weekend burger.

saturday afternoon mas arrived from a week away. he landed at the awkward hour of 2 in the afternoon, but we had decided to wait and eat.  airport food sucks anyway no?  so on our way back from the raleigh airport we stopped in chapel hill for lunch at SANDWHICH.  we are kinda crazy about this place, it is delicious and close to our go-to venue for music, the cat's cradle, we go a lot. 

but this time was different, because they've started serving BURGERS.  while mas was blind to everything except the fresh farm egg BLT, i opted for the ulitmate 'which burger (in addition to the regular stuffs put on burgers this one came with avocados, bacon and roasted jalapenos) and it was heavenly.  i seriously haven't had such a scrumptious burger in ages. i think it was due to the delicate spice that came from the peppers and the quality of meat used in the actual burger.  it was a bit fattier than the grass fed beef we've been scoring from our CSA, and that is never a bad thing for a burger.

after we gorged ourselves we made it home and rushed to spend the rest of the day in bed watching glee and napping.  perfect.  and then there was sunday, which was spent in a pollen haze, but at least it was sunny and warm.

joining forces.

over the weekend mas came up with (what i think is) THE BEST IDEA EVER.  he wanted to, and actually started blogging over at the {not so} urban foodie.  i think he might be using this writing for what is now a joint blog, mostly as a motivational technique.  you know, since i've not exactly been on top of that shit.  though it doesn't matter, i'm happy to take him as my co-author (obvi), and am actually pretty pumped for him to offer up a different view on the food we eat, because honestly the two of us approach things from completely different directions.  for example he would never break down into tears while trying to plan a menu and i would not be happy eating pasta every night.

so, that's it, a hopeful new life for that nearly dead fish of a blog that is the {not so} urban foodie.  i can't wait ... it's gonna be FUN.

tuesday. part II.

so it is august 17th and i have spent four nights in our house this month, FOUR. before august began i had planned one trip, a long weekend in chicago.




how four nights away turned into four night at home i have no idea. more to come in a little bit.

{1. surprise trip courtesey of mas 2. the three dresses i packed for ONE dinner (i was so close to going black until i remembered i was going to eat myself silly and ended up wearing the white one) 3. course number 12 and an all time fave at the previously mentioned dinner.}

terracotta, strawberries, spring.

after i finished eating my tomato sandwich for lunch i tucked into a nice bowl of *local* strawberries. the first strawberries i have purchased here that have been worth eating. you see, everywhere other than california is plagued with these things called seasons, and strawberries do not grow in all seasons. they hardly grow in any season here, but for now they are sweet and red and fragrant. and i am so pleased that i live a season-y life again. i always thought i missed the seasons when living out west, and now i know that i did (even if that means our produce is mostly lack luster).

oh and check our terracotta bowls ... straight from el salvador by way of mas' stepmother. i love them, they scare mas as they are made from mud ... i know.

charleston.

yesterday was a bust, i spent the day in bed recovering from a wild night out with mas' aunt and uncle, and today it is raining (ahem a great time to work). but there are things to be done on the list ...

let's start with : baked charleston.
ok so i went for breakfast this morning, in the rain. however, mas NEEDS a red velvet whoopie, and an acutal monster cookie is in order.

2010

ours started in vermont, with friends, after a semi-last minute decision to drive the 12 hours north and partake in :

snow

and drink

and pizza*

and shiner

and skiing**

did you know i had never been to vermont? i had also never been to pennsylvania (well with the exception of the airport) nor had i been to delaware, nor new jersey (again with the exception of the airport). this means that i have now visited 46 out of 50 states. I ONLY NEED FOUR MORE!!! and they are ... arkansas, oaklahoma, rhode island, and south dakota. mas needs 6 more ... and one of his is alaska (which admittedly might be easier to get than say south dakota).

* this pizza is the once sister of full of life flatbread from los alamos, and we have been waiting for a while to try it. so we went, enjoyed some house made beer, and missed our flatbread. though burlington's flatbread was pretty similar and delicious it is not *ours* and i MISS *ours*

** i am no good at skiing. i pretend i can go down mountains on a snowboard but i've been on actual skiis twice in my life so the jig is up. also i should note that we went cross country skiing, which is um, contrary to my belief, not skiing on flat ground. there are hills and they are harder to come down than they are to go up.

things i am looking forward to : part 2

sunrise biscuit kitchen. we will be about an hour away but something tells me that won't stop us from spending many a hour in the raleigh/chapel hill area. this makes me smile. oh and so does bbq and so does sweet tea (did i mention that before?).

{ps my lame north carolina ass only found out about the above mentioned biscuit kitchen by way of wide open spaces ... i'm from WESTERN north carolina, i never really traveled east except for field hockey camp and there were no biscuits at field hockey camp. and on that note we would gladly be accepting any and all recommendations for eastern nc}

things i am going to miss : part 2

in-n-out. do i really have to say anything more?

{photo taken at dinner last night ... cheesburger animal style ... erm same with the fries only minus the cheese ... and mas and i SPLIT the fries, which makes it almost not bad, sort of.}

delicious flags

did you see the ad campaign for the sydney international food festival? i.love.it. see more flags here.

{found on wide open spaces}

the food

it may sound crazy but, for a couple of people who more or less live for food, moving for a restaurant (or a restaurant and an amazingly wonderful and tiny nest) wasn't exactly a hard sell. in fact after our third dinner at full of life flatbread we began scanning craigslist for new homes.

you guys this place is phenomenal. everything served comes from farms and vendors within a 300 mile radius, it is all organic, and all ridiculously delicious. they have one solid constant menu of pizzas (friday and saturday only) but to call this establishment a pizza place would be crazy because they also have a constantly changing menu (and i mean constantly.changing.) of salads, entrees and desserts. on sundays they pretty much scrap their flatbreads and serve supper with some of the best pastas and meats i have ever had.

and now that we are so close (1.5 miles yay!) we eat here almost every day they are open ... almost. so, if you are ever in the area ... stop by for a bite and scan the room for us because we will most likely be partaking.

{photo via flatbread}

happy weekends to everyone

yes it is thursday, but i am heading up to san francisco with mas as we speak. we are off to take a bread baking class and partake in some yummy yummy food. i will post pictures of our attempts at making who knows what, but other than that it will be pretty hush hush on the blog until monday.

and if anyone is up for a challenge, i think this might be the hit of many a superbowl party this weekend. we are toying with the idea of making it just so we can say that we did ... but ... well you can see why we might hesitate.

{photo by jenifer altman}

sweets for my sweet

tonight is kinda a big night, lost is back on after what seems like decades.

you see mas and i have this slightly obsessive note to our personalities and it REALLY shines when it comes to tv shows. though we prefer to watch them on dvd and in giant chunks of time, we are going to bend and watch it live. you see we are completely caught up with lost and mas has a horrific and completely reasonable fear that things will be said during the rest of the work week that have something to do with the show, so we have no other choice but to sit ourselves down in front of that damn tv and watch ... commercials and all (oh how i miss you tivo).


and what better to accompany a couple of sloths on a couch for an hour or so than a recipe referred to as monster cookies? um, yes please. the ingredient list makes my mouth water and i am thinking that i might replace the m&ms with chocolate covered sunflower seeds which practically has me running out the door to pick up the few things that i don't have in my pantry so i might be able to indulge before the end of the work day. but i will wait ... for a little bit at least.

so thank you city sage my next work out is for you ").

lemon and fresh cranberry scones

adapted from a smitten kitchen recipe available here ...

ingredients :

2 tbsp freshly grated lemon zest (2-3 lemons worth)
2 1/2 c flour
1/2 c + 3 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
6 tbsp cold butter (sliced into thick bits)
1 1/4 c (or so) fresh cranberries chopped
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 c heavy cream
lots of extra flour for patting and cutting dough

directions :

1. preheat oven to 400
2. in a food processor pulse flour, 1/2 c sugar, baking powder
salt, butter + zest until it resembles a coarse meal. x-fer
to a large bowl.
3. in a separate bowl mix cranberries and sugar, then combine
with flour mealy mixture.
4. in a small bowl lightly beat egg + egg yolk - then stir in
cream.
5. add egg mixture to flour/cranberry mixture and stir till
combined.

6. on a WELL floured surface with WELL floured hands pat dough
into a 1” thick round - us a 2” round cutter or edged +
floured glass to cut scones from dough. continue until all
dough is used
7. place 1” apart on a greased cookie sheet and bake for
15-20 minutes.

because you haven't had enough food in the past week

starting with the bread and then the rest of the recipes from our baskets will be trickling in over the next day or two. (oh and feel free to email me if you would like a copy of the recipe card)

ingredients :

1 packet of yeast (2 1/4 tsp)
1/4 c of warm water
4 tbsp melted butter
1 egg
2 1/2 c of bread flour (+ a bit more if needed)
1 c semolina flour
5 jalapenos, stemmed, seeded and diced (about a cup)
2-3 c of sharp cheddar grated
1 c buttermilk
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt

directions :

1. mix together the yeast and warm water
2. mix melted butter, egg and buttermilk. add to yeast + water
3. add salt, sugar and bread flour - mix well. add semolina
flour - mix well. if dough is wet add 1/4 c bread flour.
4. place dough on floured surface and knead for 5-10 min
(until smooth)
5. form dough into a ball and place into a greased bowl,
cover and let rise until 2x in size (about 1 hr)


6. turn out dough on a floured surface and slowly knead in
the jalapenos and 2 - 2 1/2 c of cheese.
7. grease a bread pan, place 1/4 c at the bottom, place dough
in the pan, cover and let rise until 2x the size (abt 1 hr)
8. preheat the over to 350
9. remove cover from bread, take 1/4 c of cheese and sprinkle
on the top of the bread.
10. bake bread for 40-45 minutes on a center rack

and there you have it. some of the most wonderfully cheesy and most spectacular bread i have ever had. it makes a killer grilled cheese and then late night, or early morning i can be found toasting it and lathering on some boysenberry jelly. (oh an a side note you guys all know about poladroid right?!?! if not check it out ... like now .. like right now)

it was the scones ...

i was stuck in the kitchen yesterday finishing up our baskets. what i thought would only take and hour and half turned into a six hour flour, water and egg fest. then there was the wrapping, oh my ...

anyway the boxes are out and that means the wedding post is soon to come and then recipes will be trickling in over the next few days so come back soon and be prepared for some wonderful pictures and yummy food.

coming attractions

{wedding pictures by melissa rudick photography}

this is going to be a big week and i cannot wait. today we are finishing up our christmas goodies (jalapeno cheese bread, molasses lemon cookie sandwiches, cranberry lemon scones and oatmeal chocolate chip cookies - all recipes to come later) and hopefully getting them out the door tomorrow morning so they make it to their respective homes by christmas. but even more fun is the wedding that i will be posting bits from tomorrow. a lovely bride who made her bridesmaids dresses and has a minor obsession with shoes, oh and did i mention that i was lucky enough to work with her on her invitations????

the menus

so it is about that time i suppose. now that i have had more than a month to bask in the glory of newlywedom i am ready to start hashing out some of the finer details of the wedding. plus there are some vendor shout outs i would be remiss not to mention.

on to the menu ...
the front and back of the menu - the trees and birds were pressed into the paper with a translucent white ink so they were just visible. i found some martha stewart labels at michael's that came in various shapes which i was a fan of, but unfortunately the adhesive on the back of those labels wasn't the strongest and when they were put out on the tables we had to run around pounding them back on. i think some fell off as they were taken down to dancing, but at that point they had served their purpose and i don't think anyone noticed.



the inside - i had this idea of having two blank pages at the beginning of the menu but that turned out to be a giant waste of paper so the first page was in turn had some text and those blank pages ended up being used for something else a bit more respectable.


the courses - well if you didn't know food is a really big part of the lives mas and i lead, so catering was kind of a big deal. and in a small town it could have gone horribly wrong. however, we worked with laurey and jamie from laurey's catering and were hands down impressed with the quality of food ... it really felt (and tasted) like we were eating at a restaurant. i still can't get over it. i remember talking to laurey a couple of months before the event and she was still fretting over plates. it was awesome. the attention to detail and her unwillingness to sacrifice quality really showed. and the best part ... she was able to source just about everything locally ... yay!

so kudos to laurey's ... the best caterer EVER!!! oh and the inside pictures are taken on one of the cakes stands that micaela from clara french ceramics lovingly made for us.

a late fall

{photo from here}

the weather is cooling down here (slightly at least. we have a range of about 20 degrees year round so cooling down means hovering in the low 60's.) anyway, with the cooler weather comes the comfort food and i can't wait for oatmeal in the mornings. i found this post over at joy the baker and can't wait to indulge myself in a simple but delicious breakfast for the next few months.