Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad

I have a tendency to get into a little bit of a funk in January. The holidays are long gone, the weather is rainy and dreary, and it makes me want to hibernate in my little shack with a warm fire until February comes along. During this month I definitely need a bit of inspiration to get me off the couch and get my creative juices flowing again. Luckily, I received some new cookbooks for Christmas, and inspiration is not so hard to find in this stack of loveliness:
Oh how I love me some new cookbooks. I can't wait to read them all the way through when I first get them, and mentally pick out dishes that I'm dying to try. I even like to read the recipes in bed before I go to sleep, thumbing through the pages until I can no longer keep my eyes open. Unfortunately as much as I love reading and gathering ideas from cookbooks, I am horrible at actually going back to those books on a regular basis and making new recipes out of them. I think it has something to do with the onslaught of cooking magazines I receive each month, when I tear out the glossy pages and place them in a folder that is always overflowing and easily accessible. Instead of reaching for a cookbook, I tend to reach for that folder instead. Not to mention the recipes I get inspired from off of other blogs and cooking websites. With all those other forms of cooking inspiration, I forget about the books that are tucked away in my cupboard, begging to be opened and used.

So I made a pact with myself after obtaining the most recent additions of cookbooks, that I would cook at least one recipe out of each book in the next couple of weeks, and make sure that they don't get put away before that happens. Which is how this delicious bowl of shaved Brussels sprouts with egg, almonds, and a citrus vinaigrette appeared in my kitchen.

Hamburger Buns

Hey there! My goodness but its been a while since I've been around these parts. I've missed writing and sharing and all that other blogging goodness, but it seems that summer has a way of sweeping you up in its arms and not letting go. What is it about the days of summer? At moments they appear stretched out as long as the eye can see, but then in a blink of that same eye they're gone.

I had such a fun, busy, relaxed yet productive summer that I am bummed not to have shared more of it with you all. Much of the summer has, of course, revolved around food. There have been BBQ's, Fair's where I consumed my yearly quota of fried food, lots of hummus and falafel at this gem, and even a trip to the Reno Rib Fest where I embarrassingly managed to not consume a single rib, but did stuff my face with an embarrassing amount of pulled pork.

Much of my food experience has revolved around summer produce as I have become a bit obsessed with canning over the past few months, and as such, most of my free time has been spent preserving those fleeting fruits and vegetables of summer. It has been an extremely fun and rewarding hobby that has made me appreciate the food that we cook for ourselves even more. If you will indulge me, I hope to share some of that canning joy (and some of the trials and tribulations as well) with you soon.

In the meantime, I'd like to share with you some of my favorite produce of the summer season, and a few of the things I've been making with them, along with a Hamburger Bun recipe that changed all future hamburger experiences for me.
Being a very food oriented person, I tend to associate the changing season with the foods that go along with them. I particularly experience this association with fresh produce. As soon as a fruit or vegetable comes in to season it triggers a changing of the guard for me. I love the way that pumpkins scream fall, that the taste of fresh peas make me feel like it's spring, and that there's nothing else like a ripe heirloom tomato that's picked at the height of the hottest time of year. And those strawberries above, eaten at their peak of ripeness in May, tasted like the promise of summer. With every weekly trip to the Farmer's Market comes a sense of excitement of what newly ripened item may have blossomed in the short time between my last visit. Here's where some of that excitement led me this past summer:

BFF Jill Threw Us a Party!

 It's a good day today. It's Thursday, which is almost the weekend.  My amazing and talented fiance has restored the wifi in our house, so you will be hearing a lot more from me.  Tonight I'm putting on my pleather and eyelashes and going to see Lady Gaga in concert, and tomorrow, we're driving up to Napa for what promises to be an excellent weekend. Mary + Allison + the Napa Town and Country Fair... I don't know if you know what happens when  the two of us are surrounded by fried food, livestock and plastic cups of wine, but I guarantee it will be a good time.

But before we get to this weekend's festivities, I want to recap a backyard party that was one of the highlights of the summer.  And to recap this party, I need to talk about BFF Jill.

If we're being technical, BFF Jill is John's niece's mom. If we're being real, she's his sister, and soon to be mine.  Jill and I have known each other since John and I started dating, but our friendship has really come into its own over the last two or three years. We started volunteering at Planned Parenthood events together, rallied around some of the same political causes in the 2008 election, and discovered that we both have jobs that allow for frequent email communication, so that we can keep eachother apprised of important things in our lives like what blogs are good today, and what we had for lunch.

Jill has exceptional strength, honesty, and depth. She's even-keeled, which I guess you have to be when you have a 14-year old daughter. My life plan is that when I have my own pre-teen someday, I will put drop her off on Jill's porch. Four years later, Jill will return her to me and she will have a college acceptance letter and a good head on her shoulders. Sounds pretty win-win to me.

Jill is getting married next June. In fact, she and her fiance will tie the knot exactly 6 weeks before John and I do. I think plenty of women would have a teensy bit of resentment toward a close friend crowding their wedding date, but Jill never batted an eye. Instead, she and her fiance offered to throw us a party. Go open your dictionary and look up "gracious"... Yep, there she is. And I know what you're thinking...  "Mary, you already had an engagement party."  And that's true, but with our two huge families living on opposite ends of the state, two parties was just the most practical way to make sure that everyone got to celebrate.

I know you can't really plan these things, but I think every engaged girl needs a bride friend.  Maybe we could make a girl-buddy pairing website... When I'm excited and I want to talk about the merits of chiavari vs. folding chairs, Jill will listen, not because she's been there, but because she's there right now.  In 10 short months, Jill will walk down the aisle in a dress that I just saw for the first time this weekend (!), I will cry buckets and melt into a heap of happy goo. In the meantime, check out what she did for us...  All photo credits go to my lovely neighbor Dorien.  Go say hello to her at her blog, the Women's Debauchery Auxiliary!

Summer Dinner Party

Photo from FoodNetwork.com

Saturday was one of those perfect summer days, where it's warm but not too hot, the day seems to go on forever, and you check every box on your to-do list.  John and I took our engagement photos with the obscenely talented Avi Rothman.  While I can't share them yet, I can say that the proofs are everything I hoped they would be.  Oh, and there may or may not have been a lot of blue and yellow frosting.  Everywhere.

Camera phone photo by Avi Rothman

On Saturday night, we hosted Avi and the neighbors for a quintessential summer dinner on the patio.  Fried chicken, potato salad, and heirloom tomatoes with homemade ranch dressing.  Do you ever have a meal that's so tasty you miss it when it's gone?  It was like that.  We followed it up with a nectarine and blackberry pie, a scoop of ice cream, and some gooooood sleep.  We're right smack in the middle of summer, so if you want to make your own patio dinner from heaven, here are the recipes.  I also threw in our beer and wines for the evening.  I realized that I do my fair share of wine drinking, and that you might want to know what's in my glass...  Now you know!

Grilled Stuffed Bell Peppers

I have a confession I need to make. You see, I have been doing a lot of cooking over the past month or so, and not a whole lot of blogging about it. And I feel bad, because there has been a lot of good food happening. There have been BBQ's with kebabs, coleslaws, and bacon wrapped jalapenos. There was a party for 30 or so people which involved lots and lots of massive amounts of tri tip and chicken and salads. Then there have been desserts, from massive hummingbird cakes, to blackberry bars topped with a delicious crumble, to one of my most favorite cupcake recipes ever (I'll give you a hint, it's one of the cupcakes mentioned in this post). There has also been my new found obsession/hobby with canning, which has so far resulted in 3 types of jam, brandied vanilla peaches, and spicy dill pickles.
All this food has been made and consumed and here I have barely said a peep about it. There are all the typical excuses: my job has been busy, photos either are forgotten to be taken, or turn out awful, writer's block, and the fact that even though the sun is out late, summer days have a nasty habit of slipping by faster than you can catch them. I also have a tendency to cram as many activities as possible into each day, which means I'm not actually getting to relax and enjoy the magic that is summer. I need to chill out a bit, read some books, lay in a hammock and drink iced tea, take a nap or two, and spend some quality time in my vegetable garden, which is where these beauties came from.

Why Allison is an Incredible Best Friend

Happy "Day After the 4th of July"!  After making a champion comeback from that summer head cold that's been going around, my weekend was filled with family and dogs and fireworks and some cooking revelations that I cannot wait to share with you.  One is Allison's corn tortillas.  Do yourself a favor and make these.  They're easy, and packed with delicious flavor.  My future sister-in-law Nicole also whipped up some salsas that made me vow to never buy the bottled stuff again.  They are restaurant quality, and don't require much more than a whiz in the blender.  Stay tuned, they're coming later this week.  

Now speaking of vows...  You might recall that I recently got engaged.  While I promise you that I won't turn Butter + Cream into a wedding blog and annoy you with questions about the merits of peonies vs. lilies in a bouquet, I do think there will be a few gems along the way worth sharing with y'all.  My engagement party happens to be one of those gems.

When I asked Allison to be my maid of honor, one of the first questions she asked was, "When can we have a party?".  John and I are planning our Napa Valley wedding from Los Angeles, so we decided to take a weekend to drive up and check out some potential venues, and then celebrate our engagement with our local friends and family.  After finding the picture perfect location and setting a date(!), we were giddy at the thought of spending an evening celebrating with our near and dears.  There aren't many words to describe the way we felt walking up the driveway that night.  The party Allison threw for us took my breath away.

Please check out the multitude of pictures after the jump.

Lemon Meringue Cake

A few weekends ago we celebrated my Mom's Birthday with a surprise party. I'm not going to tell you which birthday we were celebrating, because I know better than that, but I will let you know that it was a big one, one that required some fanfare and attention. My Mom however, is the kind of person who hates attention. She loathes the idea of all eyes being on her, and she would rather someone else be in the center of it all. These were all things that she told me explicitly about a month before her birthday, when she expressly said that we were not allowed to have a surprise birthday party for her. She swore to me that she would never forgive us if we threw her one. I tried to reason with her, but she would not budge in her thinking.

So when my father approached me asking me to help him plan a surprise party for her, I very adamantly told him everything that my mother had said. I explained that she would be mortified if we had one, and that she would be very upset with us. To which he quickly replied, "I don't care." Apparently my Dad can be just as stubborn as my Mom.And wouldn't you know, but my Dad was right to not care? The party was a huge success, and my Mom had the time of her life. It truly was one of those magical evenings where everyone seemed to have a great experience. I'm just happy that the guest of honor didn't pass out or start swearing at us, because either reaction might have put a damper on the whole event.

We held the party at my place, and it was the perfect day for it.
The weather was absolutely gorgeous, sunny and clear, with just enough warmth for dining outside on the deck.

Roasted Salsa

If it were up to me, every restaurant would serve complimentary chips and salsa. That’s right, from Asian to Italian to French cuisine, I would be thrilled to sit down at a table and find a bowl of chips and some type of freshly made salsa. It’s my favorite part of going out to eat at a Mexican restaurant and usually the reason why I’m already stuffed by the time my meal arrives. And ok maybe it wouldn't be the perfect compliment to a plate of sushi, and maybe I would get sick of salsa if I ate it at every meal, but only just maybe, because I really do love the stuff.
Back in January I gave you my favorite salsa to enjoy during the winter months when tomatoes are really at their most lackluster. And even though the peak of tomato season is still a few months away, I just had to share with you my favorite type of tomato salsa when using fresh tomatoes. It would be the perfect addition to any Cinco de Mayo bash, as you don’t want to disappoint those who love salsa as much as I do. We’re a hungry bunch.

My cousin-in-law John makes a killer salsa that is the basis for this recipe that I’m sharing with you. He’s a lot more attentive than I am when it comes to salsa making though, and you can tell in the final result. I have a tendency to just sort of throw in everything I’ve got and hope it comes out good. I envy the care that he takes with his salsa, when I think about the haphazard approach that I use.
This is really less of a recipe than a basic idea behind a roasted salsa. As in any salsa, the amounts can be tweaked until it fits your liking. For example, it’s fun to experiment with roasting all or only some of the ingredients. Sometimes I like to roast the onions alongside the rest of the veggies, which makes them soft and sweet, adding a hint of sugar to the salsa. Sometimes I want a little more punch to the garlic flavor, rather than the mellowness that comes from roasting them, so I leave them raw. The important thing to remember with salsa, is that there's no absolutely right way to do it. So go ahead and experiment to your heart's content.

Deviled Eggs with Bacon

Both my brother and my boyfriend are certified Mayophobes. A Mayophobe is classified as someone who is disgusted by and morally opposed to the consumption of Mayonnaise. Neither one of them can be in close proximity to the stuff without pretending to gag, or protesting how gross they think it is. I'm not sure why they both developed this particular phobia, but neither one of them seems in danger of losing it any time soon.

So when it comes to food that involves this particular ingredient, such as these deviled eggs, we play a little game. We pretend as if mayonnaise doesn't exist. They'll ask me what's in the deviled eggs, usually followed by the phrase "There's no mayonnaise right?" And I will nod my head solemnly and say that no, there was no mayonnaise involved whatsoever. Then the pair of them live happily in denial, so that they can enjoy the eggs without worry that mayo is lurking nearby.
And I don't blame them for living in denial for these eggs, because they really are darn good, and we have bacon to thank for that. It's amazing how bacon can really elevate some dishes. It's not that these deviled eggs don't taste good without it, but when it's there, hoo boy, it's a whole nother level. It's the perfect combo of rich and creamy with a much needed salty crunch from the bacon.

Wonton Cups with Shrimp Salad & Guacamole

Per a couple of reader requests from a post I wrote last week, I’m going to share a couple of my favorite appetizer recipes with y’all. When it comes to entertaining and hors d'oeurves , I want to make ones that will pack a lot of flavor without a lot of fuss or preparation. Ideally it's best if they are something I can prep ahead of time, so that I need not worry about assembling appetizers as guests arrive. Both these Wonton Cups, and the Deviled Eggs with Bacon that I will post later, are two super simple, super tasty appetizers that have become a couple of my favorite go-to recipes.

All of the components for these Wonton Cups take only a few minutes each to make, and can all be prepared in advance. The appetizers themselves can be assembled about 45 minutes before you plan on serving them, as they may get slightly soggy if left to sit for too long. But once you serve these, trust me when I tell you that they won't sit for long.

These little buddies are totally addictive. They're light, fresh, and crispy all in one perfect little bite. The combination of flavors is amazing; spicy shrimp salad mixes with cool and creamy guacamole inside a perfectly crisp wonton cup.

Asparagus and Morel Quiche

This past Sunday my family gathered at my parents' house for an Easter supper that included a small ham disaster, frustrating desserts, and wet and rainy weather that was definitely not the sunny spring day that we were hoping for. Even though the day had a few hiccups, none of it really mattered because there were still massive amounts of good food, family, and we didn't let the weather get the best of us.

I brought several dishes for the meal, including these deviled eggs:
Always a family favorite; probably because they've got little bits of bacon in them. I take that back, it's definitely because they've got bacon in them. I also brought won ton cups filled with shrimp salad and guacamole, which is quickly becoming one of my favorite go-to appetizers:
They're light, fresh and crispy; three of my favorite things. I like to dot them with sriracha sauce which adds a little kick to the party.

Carrot Soup with Dungeness Crab

While I was growing up, having cracked crab for dinner was always a special meal. My family and I would sit around the table, silent at times while we concentrated on getting the precious meat out of its shell, dipping our treasures in melted butter. And yes, maybe it has something to do with the melted butter, but that's still my favorite way to enjoy crab. In fact, it's kind of difficult for me to eat it any other way. I'm so used to eating it straight from the shell that making a pile of it and waiting to consume it just goes against my very nature.

So to go against my typical crab eating style, it would have to be for a darn good reason. And this soup just happened to be it. I absolutely adore creamy vegetable soups, and the idea of topping one with a pile of freshly cracked crab seemed too delicious to pass up. And I was right. The combination of the warm and creamy carrot soup with the coolness of the fresh crab is a wonderful combination. The addition of lemon juice adds a wonderful acidity that cuts through the sweetness of the carrots, and there's never anything wrong with a sprinkling of fresh chives.

Lemon Cake!

Meet Rachel!  Rachel is adorable...  And effortless...  And British!  Rachel can wear hot pink tights and a feather in her hair, and look quirky and fashion forward (her cute accent doesn't hurt).  Rachel is getting married this weekend, and I got to partake in her Hen Night festivities.

I'll get to this perfect lemon cake momentarily, but first, we need to talk about the decor of this party.  I live on a happy little triplex compound, and my neighbor Dorien hosted Rachel's special afternoon.  Dorien informed me that the theme was "a pink 1920's opium den", so I scratched my head and offered to make a lemon cake, figuring that opium poppies would be hard to come by.

But a few days later, I audibly gasped when I entered the shower.  This is what a 1920's pink opium den themed party looks like...

 

 

 

Don't mind me, just futzing with my camera in my gorgeous outdoor living room!