Ida's Chocolate Nut Blondies

While in Austin, there was no shortage of delicious sweets. Brad's sister Amy baked these chocolate nut blondies, and we couldn't keep our hands off of them!

Chocolate Nut bars (Ida's Recipe)

2/3 cup butter or margarine, melted
2 1/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
3 eggs
1 6 oz package chocolate bits
1 tsp vanilla
2 3/4 c all purpose flour, sifted
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 c chopped nuts

Combine butter/margarine and sugar. Cream thoroughly. Add eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition. Sift together dry ingredients. Gradually add to the butter/sugar mixture, mixing thoroughly after each addition. Add nuts and chocolate bits. Blend thoroughly. Spread evenly over well oiled 10 1/2 x 15 1/2 x 3/4 inch pan. Bake 350 degrees 25-30 minutes. When almost cool, cut in squares. Yield: about 4 dozen 3 x 1 inch bars.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Brad's sister and mother have been cooking up a storm in the kitchen. Here are the recipes of the dishes we will soon feast upon. They're almost all Brad's family recipes. Enjoy!

Granny Kunnes Corn Bread Dressing

1 small onion, cut up
1 cup celery chopped
1/4 cup margarine, butter or chicken fat
1 T parsley (dried)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp poultry season
1/2 tsp thyme
3 slices white bread (toasted) and broken into cubes
2 cups corn bread crumbs
2 cups chicken stock
2 eggs beaten

Saute onions and celery in margarine/butter until limp. In a large bowl, put all the ingredients and mix well. Pour into an oblong pyrex dish, greased and bake about 40 minutes at 350 F

Spiced Cranberry Sauce

1 c water
1 c sugar
1 piece fresh ginger, peeled
1 firm pear diced
1 tsp grated lemon rind
1 package fresh or frozen cranberries
2 Tb fresh lemon juice
several pieces crystalized ginger

Bring first 3 ingredients to a boil in heavy saucepan, stirring constantly; boil 5 minutes. Add pear and lemon rind; return mixture to a boil and cook for 3 minutes. Stir in cranberries. Reduce heat and simmer without stirring for 3-5 min until cranberries pop. Remove from heat, cool, cover and chill. Chill sauce for up to 2 days. Stir in lemon juice just before serving.

New Orleans Sweet Potato Casserole

8 or 10 med size sweet potatoes
1 c milk
1 tsp vanilla
3 T sugar
1/2 stick butter
1/2 tsp cinnamon
few dashes nutmeg
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 T orange juice
marshmellows

Wash and boil sweet potatoes in large pot until tender (30 minutes). Heat milk with vanilla, butter, sugar until butter melts. Don't boil. Remove from stove and add remaining ingredients. Peel cooled sweet potatoes and put in a large bowl. Mash. Use hands or mixer. Add the liquid and mix well. Pour into greased casserole dish (a big one) and add marshmellows. If freezing, cook without marshmellows. Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes until marshmellows are hot and melted.

Squash Casserole

6 lbs yellow squash (small)
1 onion, sliced
1-2 cans chicken broth
2 T butter
1/2 c sharp cheddar cheese
6 saltines crumbled
1 handful low fat cheese-its, crumbled
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp salt
few drops Tobasco
2 egg whites and 1 whole egg
Extra cheese its for topping

Cut squash and partially cover with broth. Bring to boil until squash is tender. Drain very well. Get all the liquid out. Saute onions in olive oil, lighlty browned. Beat eggs and add all ingredients in large bowl. Make sure squash is drained. Do not add extra cheese its yet. Pour into greased casserole dish--2-3 qts. If freezing, bake at 325 till firm for about 30 minutes. Must cool completely before freezing. If getting ready to serve, bake 325 for 45 minutes till golden brown. Add extra cheeses before baking.

Green Beans Slow Cooked with Bacon and Onions (Food Network recipe)

2 Tb extra virgin olive oil
4-6 slices bacon, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
3 lbs fresh green beans
2 qts chicken stock or water (this might be too much--adjust according to your pot)
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat a heavy bottomed pot over medium high heat. Add olive oil and bacon and cook till browned. Add onion and cook until the onion is soft, about 5-10 minutes. Stir in the green beans and chicken stock; season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low and cook green beans until they are soft but not mushy, about 30-45 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Southern Pecan Pie

Beat 3 eggs and add 1/2 c sugar, 1 c dark Karo syrup, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/2 stick margarine melted, 1 tsp vanilla. Pour in a 9" pie shell uncooked. Sprinkle 1 1/4 cup nuts over filling. Bake 350 degrees for 50 minutes.

"Rescue Gravy"

Brad's mother didn't have any giblets or mushrooms to make the traditional gravy, so she named this a "rescue gravy". It came out perfect!

Ingredients:

Hard boiled egg, chopped

Butter

Flour

Chicken Stock

Worcestershire sauce

Onion flakes

Turkey drippings

Parsley

And some other ingredients that I'm sure I've left out!

Smoked Turkey from Rudy's BBQ

Homemade Pumpkin Pie

Thai Curry

For the longest time, I've been trying to make a mean Thai curry. Who knew there was a great recipe on the back of the Thai Kitchen Curry Paste jar? Here are the ingredients:

Thai Kitchen Fish Sauce

Thai Kitchen Red Curry Paste

Coconut Milk

Sugar

You choose ingredients: Bell pepper, Spaghetti Squash, Chicken, Bok Choy, Tomatoes, Sweet potatoes

Here's a link to their recipes:

http://www.thaikitchen.com/recipes.html

Los Angeles Favorites

Giant Unagi from Sakura

I love "best of" lists, especially when they're food related. Here are some of my favorite dishes and eateries around L.A.. It's a partial list, and a work in progress. For fans of Top Chef, I included some notes for you!

Burger from a restaurant chain: The California Burger at Houston's, Santa Monica (get it with grilled onions)

Burger over $10: Father's Office, Culver City

Mussels: Jitlada, Thai Town

Pot Roast: Jar, Hollywood (Suzanne Tracht from Top Chef Masters' restaurant)

Raw Food: Cru in Silver Lake

Gelato: Bulgarini Gelato in Altadena (Scoops is a close second)

Beef Stew: Ondal 2

Mole Negro: Guelaguetza, in Palms or Hollywood

BBQ: Bludso's BBQ, Compton (Texas style BBQ)

Sugar free Cupcake: M Cafe de Chaya, Culver City or Hollywood

Salad Bar: Mrs. Winston's, Santa Monica

Caprese salad: Not Your Everyday Caprese Salad at The Bazaar, Beverly Hills (Marcel Vigneron from Top Chef is sous chef here)

Omakase Sushi: Sushi Zo, Culver City

Bacon: "Crack" Bacon at Grub ("Bada Bing" Betty from Top Chef's restaurant), Bacon Candy at Lou

Pizza: Pizzeria Mozza, Hollywood (Mario Batali and Nancy Silverton's restaurant)

Grilled Baby Squid: Terried Sake House, West L.A.

Giant Unagi Sushi: Sakura, West L.A.

Giant Whole Foods: Pasadena, Venice or El Segundo Whole Foods

My Current Restaurant Crush: Jar in Hollywood

Restaurants I Need To Try Before The New Year: Providence (Michael Cimarusti from Top Chef Masters), Bouchon (Thomas Keller.. I already got two reservations for brunch and dinner!)

California Burger with grilled onions at Houston's

Not Your Everyday Caprese Salad, The Bazaar

Cham Korean Bistro

California Bibimbop

This past week my meals ranged from a $10 chicken mole negro to an elegant meal at Jar in Hollywood (Susan Tracht's restaurant--she was on Top Chef Masters!). I really wanted to take pictures in Jar, but it was so dim that using flash would distract everyone in the room. I ordered the signature pot roast, and it was the best pot roast I've ever had! It definitely put my version to shame.

I did take one picture of a meal, and it was at Cham Korean Bistro in Pasadena. This is one of my favorite restaurants right now--too bad it's so far away. It reminds me of M Cafe de Chaya, but cheaper and even tastier. I got the $10 California Bibimbop, which consisted of a bunch of crunchy veggies and your choice of protein (I chose the seared ahi tuna) and grain (I chose brown rice). I am positively in love with this place and its modern decor.

Cham Korean Bistro

A Spaghetti Squash Obsession

I am infatuated with spaghetti squash. Here I mixed it with some broccoli slaw (get it in the bag at Trader Joes), tomatoes, ground beef, red bell pepper, red pepper flakes, onion, salt, pepper, thyme and oregano. This hearty and healthy meal only took 5 minutes to make (not counting the baking time for the spaghetti squash).

Brad's Pistachio Chocolate Chip Cookies

This is Brad's best cookie to date! Unfortunately, he spaced the cookies too close to each other, so they fused into one giant one. Haha.

He followed this recipe, but used regular chocolate chips instead of white chocolate chips. We finished the batch off in no time--it was absolutely delicious. He left the pistachios whole, which contrasted nicely with the chocolate chips. The saltiness of the pistachios also added a wonderful dimension. I love salty sweet desserts!

http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/pistachio_white_chocolate_chip_cookies/

Huckleberry, Santa Monica

Huckleberry is a cute bakery/cafe on Wilshire in Santa Monica. It is sister to the Rustic Canyon restaurant across the street. The vibe is very similar to Joan's on Third, and the food is around $14 a person for brunch (you are paying for atmosphere and quality ingredients). You order at the counter, and they bring out your food to your table.

We ordered:

Pumpkin spice bread: There was an extra dose of pumpkin on top of the bread in the form of pumpkin seeds! This was so moist, and it came with a side of cream cheese.

Maple Bacon Biscuit: The winner of the meal! This had just a hint of maple sweetness and bacon-y saltiness. It was flaky and packed with bacon--perfect!

Quinoa Vegetable Salad: This healthy dish came topped with two sunny side up eggs. The quinoa was very mild, but was perked up with some smokey roasted broccoli, onion and squash.

Also, refillable coffee!

Close up of bacon maple biscuit

An Early Easy Thanksgiving Dinner

I was craving turkey the other night, so Brad and I made an early turkey dinner. Instead of cooking up the whole bird, however, we just bought the thighs. The whole meal only took about an hour start to finish. On the menu:

Turkey thighs baked with thyme, sage and garlic

Gravy made with turkey drippings

Pearl Onions with mustard, apple cider vinegar dressing

Apple Cranberry Sauce: just a bag of cranberries, an apple, 1 cup of water and 1 cup of sugar boiled until the cranberries pop

Sweet potato rounds with sage

I didn't go with actual recipes for this meal, so feel free to experiment!

An Everyday Meal

Here's what I had the other day for lunch: radishes, half an avocado with soy sauce, and an egg scramble with onion, bell pepper and ground beef. I can make it in an instant, and it's tasty too! See my previous "Everyday Meal" post for more details.

Raincoast Crisps

Photo from http://www.yumsugar.com/5772122

Introducing my latest addiction: cranberry raincoast crisps from Whole Foods. It's a perfect fall snack--it's crunchy, not too sweet, and is chock full of hazelnuts and pumpkin seeds and cranberries. If you're not careful, you can eat a whole box yourself! They're a little pricey at around $7 per box, so if you don't want to buy them, you can make your own with this recipe:

http://dinnerwithjulie.com/2009/01/27/rosemary-raisin-pecan-crisps/

Here are recipes that use raincoast crisps in them:

http://lesleystowe.com/category/recipes/crispcreations/

Spaghetti Squash Stir Fry

Last weekend I cooked with spaghetti squash for the first time, and now I am addicted. Although the directions said to microwave it, I really hate using the microwave and decided to bake it. I cut the squash in half lengthwise, scooped out the seeds, placed it cut side down and baked it at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. Once out of the oven, I used a fork and scraped the interior to loosen the spaghetti strands.

I made a "spaghetti stir fry" with some chicken sausage, bell peppers, onion, capers, red pepper flakes, chili powder, and garlic. Tomatoes and basil would have been a great addition to this mix, but we didn't have any in the fridge. I made some panko chicken to accompany the stir fry and it was a delicious wholesome meal.

Brad's Chocolate Banana Muffins

Yesterday Brad made the most delicious chocolate banana muffins. I think what made them great was the fact that he doubled the amount of bananas called for, leaving huge chunks of bananas in the interior of the muffins. This made the muffins themselves very moist. He also added some rolled oats and cereal(!) to the mix, giving it a crunch similar to nuts.

The muffins are brown because of the addition of melted the chocolate to the batter. Brad took a bunch of these to work today and joked that since they're brown, he would tell everyone they're "whole grain". :)

Home, Silver Lake

Our friend had a birthday this past week, and to celebrate we ate at Home. The restaurant in Silver Lake.

There are two Homes--the original in Los Feliz and a new outpost in Silver Lake. I like the Silver Lake one much better. It's not as crowded, it feels "homier", and I think that even the food tasted better. I ordered the grilled veggie salad with chicken ($13) and Brad got the crab cake benedict ($10, special). I think the salad was the better choice. For a healthy lunch, order it without dressing (it doesn't even need it).