkin bread is moist and flavorful and chocolatey and extremely simple. I found the recipe on a random blog. If the same has happened to you, feel free to pass the recipe on in the same way. I didn't have loaf pans, but I was determined to use the

stacy :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09737207561559386737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043029883722948183.post-82496413413050665082010-11-02T23:57:00.030-05:002010-11-03T00:45:31.681-05:00

Oh, I so love Halloween! Joe and I had a blast this weekend scarifying the house, decorating cookies (OK, that was just me), hanging out at the neighborhood block party, and making ourselves zombies for the big night. There was also a night at the opera and crazy-costume-wearing-people-watching with friends at a dueling piano bar. Seriously fun weekend. this was later in the evening, when

stacy :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09737207561559386737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043029883722948183.post-30244368638105217802010-11-01T21:10:00.000-05:002010-11-01T21:10:10.837-05:00

Well, it's NaBloPoMo, which means I'll be trying my hardest to post DAILY this month. It just so happens it's also JoStaFirAn, which means that Joe and I are celebrating ONE WHOLE YEAR of deliriously happy married life and that tonight's post is going to be SHORT. Happy All Hallows Day, y'all!

stacy :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09737207561559386737noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043029883722948183.post-27493060319009191192010-10-27T10:48:00.002-05:002011-04-03T22:12:15.314-05:00

Well, I completed another baking challenge, and have learned more about both my inadequacies in the kitchen and the ways I can gradually improve my skills. This month, we made doughnuts. I've almost never worked with yeast, besides a handful of pizza doughs and sundry biscuits or buns, so this challenge was a chance for me to get my yeast on. I'm getting to be more adept at (and less afraid of)

stacy :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09737207561559386737noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043029883722948183.post-25110631662981908502010-10-24T21:58:00.000-05:002010-10-24T21:58:47.818-05:00

The temps are falling (ever so slightly), which to me means winter gourds!! Since picking up the first gourds last week, we've had butternut squash pasta and butternut squash risotto and the intriguing dish here, butternut squash pizza. In the week to come, leading to Halloween next Sunday, a young(ish) girl's thoughts turn to pumpkins - stay tuned! I agree with Deb from Smitten Kitchen - this is

stacy :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09737207561559386737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043029883722948183.post-35407317062206952092010-10-14T11:16:00.052-05:002011-04-03T22:11:57.821-05:00

I have an irrational antagonism to Mediterranean food. I know why, but it doesn't help. It's negative conditioning. Similarly to Pavlov's dogs, which is classical conditioning, but the opposite. Hey, look at that - that psychology degree came in handy, at least to diagnose my pathology, even if I can't actually do anything about it. So here's the thing. Everything about Middle Eastern or Greek

stacy :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09737207561559386737noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043029883722948183.post-84860463461319571222010-09-27T04:19:00.002-05:002011-04-03T22:11:38.020-05:00

This won't be much of a post, since I don't have the photos on this computer - one of these days I'll add pics but it's not a top priority since we're on vacation! In Spain! I thought I'd at least post to say that, yes, I did complete my challenge and blogged about it on 'reveal day', while my hubby's out for a run in the Parque del Retiro. The September 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted

stacy :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09737207561559386737noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043029883722948183.post-23299752141173044032010-09-18T18:54:00.001-05:002010-10-24T18:29:18.409-05:00

I love life here in Houston, but there are 1 or 2 things I occasionally miss about my days in Los Angeles. Of course I miss the weather, wonderful people, walking from my apartment down to the pier and shopping (well, at least Wahoo's has followed me to The Woodlands!), oh, and I can't forget Trader Joe's (ha ha - I just spent 45 minutes on the TJ's website, including filling out a 'request that

stacy :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09737207561559386737noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043029883722948183.post-72360021329556747232010-09-14T00:06:00.002-05:002011-04-03T22:10:58.238-05:00

It's that time again - the posting of the Daring Cooks' challenge this month. This challenge was way cool for me, since it was really what joining the Daring Cooks roster was all about - trying techniques and/or skills that made me sort of nervous, but turns out are completely accessible. The September 2010 Daring Cooks’ challenge was hosted by John of Eat4Fun. John chose to challenge The

stacy :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09737207561559386737noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043029883722948183.post-13241637426965532422010-09-02T23:04:00.003-05:002010-10-24T20:51:44.148-05:00

Oh, the glorious 3-day weekend, how I long for you!!! Yes, I do love my job, but it's amazing how much more I love it when I have time off from it. Today was a great 10-hour reminder of the upcoming 3 days of quietness... by 5:30 I was so in need of a vacation I could taste it... We celebrated tonight with a marinated steak and asparagus risotto. Why risotto? Because the way to Joe's heart is

stacy :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09737207561559386737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043029883722948183.post-15070624545970530222010-08-29T14:15:00.002-05:002010-10-24T18:33:29.643-05:00

You know, I think this was my first time to make cupcakes as an adult. I know, I'm way, way behind the times, as the cupcake craze continues to sweep the nation and a new cupcake shop appears on every street corner. Remember when there was a bagel shop for every 10 people in Houston? How about the 5 or 6 Thai places in a 1/2-mile shopping area (Rice Village)? Or fro-yo shops, now replaced by a

stacy :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09737207561559386737noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043029883722948183.post-40509806094269887662010-08-27T17:39:00.002-05:002011-04-03T22:10:33.109-05:00

Well, I think I'll divide up the baby shower recipes into 2 or 3 posts, particularly seeing as how I've somehow missed posting about the joys of homemade marshmallows prior to this! That's a long post right there. Then there's the cupcakes, and maybe a finger foods post... hmm, this glass plate seems awfully precariously positioned. i have no explanation for that. But today it's the petit

stacy :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09737207561559386737noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043029883722948183.post-10463523901763659272010-08-22T12:58:00.001-05:002010-10-24T20:11:41.251-05:00

I was so honored to get to hostess a baby shower for one of my very dearest friends, Miss Courtney (OK, Mrs Courtney), last weekend. Many pictures were taken - by Court's lovely mama, who [***UPDATE!!!***] sent them to me via the wonders of Picasa this week!!! Thanks a million, Melinda!!! I just wish I had remembered to stand up straight - maybe I was just trying to make Courtney look taller...

stacy :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09737207561559386737noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043029883722948183.post-68302712071415460002010-08-15T11:42:00.001-05:002011-04-03T22:10:12.631-05:00

I'm 2 months into the Daring Kitchen challenges and still going strong. This month was quite a bit more challenging for me than last month's nut butters. This month, I got had to make pierogi. The August 2010 Daring Cooks’ Challenge was hosted by LizG of Bits n’ Bites and Anula of Anula’s Kitchen. They chose to challenge Daring Cooks to make pierogi from scratch and an optional challenge to

stacy :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09737207561559386737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043029883722948183.post-66305861465911523232010-07-24T20:00:00.003-05:002010-10-24T20:01:39.766-05:00

Joe, here, posting.  You'll find more pics in this update.  Think of the words I'm saving you.  This is built upon a bunch of pics that I have crowding my iPhone.  Sort of purgative that way -- more for later, I say.  Lots of double entendre. Eggplant.  Ugh.  REALLY honey?  Do we have to have eggplant tonight?  Such were my thoughts last week (I dare not SAY what I thought, of course.)  No, my

stacy :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09737207561559386737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043029883722948183.post-82715919370140446892010-07-24T09:10:00.005-05:002010-10-24T20:08:06.939-05:00

It was as good as I hoped. (I posted the fresh-out-of-the-oven pic in my last blog entry, and I'm sure you were all on the edge of your seats.) We still have peaches left (6 as of this morning, soon to be 5) and I found a Martha Stewart recipe incorporating peaches and cornmeal. Joe and I had tiny slices, then each of us brought half to work with us after lunch (hooray for being able to go home

stacy :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09737207561559386737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043029883722948183.post-37847218884163525972010-07-18T22:35:00.010-05:002010-10-24T20:08:06.939-05:00

What a peachy weekend! Thanks to my wonderful sonographer Marcia (what a peach!), a 25# box of fresh Fredericksburg peaches were delivered to our door Friday afternoon. The peach was calling, so we mashed up a few ripe-ripe-ripe delicious, juicy peaches and added bourbon, a bit of lemon juice, and some agave nectar, and life was a peach. OK, I think that's my limit. Peach forgive me (yeah, that

stacy :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09737207561559386737noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043029883722948183.post-2832149805194939992010-07-15T15:37:00.007-05:002011-04-03T22:09:46.107-05:00

So there's this nifty website called The Daring Kitchen, where different volunteers post a challenge each month and everyone makes the same recipe or uses the same technique to try to improve his or her cooking skills. I love a good challenge, so I signed up, and my first month's quest was to make my own nut butter and use it in a savory recipe. They gave us a few options, and since this was my

stacy :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09737207561559386737noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043029883722948183.post-17632317531801280342010-07-06T22:49:00.005-05:002010-10-24T20:10:22.961-05:00

Can a mattress change my life? I'm up for it. I would like to think that will be the case. Our giant new fancy-schmancy, high-end, princess-and-the-pea, go-for-broke, pillow-top mattress arrived about an hour ago. I would like to expect my life will never be the same. I have experienced what I suppose a physician would label as 'chronic upper back pain' or maybe 'chronic right shoulder pain'

stacy :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09737207561559386737noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043029883722948183.post-78987739510440962722010-07-05T18:37:00.004-05:002010-10-24T20:46:39.340-05:00

For his birthday this year, Joe insisted he didn't want any gifts, but he would love it if I would cook him something special, something I hadn't tried before. I thought it would be fun to make pasta for the first time ever. Fun, in its way, but it turns out I'm not so good at making pasta. Thankfully, wonderful Joe salvaged the ravioli with his mad pasta-rolling skillz, and we did manage to

stacy :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09737207561559386737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043029883722948183.post-40894786768714894812010-06-25T15:54:00.004-05:002010-10-24T20:04:41.653-05:00

Just a very brief post to say that we still love Masraff's! Anyone looking for a special occasion place (you know, a special occasion like a birthday, or anniversary, or the day you found that pen you'd lost, or the day your dog didn't poop in the house) or a swanky place for drinks and appetizers in the Galleria area should run, don't walk, to Masraff's. The long side patio with fountain should

stacy :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09737207561559386737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043029883722948183.post-40879209318387728432010-06-25T15:03:00.004-05:002010-10-24T20:19:31.874-05:00

Almost a month ago we made something so simple and delicious I asked Joe to send me the pics immediately because I must blog about this NOW. He sent me the photos, and yesterday (yes, 3 weeks later) as I was organizing my computer I came across them. So I apologize to anyone reading this and cursing my name because your zucchini have now gone bad and you have eaten no delectable zucchini pizza.

stacy :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09737207561559386737noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043029883722948183.post-67820295430469729052010-06-01T22:17:00.003-05:002010-10-24T20:19:31.875-05:00

Mmm, peanut butter. Growing up, lunch every day for years on end was a peanut butter and grape jam on white. After school, my favorite snack was peanut butter on a spoon. Yes, it's exactly what it sounds like it would be. As a 30-something professional, my tastes are naturally more urbane. Thai noodles in spicy peanut sauce (courtesy of my dear friend Matt and more recently christened 'peanut

stacy :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09737207561559386737noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043029883722948183.post-43441016059348703712010-05-30T17:44:00.005-05:002010-10-24T20:49:53.948-05:00

I may have mentioned this before, but I am having the best time with the goodies from our wonderful CSA, which, if you're in the Houston-Austin-San Antonio corridor, you obviously should check out for yourself. I have always heard that there are no blue foods, but this month we learned about the surprisingly blue blue potato (also known, just as creatively, as the purple potato). Not surprisingly

stacy :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09737207561559386737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043029883722948183.post-7818458186512919222010-05-29T15:09:00.005-05:002010-10-24T18:30:33.117-05:00

I'm in love with tzatziki. I can't get enough. I made a batch with some homemade yogurt and brought it to work and by the end of the day I'd opted to make the rest of the homemade yogurt into more tzatziki. And the best part is I get to keep saying it. Tzatziki. Tzatziki. Tzatziki. Tzatziki is so delicious. And how cool is it that we used homemade yogurt, cucumbers and dill from the CSA, and,

stacy :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09737207561559386737noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043029883722948183.post-44613267120941467482010-05-06T22:30:00.004-05:002010-10-24T20:54:21.223-05:00

I've been enjoying preparing meals focused on a central fresh ingredient I have in spades and expanding from there. Cooked chicken from this week's chicken stock led me to enchiladas; from there I was inspired to consider veggie enchiladas using this week's CSA produce, and then I realized I had no enchilada sauce but, since we're on a grocery store and restaurant fast this week, I found a simple

stacy :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09737207561559386737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043029883722948183.post-41335979085130716252010-04-25T16:33:00.007-05:002010-10-24T20:11:52.648-05:00

Oh, what a lovely weekend!Southern California weather (and not that crazy rain or forest fire or earthquake stuff - the clear, sunny skies with a gentle breeze kind of SoCal weather) meant virtually the whole weekend was spent outside. Friday night, dinner in the backyard (small plates - mozzarella and tomatoes and balsalmic vinegar salad, plus spiced pecans with gorgonzola, a lovely simple dish

stacy :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09737207561559386737noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043029883722948183.post-58044959468454077422010-04-22T20:50:00.003-05:002010-10-24T18:29:51.305-05:00

I have confirmation - this is courtesy of my lovely and talented mom, who can cook the heck out of a casserole. No need for Crisco or any such abomination!Mexican cornbread casserole1 ½ pounds ground meat¼ cup onion, chopped2 tbsp jalapeno pepper, chopped1 envelope taco seasoning1 cup water2 eggs, beaten2 cups cream style corn (1 can)2/3 cup milk1 pkg (8 ½ oz) cornbread mix (Jiffy)4-6 slices

stacy :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09737207561559386737noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043029883722948183.post-76734215257607187132010-04-21T20:36:00.006-05:002010-10-24T20:45:10.139-05:00

Ok, I didn't actually make Doritos Mexican casserole, nor have I ever done such a thing, but I agree with a dear friend who suggested that some things are so wrong, so easy, and so good. Things like La Madeleine's tomato basil soup, which is 670 grams of fat per serving (I know! That's unbelievable! Look it up!*), and requires a total of 4 ingredients not including salt and pepper (plus an

stacy :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09737207561559386737noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043029883722948183.post-75084069891585312962010-04-21T20:14:00.007-05:002010-10-24T20:42:58.360-05:00

Moving day is 1 month away and we want to carry with us as few perishables as possible. No, funny people, I will not be bringing a gallon of oil in a suitcase this time. As of noon today, I will also not be bringing frozen onions, frozen cookie dough, a can of corn, a can of tomato sauce, a jar of piminetos, Panko breadcrumbs, dried Shiitake mushrooms... We are determined to reduce, reuse, and

stacy :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09737207561559386737noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043029883722948183.post-13889532745078613412010-04-08T21:14:00.014-05:002010-10-24T20:19:58.207-05:00

Weird Al Yankovic comes to mind more than Lil' Mike but either way this segue into the land of sugar and fuschia is pretty lame. Yeah, this is not the usual clever, erudite, and overall swanky entry to this otherwise cool blog. No. This time it's the other half. The yang to her yin, the jelly to her peanut butter, the fury to her sound, the crap to her holy.Getting on with it: Stacy

stacy :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09737207561559386737noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043029883722948183.post-47053770148358611252010-04-03T18:33:00.008-05:002010-10-24T20:43:58.938-05:00

Well, it's Passover time, and in our family that means only one thing... Matzoh ball soup party!!! Picture unabashedly stolen from Jessica's blog - aren't the pudgy little Jackson hands the cutest??? In addition to my aunt Dorothy's amazing matzoh ball soup, there were, in typical Levine family fashion, many other delights - charoses, brisket, bean salad, green salad, fruit salad, butternut

stacy :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09737207561559386737noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043029883722948183.post-60779607249765070412010-04-02T17:29:00.004-05:002010-10-24T20:38:29.787-05:00

For years my dear friend Courtney and I have been hypothetically planning Gourd Night, a multi-course extravaganza in which all courses have a prominent gourd component. I love all things gourd - pumpkin ravioli, butternut squash soup, spaghetti squash spaghetti. Courtney slaved away to prepare butternut squash lasagna for my bachelorette weekend (that was a fabulous meal and a fabulous weekend -

stacy :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09737207561559386737noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043029883722948183.post-60834114371929888232010-03-29T22:23:00.005-05:002010-10-24T20:37:55.435-05:00

I love coming back home. The weekend in the Big City was fantastic, don't get me wrong, but I missed our pups and our bed and especially our kitchen. Again, not complaining, but none of my patients came to clinic today and I got to head home around 3:30, so I picked up a couple of Portabella mushrooms on the way and made us a delicious little vegetarian supper of grilled marinated mushrooms and

stacy :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09737207561559386737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043029883722948183.post-56038478424757870212010-03-27T08:38:00.003-05:002010-10-24T20:34:33.808-05:00

Go to Masraff's.That's it.Well, that's the take-home message, but since I'm still pondering the meal this morning I'll write a little something about it. We are staying in the Galleria area this weekend while I'm on call in the med center. We briefly considered heading down to the hotel restaurant (ok, we didn't consider that even for a moment) but instead I conducted a little Yelp search (yay

stacy :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09737207561559386737noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043029883722948183.post-38702535396253446062010-03-18T20:38:00.006-05:002010-10-24T20:33:17.494-05:00

It's hard to believe tomorrow's already Friday. Vacation week, come back! We want you to stay forever! We love you!! We've spent the last few days with the boys in retreat in Brenham, Texas, checking out local sights (chief among them, the Blue Bell Creamery, which I have somehow never visited and thus never taken the tour which ends with a scoop of the best ice cream in the country). We had

stacy :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09737207561559386737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043029883722948183.post-39896789316029970222010-03-12T20:09:00.011-06:002010-10-24T20:30:37.694-05:00

Well, the butternut squash bacon pasta recipe must wait for a day or two, mostly because Joe hasn't even tried it yet - Wednesday should have been bsbp dinner, but there was emergency surgery, and emergency surgery always leads to emergency sushi and sake, and then Thursday should have been bsbp dinner but there was a happy hour (very happy happy hour) and happy hour leads to sleep. And tonight

stacy :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09737207561559386737noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043029883722948183.post-17478248253068365492010-03-09T22:55:00.005-06:002010-10-24T20:27:23.959-05:00

Yes, I did! It's funny the things the internet teaches us. I would never have guessed you could make yogurt in a crock pot. As you might imagine, a recipe incorporating a crock pot yields a lot of yogurt. Does anyone want some yogurt?? I've fallen in love with Greek-style yogurt this year. Thick, creamy, tangy, delicious Greek yogurt. I get the plain stuff and add granola (recently, I've been

stacy :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09737207561559386737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043029883722948183.post-1057873704272653092010-03-08T22:06:00.003-06:002010-10-24T20:26:36.806-05:00

Monday nights are always a bummer because Joe works till 7 and I just mope till he gets home. At least there was steak tonight, with goat cheese butter we whipped up (no, not churned fresh from the cow and goat) last night. Steak is a rare treat (oh dear, another unintentional pun) and the butter was a lovely topping that gave some piquancy to the steak without overpowering it. The pups had a

stacy :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09737207561559386737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043029883722948183.post-89268835400768604602010-03-07T11:21:00.009-06:002010-10-24T20:22:36.236-05:00

I'm going to try to piece together the recipe I used for the lovely vanilla beurre blanc we had the other night. The basic structure of a beurre blanc (the first time I learned of this buttery delight was at the Viking Cooking School classes given to me by a very dear man) is this: Reduce vinegar and wine with ingredients such as shallots, peppercorns, thyme; add cream and reduce some more;

stacy :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09737207561559386737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043029883722948183.post-1747486149948498572010-03-07T10:43:00.004-06:002010-10-24T20:18:13.565-05:00

This morning, we went in search of a savory breakfast food that takes advantage of those farm-raised eggs we picked up at our CSA's Monthly Market Day. Since I absolutely adore scones and I also adore everything that happens at Smitten Kitchen, I made her Jalapeño-Cheddar Scones. Only, I didn't have cheddar, just Gouda (also from Market Day at Home Sweet Farm), and I didn't have jalapeños, only

stacy :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09737207561559386737noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043029883722948183.post-23770008049462463152010-03-07T10:27:00.000-06:002010-03-07T10:30:19.935-06:00

as it seems that daily joe is posting food photos to his facebook account, we thought we would give our friends a break and post them to a blog instead. so if you (for whatever reason) are interested in our food forays, stop by alittleleaven.blogspot.com. I'll try super hard to post recipes too, as well as links to favorite cooking blogs.love, stacy & joe

stacy :)http://www.blogger.com/profile/09737207561559386737noreply@blogger.com1