I ran into, (well, truth be told, I pulled over for) one of my favorite people to run into in The City last night. Who was it? Why it was Kai, from Nosh this. Pushing his bacon crack on the corner. He’s the best kind of pusher man out there. His crack is addictive, but not terribly harmful, and the pleasure totally lingers.
I even got to try a new confection last night, bacon rocky road with real homemade marshmallows really really to die for and everyone at my office things so too, but I am still a bacon crack purist. What is bacon crack? It’s bacon and almond filled toffee covered in chocolate. All bacon aside, it may be the finest toffee I’ve ever tasted. Get down to 20th and Valencia and buy some. Taste his hot yummy things too like a twist on homemade Frito pie with delicious chips from local favorite, Casa Sanchez or, I’m told, this weekend Green Chili Corn Chowder. Yum!
on Twitter to find out what yumminess Kai will be having for you!
No holiday meal would be complete without horchata. Wait, horchata? Yep horchata. At least, that’s how I feel, now. This Thanksgiving, we had a Latin influenced feast and my cocktail for the evening was spiced bourbon with horchata. It was met with mmm, yum, more, and delicious! And with a couple of “Who needs egg nog. Horchata for Christmas too!”s
Horchata is a whole lot healthier than egg nog as well- made with rice and nut meal rather than cream and eggs- I will be making this all holiday season and throughout the year now that I know how easy it is. There are many styles of horchata. Some from Mexico, El Salvador, Spain, and Nicaragua. Some are made with or without almonds, sesame seeds or tiger nuts and with or without milk. I chose to make mine with hazelnuts because some people in our party had almond allergies, but you could use almonds. Also, leave the bourbon separate until you mix the cocktail so that kiddies can enjoy it too. Next time, I’m definitely making a double batch because this went quickly!
Oh, and I had plenty of syrup left over, so I made cinnamon cream sodas and cinnamon vanilla milk. Both were out of this world!
- HORCHATA INGREDIENTS
- 2 cups of white rice
- 4 cinnamon sticks
- 1 vanilla bean
- 1 cup hazelnut meal
- zest of 1 lime
- 8 cups of water
- SPICED BOURBON
- 1 750 ml bourbon (I used Bulleit)
- 2 dried red chilies *
- 1
… get the recipe
I am so grateful for the richness of my life. I am surrounded by loving, vibrant, funny, and talented people and a pretty adorable dog. I live in the heart of San Francisco’s Mission District– a neighborhood where Latino families and artists have traditionally lived side by side- where the demographics are changing, but for the most part peace and vibrancy still preside. The land around me is some of the most fertile in the world and provides the most beautiful & abundant produce, cheeses, meats, & wine. Gratitude is a big part of my life and to have a whole day dedicated to it, suits me just fine.
Local food is always a mainstay of our table, but for this meal, I decided to focus not only on the local foods, but also on the local flavors, and the local merchants. I shopped for everything within three miles of my house (excluding the pork leg) every ingredient was sourced rom a small local business or a farmers market in an effort to honor my community on fthis special day as well.
Having grown up in California, Latin foods have always been a part of my life. As I developed my own cooking style, my French heritage and my deep appreciation for the foods of Mexico, El Salvador, Argentina and Puerto Rico have often seen a lively interplay. This Thanksgiving, a day of gratitude, un dia de gracias, I set about creating a menu that would highlight some of my … get the recipe
To me, Thanksgiving is the true jewel of the holiday season. There are no gifts to buy, no cards to write, no big party plans, it is just a simple celebration of family, friends, food, and all that we are grateful for.
This month marks my first full month as a featured publisher on Food Buzz, so I was beyond thrilled to be chosen for their 24×24 program where they feature 24 meals in 24 hours from around the globe. This month’s 24×24 was to take place on Thanksgiving Day.
Our Thanksgiving this year was all about the local—super local celebrating the tastes, the sounds, and the community where I live San Francisco’s Mission District. We had a day of thanks or un dia de gracias. Not only was the food seasonal and local, it was bought from my favorite local merchants- no big chains here.
This year I also faced some new challenges in having a large dinner party.
1. We seriously downsized when sold our 2000 sq foot house (the one with the big formal dining room) and moved to our compact flat which features a little square dining table in the living room.
2. I lost my sous chef/dish washer (and my dishwasher *see downsizing) when my husband got called in to work until 5 pm. I combated the first challenge by putting to use my favorite steamer trunks as tables, converting our spare room into a “dining room”, & having people sit on pillows. The second … get the recipe
There is always so much food on Thanksgiving and much of it can be heavy, rich, and just downright hard to consume. I’ve had several requests to create vegetarian and vegan dishes for the holidays for friends and readers.
These green beans are a great alternative to a goopy green bean casserole. Fresh, light and lemony with a sweet, tart, olive oil glaze, they satisfy with a crisp green bean and a crunchy pecan. We had these with steak and potatoes, but they’ll be fantastic added to your vegetarian Thanksgiving, a vegan Thanksgiving, or a traditional Thanksgiving feast alike.
- INGREDIENTS
- 1 lb green beans (or mixed green and wax beans) trimmed
- 1 cup pecans
- juice of 1 lemon
- zest of 1 lemon
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ½ cup packed dark brown sugar
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp cayenne (optional)
- salt and pepper to taste
- INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 375º and toast pecans for about 5 minutes on baking sheet lined with parchment watch carefully so they do not burn
- Boil 3 cups water in a saucepan over high heat, add 1 teaspoon salt and 1 tablespoon lemon juice or white wine vinegar
- Whisk brown sugar and lemon juice over medium heat until sugar dissolves.
- Add olive oil, salt, and cayenne and whisk until smooth and slightly thickened
- When pecans are done transfer to a bowl then drizzle half of glaze over the top and toss with half of the zest. Then toss very well. Sprinkle the pecans out on
… get the recipe
Winter squashes are in their full glory right now and it seems I can’t turn my head without seeing a beautiful variety of pumpkin, a lovely acorn squash, or my favorite, the butternut.
Also in full swing is the offering of pumpkin-flavored treats just about everywhere. It seems pumpkin ice cream, coffee, cookies, cakes, pies, even pumpkin salsa fills every shop, coffee house, and restaurant during this season. I enjoy these pumpkiny treats as much as the next girl, but I can’t help but wonder when the other winter squashes might get their due. And while we’re at it, why not spice things up a bit.
I decided that the can of organic butternut squash in my pie chest was about to become an iced cookie. I knew I wanted to go beyond the traditional pumpkin pie spice and since cardamom is one of my favorites I dreamt up a chai-spiced cookie with hazelnut meal for body and texture and of course it had to be iced. Standard vanilla icing seemed like a missed opportunity, so I opted for more spicy goodness by adding cardamom and cinnamon to the icing.
These cookies are so yummy and they satisfy on every level- there is something homey and familiar yet they offer a hint of the exotic. The smell as they are baking is heady and divine- remember, hands off until they’re cool!
- INGREDIENTS FOR COOKIES
- 1 cup butter
- 1/3 cup dark brown sugar
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1 cup butternut squash puree
… get the recipe
My neighborhood has two very distinct personalities and nowhere is it more apparent than in my favorite two markets. One is Bi-Rite market; it is a foodie Mecca featuring the most glorious heirloom veggies, specialty products, artisan cheeses, a deli counter that will make a grown San Franciscan weep. The other is Casa Lucas which also features awesome produce, they’ve got the yummiest requeson, and really nice little chorizo though they have no other meat counter to speak of. Tonight I found plantain flour. It was a different kind of specialty product than one might find at Bi-Right but no less special.
I love my two markets. I shop often enough at each that I have a rapport with the people who work there. Each has it’s own rhythm and I feel happy and at home in both places.
Tonight was a Casa Lucas night. I had some handmade tortillas from La Palma that were stale and needed to be used which meant it was a perfect night for tortilla soup. After last night’s heavy dinner, though, the soup was going to be vegan! So, here’s my light and spicy vegan soup with homemade tortilla strips.
- INGREDIENTS FOR THE SOUP
- 4 cups vegetable stock
- 4 carrots (chopped into 1 inch sections)
- ½ red onion diced
- 1 jalapeño (sliced into ½ moons)
- 2 ears corn (removed from ear)
- 2 summer squashes (sliced into rounds)
- 2 cups chard cut into a chiffonade
- 1 ½ tbsp smoked paprika
- ½ tbsp cumin
… get the recipe
I really hate clichés, so I won’t say that when it rains, it pours. Maybe I just did, but ignore it. Let’s just say that I had one of the craziest, busiest, most fun weeks of my life. There was not a ton of cooking involved, but in the end, I ate a whole lot of delicious food and played three amazing shows.
Unfortunately I got sick for Halloween, my favorite holiday of the entire year. I still managed to dress up in costume in hopes that I could scare some trick or treaters in my Zombie Pin Up Girl costume. Joshua did all of the special effects makeup by hand and I did all of the regular ugly colored make-up make-up you see. Pretty gross right? We only had a couple of groups of kids show up, so I bundled up in some warm clothes and Joshua and I went and took Ruby for a walk around our neighborhood and happened upon a party at the Million Fishes Gallery and stopped in for a bit to look at some amazing art. So, I did get to hang out and have a little fun on Halloween.
Tuesday was election day and marked the beginning of my insanely busy week. I’d been working from home nursing the nasty cold/flu I’d picked up but I still had to vote and play a show for our friend Glendon “Annaconda” Hyde. Anna was running for San Francisco’s District 6 Supervisor. Sick Wolf (my band) … get the recipe
