...curry love...

…fall never fails to be a season of beauty, comfort, & coziness…I can just step outside & immediately I cannot help but involuntarily smile, bundled up in my signature scarf & hoodie attire…breathing in the crispness of the autumn air always makes me forget about the dust of the day & live in the moment, soaking in my surroundings…fall makes me thankful…upon the arrival of the season, I tend to move towards comfort food…I love to prepare dishes that have the flavors & colors of fall…one of my favorites dishes to prepare is a hearty pumpkin stew…I have tried many variations over the past few years, & have to say this years stands out as the favorite…spices, flavors, colors all complementing then next perfectly…what is so awesome about cooking a hearty stew is that you can really be super creative with it…intensifying flavors to your heart’s desire, utilizing whatever you may have in your kitchen, using fresh produce from the market…the possibilities are truly endless…for today’s version I wanted to curry it up…soooo here we go…I began my journey with a blend of extra virgin & vegetable oil…I added some basamati rice, coating it in the oil…the trinity came next…chopped carrots, celery, onions…the smell was already awesome…I had the windows wide open…the cold air, the melting pot of colors, & the scent was pretty satisfying…I cut up some red potatos…yes I leave the skin on, I just cut of the not-so-nice parts….so the potatoes joined the madness & they all hung out for a bit!...vegetable broth livened everything up with pureed pumpkin& corn kernels sneaking in momentarily…next up…chicken!...i use boneless chicken breast that I trimmed the fat off & cut into meaty chunks…I seasoned the chicken with curry powder…I love the flavor of curry, but I think I really wanted to add the beautiful bright color of the powder…sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, cayenne pepper, & cinnamon were lovingly stirred in slowly one at a time...of course repeat tastings are necessary to the awesomeness of the final product…I made it happen…so here you go…pumpkin chicken curry stew…best served in a mason jar, with a cheddar cornmeal biscuit on the side…& of course stirred with love…

...a bit of a crush...

...I must admit, I've been crushing pretty hard lately...I've been so occupied with the craziness at work, & the impending start of classes again, that one would think I would have no time for much else...but there is always time to crush...this time I must admit, I am irrepressbly and undeniably in love with...organic shredded coconut...I know, I know, what is a girl to do these days...I can't help myself lately...I have spent the evening decompressing, listening to Motown, watching Pride & Prejudice, & experimenting with my unadulterated affection for coconut...tonight's passion ended up with a concotion of bananas, dark chocolate, & fluffy mounds of the object of my affections...what came to fruition were "cookies" that resembled muffin tops more than anything else, they were soft & sweetly delicious...the dark chocolate (from Trader Joes) was the perfect partner for the coconut...I never fell so hard...

...overheating in focus...

...overheating...

...i honestly think the best times in life are the simplest...when you are with the people you love, when you can say that you wholeheartedly enjoy their company, & you can spend your time together having a night on the town, or just relaxing in your living room, content with just each others company...
I was delighted when one of my kindred spirits, the fantastic ivel told me she was coming to visit new york! a passionate vessel of love&creativity, ivel is a force of nature...from the moment we met i knew we would be present in each others lives for the long run...one of the reasons I love Ivel, is the shared passion we both entertain for cooking&eating...we decided to have a feasting celebration for her time here...as anyone who knows me can attest to, I believe you can never have enough food...especially when you are entertaining company...it can get expensive, tiring, time-consuming...it doesn't matter...its sooo worth it...when you have company & are being a hostess, you are showing your guests who you are by what you make for them...since cooking is my way of expression & my passion, I always want to express to my guests that I value their company & I want them to have the best time possible & experience my passion through the food...as always, one of the staples @ my dinner parties is empanadas! ...lately, potatoes have sneaked their way into the recipe on a regular basis...so its so very simple...a little vegetable oil, fresh chopped garlic & onion (red, yellow, or white! no food discrimination here, they all have great flavor!), after they get to know each other in the frying pan for a bit, i introduce them to the cubed potatoes, (i like red! i'm sorry), crushed spanish olives& the spices start to flow...cumin, paprika, sea salt, black pepper, garlic powder, sazon...after some caramelization, its time for the main event...the ground beef takes its place in the pan, soaking up the spices & making its presence known....I also did a vegetarian version for company with an aversion to meat using morningstar "ground beef" crumbles...I put my lovely sous chefs to work (ivel&jenny!), & they awesomely filled 40 empanadas for me, alternating between the meat & veggie versions, adding cheddar cheese to some to increase the awesomeness factor...as the empanada factory line was being worked, I worked on the gravy(sauce) for the homemade pizza...I had prepared the dough that morning using my grandmother's simple recipe...3 cups of flour, 1 tsp of salt, 1 package of yeast, & 1 cup of lukewarm water...kneading& rising are necessary...kneading is my favorite part, i love getting my hands dirty & working the dough...its an experiene everyone must have...my gravy is a little different every time, I like to change it up a bit, but it always has the smokiness i love...last night, i started with a few swishes of extra virgin olive oil, chopped garlic, & a few finely chopped carrots & celery...crushed tomatoes, & tomato paste jumped in accordingly...sea salt, crushed red pepper, bunches of fresh basil came next...then my favorite part....a giant red pepper, which I broke into pieces & gingerly dropped into the aromatic pot of goodness...
I doubled the dough recipe & had enough for one large pizza&five small pizzas...once the dough was rolled out & rested upon olive oil coated pans, I blanketed them in gravy, parmesan cheese, fresh mozzarella & even more fresh basil...okay so empanaadas& pizzas on their way to completion...I also had vegan chocolate cupcakes baking @ this moment...I surveyed the room of culinary wars & decided I needed something else...the cabinets were torn open & I fervently searched for what was next...I had creamy caesar dressing, pasta shells, chickpeas, & black olives...a pot of water was set to boil, & pasta salad was on its way to conception...ivel complemented all this with her refreshing sangria...fresh blueberries, strawberries, granny smith apples, apricots, & california peaches drowned sacrificially in a swirl of red wine, ginger ale, & peach schnaaps...three pitchers later & full tummies led to contentment& happiness...we didn't run out of food, guests went home with plates brimming with leftovers & good times...i fell asleep overheated from the overworked oven & the crowded apartment, but was smiling all the way...

...feed me inspiration...

..so many things to write about, so many tastes to savor and attempt to vividly describe, tweaked recipes to share...but where is my inspiration?...it makes me deliriously happy to cook for groups of friends & see the enjoyment in feasting with friends...but what about the times when you are home alone...or you have a day where you are covered in the dust tracks from the insanity of the day...sometimes simple is best...i haven't written in ahile for a mulitude of reasons...one being a lack of inspiration and a burst of self-doubt...so i return to this blog small & simple...last night was a startlingly hot one in our apartment, and with an impending scorching hot summer approaching, the last thing someone wants to do is spend hours in a hot kitchen...actually I don't mind so much! but on hot days, the last thing I want to do is fill myself up with heavy foods...summer makes me think of simple, light foods that depend on natural flavors and not too much meddling to prepare and taste good...last night my roommate jenny grilled zucchini and asparagus...i made sea salt and black pepper encrusted sweet potato fries...light, simple, filling and the food was just perfectly seasoned...with a glass of iced green tea overflowing with ice there is absolutely nothing more refreshing...when in the door today home from a 10 hour day at work today where nothing seemed to go right and I spent to much time wanting to please others the last thing I wanted to do was cook for myself...I was absolutely famished, yet grudgingly opened the fridge door...I knew there wasn't much to choose from, so I grabbed the gouda & some entertaining crackers to snack on while I sat watching Top Chef Masters (not as good as the original AT ALL!)...pondering what to make...i had some leftover brown rice & since I am trying to not be wasteful with leftovers settled on that...excited all of a sudden I grabbed a large frying pan,poured a couple of tablespoons of vegetable oil in and got cooking! brown rice...hmmmm...what next? perusing my starkly stocked cabinet, my eyes stopped on the garden peas...a few tiny scoops later& the sound of the sizzling pan caused my tummy to start to grumble again...i broke one egg into the waiting pan as if i was breaking someone's heart& scrambled away...a dash of sea salt & my simple meal was complete...now if someone could feed me some inspiration that would be great!

.nashvillesquared.

...holiday in nashville...

…On my way to Nashville! Beyond excited is how I would describe my feelings this week. A few days off from work & a spontaneous trip to see one of my oldest & dearest friends was in order & I was in dire need of both. As I write this now I have gravy simmering on her stovetop, & my pizza dough hiding underneath a dishcloth, experiencing growing pains…I wanted to thank my friends, Ronee, & her fabulous husband, Bill, for their superior hospitality & what better way to do that than to open my heart & cook them one of my favorites? So as I am patiently awaiting the various components to culminate in an awesome flavor explosion, I will tell you about our culinary adventures since I arrived yesterday.
Airplane food: Besides the tiny can of carbonated goodness they offer you on the flight, airplane food is virtually nonexistent these days….I brought Jamba Juice & an oatmeal cookie as my flight food of choice with me…good times…Upon arrival in the Nashville airport I was delighted to see familiar faces of good friends..first order of business with Ronee & Bill was food! I was famished & they were sure to make sure every place they brought me to dine was simply great food….we rushed from the airport to make it in time to Gaby’s before they closed at 2:30pm…we faced detours, Nashville drivers (I thought no one could be worse that Jersey or Yonkers drivers but I was proved wrong within minutes!), & a bit of traffic….we arrived at 2:15, just barely making it before closing time….Gaby’s is a burger & fries joint located on Humphreys Street in downtown Nashville…it’s a small shack of a building with indoor & outdoor seating and a simple menu of burgers, hot dogs & fries…sometimes that all you need…Bill profusely thanked the staff at Gaby’s & apologized for us coming in so close to closing time…I followed Ronee’s lead & ordered a cheeseburger with everything & sweet potato fries….the burger was made to an almost greasy meaty perfection…the lettuce & tomato were fresh, the melted cheese dripped appropriately & tasted entirely heavenly…the sweet potato fries….I love making sweet potato fries…Gaby’s were by far the best I’ve ever had…they were golden, dark brown slabs of sweet potato goodness…paired with a wasabi mayonnaise mixture, this was reason enough to want to relocate to Nashville…this was the beginning to a great time in Tennessee…. Fabulous greasy fare to order…how can you go wrong? Simple ingredients for a simple yet tastily prepared menu….you know when something totally hits the spot & all of my spots were hit at Gaby’s….
For St Patricks Day, we had reservations at September’s in Hendersonville, TN…September’s is named after its owner who stopped by our table to make sure we were enjoying our dinner…which we definitely were…Ronee & Bill suggested their favorites, Filet Mignon, Macaroni & Cheese, Shepherd’s Pie…I went with one of Ronee’s suggestions, the Polynesian Strip Steak with a side of Mac&Cheese…I ordered it rare, and it was seared on the outside with a sweet glaze, & covered in grilled pineapple…the tenderness of the strip was appreciated…the side of Mac&Cheese was delectable…there was a hint of earthy smokiness that revealed bacon in the recipe, & I tasted sharp cheddar, gouda, & parmesan...I made sure to take note of all the flavors before the celebratory shots of whiskey clouded my culinary memory…2 awesome places fully recommended by me to sample their delicious lunch/dinner fare…Gaby’s & September’s!!!! I have yet to be impressed by any bakery items, or any dessert items here in Nashville…I had dessert at September’s and cupcakes from local famed bakery Gigi’s and would have to pass on both…I am hoping to experience cupcake greatness before I leave here! My culinary adventures today are limited to yummy homemade pizza with great friends….followed by a trip to see Johnny Cash’s home & gravesite in Hendersonville, which was an adventure in it of itself…. I <3 John R. Cash ! <3
…more adventures to follow........btw the pizza turned out delish! <3