Yummy Bites

For your snacking pleasure:

• 4 bagels, 3 days old, cut into thin slices
• 3 sprigs fresh rosemary, finely chopped
• 4 large garlic cloves, finely minced
• 1/2 cup good olive oil
• 1 tbsp. kosher or sea salt
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lay bagel slices on 2 baking sheets in one layer. In a food processor or by hand mix together olive oil, rosemary, and garlic, with a dash of salt, until smooth. Brush bagels with olive oil mixture. Sprinkle them with coarse salt and Parmesan cheese and bake until golden brown, about 18-20 minutes. 

Works great with seeded bagels from Metropolitan Bakery. They taste even better when they are a tiny bit burnt.

Try not to eat these all at once. They’re totally addictive.

Polenta is another wintertime favorite. It tastes delicious with meat, roasted root vegetables, stews, or just about anything you can think of. I adapted this recipe from Giada De Laurentiis and it was absolutely fantastic— salty, cheesy, perfect.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• 4 1/2 cups water
• 1/2 tbsp. kosher salt
• 1 1/4 cup yellow cornmeal or polenta (not instant)
• 3/4 cup freshly grated parmesan, plus extra for garnish
• 3/4 cup 1% milk, at room temperature
• 5 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into 1/2 in. pieces
• 1-2 tbsp. freshly chopped basil or basil paste
• Freshly ground pepper

1. Bring the water to a boil in a large pot. Add the salt, then gradually whisk in the cornmeal (or polenta). Reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring often, until the mixture thickens and the polenta is tender, about 15-20 minutes.

2. Remove the pot from the heat. Stir in the milk, cheese, butter, and basil. Stir until the butter and cheese have melted. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with Parmesan cheese and serve hot.

Serves 4

I love, love, love short ribs, and when I got a slow cooker I knew that would be one of the first things that I used it for. Hearty meat dishes are essential winter comfort food, and with the exhaustingly cold weather we’ve had on the east coast lately, there’s no time better to prepare this satisfying dish.

Rachel came to visit a few weeks ago and actually requested that I prepare this for dinner— I’m glad she did because it was simple and incredibly delicious, definitely quickly on it’s way to topping my favorite recipes list. The way short ribs and polenta can both warm your insides in a way that makes you feel comfortable like being wrapped in a blanket next to a window watching the snow fall and also satisfy you like a really juicy hamburger— is pretty awesome.

Recipe adapted from The Italian Slow Cooker by Michele Scicolone

• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 3-4 lbs. bone-in beef short ribs, well trimmed
• Salt and fresh pepper
• 3 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1/2-3/4 cup dry red wine
• 1/3-1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 fresh rosemary sprigs (about 3 inches each)

1. Heat the oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Pat the meat dry and add pieces to the pan, without crowding. Cook until browned on all sides, transferring meat to slow cooker as you finish browning. Sprinkle ribs (as generously as you prefer) with salt and pepper.

2. Discard all but 1 tbsp. fat from the skillet and reduce heat to medium. Add the garlic and cook one minute. Add wine and vinegar and bring to a simmer, scraping garlic from bottom of pan. Pour the liquid over the ribs in the slow cooker and add the rosemary sprigs.

3. Cover and cook on low for 5 1/2 hours and high for 1/2-1 hour longer, or until ribs are very tender. Remove ribs from slow cooker and discard rosemary sprigs and any loose bones. Cover ribs to keep warm.

4. Skim the fat off the liquid and pour the remaining sauce into a saucepan. Cook over medium high heat until reduced and slightly thickened. Spoon the sauce over the ribs and serve hot, topped with a fresh rosemary sprig for garnish.

The meat was so incredibly tender it all fell off the bone. The sauce was full-bodied with a nice combination of sweet and acidic flavors, and the recipe proved that even the simplest of recipes— with only 7 ingredients!— can make a perfect meal.

I served these ribs over creamy polenta and with a side of haricots verts— delish.

Despite the ice, and slush on the ground, the fact that my feet got wet through my Uggs, and that even though there are 15 inches of snow on the ground in Philadelphia I still had my 5pm class,  I can’t help but find snowy days in cities so incredibly beautiful and romantic. 

Maybe it’s the trees dressed in white in the park, covered in snow.

Maybe it’s the quiet, serene feel of the big city on a snowy day.

Or that I got a perfect reason to spend most of the day at home cuddling with Slip, drinking peppermint coffee and baking muffins (I brought those to my class that wasn’t cancelled, lucky them).

For lunch I made a big omelet with red onions, spinach, parsley, and brie (I got my brie that the creperie left out!)

And when I got home from class tonight Slip had made dinner! Butternut Squash soup and orzo flavored with roasted garlic and parsley and some oven roasted asparagus. Yum!

Gotta love a good snow day!

I’m beginning to understand why bears hibernate! Luckily I’ve already scheduled in time to run errands today, which will include a trip to the grocery because winter storm=comfort food. Some yummy comfort food recipes to come, later today…

until 4 am EST, Thu., Jan. 27, 2011

What’s This?

Enlarge Map | Weather in Motion®

• Prepare for Winter Storms
• Tips for Snow & Ice Removal
• Driving in Snow & Ice
• Get Live Traffic Reports
• Wintry Precipitation Explained

Issued by The National Weather Service
Philadelphia, PA 
6:57 am EST, Wed., Jan. 26, 2011

… WINTER STORM WARNING NOW IN EFFECT UNTIL 4 AM EST THURSDAY…

THE WINTER STORM WARNING IS NOW IN EFFECT UNTIL 4 AM EST THURSDAY.

* PRECIPITATION TYPE: SNOW… SLEET AND RAIN ARE EXPECTED TODAY. THE MIXED PRECIPITATION WILL CHANGE TO SNOW THIS EVENING… AND THE SNOW WILL FALL HEAVILY AT TIMES.

* ACCUMULATIONS: 4 TO 8 INCHES OF SNOW.

* TIMING: SNOW THIS MORNING WILL CHANGE TO SLEET AND RAIN. BEFORE THE CHANGEOVER… AN INCH OR TWO OF SNOW IS POSSIBLE. FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE DAYLIGHT HOURS… A MIX OF RAIN AND SN0W IS EXPECTED. HEAVY SNOW IS EXPECTED THIS EVENING… AND LAST THROUGH ABOUT MIDNIGHT. SNOWFALL RATES OF 1 TO 2 INCHES PER HOUR ARE POSSIBLE. THE SNOW IS EXPECTED TO END BEFORE DAYBREAK THURSDAY.

* IMPACTS: SNOW WILL FALL DURING THE MORNING COMMUTE… WHICH WILL RESULT IN SLICK DRIVING.. ACCUMULATING SNOW WILL BE FALLING BY THE END OF THE EVENING COMMUTE… AND TRAVEL WILL BECOME MORE DIFFICULT AS THE EVENING WEARS ON.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

A WINTER STORM WARNING MEANS SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF SNOW… SLEET… AND ICE ARE EXPECTED OR OCCURRING. STRONG WINDS ARE ALSO POSSIBLE. THIS WILL MAKE TRAVEL VERY HAZARDOUS OR IMPOSSIBLE.

EDIT: I’ve been trying to post a recipe for balsamic glazed short ribs, but tumblr won’t let me upload the pictures! Sorry, trying to figure it out— but ribs and polenta are on their way, hopefully to your kitchen!

Two weeks ago I headed to Amy’s house for a little recipe exchange. It was such a cute idea— 5 of us got together and each person brought along something to eat and the recipe. We all made either some kind of appetizer or dessert, and I got to feast on baked brie, a fresh salad with wasabi dressing, lettuce wraps, taco dip, shrimp and crab dip, chocolate chip cake and these biscotti.

I fell in love with making biscotti after the cinnamon sugar variety I made for New Years. It turns out biscotti is very easy to make but appears to others as très gourmand. I decided to add on the chocolate dip last minute which was a special touch and gave these a fancy flair— as well as an even sweeter treat when the chocolate slowly melted as the biscotti was dipped into coffee or tea.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• 3 cups AP flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 6 tbsp. unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 3 eggs at room temperature
• 1 cup chopped peanut butter cups

And for the topping:

• 1/2-1 bag semisweet chocolate chips, melted
• 1/2 cup crushed peanuts

1. Preheat the oven to 350. Line 1 or 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. In a larger bowl use a hand mixer (or if you have a stand mixer), beat together butter, sugar, and peanut butter on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Add the vanilla. Add in eggs, one at a time and beating after each one until combined. Slowly add the dry ingredients until just incorporated. Stir in the peanut butter cups.

3. Divide the dough in half and shape into 2 logs, about 10-11” long and 3” wide. If using one baking sheet space at least 3 inches apart. Press down on log to slightly flatten and bake for 30 minutes.

4. Remove from oven but leave oven on.

Let cool until you can handle, about 10-15 minutes, and cut into slices 1/2-1” thick, on the diagonal. Lay slices cut side down (you might need a second baking sheet now.)

5. Bake until biscotti are crisp, 20-30 minutes longer, flipping halfway through. I found that these were difficult to flip without breaking, so flip carefully! When finished remove biscotti to cooling rack to cool completely.

6. Once biscotti are cool melt chocolate in a double boiler, stirring constantly so it doesn’t burn. Carefully dip the end of each biscotti into the melted chocolate and place back on parchment paper, sprinkling with crushed peanuts. When finished you can put these in the fridge or leave them on a countertop to cool.

Perfect with coffee or tea. Enjoy!

Last weekend Rachel was in town (for Remy’s wedding!) and after some careful hair-drying and straightening on Saturday morning, we decided it was time for brunch. I’ve been eyeing up the menu at Supper for a while, and since Rachel has already been to all my brunch favorites (Sabrina’s, Continental, Sidecar, etc.)

It was really difficult to decide what to get— everything looked soooo good. Sometimes sweet brunches are appealing to me, but I never ever order them— I am really an eggs and bacon kind of girl. Luckily for me, Rachel ordered Dock Street Porter Pancakes, made with (and really tasting of) a nice local brew, topped with caramelized bananas, vanilla suds, and crushed pretzels. What doesn’t sound good about that?!

It was lovely. Slip ordered the “Desayuno”, which is Supper’s version of Huevos Rancheros. Although it didn’t blow him away, the dish was light and flavorful, but a filling hearty breakfast.

I had the Dixie Biscuit breakfast— because I never turn down biscuits or grits. This was a light and fluffy buttermilk biscuit with scrambled eggs, country ham, and pimento cheese with a side of grits and pickles (!).

If I were to get this again I would ask for the pimento cheese on the side. I thought it was an interesting twist on a bacon, egg, and cheese, but the chef was a little heavy handed with the thick cheese. Otherwise, I loved it. And I never thought about it before, but those pickles were an absolute perfect addition to the plate. I might even start adding bread and butter pickles onto the plate when I make egg and cheese at home!

We all shared a side of the caramelized onion hash browns, because we all wanted them and none of our meals came with them. I think quality hash browns are imperative at any restaurant that serves brunch, and Supper met the mark as these were the right amount of crispy, well seasoned, and elevated by the perfectly caramelized onions.

I love photography about as much as I love food, and I desperately want to upgrade. Not looking to spend a million dollars, but willing to consider this an investment. My current film SLR is a Nikon, so I’m more likely to stay with the brand. Any suggestions from tumblrs out there?