C Stands for Choker

Or Celtics.

Potato, potatoe.

My dad's words...not mine, but can't say that I disagree. Although, I may have some other choice words for the C's. Cry baby? Just a thought.

Celtics were leading for most of the game...and the majority of the second half. And then! Kobe...injured finger and hurting ankle and all saved the day once again! I know...he's always such a hero, but I never get tired of his amazingness. I don't think anyone does.

The fun starts around the 1 minute mark.


A shot to the heart as Yahoo! says. Seeeee?? He's amazing. Try watching just once. It's not possible. It's like Oreos. Can't eat just one. Or maybe that's just me.

Inspired by Kobe's awesomeness, I decided that I had to make something in kind. Can't let Kobe down. So I made...

Spaghetti and meatballs.

Now...I know that you must be totally unimpressed. Not very different from the way I feel about the Clippers. But this spaghetti and meatballs...or fusilli and chicken meatballs far surpasses the Clippers. It's like the Lakers! In a yummy tomato sauce!



Calm down! They're just onions! Even though they look like...well...you know.

So this wonderful tomato sauce is simply a can of San Marzano tomatoes, 1 onion and 4 Tablespoons of butter. Simmered for 45 minutes and seasoned with salt and pepper. And I like to add a teaspoon of sugar...but that's me. And I sprinkled in the eensy-est bit of red chili flake. Because when cooking Italian food, I often ask myself a highly important questions: W.W.M.B.D. aka what would Mario Batali do. And being the Italian that he is, I think Mario would like some red chili flake. And I sprinkled thusly.

45 minutes later...the onions are soft and can be tossed. And what you are left with is a wonderfully smooth and fresh tomato sauce that really defies everything we know about tomato sauce. There's no garlic. No olive oil. No Parmigiano Reggiano. No blend of herbs. But it is wonderfully mild and tomatoe-y, and I will make it again and again and again. I suspect it would be just lovely on pizza. Grilled pizza, perhaps?

And it was just the thing to coat my little meatball army.



Ok, so it's just 50. But aren't they adorable? And they're baked! And mini.



One had to be sacrificed for taste testing. Well, 2. Meatball rolling makes me hungry.



Fusilli with mini chicken meatballs. And whole wheat pasta. I feel healthier already.

So then I was off to make some chocolate cupcakes. With a vanilla bean and mascarpone frosting. Because sometimes you feel fancy, and just need to use a real vanilla bean.

But sometimes...



The little vanilla seeds like your fingers more than the bowl. I must have about $3 of vanilla residue on my fingers. Sighhhh. Sometimes feeling fancy doesn't pay off.

But eating fancy can have it's rewards. On Friday, I ventured to Pizza Ortica in Costa Mesa. Being somewhat of a pizza fanatic, it's nice to see a more authentic pizzeria nearby. The pizza is sort of your standard thin Neapolitan style pizza, complete with a charred and blistered crust. But I think where the restaurant really impresses is in its antipasti and desserts. I had the most tasty bruschetta topped with lamb sausage and creamy white beans. And also the most amazing chocolate-y chocolate tart with vanilla gelato and candied orange. Amazing.



Sooo silky.



Pizza alla Norma (with eggplant). Topped with ricotta salata.



Lamb ragu with fresh parparadelle.

I'm thinking about making a lamb ragu of my own. So this was research. Tough, I know.

Colts! Orr Saints! No no...Colts!!

Or Saints?

You're guess is as good as mine.

Wait...that's a lie. You're guess is probably better than mine. My track record isn't the greatest.

Definitely no Sam Rothstein over here.



Hmm...yeah...couldn't work that look. Big glasses and checkered print aren't really my thing.

I'm more into these...



Amazingly delicious cupcakes from Kara's Cupcakes in San Francisco. My fav cupcake shop ever. Ever. Sprinkles who?

And even then, I have problems picking out a cupcake. Passion fruit? Strawberry? Chocolate? Banana? Ohh...banana. But strawberry is appealing as well.

Decisions, decisions.

As you can see, lots of thinking goes on (read: excessive waffling). And, it's no different with sports. And even after all that waffling...my correct percentage is hurten.

I was pretty sold on the Colts, though...cause I couldn't really bring myself to go against Peyton Manning. Didn't sit right with me.

But then...I see this on Yahoo! Sports:



It's a little hard to read...but it's basically a continuance that says...

Considering the historic victory of the New Orleans Saints, the Court finds that the trial will not be able to proceed as originally scheduled. The Court takes judicial notice that Saintsmania permeates the City of New Orleans. Many prospective jurors for the Parish of Orleans, several attorneys involved in this litigation and Court personnel plan on traveling to the promise land -- the Superbowl in Miami, Florida. The Court recognizes that this pilgrimage enhances the chances of Who Dat Nation to acquire the long sought after Holy Grail -- the Vince Lombardi trophy.

For real?? Who knows! Looks legit to me. But I've got cupcakes on the brain most of the time. If it is real, and I sincerely, sincerely hope it is...then it is quite possibly the most awesome thing I've seen since those cupcakes pictured above. Seriously. These people mean business. Gotta respect that.

And then the Saints defensive coach says this:

“This guy’s got a great clock in his head. The big thing is that he throws the ball so early that we’re going to have to do a good job of finding ways to get to him and when we do get to him we’re going to have to make sure he gets a couple ‘remember me’ shots when we get there ...”

Hmm..."remember me" shots, huh...sounds foreboding...

Oh but there's more!

“Here’s the deal. When you put too much of that type of worry on a warrior’s mind, he doesn’t play all out. If it happens, it happens. And the only thing you’d like for me to say is that if it happens you hope he doesn’t get back up and play again.”

The type of worry he is referring to is the Saints incurring big 15 yard penalties from those "remember me shots" to Manning. Yikes!

This is gonna be such a great game!!!!

Chocolate Promises

And by promises, I mean overly cheesy messages printed the foil wrappers of said chocolate.

Talk about a way to ruin an otherwise tasty chocolate bite.

Which is such a shame because Dove makes some pretty good chocolate...and yet I can hardly bring myself to buy it due to the corny messages. However, I can hardly bring myself to pass up a good sale, so when I saw these little babies at Target 2 for $5, well...let's just say my candy cup at work runneth over.

But they're only 42 calories a piece! And I only eat 1 per day...most days...

Ahem.

Anyway, these promises really get me. I get the Susan G. Komen ones...I can get on board with those. But these other ones are just strange.

They range from cheesy:

"Close out the world for just a moment"

To super cheesy:

"Boldness has genius, power and magic in it"

To strange:

"Catch snowflakes on your tongue"

To slightly awkward:

"Be a little naughty with your nice"

To just plain bossy:

"Call your mom"

To completely incomprehensible:

"A hundred men may make an encampment, but it takes a woman to make a home"

What does that even mean???

Blahhh. I almost tossed up all my chocolate.

And now on to something completely not chocolate-y:



Almond Pistachio Cake.

Not overly sweet, but definitely nutty. I brushed mine with some freshly squeezed orange juice and topped with toasted almonds. And a powdered sugar dust to follow. This little cake is from a recipe courtesy of A16 in San Francisco. Though I've never been, I've always been a little curious about this place...hence the late night cake baking session.

Almond Pistachio Cake
adapted from A16 Food + Wine

1 1/3 cup blanched almonds
1 1/3 cup unsalted pistachios
1/2 cup butter + 2 Tablespoons
Zest of 2 oranges
3/4 cup + 3 Tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs
1/2 cup AP flour
1/4 teaspoon salt

Juice of half an orange
1/2 cup blanched, sliced almonds, toasted
Powdered sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 350-degrees. Pam an 8" pan.

2. Finely grind almonds and pistachios in a food processor. Set aside.

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Zest the orange directly into the butter and sugar. Mix.

4. Add the vanilla. Gradually add in the ground nut mixture. Add in the eggs one at a time, making sure to incorporate each egg before the next addition.

5. Combine the flour and salt. Gradually add to the cake mixture.

6. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until cake is brown and a cake tester comes out clean. Cool slightly in pan. Invert. Brush with orange juice and top with orange juice and then powdered sugar.

No foil wrapped chocolate necessary.

Superbowl!!

Or as I sometimes call it, Super-Duper-Bowl!

I kind of regret admitting that...but it's true. Sad, but true.

But can you blame me?? It's just too exciting to simply be labeled super.

And then football is over.

...

I try not to think about it.

...

And this year...ohhh this year...it's the Colts and the Saints! The Saints! Who would've guessed? I guess it's not all that surprising considering their fabulousness, but I thought the Vikings had that.

Or maybe that was just me wanting to see Favre in the Superbowl. And oh, how I wanted to see that. Bad. The guy is 40! How awesome would that be? I kinda feel like he deserved it too...after all those crazy hits he took. 11 to be exact, I think. Geees. I just got taken out by a tiny pothole in the road on a recent run. Ankle hasn't been the same since. And Favre is getting pummeled by 250+ pound dudes left and right...and he still gets up every time!

Someone get this guy to the Superbowl.

But...at the same time, I would've been torn about who to cheer for...Manning or Favre? Don't make me choose. And I guess I won't have to.

I'm all about the Colts. Sorry Reggie. I mean, you guys have a great story...but my mind is made up. Part of it is just because I like them. But te other part is that my dad hates them. Hates. Thusly, I am cheering for them. And sports are just so much better when rivalries are involved. And wagering.

And the very best part? I won't have to hear J-E-T-S! Jets, Jets, Jets! I'm sooo over them. And Mark Sanchez's beard. Terrible.

I'm Only Happy When It Rains

Ridiculous.



I'm not. Waahhhhhh.

I'm cold.

And wet.

I don't have a working umbrella.

And can't go outside.

And not happy.

I have no food at home. Except butter, sugar, flour and eggs. But it's been too rainy for me to go to the grocery store. So tonight I ate a slice of the new Domino's pizza (surprisingly delicious), a slice of toasted raisin walnut squaw bread from Schat's, a few spoonfuls of my leftover canned Cuban style black beans and two little Hello Pandas.

Did I mention that it's hailing? And lightening and thunder?

Lightening really freaks me out. So in an effort to distract from all this weather hoopla, there's nothing left to do but bake. I might not have any real food, but I do have lots of things to bake with. Not to mention a 5-lb bag of wonderfully sweet oranges. I've been eating 2 a day, but they must be multiplying while I'm at work, because I still had about 7 when I got home. But now, I'm down to just 3. The others are now part of the mini orange chocolate chunk cakes I have cooling on the counter.



Yup, that famed combo of citrus and chocolate. And I'm not a fan. (Sorry to be such a raincloud in this entry) But, I had oranges and chocolate...how can I left my personal tastes interfere with baking fate? I would never. After zesting 4 oranges and juicing 2...and eating 1, I now have 5 mini loaves of cake. It's not bad as far as chocolate and orange goes. I just prefer my chocolate and orange separate. Very separate. I don't really understand how these two ever got paired up, but everyone else seems to think it's genius. Giada included. And I can't argue with her.

It's still raining, but cake baking has definitely brightened my otherwise cloudy day. And if there must be a song about rain, I think this one wins.




Yup. Much better.

Words Cannot Describe

How happy/excited/thrilled I am to finally have this. So I'll just show you.



Isn't he so shiny? But he's not just for looks.



Look at what he can do to a few simple ingredients at the flip of a switch.



Baking just got a lot easier. And better, too! Such even mixing! What's that? You don't have one? I know what you're going to say...you don't have any room. That's what I said, too! But trust me, you will make room for this little guy. Your cookies, cakes, muffins, cupcakes, breads will thank you. And so will the consumers of your baked goods.

And while you're at it...give this a try before the cranberries disappear.

Cranberry Buckle with Vanilla Crumb
from Rustic Fruit Desserts

1 cup vanilla crumb (see below)
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
zest of 1 orange
2 eggs
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup sour cream
2 cups (8-ounces) frozen cranberries

1. Pre-heat oven to 350-degrees. Pam a 9-inch square or round baking pan.

2. Sift flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter, sugar and orange zest on medium high for 3-5 minutes, or until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs one and a time, scraping the sides after each addition. Stir in the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the sour cream in 2 additions. Scrape the bowl as needed.

3. Fold in 1 cup of cranberries.

4. Spread the mixture into the prepared pan. Distribute the remaining 1 cup of cranberries over the top. Sprinkle the vanilla crumb topping over the cranberries.

5. Bake 45-50 minutes, or until lightly golden and firm on top.

Vanilla Crumb

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3/8 cup sugar
1/8 cup light brown sugar
pinch salt
1/4 cup butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup sliced almonds (optional)

1. Combine flour, sugars, salt and butter in food processor or bowl of stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Work until mixture has the texture of coarse crumbs. Drizzle vanilla over mixture. Continue to mix to distribute vanilla.

2. Fold in sliced almonds, if using.

3. Add the flour mixture in 3 additions

Snowboarding...Take 4

Oh there was snow for sure.

Was there snowboarding? Wellll...more than the last 3 times. I mean...I guess when I wasn't falling, I was snowboarding. Sorta.

Details.

But when I wasn't cold or falling, it was a pretty great time playing in the snow.



I think the big cheesy smile says it all. It's not easy taking pictures of yourself with gloves on. Like the goggles? Me too!

And yes! The snow really was as wonderful as it looks. It was nice and soft...perfect for falling. Especially the ungroomed parts near the trees. Extra soft. But it's all fun and games until snow gets down your pants and starts melting.

As my snowboarding confidence blinded my better judgment, I took the gondola to the very tip top at Mammoth. And, as you may know, this is the same tip top that I slid down on my back a few years ago. A distant memory at this point. This year, I was feeling a little better about myself, but it was a little windy, so I was slightly concerned.



Moments before facing the music outside. This is one of those "what-the-heck-have-I-gotten-myself-into-again" moments. Especially when you see everyone else bundling up with face masks and hand warmers...and you have neither/just learned what a face mask was days earlier.

Even though that pout says otherwise, I'm really happy I made it back up there because the view going down was soooo pretty! And when you're going as slow as I am/take breaks as often as I do (going down on your heels the whole way is rough on the thighs), you have ample time to enjoy it. I absolutely luv the quietness and stillness of everything up there.

Which lasted until about Saturday, until the wind started to pick up.



And it snowed! I've never seen snow from the sky! Exciting! And cold! Who would've guessed!

The snow storm caused our trip to end a little earlier than expected, but every cloud has a silver lining...and this one happens to be my first trip to Baker's!

Aka the In-N-Out of the IE...but with Mexican food, says Mike, who has also introduced me to the wonderfulness that is carne asada fries and potato tacos. And now he has introduced me to...



The Taco Burer!! Mmm!!! Taco flavored meat in a bun with cheese?? Sooo sold. Really good. The thumb doesn't lie.



Double Baker. Also wonderful. I think it's the bun.

But what really impressed me was the selection of hot sauces.



I just had to sample them all. I liked the smokiness of the hoter sauce...but the spicy ketchup was also a very close second.

If all my snowboarding trips end with such wonderful things such as taco burgers, I'm gonna have to go more often.

The Taco Bell Drive Thru Diet

What part of that phrase just doesn't make sense?

All of it?

Thought so.

One fresco taco and a sensible dinner?

Sounds fishy to me.

Taco Bell is quick to disclaim...ahem inform you that this so called Drive Thru Diet, is in fact, not a diet plan. And the items are not low calorie options. And that their success story from Christine is exceptional and not ordinary (read: atypical).

But they are offering a free chicken fresco taco for the first lucky 1 million customers. It may have expired for all I know, but I'm definitely curious. I mean, those paid actors are quite convincing.

Can tacos really be tasty with extra salsa in place of cheese? I just don't know.

Picture Vacation

It's like you were there with me...but not really.

I just got back from my annual winter migration to Maui...and I have to say, I'm not entirely happy about it.

Sigh.

I miss the pidgin.

Sigh.

I miss the local people.

Sigh.

I miss the food.

Sigh.

I miss the sunny warm weather.

Sigh and sigh.

And I'm soon going to miss my tan.

Sobs.

But enough boo-hoo-ing. It was a great 2 weeks...and here's a few pictures.



Grapefruits from the empty lot at the top of the hill near my house. They belong to someone...just don't know who. Until then, I'm the official grapefruit picker.



Lunch with Nicole at Sam Sato's, a Maui standard. Sam Sato's claim to fame is their dry mein and also manju. Is there always a ridiculously long line? Yes. Do they take the phone off the hook because they have too many phone orders? Yes. Is it overrated? Slightly. As blasphemous as that is for a Maui person to say, I have to say it's true. I mean...it's good...but not worth all the hype. But! I still eat here at least one time when I'm home. And as you can see, we always go big. Left to right: chow fun, 2 teri beef sticks, 1 cheeseburger (the cheeseburgers are a fav of mine) and a large dry mein. For 2 people. 2 very hungry people.



While searching for Lenney, my chocolate brown llama, I stumbled upon the sheep entourage. Check out Lenney in the far right corner. It's like Where's Waldo!



New Year's was on Oahu...and so of course there were Leonard's malasadas! Oh how I luv Leonard's. They make these Portugese doughnuts as you order them and promptly roll them in sugar. So warm and crunchy on the outside!




Furikake seared ahi at Nico's on the pier. That cilantro aioli is good stuff.



New Year's Eve dinner at Yakiniku Hiroshi. Supposedly fancy beef from Japan. Quite tasty.



My mom's pumpkin pie. Still my fav.



Jumping off rocks in Hana. That's my friend Mason jumping off a 35 foot rock. I jumped off a smaller 10 foot rock. It was embarrassing. No pictures.



My sand rendering of a turtle. He's happy to see you.



The end!