OMG! What Happened to the Site?!?

I know, I know. It's a mess.

We're not sure what happened, but our logo and photos have disappeared. And we're sorry. Here's the thing: we're enthusiastic home cooks, fabulous entertainers and all around cool girls, but we're NOT computer/internet experts. We've been looking for a way to make the site look better, and I guess this disaster is merely providing the impetus to do so.

So, in the next couple of weeks, we're going to transfer the site over to a different blogging platform. We're also hoping to make it easier for you to search the site so you can find your favorite recipes or discover something new.

We'd also like to get a few more eyeballs checking the place out, so we're going to try the link-exchange thing, but ONLY for sites you'd be interested in. So, if you read any other food/cooking-related blogs, be sure to let us know about them.

In the meantime, we'll continue to post about our culinary adventures...next up, Super Bowl!

Messy Fridge = Scattered Cooking

A messy fridge can sneak up on even the most vigilant cook.
And, it results in mayhem. I believe the ease in preparing dinner is directly proportionate to the organization of one's refrigerator.
Don't get me wrong; I'm not going to get all Bree Van de Kamp on you and insist that cheese should be arranged according to pungency. BUT... having things placed in 'quadrants' has certainly helped me really see what I have, how it relates to other foods, and not forget to use it before it goes bad.
First, let's take a look at what went wrong...
It starts out fine on the top shelf, which is for beverage only, ranging from healthy to not, left to right. The trouble begins just below the cheese/lunchmeat drawer, where I've stuffed random items such as artichoke pesto and bags of fruit salad. This area should be only for lunch items, like bread, leftovers, etc. To the right of the wayward salad, we have a tupperware full of bacon grease (that one needs its own post), a bag of Mexican cheese (should be in the drawer) and leftover pasta. The bottom shelf is where the food has seemingly staged a rebellion, with veggies that have escaped from their drawers, and a tub of hastily stashed whipped cream, which should be in the freezer. There might also be a steak or two in the very back, but because I can't see it, I could be presented with an exercise in spontaneous generation before I get to it.
My advice? Divide the refrigerator into quadrants, or sections. Beverages, lunch items, veggies, side dish stuff, meats. This way, when searching for inspiration, you can concentrate on one area at a time, cutting down on the amount of 'refrigerating the entire neighborhood' by holding the door open.
So, I had a messy fridge. What's my point? When it was like this, I couldn't figure out what to cook because I had no idea what I had, what was still good, what needed to be used up, etc. It's since been organized, and now I have some room in my head to dream up tasty dishes instead of trying to figure up what's going on in the dark corners of the crisper.

Mama Mia Night

Hi all - long time, no post. I found a really interesting package in the store the other day (Trader Joe's - can I say that here?), and came up with a fantastic recipie. The item is called Israeli Couscous. It's weird. Looks like the tapioca stuff in boba drinks. Large version of our traditionally tiny couscous, and completely different. I read the package, looked at the recipie ideas on the side of the box, and added it to my cart. Someday, I thought, I will play with this.

And then I got the call. Jeanne rented Mama Mia the sing-along for our friend's birthday party. Our mission was to potluck with a mediterranean theme. Oh and PS it was scheduled the same day as my good friends' moving-in day. Which I would never ditch out on because of how completely integral they were to my move and how much I wanted to help them. So I'd be going from one thing to the next and needed a good make-ahead dish. With a Greek flair maybe. What would this include.... I came up with lamb kabobs, puttenesca, anything tomato or cucumber, anything with good crumbly cheeses. Finally, I remembered my crazy couscous in the pantry. I could build off that and make a cold pasta salad with a regional (close!) flair. So I did. And it was Fabulous. Here it is - and a side note - I didn't think it out too far, I just did it and experimented and had fun with it and you can do this too with anything. Fear in the kitchen is silly - it's your domain. If you screw up don't worry about it. Eat it, mix in some cream or tomatoes, or toss it and run to the store. Just don't be scared to read a box and embellish. It leads to good things.

• 1 box of Israeli couscous or any large (pea-sized) couscous


• 1 small onion, diced very small


• 2 cans +/- of chicken broth


• 1 bay leaf


• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon


• garlic cloves


• partial can/jar of capers


• one very large or two small cucumbers


• carton of cherry tomatoes, sliced in half


• mint leaves

I don't know much about mediterranean foods. Did I even spell it right? Well I do know that they include odd flavors that are magical when combined. This was a complete eye opener for me. This combination is so great. Try it and then experiment later and make it your own.

We're going to do this like a risotto- first you brown a clove of garlic minced and the onion in a frying pan with a splash of olive oil. Let them get brown for a little while then toss in the package of couscous. Toss this around and let it get golden to bring out the nutty flavor. It will make your dish more flavorful and you'll still be able to taste the couscous against the other strong ingredients. Now add in that mysterious teaspooon of cinnamon and the bay leaf. Your nose will know why. It's that smell that you love about mediterranean foods but never could place. Not curry. Not garlic. Something earthy. And warm. It is so amazing how these ingredients combine.

You'll need to read the directions to know how much chicken broth will follow. It's probably 1:1 ratio so if you've got two cups of couscous you'll do two cups of broth. However, since you will be simmering this on low or medium-low without a cover, you'll lose some steam and probably need to check in on things to make sure it's done before you pull it from the stove. This is very subjective and whatever you decide is the right way to go. I have never used a stovetop or a pan that did risotto on the same time schedule. You just keep an eye on it, stir often so you don't burn things, and keep it going. Since a creamy risotto consistency is NOT desired here - you'll want to avoid stirring too often and be sure to pull it off the heat while it's still in individual grains. Oatmeal consistency would be a bad thing.

The rest is easy peasy. Pull it off the heat. Stir in a touch of olive oil so things don't clump. Refridgerate until you are ready to use it. In another bowl, slice cucumber and cherry tomatoes, add a small amount of capers (I believe we serve an overabundance of capers in dishes and I suggest using a maximum of maybe 25 in this entire dish for a more subtle taste), and stir. When you are ready to serve- finely chop a few springs (not too much or it's too much) of mint and add to the veges. Combine with the couscous. I also suggest that you splash the veges with some apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar, and some salt and pepper to taste. Mama Mia this is good!

The Potluck Dinner Party

What a fun night! We hosted the aforementioned Potluck Dinner Party last night, and it was definitely an all-around success. We had eight for dinner, and it honestly couldn't have been easier, because all of the dishes besides the main course were covered by my friends: Andy and Rachel brought some serious flavor with their vegetable kabobs (on the grill, and on the table, pictured), Garrett brought crunchy, cheesy garlic bread, and the spouse and I grilled up a couple of tri-tips (recipe listed in one of the WAY back posts). Hopefully, we'll get another guest post from Andy on the veggies, because it's the first time I've ever scarfed down something that was THAT good for me!
I used to feel bad asking guests to bring something, thinking I should be the perfect hostess and labor all day long to present the perfect meal. But you know what? The perfect meal is simply one that's accompanied by good wine and great friends. Thanks, everyone!

Upcoming Cookery: Potluck Dinner Party

The festivities of the past months may be a thankfully distant memory, but it's still good to have an excuse to get together with friends and share home-made cuisine and drink your share of wine. That's why the Potluck Dinner Party was invented.
It's easy because each person brings one dish to share, and can really shine, instead of laboring over an entire complement of dishes for the dinner. If you're the host, take the main dish, and assign sides to the great cooks and maybe let the hesitant ones bring wine instead. The idea is to provide a place for good friends to get together without stressing over a whole meal.
We're having one of these gatherings this Saturday night, and I'll have everyone photograph their creations.

***Party Food Alert: My brother, Garrett, likes the idea of everyone bringing heavy appetizers instead of sit-down dishes if you're having a more boisterous gathering. You just need to know your crowd, and what kind of mood everyone will be in...if there are kids or you're feeling particularly sedate (on a cold winter evening as opposed to a warm summer one), you might want to stick with chairs and forks.