Food is Food

I always tell people I’m not a cookie eater, but I guess that depends on the cookie, since when it comes to these gingersnaps, I can’t get enough. As soon as these cool, I chain-eat them until they’re gone; but that’s not my fault. I blame the amazing spicy-sweet flavor, and irresistible texture.

Speaking of irresistible texture, I’ve got some homework for you. You’re going to have to make batches of these to find out your own optimum baking time. I know, it’s hard work, but you need to somehow find a way.

Depending on the exact size of your dough balls, and how crispy, or chewy, you want these, the baking times will vary from 10 to 15 minutes. As far as ingredients go, the crystalized ginger is technically optional, but not too hard to find (check the bulk section), and it really gives the cookies that extra kick of ginger flavor and heat.

Obviously, you can also adjust the spices to suit your tastes, but don’t make these too mild. They’re called “snaps” for reasons other than their texture. I really hope you give these a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for about 50 to 60 cookies (depending on size):

2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon fine salt

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon cayenne

12 tablespoons room temp unsalted butter

2/3 cup white sugar

1/3 cup finely chopped candied ginger

1/4 cup molasses

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 large egg, beaten
- Bake at 350 F. for 10 to 15 minutes, depending on desired texture.

A few years ago I heard Ted Turner speak about bison at the Sustainable Food Institute at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. He slipped in, spoke was very opinionated and went over his allotted time, but he certainly was engaging.Attendees learned he is one of the largest landowners in North America, a proponent of conservation and a big believer in bison. He talked about bison as a means to both economic viability and environmental sustainability. Turner has a staggering 51,000 bison on his land, which is over 10% of the entire population in North America. He also runs Ted's Montana Grill where he serves bison.

Bison are an integral part of the prairie ecosystem, grazing in herds and fertilizing plant cover. The natural behavior of bison is still very much intact because unlike cows, they are not domesticated. Bison meat is naturally lean and is a good source of protein, iron, zinc and selenium.

If you've never cooked bison before and can find it in ground form, try using it in chili. The bison itself tastes very similar to beef but is a bit richer and less fatty. This chili is mostly beans, but flavored with chiles, chile powder and spices, onion, garlic and fire roasted canned tomatoes. I generally prefer buying whole tomatoes rather than diced ones, they break up and cook down more easily than diced. Chili is one of those dishes that just gets better over time as the beans soften and the flavors meld together. I serve it with plenty of toppings--grated jack cheese, chopped green onions and cilantro and sometimes a dollop of sour cream or Greek yogurt.

Note: I don't recommend soaking the beans

Black Bean & Bison Chili

Serves 6-8

1 pound dry black beans

1 pound ground bison meat

1 onion (white or yellow) diced

3 cloved garlic, minced

1 red or yellow bell pepper, diced

2 roasted peeled Hatch chiles (mild, medium or hot), optional

2 Tablespoons chili powder (mild, medium or hot)

2 teaspoons cumin powder

1/2 teaspoon ground oregano

28 ounce can whole fire roasted tomatoes and their juice

1 Tablespoon tomato paste
Salt

Place the sorted black beans in a large Dutch oven and cover with about 10 cups of water. Bring the water to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer, partially covered, until tender.

In a large pot combine the bison, onion, garlic and peppers. Cook, crumbling the meat until the meat browns and vegetables soften. Add the spices and cook for another 2 minutes then crush the tomatoes with your hands and add them and the juices to the mixture.

Add the cooked beans and 2 cups of the bean cooking water and the tomato paste to the meat mixture, partially cover the pot and simmer gently for 30 minutes or until thick. Season to taste with salt.

Enjoy!

Are you ready for the best weekend ever? A glutenous, guilt-free, indulgent weekend full of candy and costumes and sports?? At least that's the type of weekend I'm about to have. I have my red cape and red lipstick all ready to go because I'm sorry, but I couldn't find a single non-slutty Little Red Riding Hood dress, so that's what I'm going with. My Grandmother/Wolf, Hawkeye, Ariel and Elmo are very excited to trick-or-treat. And last night I made these Homemade Take Five bars following this recipe, hence the beginning of the best weekend ever... because when you put peanut butter on pretzels and then caramel on top of that and then dip the whole thing in chocolate YOU WIN!

For more Homemade Halloween treats - like Butterfingers, Snickers, Almond Joys, Peanut Butter Cups and Peppermint Patties - click here. For Baby Ruth Bars, click here. Happy Halloween!

As I joked about in the video, a fruit salad has to be pretty damn good to actually get a name, and the venerable Waldorf salad is certainly worthy.

I realize that there are a small group of you who won’t be able to wrap your heads around mayonnaise with fruit, and that’s a shame, since it means you won’t get to enjoy one of the great combinations of all time. By the way, if you are one of the aforementioned people, but like mayo slathered all over your sandwich, containing slices of sweet, ripe tomato, and caramelized onions, then you have some explaining to do. Also, coleslaw. I rest my case.

Embellish this as you see fit, but I really like it best with just the four ingredients seen here. Things like dried cranberries can add a nice seasonal touch, but for me, the chewy fruit gets in the way of that addictive crunchy/crisp texture. I really hope you give this old-school, but timeless Waldorf salad a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for about 1 cup dressing (enough for 2 Waldorf salads below):

3/4 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup crème fraiche or sour cream (I used CF)

juice from 1/2 lemon

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

pinch freshly ground black pepper

pinch cayenne

1 tablespoon finely chopped tarragon

For 2 large or 4 appetizer sized Waldorf salads:

2 large crisp, sweet apples, cut in 1/2 inch cubes

1 cup small cubed celery root

1 cup quartered seedless grapes

1/2 cup toasted walnuts pieces

First things first, the winner of the Happiest Little Baker Giveaway is Valerie! However, HLB is also going to give the first 50 readers that sign up 10% off using the coupon code SIRIOUSLY10. Go, go and join (they even have allergy-friendly kits). My kids are already talking about next month's box :)

Now, on to this wonderfully delicious baked spaghetti squash recipe. I was at a cooking class last week with my mom and some friends, and it was centered around root vegetables. One thing the chef prepared was this baked spaghetti squash with a blue cheese sauce. Any vegetable that disguises as a pasta is my kind of vegetable, especially smothered in a creamy, salty, tangy sauce. This tastes sinfully good, but is much better for you than a bowl of fettuccine alfredo... right? A perfect Thanksgiving side dish, this would be... signed, Yoda.

Baked Spaghetti Squash w/ Blue Cheese Sauce

(Serves 4-6)

Printable Recipe

1 large spaghetti squash

Salt and pepper

2 Tbsp chopped fresh sage

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 tsp butter

1 small shallot, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp flour

1 cup chicken stock

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/3 cup blue cheese crumbles

1 Tbsp chopped parsley

1/3 cup bread crumbs

Pinch of cayenne

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Carefully slice the spaghetti squash in half and scoop out the seeds with a spoon, discard. Place both halves on a baking sheet, flesh side up, and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for about 30 minutes, until the skin begins to wrinkle and golden. Remove, let cool slightly, and then scrape out the spaghetti squash "noodles" with a fork. Place in a casserole dish, drizzle with some olive oil, add the sage and toss. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Over the stove in a medium-sized skillet, heat the tablespoon of olive oil and butter over medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic, and sauté until fragrant, a few minutes. Add the flour and whisk continuously until there are no lumps. Whisk in the chicken stock and cream, stirring frequently until sauce begins to thicken. Lastly, add the blue cheese and parsley, continuing to whisk. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour sauce over spaghetti squash and toss to combine. Sprinkle the top with bread crumbs and place back in the 400 degree oven, just until the bread crumbs turn golden and the sauce starts to bubble.

Cooking up a few chicken breasts should be a fast, easy, and delicious experience, but for many people it’s actually a slow, hard, and disappointing one. There are several reasons for this, and hopefully this demo for how to pan-roast chicken will eliminate them.

The most important factor is doneness. By “pan-roasting,” you can easily monitor the internal temp, and as I recommend in the video, start the pan sauce when the meat reaches about 150 F. By the time your sauce is done, and the chicken is covered in its hot, buttery goodness, it should have reached 155-160 F., which is what I shoot for.

At this temp, the chicken will be perfectly safe, while remaining moist and tender. I know many recipes, and reference sites, call for longer cooking times, and internal temps of 165-175 F., but that’s just crazy. Unless, you want tough, dry meat; in which case, that works wonderfully.

Also, I think it’s very important we leave the skin on. Not only does this add a lot of flavor, but also much-needed moisture. Even if you’ve been brain-washed into thinking the skin is “bad” for you, which it isn’t, you can peel it off before you eat it, but I recommend leaving it on during the cooking process.

And yes, we’d be getting even more flavor and moisture if we just left the breasts on the bone, but the whole point is for this to be fast to make, and effortless to eat. Otherwise, we might as well roast a whole chicken.

If you’re not into creating your own boneless, skin-on breasts, like we did in the video, you can have the butcher at the market do this for you. You’ll have to go to a larger store where they cut up their own chicken parts, and tell them exactly what you want, but they’ll hook you up at no extra charge. I really hope you give this easy, and very effective technique a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 4 portions:

4 boneless, but skin-on chicken breasts

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 tbsp finely chopped fresh herbs, optional

2 tbsp olive oil

1/4 cup *vinegar

4 tbsp cold butter, cut in smaller pieces

a splash of chicken broth or water, if needed to thin sauce

*I used apple cider here, but literally any vinegar will work. Some of my favorites are sherry, balsamic, rice, and champagne vinegar.

I am not a very crafty person. Some moms have the most pinterest-worthy art projects up their sleeves, but when it comes to doing something creative with my kids, I've always preferred baking. Which is why I was THRILLED to discover the Happiest Little Baker - a subscription based monthly kit that comes equipped with pre-measured, non-perishable ingredients and simple-to-follow, adorable recipes! It was created by a woman named Linsdey and her husband Mike - parents who love baking with their own two children. Their kid-friendly approach is obvious in every detail - they even include an activity sheet to kill time while your treat bakes. After our 'Witch Hat Cupcakes' were done, my son proclaimed, "this is SO MUCH FUN, please sign up for every month!!"

So for the giveaway, HLB is going to give one winner a 3-month subscription for FREE! To qualify to win, you must officially follow this blog, as well as follow HLB on Twitter, Instagram and like them on Facebook. Please leave a comment below to enter the giveaway, letting us know what you like to bake with kids. A winner will be chosen at random on Wednesday at 9am EST. Good luck!

This Shakshuka, or Shakshouka if you prefer, is why I’m so glad the show/blog/channel is called, “Food Wishes.” This North African one-dish-meal is so fast, easy, and delicious, but it probably wouldn’t have occurred to me to do a video for it, unless someone sent me a request.

I always appreciate these types of reminders, and seeing "Shakshuka" in a subject line does catch your attention, but now I have a little problem. I can’t stop saying it. It has basically replaced using profanity for me. Yes, now when I stub my toe, I yell "shakshuka!"

I know we did an Italian-inspired version of this idea, served in individual ramekins, but this is supposedly the original. The sauce is quite different, and I think more interesting. The peppers and mushrooms add another layer of flavor, and the spicing is much more complex. Not to mention, a large pan of this is much more of a showstopper.

Just be sure to cook your sauce until the veggies are nice and soft and sweet. I don’t think you want crunchy onions and peppers in this, so take a little time building the base. You will also have to monitor the liquid level as it simmers, but that’s very easy to adjust by adding a splash of water or broth.

Once the eggs go in, you can finish covered on the stove, or just pop the pan into a hot oven until they cook to your liking. I go for just barely set, and the advantage of that system is, if you do want them cooked more, you just need to stir the egg into that hot sauce, and it will firm-up instantly.

No matter how you like your yolks cooked, this makes for an impressive breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner. And if you’re serving a large group, you can scale this up to any size pan or baking dish. I really hope you “shakshuka!” very soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 6 small portions:
(one egg per portion as appetizer - double for a main course)

2 tbsp olive oil

1 large onion, diced

large handful of sliced mushrooms

1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste

1 cup diced red bell peppers

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and sliced

1 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

28-oz can (about 3 cups) crushed San Marzano tomatoes, or other high-quality plum tomatoes. Of course you can use fresh tomatoes in season.

1/2 cup water or broth, or as needed

6 large eggs (or as many as you can fit in you pan)

crumbled feta cheese and fresh parsley to finish

I recently got a new crock-pot! It was sent by the Swedish crock-pot agent for me to evaluate, and since I love my old one as well, I was really eager to try it. The new one is much more advanced than my old and has sauté settings as well as settings for baking, roasting and cooking rice so I have quite a bit of experimenting to do.

However, for my first time cooking with the new pot, I wanted a simple recipe. I'd be out for most of the day and needed a quick dinner when I got home, so decided to do a chicken parmesan soup. It was really tasty - a hit for at least one of the kids and we adults enjoyed it a lot. I specify my cooking times below but it's adaptable, you could easily do shorter or longer. And I cooked the pasta separately because once we were home, we were in a hurry. If I'd had more time, I'd have added it to the pot maybe half an hour or so before eating.

Slowcooked Chicken Parmesan Soup

2 chicken breasts

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

400 g crushed tomatoes

800 ml water

2 chicken stock cubes

4 stalks fresh oregano

1 tsp chili pepper flakes

2 large handfuls grated parmesan cheese

and to finish:

1 handful grated parmesan cheese

2 tbsp finely chopped fresh basil

200 g cooked pasta, small shapes

100 ml crème fraiche

Place chicken, garlic, onion, pepper, tomatoes, water, stock cubes, oregano, chili and cheese in the slowcooker. Cook for about 4 hours on high, or 6-8 hours on low. We did an additional hour on low or so, but that was just for our convenience, it was done before that.

Just before serving, shred the chicken, stir in the additional cheese, fresh basil, cooked pasta and completely optional, creme fraiche. Serve and enjoy!

It’s been ten years since the Michelin guide arrived in San Francisco (and I started writing about it!) so I guess it’s the right time for reflection. Ten years ago the stars seemed to go to very predictable and somewhat French-inspired restaurants. This year the balance has swung to favor the new, the modern and the diverse. Is it Michelin or San Francisco? It’s probably a bit of both. Though I'm sorry for some of those restaurants left behind that lost their stars because I believe they are still worthy I can't help but be excited by this new constellation.

While some were making a big deal over Manresa getting three stars, Commis and Campton Place rising to two stars or Kin Khao getting one, I think the really big news was the ever expanding number of restaurants on the list. An incredible 39 restaurants got a star this year with another 12 getting either 2 or 3 stars. That’s truly worth celebrating!

Here are some highlights from the party—photos courtesy of Lee Sherman

The evening always involves plenty of champagne...

Two gorgeous restaurateurs who both earned the respect of their peers, Cecilia Chang and Chef Dominique Crenn of Atelier Crenn and Petite Crenn.

Pim Techamuanvivit was one of the true stars of night, she’s had a tough year and Kin Khao’s one star was well deserved. While some may consider it an expensive Thai restaurant, Kin Khao has now got to be considered as one of the least expensive Michelin one star restaurants.

Everyone loves a redemption story and Manresa coming back after the fire to earn three stars put David Kinch in the spotlight, here with pastry chef Belinda Leong who spent some time in his kitchen before making an even bigger splash with B. Patisserie.

Three of my favorite chefs for the way they balance tradition and creativity while always striving for excellence— Stuart Brioza of State Bird Provisions and The Progress James Syhabout of Commis and Hawker Fare and David Barzelay of Lazy Bear.

From what I think is the finest Italian restaurant in San Francisco, Acquerello, Riccardo Menicucci and Suzette Gresham Tognetti.

Aaron London of AL's Place is a chef who takes chances, his next gamble? Decreasing reservations and allowing for even more walk ins. Bravo! My review of his restaurant is currently on Amy's Fork in the Fog

Who says chefs are all work and no play? Well no one who comes to the Michelin gala! Until next year...

Food is Food

Category

Blog Archive

Gingersnap Cookies – Hot, Hot, Sweet

Bison Black Bean Chili Recipe

Homemade Take 5 Bars

A Waldorf Salad by Any Other Name

Baked Spaghetti Squash w/ Blue Cheese Sauce

Pan-Roasted Chicken Breasts – Less Time, More Skin = Better Breasts

Happiest Little Baker Giveaway!

Shakshuka – Say It With Me Now

Slowcooked Chicken Parmesan Soup

San Francisco Michelin 2016

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