Homey

This time last week I was at the Kentucky Derby. It was honestly one of the funnest events I've ever been to. It may have been that I could drink mint juleps for 12-hours straight—and I wasn't the only person doing it. It might be because I was with a group of super awesome friends (new and old) and we were all dressed up fancy, which I don't get to do often enough in casual, beachy California. I do know it wasn't because I won any money, that's for sure. I also just love new adventures and experiences. It makes me feel alive, like I'm really taking advantage of my time on this Earth.

Because I played hooky from work for a few days to attend, I landed in Santa Barbara and found myself walking smack into a brutal marathon of professional commitments. I believe in the motto, "you've gotta pay to play," so I'm not complaining, but I must say Friday couldn't come soon enough this week. I'd been functioning in zombie mode for the past few days, just trying to keep afloat and make sure no balls dropped. When I woke up this morning I felt like I could finally take a deep breath and relax. It felt so good to wake up with the sunshine streaming through my window in my own bed. I don't think I moved once during the night so it felt good to stretch out, my toes feeling the cold undisturbed corners of the sheets.

Once I'd run the requisite errands, it was luxurious to just sink into my sofa and watch a few episodes of Glee I'd missed with all my recent travels and read through a stack of magazines that'd been piling up. As much as I love to travel, it felt decidedly wonderful to be home. When hunger got the best of me, I wandered into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator half expecting it to be filled with oodles of fresh Farmers Market produce and a lovely salmon filet. For a girl who's spent 15 out of the last 28 days on the road, I'd say that was clearly delusional. Instead I found 26 jars of condiments, some wilted celery, a dried out bag of baby carrots, an expired carton of milk, and a 6-pack of beer. Not exactly inspiring. As I walked toward the pantry, I spied the cover of the May issue of Bon Appetit. On it was a bowl of simple pasta pomodoro, claiming to be the "simplest, silkiest sauce you'll ever make." In that moment, I couldn't think of anything more perfect or homey than that bowl of pasta. Thank goodness I had the few necessary ingredients on hand because I simply couldn't bare the thought of having to leave my house again.

So I began chopping, sautéing, stirring, simmering, which felt almost meditative after being out of the kitchen for so long. I even loved that my windows were starting to fog up from the kitchen heat.

Shortly thereafter, I found myself eating this lovely bowl of pasta delicately coated in a truly delicious sauce. The simplicity was where the genius laid. At times I love nothing more than to spend an entire day composing a ridiculously complex dish. But tonight, I just wanted to sit down with a beautiful glass of wine, spin a few strands of painted pasta around my fork and turn pages in a magazine while sitting on a bar stool in my own kitchen. It was no Kentucky Derby, but it was perfect.

Pasta al Pomodoro

from Bon Apetit

Ingredients

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

pinch of crushed red pepper flakes

1 28-oz can San Marzano tomatoes, crushed

1 Tbsp kosher salt

5 large basil leaves, chopped

12 oz spaghetti or capellini

2 Tbsp unsalted butter

1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan or Pecorino

Directions

Heat olive oil in a 12" skillet over medium-low heat. Add onion, stirring until soft, about 12 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, for 2-4 minutes. Add a pinch (or more) of pepper flakes; cook for 1 minute. Add can of tomatoes and season with salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens slightly and the flavors meld, about 20 minutes. Remove pan from heat and stir in basil and set aside.

Meanwhile bring 3 quarts of salted water to a boil and add pasta. Cook according to directions but remove 1-2 minutes before tender. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup pasta cooking water. Stir in the pasta water to loosen the sauce; bring to a boil. Add pasta and cook, stirring, until sauce coasts pasta, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in butter and cheese. Transfer to bowls and serve with more cheese if desired. Yield: 4 servings.

Cause for Celebration

This photo was taken 33 years ago. My father was serving at Fort Leavenworth, KS (the military post not the penitentiary, just to clarify) and it was the day he was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel in the US Army. I don't remember much about the day but I remember being horribly shy and not wanting to pose for this picture.

This photo was taken today. My brother retired from the US Army as a Lieutenant Colonel. It's frankly hard to believe so much time has elapsed; that we're all grown up. Because it does seem like just yesterday my brother and I celebrated the bicentennial in Fort Leavenworth by walking around the neighborhood banging pots and pans (and I remember being a little scared of the fireworks); or my brother matriculated at West Point as a Plebe cadet, or we celebrated my father's own retirement after 30 years in the Army. I mean, where do the years go?

Even though it seems like time does slip through our fingers, the many rich moments remain tattooed on our souls in a way that shape us into the people we are today. I'm so proud of my brother and his selfless and courageous service for the past two decades. The Nation has much to thank him for. But above all, as the head of the ROTC program at University of Tampa, I think it's a fitting swan song that Rob is shaping the future leaders and protectors of our country. I'm so proud of him, respect him immensely and feel blessed to call him my brother but more so my friend. People love Rob and were happy to come together today to help send him on his way in this next chapter. Because ever so often you meet people who make a real impact in your life. That's Rob. He doesn't try to be that way. He just is.

So today was a day of celebration. It was rather infectious actually. We all had a bit of a hop in our step, a brighter smile on our faces, were kinder to strangers, and more patient with loved ones. It was also a little bit surreal but isn't life like that to some degree? It keeps you on your toes and also reminds you of how important it is to honor and respect and remember and celebrate.

In that vein, I wanted to remind you that tomorrow is Cinco de Mayo, a day set aside to celebrate Mexico's heritage and history. I mean, who doesn't love a good margarita?! While this south of the border holiday may not be universally recognized, the folks south of the Mason-Dixon line have never been one to shy away from a reason to party. So even if you're not Mexican, or Southern, or your awesome brother didn't just retire after 20 years of kicking ass in the Army, you should celebrate. Because life is good. Trust me. Look closer if you have to, but it's there . . . beautifully there.

Whether it's the unconditional lick of love from a fuzzy creature; or the beautiful draping of Spanish moss on a warm Southern night; or finding yourself surrounded by people you love even though they drive you a little crazy; or the fact that you can run to 7-11 at 2 am and pay for vitamin-infused bottled water. . . . I mean, really, life is quite grand. Embarrassingly grand. Quietly grand. Remarkably grand.

So celebrate. Make this delicious guacamole. Make these margaritas. Because both are ridiculously good . . . and ridiculously easy, yet make things feel a bit special. But be prepared to have people high-fiving you like a Navy SEAL who just took out OBL.

Salud!

Guacamole with Roasted Chile, Cumin and Feta

from Fine Cooking

Note: For whatever reason, the roasted poblano transforms the typical jalapeño-infused guacamole.

Ingredients

1 poblano chile

1 medium lime

3 firm-ripe avocados, pitted and peeled

3 medium scallions, white and light-green parts only, chopped

5 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

1/4 tsp ground cumin, preferably freshly ground

Kosher salt

1/2 cup medium-diced fresh tomato

2 radishes, slivered

1 Tbsp crumbled feta cheese

Directions

On a gas stove, turn a burner to high and set the chile directly over the flame, turning it with tong, until completely charred, 5-8 minutes. Put the chile in a bowl, cover, and set aside to steam and loosen the skin. When cook enough to handle, peel, seed and finely chop.

Finely grate the zest from the lie and then squeeze the juice. Put the avocado in a bowl and mash with a potato masher or back of a fork. Stir in the lime zest and 2 Tbsp of the lime juice along with the scallions, cilantro, cumin, and 1/2 tsp salt. Season to taste with salt and lime juice. and then fold in the chile and tomato.

Heap the guacamole into a bowl and garnish it with the radish and feat. Serve with tortilla chips.

From Time to Time

Do you have a sweet tooth? Some people are sweet fanatics. I'm more like a transient, lackluster sweet eater, usually drawn to the beauty and color more than the flavor and joy of consumption. I loved Halloween as a kid mainly because it was a competition with my brother to see who could get the most candy, but truthfully the candy sat around until Easter when my mom threw it out. Then the enormous chocolate bunny we received in our Easter basket went into the fridge, looking quite noble, until Halloween rolled around and my mom once again threw out our sweet stash. I suppose that's why when someone asks if they can bring something to a party I usually ask them to bring dessert because I'm just not that enthusiastic about making it or really even eating it. I know that's blasphemy to some, but you should thank me because it means you can have my slice of cake.

I'm the person who would rather eat another piece of bread than pie because I like fat more than sugar. You know why? Because it makes everything taste better.

Let's be honest, which one do you want:

(a) Snackwell chocolate chip cookie

(b) Ben & Jerry's cookies 'n' cream ice cream

Or how about:

(a) Melba toast

(b) Croissant

If you didn't answer (b) to both of those questions, you're lying. My point is that fat creates satisfying, luscious food. And while I do try to eat healthy a good bit of the time, holidays and gatherings seem to bring out the fat-laden food. I'm not advocating a meal staged to induce a heart attack, but we all deserve to treat ourselves to something indulgent from time to time.

I hosted the annual Peeps Regatta at the (temporary) Malia Yacht Club on Easter Sunday. There were about 20 people there, of which almost half were under the age of 3, poised to see who would claim this year's title of Premier Peep Racer. But first we needed to be properly sated. To kick things off, I served a gorgonzola bacon dip along with freshly squeezed blood orange mimosas.

Then came this question: "What is in this dip?!" My response was, "Fat!" That was basically the truth. I took cream choose, half and half, gorgonzola cheese and bacon and baked it into a warm, gooey, fatty goodness, and people basically couldn't stop eating it. Hmmm, I wonder why. . . . One cannot resist such a combination of rich ingredients.

After we finished eating the ham, mushroom spinach strata, the frisee salad with roasted fingerling potatoes, asparagus and snap peas, and the beautiful and sweet "rabbit" pineapple fruit salad ("Thanks, Todd and Ronda!"), it was off to the races!

On an aside, the Peeps Regatta almost didn't happen. I went to 12 different stores before I could find our "vessels!" There was a strange run on these fellows and I kept walking into store after store to find this:

Panic was starting to set in (because how can you have a Peeps Regatta with no peeps?!), when I finally spied these. Granted, they're not the most conventional color, but hey, you gotta take what you can get sometimes.

It didn't seem to deter any of the racers. While Samantha was the defending champ, it was anyone's game. There are not many Regatta rules other than you can't touch your peep.

Reece took matters into her own hands and decided she'd blow on her peep, which was probably 200 feet from her mouth, but hey it must've worked because she walked away this year's winner.

And we were lucky that only one three-year old ended up in the pool. Do you want to guess which one it was?

We've had kind of an iffy spring in Santa Barbara this year but the weather was pretty glorious last Sunday. I think we all enjoyed a day with the sun on our skin, grass between our toes, and laughter with good friends.

Happy Spring! And thank you, Marina, for so many great photos from the day!

Blue Cheese-Bacon Dip

from Southern Living

Ingredients

7 bacon slices, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 (8-oz) packages cream cheese, softened

1/3 cup half and half

4 oz crumbled blue cheese

2 Tbsp chopped chives

3 Tbsp chopped walnuts, toasted

Grape clusters

Assorted crackers

Directions

Cook bacon in a skillet over medium-high heat 10 minutes or until crisp. Drain bacon and set aside. Add minced garlic to the skillet and saute 1 minute.

Beat cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Add half and half, beating until combined. Stir in bacon, garlic, blue cheese, and chives. Spoon mixture into a 1-quart baking dish (or 4 one-cup ramekins).

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes, until golden and bubbly. Sprinkle evenly with chopped walnuts and serve with grape clusters and crackers.

Calling an Audible

Well, that was disappointing. . . . I mean the dinner I just made. I haven't made a meal in, well, I can't even remember, so I was looking forward to getting in the kitchen and reconnecting with my inner domestic goddess. Well, she must have been hungover after a big night or something because she totally left me high and dry. Or more like high and hungry.

I've been wanting to make a quinoa, garbanzo, and spinach salad with smoked paprika dressing for weeks now. And tonight was finally going to be the night. I realize now as I read over the title of the recipe that my life has taken a sad turn for the worst if that dish was getting me excited. At best it's a healthy vegetarian salad you'd get from Whole Foods—nutritious but not something you take pleasure in eating. And sadly, that's exactly what it was like. After about four forkfuls I dumped it out and grabbed some turkey jerky from the pantry. You can take the girl out of the South but you can't take the South out of the girl. . . .

Anyway, I started fantasizing about this Swiss chard and mushroom lasagna kissed with white truffle oil I made about a month ago. It was so dang good. I would've paid a thousand dollars to have had just four forkfuls of that deliciousness. It's definitely a vegetarian meal you don't want to miss—unlike the garbanzo bean quinoa salad. It was the perfect balance of richness and earthiness. So satisfying and almost "meaty." Certainly not something you'd find sitting in between the vegan egg salad or tofu farro wrap. No, this is the kind of dish the most diehard meat and potato man would savor and ask for seconds. I promise.

I did make it for the only hunter I know in Santa Barbara, my neighbor. Although he was born and raised in Californian, I think he would make a good honorary Southerner. Nothing cracks me up more than when he's defeathering ducks in his driveway after a successful outing while drinking bourbon. It's about as common as seeing a McCain-Palin sticker on someone's car in town. Anyway, he helped me with a house issue so I made him this lasagna as a thank you.

I love a good lasagna but wanted something lighter and fresher than your traditional meat lasagna in red sauce. I sampled as I was cooking and it smelled so good and tasted even better. As I started to assemble the dish, I realized it was too good to part with! So I called an audible and divided the lasagna into two smaller pans: one for me and one for my neighbor. Lasagna is something that typically can feed an Army so I was a little embarrassed to give him what was obviously only half a pan. It'd be like giving someone half a cake. But I hoped he'd forget all about my tackiness once he tasted it.

The base was a beautiful combination of carrots, criminis, onions and chard. I added kale because I had it and thought it would work well with the chard. The béchamel sauce was lighter than some I've sampled, still having the body required but was more subtly nuanced with notes of nutmeg and cloves. There was lovely, melty Fontina cheese added to the mix for nuttiness. And with no bake noodles the end product tasted more homemade—and you weren't getting bites where there was nothing but noodle.

My neighbor is still singing the praises of that meal, which is excellent for me because I'm worthless when it comes to dealing with house issues. I just noticed today my gutter is starting to fall off on one side of my house so it may be time to whip up another batch of the Swiss chard and mushroom lasagna . . . . .

Swiss Chard Lasagna with Ricotta and Mushroom

from Bon Appetit

Ingredients

Béchamel Sauce:

2 1/2 cups whole milk

1 Turkish bay leaf

6 Tbsp unsalted butter

1/4 cup all purpose flour

1/2 tsp coarse kosher salt

1/2 tsp fresh ground nutmeg

Pinch of cloves

Swiss Chard and Mushroom Layers:

1 lb each Swiss chard and kale, center rib and stem cut from each leaf

4 Tbsp olive oil, divided

1 1/2 cup chopped onion

1 1/2 cup chopped carrot

4 large garlic cloves, divided

1/4 tsp dried crushed red pepper

Corse kosher salt

1 lb crimini mushrooms, sliced

1/4 tsp nutmeg

Lasagna:

9 7x3-in no bake lasagna noodles

Olive oil

1 15-oz container whole-milk ricotta cheese (preferably organic), divided

6 oz Fontina cheese, coarsely grated (about 1 1/2 cups packed), divided

8 Tbsp finely grated Parmesan cheese, divided

Preparation

For the Béchamel sauce:

Bring milk and bay leaf to a simmer in medium saucepan; remove from heat. Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add flour and whisk to blend. Cook 2 minutes, whisking almost constantly (do not let roux brown). Gradually whisk milk with bay leaf into roux. Add 1/2 tsp coarse salt, nutmeg and cloves and bring to a simmer. Cook until sauce thickens enough to coat spoon, whisking often, about 3 minutes. Remove bay leaf. Note: Sauce can be made one day ahead. Press plastic wrap directly onto surface and chill. Remove plastic wrap and rewarm before using, whisking to smooth.

For Swiss chard layer:

Blanch chard and kale in a large pot of boiling salted water 1 minute. Drain, pressing out all water, then chop coarsely. Heat 2 Tbsp oil in heavy medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrots, half of garlic and crushed red pepper. Saute until tender, about 4 minutes. Mix in chard and kale and season to taste with coarse salt and freshly ground pepper.

Heat remaining 2 Tbsp oil in heavy large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and remaining garlic. Saute until mushrooms are brown and tender, about 8 minutes. Mix in nutmeg and season with salt and pepper.

For Lasagna:

Brush 13x9x2-in glass baking dish with oil to coat. Spread 3 Tbsp béchamel sauce thinly over bottom of dish. Arrange 3 noodles in dish to cover bottom. Spread half of chard mixture over pasta. Drop half of ricotta over in dollops and spread in even layer. Sprinkle with half of Fontina, then 4 Tbsp Parmesan; spread 3/4 cup béchamel over. Repeat layering with 3 noodles, remaining chard mixture, ricotta, Fontina, Parmesan, and 3/4 cup béchamel. Cover with remaining 3 noodles and remaining béchamel. Note: Can be made 2 hours ahead. Cover with foil and let stand at room temperature.

Preheat over to 400 degrees and bake lasagna covered for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake until heated through and top is golden brown, maybe 20-30 minutes longer. Let stand 15 minutes and sprinkle with a little bit of white truffle oil before serving.

Time Check

It's 5 o'clock (somewhere) on Friday afternoon. Does anyone know where my mango mojito I drank in South Beach a few weeks ago is?

Happy Weekend, everyone!

Knocked Up

I love pizza. I could eat it every day. In fact, I've made a good run at that before — much to the chagrin of those around me. It would definitely be my last supper. And I'd choose pizza from Napoli's in Panama City (Panama not Florida), which I know seems like an odd choice. But I remember having my inaugural slice when I was probably 6 years old. It blew my socks off. It was the first time I realized food could be transformative. I had it again as an adult and am glad to report it's still as life-changing as I remembered. The PC is planning a reunion visit to Panama in 2012, and my mouth is already watering in anticipation of my Napoli's fix.

Anyway, I love the accessibility and versatility of pizza. There are limitless possibilities when it comes to toppings, but I personally draw the line at seafood. I'm sorry, but shrimp does not belong on a pizza. Maybe on a bruschetta, which I realize is like a mini pizza, but I'm holding my position.

For the record, I am open to non-traditional pizzas. When I saw a recipe for a Spanish pizza, I immediately perked up because Spain is my favorite country and I think the flavor profiles of Spanish cuisine are incredible. However, when you think of Spain you certainly don't think of pizza. Maybe jamon, paella, marcona almonds . . . . But this pizza did include a short list of ingredients I love so I thought I'd give it the old college try (although I can assure you I was drinking much better red wine than I was in college).

The result: it's like if Italy knocked up Spain and made a Catalonian pizza love child. It has all the classic flavors of the Costa Brava (chorizo, manchego cheese, tomatoes and olive oil) masquerading as a lovely pizza pie. It looked familiar but each bite burst with a unique combination of surprising ingredients.

Kind of like those cool mash-ups you hear which combines the Beatles and Ke$ha, which sounds bizarre but once you listen to it you realize it's genius. That's kind of the best way to describe this pizza.

Catalonian Pizza

Ingredients

1 store-bought pizza dough

Extra virgin olive oil for brushing

4 small Roma tomatoes, sliced

2 cups manchego cheese, shredded

1/2 lb bulk fresh chorizo sausage

1/4 cup fresh cilantro

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Place a pizza stone in oven and preheat to at least 500 degrees . Ideally, the stone should heat for at least 1 hour to get the ideal pizza crust. While heating, in a medium saute pan cook the chorizo over medium heat. Break up with a wooden spoon and stir until browned slightly and cooked through, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

Place pizza dough on a lightly floured surface. I recommend a mixture of flour and corn meal. Carefully stretch the dough with your hands into a large circle about 1/8-in thick. If possible, work on a pizza peel as it makes transferring it to the oven a piece of cake.

Brush olive oil over the dough saving about 1/2-in from edge. Sprinkle cheese over the dough, then layer with tomato slices and the chorizo. Season with salt and pepper if desired. Bake pizza until golden brown approximately 6-8 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with fresh cilantro. Cut and serve.

Winter's Bone

Well, I'm not sure Santa Barbara got the memo that Spring is here. It's more like Winter: Act II. The good news is that this recipe for short ribs is very fitting even though April is literally right around the corner. I made this dish for an Oscar party and also for my friend Meredith's birthday.

It's definitely a crowd pleaser: comfort food at it's best. It's one of those home-cooked meals that just makes you feel loved. So if that's what you're going for, I'd highly suggest you make this — and as soon as possible as I do hope the cold and rain will soon come to an end.

The rosemary-infused wine gravy provides the most wonderful flavor to this humble cut of meat. They're meaty and fatty, in the best way possible, and still on the bone for added depth of flavor. And the mash really is the perfect side, freckled with rosemary and slightly sweet from the addition of parsnips. It will make you rethink what mashed potatoes should be.

I will issue one warning: This recipe does call for an entire bottle of Zinfandel, so if you like to drink while cooking (like me), make sure have a second bottle handy.

Zinfandel-Braised Beef Short Ribs with Rosemary-Parsnip Mashed Potatoes

compliments of Bon Appetit

Ingredients

Ribs:

3 Tbsp room temperature butter, divided

4 lbs meaty beef short ribs

Coarse kosher salt

2 1/2 cups chopped red onions

2 cups 1/2-inch peeled parsnips

6 garlic cloves, chopped

2 Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary

1 750-ml bottle Zinfandel

2 cups low sodium beef broth

1 Tbsp all purpose flour

Potatoes:

1 stick unsalted butter

3 lbs russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes

1 lb large parsnips, peeled, cut into 3/4-in cubes

1 1/2 cup whole milk

1 Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary

Directions

Ribs:

Preheat over to 325 degrees. Melt 1 Tbsp butter in heavy large oven-proof pot over medium-high heat. Sprinkle ribs with coarse salt and pepper. Add to pot in single layer and saute until brown on all sides, about 10 minutes. Note: you have have to do this in two batches. Transfer ribs to a large bowl. Add 1 Tbsp butter to pot. Add onions and parsnips and saute until beginning to color, about 8 minutes. Mix in garlic and rosemary. Add wine and broth; bring to a boil, scraping up browned bits.

Return ribs and any accumulated juices to pot, arranging in a single layer if possible. Bring to a simmer; cover and place in oven. Braise until ribs are very tender, about 2 1/2 hours. Using tongs, transfer ribs to clean bowl. Spoon fat from pan juice. Boil juices until just beginning to thicken, about 10 minutes. Mix 1 Tbsp butter and flour in small bowl to smooth paste. Whisk into juices in pot; simmer until thickened enough to coat spoon, about 5 minutes longer. Don't skip this step. It creates the most luxurious dimension to the gravy. Season gravy with coarse salt and pepper. Return ribs to pot and spoon gravy over.

Note: This can be made 2 days ahead. Chill uncovered until cold, then cover and keep chilled. Rewarm over low heat before serving.

Potatoes:

Cook potatoes and parsnips in large pot of boiling salted water until tender, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile bring milk, butter, and rosemary to simmer in a small saucepan. Drain potato mixture and return to pot. I personally like my potatoes very silky so try to use a ricer if I can. Stir briefly over medium heat to evaporate excess moisture. Add milk mixture and mash well. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Note: You may find you need to add more liquid to the mash. Chicken stock is a wonderful substitute for milk, butter, mayo, sour cream, etc. But those options also work wonderfully and also create a rich and satisfying dish. The rosemary is subtle but key to create this wonderfully balanced yet elevated side. And you could certainly use all potato instead of the mix with parsnips, but you should at least try it. It's mashed potatoes but with a slight sweetness to them. Not like sweet potatoes but with a complexity that makes them seem special even if you can't quite put your finger on why.