Warm White Bean Dip

Dear readers, I lied to you.  I told you the cauliflower gratin was the best dish on my Thanksgiving plate, but that was only part of the story.  As a girl who grew up with crazy pre-dinner spreads, having a selection of cheese, nuts, crostini, and olives is way important.  And we knocked our pre-dinner munchies out of the park.

There was a dip, an epic dip, which shall henceforth be known as The Only Dip That Matters.  White beans.  Roasted Garlic.  Olive Oil.  Herbs.  Buzzed together into silky perfection, served warm, with little slices of french bread.  You may be thinking this sounds like hummus, but trust me it's not.  This warm white bean dip is hummus' sexy roommate from the big city.  Elegant, smooth, sophisticated...  Watch out, this dip might steal your boyfriend.

Vegucating Robin

I'm not a regular listener of the Howard Stern show, but I have a growing girl crush on his news woman Robin Quivers.  First she ran the NYC Marathon the same year I did, and now she's doing a web-based cooking series called Vegucating Robin.  Robin has been a vegan for the last four years, but nearly set her house on fire trying to boil water.  She and chef Gavan Murphy created Vegucating Robin as a way to share her cooking journey with her fans.  Robin's sense of humor in the kitchen is infectious, and their food looks amazing.  As someone who's flirting with going fully plant-based, I can't wait to see what other recipes Chef Gavan comes up with.  For now, check out their cannelini bean concerto.  White beans and kale?  Yeah, I can get down with that.

Cauliflower Gratin

Hello!  I hope your Thanksgiving was fabulous, and that your pants are being friendly to you this week.  We had a wonderful day in the kitchen, and I could not be more thankful to my BFF and sister-from-another-mister Nicole for steering the ship.  We were triumphant in the kitchen, even if our guests did eat a bit later than we had planned (did any of you manage to get your Thanksgiving dinner on the table at the time you had planned?  If so, you're my hero). 

As my little household has transitioned to meatlessness (all the time for me, at home for John), we have a lot of conversations about satisfying food. While I could probably munch happily on brown rice and pureed soup for dinner, whether we consider a new dish a success or a failure often depends on that heft, that oomph, that weightiness that makes you feel warm and full on a cold (ok cold for Los Angeles) winter night.  Our Thanksgiving meal was the most satisfying I can remember.  Soft blistery sweet potatoes, a rich and savory stuffing, velvety mashed potatoes, and some zingy little cranberries .  Turkey who?

If Thanksgiving is my Superbowl, then it needs an MVP, and this cauliflower number is it.  If you've never made gratin before, let me offer a ringing endorsement.  Gratins have a base vegetable that cozies up with a rich bechamel or cheese sauce.  The whole thing gets topped with a crumbly savory topping and baked like a casserole.  It's winter perfection.  Potato gratins are very common, but cauliflower, sweet potato, and even parsnips are great variations.

The Thanksgiving Menu!

 Photo from MondayMorningMuse.com

Cue the Superbowl music, the theme to Rocky, or Lady Gaga (whatever gets you fired up).  Thanksgiving week is here, and for home cooks, there is no greater day than the 4th Thursday in November.  On Wednesday I'll be scooting out of the office early and heading to San Diego, where I'll be cooking all day and night with my future sister-in-law Nicole.

 Photo from FoodNetworkHumor.com

While this is a holiday steeped in tradition for many, I have to say that my favorite part of Thanksgiving cooking is discovering all of the different delicious variations that can be made on a classic set of flavors.  Obviously you have an abundance of cinnamon, pumpkin, nuts, cranberry, and turkey, but when you add in a host of herbs, veggies, and cooking techniques, the possibilities are endless.

New York!

 I know that for most people, especially in the cooking blogosphere, November means one thing: Thanksgiving.  But for this blogger, November now has another meaning.  New York.  More specifically, the New York Marathon.  This year I was one of the lucky 45,000 who took to the streets, and our weekend in the Big Apple was everything we hoped it would be.  We'll get to pumpkin and stuffing again soon, but I wanted to share some of the high points of my trip.

We rented this awesome apartment in Brooklyn, and it was great.  Not sure if I'll be spending big bucks on a Manhattan hotel room any time soon.

Hi lady liberty!  Thanks for having us!

 After a 5 am wakeup, a day on airplanes, and a trek from La Guardia to Brooklyn on public transportation (all in high-heeled boots), this New York pizza was everything. 

 Look!  A real New York hispter!  Admire the rolled cuffs on the jeans, the man bag, and the perfectly coiffed hair.  John rolled his jeans like that for the rest of the trip.

We loved the subway!  This station had all of these cool little sculptures.

Now let's get to the good stuff...  The baked goods!

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

Hi there! It's Fall! Were you all aware of this? Because it sure did sneak up on me. I guess I should have had some warning considering all the pumpkin recipes that are floating around the internet. It seems like pumpkin is everywhere out there in the blogosphere! From breads, muffins and cakes, to flans, puddings and pies, to stews and curries, it's out there in all forms possible.
For my first pumpkin recipe of the season I wanted to make something I never had before. Something that was still full of pumpkin flavor but was more unique than the usual pumpkin quick breads and muffins. And if it could marry together that perfect combination of pumpkin and cream cheese, well then I would be a happy woman. So that's how these totally amazing pumpkin whoopie pies came to be.

Granola Bars

In a time when flights are cheaper than ever, when every city is flexing its culinary muscles, and when even airports have wine bars, I'm about to say something controversial.  I don't care much for travel. 

Don't get me wrong, I like nothing more than wandering through a new city, stopping for a mid-afternoon drink just because, and enjoying public transportation (yes Angelenos, other cities have trains and buses that take you all around the city for a nominal fee!  What an idea!).  But the airports.  And the luggage.  And the $4 bottles of water, the lack of power outlets, the recirculated air, and the inadequate cabin lights!  By the time I touch down on the East Coast, I'm usually wildly envious of the three year old who gets to throw a tantrum in baggage claim.

This weekend John and I headed to the Big Apple for a little race called the New York Marathon.  I have a lot to say about Chelsea Market, my love affair with Brooklyn, an epic bakery crawl, and of course, the race itself.  But before we ran around the city eating everything in sight, we had to endure 10 hours of travel.  In an effort to make the day more pleasant, less expensive, and to keep me from becoming a hypoglycemic maniac, I gave myself a little TLC in snack form.