Simply Delicious

My recipe collection is let's say, barely under control.  A few years ago, it was out. of. control. and I stopped buying cookbooks, stopped asking for cookbooks, and thought really, really hard before I tore a recipe out of a magazine for one of my recipe binders (I think the number of binders was over a dozen at the time).  I purged pages and pages of recipes, gave away cookbooks and shaped up my recipe hoarding ways.

This Christmas I fell off the wagon and asked for a cookbook, and received it (thanks, Mom!).  See, Deb Perelman of Smitten Kitchen fame published her first cookbook this fall, and I thought long and hard, and had to have it.  If you have never heard of Smitten Kitchen, definitely check it out, she has an entertaining writing style and her recipes are no-fail and I just love that everything in the smitten kitchen cookbook  was created in her small New York City kitchen (which from the pictures looks an awful lot like my kitchen in our Upper West Side apartment).

Before hosting our playgroup a couple weeks ago I was looking for a little inspiration.  The cover of the smitten kitchen cookbook pictures Tomato Scallion Shortcakes with Whipped Goat Cheese (recreated and pictured quite nicely here).  I wanted something that was a little simpler to prepare, but would still look and taste delicious, so this is what I came up with:

Tomato and Goat Cheese Sandwiches

1 Loaf Ciabatta or Italian Bread
11 oz Goat Cheese
2-3 T Milk
Half a Bunch of Scallions, finely chopped
2 Pints Grape Tomatoes, cut in half
3 T Red Wine Vinegar
2 T Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper

Slice the bread down the middle and hollow out the top and bottom of the bread, set aside.

Whip the goat cheese with a fork and add a little milk at a time until it reaches an easily spreadable consistency, stir in green onions.

Place tomatoes in a bowl and drizzle with vinegar and olive oil, add salt and pepper to taste (I'm sure this would be even better if you let the tomatoes marinate 30-60 minutes, but I didn't have time for that).

Spread goat cheese over bread, top with tomatoes and squish on bread--wrap in saran wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.  Slice into 6-7 portions right before serving.

Note: For the appetizer portion I used 4 oz of goat cheese, one pint of tomatoes and two ciabatta rolls.

The other (super) simple recipe I made for guests recently was Brussels Sprout Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette.  This was one of the first recipes I tried after (finally) giving in and joining Pintrest.  I discovered this recipe when creating my Thanksgiving menu last fall and have made different variations of it at least a half-a-dozen times since then.  This version has become my favorite, and I was lucky enough to have good (Arizona) olive oil on hand the night I hosted dinner thanks to my thoughtful brother.

Brussels Sprout Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

1 lb Brussels Sprouts, picked of any brown/bruised leaves
1/2 Cup Dried Cranberries
1/2 Cup Feta, Crumbled
6-8 Tablespoons Lemon Vinaigrette

Shred the Brussels sprouts (I have found cutting them in half, then thinly slicing works well). Mix in cranberries and feta.  Store all in a large zip-lock bag until ready to serve.  Add vinaigrette to mix a few tablespoons at a time while it's in the bag and shake. Pour into a serving bowl.

I like to dress it lightly and serve additional vinaigrette at the table.  Even dressed this holds up remarkably well if you have leftovers.

Yield: 4-6 servings

Note: If you're not up for shredding the Brussels sprouts, some stores sell them already shredded (I've seen that at Trader Joe's and HEB).  This and the original recipe are excellent with baby spinach too, though watch the amount of dressing and toss with tongs since it's much more delicate.

What impossibly easy dish can you not get enough of lately?

Hosting Reinvented

I discovered that I love hosting when Joe was in law school.  Several of his law school buddies were married or in serious relationships and none of us had any money to go out very often so we started having pot luck dinner parties at each others homes.  Somewhere between enchilada night and the chili cook-off a hostess was born.

In our pre-baby days we crammed people into whatever space we were calling home for dinner parties, the Super Bowl, Easter brunch, Fourth of July, Thanksgiving (the last seven years!) and somehow I talked Joe into having a Christmas party one year.

Now, we've entered into the world of play dates and our dinner parties start a little earlier, have less wine and a few high chairs have been added around the table.  I've tried to not lower my expectations for how the food tastes, but you won't find anything too complicated on my table these days.  I stick to food that can hold its own for awhile, can be made in advance and I rely on dishes that don't really require a recipe.  I can and do cook with Vivie at my feet, but usually she's playing in the pantry or the fridge.  Fishing the garlic out of the vegetable drawer and peeling the cloves is currently her favorite kitchen task (there is probably garlic "paper" on my floor right now). 

 And, when I'm really lucky she'll play in her kitchen preparing her own feast (and not making a mess out of mine).

Last week we hosted two couples with babes for dinner and held a play date for six other mommas and babies.  I thought it might be a little much doing both, but it was a lot of fun and we all enjoyed the company and conversation (even if it did digress to sippy and straw cup preferences on occasion) and our guests graciously gave the food good reviews.

So, what did we eat? (recipes and notes below)
Playgroup Menu: 
Tomato & Goat Cheese Sandwiches (recipe coming soon-it's so easy it's embarrassing)
Mushroom and Spinach Crustless Quiche
Honey Vanilla Herbal Iced Tea

Dinner Party Menu:
Tomato & Goat Cheese Slices (yep, the same thing from the playgroup, but cut smaller)
Pan-fried Salmon with Lemon Vinaigrette
Brussel Sprout Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette
Roasted Butternut Squash and Fingerling Potatoes with Herbes de Provence
  
Mushroom and Spinach Crustless Quiche
I doubled the recipe, used 10 eggs and 1/2 cup of 2 % milk (rather than a small amount of cream) and carmelized one red onion.  This yielded 12 standard muffins and 15 mini muffins.  Grease the pans REALLY well and soak immediately (clean-up was the hardest part).

Pan-fried Salmon with Lemon Vinaigrette
Salmon
Salmon (skin on) (one 5-8 oz portion per guest)
Kosher Salt
Fresh-Ground Pepper
Olive Oil

Heat oil in a large skillet on medium high heat.  Salt and pepper the skin side and place skin side down in pan (I could fit 3 portions at a time).  Drizzle olive oil and salt and pepper the flesh side.  When the salmon is cooked half-way through (when the pink edge has turned from translucent to opaque all the way to the middle), flip the fish.  Cook a couple minutes longer (this goes much faster than the skin side) until desired doneness is reached (I like it medium rare, but cook it closer to medium for guests because that's usually what people are more used to).

Pass lemon vinaigrette at the table for guests to drizzle on themselves.

Vinaigrette (I've made a couple changes, but originally discovered it here.  I use this on everything!) 
1 lemon zested and juiced
2 garlic cloves grated (this is key!)
olive oil equal to the amount of lemon juice
Salt & Pepper to taste
Shake or whisk ingredients together and toss with salad, adding a tablespoon or two at a time until desired taste is reached.
(I tripled this to dress the salad and pass with the salmon.)

Tip: If using a hand-held grater/microplane, flip it over and juice the lemon over it so it catches the seeds.

Brussel Sprout Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette
The original recipe is terrific, but like I said, I'm using the Lemon Vinaigrette on everything these days (and it went better with salmon).  I even have a few pictures of this one, so I'll post my version soon--in the meantime, try the original (really, even if you hate brussel sprouts). 

Roasted Butternut Squash and Fingerling Potatoes with Herbes de Provence 
One 3-4 lb Butternut Squash, peeled and cut into 1-2" cubes
2 lbs Baby fingerling Potatoes (cut to similar size as squash)
Olive Oil
Herbes de Provence (or favorite seasoning)
Kosher Salt
Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Pre-heat oven to 425°.  Toss squash and potatoes with olive oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper and Herbes de Provence. Line pan with foil and brush with oil.  Roast for 40-50 minutes.

Yield: Plenty for 6 adults and 3 babies.

What's your favorite event to host?  Do you have a go-to recipe or one you can't get enough of right now?

Capturing the Moment

So, this is something I've wanted to do for awhile, and what better time to start something than the beginning of a new year.  Well, at least that's what I'm telling myself.  Resolutions have never really been my thing, but I've decided to make a few this year--I mean it can't hurt, right?  And, Domestic Improv is one of them.

Last year I tried to keep a journal, I really did, documenting the first year of my daughter's life and my experiences as a new mom.  You guessed it, I didn't do a very good job, there are oh, about four entries.  So, maybe, knowing that there's a chance someone else is going to read this too I will be able to capture a few more moments.

I think one problem with the journal was I tried to focus it too narrowly on Vivie and what she was doing.  I want Domestic Improv to be more than that--I mean, I'm not just a mom--I hope to share about exploring our new city, a few kitchen success (and maybe a few failures), and I have a feeling I'll share a few parenting challenges (and maybe even a few successes).  And, who knows, maybe a few other things will come up--this is improv after all.

So, thank you to anyone who stopped by, I hope I give you a reason to come visit again soon.