M+M and K+L Take New York

We're wrapping up a fantastic (but chilly) weekend in NYC with our good friends Kevin and Laurie from Chicago.

The Maurizio Cattelan exhibit at the Guggenheim was really impressive, the Staten Island ferry was fun (and free!), and the vegan and/or organic restaurants were so delicious!

We miss our friends already but here are some of our favorite photos.

Uncle Mike (1942-2012)

This was the sky on the beltway last Friday as Michael and I drove to BWI to catch our flight to Indianapolis.  Unfortunately, this last-minute trip was to say goodbye to Uncle Mike.

Here's daddy listening to Uncle Mike at my cousin Kristen's wedding in 2009.  He always put a smile on your face with his stories (or by accessorizing with a decorative bow around his neck).

Uncle Mike was the oldest of the Farrell boys... you can tell that they had a lot of fun together.

Above is a picture of all the Farrell siblings at our wedding and below is one of my favorite moments of our wedding.  Uncle Mike pulled Michael aside and gave him a little talk about how he needed to take care of me and what a lucky man he was.

The service for Uncle Mike was probably more elaborate than he would have liked, but I thought it was simple, loving and beautifully adorned with lots flowers sent by friends and family that miss him terribly.  

The world has lost an amazing spirit but I know he's happy up in heaven with my Aunt Judy and cousin Michelle and making pineapple upside down cakes in an old cast iron skillet (like he used to make for me when I would come to visit).  We miss you, Uncle Mike.

Crispy Chicken Thighs with Golden Raisin Compote

Michael has made this dish several times in the last year, but I've either forgotten to get a photo or it just turned out ugly.  So I'm just using the beautiful photo from Food & Wine because my poor photography skills should not keep you from trying this recipe.

We made it when we were in NC for Christmas and everyone loved it!  Farro is cooked similarly to rice and I've added a simple farro recipe at the bottom of this post.  This recipe had definitely made farro one of our new favorite grains.

INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 ounces butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice (1 cup)
1 large shallot, minced
1/2 Granny Smith apple—peeled, cored and cut into 1/2-inch dice
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 1/4 cups golden raisins (1/2 pound)
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons chopped thyme
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
8 6 ounce bone-in chicken thighs

Preheat the oven to 350°. In a skillet, melt the butter. Add the squash, cover and cook over moderate heat until almost tender, 3 minutes. Add the shallot and cook for 1 minute. Add the apple, cinnamon and cayenne and cook for 1 minute. Add the raisins, wine, honey and thyme and cook until the wine is almost evaporated. Season with salt and pepper.

In an ovenproof nonstick skillet, heat the oil. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and add to the skillet, skin side down. Cook over high heat until the skin is crisp, 5 minutes. Turn the chicken, transfer the skillet to the oven and roast for 6 minutes, until cooked through; serve with the compote.

Serve with buttered farro with chives.

COOKING FARRO
2 cups (12 ounces) whole-grain farro
4 quarts of boiling salted water

Rinse farro in a strainer under cold running water. Have the salted water boiling in a 6-quart pot. Drop in the farro, stir and get water to a steady, lively simmer. Partially cover the pot and cook 30 to 45 minutes, or until tender. Drain the farro in a sieve. Eat hot or at room temperature, seasoning to taste.

Yield: Makes 4 to 5 cups

Merry Merschat Christmas

We're packing up and getting ready to leave the beautiful mountains of North Carolina and back up to the hustle and bustle of DC. Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday! Here's some images of our tree, our Charlie Brown tree, and other random Christmas photos at the house.

Quinoa Salad with Orange-Cumin Vinaigrette

We had some vegan and vegetarians at the Cookie Swap so Michael searched Vegetarian Times for a winter vegan recipe.  I got several compliments from non-vegans/vegetarians that wanted the recipe so here it is!  Healthy and delicious quinoa... always a hit.

INGREDIENTS
1/3 cup sliced almonds
1 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
1/4 tsp. salt
1/3 cup dried apricots, diced into small pieces
1/3 cup raisins
1/3 cup fresh orange juice
1 shallot, finely chopped (2 Tbs.)
2 Tbs. chopped fresh parsley
2 Tbs. chopped cilantro
2 Tbs. chopped fresh mint
1 Tbs. grated orange zest
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
2 Tbs. olive oil
2 oranges, peels sliced off and sections cut out

Toast almonds 4 to 5 minutes in dry skillet or toaster oven, or until pale brown and fragrant, stirring often.

Bring 2 cups water to a boil in medium saucepan. Add quinoa and salt, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 15 minutes, or until tender and almost all water is absorbed. Drain, then transfer to large bowl. Toss with apricots and raisins.

Whisk together orange juice, shallot, parsley, cilantro, mint, orange zest, cumin, and coriander. Whisk in oil. Pour dressing over quinoa, and toss to coat. Garnish with orange slices and toasted almonds.

Cookie Swap 2011

Another successful cookies swap has come and gone... and I am just waking up from my cookie coma from eating too many carbs!

Vicky and I had such a fun time hosting our 6th annual cookie swap and we had a delicious and diverse range of cookies this year!  Everyone did such a wonderful job and we had a great time catching up with old and new friends.  Check out the recipes on our Cookie Swap Recipe Blog at bakedfortheholidays.blogspot.com!



As you can see, we had some of our favorite buffet items out to share: red pepper hummus, crostini with prosciutto, goat cheese and fig jam, truffle tremor cheese, lox and cream cheese crostini, fruit salad, and a new vegan dish that got a lot of compliments: Quinoa Salad with Orange-Cumin Vinaigrette!  As requested, we'll post that recipe soon.  Martha also brought over a delicious vegan corn and bean salad (I still need to ask her for the recipe!)

Love all the great food and good friends that make the holidays so wonderful!

How to Buy a Present for an Architect

Michael's boss just sent me this link and I thought it was hilarious... and eerily true in most cases!  I hope all of you that have had the pleasure of purchasing a gift for Michael will find this as amusing as I did.

Asheville

Michael and I frequently discuss how lucky we are to go "home" to two of the most beautiful places in the country: Northern California and Western North Carolina.

It's a North Carolina Christmas this year and, coincidentally, I just read two things today that reminded me of where we'll be spending the holidays... in the mountains, cozied up by the fire, and spending time with friends and family.

I just saw on Facebook that Good Morning America selected Asheville as one of its most beautiful place in America (in addition to Point Reyes).

Then I opened up my email and American Life in Poetry featured a beautiful poem about the Blue Ridge (even though she refers to the Virginia portion of the Blue Ridge, the imagery she describes reminds me of NC).

American Life in Poetry: Column 351
BY TED KOOSER, U.S. POET LAUREATE, 2004-2006

In many of those Japanese paintings with Mt. Fuji in the background, we find tiny figures moving along under the immensity of the landscape. Here’s an American version of a scene like that, by Stanley Plumly of Maryland, one of our country’s most accomplished poets.

Off A Side Road Near Staunton

Some nothing afternoon, no one anywhere,
an early autumn stillness in the air,
the kind of empty day you fill by taking in
the full size of the valley and its layers leading
slowly to the Blue Ridge, the quality of country,
if you stand here long enough, you could stay
for, step into, the way a landscape, even on a wall,
pulls you in, one field at a time, pasture and fall
meadow, high above the harvest, perfect
to the tree line, then spirit clouds and intermittent
sunlit smoky rain riding the tops of the mountains,
though you could walk until it’s dark and not reach those rains—
you could walk the rest of the day into the picture
and not know why, at any given moment, you’re there.

Re-Post: Vegetarian Lasagna

Here's another re-post from our old me.com blog that Apple is ditching soon. This lasagna recipe is a regular in our winter menu and works perfectly with leftover spaghetti sauce.

BECHAMEL INGREDIENTS
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 cups milk, heated
1 garlic clove, smashed
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

LASAGNA INGREDIENTS
A bottle of your favorite tomato-based pasta sauce
Any vegetables you want (we like mushrooms, sauteed onions, zucchini, celery, you get the idea)
12 long ruffle-edged dried lasagna noodles (we use no-boil)
5 ounces (1 3/4 cups) finely grated Parmigiana-Reggiano (Remember, you can always add more cheese... we do)

Make béchamel:
Heat butter in a 2-quart heavy saucepan over moderately low heat until melted, then add flour and cook roux over low heat, whisking, 3 minutes. Add hot milk in a fast stream, whisking vigorously, and whisk in garlic and salt. Bring to a boil, whisking. Reduce heat and simmer, whisking occasionally, 10 minutes, then remove garlic and add pepper.

Make sauce:
Saute your mushrooms, onions, garlic, zucchini, etc. in a heavy pan (we use our 12-inch cast iron skillet) and then add your favorite pasta sauce. Heat it up so it’s bubbling a little.

Assemble and bake lasagna:
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 425°F.

If not using no-boil noodles, cook lasagna noodles in a 6- to 8-quart pot of boiling salted water 8 minutes (noodles will not be cooked through), then drain and transfer to a bowl of cold water.

If using no-boil noodles, just follow instructions on the package and be sure to spread filling all the way to the edge of the noodles so the ends don’t dry out.

Spread 1 cup béchamel on bottom of a buttered 13- by 9-inch baking dish, reserving remainder for last layer. Drain 3 lasagna noodles in 1 layer on a kitchen towel and arrange over béchamel in baking dish. Spread pasta in dish evenly with one third of tomato sauce and sprinkle with 1/3 cup cheese. Repeat layering of pasta, mushroom tomato sauce, and cheese twice, then cover with last 3 lasagna noodles. Spread remaining béchamel on top and sprinkle with remaining 3/4 cup cheese.

Bake, uncovered, until lasagna is bubbling and top is browned, 30 to 35 minutes. Let stand at room temperature at least 15 minutes before cutting.

mmmmm.....

Betterave Rotie Au Fromage De Chevre

This recipe is one of our all-time favorites and definitely a crowd pleaser at dinner parties.  This is one of many recipes that we love in Cooking in Provence and the perfect recipe to use up my autumn arugula!

Roasted Beetroot with Fresh Goats' Cheese

INGREDIENTS
2 large cooked beetroot (you can also find pre-cooked beets at Trader Joe's that work great)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 tbsp walnut oil
7 oz. fresh goats' cheese
1 bunch arugula (or rocket salad)
3.5 oz. sun-dried tomatoes (we use the ones in a jar)
3.5 oz. olive oil
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.

Cut beets into wedges and lay flat on a casserole dish.  Season them with salt and pepper and pour oil over the beets.  Roast the beets for 15 minutes on each side.

Chop goats' cheese into chunks and julienne sun-dried tomatoes if not yet sliced.

Sprinkle cheese, arugula and sun-dried tomatoes over the warm beet wedges.  Drizzle with olive oil and vinegar, add more freshly ground black pepper, toss, serve, and ENJOY!

NYC Pre-Christmas Trip: Day 3

We're currently on the train coming home. Of course we pick the seats right behind the screaming child but otherwise, it's been a smooth ride.

We finished off our weekend exploring the southern portion of Central Park. Then shared some delicious macaroons from the newly opened Luradee location on the East side.

A sweet ending to our short, mini-vacation.

NYC Pre-Christmas Trip: Day 2

What a gorgeous day to be in the city! Sunny, 60's, and full of holiday spirit.

We explored Brooklyn, got a lot of exercise by walking everywhere, and had a delicious belated birthday dinner for Michael at Fishtail by David Burke.

It's sad to think we have to leave tomorrow...

NYC Pre-Christmas Trip: Day 1

I just downloaded a new app: instagram! Loving all the filters and definitely taking more pictures.

I also downloaded the blogger app so let's see how this mobile blogging goes!

Here are some of our favorite pictures from this afternoon.

Mr. and Mrs. Ryan's Wedding Album

I just finished Ming-Cee and Patrick's wedding album!

I don't usually like purchasing groupons because I'm REALLY bad about using them before they expire so it just seems a waste of money most of the time... but this was a great investment!  A friend suggest that I purchase a groupon for $35 to get $100 worth of products from Picaboo and it worked perfectly.

I was really pleased with the product and, most importantly, Ming-Cee and Patrick were very happy with their album.  Can't believe my baby sister is all grown up and married!

Holiday Cards!

We just ordered our holiday cards EARLY this year from tinyprints (above is the back of our card... you'll have to be surprised by the front and inside of the card when you get it in the mail, of course). 

We've been extremely happy with tinyprints the last 2 years but after seeing this review of minted on joyus, I may be considering another stationary company next year.  I just LOVE these return address labels!

If you can't tell, I'm already looking forward to the holiday season!

Bless Their Hearts

I just received my Amercian Life in Poetry email and sometimes Ted Kooser finds a poem that highlights our American culture perfectly.  Hope you enjoy this... especially if you've ever lived in the South. 

American Life in Poetry: Column 347
BY TED KOOSER, U.S. POET LAUREATE, 2004-2006

My mother and her sisters were experts at using faint praise, and “Bless her heart” was a very useful tool for them. Richard Newman, of St. Louis, does a great job here of showing us how far that praise can be stretched.

Bless Their Hearts
At Steak ‘n Shake I learned that if you add
“Bless their hearts” after their names, you can say
whatever you want about them and it’s OK.
My son, bless his heart, is an idiot,
she said. He rents storage space for his kids’
toys—they’re only one and three years old!
I said, my father, bless his heart, has turned
into a sentimental old fool. He gets
weepy when he hears my daughter’s greeting
on our voice mail. Before our Steakburgers came
someone else blessed her office mate’s heart,
then, as an afterthought, the jealous hearts
of the entire anthropology department.
We bestowed blessings on many a heart
that day. I even blessed my ex-wife’s heart.
Our waiter, bless his heart, would not be getting
much tip, for which, no doubt, he’d bless our hearts.
In a week it would be Thanksgiving,
and we would each sit with our respective
families, counting our blessings and blessing
the hearts of family members as only family
does best. Oh, bless us all, yes, bless us, please
bless us and bless our crummy little hearts.

Gifts for Sweet Tooth

My wonderful friend just gave me a package of delicious Salty Oat cookies and it reminded me that it's that time again: gift giving season has arrived!

Whether it's a thank you gift, a feel better soon gift, or a happy holidays/birthday gift, I have a ever-growing list of vendors that have surpassed my expectations and that I love to share with my favorite sweet tooths (sweet teeth???)  Whatever.

Chocolate Gourmet: Chicago-based sweet shop selling hand-rolled ugly chocolate truffles, squares, and damn good cookies using all natural ingredients.  I've never tried the squares, but the ugly truffles and damn good cookies are worth the shipping and handling!

John & Kira's:  Philadelphia-based chocolatier makes the most unique chocolate ladybugs and caramel bees!  Great quality and super cute... this one's always a crowd-pleaser.

Kayak Cookies: Maine-based bakery that I just discovered and will definitely be ordering from soon.  The Salty Oat cookies are AMAZING... actually, I'm eating one now.  So good.  My friend picked them up at Teaism in DC (for all you locals) but I'm so glad you can order them online too.

Kron Chocolatier:  Michael and I discovered the famous Budapest crème truffle at Mazza Gallery right across the street from Michael's office when looking for a birthday gift.  These are the most delicate, decedent, and delicious truffles I've ever had.  Mmmmmm....

...and the list keeps on growing.  We love supporting these local bakeries and chocolatiers, instead of Godiva, Vosges, or even See's Candies.  An extra kick of good karma in every delivery.