Showing posts with label friends. Show all posts
Showing posts with label friends. Show all posts

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Enchilada Fiesta!


Last weekend I set out to craft my very own spicy chicken enchiladas, complete with an adobo chili sauce and baked to tender perfection. The pressure was on; Quinn's mother slaves away for hours on her own mole enchiladas that seemed impossible to compete with. After hours of meticulous chopping, stirring, and stuffing, the enchiladas were a resounding success! Dripping with fiery rojo sauce and oozing with cheese, these babies are going on the record as one of my best dishes to date.

With the puffed up pride of my first attempt still fresh in my mind, I suggested to a few friends that we throw a little fiesta with food prepared by yours truly. Five people became ten, and ten became twenty. Suddenly I was tossing fried tortillas and juggling handfuls of cilantro or onion in a cramped, overheated kitchen. My booze-fueled guests snacked on chips and dip as I struggled to maintain my cool. Lo and behold, I somehow pulled it together and made three delicious batches even better than the first!

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Farewell, Harry: Pumpkin Pasties + Golden Snitch Cake Pops

Last week, fans everywhere simultaneously celebrated and mourned the last installment of Harry Potter. Encompassing ten years, seven books, eight films and spanning a generation, the series meant something very dear to me -- so much so that I spent all of last week obsessing, remembering, and writing about it. And then my friend Jessica thought of the perfect way to say goodbye - a booze-fueled, Harry Potter themed party. And just like that, I was off to San Francisco!

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Blondies



I have to thank my friend Erica for inspiring me to make these delicious, light blondies. For those of you who don't know, blondies are a variation on the infamous brownie. Erica made some dreamy funfetti blondies for our friend Jamie's graduation BBQ last weekend, so dreamy that I helped myself to several bites. Sunday night I found myself recovering from a nonstop weekend of beer, burgers, Blonde Redhead at the Echoplex and a mini college reunion. The only cure? A glass (or two) of wine and some quality baking. Craving more of Erica's adorable treats, I set to work on a batch for myself.

Everything is better with peanut butter, and blondies are no exception. Some of my baking tins were still at Jamie's house, so I made my baked goodies in a pie tin. Not the most conducive to evenly cut squares, but delicious nonetheless.

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Healthy Eats: Arugula & Goat Cheese Pasta Salad


I've said it once, I'll say it again: there is something  so wonderful about cooking with friends. Opening a bottle (or 2, or 3) of wine, brainstorming dishes together, deliberating over spices, rubs and marinades... it can't be beat. This past weekend Quinn and I got together with two of his good friends from high school to grill high quality tri tip and chicken breasts purchased at the Los Angeles Original Farmer's Market.


Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Iron Chef Potluck #1, Volume 4: Jamie's Peanut Butter & Chocolate Cupcakes and Quinn's Key Lime & Mint Cream Pies


There is something inherently cruel about serving desserts at the climax of a potluck. Stuffed to the brim with tuna tar tar, burgundy beef stew, rigatoni carbonara, creamy gnocchi and sweet potato fries, we were left with the painfully wonderful task of finding room in our stomachs for such scintillating desserts as Jamie and Quinn's.

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Iron Chef Potluck #1, Volume 4: Jodi's Gnocchi with Spinach & Peas & Ted's Baked Sweet Potato Fries



Jodi and Ted are not only the cutest couple possibly ever, but they both came to the potluck bringing their A-game. Fortunately for our kitchen space, they brought their dishes already prepared, but unfortunately for ME, I don't know exactly how they made them. However, I do know this: they were absolutely divine.

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Carbonara Nirvana (Iron Chef Potluck #1, Volume 3)


There are times when I chide myself for my constant out-pour of affection and appreciation for all things Italian. Sometimes I wonder if the ingredients and cuisine there are in fact better than what we have here in the US, as I often claim. This weekend was not one of those times.

Sure, it can be annoying to hear my undying love for Italian Parmesan or my quest to fine-tune my favorite Roman dishes. But such obsession lends to perfection, and on Saturday I think I finally reached carbonara nirvana.

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Iron Chef Potluck #1, Volume 2: Burgundy Beef Stew & Salmon Diane with Creamy Polenta


Next up on our potluck menu was Sam's Burgundy Beef Stew. It took some of the most prep work, with Sam chopping up onions, potatoes, carrots, and zesting oranges. He browned pounds of hearty stew meat and let an entire bottle of burgundy wine cook for an hour before adding the vegetables. The orange zest and a pinch of sugar were added "to balance out the acid in the wine", and the entire stew simmered for several hours before consumption. Topped with a horseradish sour cream, the result was a rich and tangy stew that I slurped down with glee!

Monday, April 25, 2011

Iron Chef Potluck #1, Volume 1: The Prep & Alex's Tuna Tar


I challenged my tastes, wallet, and stomach stamina when some friends and I hosted a Iron Chef-esque potluck on Saturday night. With 10 guests and individual dishes crammed into one kitchen, we had our work cut out for us. After hours of toiling away in the kitchen, we deemed the first Iron Chef Potluck a glorious success!

The Menu:
Alex: Tuna Tar Tar served with Quail Eggs
Sam: Burgundy Beef Stew with Horseradish Sour Cream
Heruy: Grilled Alaskan Salmon with Creamy Parmesan Polenta in a Diane Sauce
Rachel (me!): Rigatoni Carbonara
Jodi: Gnocchi with Spinach, Peas in a Creamy Red Pepper Sauce
Ted: Baked Sweet Potato Fries
Adam: Pasta Shells with Meat Sauce
Jamie: Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting
Quinn: Key Lime Pie & Chocolate Mint Pie
Carla: Chocolate Brownies

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...