tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-66086522346693921912024-02-19T09:06:10.434-08:00Miss Lyss (foodie)working for The Man to support a food habitAlyssahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03183537710350168704noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6608652234669392191.post-42776731922758983752009-06-29T15:14:00.000-07:002009-06-29T15:16:38.989-07:00I've Moved!Miss Lyss Foodie is now Diligently Dining...<br /><br />My blog is under a new URL now, please head over to:<br /><a href="http://diligentlydining.blogspot.com/">http://diligentlydining.blogspot.com/</a><br /><br />I hope you enjoy the new site!Alyssahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03183537710350168704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6608652234669392191.post-24238288525971249252009-05-19T20:44:00.000-07:002009-05-28T21:42:16.101-07:00Ninety Degrees in Napa<div align="left"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwG6hu0Bsg9OQWWgcIRLDDyEYGAg4snQmBIrWhyphenhyphen67NjGLDWP-HnTFeAX93xp6n8TX4fYrfQwgZvuHOSUeDACxrw___gidkuVZN7z4hwuxI8vMAg0CWDjgfc18ZqiAzn37s91nM6A5RVFU/s1600-h/napa+007.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337755644719360594" style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; float: left; width: 320px; height: 144px;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwG6hu0Bsg9OQWWgcIRLDDyEYGAg4snQmBIrWhyphenhyphen67NjGLDWP-HnTFeAX93xp6n8TX4fYrfQwgZvuHOSUeDACxrw___gidkuVZN7z4hwuxI8vMAg0CWDjgfc18ZqiAzn37s91nM6A5RVFU/s320/napa+007.jpg" border="0" /></a> I use most of my vacation time to go back to the Midwest and spend time with my family, so the recession term “staycation” is quite relevant for me (and was significant even pre-recession). One of my favorite “staycations” is a day trip to Napa Valley. Although the forecast for San Francisco was unusually warm, Franklin and I decided to head north to pick up some wine club shipments and knock a restaurant off Michael Bauer’s Top 100 Bay Area Restaurants list.<br /><br /></div><div align="left">Every moment of the day was full of bright colors and fragrant flowers, rounded out with friendly people and delicious food. The sights were incredible – the crimson Art Deco Golden Gate Bridge, the clear blue sky reflected in the Bay, a brilliant rainbow of wildflowers growing on the side of the roads, blackbirds with red-orange tipped wings, vibrant green grape vines.<br /><br />A quick version of the itinerary involves:</div><ul><li><div align="left">Breakfast at La Boulange to fortify us for the drive (cheese Danish for me, ham and cheese croissant for him)</div></li><li><div align="left">Wine tasting at Jessup Cellars in Yountville</div></li><li><div align="left">Lunch on the back patio at Brix overlooking their garden with a view of the mountains</div></li><li><div align="left">Tastings at St. Supery (still my favorite reds in the Valley), Frog’s Leap (organic before organic was chic), and Honig</div></li><li><div align="left">Dinner at Barber’s Q (the top 100 restaurant we checked off)</div></li></ul><div align="left">Details on restaurants to follow, but these pictures give a good idea of the day.</div><div align="left"></div><div align="center"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337752755932090658" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; width: 224px; height: 320px; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBhv3FQDw2mXNMPQcb8jq-0NhKcDATOspgVA6Z5GSIztjS-AyMNNqd-WA1UzgKNkpUcX2bj5ieihxwBbemTbCjFQ4suO6qmwjEdp9553ogpHYiXnu5vNG8ZN3iHmr7gr5Pfg5IF18k7BY/s320/napa+048.jpg" border="0" /> Tasting flight at Frog's Leap.</div><br /><br /><p align="center"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337753218408792738" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; width: 320px; height: 210px; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1Ca3omdeEgwZ29TL3X_y4QK9X-l_GTPTtSNMIDv1NN2lcHlqwD1wPZvmOZ212H65_qHYCO3MSnmtnCBww7BeW43cwzpv0eYarmF_jR_K2ts4NJmDo7tf_ydIhTaAzYtFsGzx4YJ13ZGI/s320/napa+051.jpg" border="0" /></p><div align="center">Drive at Peju (we didn't stay, not our scene).</div><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337753387942685650" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; width: 320px; height: 212px; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPxk8VBHw1v02knfYISEN8IlARrUFyH79H0c6ja5e37rx8PY1EG_PgezijB8WHkrzNmi4qciKuWBCi43lRYozZXmSkji9i0fGd0oMTDFh2XG5jJosbkq1igaQ2HDTivf82ktAjjQa6Tco/s320/napa+026.jpg" border="0" /> <p align="center"> Wine train passing through Brix's backyard, and our lunchtime view.<br /><br /><br /></p><p align="center"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337754612294049490" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; width: 320px; height: 210px; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBfmO1QNNxzwA_VM8h-DYre-eqwrvHvbGb5YOsUWowro_bDdLVG6rXHPSo6Hkfj-zERlyQcDBAnS4Fq_Q2BattbaZmSSASDtYN8noNphRHU1W39nZe0QJzZq-kr6RUSMtHa8vcLh0e_D8/s320/napa+016.jpg" border="0" />Chandelier and patio awning at Brix.</p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337755188545444626" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; width: 320px; height: 210px; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl2q16n05aZ-eqOPuQGHlywze5DcPFUrhLRUONhm4TmE01q0N5Xy-sXEL3FmD6Ak4PvveoGuyv7bTJVOPPdnSX8kUycq3AvOEy4U0n-7xSWh8q-lElKNsMINvNHPFrYYAO8l3rSPteH9A/s320/napa+067.jpg" border="0" /> <p align="center">Ribs, pulled pork and sausage and Barber's Q. </p>Alyssahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03183537710350168704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6608652234669392191.post-67566382409245670472009-04-08T12:29:00.000-07:002009-04-08T13:07:14.018-07:00Top 100 Restaurants in the Bay Area - A16The SF Chronicle just released Michael Bauer's list of the top 100 restaurants in the Bay Area and yours truly has only been to 25 of them. Gasp! Time to start working my way through the other 75 (and time to find a way to fund those meals!).<br /><br />On a whim, I found myself at one of the restaurants on the list last night. A16 is my favorite spot to grab a pizza and a glass of wine. I was in the mood for Italian, so the Beau and I stopped by and ate at the bar. Well, "a pizza and a glass of wine" magically turned into "a pizza, burrata, olives and a few glasses of wine," but who can blame us? When a restaurant menu is as appealing as A16's, it's nearly impossible to walk away without trying multiple dishes. And why would anyone want to do so?<br /><br />The olives came first. I am an absolute olive fanatic and these are some of my favorites; they use great blend of herbs (lots of rosemary and sage), garlic, and citrus. And they're perfectly cured. Culinairily, I don't think anything annoys me more than under-cured, inedible olives!<br /><br />Next was the burrata. Eating this dish was the equivalent of a texture bomb exploding in my mouth. Think I'm being dramatic? Don't know what a texture bomb is? Try this dish. The creamy, sweet mozzarella nearly melted into the thin, super-crisp crostini while the olive oil drizzled on top coated our mouths in a silky film of almost-indistinguishable citrus.<br /><br />The Salsiccia pizza was expertly cooked, of course, but the flavors lacked punch. It was topped with fennel sausage, spring onions, mozzarella and green chiles; we added an egg. The egg was a nice touch (egg yolk makes everything better...), but I think the best part of their pizzas (pizze, I suppose!) is actually the red chile oil that they serve as a condiment. It has a wonderfully flavorful heat, rather than being spicy just for the sake of being spicy.<br /><br />Top the whole meal off with a few glasses of bold red Italian wine and great conversation, and we had a fantastic Tuesday night!Alyssahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03183537710350168704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6608652234669392191.post-81139134232394086572009-03-11T16:57:00.000-07:002009-03-11T17:27:37.318-07:00Winter Farmer's Market SaladOh, what a slacker I am! I have proven <a href="http://misslyssfoodie.blogspot.com/2009/01/happy-new-year.html">my initial point about New Year's resolutions</a>, and I broke my own resolution by February! Well, hopefully this post will make up for it a little bit. I know those fennel-lovers out there will be happy...<br /><br />I have a bit of an obsession with certain vegetables. This is rare for someone as staunch a carnivore as I, but some vegetables deserve (almost) the same level of devotion as their more popular protein counterparts. Brussels sprouts, arugula and artichokes are a few vegetables that I adore. But the subject of this week's posting is...FENNEL!<br /><br />The Italian blood in my veins (well, half of it is Italian anyway) has left me with a deep appreciation of the flavor profile associated with fennel. Anise-flavored cookies, biscotti and pizzelle are a huge part of holiday celebrations in my family and I've always liked black licorice. Fennel is a relative of anise and has a much more delicate, subtle flavor that makes it more palatable for those that find anise too intense.<br /><br />This side dish or appetizer is a pleaser to both the eyes and the taste buds. It's a gorgeous late winter or early spring salad that I put together after going to the Ferry Building Farmer's Market on Tuesday. If you can't find blood oranges, you can substitute any orange or even pink grapefruit. Enjoy!<br /><br /><div align="center"><strong><u><span style="color:#660000;">Fennel and Blood Orange Salad</span></u></strong></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#660000;">Serves 4</span></div><ul><li><span style="color:#660000;">1 large fennel bulb or 2 small fennel bulbs. Cut off the stalks (saving some fronds for garnish), cut the bulb in half, peel off the outer layer, and wash. </span></li><li><span style="color:#660000;">1 T fennel fronds, chopped (for garnish) </span></li><li><span style="color:#660000;">2 blood oranges with rinds cut away, cut into supremes or thinly sliced into rounds.</span></li><li><span style="color:#660000;">2 T orange juice</span></li><li><span style="color:#660000;">2 T olive oil</span></li><li><span style="color:#660000;">Salt and Pepper to taste</span></li></ul><span style="color:#660000;">1. Make the vinaigrette by whisking together the OJ and olive oil in a large bowl then adding salt and pepper to taste.</span><br /><span style="color:#660000;">2. Cut the fennel into very thin slices (I use a mandoline, but if you don't have one then just cut them about 1/8 of an inch thick. Toss with the vinaigrette.</span><br /><span style="color:#660000;">3. Plate the salad by making a bed with the dressed fennel and arranging orange supremes/slices on top. Garnish with the fennel fronds.</span>Alyssahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03183537710350168704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6608652234669392191.post-19639137622549581442009-02-16T15:18:00.001-08:002009-02-16T15:53:14.720-08:00Easy Weeknight MealI was standing at the abandoned seafood counter of my local Safeway one night last week trying to buy a handful of shrimp. As usual, every employee in the store completely ignored me. After about 10 minutes I realized that my plan of spicy shrimp and rice for dinner was not going to happen. Second choice: homemade miso soup with mushroom. Surprise! This fabulous Safeway was also out of miso. I did not have a third option.<br /><br />I stormed over to the produce section to find the Beau and once again proclaim my hatred for this establishment and to despair over what on earth I was going to eat for dinner. Inspiration! He was standing next to some gorgeous fresh fennel, one of my latest obsessions. My backup comfort food is always pasta, so I ended up making this extremely easy dinner in less than 30 minutes. It was absolutely delicious, especially if you love fennel. I had leftovers for lunch the next day and it actually may have tasted even better then.<br /><br />Sausage and fennel are natural together in Italian cuisine; most Italian sausages have fennel seeds in them so this dish might even taste familiar. The end result is a little drier than most Americans like their pasta, but it really allows the flavor and texture of the fresh pasta to come through. Try it out!<br /><div align="center"></div><div align="center"><strong><u><span style="color:#990000;">Sausage and Fennel Pasta</span></u></strong></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#990000;">Serves 2-3</span></div><ul><li><span style="color:#990000;">1 package fresh linguine or fettuchine pasta, about 9 oz (dried will work as well, but only make about 1/2 a pound)</span></li><li><span style="color:#990000;">about 4 oz bulk spicy italian sausage</span></li><li><span style="color:#990000;">1 bulb fresh fennel, stalks removed and the bulb cut into a rough chop.</span></li><li><span style="color:#990000;">1 can (14.5 oz) seasoned diced tomatoes (I like the basil and oregano seasoned ones)</span></li><li><span style="color:#990000;">about 6 oz fresh mozzarella, cubed (you can just use grated Parmesan if you don't have fresh mozzarella)</span></li><li><span style="color:#990000;">2 T vegetable or olive oil</span></li><li><span style="color:#990000;">Salt and pepper to taste</span></li></ul><span style="color:#990000;">1. Boil water for the pasta.</span><br /><span style="color:#990000;">2. Heat the oil in a medium-sized skillet over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook, breaking into bits, until done and no longer pink inside (5-8 minutes). Remove the sausage with a slotted spoon but leave the oil and fat in the skillet. Drain sausage on a paper towel-lined plate.</span><br /><span style="color:#990000;">3. Cook the fennel in the skillet over medium heat until just tender (5-8 minutes). </span><br /><span style="color:#990000;">4. Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook according to package instructions.</span><br /><span style="color:#990000;">5. While the pasta is cooking, add the can of tomatoes and the sausage to the skillet and cook over medium-high heat until some of the tomato liquid has evaporated and you have a sauce-like consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste.</span><br /><span style="color:#990000;">6. Mix together the sauce and pasta. Toss to combine. Top each serving with a handful of fresh mozzarella cubes (or grate some Parmesan over it if you don't have mozzarella). </span><br /><span style="color:#990000;"></span><br /><span style="color:#990000;">Buon appetito!</span>Alyssahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03183537710350168704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6608652234669392191.post-88967419518336359032009-01-26T17:40:00.000-08:002009-01-27T17:02:41.450-08:00Soup that is a Piece of CakeWhere did the expression "piece of cake" come from? For someone who doesn't really enjoy baking (myself), this doesn't necessarily imply "easy." I guess boxed cake is easy, but that's cheating...<br /><br />Now soup, however...that's easy. Especially the one I made over the weekend! It's a delicious, hearty winter stew that takes the edge off the cold weather. It's ridiculously simple to make, pretty healthy, and rather cheap as well. I've had a bag of gorgeous <a href="http://ranchogordo.com/">Rancho Gordo </a>"pebbles" sitting around, and I've been dying to make something delicious with them. You basically just throw a bunch of ingredients into a pot and cook away!<br /><br />So pardon the Arrested Development reference, but here's the recipe for Hot Ham Water.<br /><br /><div align="center"><u><span style="color:#990000;">Hot Ham Water (aka Smoked Ham, Bean and Greens Soup)</span></u></div><span style="color:#990000;">Serves 6</span><br /><ul><li><span style="color:#990000;">1 lb bag of high-quality dried beans, picked over, soaked for 4-6 hours and drained. I used a bag of mixed heirloom beans, but use whatever you like to eat. </span></li><li><span style="color:#990000;">1 ham shank or (ham hock)</span></li><li><span style="color:#990000;">1 carrot, cut into 3 pieces</span></li><li><span style="color:#990000;">1 onion, cut in half</span></li><li><span style="color:#990000;">1 celery stalk, cut into 3 pieces</span></li><li><span style="color:#990000;">4 cloves garlic, peeled</span></li><li><span style="color:#990000;">4 c chicken stock<br />2 c water</span></li><li><span style="color:#990000;">1 bay leaf</span></li><li><span style="color:#990000;">1 stalk fresh rosemary</span></li><li><span style="color:#990000;">2 sprigs fresh thyme</span></li><li><span style="color:#990000;">5 peppercorns</span></li><li><span style="color:#990000;">1 T herbes de provence </span></li><li><span style="color:#990000;">1 1/2 bunches of swiss chard or kale, washed well (I like to use swiss chard with red stems, it adds color)</span></li><li><span style="color:#990000;">salt and pepper</span></li></ul><span style="color:#990000;">1. Make a bouquet garni by using kitchen twine to tie the bay leaf, rosemary, thyme, peppercorns and herbes de provence in a piece of cheesecloth.</span><br /><span style="color:#990000;">2. Add the bouquet garni, beans, ham shank, carrot, onion, celery, garlic, chicken stock and water to a large pot or dutch oven. Make sure there is enough liquid to cover all the ingredients and add more water as needed. You can make the soup to your desired consistency. (You can add a splash of red wine or worchestershire sauce here to add extra depth).</span><br /><span style="color:#990000;">3. Bring to a boil, then cover and cook over low heat for two to three hours or until the beans are cooked through.</span><br /><span style="color:#990000;">4. Pull out the ham shank and shred any meat that is attached. Return the meat to the pot.</span><br /><span style="color:#990000;">5. Remove the onion, carrot, and celery. If any of the garlic cloves are still intact, remove them as well.</span><br /><span style="color:#990000;">4. Prepare the chard by cutting the leafy part away from the stem (the stems take longer to cook). Cut the leaves into 1/2 in wide strips. If you want to include the stems, remove the tough outer layer with a vegetable peeler and cut into one inch wide pieces. Add the stems to the pot, then bring the liquid up to a slow simmer. 5 minutes later, add the leaves and cook until tender.</span><br /><span style="color:#990000;">5. Add salt and pepper to taste. Important - do not add salt until this step! Salt will make the beans cook slower if you add it before they're done. Chard has a bit of a salty flavor, too, and that will impact the flavor of the soup.</span><br /><br />Serve with warm crusty bread and butter. Enjoy!Alyssahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03183537710350168704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6608652234669392191.post-45305864675598143542009-01-24T16:32:00.000-08:002009-01-24T17:18:22.279-08:00The Cruelty of TelevisionI've been cooped up in my bedroom for the last 4 days with bronchitis but am feeling much better now, thanks to those crazy mega-dose antibiotics. The worst part was probably the sore throat, which meant that I was confined to a diet of soup and tea for what seemed like an eternity. Of course, it didn't help that I was spending about 8 hours of the day watching the Food Network or PBS cooking shows (some of my favorite cooking shows are on PBS - America's Test Kitchen, Lidia Bastianicch, Hubert Keller). Alton made chocolate chip cookies and I wanted to cry. Paula made sauerkraut and ribs and I started to salivate.<br /><br />While the content of the shows was definitely the worst part, the commercials certainly didn't help. Even when I would attempt to escape the torment by watching TLC (I'm also a sucker for <em>John & Kate Plus Eight</em> and <em>What Not To Wear</em>), the commercials served as a constant reminder of my inability to consume solid foods. I have a strong aversion to TGI Friday's but I would have probably given my right arm for some of those deep fried green beans in their commercials.<br /><br />I'm apparently a glutton for punishment, because I spent the other 2 waking hours of the days reading cookbooks or food magazines. James Peterson's <em>Cooking</em> was especially painful because he includes such beautiful photographs, but I did learn quite a bit about different cooking techniques and got some great ideas for recipes to try.<br /><br />I think some good will come from being sick; I foresee a cooking binge in the next few weeks! I think all the delicous recipes I observed and the reading I did have inspired me to make some things I've been meaning to try. Right now I've got some amazing Rancho Gordo beans soaking at home and I picked up some gorgeous greens from the Farmer's Market this morning (Dinosaur Kale, Curly Kale and red-stemmed Swiss Chard), so I'm concocting a bean, greens and ham soup for dinner tonight. I'm determined to try a pate or terrine next weekend, which ought to be really interesting! Until then, however, here's a recipe from my favorite FN cooking show, <em>Good Eats.</em> The Macaroni and Cheese episode was on while I was sick, and I love Alton's recipe. NOTE: I can't stress the importance of tempering the egg with the milk mixture so you're not left with scrambled eggs in your mac 'n cheese!<br /><br /><div align="center"><strong><u><span style="color:#990000;">Alton's Baked Macaroni and Cheese</span></u></strong></div><ul><li><span style="color:#990000;">1/2 pound elbow macaroni </span></li><li><span style="color:#990000;">3 tablespoons butter </span></li><li><span style="color:#990000;">3 tablespoons flour </span></li><li><span style="color:#990000;">1 tablespoon powdered mustard </span></li><li><span style="color:#990000;">3 cups milk</span></li><li><span style="color:#990000;">1/2 cup yellow onion, finely diced </span></li><li><span style="color:#990000;">1 bay leaf </span></li><li><span style="color:#990000;">1/2 teaspoon paprika </span></li><li><span style="color:#990000;">1 large egg </span></li><li><span style="color:#990000;">12 ounces sharp cheddar, shredded </span></li><li><span style="color:#990000;">1 teaspoon kosher salt </span></li><li><span style="color:#990000;">Fresh black pepper </span></li></ul><p><u><span style="color:#990000;">Topping optional but highly recommended!</span></u></p><ul><li><span style="color:#990000;">3 tablespoons butter </span></li><li><span style="color:#990000;">1 cup panko bread crumbs </span></li></ul><p><span style="color:#990000;"><span style="color:#990000;">Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.<br />In a large pot of boiling, salted water cook the pasta to al dente.<br />While the pasta is cooking, in a separate pot, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and mustard and keep it moving for about five minutes. Make sure it's free of lumps. Stir in the milk, onion, bay leaf, and paprika. Simmer for ten minutes and remove the bay leaf.<br />Temper in the egg. Stir in 3/4 of the cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Fold the macaroni into the mix and pour into a 2-quart casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese.<br />Melt the butter in a saute pan and toss the bread crumbs to coat. Top the macaroni with the bread crumbs. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and rest for five minutes before serving.</span> </span></p>Enjoy!Alyssahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03183537710350168704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6608652234669392191.post-17722285876113152282009-01-16T12:50:00.000-08:002009-01-20T10:43:01.996-08:00Asian Fusion MealI had the wonderful pleasure of meeting a good friend's mother last week. They came over for dinner, and we ate a healthy Asian fusion meal over great conversation. For example, I learned that my friend was part of a plot (involving the destruction of school property) to eliminate the line-dancing portion of her grade-school gym class. Tsk, tsk, and I always assumed she had been such a good girl.<br /><br />The food was very easy to prepare, and the menu included:<br />Gingered Shiitake and Watercress Soup<br />Garlic and Chili-Roasted Edamame<br />Sesame-Crusted Seared Tuna with a sesame/soy dipping sauce<br />Seaweed Salad (store-bought)<br />Gelato from <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/gelateria-naia-san-francisco-2">Naia</a> for dessert<br /><br />If anyone is interested in the recipes, let me know. For now, I'll include the edamame recipe because it's one of my favorites! This recipe was inspired by <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/betelnut-san-francisco">Betelnut's</a> green bean appetizer and is a great snack or addition to an Asian-inspired meal or delivery sushi.<br /><br /><div align="center"><strong><u><span style="color:#660000;">Garlic and Chili-Roasted Edamame</span></u></strong></div><ul><li><div align="left"><span style="color:#660000;">1 package of frozen whole edamame (still in the pod, not shelled. I usually find it at Trader Joe's)</span></div></li><li><div align="left"><span style="color:#660000;">3 T soy sauce</span></div></li><li><div align="left"><span style="color:#660000;">1 T toasted sesame oil, can subistute with vegetable oil but the sesame oil adds great flavor</span></div></li><li><div align="left"><span style="color:#660000;">2 cloves garlic, chopped fine</span></div></li><li><div align="left"><span style="color:#660000;">1 T dried basil</span></div></li><li><div align="left"><span style="color:#660000;">dried red chili flakes to taste (more chili = spicier)</span></div></li></ul><span style="color:#660000;">Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.<br />1. Combine all the ingredients in an oven-safe dish, such as a pyrex dish or a roasting pan. Toss to coat all the edamame with oil or soy sauce. They will burn if there's not enough liquid on them. 2. Cook them in the oven for about 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes and adding more oil or soy sauce if the pan is getting too dry. Test them after 10 minutes to see if they're cooked to your liking and add time accordingly.<br />3. There should be almost a glaze of soy sauce and oil over the pods. The beans should be slightly toothy, but not crunchy. Make sure they don't overcook, or they will get mushy.</span>Alyssahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03183537710350168704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6608652234669392191.post-59363404760364632122009-01-07T12:45:00.001-08:002009-01-07T13:42:30.230-08:00A Venezuelan man, and Asian man and two Caucasian girls walk into a bar...The Beau and I had an impromptu dinner last night with one of his old college friends and his girlfriend. Having just seen <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1010048/"><em>Slumdog Millionaire</em> </a>(amazing film! now one of my absolute favorites), we were both craving Indian food. Our never-fail quick Indian restaurant in the city is <a href="http://www.kennedyscurry.com/">Kennedy's</a>, which is an Indian restaurant <em>inside</em> an Irish pub (as the Beau puts it, "what happens when an Irish pub and an Indian restaurant mate"). The result is a strange combination of pool-hall noise, a dive bar crowd, and the mouth-watering smell of curry in the air. It's probably one of the few dive bars that doesn' t actually smell like a dive bar!<br /><br />We don't go there for the crowd or the pool tables though. We go there for the food. I usually get their lamb masala dosa, which is a crispy crepe-like shell about 15 inches wide wrapped around spiced lamb, potatoes and veggies. Last night we went family-style though and ordered a few different dishes to share, along with pitchers of beer (Dos Equis, to add another layer of complexity into our already ethnically diverse dinner!), naan (plain, garlic, and paneer, which is a type of Indian cheese) as well as some rice. We all shared:<br /><ul><li>Onion bajhi, which is like onion rings (but better) with Indian spices</li><li>Chicken do-piazza, covered in tasty onions and peppers</li><li>Bhindi masala, which is ochre with spicy onions and tomatoes</li><li>Lamb vindaloo, a spicy stewed lamb and potato dish</li><li>Lamb korma, stewed lamb in a creamy sauce</li></ul>Everything was delicious, but the highlights were the chicken and the lamb korma. We (obviously!) ordered way too much food, and there was enough leftover for probably four more meals. The total for four people plus two pitchers of beer was $84. Not too bad for amazing food and great company!<br /><br />P.S. Another great thing about Kennedy's is that they deliver to Telegraph Hill, North Beach, Russian Hill and the Marina until 3 am on weekends. Just in case you're craving some late night Indian (and the inevitable heartburn that will follow)!Alyssahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03183537710350168704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6608652234669392191.post-69477694749680230772009-01-06T18:20:00.000-08:002009-01-06T19:46:39.958-08:00Happy New Year!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBmJKqGp4UcHiw7AQ_I49ZycI-beJ0K1YOC_IO9l__0K1TUCSXjy-8CurXMrkJgSk1V96Qz6yV_0NaBCQlafTtbi09rLXuOpYpwqF0tXWw42wt42qPniXgAM6Cuyn_N7uuE9lGqdr1h2k/s1600-h/smaller+picture+of+376.JPG"></a><div>It's the beginning of January and everyone keeps asking me, "What's your New Year's resolution?" It seems strange, but I've never made one before. I find them pretty pointless; come June, who can even remember what their resolution was?<br /><br />This year I'll jump on board though. I resolve to chronicle my culinary adventures in this amazing city - and hopefully I'll hit a few other cities as well! With my job, I could certainly use a creative outlet. Math (even if it is just retail math) can get awfully tedious, especially for someone who has never considered herself a "numbers person." I've been using cooking as that outlet, but I've really missed writing lately. That's something college-age Miss Lyss never would have believed, considering how many painful all-nighters I used to pull in order to crank out papers!<br /><br />I'm shooting for at least one post a week, even if it's just to tell you about the easy, delicious sandwich that I made for lunch yesterday. Speaking of which...</div><div></div><div></div><div align="center"><strong><u><span style="color:#660000;">Ham and Apple Sandwich</span></u></strong></div><ul><li><div align="left"><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="color:#660000;">2 slices of whole grain bread </span></span></div></li><li><div align="left"><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="color:#660000;">About 6 slices of deli honey ham (how hungry are you?) </span></span></div></li><li><div align="left"><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="color:#660000;">1 slice of cheddar cheese</span></span><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="color:#660000;"> </span></span></div></li><li><div align="left"><span style="color:#660000;">A</span><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="color:#660000;"> few very thin slices of apple (I used honeycrisp but pretty much anything except a super tart one would work) </span></span></div></li><li><div align="left"><span style="color:#660000;">A small handful of fresh baby spinach</span></div></li><li><div align="left"><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="color:#660000;">Whole-grain Dijon mustard </span></span></div></li></ul><p align="left"><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="color:#660000;">Place the ham on one slice of bread, then layer the cheese, apple and spinach. Spread the other piece of bread with a little bit of the mustard (not too much, or that's all you'll be able to taste). I think you know what to do from here.<br /></span><br /></span><span style="color:#666666;">I ate it at room temperature, but it would probably be really good in a panini press as well. Enjoy!</span></p>Alyssahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03183537710350168704noreply@blogger.com1