This place is on the small side and has limited seating so in the future I would get my sandwich to go and eat it at Olmsted Park, weather depending of course.  Our first visit we were lucky to snag a seat and also lucky to go on a Saturday because its the only day of the week that they offer their two slow roasted pork sammies.  I chose the one with pork, sauteed broccoli rabe and sharp provolone on a toasted sesame seed roll which surprisingly did not need any condiments.  I think it was because the broccoli rabe was sauteed in garlic and some of those juices carried over as well as the sharpness of the provolone.  My man crow went for the roast beef which he raved about, I would have tried a bite except for the fact that I’m anti 1000 islands dressing.  Here’s a picture of our sandwiches, it didn’t come out that great because we were too anxious to mow down!

“After examining your conscience and telling God of your sorrow, go into the confessional. You may kneel at the screen or sit to talk face-to-face with the priest.

Begin your confession with the sign of the cross, “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. My last confession was _________ weeks (months, years) ago.”

Any ex-Catholics here? I’m feeling GUILTY!

Let’s just say a little something called  The Boston Marathon has gotten in the way of my cooking, writing, and general life. I’m so stoked to be running, and, of course, eating my way through the intense training. Unfortunately, many of the things I now eat look like this:

Gu...ewww

Luckily, I hosted a Super Bowl fundraiser for the organization I’m running for to give me a break from all of the “fuel”.

Aside from nearly 100 bottles of beer (many donated by Sam Adams, thanks!), on the menu:
*Shrimp Etouffee (which FLEW! I barely tasted it!) from the Fat Man (aka Paul Prudhomme)
*Meatball Sandwiches from the Pioneer Woman (except Steady Gentleman Caller baked the bread for ours from scratch, take that Pioneer Woman and your hot rancher husband!)
*Pulled Pork Sandwiches from my lovely friend Jonah
*A bunch of dips from my lovely friend Cait
*A bunch of stuff I can’t remember
-and-
DRUMROLL PLEASE…

CUPCAKES!

Now, I know cupcakes are totally not cool anymore, but I felt the need to bake, and I’ve had the linked recipe bookmarked for ages. I recently attended a Hot Cocktail Tasting (I think it had a much more sophisticated name) @ L’espalier, and this amazing hot & spicy boozy hot chocolate was served. Now, we all know how I feel about chocolate & booze already from my love of boozeshakes, and this was a boozeshake taken to winter and spiced up like a Mexican hot chocolate. Incredible. Niftily, these Aztec Chocolate Cupcakes have a similar flavor profile, and I only like to bake for a crowd–perfect timing!

I doubled the cinnamon and chili, and didn’t wait for anything to cool, as you’ll see they want you to do in the recipe. People were freaking out, eating these things with spoons, like they were crack. Amazing.

Vbar, give ‘em a try when you have the baking bug! I’ll come eat ‘em!

Crack Cupcakes (aka Aztec Chocolate Cupcakes from Pithy & Cleaver)

Seeing as I’ve referenced him a few times on this blog, it’s pretty common knowledge that I’m a big fan of the New York Times food writer Mark Bittman and his weekly column, “The Minimalist.”  In honnor of his final NYT column running this week (Bittman is moving on to greener pastures) the Times is running a collection of 25 of his favorite recipies, and boy do some of them look yummy.  I’m going to make spaghetti with fried egg the next time my mancrow is out and I’m cooking for one.  Check it out, and tell us what you’re dying to try!

Meat
Roasted Pork Shoulder
275 Degrees
6 hours
Dry spice rub of your choosing
–>I used a certain spice rub created by Ms. Maureen S. last xmas

When I started reading through this cookbook I realized that I would need a wok. My first wok was non-stick, and rusted after about 6 months where the Teflon peeled away. (gross!) When I lived in San Francisco there was this awesome store in Chinatown called The Wok Shop. I always went in there, but never bought anything- even though it is freakishly reasonably priced. Once I moved and started looking for woks online, I realized I had missed a great opportunity- this store is considered one of the best wok shops in the country, if not THE wok shop. Luckily for me they have a fairly straight-forward online ordering system.  I ended up with 1 handmade iron wok, a gas oven ring (yay! no more electric stove!), a two tiered bamboo steamer, and a Chinese-style pickling jar for my main squeeze all for under $50, including shipping. What a steal!…I appreciate the big warning on the ordering page “our products do not have lead.” Did they previously?!?

Dinner
Roast pork stir fry with kale
and julienne veggies
Place the wok over high heat, drizzle oil into the hot pan
Add julienne veggies, stir fry 1 minute
Add pork and kale, stir fry until warm
add a 1/4 c or so broth, cover and steam- serve with rice

We’ve had a tub of plan greek-ish (thick, but not quite thick enough to count as strained) yogurt in the fridge for about a week. We also had some cucumbers and some dill, along with a few lemons to boot. So, I made a little tzatziki sauce to eat with my Chinese food, and it was delicious.

Lunch/Dinner
Pulled pork sandys
We used Fornax sliced sourdough boule, but just about any hearty bread would do
smear mustard on one side of the bread and BBQ sauce on the other
place pulled pork on sandi, put pickles, or jalapenos, or any other treat on the pork
Slice cheese (we used Moz.) and make sandwich
Toast for 5 minutes until warm through and the bread is crispy

Dinner
Pork Chili
Chop: onions, carrots, potatoes and soften over heat with oil S & P
Deglaze the pan with some red wine, hopefully less crappy than the wine I chose
Add pork, cumin, chili powder, oregano, and full head of garlic, pressed
cook until the liquid is absorbed
deglaze with broth and bring to a boil
add tomatoes- simmer 30 minutes
Add red and white kidney beans- simmer 30 minutes

Who knows what creation will result from the leftover chili!

Baking as a urban-dwelling early-twenty-something is a frustrating activity; shared kitchens with minimal counter-space and unreliable appliances do not lend themselves well to the precise and messy undertaking. Thus, after one too many burnt cookies and underdone doughs, I was ready to write the entire cooking genera off.

But, as previously stated, it is now 2011.  I am in my mid-twenties, live in an apartment adequate counter space and a fairly new oven (plus a dishwasher!) and I am, most importantly, the proud owner of a shiny-new Kitchen Aid stand mixer.  I am about to be a baker.

Inspired by Emily and her always-brave undertakings, I decided to jump right into this new year and new skill set by conquering my most feared baking activity: bread.  I found a simple recipe, which you can read here and added a cup of water to my broiling pan for steam during the baking process (jury is still out on whether it made a difference or not).  The result, while not as crusty as one might hope, was warm satisfying and delicious.  And not so bad to look at, right?

Next step: a cake from scratch.

Fresh Baked Whole Wheat Bread

“oh you don’t say gopher! this beer is fantastic!”

I have bad memories of barley-wine. It is generally one of the few beers I find repulsive outside of the “light-i-might-as-well-be-drinking-water” category. When I was 19 I thought it would be a good idea to bring barley-wine instead of water on an overnight hike. Brilliant, Emily, truly a brilliant idea.

But! This barely-wine is great, and I highly recommend it. Sorry to steal the thunder, miss. holly crow. Drink up!

There is no excuse for my belated post regarding my annual trip to the Common Ground Fair (September), but I figured its better late than never.  For those of you who have never heard of or been to the Common Ground Fair, it is held on the third weekend in September in Unity Maine and is put on by the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardners Association.  I grew up going to the Fryburg fair which molded my impression of all fairs to be a place where you can go on rides such as the zipper or egg scrambler, eat hot dogs and cotton candy and check out the ox pulling contest.  That was the kind of fair I was used to so when I went to the Common Ground Fair for the first time about 5 years ago I was pleasantly surprised to see their focus was on much different aspects of rural life.  Please note, I have nothing bad to say about the Fryburg fair, my only point being that this fair is much MUCH different.

To get to the fair you walk through a long and winding forest path where they have educational demos surrounding low impact forestry.  When you arrive at the gate, admission is free for MOFGA members, $10 for the general public, and $8 if you rode your bike to the grounds instead of a car.  Once you’re in, it’s tough to pick what tent or area you’re going to hit first so i usually just start walking and hope I cover everything.  Everything meaning bean in a hole demonstrations, the fiddle tent with live music, a glimpse at the Wednesday Spinners, shopping in the farmer’s market, and my two favorites: the food and craft area.  I could easily spend hundreds of dollars on Maine artisan products, I eye the hand carved wooden salad bowls every year thinking that someday I will have $300 to spend on one.  It sounds outrageously overpriced and maybe it is but you have to take into account that this fair is where many Maine artists make the majority of their yearly income.  The same goes for the food tents, sure $7 seems extreme for the famous pie in a cone but isn’t it reasonable to pay more for products where the fair, “Works closely with vendors to make connections with local organic farmers and growers and expect vendors to do their utmost to ensure the integrity and sustainability of all ingredients served on the grounds”, than eating food taken from a freezer and plumed in a deep fryer?  If you’re not into political activation tents, bonsai exhibits or sustainable energy demos, then atleast come to the fair to try their food!  Blooming onions, sausage subs, baked potato bar, etc., all made with ingredients from  the good ol’ state of Maine.  That’s enough food ranting, now on to my bounty…

My meager purchases from the fair are pictured below, coincidence that they’re all food related?  I didn’t have the cash for a salad bowl but did have $5 for a new stirring spoon.  It was fun to go through the bin of hundreds of wooden spoons, making fake stirring motions in the air until I found one that felt right.  The two smaller containers are herb mixtures, herbs de provence and harissa which i plan on using in the near future.  The real highlight for me was my Maine Salt Works purchase.  I was about to go for the lemon salt when the Dulse Seasweed caught my eye.  I asked the vendor if it had a strong seaweed flavor thinking it was used to season asian inspired dishes.  The vendor replied that it was very subtle and the reason for adding the seaweed to the salt was not for flavor but for the iodine thus making the sea salt iodized.  Genius!

Although fair season is now behind us it doesn’t hurt to mark some on your calendar for next year.  Rumor has it that Miz Emily attended a couple of garlic festivals this season which are always great to keep your eyes peeled for!

I spent the past weekend in Vermont, a state that is pretty much tops for all things farm-to-table food related. In addition to the killer farmer’s market in St. Johnsbury, where we sampled some amazing goat cheeses, the best, and I really mean the best, kettle corn I’ve ever had (despite the noxious-sounding “autumn spice” flavor which was actually DELICIOUS and the fact that I don’t usually like kettle corn), and picked up a variety of potatoes, squash, and garlic for dinner, we foraged for mushrooms in the yard and picked apples off of the property apple tree.

Like a scene out of Dexter.

I’m not gonna lie, I ate some of it off of the oven door. It was pretty tasty. The crust was too, with the remnants of the grape mixture, but I didn’t make the crust. Ego bruised, Kitchen injury #3.

I think I’ll stick with apple crisp for now:

The three beers went down fast so we were left pondering where the night would take us.  We agreed that more beer and some food was necessary so Emily, Vbar and I chose the low key route of ordering sandwiches from city feed and picking up some 22oz beers from blanchards.  Since city feed is often crowded with screaming small children, Vbar came up with the perfect plan of ordering the sandwiches, notifying the cashier we would be right back, and skipping out to blanchards to pick up some brew.  By the time we got back, our sandwiches had just came off the assembly line and we were happily on our way with delicious food and drink in hand.

Unearthly is a manifestation of the brewer’s craft; skillfully balancing art and the forces of nature to produce a divine liquid. Delicately pour a taste into a fluted glass. Smell the enchanting aromas of the hops waft forward as your first sip divulges this beer’s fervent soul. To underestimate Unearthly is to trifle with the mysteries of the universe, so please consume wisely. 10.0% abv • 15.6ºL • Imperial India Pale Ale • 22 oz / 1/2 keg / 1/6 keg

I have been all about the 220z high alcohol content beers this summer (a trend that may continue indefinitely).  My go to brew has been the unearthly ipa from southern tier brewing company. If you read the description you will see that the alcohol content of this bad boy is 10% and they sell a 22oz bottle at blanchards for $7.99.  In terms of getting the best bang for your buck its almost equivalent to buying your favorite bottle of wine for 8 bucks, which is virtually impossible.

I definitely suggest this blanchards/city feed route the next time you want to take a night off from the kitchen and don’t have the energy to sit down and dine at a restaurant.  You can fill your tummy and catch a small buzz in the location of your choice for around $15; add that to your urbanspoon page!

Summer Bounty

Sigh. Let me start this out with a little personal statement. As it may be possible to surmise from my pathetic lack of posts recently, this summer has been absolutely insanely, pull-your-hair-out crazy/busy/chaotic for me. This summer I have started a new job and been promoted, become engaged and started planning a wedding, begun the process of applying to grad school AND (most recently) moved.  phew. Writing that sentence alone exhausts me.  It’s been tiring and frequently overwhelming and I know that things show not signs of calming down anytime soon once I (hopefully) start school and really dive into the terrifying world of wedding planning.

Moving at this time probably wasn’t the most brilliant of choices, but with everything else in my life changing and becoming so newly adult a change of scenery felt like a necessity.  New job, new phase in relationship, new goals, new apartment.  ManCrow and I had been in our apartment since my last year in college, and I was ready for a few upgrades from that phase of life: nicer kitchen with a dishwasher, a washer and dryer and a porch were on my list of must-haves  and when we found it all in this new place, we rented it on the spot. Unfortunately, the decision to move was the easy part.  The boxing/unboxing, the down three flights of stairs and then up another three, the errands and buying of new things that inevitably goes along with the moving process- that was the hard part.

The point of all this is that today, at this moment is the first time that I have felt truly and totally relaxed for the first time in, well, awhile.  Currently sitting on our back porch that I spent the morning cleaning and setting up furniture on as well as cleaning our new-to-us grill (side note: gross job) I finally feel rewarded for all of the work that has gone into this move. It is a perfect 78 degrees, there is a lovely breeze the russles the trees and as I sip this cold beer and eat my leftover ratatouille I could not be happier or more satsified with my life, as chaotic as it may be right now.

Anway.  Food.  That’s why we’re here.  Last night I got to really use my kitchen for the first time since the move and I celebrated by making Alice Waters’ Ratatouille (per recommendation from Mz Mo T.).  It was my first time ever making this dish, because I’ve always thought it to be basically a pasta prima vera minus the pasta, and I never really saw the point.  Boy, was I wrong.  This ratatouille was the very definition of comfort food, simple, bursting with flavor and when served with warm crusty bread, satisfying. It doesn’t hurt that it is a perfectly seasonal dish and all of my ingredients were from either Mo’s CSA or my mother’s garden.  I’m going to go against the grain here and not post the recipe because the instructions are all in The Art of Simple Food, and I don’t dare recreate the specific way Waters’ writes her recipes.  Buy the book, it’s worth it!   Here are some photos for your drooling pleasure:

Finished product with a crusty loaf from Fonax in Roslindale.

A perfect application for a dutch oven- the ratatouille on the stove

The leftovers, served cold were also amazing.  GO MAKE THIS NOW.  Also, as an extra, look at these gorgous tomatos that my Mom gave me today from her garden.  I’m going to make a fresh batch of marinara for dinner tomorrow night, and I’m already excited.

Thanks Mom!