WittyFood 2.0

Well, well, look what I am back at. 

The Monkey started kindergarten last year, the next week I went back to work, fulltime, at a new job. The time to write about food escaped me in the hubbub of homework, meetings, and commutes. But I've missed it while I've been away, and might just have found a way to squeeze out some minutes to return. Looking forward to a new look and a new start. 

Sheep Cupcakes...complete success!

So my dear son, whom I so lovingly refer to as "The Monkey" has a thing recently for Shaun the Sheep, as well as it's counterpart, the more juvenile Timmy Time. He also likes cupcakes. I really dig him. This is the result:

These certainly took a decent effort to make, but were completely worth it. Everything but the marshmallows I made from scratch, but it always comes out better that way doesn't it? Who really likes that frosting that comes in those plastic cans anyway? Gross. 

So, the details...

The cake is a standard white cake, butter version, not oil. (I don't think posting a recipe is necessary, but if you'd like one, I'd be more than happy to share it upon request.)

The frosting is a simple sweetened cream cheese with a little bit of heavy cream. 

(I just realized that I am starting to sound like Paula Deen here. Shall I crumble some bacon on top?)

The wool is just mini marshmallows. 

The heads I made out of a chocolate and marshmallow kind of homemade fondant. It is similar to tootsie rolls and I suppose you could in fact use those too. 

To make the "fondant" I melted down some mini marshmallows in a double boiler with just a few drops of water (really, only a FEW DROPS, just to help the melting start) and some semisweet chocolate chips, then  removed from the heat and added confectioners sugar while stirring until I reached the correct consistency. It should begin to form a ball and pull away from the edges of the bowl. Allow it to cool on some wax paper (I dusted mine with a little cornstarch to give extra non-sticking strength).

To form the sheep's heads I rolled the "fondant" into balls, placed them on wax paper, and pressed my thumb into the back end while gently pinching the front end with my opposite hand. I then added drip shaped ears, two dots of white icing and two black tiny non-pareils for the eyes, and a little puff of icing for "hair" on top. 

Immediately after frosting the cupcakes I placed the heads then surrounded them with marshmallows pressed into the frosting. Allow to set before transporting anywhere. 

Making a dozen or more sheep heads can be tedious, but they come out so cute and really impress everyone. Plus, now The Monkey thinks I am even more awesome than he already knew. How can you beat that? 

Crazy Rock'N Sushi

This place

YUM

Wow, I just tried a wonderful little easy to miss gem that has been down the street from me for ages and I never took a second glance at until this week. Tucked away in the West Hollywood Gateway shopping center Crazy Rock'N Sushi is what seems to be your typical sushi joint. It is, except instead of skipping breakfast and lunch so that you can afford decent sushi for dinner you don't have to save for this place, you can even treat your friends!

Crazy Rock'N Sushi's happy hour lasts all day and includes 50% off their sushi (nigiri) and house rolls. While my favorite of theirs, the West Hollywood Roll, is not included in this discount, plenty of other delicious treats, such as your standard rolls, spicy rolls, and the super yummy Big Roll are. With prices at $2.99-$4.95 a house roll you can afford you try new things and still get a specialty item at full price that you know you love.

The place stays pretty packed, there was a line out the door on the weeknight I stopped by. I gave the young lady at the front my checklist and asked when it would be ready (It was takeout night so I was simply picking up something convenient to my other errands) and was told to return in 20-30 minutes. That wait time might deter some people, but let me tell you, it's worth it. Given the fact that they are located next to a Target, a Best Buy and a Starbucks anyone can find something to keep themselves busy while they wait. When I got home with the food and we all sat around filling our plates with our favorites we quickly realized we had WAY too much for us to finish. With such low prices we might have gotten a little too excited and slightly over-ordered. Thankfully I had a teenage niece and her friend who were coming by that night and were thrilled to have a meal waiting for them. I have to say, on top of the convenience and price, the rolls were delicious.

I've bought sushi before that I knew wasn't the freshest just upon looking at it. You know the kind if you've been served it. You immediately wonder if eating this might kill you, then quickly decide that maybe you really aren't that hungry after all. I've also had sushi that tasted like cold, wet nothing. The kind were you can't tell the tuna from the salmon. Everything just kind of tastes like nothing more than rice, and the soy sauce and wasabi you add yourself. Thankfully those experiences were not repeated. The fish here was fresh, flavorful and beautiful. I could taste everything in perfect balance, from the sweet tamago in the Big Roll to the delicate avocado in the Mexican Roll.

I cannot sing their praises enough, Crazy Rock'N Sushi really does rock. Check it out, you won't be disappointed. And hey, if you totally disagree with me and hate it, they've also got a pretty impressive saki lineup to drown out your obvious bad taste and make the anger go away.

California Fish & Chips

Okay so I lied about the another post to come thing yesterday. But I am back today and with a whole meal full of recipes! Yay!

One of my favorite things to do when cooking is to put my own spin on something that's already known. Recently I did just that to the classic Fish and Chips, to give it a healthier, lighter (more California) feel.

Fish is supposed to be healthy. It's low in fat, packed with protein, and offers a generous amount of omega 3 fatty acids. All of that goes out the window when you batter and deep fry it though. And what about potatoes? The poor tubers have been given such a bad rap by french fries and hash browns, not to mention butter laden mashes. So what's a girl to do when she's craving Fish and Chips? Why not redefine it and create something totally new that still satisfies that desire for both.

I started with Yellowfin tuna (aka ahi) and red potatoes. I added a salad to round out the meal. I prefer to tie all of the elements on the plate together with a similar flavor profile so I went with a variety of chilis/peppers. It was delicious.

GREEN CHILI & CILANTRO YELLOWFIN TUNA WITH CHIPOTLE POTATOES

AND SALAD DRESSED IN A PEPERONCINI VINAGERETTE

Spicy, light, healthy and delicious. Even The Mr., who hates fish, cleaned his plate. Perfect for a summer dinner. Since the temps are ridiculous right about now I figured it would be the perfect time to share this recipe.

Green Chili & Cilantro Yellowfin Tuna:

3-4 4oz servings of yellowfin tuna steaks (approximate weight, fish is interchangeable)

1 4oz can fire roasted green chilis

2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

3-4 medium garlic cloves, pressed or finely chopped

1 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a container and add cool water to cover for marinating for at least one hour. After marinating season both sides of fish liberally and grill (on a SCREAMING HOT GRILL) for about 4 minutes per side. If you are using sushi grade tuna and prefer yours more rare then adjust to 2 1/2 minutes per side. Grilling times are approximate, fish make be cut thick and need more time, you may be using a smaller or larger portion then suggested, etc. Be smart and grill to YOUR taste.

Chipotle Potatoes:

5-6 medium red potatoes

1 tbsp of each of the following:

chipotle chili powder

smoked paprika

garlic powder

onion powder

salt

extra virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Wash and slice potatoes into eighths lengthwise. Combine all seasonings together and toss with potatoes and olive oil on baking sheet until evenly coated. Bake, tossing/turning halfway through, for 20-30 minutes or until they have reached your desired level of doneness.

*This same seasoning mix, with the addition of some fresh cracked black pepper, goes GREAT on pork as well. Try it rubbed on a roast that you've brinned a day ahead of time with some garlic and chipotle in adobo.

Trust me folks you won't be disappointed with this meal. If you try let me know how you liked it.

Little clouds of heaven.

Today's real, legitimate, with a recipe and a lot more words post will be coming shortly, but I absolutely had to post about these right this instant. While perusing the aisles at Fresh and Easy this afternoon I came across these cute little boxes of "gourmet" (read: handmade) marshmallows.

They offered the four varieties above (Vanilla Bean, Chocolate Chipetta, Caramel Swirl and Luscious Lemon Meringue) and since they looked so delicious and were only $4 a pop I bought one of each. They reminded me of tofu when I first took a good look at them quite honestly. Allow me to assure you they are NOT. They are delicious and you can eat FIVE of them for only 70 calories. That's amazing, seeing that they are so sweet and fluffy and creamy and indulgent that one or two will likely satisfy a sweet tooth or craving (Chocolate Chipetta could knock out my chocolate craving in an instant, it's like eating a super indulgent cup of hot cocoa.).

Upon falling in love I, of course, immediately looked them up and found that they make even more amazing flavors such as S'mores, Peppermint, Coconut and Cinnamon. According to the website the company is a "one woman show" run by a mother and former health educator at USC. She must have known these were good enough to quit her day job over, kudos to mommy courage. They are relatively local as well, which is always a good thing. It looks like they were recently featured on the Food Network (Sugar Rush) and are currently offering Orange Honey, Strawberry Hibiscus, and, yum, MAPLE BACON special edition flavors that were featured.

I am not going to admit how much I am about to buy from their website now. Off to go float on eat some more little clouds of heaven.

Go blend and be merry!

A blender is not what usually comes to mind when one considers things to get excited about. This is true, unless one was surprised by her Mr. with a brand spanking new, shiny Kitchenaid Architect blender and one is a food nerd. I have to say, for a blender to be awesome enough to inspire a blog post it must be a pretty damn good blender. And it is, oh it is.

Isn't she lovely? Isn't she wonderful? Okay, all joking aside, this really is a piece of quality kitchen machinery. Ice, crushed. Pina Colada, blended. Aioli, emulsified. Aside from major appliances and my super rad set knife set, this is probably the most expensive thing in my kitchen, and I never would have bought it for myself. I was always a believer in the $40 blender, just strong enough to make a margarita without ice chunks, but not worth a whole month's electric bill. The Mr. insisted on getting me a nicer one after the last one broke though. He's a big believer that quality comes at a price, but in the long run it will be well worth it. He was right on this one. Yes, the blender cost almost $200 msrp (who doesn't shop sales nowadays though, pffft!) BUT it will be a blender your kids will inherit or be forced to sell at a yard sale with all of your other crap one day when you finally kick it. It's that good, it will last for that long. It's Kitchenaid, 'nough said.

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No more faux risotto!

Being a home cook I am often faced with the need to make food that is easy and/or quick to prepare. Sure there are occasions when I am entertaining or making food for a special occasion when I get to whip out the best of my skills and all the impressive food I can imagine, but when it comes to every-night dinners I generally kept things relatively simple until recently. Over the last year I have tried increasingly more new and more ambitious recipes. What have I learned doing so? That it's well worth the effort!

For years I made different versions of a creamy rice side dish with dinner. It was generally brown rice cooked in broth with something creamy added at the end of cooking. Cream of asparagus soup, cream cheese, or even just butter and cheese added to warm rice shortly before serving made a simple and delicious side dish. I often referred to these as "faux risotto" since they were similar to the traditional Italian dish but not actually the real thing. That ended last night.

Risotto is known for needing attentive babysitting and a bit of finesse. It can be intimidating to take on something that is famous for being screwed up. Anyone who has ever watched an episode of Hells Kitchen has heard trained, professional chefs being torn apart for destroying the risotto, so why in the hell would I think I can just mosey on into my little ol' kitchen, bust out a box of Arborio rice, some vegetable stock and be on my way to culinary success? Big Balls. Ha ha, no those are my husbands. Seriously though, it is simply my willingness to fail.

I've heard throughout my entire life people talking about failure not being an option. I never understood that concept. That doesn't strike me as remarkably brave or courageous. Failure is not an option to me is akin to plugging your ears, closing your eyes, and singing "lalalalala" at the top of your lungs to avoid facing what's right in front of you. In real life people fail all the time. Failure exists, it is inevitable. It's what you make of the failures that determines their value to you. Many times you can gain more knowledge and experience from a failure than a success. They are immensely effective opportunities to learn about yourself and your world. This is why, when it comes to something as fun as food can be, I am never afraid to fail. Worst case scenario: we order pizza! It's a win/win situation.

So back to the risotto. I tried. I won. It was delicious! I was even able to manage a perfect al dente finish on my first attempt. I bought the basic Arborio at Trader Joes. I can still be a little tricky to find this grain in some grocery stores. I didn't go for the standard mushroom flavor that you commonly see, but I did decide to stay classic and not try anything too crazy. Parmesan and Basil risotto was what I came up with.

Ingredients:

Approx. 2 1/4 cups Arborio rice

1 1/2 tbsp butter

1 small red onion chopped

4 medium cloves chopped garlic

1/2 cup fresh basil split: 1/4 cup chopped finely/ 1/4 cup chiffonade sliced right at finish

1/4 cup sherry wine

5 cups vegetable stock/broth

1/4 cup fresh shredded parmesan cheese

1/8 cup creme fraiche*

salt & pepper to taste

Recipe:

Heat stock to a very gentle simmer (not boiling)

Heat butter, chopped onions and a sprinkle of kosher over medium heat in a large chefs pan or skillet until softened.

Add chopped garlic and basil. Cook for approximately 2 minutes or until you can strongly smell the garlic.

Add the rice and cook until well coated and translucent.

Add the sherry, stirring constantly until evaporated.

Once the wine evaporates begin adding the stock to the rice one ladle at a time while continuing to stir constantly. Once the last ladle of stock evaporates it is time to add another. Repeat this process continually while tasting until you have used all of the stock and/or your rice is al dente.

Turn off heat.

Add the parmesan, basil chiffonade, and creme fraiche* and gently fold into the rice.

*The addition of a cream to risotto is a highly debated issue. It is NOT "traditional" to add cream to a classic risotto. That doesn't make it bad though. Yes, it should be creamy without the addition, however I find a little heavy cream, or my preference, a little creme fraiche, adds not necessarily the creaminess, but extra body and a richness in flavor that heightens the dish's complexity and makes it even more gratifying.

It was creamy and delicious and had the perfect amount of body and bite to it. My family loved it and my husband actually ate more of it than his bone in ribeye, which is an extraordinary occurrence. It did take babysitting, but it was more about patience and tasting than some complicated technique. You add hot liquid a cup at a time and stir. Taste it every few minutes to determine the doneness of the rice. Not rocket science. I now wonder about all those chefs on Hells Kitchen. Maybe they recruit from the shallow end of the talent pool. It IS reality TV.

So, I encourage you to try something different and challenge yourself to step outside your comfort zone next time you make dinner. If you fail, learn something from it. If you succeed pat yourself on the back and add something new to your arsenal!