...we had a time...

...dinner party preparations can take everything out of you...in every possible way, it is imperative to know what you are getting into...the importance of having enough food & drink cannot be stressed enough...i would feel like an epic failure if I hosted a fantastic get together & ran out of either...i would probably go hide in a dark corner & recite recipes as if they were hail marys...
this past weekend's get together was a success...we invited a bunch of people through the procrastination tool/distraction that is facebook & had a turnout that included a rotating cast of 24 awesome acquaintances & friends...you can never go wrong with a good time...
...menu & recipes will be posted soon...

...dreaming in coffee...

...sometimes you just wake up & all you can think of is coffee...it makes you forget your dreams from your slumber...it is the first thing on your mind when you grudgingly & clumsily roll out of bed, & it is what keeps you going as you prepare to leave your comfort of home to face the dust of the day...replacing one comfort with another...well, maybe this isn't how it is for you but it is definitely my experience...my cup of coffee is my constant, my push for the day, the life...

...feverishly lost in yonkers...

…so I’m on vacation…in Yonkers...kind of from work, yet I’ve already stopped by my job twice, & have a meeting tomorrow….but still it’s a vacation nonetheless, filled with homework, studying, & preparations for an epic dinner party happening this upcoming Saturday evening…so besides filling myself with endless coffee (French press, espresso, Turkish, iced & everything in between!), & trying to enjoy some of my time off, at some point I find myself cooking…needing something quick & easy to make in between the busyness, I happened upon one of my favorite & simplest dishes to prepare…get ready…it takes no time at all & tastes so ridiculously fantastic I would swear how awesome it is on my life…so here goes…
fire up a frying pan with a few generous splashes of olive oil…
throw in ½ cup chopped yellow onion, 1 large sweet potato, peeled & chopped into small cubes…generously season with coarse sea salt & fresh ground black peppercorn…choose your favorite protein or even tofu…I like to use 1 small chicken breast, cleaned & cut up into teany pieces…& finally add I cup of cooked (brown!) rice…feverishly stir it up & the result is tasty, nourishing, & even kind of healthy…welcome additions would be a handful of peas, or even raisins...sometimes simple is better…it’s true…get into it…

...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...