i had an extra loaf of bread from making fondue last night, so i let it sit out overnight so i could make french toast for breakfast this morning!

for french toast, it's super super important to use stale bread. if you only have fresh, at least toast it for a little bit in the oven. if the bread is dry, it'll soak up the egg and cream and vanilla like a sponge, instead of the mixture just sitting on top of its faces. conventional bread generally has chemicals that prevent bread from drying out, so don't buy wonderbread.

1 day-old loaf of bread
3 eggs
1 tbsp. sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tbsp. vanilla
a pinch of salt

mix the eggs, salt, and sugar into one shallow bowl or pan and the cream and vanilla into another. cut the bread in slices and soak each side for about 15 seconds in the cream mixture and 10 seconds in the egg mixture before frying.

sprinkle with cinnamon and nutmeg and maple syrup, or powdered sugar and fresh fruit!

calligraphy

i found an unopened set of nibs and reservoirs for a calligraphy dip pen and thought i'd give it a shot. i had a hard time getting the nib to stay in place at first but it wasn't a bad effort! i think with a little practice i'll be writing like max fischer in no time!

cheddar-swiss and beer fondue

last night i made fondue! i ended up using a little too much beer, so i've adjusted the recipe from what i used to balance it out. for the cheese fondue i used a little crock pot and for the chocolate fondue i used one of the little fondue sets with a tea candle.

for the cheese fondue:
1 lb. of cheddar cheese, grated
1/2 lb. of swiss cheese, grated
3/4 cup beer
1 tbsp. flour
1 tsp. dry mustard

serve with blanched broccoli and asparagus, crusty bread, apple slices.

mix grated cheese, flour, and dry mustard together. heat beer until simmering, not boiling. gradually add cheese mixture until melted.

for the chocolate fondue:
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup heavy cream

melt chocolate and gradually add cream until desired consistency.

serve with strawberries, orange slices, bananas, and pieces of angel food cake.

cranberry sauce with orange zest

so for actual thanksgiving i made more of the cranberry sauce that i tried out at the potluck.

3-4 cups fresh cranberries, rinsed
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 tbsp. orange zest

bring the water and sugar to a boil and add cranberries. after a few minutes you should hear popping as the skins break. simmer for 20-30 minutes and place in refrigerator until chilled. grate fresh orange zest over top before serving. i love this because it's a little bit tart instead of super sugary.

christmas list

unfortunately i will not be getting most of, if any of these for christmas. this is more of a "things to save up for" list for me.

5. ravioli mold

this isn't a huge necessity or a particularly expensive gift. but i love ravioli. and i would love to make it. all different kinds. all the time. (via williamssonoma)

 
4. tube decorating set and pastry bags

because once i get these, i will become an unstoppable baked goods machine. i will make cupcakes where you won't know whether the flower on top is real or icing. i will make cakes so perfect that you won't want to eat it, until you realize that it probably tastes even better than it looks. (via ateco)

3. a cast iron skillet 

because i really really REALLY love breakfast. and a great cast iron skillet just gets better with each use.







2. a good set of (shun) knives

i really only need a 7" hollow ground santoku and a 3 1/2" paring knife and boy would i love them to be shun knives. my best friend bought a shun chef's knife as a present for someone and since then we've used it, photographed it, etc...they're beautiful. and sharp like samurai sword. if i love something, i'll use it over and over again. you could buy me a set of 256 knives, one for every job imaginable, and i'd probably only use two of three regularly, so they should be great knives. and so, after finding a way to get my number one on the list, i'm going to start saving up for some of these bad boys. (via kershawknives)

1. kitchenaid artisan stand mixer in white on white

this is the sort of kitchen equipment that you keep for a lifetime. and trust me, i would put a few lifetimes worth of work and love into it. recently i've been signing up for every giveaway imaginable for a chance to win one, and i'm going to keep entering sweepstakes until i win or until i get so discouraged that i just buy one (this would be a pretty big buy on my retail paycheck). (via kitchenaid)

baked fruit-on-the-bottom oatmeal and whole wheat pancakes

when patrick and i were in chicago, we had a fantastic breakfast in wicker park with a big bowl of baked fruit topped with oatmeal. i loved it so much that i just had to make it for myself as a side dish to whole wheat pancakes.

for fruit-on-the-bottom oatmeal:
1 cup of steel cut or rolled oats
1 apple
2-3 cups strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, etc...
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup plain yogurt
2 tbsp honey

while cooking the oatmeal, slice up apples, strawberries, etc...until they are about 1" square and mix in an oven safe bowl or small casserole dish.

once oatmeal has finished cooking, pour in an even layer on top of fruit. sprinkle brown sugar on top and bake in oven at 350º for about 20 minutes.

serve baked fruit and oatmeal alongside a small bowl of yogurt with honey drizzled on top (make it vegan by using soy yogurt and agave nectar).

while your fruit-on-the-bottom oatmeal is baking, you can begin mixing up the following for whole wheat pancakes:

2 cups flour
2 cups milk
2 eggs, beaten
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. oil
1 tsp. salt

cook on a griddle or skillet until browned.

quinoa stuffed peppers

i love cooking with quinoa. aside from being a complete protein, it's high in dietary fiber and iron, and is gluten-free. and this recipe has so many different vegetables that it's almost unbelievable how well they all cook together. for the filling i used quinoa, black beans, spinach, onions, shallots, garlic, celery, carrots, and tomato but you could use so many other ingredients along with or in place of (mushrooms, olives, hot peppers, zucchini, nuts, etc...)

you will need:
2 cups of quinoa
2 cups of vegetable stock
1 can of black beans
1 onion
1 shallot
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 cup of carrots, diced
1/2 cup of celery, diced
1 or 2 tomatoes
1 bag fresh spinach
1 cup cheddar cheese
6 bell peppers (any color)
salt, pepper, and parsley to taste

rinse the quinoa. colanders are too big, i'd use a thin towel or cheesecloth. bring the 2 cups of vegetable stock to a boil and add quinoa, stirring occasionally. once the quinoa has absorbed all of the liquid, drain the beans and transfer both into a large bowl.

cut and dice the onion and shallot and sauté in a large pan for 5-7 minutes, until carmelized. slice garlic and add to pan. cook for another minute before adding celery and carrots. cook a few more minutes and add diced tomato and spinach.

while sautéing the vegetables, preheat the oven to 350º and bring a pot of water to a boil. cut the tops from the bell peppers and set aside, hollow out the insides and rinse out all of the seeds.

boil each bell pepper for about 5 minutes, making sure to turn and get an even cooking if you are using a small pot. set the boiled bell peppers aside.

add the sautéed vegetables to the bowl with the quinoa and beans and slowly stir in the cheese, salt, pepper, and parsley.

spoon the mixture into each hollowed-out bell pepper, making sure to pack them tight. set onto a baking sheet or in a glass pan and bake for 20-30 minutes, until skin is wrinkled and the edges begin to blacken.

for the last 5 minutes, i like to put the stems in the oven, so that they get a little blackened as well, and then place them back on the top of the peppers before serving.

november thrifting projects

i found these two oversized dresses. the denim maxi is about my size so it'll be easy to hem. the mixed floral dress is way oversized and my sister loved the pattern, so i'm going to restructure it for her. it's all cotton so it'll be very simple. as of now i'm thinking that i'll hem it slightly above the knee, add a thick elastic band around the waist, cut the sleeves to cap length, and possibly cut the back up so that it either scoops or buttons together.

november thrifting expedition

i went thrifting yesterday with my little sister and we both found a few really great things, including a few dresses i'm going to hem and restructure for the both of us!

brown ankle boots and belt

holiday sweater (i accidentally shrunk it, but i bought it oversized so it fits now!)

faux suede dress

and this amazing singer sewing table. i didn't get this last night but i forgot to put a picture of it up when i found it a few weeks ago. it's in perfect condition and i'm in love with it!

thanksgiving recipes

last night a few friends from work had a thanksgiving potluck! we ended up having WAY too much food but i suppose that's the best way to be at potlucks. i live about forty five minutes away so i packed a bag with my favorite knife, casserole dishes, and the ingredients i'd be needing and drove up to cook at danielle's house. when i got to the house there was already two turkeys and a tofurkey in the oven! for the potluck i ended up making cranberry sauce with orange zest, ginger roasted sweet potatoes, and creamed spinach gratin. sam and danielle were in the middle of cooking turkeys and tofurkeys, making garlic mashed potatoes, ambrosia salad, and cumin and butternut squash couscous, so it was pretty hectic and short on space and i didn't take as many pictures while cooking as i would have liked to, but everything turned out amazing.

for cranberry sauce with orange zest:
3 cups fresh cranberries
1 cup water
3/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp orange zest

bring water and sugar to a boil, then add cranberries. continue to boil until the skins pop, then lower heat and simmer for 30 minutes. grate orange zest and set in fridge until either cool enough to eat or chilled.

for ginger roasted sweet potatoes:
3-4 large yams or sweet potatoes
2 tbsp + 2 tbsp unsalted butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup fresh grated ginger

mix 2 tbsp butter, brown sugar, and ginger. cut sweet potatoes into 1" squares and mix in with other ingredients. set into glass casserole dish and cover potatoes with pats of the remaining butter. cook at 350º for 45-60 minutes.


for creamed spinach gratin:
4 10 oz. packages frozen spinach
5 shallots
1 clove garlic
4 tbsp unsalted butter
1 8 oz. package cream cheese
1 cup milk
1 cup heavy cream
3 cups shredded swiss or gruyere
salt and pepper, to taste

i am usually a fresh spinach
advocate, but the amount required
would need over 10 large bags of
fresh spinach and would be
unnecessary as it is going to be

baked anyway. so i use frozen for
this particular dish.

thaw spinach, squeeze out all of the water, and set aside. cut garlic clove in half and rub cut halves around the inside of the casserole dish. discard garlic.

sauté shallots for 5-7 minutes, until carmelized and mix into spinach. mix in butter, milk, cream cheese, and 2 cups of the shredded cheese and set everything in a casserole. spread the last cup of cheese on top. cook at 350º for 25 minutes.

tu me manques

yankee hotel foxtrot

one of dave and morgan's friends has an apartment in one of the marina towers, the buildings that not only boast the cover of wilco's yankee hotel foxtrot album, but also one of the best 360º views in the city, and he was nice enough to give us a tour of his amazing building and its roof access. we could not have picked a more beautiful night, it was a little bit hazy, so that the fog picked up some of the city lights.