ad hoc at home

Lately I've been absorbed in a great new read I picked up. Probably not your typical read but for me it was pure heaven. I've been fully engrossed in Thomas Keller's ad hoc at home, a cookbook I've been lusting after for quite some time. After enjoying it for a good week, I decided it deserves a post of its own.

I went to Barnes & Noble in search of a Dorie Greenspan cookbook and wasn't happy with their selection (and when I say 'selection' I mean they had one of her cookbooks), so I perused the cooking section for something else to catch my eye. On the wall I spotted this large, thick book, wrapped in plastic, with a picture of a pig written in chalk on the cover. This was the book I had been wanting for a long time. I'll admit, I was a little intimidated by the size and the fact that it was packaged, so I picked it up, gently rubbed my fingertips across the front and then put it back on the shelf and walked away. I ended up leaving Barnes & Noble with four books, two Dora and two Arthur. Not really what I was expecting but at least someone was happy.

Later that night I couldn't stop thinking about my earlier ad hoc spotting. I wanted that cookbook, I needed that cookbook, I had to have it. So, thanks to Amazon, I was able to get my hands on a brand new ad hoc at home, still in the plastic wrap for a steal. Unfortunately I had to wait four long days before it was delivered, but when I got that knock on my door and saw the brown box on my doorstep the wait was worth it, I was so excited. The book arrived around dinner time so I decided to not even open the box until everyone was done eating so I wouldn't be bothered. After dinner, I opened the box and inside was that beautiful cookbook. I gently cut a slit in the plastic wrap that covered the book and got a big whiff of that new book smell. Ahhhh, for the next hour and a half I just sat and read and read and read.

This book is 350 pages of amazing work. Thomas Keller has taken his skill, perfection and creativity with food and brought it to ad hoc, his restaurant where the premise is focused on food from your childhood, food that you would eat with your families. The goal was to remove the complication from cooking and use the basics to turn out a fantastic, memorable meal that would remind you of  your mother's or grandmother's home cooking. The difference about this cookbook compared to his others is that ad hoc at home is really for the home cook. I won't go so far as to say the recipes are a cinch, but they are definitely doable and promise to turn out an amazing product.

More than recipes, this book offers numerous tips that Keller has learned throughout his many years of professional cooking. He even gives a step-by-step photo instruction on how to cut a whole chicken into 8 or 10 pieces. One of my favorite parts of the book is the introduction he gives to every single recipe. Keller will offer words on what to serve the dish with, how the dish came about or how long it will save in the fridge or freezer. These words are invaluable and are something you can only get from buying the actual cookbook.

In short, or in long, that's my little review of ad hoc at home. Have I made something yet? No. I've been reading, reading, reading and now, soon I'll try my very first recipe and let you know how it goes.

Cheers to a Happy Memorial Day and to enjoying the holiday with family, friends and food!

Blue Burgers

I have been craving these babies for a loong time. And there are few things I can think of that are better than biting into the perfect, juicy burger with all the right toppings. Enter the Blue Burger. Bits of blue cheese crumbles tucked right into your hamburger patty... it's love at first bite.

I can't think of a better time to reintroduce my family to Mama's Blue Burgers then when the Padres were playing the Dodgers last week. Yes, that's right, we are Padres fans and we do not like the Dodgers. We aren't those crazy type of fans who won't talk to people who root for the wrong team or anything. We even have friends who are Dodger fans- gasp!! I mean, it's not their fault their were born into families who loved the wrong team. The only problem is we live in between San Diego and Los Angeles and unfortunately we are surrounded by Dodger fans. So, every once in a while, I pull out these burgers and we Devour the Blue.

These burgers are super simple to make and while they are extra delicious during a Padres vs. Dodgers series, they would be perfect this weekend for your Memorial Day BBQ.

Mama’s Blue Burgers
yields 4 BIG burgers and 1 BIG Dodger Loss

1.5 lbs ground sirloin (ground beef is fine)
3-4 oz blue cheese crumbles
1-2 TB diced garlic
Kosher salt & ground pepper
Mix above ingredients with a fork just until combined. You never want to over mix or over “work” your meat. Evenly distribute meat in the bowl and score the meat into 4 sections (ensuring each patty will be the same size). Grab a section and form a patty in the palm of your hand. Grill patties to desired doneness.

Toast buns on grill. Build your burger.


Optional and delicious toppings: mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard, lettuce, tomato, red onion, additional cheese & avocado.

Baked Rigatoni with Spinach, Ricotta, and Fontina

Pantry cooking...not so scary after all. I was actually surprised that having everything on hand, like I coincidentally do, makes cooking really easy. I just need to remember to look for recipes that contain my pantry ingredients and cook accordingly. This way I will use what I have more frequently instead of constantly buying new. I got kind of excited this week because I started to..... run out of things! Can I get a "What, What!" How about a "Go Mama, Go Mama!" Yeah, I tend to get excited over the little stuff in life. Stuff like this Baked Rigatoni.

Believe it or not, I had all the ingredients for this recipe except for the fontina cheese (which is soooo yummy). Awesome. So, it fell under my Pantry Cooking Requirements and I allowed myself to buy the one necessary ingredient. This meal was extremely easy to make, extremely. I prepared it before taking Hudson to baseball practice and then popped it in the oven when we got back-dinner was ready in 20 minutes and my family had happy, full bellies in 5 minutes. I'm not exaggerating. I think Hudson ate his in 3 minutes and 15 seconds and then asked for another helping. The best part about it was all my kids ate SPINACH and they didn't even know it. I love how a meal can make me feel like such a smart Mom.

Baked Rigatoni with Spinach, Ricotta and Fontina

borrowed from Evil Chef Mom who found it in Food and Wine Quick From Scratch Italian Cookbook
probably 5-6

1 pound rigatoni
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 10-ounce package frozen spinach, thawed
2 cups (about 1 pound) ricotta
5 tablespoons grated Parmesan
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
6 ounces fontina, grated (about 1 1/2 cups)

Heat the oven to 450°. Oil a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.

In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the rigatoni until almost done, about 12 minutes. Drain. Put the pasta in the prepared baking dish and toss with 1 tablespoon of the oil. Meanwhile, squeeze as much of the water as possible from the spinach. Put the spinach in a food processor and puree with the ricotta, 3 tablespoons of the Parmesan, the nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Stir in half the fontina. Stir the spinach mixture into the pasta. Top with the remaining fontina and Parmesan. Drizzle the remaining 2 tablespoons oil over the top. Bake the pasta until the top is golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes.

To ensure you don't have any excess water in my thawed spinach, I put the spinach in a clean dish towel and wring it out like I'm doing laundry. Works like a charm.

Pictures are BACK!!

Hallelujah! I figured out how to solve my "problem" of not being able to upload photos. Thank you readers for lending your advice. Much appreciated!! Turns out that the problem boils down to free storage space. Yep, you can only get so much for free. Google gives you a certain amount of free storage space which can be used in a number of different ways. Turns out that I am a Google whore because I use Gmail, Google Chrome, Picassa, Picassa Web Albums, YouTube and Blogger. The Picassa Web Albums is where I got into trouble. This is a place where you can "store" photos using internet storage-great idea, but you can max out on the free part. The total allotted space is combined between Picassa Web Albums and Blogger....so I simply deleted some of my photos online (which are still saved through Picassa on my hard drive-hope this makes sense) and Voila, freed up some space to post more pictures on Blogger!! Sweetness. Glad it was an easy fix.

So, before I get to posting my pantry cooking, I want to tell you how much I love May! Especially this May. I think we can pretty much all agree that May is a spectacular month, and if you don't agree I can't really understand why. But maybe I can convince you.

Why I Love May

1. The weather is amazing! Honestly, does the weather get any better than in May? NO, it doesn't. It's the perfect time of year when it's warm enough to wear cute sun dresses and flip flops from morning till  sunset and never gets too hot that you're forced to use the air conditioning in your house. L.O.V.E. it.

2. Our gardens are actually producing beautiful things!

zuccinni

tomatoes

red leaf lettuce

3. Cinco de Mayo. I'll take any excuse for tacos and beer. Gracias!

4. My birthday is in May so, ok, I'll admit I'm a little partial for that reason, but don't you agree it's the perfect time of year for a party?! This year was extra special because I turned 30!! I was so excited to turn 30 and am loving life. I really do feel a little wiser  ;) Thanks to my amazing husband, my day was filled with family and friends who I can't imagine my life without.

5. Mother's Day is in May!! I'm pretty sure the month of May was chosen to celebrate all Mothers because of it's aforementioned awesomeness.

Mom and I

6. This May marks another huge milestone for me. Twelve years ago I embarked on a journey to a achieve a goal I set when I was a little girl and yesterday I reached that goal. I am now a College Graduate and it feels great.

these are just my books from the last year or so....

7. Once again, this glorious month has yet another gift to offer us....the debut of Sex and the City 2!!!!!!! My cup runneth over with excitement and anticipation to see this chick flick. Can't wait!!!

8. Last, but not least, Memorial Day. A day to reflect and show our gratitude for the men and women who have died fighting for our country's freedom. It also gives Americans an excuse to do what we do best, BBQ.

Hope you all are enjoying your May as much as I am. It is truly a month worth living for.

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Still getting this bugger of a message when I try to upload photos:

[failed] IMG_5317.JPG Unable to upload file (IMG_5317.JPG) because the site has exceeded its file upload quota.

But, I want to let you know that my "pantry cooking" has been quite successful. Once I figure out this picture uploading problem I'll blog about a few successful recipes I've tried... Happy Monday everyone.

ps. If anyone has ever experienced this or can recommend a way to fix it, PLEASE leave me a comment or shoot me an email. Thanks friends!

Roasted Chicken Thighs

Pantry cooking for now.

Life has been busy lately. If you know me, you know my life is always busy. Like many Mom's, there's always something to do, somewhere to go, something to clean, some appointment I'm running late to, some unique present I have to think of buying/making, something to cook, and a life to live somewhere in between. Quite similar to a never ending "To-Do" List. Yet, right now I'm the happiest I've ever been in my life. You see, my husband and I were surprised with the pregnancy of our first daughter when I was halfway through my first year of college. Since then all I've ever known was working full time, going to school full time, and being a mother and wife full time. Busy my whole life. That's just how we do things.

Since quitting my job last November I've actually had the time to explore things I enjoy. What a concept? I know. Thus, the happiest I've ever been comes into play. Cooking and blogging are definitely things I enjoy very much. I adore perusing recipes and daydreaming about how they will taste. I love flipping through the pages in my cookbooks. I love that my cookbooks are getting dirty - spotted with splatters showing proof of actual use - not just sitting pretty on a shelf. I pretty much love all things cooking.

Then the other day I went to the grocery store, yet again, and realized I am a hoarder of ingredients. I just keep buying and buying ingredients so that I will "have it on hand" later. I always have a fully stocked pantry, freezer and refrigerator. I need to use this stuff. I need to use it now. So, I've given myself a challenge:  Pantry cooking for now.

I am challenging myself to cook with what I have, with the option of purchasing no more than two additional ingredients per recipe. (We'll see how long I last with this big idea.....I seem to come up with great ideas and then forget about them quickly.) The only potential problem I can see is it seems kinda boring, uninspiring. I'm determined not to let it be, but we'll see.

This dinner was the epitome of easy. Absolute no-brainer here. The chicken tasted good but the skin tasted great. I loved the flavor of the honey mixed with mustard and the way it crisped up under the broiler.

ps. If you have any yummy, solid "pantry cooking" recipes send 'em my way. Thank you!

Roasted Chicken Thighs

serves 4

8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs

1/2 cup olive oil

1 lemon, juiced

Coarse salt and ground pepper

1 tablespoon grainy mustard

1 to 2 tablespoons honey

In a bowl, toss chicken thighs with olive oil and lemon juice; season with salt and pepper and marinate 1 hour (or up to a day).

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Roast chicken, skin side down, in an oiled roasting pan, 20 to 25 minutes; flip and roast 10 more minutes.

Stir together grainy mustard and honey and season with salt and pepper. Brush glaze onto chicken and broil 5 minutes.

Unfortunately, I cannot upload a picture of the final product. For some stupid reason I keep getting this message 

 "Unable to upload file (IMG_5317.JPG) because the site has exceeded its file upload quota"

Umm, does this mean my blog has too many pictures and that I can't add anymore?! No way. Has this happened to anyone? What the heck. Total pain in the ass. 


Woo Hoo, figured out the problem...here's the rest of the pictures :)

Fish Tacos

Seis de Mayo anyone?? Sure, why not. That's what the Berni household celebrated yesterday. Why should Cinco de Mayo get all the fun?? Honestly, this dinner was so good  it would be fit for Siete de Mayo, Ocho de Mayo, and Nueve de Mayo too! I saw this recipe on the Naked Baker and wanted to make it right away. It is a light but filling dinner, great for kids and adults and the perfect casual dinner for hungry friends. A definite winner. Don't forget, with this kind of recipe you can totally adjust it to your taste buds. I added my two cents in italics down below. Now go buy these ingredients so you can make it this weekend! Adios!

Fish Tacos

makes 6 tacos

6 small flour tortillas 

1 cup sour cream

1 Tbsp “Taco Seasoning” (Cayene Pepper or Slap Ya Mama are a great way to add some heat)

1 Head of Cabbage

1 Lime

3 big Tilapia Fillets

1-2 cups Corn flour

1 Egg

Enough canola oil to fill your frying pan about 1/4 inch

1/4 cup Finely Chopped Cilantro

1/2 cup Crumbled Queso Fresco Cheese

2 Lemons

1/2 cup Guacamole

Start with the “slaw.” I call this a slaw because it has shredded cabbage in it, but it’s really not anything like coleslaw. First cut about 2 cups of cabbage into little strips. Place this in a medium sized bowl. Add the sour cream and taco seasoning plus a bit of salt. Mix everything together until completely incorporated and hit it with some lime juice. Refrigerate until ready to build tacos.

Now prepare your toppings.  Crumble some Queso Fresco cheese onto a little plate and set aside. Finely chop some cilantro and set aside. Make your guacamole and refrigerate until ready.

Now for the fish.  Rinse the fish in a bowl of cold water with a little lemon squeezed into it.  This will help remove any bacteria.  Pat dry and sprinkle some salt on both sides. On one large plate crack an egg.  Whisk it with a fork a little so that the yolk and white are combined. Pour the corn flour onto another large plate. I like using this better than breadcrumbs because of the corn flavor and because it’s a bit finer than breadcrumbs generally are… which is good when breading something delicate like fish. Heat your oil in a frying pan over medium to medium high heat (I use a stock pot when I’m frying so I don’t have to worry about a big mess to clean up).  Make sure it’s good and hot before putting the fish in. (I cut my fish into about 2-3 inch size pieces before frying because I like more crunchy surface area.) Take one fillet, start with the largest one so it has more time in the pan, and first dredge it in the egg.  Once it’s coated, dredge it in the corn flour. Be sure that both sides are completely coated and then carefully lay it in the pan.  Repeat with the other two fillets. Cook until golden, about 3 to 4 minutes, then flip them over. Cook the other side a few more minutes. The outside should be crispy and golden, while the inside should be white and flaky. Don’t over cook! Remove from the pan and put on a plate. Let them sit for a couple minutes and then cut into chunks, about 2 inch squares. Squeeze some lemon over them.

Warm up your tortillas and put one on a plate. Set up all your other ingredients in a little assembly line and build your tacos. First put down some slaw, then a few pieces of fish, guacamole, sprinkle on some cheese, and cilantro. Serve each plate with a lemon wedge.