These is my Jamzzzz

Every holiday season I battle with the same question. What to give? Between friends, family and co-workers, gift giving can turn a happy wallet into a sad change purse. Who wants to waste their money on candles,chocolates, or other meaningless gifts? So I dug deep (real deep) and found the somewhat warped, frightened and sad Martha Stewart that had been hiding inside.

Last year I tackled terrariums. The finished product looked good but the plants died a few weeks later which was, oh you know... INCREDIBLY embarrassing.

This year I opted for something that wouldn't leave the receiver feeling like a murderer. Homemade Jam. My Aunt, whose inner Martha Stewart could beat the shit out of my inner Martha Stewart and THEN use her skin for an origami project, recommended THE BLUE CHAIR JAM COOKBOOK. This book makes jamming look ridiculously easy and beautiful, (it is not) but I still recommend it. And if you realize jamming just isn't your thing, it's heavy enough to use as an elegant door stop.

Before I had 20 jars of a decently tasting product, I spent 5 Sundays in a row bent over a hot stove, red berry juice covering my kitchen floor and walls, while I tested for jam "doneness" as Bob Marley's "Jamming" played in the background.

Here are some of the concoctions I tried:
red raspberries with rose geranium (too sweet), strawberry with rosemary (yuck), plain strawberry (too runny), cranberry & pomegranate (yummy), and tart raspberry lemongrass (tart & yummy).

In the end my hard work paid off. Sorry Martha but you'll need to find somebody else's skin for your art!

heating cranberries in pomegranate juice

jars ready to be sterilized

cute and thoughtful Christmas gifts

Red White and Yellow

In preparation for the big day, I'm psyching my mind and gut for all things unhealthy, un-wholeful and ALL AMERICAN! And what better way to start than with a Let's be Frank hot dog. At least their made from pasture-based livestock free from hormones, steroids, and other junk.

And for all you non red meat eaters and vegetarians such as myself, they got you covered with their homemade turkey and spicy veggie dog. Ask for the grilled onions and homemade spicy devil sauce if your into that sorta thing. The only downside? No dill relish.

Which brings me to my next thought.

Which relish is more "American", Dill or Sweet?

Happy Fourth of July Weekend!!!

Let's Be Frank Dogs

Helms Ave

between Washington Blvd & Venice Blvd
Culver City, CA 90034

(888) 233-7265

Spoondilicious Rating: 7 our of 10 spoons (it's a hot dog cart man!)

My Pantry Secrets- A fresh start to the New Year

(My sister and I taking control of the kitchen)

This New Years I made a resolution to take the clutter out of my life. So where did I start? My kitchen, naturally. The first thing I did was tackle the pantry. Between finding 2 year old flour to discovering a jar of expensive oil to realizing I had 5 bags of identical chips buried under all the mess, cleaning my pantry felt so right. Now I can actually see what's in there. And while I was at it, I decided to substitute some staples for their healthier cousin. For example, I needed to stock up on a grain so I chose quinoa instead of white rice. You know, for that healthy new years resolution crap. If you haven't taken the moment to discover what is hidden deep inside your pantry this article is meant to encourage you and give you suggestions on what to stock up with.

Here's what I bought, tossed and always love to have on hand:

Out: Bottled lemon juice
In: Fresh Lemons - I use lemons on EVERYTHING! I squeeze them in my soups, sauces, salads, fruit, sauteed vegetables, fish and chicken. This is my most used and all time favorite ingredient. It really adds a complexity to just about anything.

Out: Dusty smelling spices
In: New spices- Do yourself a favor and throw out any spices that are over a year (or smell like they are) I know spices can be expensive but its better to use nothing than to season your food with dust.

Out: Fake pancake syrup
In: Real Maple syrup- You think this is the 80's? Sorry Aunt Jemima but you just don't cut it anymore. Especially now that we've found out the truth about corn syrup. Spend a little more $ and go for the real thing, it is SO worth it.

Out: Flour pasta
In: Quinoa pasta- As much as we don't like to admit it because it's so freaking good, we know pasta is nothing but empty carbs. And whole wheat pasta is just kinda nasty. Behold a miracle- quinoa pasta! Tastes very similar to regular pasta but is so good for you.

Out: Canned vegetables
In: Frozen vegetables- If you can't make it to the grocery store every 2 days for fresh produce go the frozen route. Canned veggies are soft, mushy, and lump. 3 words that are negative in more than one way.

Out: Grated Parmesan
In: Real Parmigiano Reggiano- If you wrap this properly it can keep for a year, (just scrape off mold). Great for making anything decadent and delicious from potatoes, salads, grilled veggies, pasta, apples, eggs or whatever you can think up.

Other things I like to keep on hand:

• Nuts- Walnuts or pine nuts are great to have. Especially for impromptu pesto.

• Miso paste- Whip yourself up a quick miso soup or make a paste with mirin vinegar and sesame seed oil to marinate fish. Life expectancy seems to be close to that of a twinkie.

• Dried cranberries or currents- Whether I want to whip up scones, a spinach dish or a sweet sauce for chicken and duck these dried fruits are a must.

• Capers- Love, love, love these. Pasta, chicken, fish- all great accompaniments to these salty little gems.

• Canned coconut milk- I always have a can or two of these handy. Just add to some veggies, tofu/meat and curry powder and you have a complete meal.

• Yeast- One of my favorite ingredients. Does wonders for tofu and popcorn

• High end olive oil and vinegar- Mix with salt and lemon juice to make a far better tasting and healthier salad dressing than any you can buy.

• Spike- Best seasoning ever! Use it on tofu, avocado, salads, and meat.

Here's to a happy healthy and ORGANIZED New Year!

Coconut Easter Cupcakes

Spoondles apologizes that it has been slacking this week. I wanted to have these Easter Cupcakes done by today but it looks like I will be making them tomorrow. This is one of my favorite recipes by Ina Garten. I've made them before and I absolutely love them, which is no surprise since my 3 favorite "c" things in the world are cream cheese frosting, coconut and cupcakes. To add an Easter flair I am going to dye the coconut shreds different colors to decorate on top. This is an easy and quick way add easter flair to your brunch or dinner. Here is the recipe in case anyone is looking to make an Easter sweet treat today.

Ingredients

• 3/4 lb unsalted butter at room temperature
• 2 cups sugar
• 5 extra-large eggs at room temperature
• 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 ½ teaspoons pure almond extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 14 oz sweetened, shredded coconut

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
2. In a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. You can also do this with a hand held mixer
3. With the mixer running on low, add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and mix well.
4. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In three parts, alternately add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk to the batter, beginning and ending with the dry.
5. Mix until just combined. Fold in 7 oz of coconut
6. Line a muffin pan with paper liners. Fill each cup to the top with batter
7. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, until the tops are brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Allow time to cool in the pan for 15 minutes.
8. Remove to a baking rack and cool completely. Frost with cream cheese icing and sprinkle with the remaining coconut (click here to see directions for dying coconut shreds)

Cream Cheese Icing

• 1 lb cream cheese at room temperature
• 3/4 lb unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
• 1 ½ lbs confectioners' sugar, sifted

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or a hand held mixer, blend together cream cheese, butter, and vanilla and almond extracts. Add the confectioners' sugar and mix until smooth.

Recipe courtesy of Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa Cookbook

Guys CAN Cook

In my last post I mentioned the valentines dinner my boyfriend was going to prepare for me, with some skepticism. How can you blame me? This is a man who orders delivery every night of the week and considers his homemade salads a gourmet masterpiece. He is, however, extremely picky and has an appreciation for fine dining. Apparently sometimes this is all you need because his 3 course dinner last night absolutely shocked me. It was honestly one of the best home cooked meals anyone has ever prepared for me. The man freaking flambéed! I'm a culinary graduate and I never flambé. If that wasn't enough to put me to shame his calm, cool, and collected manner in the kitchen was. "Who are you and what have you done with my incompetent boyfriend?" I'm just glad I have finally discovered his secret talent so I can reap the benefits more often ;)

Making magic

Small potatoes with olive oil, garlic and cipollini onions that he roasted at 350 degrees for 30 min. If you can find these onions buy them! They are sweet and tender and make a great addition to any roasted dish.

A side dish of sautéed spinach and fresh tomatoes with garlic. So simple and so delicious.

Quail browned then simmered with white wine, fresh herbs, garlic, shallots and Cognac. Surprised? So was I.

The finished product:

Extremely happy, proud and excited to eat.

Chocolate is in the Air

Still looking for a way to celebrate the silliest holiday ever? OK I guess Valentines can be sweet although I think it's more notorious for spawning disappointment. (Let's hope this isn't the case with the valentines dinner my boyfriends preparing.) Just kidding ;) Regardless, whether your with your schmoochoopoogus, friends, family, co-workers or yourself, here are a few delicious ideas that won't disappoint.

Cupcakes from Sprinkles


A 6 piece box set from Jin Patisserie filled with specially selected tea, spice, herbal, asian, citrus and alcohol flavored chocolates.


Or join Sur La Table's chocolate class this Saturday to make your own amazing desserts like this chocolate whipped mousse in a handmade chocolate bowl.