Culinary Adventures – Page 4

Published March 2, 2014 by Nadya

Weekending: Every-which-way with Cheese

Continuing with our streak of visitors, we spent time with my parents this weekend. They visited hands full of my mom’s famous sous and we provided Sophia for entertainment and some of our very own culinary creations to round out all the family fun. I can never shake off my parents generosity and desire to ease our kitchen burdens — they will always want to delight us with something delicious. I can’t complain either because as I said before, my mom is an amazing cook. Besides it being delicious, it is nice to know that someone cared enough to make something for you or at least offer. As much as we love to cook, someone else’s culinary offerings are always a treat. Try as I may, I will need years to match my mom’s kitchen expertise especially in Russian/Azeri dishes. But try we do and in our own way, we manage it.

Now that the end of winter is near, I am somewhat sad about its imminent departure. Before it really goes away and snow is no longer likely, I decided to make Pelmeni which are hand-made dumplings with savory fillings. I opted to fill mine with veal for flavor, pork for texture and sautéed onion and garlic for that extra little something. Shaping and filling the little dumplings turned out to be quite an undertaking. I probably spent three hours at the task but the result was well received by even the youngest of critics. They are typically served with sour cream and plenty of freshly cracked pepper or sautéed with butter and onions.

As you can see, we prefer ours with sour cream and cracked pepper. Even Sophia, who admittedly was skeptical when I first placed her plate in front of her, ended up completely smitten with these. These are absolutely a labor of love. I’d make them again, but only once in a blue moon and for someone I truly love. Thankfully, three hours of these have yielded two more dinner-sized portions in my freezer.

Cheese and dairy seemed to play an accidentally integral part of our weekend as we also made blintzes, ricotta gnocchi and that farmer’s cheese cake my sister shared with me last weekend. The blintzes I just had to show off to my mom as she makes them so well and I’ve recently freed her of said responsibility for us. The ricotta was burning a hole through my culinary to-do list and I’d missed making home-made tomato sauce. The gnocchi were super easy and the tomato sauce is fail-proof.

The gnocchi, finished off with basil were part of Sunday lunch which I finished off with the cheese cake… I changed the recipe my sister shared with me and it needs a bit more tuning before I will share my version of it with the world. That said, I think I’ve made mild improvement but have more changes I’d like to incorporate.

All this would not be possible without two extra pairs of hands to help with Sophia.

What’s more, I took advantage of a few free moments to treat my mom and me to an excursion to the shoppes. Mother-daughter time is something that I don’t get often, cherish and thoroughly enjoy. Great fun was had by all. This weekend was originally supposed to be just the three of us, but I am glad my parents visited. We are officially declaring next weekend time for just-the-three-of-us.

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Published February 24, 2014 by Nadya

Weekending: Life in The Wild

Springtime weather. I am almost afraid to say it for it may not happen again for a very long time. Mother nature was somehow compensating for the snow storms and frigid temperatures we’ve been subjected to recently. Whatever the reason, we were happy to be out and about this weekend — worried mother nature would change its mind. First things first, we went to the National Zoo. Rather, we took our own little wild ~~animal~~ child to see all the exciting creatures that exist in the wild.

Early bird gets the worm so to speak… The zoo pavilions open at 10 am, but the grounds are open at 8. We arrived at 9:15 and that was clearly this panda’s breakfast time!

Of course no day at the zoo would be complete without a carousel ride. This was Sophia’s first ever ride and though she was a little timid at first, the music won her over.

My sister, brother-in-law and nephew visited with us after the zoo. Seeing the kids play together was just out of this world especially because he is ten and she is not even two and a half.

Sunday fun-day was a continuation of our Saturday with more visitors. This time, Grammie and Pop and Clowdie (the dog) visited us for the day. As usual, my in-laws know how to wow Sophia. They arrived just after 10 am equipped with finger paints and watercolors. Painting is quite a stretch for us around these parts. We like to think that crayons and markers suffice, but were happy to see painting as well.

Pop and Sophia put a playdoh rolling pin to some imaginative use with playdoh.

You must be wondering by now what culinary delights we cooked this weekend or if we cooked at all. We did indeed cook because we had visitors to feed and the workweek to fend with. First and foremost, my sister brought a care package from my mom with her famous strudel and apple pirogies. I recently relieved my mother of blintz-making duties, but have now retained her to make apple pirogies.

Additionally, and because russians never ever visit without bringing something delicious as an offering, my sister baked one of my all-time favorites — a cottage cheese cake with a meringue topping. My mom used to make this when we were children and it is the perfect afternoon tea accompaniment. My sister put her special touch on the dish by adding apples between the cottage cheese and meringue topping. Evan and Sophia liked it too. Little Sophia thrust herself off her chair quite fast at the site of this sublime confection demanding a piece.

If you look at the cake picture carefully, you’ll see a new batch of the Boston creme cupcakes from last week in the background. We just had to share them with our family this weekend. The cupcakes were clearly a dessert item and despite my better judgement, I couldn’t rationalize having one for breakfast on Sunday. So what to do, what to do? Obviously, the answer was churros — Spanish donuts. Besides, I try to make something that I know my in-laws would enjoy. We need to make sure they will be back 🙂

Here they are taking a dip in the hot oil.

Rolled in cinnamon sugar they were pretty irresistible.

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Published February 17, 2014 by Nadya

Weekending: With My Valentines

More is better, right? If that’s the case, then I sure was in luck this Valentine’s day weekend celebrating with Evan and Sophia. A two year old is hardly conducive to a full out romantic fete and besides, the lack of babysitters once again ensured a homey celebration at our house. We weren’t sorry; We’re not big on Valentine’s day and enjoy Sophia’s company too much to leave her at home. I was faced with a dilemma of what to get my husband who already has pretty much everything. After much deliberation, I decided to bake him Boston cream cupcakes. Okay, maybe it was a slightly selfish gift since I too enjoy pastry cream, chocolate and all things cupcake.

You’ll have to trust me when I say that these were better than the picture suggests. The rest of the weekend we spent both at home and out and about avoiding cabin fever and taking advantage of the less than frigid temperatures outdoors. The cupcake indulgence still burning a trail of sugar and butter guilt, we turned to healthier meals to compliment. There was of course the turmeric-spiced home-made chicken soup with lamb kofta that I ground myself spicing with more cumin and mint. Light, delicious and very satisfying. No carbs necessary.

Then continuing with the green and vegetable theme that seemed to have emerged this weekend, I whipped up a batch of spinach gnocchi from scratch. I am usually very nervous about making homemade pasta but decided to give this Mark Bittman’s recipe a go. I’d say they were a resounding success and oh so easy to make.

Here they are lined up like pretty soldiers waiting for their turn in the salted hot water.

Sauced and plated they’re even more appealing. Green and bathed in a white cream-based sauce they were a delight to eat. I think this recipe is a keeper. Maybe I shouldn’t even mention the last culinary delight from this weekend, but I think I will. You see, it may be a tradition from the old country, but one I intend on keeping on in my own family. When I was growing up, I remember having a mid-afternoon snack to bridge lunch and supper. It was always something scrumptious. My mom is a great cook and an amazing baker. Many a pirozhok, pastry and cake were served with tea at around 3 or 4 in the afternoon on a daily basis. So… without much further adieu, I present you with a pear and almond clafoutis made with almond milk.

A perfect adieu to our very warm weekend. We loved every single moment, even when faced with the prospect of watching Dumbo two days in a row. 🙂

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Published February 10, 2014 by Nadya

Weekending: Olympic Pride

I must admit that I am giddy with excitement. I have been since last Thursday when I recorded the first figure skating competition of this winter’s Olympic games. I am a pretty big fan of figure skating and there is nothing like the esprit de corps you feel with the athletes and the country for which you’re rooting during the Olympic Games.

These games in particular, are special because they are taking place in Sochi, Russia and have aroused all sorts of feelings in me that have long been dormant. On the one hand, since I was born in the former USSR, I consider myself to be Russian. On the other hand, I have been living in the United States longer than I ever did in the former USSR and I spent zero years in Russia itself. My paternal grandfather’s family was ethnically Russian and came from around Moscow and so I feel justified in feeling a bit of pride.

We have all been party to the issues that the Russian Federation has been working through in getting the venues and the city ready for the games. Some have been embarrassing and others, just funny. I was very curious about the opening ceremonies secretly hoping that they would be on par with those that preceded them and that they would go off without a hitch.

The opening ceremonies, as you have yourselves seen, were beautiful and went off with just one minor issue. What’s more, in watching the very first act and seeing the invertible feast of accomplishments that the Russian peoples managed throughout the years in art, music, the sciences was truly awe-inspiring. Even though I am rooting for the American team, I am proud to have been born there, to know that I speak the language, and that in a way, I am part of that.

In other news, and since we were consumed by the coverage of the games as well as some knitting and book reading, we made just a few delicious dishes to tide us over until next weekend. There was of course a luxurious, and season-appropriate, lunch of grilled cheese where we sautéed shiitake mushrooms with onions heaping the mixture on a french boule and covering with luscious Swiss gruyere. A few minutes in a pan and here’s what you have:

Because lunches were decidedly luxurious, we went simple and ethnic with a Pork Vindaloo which is a Portuguese-inspired Indian dish from the Goa region. It is fairly easy to make in large quantities which makes it perfect for weeknight leftovers. That and the mustard seeds pop in your mouth adding a little unexpected textural surprise.

And how pray-tell do you occupy a rambunctious 2 year old while searing meat and cutting gallons of onions? Well, with stickers and markers and music to dance to!

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Published February 3, 2014 by Nadya

Weekending: Independence

Super bowl weekend sped past us with super-sonic speed. Fancy an alliteration? I suppose the saying “Time flies when you’re having fun” is really true. We really enjoyed the mild weather and took advantage of it by making a few excursions outside of our demesne. Kicking things off with a Friday afternoon trip to the grocery store where all three of us helped stock up on the week’s essentials. There is something darling about a little girl walking toward you looking oh so proud because she is helping you by bringing you a box of pasta. We indulged her sense of pride and appreciated her very own contribution toward fulfilling our family’s duties and chores.

No matter the mild weather, the occasion of the super bowl calls for a bowl of chili. Not just any bowl of chili, but one dressed with tangy guacamole, topped with sour cream and a kiss of scallions.

Thanking the modern and wondrous technology that is a slow-cooker that allowed me to spend much desired quality time with Sophia while the chili cooked itself.

For as long as I can remember, my family has enjoyed the fruits of my mother’s cooking. However, dependence on her culinary skills is about as practical as our reliance on Middle East oil. Realizing as much, I decided to try and learn some of her culinary specialties. The availability of farmer’s cheese at the grocery store inspired me to make cheese blintzes.

There is something magical about a leisurely weekend breakfast when these blintzes are on the menu. I changed things up a bit and must say that am very happy with the result. Sophia, Evan and even my sister, who was passing through on her way to Virginia, were the immediate beneficiaries to this culinary mission of mine. From now on, I will gladly trade blintzes for quality babysitting services ;-).

My mom’s blintzes will always be a special treat, but now I can treat her to a serving of my very own.

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Published January 27, 2014 by Nadya

Weekending: Art on Loan

Our weekends, at least the last one and this one, have been pretty busy despite being in the throws of winter’s freeze. We enjoyed my parents’ visit this weekend and especially my mom’s surprise home-made varenyky and beef stroganoff. As you know, we hold true to the “Will Feed for Free Babysitting” motto. Here are some of the shenanigans that went on while we were cooking.

that … and …

With our hands free and the desire not to be outdone by my mom’s Russian culinary delights, we made chicken tikka masala which happens to be one of her favorites.

My dad, much like his little granddaughter, is a sweet tooth. So to appeal to his weaknesses/preferences, I whipped up a batch of old-school oatmeal sandwich cookies with cream cheese and mascarpone filling. I found the recipe on the New York times. Instead of raisins, these have dates and toasted coconut. They were A-M-A-Z-I-N-G if not a little too luxurious.

And look, look who helped!?

I also baked brownies for a dinner date we were heading to in Virginia with Sophia in tow. I don’t have pictures of them as they were destined for our company anyway… but lets just say that they did not disappoint. I can also maybe, maybe admit to eating a few too many ends and crumbs from the baking sheet as I was packing them up in individual petit four cups. I learned the petit four cup packaging idea from Evan’s Bubbie who always sends us passover goodies packaged that way.

The highlight of our weekend was receiving this beautiful cross stitched piece for Sophia’s nursery. It was lovingly hand cross-stitched a few years ago by my sister for my nephew’s room.

His nursery used to have a Winnie the Pooh theme and he has since outgrown it. She is going to keep and pass it on for my nephew’s kids but is lending it to Sophia since she has recently gotten into the tales of Winnie and his friends. There is something magical about hand-made, one of a kind pieces that are done by someone you love. It instantly brightened up Sophia’s nursery. We hung it up over a chair where we read books and Sophia looks at it while we read our Winnie the Pooh’s Perfect Spring Day – also a hand-me-down from my nephew. Who says that loaning art is just for grown ups and large scale installations?!

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Published January 19, 2014 by Nadya

Weekending: Goddess Style

It was a working weekend in our household; Evan planned to attend a work-related conference that ran late into Friday and Saturday nights and I was going to man the ship, so to speak. Though we both work full-time, we are mostly home in the evenings and on weekends, so manning the ship by alone is not something I do often. As such, we called in reinforcements in the form of grandparents and I was thrilled when Evan’s parents said that they could come and spend time with Sophia and me.

I was especially grateful that they were arriving at 6:30 on Friday. Sophia would get some time to play with them that evening while I decompressed. Though hardly in need of incentives to come and spend time with their granddaughter, I wanted to show our collective appreciation the only way I can — with food. I planned a traditional <read: cooked all day> Bolognese for Friday night dinner chased by homemade chocolate chip cookies that I made with Sophia. Saturday morning would be a repeat of our waffle breakfast (with the health factor turned up) and then there would home-made salads for lunch and a roast chicken Saturday night dinner. It wasn’t just any roast chicken, but a new recipe I had found called Green Goddess Chicken. It sounded like a fresh, flavorful dish and that dressing with the basil, chives, scallions and buttermilk called out to me. The chicken was the best I’ve had in a long time, maybe ever. I think that it was one of the few savory dishes that could give a food orgasm … if that’s possible.

But the real reason this post is called “Goddess Style” has nothing to do with the green goddess chicken but everything to do with the helping hands of my in-laws who really helped out with little Sophia. Besides spending time with her through inventive play, books, coloring, play-doh and everything else, they also gave her a bottle and a bath on Friday. Now I ask you, what young, tired mother do you know who wouldn’t feel like she’s being treated like a goddess when she gets a night off from bottles and baths? This perhaps simple act, was so unexpected, so very appreciated that it made me feel like someone understood what I needed most that evening.

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Published January 12, 2014 by Nadya

At Last…

Sort of like the song itself, I’ve dreamed of this weekend for so long. We were home, it was cold and wet outside, but warm and pleasant inside the house. First things first… we’re all stocked up on groceries and the tall list of things I had to cook have all materialized and are waiting to be eaten over the course of the coming week.

Besides cooking and crafting, I managed to take Sophia out to the mall. I wouldn’t usually brag about a mall excursion but Saturday was rainy but warm, and she’s been cooped up all week long. I did it more for a change of scenery than anything. I suppose that I could have taken her to a children’s activity but nothing is scarier than a group of kids with runny noses and sore throats. The mall is just a short ten minute ride away and as you know, Sophia is a terrible carseat rider. At first we thought it was motion sickness, but I am starting to think it may be a mean case of anxiety over being restrained. Anyway, the mall excursion started with tears and a tantrum signaling Sophia’s unwillingness to get into the carseat. After much cajoling and, I am not too proud to admit it–bribery, I finally got a stoic and resigned Sophia on her way to the mall where there were cookies and balloons. Our mission was to just window shop and get out of the house; That much was accomplished. In the end, she didn’t want to leave the mall… but lunch and these chocolate covered marshmallows (home made, of course) waited for us at home.

Aside from these indulgences which were requested by Sophia after watching George devour them on Curious George, we also made

a lamb roast, grown up tater tots with chimichurri sauce, stuffed peppers concluding our culinary activities with made-from-scratch breakfast this morning:

My sister got us a waffle maker and we finally whipped up a batch. You’re going to think this is crazy, but I’ve only had fresh home-made waffles maybe three or four times in my life. These were definitely the best! Sophia agreed … devouring a full quarter waffle :-). All those carbs must have been exactly what she needed to rouse up her inner artist.

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Published December 11, 2013 by Nadya

Cute Chef in a Red Hot Kitchen

Sophia has lots and lots of toys. We’re fortunate though because most of them have been hand-me-downs and we have not had to spend a lot of money on toys. We did purchase a little red kitchen for Sophia because we cook a lot and she loves to help. We wanted her to have her own space where she can be a master, too. The kitchen was half off on Cyber Monday … and came in just yesterday. Evan spent a few hours putting it together and Sophia “helped”, of course. Here she is organizing all her faux foods…

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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.

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Category: <span>Culinary Adventures</span>

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