a necessary change

i'm doing something i should have done long ago. i'm consolidating - - something i need to learn to do more of. i will now be posting foodie goodness on my other blog. please join me. and if you are only interested in awesome food all day, every day - - go here.

soup

no recipe
no story
just soup.

see, i'm not totally neglecting you!

andrew's resolution

okay. so monday, jan. 5th is actually the start of my new year. i realized it was going to be too difficult to start everything on the 1st, as it was right before the weekend. it's hard to start resolutions like diet and exercise right before the weekend. especially when part of your plan for the weekend is to eat sausage rolls. luckily for me, one of andrew's resolutions is to learn to cook. in all actuality, he is already quite a good cook. i think he is just looking to expand his repertoire to include more than stir fry and lasagna. this weekend he made one of his favorite snacks from australia. the sausage roll. the crispy, delicious, tummy-happiness-causing sausage rolls. if you have not included, "go on a diet," as one of your resolutions. i highly recommend these. and if you have included "go on a diet," you might want to rethink it (i know i am).

here is a recipe that andrew put together for you, please pardon us both if it lacks detail (i.e. "milk")

sausage rolls

1 egg
milk
1 pound ground sausage
2 sheets puff pastry
2 slices of bread


mix the egg and a splash of milk in a bowl
cut the crusts off of the bread and soak the crustless slices in water for a minute or two.
cut each pastry sheet into quarters so that you have 8 in all
then remove bread from water and squeeze out as much water as possible
with your hands, mix bread evenly into the sausage.
roll out 8 equal size balls of sausage mixture and place onto a pastry sheet. then roll them up in each square like a pastry cigarette (his words)
pinch the edge closed and paint them each with the egg/milk mixture
put them on a tray and place in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes or until they look done (golden brown - - my words).

i would maybe just add some salt and pepper, but this isn't my recipe.

oh, and i made some cumin ketchup to go with it.

rough recipe - - as i had ingested several beers by the time i made it.

cumin ketchup (or catsup - - what's the difference?)

3 tablespoons ketchup
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon worcesterchire sauce
salt & pepper

mix well and enjoy with sausage rolls or turkey meatloaf.

ps. i know my postings have been a bit, well, sparse. i am going to try to do my best to at least post something every monday and then go from there. how does that sound?

thanks, ina!

well the stuffing was a huge success. i used this recipe, and switched out the sausage for pancetta. mostly because i didn't have sausage, but i had pancetta. i was kind of scared, since i usually hate stuffing . . . especially the kind with the huge cubes of bread. i had always kind of lumped it in my mind with things like waldorf salad (yuck) and jello with floaty fruit in it. well, that is no longer the case. i will now lump it my mind with things that are awesome like french fries and nutella on strawberries.

happy thanksgiving

just set the table. my folks will be here in a few hours. i have already realized that i forgot a bunch of ingredients and i don't really know how to make a proper stuffing. this should be fun.

a question.

is there really anything better than peanut butter? this morning, i can think of nothing i would rather have than a heaping spoonful of peanut butter. yum!

he likes soup, or so he says

well many of you know the battle that is waged in the gotch household almost every day . . . jen vs. andrew in THE BATTLE OF SOUP (dah dah dah daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah). it has been a losing battle on my end for about 4 years running. you know how he has his list of foods he hates (wet meat, pulpy juice, cherries, pickles, and on and on)? well soup always seems to find it's way to the top of the list. this is a problem for me, since i am a soup lover. i love to eat soup, i love to make soup and when i feel that first bit of cold in the autumn air (which in l.a. means when it drops below 70 degrees), i want soup. and yesterday, for some odd reason, he agreed to a pot of soup. i think it is mostly because i told him it had peanut butter in it, and peanut butter is at the top of his "foods i love" list right after hamburgers. so after a short trip to the market, some chopping of vegetables, and warming of bread, soup was served. and it was good, real, real good. andrew ate every last drop, only quizzing me a few times about the ingredients. i was reluctant to tell him there was salsa in it, because he doesn't like cooked tomatoes or tomato soup. it didn't seem to phase him. he even ate the garbanzo beans, and he hates beans, except green beans. later that night, when the truth was rising to the surface, he confided in me that next time, he could do without the beans. i reminded him that he loves humus, but that was not enough. "it's a texture thing, not a taste thing" he calmly replied. either way, i feel like some progress was made here last night. there is even talk of more soup next week. i'll keep you posted. here's the recipe if you are interested.

HOPE

IS HERE!!!!

what we ate yesterday

see, i told you i wasn't gone forever. i'm slowly getting back into the swing of things. my out of town job is almost over and the change in the weather is making me long for delicious soups and spiked hot chocolate.

this is what we ate yesterday. pretty and delicious!

this blog is not dead

contrary to what you might think, this blog is not dead. i'm just on hiatus. this and this and this are taking up a lot of my time. and becoming a foodie isn't easy. it takes work. hopefully things will slow down enough soon that i will be able to get back to cooking (something i haven't done in months - - literally months), making cocktails, shopping for new treats, etc, etc. thanks for understanding. i promise that when the time is right, i will make a triumphant return.

I feel horrible

I have lied to you, broken promises, i'm a deadbeat food blogger. How did this happen? I can't believe it. I had such good intentions. From the beginning I said that I wouldn't just post for the sake of posting. I don't want to inundate you with crap, but this is crazy, right? I am just feeling really, really overwhelmed at the moment. There is so much going on in my life right now. Most of which is really fantastic; All of which is really time consuming. And the thing about being a food blogger is, it takes time (and a working scanner - - at the moment, i have neither). So hang in there, please. I beg you. It won't be like this forever, because if it is I will just curl up and die (a bit overdramatic, but you get my point). Thank you for all of your encouraging emails (some threatening one's, too). As soon as life permits, it's you and me, together, drinking, eating and having a wonderful time.

Drink of the Week

is coming. no really, it is. i actually have two, one with booze and one without, both with lemons. lots and lots of lemons. be back later with the recipes and names (that's the tough part).

The Briny Breeze - - Drink of the Week

Oh my God? Where have I been? This is crazy. It's not that I don't care about you, no, that's not it at all. I've just been so busy. But no Drink of the Week, that was just rude. I will continue to do my best. Sometimes my best just kind of sucks. Sorry. While we are on the subject of Drink of the Week, let me introduce you to the Briny Breeze. I named it after this little town in south Florida. It's a little mobile home park right on the ocean and it is amazing. Especially if you happen to have a polaroid camera with you (which I did). So, without further adieu . . .

The Briny Breeze

5 small pieces of Watermelon (i used a melon baller, because melon ballers are fun)
3 mint leaves
1 oz vodka
A generous splash of Rose's sweetened lime juice
A splash of Cointreau ( I also tried it with a splash of Campari and that was good, too. I just feel like I always use Campari, but Campari is really, really good. Especially in summer.)
club soda or tonic water

Plop your melon balls into a glass along with the mint leaves (i tore mine into pieces - - it feels naughty) and the vodka and then muddle it up. Add all of your splashes and stir. Fill a second glass with ice and then pour your muddled mixture over the ice, top off with club soda or tonic water. Garnish with melon balls, mint and lime - - you could even sugar the rim if you were so inclined. Now drink it!

Chamomile Mint Iced Tea

All is not lost. I am still doing a drink of the week. Thanks for sticking by me. I have been so busy with work/photography/creative endeavors that my food adventures have been few and far between. I still intend to provide a Drink of the Week each week and then reinstate twenty bucks once I have a bit more free time. Let's take it easy, shall we? Sit back, relax and enjoy something soothing.

A couple of weeks ago my friend, Lisa and I had lunch at one of my favorite places, Le Pain Quotidien. I was planning on having a glass of wine with lunch (I deserved it!), and then I saw a carafe of chamomile mint iced tea go by and the wine went out the window. Shall we take a break from alcohol this week? Let's. Actually, here's a deal for you. Drink this and let me know if you come up with some sort of alcohol-y twist on it and I will do the same. We can meet back Monday with our results.

No real recipe here. I just steeped a bag of their amazing chamomile tea with some mint leaves and a bit of sugar. After about 5 minutes I poured it over a tall glass of ice that was filled with new, fresh, pretty mint leaves. Then I took a picture of it (you don't have to do that part), and then I gulped it down.

Drink of the Week - - The Peony

Ok, I'm still deciding on a name for last week's Drink of the Week. C'mon you guys. I've had some really good suggestions, but I want to give it (and you) more time. For this week's Drink of the Week, I had the name before I had the drink. I was so inspired by this amazing bunch of peonies that I decided to concoct a drink in their honor (they are my favorite flower. well actually, that's not entirely true. they are in a tie for the title of My Favorite Flower with the ever fragrant gardenia. I wore one in my hair when we got married, although the peony was the first flower Andrew ever gave me - - great. now I'm confused.) This one probably won't get you too drunk, but there are others on the list that will. This is more like a relaxing summer day chatting with the girls while the boys sit inside screaming at the tv while watching the NBA finals type of drink (but don't get me wrong, boys can drink it, too. you may just want to give it another name like "The Widowmaker" or "Testosterone" anything but The Peony.

The Peony

1 6.3oz bottle of Stirrings Bitter Lemon
2 oz Chambord
1 1/2 oz Aperol
1 oz Maraschino Syrup
1 1/2 oz Rose's Sweetened Lime Juice

Stir ingredients, pour over ice and throw in a bunch of lemon and lime slices (cause they're pretty). Oh, and if you can, serve it in a pink glass. This recipe makes 2 if you feel like sharing.

Here, You Take It.

You should have this twenty bucks. I don't deserve it. I wonder what you'll buy with it? I can't wait to hear all about it. I will be offering up a Drink of the Week tomorrow (all is not forgotten, plus I think we could all use one). Oh, I just had an idea. You could put your money towards this. Yes, do that. Or do whatever, just let me know how it ends up.

Ta Dah!

Drink of the Week. As promised. I actually had this one ready for last week and then got busy with work, and depressed about Paris, so I just sat on it. Not literally sat on it, but you knew that, didn't you. I had made some margaritas and posted a photo on flickr and then one of my favorite flickr friends, hannah (haeshu) emailed me this amazing recipe, that had been passed on to her.

2 cups lime juice (about 10 -12) limes
4 cups pink grapefruit juice (trust me)
1 cup sugar
2 cups tequila
3/4 cup grand marnier (i use cointreau sometimes, too)

mix together until sugar is dissolved. it's good on the rocks or slightly blended.

She assured me that although grapefruit juice might sound strange, it is delicious. She was right!

So I took myself to the grocery store that afternoon. Bought myself some ruby red grapefruits (because i was convinced fresh squeezed would make it even better), came home and squeezed my little heart out.

Problem number one . . . 3 grapefruits yielded about 3 oz of juice, which left me about 3 1/3 cups short. I improvised. Fortunately I didn't have a "big group" coming over (just Andrew and my brother). So here's what I did (At least I think it is what I did - - I was still in too much of a haze from my Paris ails that I forgot to write it down- - I am now literally sitting here staring at a glass pyrex measuring cup trying to envision which line the lime juice went to)

3 oz Grapefruit juice (fresh squeezed if you are up for it)
4 oz Rose's sweetened lime juice (cause it's easier than waiting for sugar to dissolve, or making a simple syrup)
2 oz Tequila
1 oz Grand Marnier (or Cointreau)

Shake with ice, pour into a glass with a salted rim (use good salt, even if they say they don't like salt, it's a margarita for christ's sake) over ice. enjoy

One last thing. I can't come up with a name. I don't want anything "grey" or "ruby." I just want something catchy and fun. Any ideas?

bad foodie

You guys are right. I am really sorry. I have been a bad, bad foodie. No twenty bucks, no drink of the week (although i have had several to try and drink away some sorrows). Here is the honest truth. I was extremely depressed after Paris . . . i mean it was bad. . . on the couch for days, eating everything in site, watching reruns of little house on the prairie, bad. And, I'm a bit broke - - so much so that it makes spending twenty bucks seem extravagant. I'm coming out of it. Getting inspired and playing the lottery, so I'll probably be a multi millionaire the next time you talk to me. For now I will admit defeat, tell you that it may be a couple of weeks before twenty bucks makes it's return, but promise you that this friday you will have a drink of the week. Thanks for sticking by me. Don't leave. Please, don't leave.

Business as Usual

Hello. Are you still out there? Gosh, I hope so. Sorry I have been so, so . . . well, absent. I didn't plan on it. I didn't want to be. It just happened. Things seem to be getting back to normal for me (i.e. I don't cry when I think about Paris), so I want to just return to business as usual. If you wanted to see and here more about Paris, you can do so here and here. But as far as we're concerned, it's back twenty bucks and drink of the week. I think that is best. What do you think? I sure hope you agree. Here, have some Parisian pastries. They're delicious.

No One Told Me . . .

that a post Paris funk could last this long. My apologies, again. I miss you guys.