some favorites, and a synopsis

I was at the market today picking up two rib-eyes and some broccoli. We recently bought some amazing steak knives. My preference: wide, steel blades, but light-weight. So, to celebrate, I bought some protein (also because we've been pretty carb heavy as of late). Anyway, I was at the market and it hit me. How in the world did our moms feed us every single day? Being kids, we probably complained. A lot. We probably didn't want to eat leftovers so how did our moms come up with something new everyday? That was nutritious and that we actually ... well ... ate. Unfathomable.

This post is dedicated to two things.

One: the things our moms made that we loved.

First: runny, sunny-side up eggs with soy sauce (some black or white pepper) and toast. My mom used to make a whole pan of these Sunday morning and my family would just sit around the table and dip our bread in the whole mess.

Perfect. Oh, and soy sauce recommendation: Maggi. But make sure it says that it's from France. It's only the best if it's from France.

Then, last night, it was cold and I decided to serve my new hubby a side of cozy: his mom's homemade macaroni and cheese.

2 1/4 cups of elbow macaroni

3/4 teaspoons salt

4 1/2 teaspoons margarine

3 tablespoons flour

as much ground black pepper as you like

3 cups of 2% milk

3 cups sharp cheddar cheese

as much paprika as you like

Cook the elbow macaroni in boiling salted water till tender; drain.

While the pasta is cooking, cube the cheese. In saucepan, melt the margarine; blend in the flour, salt, and ground black pepper. Add the milk; cook and stir until thick and bubbly (this will take some time). Add the sharp cheddar cheese a little bit at a time and stir till melted. Mix cheese sauce with macaroni and pour mixture into casserole dish. Sprinkle the top with as much paprika as you like.

Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes or till heated through. Makes 6 servings.

You can eat it as is, or sprinkle the top with oregano and powdered garlic (then it sorta tastes Italian).


It's a great macaroni and cheese recipe for beginners, but for some reason, it's not as creamy and silky as I would like. It's ... grainy. I think it's the fact that I used real cheese because the other night, when I made nacho cheese sauce from artificial American cheese, it was smooth. Weird. I haven't figured it out yet, but I will.

Two: Synopsis

I have never written a synopsis before writing a book. But then, my friend Jodi Meadows did it (and wrote a heckuva book). And now, my other friend, Authoress, did it. So I tried. And it took like ... weeks ... but, today, I finally finished it. And you know what? I think you should try it. Because it feels like I've already finished. I mean, I know I didn't, and that I have a looooooong way to go, but it's kinda neat. I look at the synopsis and I know where the story is going. Don't get me wrong. I don't have everything figured out, but this ... knowing where the story is going is kind of a rush. I feel all organized and ... ready. Ready for this Mt. Everest. I don't think I've ever been this prepared before. Maybe writing a synopsis means I'll survive this manuscript and actually *gasp* FINISH IT.

So go forth! Make some eggs, some macaroni and cheese, and write a synopsis.

It's already Thanksgiving at my house!

Thanksgiving is only a week-ish away, but I couldn't wait. I needed Thanksgiving leftovers, now. So when I discovered that our favorite local market, Trader Joe's, was selling half, fully-roasted turkeys, I jumped on it:

Hello, I-don't-have-to-cook-you-beautiful,



I don't know what you like to do with leftovers (do share), but I like to make sandwiches. Usually, I use white bread (think: Wonder Bread, ie the fluffy, soft, white kind you used to eat when you were a kid), but I had a loaf of wheat that I wanted to use up. When I use white, I don't toast it, but lightly toasting the wheat bread makes it taste better, IMO.

This is how I like to build my sandwich:

* lots of mayo smeared on the bread
* a mix of dark and white meat drenched in hot turkey gravy
* a thin layer of hot mashed potatoes with a dollop of cold cranberry sauce

Don't worry about making it nice and neat. A sandwich like this always ends up falling deliciously apart anyway. See? Not the prettiest picture, but trust me, it was so good, I almost died happy eating 3 sandwiches. And bottomless mimosas (70% champagne, 30% OJ with pulp)!

A winner: chicken [parmesan] for dinner

I fried chicken for the first time ever. I did not start an oil fire. Hubby had 2.5 helpings. We have enough leftovers so I don't have to cook tonight.

Winner Winner, Chicken Dinner!

Chicken Parmesan
* the original recipe teaches you how to make a tomato sauce from scratch, but I decided to take the easy route and use jarred sauce (I like Ragu's Roasted Garlic sauce. I always add onions, more garlic, and wine. Lately, I've also added a bit more oregano and Italian seasoning to spice it up!)

INGREDIENTS
4 chicken breast cutlets (1 1/4 to 1 1/2 pounds total)
Salt
2 eggs
1 cup breadcrumbs
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
8 ounces mozzarella cheese, sliced

INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 400°F. Working one at a time, place a chicken cutlet between two layers of wax paper (or plastic wrap). With a meat pounder, pound the chicken pieces to flatten them to an even thickness - between 1/4 - 1/2 inch. (If you don't have a meat pounder, you can use a rubber mallet, an empty wine bottle, or a heavy rolling pin.) Salt the chicken pieces well.

In a shallow bowl (large enough to dredge the cutlets), mix together the breadcrumbs, 1/2 cup of the Parmesan, and pinch of salt. In separate shallow bowl, whisk together the eggs.

Heat 1/4 cup of olive oil in a large sauté pan on medium-high heat. The oil should be shimmering, not smoking. Dredge the chicken pieces 1 piece at a time first in the egg mixture, then in the breadcrumbs. Then lay the pieces in the hot sauté pan. Turn the heat to medium, then gently fry the cutlets until they are golden brown, about 3-4 minutes per side.

Spread enough tomato sauce to thickly coat the bottom of 9x13 casserole pan or baking dish. Once the cutlets are browned on both sides, arrange them on top of the tomato sauce in the baking dish. Place sauce over each of the cutlets. Sprinkle the tops with sliced basil. Then top the cutlets with slices of mozzarella and the remaining 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese.

Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes, or until the mozzarella begins to brown.

Serves 4.

Work is going to make me fat

Egg salad sandwich with truffles on an egg brioche (with cucumbers), sliced baguette, chorizo, clams, and mussels, and a side of roasted brussel sprouts. That was my lunch.

AND THERE'S HALLOWEEN CANDY EVERYWHERE!!

Yup.

Fat.

Prime Rib for dinner and breakfast!

One of the fun things about getting married is how, now, there are items all around the house that remind me of a person because that person bought me that item for our wedding. I have lovely turquoise Victorian tumblers from Authoress, a coffee table made of mango wood from my aunts and uncles in Vietnam, and a shiny All Clad roaster from our good friend, Mike. To break in said roaster - and to have a last little hurrah before I had to go back to work - I decided to make prime rib.

Prime rib is so fancy that it sort of intimidates me every time I make it, but I have a recipe that's pretty much fool proof.

Garlic Prime Rib from allrecipes.com

I basically follow the recipe except for a few changes:

• My roast is 5lbs instead of 10
• I use fresh thyme instead of dried (I learned that dried herbs have a more concentrated flavor so if a recipe calls for 1 tablespoon of a dried herb, you'll need 3x as much if you're going fresh)
• I always add extra garlic (I like to cut up thin slices of garlic, make slits in the meat, and slide the garlic chips in)
• And, per the reviews, I use the following cooking times: 460 for 12 minutes, 400 for 8 minutes, and then 325 for 20 minutes / pound (I take out the roast when my meat thermometer reads 130 so that after resting, the inside is a nice medium rare)
• For the au jus (which is SUPER key - seriously, this stuff is mouthwatering), I use Bobby Flay's thyme au jus recipe here (to make less than the quantity specified, I only use a cup and a half of red wine and a can of low sodium beef broth)

Voila! Fool proof:

The outside may look burned, but it's not. It's a very tasty crust. You'll probably be peeling off the pieces to snack on even before it hits the table. For sides, I decided to try two new recipes: Grilled Romaine and Creamed Corn.

I know, grilling lettuce may sound weird, but with fresh pecorino romano, it was very yummy (thanks to my cousin for the recipe). Warm, slightly wilted, slightly crunchy - I am going to make it again this week.

The creamed corn was also a hit with my new husband. The changes I made were: I used one can of corn (drained) instead of frozen, I used one cup of 2% milk total (no heavy cream), I added one sugar cube because that's what I had lying around, and I started with 1 tablespoon of flour, but added a little more because I wanted it thicker. Next time, I'll just add less milk.

Best part about making prime rib? Leftovers for breakfast! Or, breakfast for dinner. Steak and poached eggs, anyone? I made the mashed potatoes by first boiling the potatoes in the microwave - something else I haven't done before. Learn how here. Then, I just heated up some milk, butter, and garlic on the stove and poured the hot concoction over the potatoes I mashed with a fork. Served with fresh fruit!

I'm a wife!!

Hello, Internet! I'm back and a Mrs.! The wedding was the most fun I've ever had in my life and everyday, I wish we could do it all over again! But, after a lovely honeymoon in Hawaii and two never-ending weeks unpacking boxes and moving my new husband in, it's back to reality!

I am more than ready (though, admittedly, also more than rusty) to jump back into writing, but I'm waiting for one of the stories swirling in my head to become clearer and take hold. I may go back to a piece I was working on while I was planning the wedding, but I'm also intrigued by this new idea that seemed to appear out of nowhere. How many stories do you have in your head before you pick one? And after you pick one, how many are still in your head, vying for your attention?

There are two things I'm not quite ready for: (1) Going back to work after 5 glorious weeks off and (2) cooking everyday. Don't they both sound scary?! Yup, I have more appreciation for my mom (and all moms out there) who put something different on the dinner table every single night. How the heck? I'm so intimidated, I've been scouring the Internet for recipes. I don't outline my novels, but I've been trying to plan out my week. Watch out world! New working woman / wife, so excuse me while I collect recipes to try this whole making dinner everyday thing.

Chicken Parmesan
* the original recipe teaches you how to make a tomato sauce from scratch, but I decided to take the easy route and use jarred sauce

INGREDIENTS
4 chicken breast cutlets (1 1/4 to 1 1/2 pounds total)
Salt
2 eggs
1 cup breadcrumbs
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
8 ounces mozzarella cheese, sliced

INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 400°F. Working one at a time, place a chicken cutlet between two layers of wax paper (or plastic wrap). With a meat pounder, pound the chicken pieces to flatten them to an even thickness - between 1/4 - 1/2 inch. (If you don't have a meat pounder, you can use a rubber mallet, an empty wine bottle, or a heavy rolling pin.) Salt the chicken pieces well.

In a shallow bowl (large enough to dredge the cutlets), mix together the breadcrumbs, 1/2 cup of the Parmesan, and pinch of salt. In separate shallow bowl, whisk together the eggs.

Heat 1/4 cup of olive oil in a large sauté pan on medium-high heat. The oil should be shimmering, not smoking. Dredge the chicken pieces 1 piece at a time first in the egg mixture, then in the breadcrumbs. Then lay the pieces in the hot sauté pan. Turn the heat to medium, then gently fry the cutlets until they are golden brown, about 3-4 minutes per side.

Spread enough tomato sauce to thickly coat the bottom of 9x13 casserole pan or baking dish. Once the cutlets are browned on both sides, arrange them on top of the tomato sauce in the baking dish. Place sauce over each of the cutlets. Sprinkle the tops with sliced basil. Then top the cutlets with slices of mozzarella and the remaining 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese.

Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes, or until the mozzarella begins to brown.

Serves 4.

For a side dish for above chicken, how about some grilled lettuce! Got this idea from my cousin's food blog:

INGREDIENTS

1 head of Romaine lettuce

enough olive oil to slather both sides

1/2 cup of fresh grated Romano (Parmesan or Asiago could also be used, just nothing from a green can)

pinch of salt

couple turns of black pepperdusting of granulated garlic

INSTRUCTIONS

Basically, grill the lettuce until it's slightly charred and then sprinkle with the cheese before serving.

Panko-Crusted Salmon

INGREDIENTS
4 teaspoons olive oil
4 pieces thickly cut, boneless salmon (each 6 oz)
Salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbsp honey mustard or sweet-hot mustard
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
2/3 cup panko bread crumbs
2 Tbsp chopped Italian parsley
1/2 teaspoon Hungarian sweet paprika

INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Set the salmon on a foil-lined baking sheet skin side down. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

In a small bowl, combine the honey mustard and 1 teaspoon of the thyme. In another small bowl, mix the panko with the remaining 1 teaspoon of thyme, 4 teaspoons of olive oil, parsley, and paprika. Add salt and pepper (a light sprinkle).

Using a small spoon, spread the mustard mixture on the salmon; top with the bread crumb mixture.

Roast the salmon for 12-14 minutes (test at 10) or until it is almost completely firm to the touch and flakes when poked with a fork. Serve at once.

Other recipes I want to try sometime:

Seared Tuna with Avocado

Dijon Grilled Pork chops

Farfalle with peas & pancetta

Hamburger Stroganoff (might try it with turkey and yogurt to be a little healthier)

Caramelized Baked Chicken

Caramelized Chicken with Sticky Rice

Brunch is for owls

Brunch: Noun, A late morning meal eaten instead of breakfast and lunch. Also known as, the event Christine likes because she sleeps so late.

4/13: Acme bread french toast dusted with powder sugar and covered in strawberries and maple syrup

There's a food truck that drives around my company's campus delivering different goodies ... which, btw, I think is the coolest thing ever. Today's treat was red velvet cupcakes! I would like to take this time to thank my co-worker who asked me to drive to this building for her. I wouldn't have run into the truck if I didn't.

And as if the red velvet cupcakes weren't indulgent enough - I ventured away from my "eat-less-carbs" goal and dined on:

• an incredibly rich beef slider stuffed with foie gras (italicized for emphasis on decadence)
• a refreshing mix of spring onion & blue vein cheese on a toasted baguette slice
• crab-stuffed cucumbers
• pork belly on a bed of creamed polenta, drizzled with balsamic vinegar
• salami + chorizo + cheese spread

All at a pleasant wine-tasting. That's one way to make Wednesdays more exciting! Alas, no pictures, because I'm a fool and forgot my camera. But here are a couple snapshots of my lunch today ...

4/14: Pork Adobo Tacos with Spicy Asian-Pickled Vegetable

and Chilled Cherrystone Clam and Mussel with sake mignonette (sake, champagne vinegar, lemon, shallot, parsley, ginger, white soy sauce) and cocktail sauce. Fancy pants!

Excuse #100 for why I'm not writing

Because I'm getting married.

I know, I know. Excuses, excuses. I know I have to make time and after talking to a supermom who schedules her writing time around her 3-year-old - I know anything's possible.

But sometimes, planning a wedding feels impossible. Girls in serious relationships [mayhaps of a certain age] daydream about The Dress, The Colors, The Location, The Food, so on and so forth. Don't get me wrong - all that stuff is still really, really fun, but, well, there's also:

* The Budget

* The Picking-A-Venue

* The Who's-Gonna-Rent-And-Clean-The-Forks

* The What-Do-You-Mean-I-Have-To-Order-Water-Pitchers?

* The I-Have-To-Buy-A-Ton-Of-Ice

* The I-Wonder-If-I'm-Grown-Up-Enough-To-Handle-Dry-Ice [or any of this for that matter]

* The Cancelling-That-Venue-And-Picking-Another-More-Inclusive-One

* The Restaurant-I-Love-Increasing-Their-Price-To-20k

* The Going-Over-The-Budget, and

* The I-Have-To-Now-Get-A-New-Caterer

Stuff I never daydreamed about. Who knew wedding planning could be so ... not fun?

*breathes*

I am happy to say that after researching over 100 locations and one cancellation, we have a gorgeous venue that me, fiance, and parental units are over-the-moon happy with!! And I don't have to worry about forks and water pitchers anymore!!!! And, after all that was said and done, I got what I wanted all along: a wedding reception at a Sonoma winery.

Next on the list: trying to find a caterer who will make something other than dry chicken with dark brown mushroom sauce.

The fiance and I adore Mexican food, but the taco truck idea was a tad too informal for my mom. Problem is: I can't quite figure out how to make Mexican fancy enough for a sit-down plated menu. Italian is another option, with duck and mastutake ragu raviolis and wild mushroom risotto in small plate form. Then, there's paella.

Visually stunning, comfort-food-like, but also [with seafood] possibly fancy enough.

So this is what I'm doing instead of writing. Reading very many menus and funny words like:

* cambozola mousse

* toybox basil

* chiogga beets

1-11-11 ACROSS THE UNIVERSE Release Day!!

I was LUCKY enough to tag along on the ACROSS THE UNIVERSE Arc train (where it got passed from Authoress to Jodi Meadows to me and then to Corinne Duyvis) so I got a sneak-peek of what all the confetti was about.

Today, you can go to your local bookstore and see for yourself.

It's a BIG DEAL. I mean, just look at this site. This isn't just a YA book launch. This is THE book launch. And all I have to say is:

1. THANK GOODNESS someone did a YA that brings to mind the "final frontier-ness" of Star Trek and the doomed romance of ROMEO AND JULIET.

2. Congratulations, Beth!!!!

2011 = New Stuff

What I'm eating: My boyfriend fiance (dude, before I'm used to the word, I'm going to be calling him husband) bought me fancy, New York, "it"-restaurant-of-the-moment cookies. They're the Compost cookies from Momofuku and they're really unique. They taste like chocolate, salty pretzels, and coffee grounds. They also have potato chips, oats, and butterscotch in them. Unique may be an understatement.

What I'm doing: Not writing. I'm thinking about writing, though. I guess as writers, we never stop. I spent the last 3 months of 2010 revising my middle-grade science fantasy for Authoress' genius Baker's Dozen Auction. The work paid off and I received 3 full requests from it. When Christmas break came around, I worked on FRIENDS WITH DEATH a little - re-writing certain parts and switching 3rd person to first (yes, again). I'm hankering to write something new, though. I have a couple ideas tickling my brain, but nothing's grabbed me yet. I keep waiting ... and hoping.

So that's the goal this year: a new YA.

And planning a wedding ...

Talk about new experiences.

I'm going dress shopping for the first time tomorrow! I'm really excited and a little nervous (not sure why). After boy proposed in August, I couldn't wait to try on dresses, but my mom was out of the country and I didn't want to go without her, so I waited. When my mom returned from her vacation, she had to jump right back into work (the holidays are the busiest time of year for her line of work) (and no, she's not an elf), so I had to wait some more.

You would think that during this period of waiting I would have collected examples of dresses I want to try on, huh? Yeah. Probably should've done that.

Which is why I'm sitting here, not writing, eating a cookie, and ripping out photographs of dresses from a stack of wedding magazines.