extra dirty, dry, vodka martini - up

a classic and a fav.

Senior year of college, there was a swanky martini bar called Alto, about two blocks from our house. Being above the Pittsburgh Deli Company, it was quite out of place, but my friends and I loved it. This is where I met the Extra Dirty Martini.

About 1/3 shot glass dry vermouth

3 shots chilled vodka

1 1/2 shots olive juice 

Shake with ice like life depends on it...

Essential shaker and metal cup, martini glass (fill with ice and water to chill the glass),  Trader Joe's Garlic-Stuffed Olives, Tribuno Extra Dry Vermouth (the cheapest), Ketal One Vodka (pricey - in truth, I only have this in the house for my parents...with my dirty martinis I usually use Smirnoff or Absolute).

You should still be shaking...seeking for ice-bits. Strain into the glass (use the glass shaker and metal cup to let the liquid and ice chips fall in but not the ice cubes). 

Chin-chin! I hear in Japanese this toast is rather dirty! Like our martinis.

Garnish with an olive and enjoy!

spring finds

This weekend was the Spring Fling opening of the Nashville Flea Market. My friends Jill, Courtney and I went for some treasure hunting. 

Reproduction porcelain Nippon Chocolate pot and cups

$2 salt & pepper shakers! 

Vance has been working nights so I occupied my time by cooking & shopping this weekend. I wanted to update my wrists for spring and found some new pieces at J. Crew and Nordstrom.

Gold spikes by Tasha, pink and green bangles from J. Crew & Expandable Wire Bangle by Alex & Ani.
Here I am doing spring shopping and it supposed to snow tonight in Nashville! I am so ready for real spring.

luck o' the irish

As if Vance and I need an excuse to drink Guinness and eat cheddar...but you know how we like to observe holidays!

Guinness Irish Stew

  5 tablespoons olive oil
1.5 pounds stew beef, cubed
course salt and fresh ground pepper
2 cups leeks, sliced (just the white part, the green fronds can be drizzled with EVOO and S&P and roasted for a healthy snack)
2 cups Guinness beer
  5 cups beef stock
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes

 1/2 pound parsnips, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
1/2 pound carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
1 pound russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
  2cloves garlic, minced
  3 teaspoons dried rosemary

3 teaspoons dried thyme
1 cup peas, shelled or frozen
2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 bay leaves

1 tablespoon sugar
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  In a heavy-bottomed pot (like a Dutch Oven), heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Dry the beef well with paper towels. When the oil is hot, add the beef and brown evenly in batches being careful not to crowd. After browning on all sides (about 5 minutes) remove the beef from the pot and set aside. Add about 1 tablespoon of oil and the leeks and saute until soft - remove. Add beef stock, Guinness, tomato paste, sugar, 1 teaspoon Thyme, 1 teaspoon Rosemary, Worcestershire sauce and bay leaves. Stir to combine. Bring mixture to boil. Add beef back into the pan. Reduce heat to medium-low, then cover and simmer for an hour, stirring occasionally.
While the beef mixture is simmering, combine the parsnips, carrots, potatoes and garlic in a large bowl. Toss with remaining olive oil, salt and pepper, 2 teaspoons thyme and 2 teaspoons rosemary. Place the vegetables in a roasting pan and place in a 400-degree oven. Roast for 45 minutes, stirring every 20 minutes, until vegetables are tender. Remove the vegetables from the oven and add the roasted vegetables, sauteed leeks, and peas to the beef mixture. Simmer uncovered for about 45 more minutes.

Serve with Irish soda bread (Whole Food's is delicious) and (yet another) Guinness. Enjoy!

Bama

Last week I went to the deep south for the first time. Here, I had thought I was in the deep south all along, but my Nashville friends explained that Alabama is the deep south (and I might need a translator). I really enjoyed going to Birmingham and then visiting the University of Alabama - where we toured the football stadium. 

roll tide!

Mussels for lunch at Chez Fon Fon - amazing.

Beef carpaccio at Bottega.

and aracini - insanely delicious.

I do have a recipe to share - a cous cous & wheat berry salad. My friend Jill had dinner at her house last week and everything was delicious! This is a light and easy side.

2 cups cooked cous cous

1 cups cooked wheat berries

1/2 large red onion, diced

2 carrots, peeled & diced

1 red bell pepper, seeded & diced

1/2 cucumber, diced

1/2 cup Craisins

1/3 cup almonds, sliced & toasted

1/3 cup parsley, chopped

1/3 cup Balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup EVOO

3-4 tablespoons maple syrup

fair amount of course salt and fresh ground pepper

1/3 or so cup goat cheese, crumbled

Whisk vinegar, oil, syrup and S&P in bowl. Combine all other ingredients (except goat cheese) in large bowl. Pour vinaigrette over salad. If it seems a bit dry you can make a bit more dressing or add some EVOO. Top with goat cheese.

Enjoy!

and that is why we don't churn our own butter

A few weeks ago, I made mayonnaise  - "may-oh-naize" it sounds more refined than "man-aze." I also roasted my own red peppers - which provides very few photo ops. In keeping with the "do it yourself" theme, I decided to make butter. I like the idea of flavoring homemade butter with honey, orange, or herbs. I think this is a great accompaniment to some delicious toast at brunch.

In the mixer, whip a pint of cold heavy cream on medium-high speed.

It takes about 7 minutes to get to whipped cream and then it starts to get chunky and a bit yellow. Whip for about 11 to 12 minutes and remove to colander. Push out all the butter milk.

Squeeze the butter to remove all liquid, mix in your ingredients. I used about 1-2 tablespoons fresh chopped sage and salt to taste.

 Butter is something interesting to try - but honestly you only end up with a small amount - definitely not more economical to make your own!

I also made an apple skillet cake in my Lodge Cast Iron Skillet.
Apple topping

1-3/4 stick Butter
3/4 cups Sugar
2 whole to 3 large Granny Smith Apples, Peeled, Cored, And Cut Into Six Equal Piece
Cake batter
1 stick Butter
2/3 cups Sugar
1-1/2 teaspoon Vanilla
2 whole Large Eggs
1/2 cup Sour Cream
1-1/2 cup All-purpose Flour
1-1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
1 whole apple, peeled and cored

Preheat oven to 375 F. In a 9 to 10-inch skillet, melt 1 3/4 sticks butter over low heat. Add 3/4 cup sugar to the pan and stir around, then place apple slices, cut side down, in the pan. Don’t pack them too tightly, but try not to leave overly large gaps. Allow this to cook over low/medium-low heat while you make the cake batter.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat 1 stick of butter and 2/3 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in vanilla and eggs. Add sour cream and mix well.

In a bowl, mix flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Stir together then gradually add flour mixture into the creamed mixture until just combined. Gently stir in 1 chopped apple.

Remove skillet from heat. Spoon batter over the top, then spread gently so batter is evenly distributed. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until cake is golden brown and bubbly. Allow cake to sit in skillet for five minutes, then invert onto a serving plate.

Bake until golden, allow to cool for about 5 to 10 minutes. Take a large plate for the flip...

Ta-da! Enjoy with ice cream or a good cup of Joe.

we have been to the north...

and it was freezing! After a few days in PA, Vance and I are back in Nashville. We celebrated my mom's birthday and I was able to see my great friends, Mer, Jen (another birthday girl!) and the Breads 'n Cheese gang. Vance had his vacation and joined me few a long weekend. It was so nice to catch up with my family and we were able to stay with his grandparents for a few nights too.

As to be expected, the weekend was full of eating. We made a great dinner on Saturday, Ina's slow roasted fillet of beef with a basil mayo.

1 whole filet of beef tenderloin, trimmed and tied (4 ½ pounds)

3 tablespoons good olive oil

4 teaspoons kosher salt

2 teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper

10 to 15 branches fresh tarragon

Basil Parmesan Mayonnaise, for serving

For the mayo:

2 extra-large egg yolks, at room temperature

3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (see note)

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves, lightly packed

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 cup vegetable oil, at room temperature

1/2 cup good olive oil, at room temperature

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees. Place the filet on a sheet pan and pat it dry with paper towels. Brush the filet all over with the oil, reserving about half a tablespoon. Sprinkle it all over with the salt and pepper. Place the tarragon branches around the beef, tying them in 4 or 5 places with kitchen string to keep them in place, and then brush the tarragon with the reserved oil.

Roast the filet of beef for 1¼ to 1½ hours, until the temperature registers 125 degrees in the center for rare and 135 degrees for medium rare. I place the thermometer horizontally through the end of the beef. Cover the filet with aluminum foil and allow to rest for 20 minutes. Slice thickly and serve warm or at room temperature with Basil Parmesan Mayonnaise.

For the mayo - place the egg yolks, lemon juice, Parmesan, mustard, basil, garlic, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper in a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Process for 20 seconds, until smooth. Combine the vegetable oil and olive oil in a 2-cup liquid measuring cup. With the processor running, slowly pour the oil mixture through the feed tube to make a thick emulsion. Taste for seasonings—the mayonnaise is a sauce so it should be highly seasoned. Store in the refrigerator until ready to use; it will keep for up to a week.

sauteed tomatoes in EVOO and fresh herbs
My mom does a great job of keeping us in sauce and I headed back to TN with lots of good food!

Five County Cheddar from B'n C, pasta sauces from Georgetti's Market in NJ & Stromboli from Pronio's in Hershey

I hope you had a good weekend - and stayed warm wherever you are!

welcome to the world of antiquing

I haven't posted in a number weeks - things at work have kept me so busy! In the last month I have been to New York for a few days, spent two night in Richmond (where I stayed with my amazing friend, Courtney, in her adorable new house and fell in love with her pup, Nash. I also saw a grad school friend Megan and a very-missed friend from Nashville, Shana). In Richmond, we drank...

Lily Pulitzer at Acacia - vodka, cactus pear, strega, lemon, rosemary. Love.

Then I was off to DC for almost a week. So happy to eat at Zorba's with Josh, Margret & Jaimie - this group is amazing about taking time of out their busy schedules to see me when I come to town. I am so lucky to have these friends! It was great to catch up over delicious gyro! One of my DC best, Jen, and I were also able to meet up for lunch. Rosa Mexicano - table-side guac makes you re-eavaluate everything you hold dear. And of course, some great family time! My parents, Bill, Kathleen and I enjoyed dinner at Green Pig Bistro in Arlington and then brunch at Tunicliff's, complete with Eastern Market ravioli buying.

Eastern Market food vendors are amazing and the ravioli shop is the best!

Once I was back in town, I had a bit of fun volunteering at Whole Foods for a Knife Skills class. The menu was delicious as usual. Below are goat cheese crostini on a simple vinaigrette salad. Lightly toast your French baguette and then top with small pats of goat cheese. Melt at about 400 degrees for a few minutes and serve on salad.

In home cooking news, new fav wine, Broadbent. Lightly fizzy and semi-dry. Served with apple, brie & honey panini.

We had a few large events for work in February so the days have been full of guest lists,  invitation sending and presentation-prepping followed by nights of meeting new people, chatting about how great Nashville is and lots of eating! Vance and I did celebrate Valentine's Day with a nice dinner at home.

Dessert - chocolate cherry cordials and a red zin.

We had friends, Erin & Josh, over for dinner this weekend and we roasted our Vanderbilt Turkey! I made an orange maple glaze with used lots of herbs. The turkey was quite good, and we also had mashed sweet potatoes and roasted asparagus with Parmesan and lemon zest.

1 lb asparagus, trimmed

2 tablespoons butter

zest of one lemon

1/2 shredded Parmesan

S&P to taste

On a cookie sheet, assemble the asparagus in one layer and dot with butter. Roast at 425 degrees for about 8 minutes. Remove from oven and top with cheese and zest. Serve at room temperature. Top with a bit of S&P if you would - so easy and delicious!

One of most exciting things (and the namesake of this post) was an amazing find this weekend at the Tailgate Music Valley Antique Show. 

Two Piece Cherry Corner Cupboard, circa mid 1800's - Freeport, OH

As soon as it was delivered, I started snapping photos for my parents, cleaning, shining and filling. I love having our glassware and China displayed. I can't look at this corner cupboard and not smile. Apparently, the dealer pulled it out of an old Ohio farmhouse. If it is possible for furniture to have a soul - this one does. I can feel it in the room. How weird is that? This piece makes me very happy. I can also feel our house becoming a home; I love it. When I spoke with my parents (at the height of my excitement), my dad's closing words were "welcome to the world of antiquing."