Cookery – Page 12 – Growing Up Savvy

Published December 16, 2013 by Nadya

Weekending: A Lazy State of Mind

The snow came and went before we had a chance to enjoy it. On the one hand, its nice to live where the weather is just a little warmer, but on the other hand, poor Sophia hasn’t ever had a chance to ride in a sled. Besides the uninspiring weather, we are feeling caught up in the frenzy that is getting ready for the holiday. We’re not necessarily partaking in all this holiday shopping and running around but are feeling caught up by association. So in an effort to maintain sanity and spend some much needed peaceful time at home, we stayed in, cooked a roasted chicken and defrosted some yummy dishes from before. Unlike the recent weekends where the culinary repertoire was large, all I have to show for this weekend is Rugelach.

You may notice that these do not adhere to the typical shape of rugelach. Well… did you really expect a mother of a toddler to sit there rolling out each cookie? I found this recipe and was thrilled that all I had to do was roll out dough, spread the filling, roll into a roll and cut into cookies to bake. And guess what? they’re just as delicious as I remembered them when I had the proper cookie last.

Since lazy and relaxing was pretty much the theme around these parts, I also started to read a new book series… and I finished it. Now if you know me personally, you’ll know that the fervent reader gene that my parents and especially my sister have has clearly been omitted in my DNA. I am a rather slow reader and take a while to get into it. That being said, if I like the book, I swallow it. I am reading these series now (well, I just finished) and yes, it is not a literary masterpiece. It is… an easy, entertaining and romantic story. Sometimes a girl needs a little romance in a novel. After being called out on my “high brow” selection by Evan, I am going to make up for it by reading this book by Khaled Hosseini. I’ve mentioned his books before and have to say that his writing is exceptional and the subject matter truly touching. I recommend that everyone read his other two books: The Kiterunner and A Thousand Splendid Suns.

Since we’re talking about books, I am also planning to read the Hunger Games Trilogy. I know, I know… as usual, I am late but better late than never. So that’s that… the low and high brow book selection for the most avid of readers.

Dessert

Published December 9, 2013 by Nadya

Weekending: Firsts

Winter made its presence known this weekend with a cold and wet snow storm. We are not getting as much snow as our families up north, but it is still beautiful to wake up on a weekend to the sight of white flakes blanketing our trees in the back yard. Expecting snow, we hunkered down and cooked, crafted and spent lots of time together. Here is how the weekend started.

After a lazy start on Saturday, we hunkered down and cooked, cooked and … well, cooked. Chicken parmesan, southwestern pulled brisket, lentil and kale soup/stew, mushroom and potato soup, slaw and picked onions. All that Saturday cooking left Sunday wide open for more leisurely pursuits.

This is my lunch for Monday 😉 leftover lentil and kale soup and some red pepper hummus… healthy and satisfying.

Sunday mornings must start with coffee, unless it snows, then they must start with hot chocolate.

Not store bought, powdered and grey stuff. Homemade on the stove top with milk, dutch processed cocoa and … wait for it, bittersweet C-H-O-C-O-L-A-T-E. Thick, rich and bitter … grown up.

This was also the first time Sophia tried it and she liked it… as much as any child can enjoy bittersweet chocolate.

A quick excursion despite the inclement yet gorgeous weather, a lunch from leftovers and the Pièce de résistance…

Southwest pulled brisket served with homemade cabbage and scallion slaw and pickled onions served on tortillas. Satisfying.

First hot chocolate for Sophia, first time making pulled brisket, first snow of the season … a weekend of firsts.

Cookery Culinary Adventures Flavors Hubby Cooks Life Moments

Published December 4, 2013 by Nadya

The Joys of Getting Older

Very few things are just about us once we become parents. While at times overwhelming, it is endearing and entirely worth it. Evan’s birthday was this Sunday and we celebrated it just as we intended — with his parents and grandmother. My mother-in-law baked a carrot cake with cream cheese frosting which is Evan’s favorite.

Sophia helped ring in Evan’s new year.

As for what to get a man who has everything? A cookbook, of course! It is a rather selfish gift, I know. I am sure to benefit from this over the years when Evan prepares delicious dishes artfully described in this bright text. Actually, there is a story behind this cookbook; Back when we lived in Philadelphia, we used to attend dinners hosted by Shola Olunloyo, an excellent and famous chef who at one time co-hosted a dinner with Alex Talbot who one of this cookbook’s authors. The techniques they both used were very unique and each dish was packed with flavor. We were inspired and have since experimented with some of the methods used by both chefs. Anyway, though this book is not an experience (which is what we like to gift each other) per se, it will lend itself to many culinary experiences.

Dessert Life Moments Tiny Tastebuds

Published November 30, 2013 by Nadya

Hanukkah Crafts

I alluded to the secret crafts my sister and I were working on for our little cousins for Hanukkah and I can now finally share what we’ve been up to for the last few weekends. We have six little cousins (four on my side and two on Evan’s). We thought that instead of getting books or toys, we’d do something a little more personal; Something from the heart. Fall is finally here and there is a chill in the air. What can be better than a cup of hot chocolate and home-made cookies made with your brother or sister? So… we made hot chocolate and cookie mixes for everyone to make and sewed aprons to ensure no outfits were dirtied in the process. The hot chocolate mix requires very little work — just add hot milk. While enjoying their hot chocolate, the young chefs need to mix oil, eggs and vanilla adding those to the dry ingredients we provided in the mason jar. Finally, I want to highlight the special food stylist at the photoshoot to capture the Hanukkah gifts. 🙂

Cookery Crafts Dessert Flavors Life

Published November 28, 2013 by Nadya

Eight Nights of Hanukkah — First Night: Latkes, Gifts and More

Hanukkah is one of my all-time favorite holidays. For one, it features latkes and jelly filled donuts. Secondly, it is celebrated for E-I-G-H-T days and nights. Last year, my sister gifted Sophia EIGHT presents. They were such a hit and Sophia loved the attention her Aunt showered her with. The winner was a hand-made color book where each of the primary colors was quilted into a page and its name was cross-stitched on the opposing side. She still reads it and loves it. This year, I caught the crafting bug and tried my best to spread the crafts around.

This year, my sister who’s a genuine balabusta — a perfect homemaker and gracious host — hosted a Hannukah dinner for my parents and us. She made latkes, khatchapuri, sufganiyot and a few other dishes, too. After all, whoever said that Hanukkah couldn’t feature a few Georgian dishes? To compliment all the fried dishes, there was my mom’s to-die-for beef stew and a few others, too. Let’s just say this was a practice run for tomorrow’s Turkey Day dinner hosted by Evan’s parents.

As we were celebrating the festival of lights and gifts were on the kids’ minds, we delved in. Evan and I held off on giving Sophia any gifts just yet as she was yet again a lucky recipient of my sister’s generous gifts. I will reveal some of my own crafty creations in due time as Sophia opens them. Until then, I am especially grateful to Evan for watching Sophia while I crafted not only for Sophia but for our cousins (all six of them!!!).

Cookery Crafts Dessert Flavors FriendsFamily Life Mom's Cooking

Published November 25, 2013 by Nadya

Weekending: Mangia, Mangia!

That kind of a weekend where we once again crafted, caught up on chores and stayed in because it was frigid — well, by November standards anyway. I did manage to sneak out to the stores for just a short while and brought back a princess-themed stamp set for Sophia. Here she is stamping to her heart’s content.

Good thing that she was occupied because we managed to make linguine with bolognese sauce.

But our Italian weekend that just sort of happened didn’t end with bolognese sauce. It was followed by an orange infused, apricot jam crostata which I formed while Sophia watched her very first movie/cartoon. She picked “The Adventures of Pooh”.

The crostata looked much prettier in my cookbook, but looks don’t always foreshadow taste.

The crostata followed pizza margherita — another of Evan’s signature dishes. There are leftovers and I feel quite accomplished in the culinary and crafts department. As I write this, Evan is listening to Beethoven with Sophia though I hear that Stravinsky is up next. There is something magical about staying at home, staying in and filling the house with amazing aromas.

Lastly, a very brief attempt at a “recommended reading/watching” list; I managed to get started on this documentary of the plight of Russian Jewry in Russia in the 1970-ies and would like to recommend it to anyone who is curious about what life was like for Jews and in fact for most others, too.

Cookery Crafts Dessert Flavors Hubby Cooks

Published November 18, 2013 by Nadya

Weekending: Everything Seasonal

This weekend was focused on everything that is in season: crafts and cranberries. Thanksgiving is just around the corner and we are looking forward to my mother-in-law’s fabulous dinner spread and some serious family time. I kid you not, folks — my mother in-law makes an A-M-A-Z-I-N-G thanksgiving dinner and it trumps most others I have been to. Until then, I am cooking a few fall favorites with cranberries in anticipation of the grand finale that is the turkey holiday itself.

I made these cranberry rolls on Saturday morning just in time for my parents’ visit. I am always happy to cook in exchange for help with Sophia!

The issue was that these only required a cup of cranberries and I had plenty of tangy berries left over still. After much deliberation and consultation of my recipe books, I decided on cranberry orange muffins for Sunday afternoon.

They turned out oh so well! There is something about cranberries and orange zest perfuming your kitchen in the fall that makes you happier…

We didn’t just feast on baked desserts all weekend, of course. Evan roasted a lamb shoulder and together we made an Azeri pilaf.

It was a relatively low-key cooking weekend because I was absolutely consumed with crafting. My sister and I are working on a secret project that may or may not have something to do with Hanukkah and we were both sewing as if our life and livelihood depended on it. I can’t tell you what it is because the recipients (or at least their parents) may or may not read this blog and then it would ruin their surprise.

Without giving much away, this is a shot of my secret project … very home-made.

This is a snippet of my sister’s project. Obviously, and don’t think my mother didn’t point this out, my sister’s is much more polished. I am okay with that.

Cookery Culinary Adventures Dessert Flavors Hubby Cooks

Published November 11, 2013 by Nadya

Weekending: Enjoying The Fall

We couldn’t have asked for a more gorgeous weekend. Our neighborhood is very wooded and is lit up in a glorious colorscape this time of year. Green, yellow, orange, pink, red and maroon… simply breathtaking. We made the most of the weekend by spending some time outside in the afternoons. The mornings were all about having a lazy weekend with pancakes, coffee (for Evan and me, of course) and cartoons for the little Miss. When not cooking, enjoying the weather or puttering about the house, we did a lot of … this:

We took Sophia to the supermarket on Friday evening which is a big deal for us. You see, with her motion sickness worse than ever and our store being 20 minutes away, she’s only been there three times including Friday. She was a champ and really enjoyed the store and people watching there. After stocking up on so many yummy things, we had no other option but to cook with all the delicious produce we stocked up on. Warning: Food Pictures Below.

Sea Trout in Bercy Sauce . It sounds fancier and more difficult than it really was. This, together with the veggies below, was a 20 minute dinner.

Evan’s famous sesame zucchini

Nikujaga — mmm so good and we have leftovers, too.

Sometimes, a simple rice dish is just what is in order. Fried rice made the cut for a Sunday night dinner. Evan used five-spice, garlic, ginger, mirin (japanese rice wine), sesame oil and peas to make this salty, sweet, and aromatic dish.

Before Sunday, but after Saturday’s pancakes, we needed something for breakfast that didn’t require cooking on the morning of. After looking at our two super-ripe bananas, we all agreed on banana muffins.

Oh, and I have brownies in the oven as I write this, but I’ll spare you the picture and maybe you won’t run out for a morning snack after reading this.

Cookery Flavors Hubby Cooks Life

Published November 3, 2013 by Nadya

A Must On a Friday

I am fortunate to have the opportunity to work from home somedays. I can spend more time with Sophia those days since I don’t spend an hour each way (sometimes less, sometimes more) in traffic. Those are the days I treat everyone (Sophia, our nanny and Evan) to a nicer breakfast. This past Friday was that kind of a day. I happened to have purchased brioche which is a luxury in itself, but decided that all two year old’s should have tasted Pan Perdu (french toast). I had had it plenty of times while growing up, but rarely ever since. So… I found this recipe and it seemed reasonable. I also made a berry compote from scratch because … well, I didn’t need a reason. I just wanted to.

Cookery Flavors

Published October 28, 2013 by Nadya

Weekending: A Labor of Love

We had the whole weekend to ourselves. Just the three of us save for a few hours earlier today when Evan and I were once again Sophia’s beards, so to speak. The young lady had a social engagement — a birthday fete to attend and we were simply the chauffeurs. We spent most of the days catching up on rest, relaxation and some good eats. Oh, I also knitted a verdant green hat for Sophia, but it is not yet finished. Stay tuned for pictures.

Every Thursday evening, the three of us sit down over books and magazines. Sophia usually selects some Dr. Seuss books though her favorite this week is Yum Yum Dim Sum. This book is such fun to read and Sophia always reminds us that her Aunt and Uncle (my sister and brother-in-law) brought it for her. While she is busy reading, we are busy looking at various cookbooks to figure out what to cook this weekend. One of us rushes to the grocery store on Friday evening with a compiled list of everything we will need. This weekend, we decided to make a Saba (mackerel) dish, Roasted Tomato Soup, Chinese dumplings, Chinese chicken soup, brownies and home-made granola.

Evan makes a mouthwatering Saba dish which he pairs with perfectly cooked rice and a cucumber salad. That was Friday evening’s dinner. I made the dumplings for Saturday’s dinner and made enough to freeze for another night (likely a week-night). Dumplings are a special food. If you’ve had someone’s homemade dumplings, it likely means that you are loved. If I’ve made dumplings for you, it means just that — that you’re someone very special to me. They are such a labor of love. Every single dumpling perfectly filled, folded and propped on a board waiting to be cooked and dressed in a special sauce. They take so much time to make and so little time to disappear into happy bellies. I have the most special memories of my mom making dumplings for us — it truly made my dad, sister and I feel loved and I would like nothing more than to hear the same sentiment from Sophia a few years from now.

Chicken soup is very special in our house. It isn’t difficult to make, but takes some time. Usually, my mom makes a few batches for us in case we get a cold. In my book, there are few more comforting dishes than chicken soup. But chicken soup is chicken soup and sometimes you want it with a twist. Enter Chinese chicken soup made with scallion whites and ginger. My house smells so good right now.

While psyching myself for chicken soup, I psyched myself for brownies. I must confess, it wasn’t terribly hard to psych myself for brownies. And once they were in the oven, the granola just sort of happened. Besides, I can’t just have plain greek yogurt for breakfast, can I?

The brownie may not be a looker, but trust me, it is everything a brownie should be. I thought it so nice, I just had it twice!

Cookery Culinary Adventures Hubby Cooks Life

Category: <span>Cookery</span>

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