Jen Huang Art inscribed a slate tray with the evening’s menus and we adorned it with this summer garland. The rosemary smelled delicious.

Jen’s dog Gatsby thought he was going to get lucky and sneak a taste of Stuart & Co’s Bitchin’ BBQ Sauce. 

We invited some of our closets friends in Souther Cali to enjoy Michael’s BBQ with us. Summer & Brian Watkins of Grey Likes Weddings is shown here passing the farmer’s market chopped salad. 

Check out the recipe for Bang Bang Shrimp on Camille Styles.

You won’t want to miss Stuart & Co’s recipe for baby back ribs here

Head over to Camille Styles for additional photos from the evening and recipes for all of the yummy dishes you see here.

A crispy kale salad is an incredibly easy, delicious and healthy meal to make for yourself. Michael Steifman of Michael Stuart NY shows us how to prepare the kale and is giving us tips on what to pair with your kale.

Michael chose Russian kale, but you could use any leafy type of kale for your salad. To begin he cut it into thin strips and placed it in a big bowl. Drizzle olive oil, salt and pepper over the kale and mix it together so each leaf is coated.

He then placed the kale on a baking pan lined with parchment paper, making sure to spread the kale out and never having too much of it overlapping. Bake on 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes until the kale is dried and crispy. Once it cools down squeeze fresh lemon juice on it and add shaved watermelon radish for a simply delicious salad.

I thought about a juice cleanse, but since one of my other resolutions is to save more money this year that seems out. With most fresh juice cleanses running $8 a bottle it adds up quickly. A friend mentioned that she is having a half of a lemon juiced each morning in warm water. She’s seen amazing results for her skin and as I read up on it I found out just how good it is for you. I knew that it cleanses your liver, which we all need, but I didn’t realize some of the other benefits. Read up on them here and starting juicing!

Happy weekend!

I am a sucker for dumplings.  Any kind of dumpling really, from perogies to shumai, I’m into it.  Recently, I decided it was time to try my hand at making some myself ,and boy, am I glad I did.  Not only were they relatively easy to make- there’s nothing like a freshly made dumpling to really hit the spot.  Here’s what I did.

For the filling mix in a large bowl:

• 1 lb pork(ground raw) *substitute chicken, turkey, or tofu to change it up a bit
• 3 tsp soy sauce
• 3 tsp sesame oil
• dash of chili oil
• 1 tbspn ginger
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 chopped scallions

Put a small spoonful of the mixture on the lower half of store bought wonton wrappers.  Fold over and use a little water or egg wash to seal. Make sure there isn’t a lot of air trapped inside your dumpling by gently pressing it out.

Meanwhile to make the sauce mix:

• 1 cup peanut butter (smooth)
•   1/4 cup water
•  soy sauce (to taste)
•  rice wine vinegar (to taste)
• sesame oil (to taste)
• 1/2 clove garlic (chopped)
• chili oil (to taste)

in a saucepan over low heat until everything is smooth and blended.  Make sure to stir often to avoid burning.  Adjust water to make your sauce thicker/thinner. (I like to do all of this to taste so have fun experimenting with ratios til you find your perfect blend.)

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and place dumplings in it.  Cook for a minute or so after they rise to the surface of the water.  Remove from boiling water with slotted spoon and put into hot peanut sauce.  Serve Immediately!

One of the best, if not THE best, gifts I’ve received is a subscription from Juliet to the Australian based food magazine Donna Hay. Even if you hate cooking I highly recommend signing up because the photos alone are so inspiring it just may make you want to cook. Whenever I  receive a new issue I sit down and flip through the whole magazine without even stopping to read a single line. The photos are just too beautiful to not lust over first. By the second or third time I’ve flipped through I’ve usually chosen a few recipes I want to immediately try. Their most recent issue, The Black & White Issue, may just be the best one yet. Tonight I’m going to try out their white poached chicken recipe. Wish me luck and if you’re feeling so inclined try it tonight too!

Ingredients: 120g fresh ginger, peeled and sliced, 4 green onions (scallions), tied in a knot, 2 teaspoons sesame oil, 1 bulb garlic, halved, 4 litres water, 1x 1.7kg whole chicken, 1 tablespoon sea salt flakes, 300g snake beans, glanced, and black sesame seeds, for sprinkling.

What to do: Place the ginger, green onion, sesame oil, garlic and the water in a large saucepan over high heat and bring to the boil. Rub the chicken skin with the salt. Add the chicken, breast-side down, to the pan and return to the boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat, cover with a tight-fitting lid and allow to stand for 1 hour*. Cut into pieces and serve with the beans, cucumber and green onion dressing, ginger oil and fragrant ginger rice. Serves 4-6.

*Strain the broth and reserve 3 cups for the fragrant ginger rice recipe. You can also use the broth to make soups and shred the chicken for salads and sandwiches. Freeze the broth in airtight containers for up to three months.

It has been a terrible cold & flu season this year and we are all trying are best to stay healthy through it! Sierra did have a pretty bad bout with the flu last week and it got me cracking my herbal medicine books looking for good ways to ward off, and kick the dreaded illness, to the curb. While reading Rosemary Gladstar’s home remedies book, I came across some pretty great stuff! She recommends lots of onions & garlic and notes that many of the traditionally healing herbs, like turmeric and cayenne, are present in traditional curry powders. So- get your curry on! I for one don’t mind that prescription a bit. Another recipe she shares (and notes: is not for the faint of heart) is her Hair-Raising Cider.  She recommends that you make a batch before cold season starts so you have it on hand but, I say, get one going right now- who knows how long this cold season will be around.

Hair Raising Cider

• 1 Quart vinegar
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 head garlic, peeled and chopped
• ¼ cup freshly grated horseradish
• 2 Tablespoons powdered turmeric
• cayenne pepper
• 1 Cup local honey (or more to taste)

1. Combine the vinegar, horseradish, onion, garlic, turmeric, and a pinch or two of cayenne. Cover and let sit in a warm place for 3-4 weeks.

2. Strain the mixture, add the honey, and rebottle.  Refrigerate. Take 1 to 2 tablespoons at the first sign of a cold and continue throughout the day (approx. every 2-3 hours) until symptoms subside.

Here’s to a healthy winter!

xo

When I recently came across this yummy looking concoction over at Two Tarts I had to share. Juliet and I we’re just commenting on how sad winter can become and it’s not even quite December yet. By the time we left the studio yesterday it was pitch black out and the cold wind was whipping around every street corner. At that very moment we probably could have used many things such as more clothing and a hot meal, but this yummy cocktail would have put a bright ending to the coldest, dreariest of days!

*juice of 2 clementines (about 1/4 cup), juice of 1/2 small lemon (1/2 oz), 1/2 oz triple sec, 1/2 oz vodka, sprig of rosemary, lemon zest, & sugar.

Follow along…Moisten the rim of your glass with some fruit juice. (The juice helps the sugar to adhere better than water does.) Combine zest and sugar in a shallow bowl or plate. Turn the glass over onto plate and coat with sugar. 2. Pour juices, triple sec, and vodka into a shaker. Shake and then pour over ice. Garnish with rosemary sprig. (Makes 1.) Make sure to pop over to Two Tarts for the full low down on how to make this glass of sunshine.

If you’re in NYC right now you know that the weather is less than sunny (ie. torrential downpour). I personally like rainy days.  They give me an excuse to stay in and catch up on all of the projects I’ve been putting off;  laundry gets done, mail sorted, letters answered.  As the fall is really starting to be in full swing, one of my projects is to make a few soups and things in large portions and freeze them for a day when I don’t feel like cooking.  I also love the idea of getting a some friends to join in on the cooking binge and then exchanging a couple of containers of your soup for theirs.  You’ll end up with a supply of lots of different things to eat for the chilly season ahead! The soup I’ve been dying to make lately is Senegalese chicken soup. I had it at a dinner party recently and thought it was lovely! I wasn’t sure which recipe to use so I’m going with Saveur Magazine’s vote from the web.

You’ll Need:

Directions:
Heat olive oil in stock or soup pot. Add onions and saute until translucent. Add garlic and cook 2 minutes. Add curry, cayenne and coriander and cook, stirring constantly and scraping pot bottom, 2 more minutes (if mixture is too dry, add olive oil to moisten).

Add 5 cups chicken stock, crushed tomatoes and tomato paste. Simmer for 30 minutes- do not boil. Stir often and scrape pot bottom with wooden spoon to avoid sticking. Add more stock to adjust soup consistency if desired. Add salt and pepper as needed.

Transfer 1/2 of soup to a blender or food processor (one with a good splash guard!) Add peanut butter and blend until well mixed, adding stock if too thick. Return blended soup to pot and stir to mix well. Add diced chicken and stir to distribute; cook about 15 minutes to allow chicken to absorb soup flavors. Add scallions, cook 5 more minutes, and serve. Garnish with crushed peanuts and chopped cilantro to taste.

(Recipe from here)

Happy Cooking!

xx

(pic from here)