tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64533739129454756002011-08-01T11:16:29.788-07:00Maevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01293108652857848803noreply@blogger.comBlogger401100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6453373912945475600.post-52854186656995660162009-12-01T14:11:00.000-08:002009-12-01T14:49:17.263-08:00

Jon and I, wanting to replicate those really delicious black cherries you'll find in your drink at cocktail bars that pride themselves on freshly squeezed juices and handmade elixirs decided to try our hand at homemade maraschino cherries. I waited until the height of cherry season back in August when you can score a huge bag for next to nothing and decided on the recipes featured in this New

Maevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01293108652857848803noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6453373912945475600.post-40643949364492335972009-10-07T11:16:00.000-07:002009-10-07T11:46:59.110-07:00

This is a great way to show off colorful fall produce like purple and yellow carrots or various hues of cauliflower. The sweet roasted vegetables, smokey spices, and earthy lentils come together with a bright and tangy yogurt tahini dressing for a light meal perfect for when the weather's just starting to cool down. Lentil and Roasted Vegetable Salad with Yogurt Tahini DressingServes 21/4 head

Maevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01293108652857848803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6453373912945475600.post-10927333579726822182009-10-07T10:50:00.000-07:002009-10-07T11:16:18.232-07:00

Warm and crisp from the oven, the croutons on this salad are a delicious way to use up leftover cornbread. Especially if it's started to go a bit stale. And with corn, sweet potatoes, and black beans it's a filling and substantial salad perfect for a light dinner or hearty lunch. Southwest Salad with Cornbread CroutonsServes 22 tbsp buttermilk1/2 tsp chopped chipotles in adobe1/2 tsp honey1

Maevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01293108652857848803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6453373912945475600.post-38135675670932308892009-10-07T09:55:00.000-07:002009-10-07T10:50:44.561-07:00

For their impressiveness, these are pretty simple. In fact the really hard part is communicating to your deli guy how thick you want the ham to be sliced. I went in with the wrong approach telling him I'd like them a 'little thicker'. To me, this meant not the paper thin slices you'd want piled on a cold sandwich, but you know, something just a little thicker. He started pinching his fingers

Maevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01293108652857848803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6453373912945475600.post-31008399423244552452009-09-08T10:09:00.000-07:002009-09-08T18:13:15.410-07:00

I'll admit it, I've bought heirloom tomatoes for $6.99/lb just cause you know, they're heirlooms, so they must be better than regular tomatoes. But then you get them home, and they're not. In fact they have a mushy, overripe texture and less flavor than those Mexican grape tomatoes sold in plastic clamshells all year long. But when you see that display the next time around with 5 different

Maevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01293108652857848803noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6453373912945475600.post-30074177704771662682009-08-25T13:06:00.000-07:002009-08-25T13:41:16.490-07:00

I bought some Popsicle molds earlier this summer and have found some really delicious, and lowfat treats to make with them. The cherry yogurt pops are a great way to use up less than perfect fruit and could be made with other berries or stone fruit just as easily. And the addition of cocoa to the Vietnamese Coffee popsicles turn them into a delicious grown up fudgecicle. I made mine decaf so I

Maevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01293108652857848803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6453373912945475600.post-79300244946671832162009-08-05T12:49:00.000-07:002009-08-06T18:18:08.773-07:00

When I moved out west 3 years ago and bought my first car in nearly 6 years, I had this fantasy of driving down the coast to California wine country where I'd meet up with my other west coast friends for a long weekend of wine tasting in the pastoral countryside. Unfortunately I'd imagined it to be a much shorter drive than it is. And well, I kinda gave up on my dream road trip. It turns out,

Maevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01293108652857848803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6453373912945475600.post-90061337718532027452009-08-04T09:46:00.000-07:002009-08-05T20:04:47.159-07:00

Jon and I visited with Jon's dad in Berkeley the weekend before last and when asked what I wanted to do while we were in town, I immediately suggested a visit to the farmers market. To be honest, since moving to Seattle I've become less and less enchanted with farmers markets. But I suspect it has more to do with Seattle than with farmers markets in general. And the Berkeley Market is supposed

Maevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01293108652857848803noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6453373912945475600.post-84970913956402369142009-07-13T18:01:00.000-07:002009-07-14T14:21:26.591-07:00

I've been wanting to make Socca, a chickpea crepe made in Nice, similar to the Italian Farinata, for some time. Chickpeas have long been one of my favorite foods and I'm somewhat fascinated with their varied uses in ethnic cuisines. This is a particularly fast and easy recipe using chickpea flour (Though according to some sources, the batter should rest for several hours - I usually start the

Maevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01293108652857848803noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6453373912945475600.post-39872963991379740682009-07-13T14:31:00.001-07:002009-07-14T10:50:17.445-07:00

Last weekend, Jon and I hosted our first party in over six months. We started gutting the kitchen the last weekend in January and have been working consistently ever since. And what a change it has made! The layout is much more open now and great for entertaining. The counters are a beautiful white quartz which is really a joy to cook on - no worries about staining or scratching, and so easy

Maevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01293108652857848803noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6453373912945475600.post-90855317498284191572009-06-29T09:49:00.000-07:002009-07-01T23:19:56.257-07:00

I made the mistake of asking my father what he might want for a fathers day treat. I was imagining all sorts of decadent chocolate concoctions, perhaps with gooey peanut butter or crispy bits of toffee. But to my surprise, when I asked, he told me he was trying to lay off of chocolate for a while. I was lost. I had no idea what to make. Somehow all the other flavorings you might add to

Maevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01293108652857848803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6453373912945475600.post-67295580736414784422009-06-17T16:52:00.000-07:002009-06-18T12:09:43.555-07:00

I've seen this cake in the June issue of Gourmet, and then on SmittenKitchen, and then on several other blogs. If fact, I feel like I've seen it, or a version of it just about everywhere I look lately. And, I've been wanting to try it for some time. The original recipe features raspberries, but suggests it would be equally yummy with other berries, and since I'd picked up some luscious, and

Maevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01293108652857848803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6453373912945475600.post-84153012900568395392009-06-17T16:04:00.000-07:002009-06-17T16:26:51.086-07:00

I'm not a huge fan of sushi restaurants. Sure they'll often have atleast a couple vegetarian options, but they're often uninspired and leave you feeling as though you'd like a real meal after that nice light snack you just had. But recently Jon and I went to a new sushi place in Ballard (MoshiMoshi) that I loved! Mostly because of their asparagus tofu salad, with silken tofu, blanched

Maevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01293108652857848803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6453373912945475600.post-10824326557371505692009-06-10T11:46:00.000-07:002009-06-17T16:04:19.880-07:00

Of course I'm way too classy to buy jugs of margarita mix. But, I'm not above frozen drinks, and I'm not above adding a little extra fruit. Pink Grapefruit is an obvious choice, it is refreshing, tangy, a little bit sweet, and adds a lovely pink blush to the drink. Plus, it's not so "girly" that boys are necessarily opposed to drinking it.This recipe makes a rather slushy, and immediately

Maevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01293108652857848803noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6453373912945475600.post-6030212640088883752009-06-01T10:17:00.000-07:002009-06-01T11:21:24.835-07:00

Back before you could find garden burgers in every grocery store and on the menu at just about every diner, sports bar, and burger joint it was a lot of work to make a vegetarian burger. Growing up there were 2 kinds I liked - one was a powdered mix, similar to a falafel mix that rehydrates and formed a pretty tasty grain based burger, the other were my mom's tofu burgers. Her recipe combined

Maevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01293108652857848803noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6453373912945475600.post-5684139875697982562009-05-30T18:20:00.000-07:002009-06-01T10:01:18.138-07:00

When Jon and I first met he loved telling his friends that I grew my own herbs. At that point, it was just a couple pots outside my front door. He also liked to garden - one of his first gifts to me was a homemade wooden box filled with his own tomatoes. Half of which were delicious, and half of which were a strange spongy consistency, and well, not something you'd want to eat. But out of

Maevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01293108652857848803noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6453373912945475600.post-90157464142022981512009-05-27T21:56:00.000-07:002009-05-30T18:16:21.064-07:00

I love potatoes! All kinds of potatoes prepared all sorts of ways - potato soup, potato salad, roasted potatoes, fried potatoes, and of course mashed potatoes. But for way too long I struggled with what to serve with mashed potatoes. They make sense with meat. All you need is a big slab of meat and mashed potatoes and you've got a meal. But what do you serve when you want that 'meat and

Maevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01293108652857848803noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6453373912945475600.post-37506511917954811992009-05-16T12:27:00.000-07:002009-05-17T10:04:03.928-07:00

I love white bean bruschetta in it's simpler forms, with some roasted garlic and a bit of rosemary or thyme it's creamy and earthy and so easy to bring together. This is a slightly dressed up version that adds sauteed mushrooms both as a juicy topping and combined in the puree for another earthy component adding depth and richness.This can be made in advance, but is best served at room

Maevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01293108652857848803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6453373912945475600.post-25150570226708098752009-05-11T13:06:00.000-07:002009-05-17T10:11:27.402-07:00

Last fall I'd eagerly awaited the opening of Poppy, Jerry Traunfeld's experiment with Indian influenced dishes in a 10 dish thali presentation. He offers 2 a night - one with meat and one vegetarian, as well as an abbreviated 6 dish thali of each. Perhaps it was just that our expectations were set so high from months of chatter and promises that this would be one of the best new restaurants of

Maevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01293108652857848803noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6453373912945475600.post-47906258060589902822009-05-11T12:23:00.000-07:002009-05-11T13:03:54.636-07:00

Before moving to Seattle I'd never eaten fava beans, and rarely heard anyone talk about them. Since then they seem to be becoming more and more trendy. My first summer here, I ended up at Restaurant Zoe and had the most amazing meal. The only vegetarian main course portion they serve is a seasonal risotto. Which is fine by me - they serve some of the most delicious risotto you've ever had.

Maevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01293108652857848803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6453373912945475600.post-26786204295961166382009-05-06T13:21:00.000-07:002009-05-08T11:23:57.389-07:00

I've been researching cookies for the last couple weeks trying to find just the right thing to make for mother's day. I wanted to find something that was delicate (and feminine) enough for the holiday - something that would pair well with a cup of afternoon tea. And something appropriate for the time of year - nothing too rich, or dark, or dense. And, because I live across the country from my

Maevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01293108652857848803noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6453373912945475600.post-49197353994311720662009-04-26T20:13:00.000-07:002009-04-26T20:33:22.196-07:00

I'm usually fine using beans out of a can. But every now and then, I get the urge to actually use the dried kind. It does take much longer, and is sometimes disappointing, but this recipe makes the wait worth it. With a little advanced planning, it's actually very easy and the consistency and flavor are far superior to anything you can do with canned beans.We had them with fajitas, which were,

Maevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01293108652857848803noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6453373912945475600.post-64051410734478241212009-04-25T16:26:00.000-07:002009-04-25T16:49:12.148-07:00

For a light and quick dessert, this couldn't get any easier. I came across a recipe from Martha Stewart for a lemon cream served with blackberries, but after adding the lemon it tasted a lot like, well, tofu. So I added a bit of spice that nicely covers the soy flavor and pairs perfectly with the honey and maple syrup for a delicate chai like combination.Tofu CreamServes 41 block silken tofu1/3

Maevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01293108652857848803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6453373912945475600.post-86813786783348123282009-04-11T18:15:00.000-07:002009-04-14T13:11:28.213-07:00

Last week we were lucky enough to enjoy a good 5 days of warmth and sunshine - highly unusual for Seattle! Which inspired me to use our grill and make a trip to the Ballard Farmers Market where I picked up some sunchokes, a beautiful mix of new potatoes, and some adorable little cabbages - red and green. I picked up a few more things at the store and our friend brought some homemade venison

Maevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01293108652857848803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6453373912945475600.post-52020833683678873572009-04-11T16:34:00.000-07:002009-04-11T17:53:37.978-07:00

I read about the new Vegan Soul Kitchen cookbook on 101 Cookbooks and was really excited to try a few recipes. Primarily because I've been wanting to attempt some seitan recipes. It's something I've always been a bit scared of, but I've had some really delicious preparations both here in Seattle and in New York. But when I mentioned it to Jon, he was somewhat suspicious that soul food could be

Maevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01293108652857848803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6453373912945475600.post-53030251759698486902009-04-03T11:20:00.001-07:002009-04-11T18:10:53.177-07:00

I thought I'd take a moment to tell you about our kitchen and how it came to be, or well, how it's coming along. On our first date Jon and I talked a lot about 2 things - food and home improvements. He talked up all the work he'd been doing and the plans he had for renovating his condo and hesitantly a week or so later invited me over to see the place. Apparently, this had not gone over so

Maevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01293108652857848803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6453373912945475600.post-17158658598964735002009-03-30T19:58:00.000-07:002009-04-01T19:49:35.785-07:00

A lot of us have been cutting back in the last few months. Everywhere you turn there are tips on saving money - how to stretch a chicken to feed your family for a week, where to find good deals on wine, how to cook with dried beans, etc. It's almost become sort of chic not to spend a lot of money. And certainly loosing a good chunk of my income has meant I've had to learn to live without

Maevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01293108652857848803noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6453373912945475600.post-40189384454422378922009-03-25T21:55:00.000-07:002009-03-26T11:50:30.584-07:00

My first recollection of strawberry and rhubarb was at table full of handmade pies I spied while visiting Middlebury, Vermont with my grandmother and great aunt as a child. And each spring, the site of the first stalks of rhubarb take me back to the coolness of dewy grass across collegiate lawns, the soft warmth of the sun, and the delicious smell of newly baked fruit pies with their buttery

Maevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01293108652857848803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6453373912945475600.post-64817519383319141912009-03-22T10:44:00.000-07:002009-03-24T13:31:18.921-07:00

A lot of people are surprised that (a) I'm not offended by meat eaters, (b) I'm not opposed to cooking meat, and (c) I'm actually capable of seasoning and cooking meat properly without tasting it. The thing is, I consider my choice to be vegetarian a personal decision based on what I enjoy eating and while I want others to be respectful of my choice not to eat meat, I try to respect their

Maevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01293108652857848803noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6453373912945475600.post-32173165349257044892009-03-09T14:16:00.000-07:002009-03-22T10:43:36.509-07:00

The inspiration for this salad was an unusual combination of edamame, green beans, black beans and apricot jam I first saw on Ellie Krieger's Healthy Appetite. It's quite good, but her version is somewhat more appropriate for a side dish, as it's very simple and the dressing is somewhat one noted. My adaptation moves toward a full on lunch.Three Bean Salad with Asian DressingServes 1 for lunch,

Maevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01293108652857848803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6453373912945475600.post-26522660974947341112009-03-05T20:37:00.000-08:002009-03-09T08:37:55.609-07:00

Packed with roasted vegetables, white beans, and walnuts, this salad is warming and substantial enough to serve for dinner even in the middle of winter. I've paired it with some salty and sweet flatbread with caramelized onions and pungent olives - using leftover frozen dough to make it easy and fast to prepare for dinner. Or serve the flatbread without the salad as hors d'oeuvres. Olive and

Maevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01293108652857848803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6453373912945475600.post-59163018200273774892009-03-03T19:37:00.000-08:002009-03-03T21:15:45.325-08:00

For a vegetarian, dining at a good vegetarian restaurant is rather liberating. At most restaurants, you're confined to the less interesting salads, the kind that the chef doesn't feel could be improved upon with the addition of prosciutto, or anchovies, or smokey bacon, or duck confit. And the inevitable vegetarian-overly-rich-creamy-cheesy-starch-based main course - ravioli, risotto, etc (

Maevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01293108652857848803noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6453373912945475600.post-27163647954008055122009-03-03T13:11:00.000-08:002009-03-03T17:06:39.560-08:00

This recipe solves 2 problems. (1) If you ever go to the grocery store in search fresh parsley because you just need a bit for some recipe, you're forced to buy a gigantic clump of it. And while it's much cheaper than other herbs, and you can understand why they don't sell miniature 30 cent bunches, that leaves you with a lot of extra parsley once you're done with whatever it is you bought it

Maevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01293108652857848803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6453373912945475600.post-80468355702759553262009-02-28T09:18:00.000-08:002009-03-03T17:10:29.892-08:00

I remember eating cream of asparagus soup in french class as a kid and thinking it was the most amazing soup ever - decadently creamy with the grassiness of the pureed asparagus and perfect when dipped with crusty french bread. My version is much lower in fat but equally satisfying. The small amount of potato helps round out the flavors and lends a creaminess when pureed that allows you to cut

Maevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01293108652857848803noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6453373912945475600.post-25617287486878676322009-02-27T11:02:00.000-08:002009-02-27T15:17:03.253-08:00

This is quite possibly the best condiment ever. Perfect for dipping crispy potato wedges or spread liberally on grilled portabello sandwiches or burgers, or just about anything, and it takes only minutes to prepare.Chipotle Fry SauceMakes 2 Servings1 clove garlic, finely minced1 tsp chipotle in adobo (you may need to cut the chipotle in half), finely minced2 heaping tbsp low fat mayonnaise2

Maevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01293108652857848803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6453373912945475600.post-34077089847799884532009-02-26T21:23:00.000-08:002009-02-27T15:17:58.423-08:00

My office in NY had the best birthday policy. The rule was you were responsible for bringing in a birthday treat for the person whose birthday followed yours. Which for some people meant that you'd make an elaborate cake, and for others a quick trip to the minimart for some hostess cakes. We didn't mess around with silly cards with personal notes from each and every one of your coworkers, or

Maevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01293108652857848803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6453373912945475600.post-47088384525344941452009-02-26T17:32:00.000-08:002009-02-27T15:19:48.695-08:00

I usually like to plan out my grocery shopping by sitting down with a few cookbooks and this months food magazines and think about what I'd like to make that week. It's actually one of my very favorite things to do. Last week, while flipping through Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone I thought of a review I'd read for it on Amazon complaining about her recipe for falafel which

Maevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01293108652857848803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6453373912945475600.post-38185836249083702202009-02-26T15:03:00.000-08:002009-02-26T23:14:09.224-08:00

So I've been watching Top Chef since the beginning except for Season 3 when I was briefly without cable because I thought it was too pricey only to realize I hate living without cable and it's not that expensive. I have to say, I really love the fact that, unlike most reality shows, the person who deserves to win usually does. Or perhaps I'm just buying into the editing. And I don't even mind

Maevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01293108652857848803noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6453373912945475600.post-61795290417783156602009-02-23T21:46:00.000-08:002009-02-27T10:41:53.315-08:00

So the good thing about the economic slowdown, my now part-time job and an extra burst of free time is that I now have the luxury of making recipes that take, well, a little more time. I was searching my baking books for something I could make as a hostess gift for some friends who'd invited Jon and I over for dinner and was leaning toward something breakfast-y. Mostly because whenever we've

Maevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01293108652857848803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6453373912945475600.post-81280885815434777182009-02-23T18:50:00.000-08:002009-02-27T15:21:34.761-08:00

I've loved veggie nachos for a long time, but my own recipe has changed quite a bit over the years. As a kid, I liked the challenge of making my own cheese sauce starting with a rue, mixing in some cheddar and a touch of salsa for a deliciously silky dip. Later, I simplified things by using grated cheese melted under the broiler. As a high school student, they became my snack food of choice

Maevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01293108652857848803noreply@blogger.com0