An Announcement and a Consolation Prize (Spoiler Alert: the Prize is Sourdough)

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Hi, friends! Yes, I'm still alive and no, I'm probably not going to start this blog back up – I just don't have time anymore, what with my full-time job, my budding freelance writing career, and the novel(s?) I'm trying to write while I continue to try to get my second memoir published. If you can believe it, that's only like 60% of what I have going on right now. 

But I'm not here to participate in the glorification of busy! To be honest, nobody should be as busy as I am. I wouldn't choose this life if there weren't so many things I can't resist getting involved in. What I am here to do is fill you in on a change in the FeedBurner tool that allowed some of you to get these new posts in your email inboxes. That feature is going away, so even if/when I do write the odd Linzers post you won't get an email about it after August 15th.

So what can you do about it? Well, you can check in here via the blog's homepage, but frankly I doubt I'll post again – maybe once a year or so, if at all. If you want to hear from me, and you weren't just in it for the recipes (which, fair enough if you were), you can subscribe to my newsletter: A Few Good Things. It's a lot about writing, a little about reading, and all about nontoxic positivity.

Quick AND Good-for-you: Quinoa and 'Stuff' Salad

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One of the most difficult things about eating healthily is the time, energy, and money it requires.  I know it's worth it – we all know that – and the bf and I are lucky enough to usually have the time (if not always the money), but some people have half an hour at best in which to assemble a meal, and often that's simply not long enough to prep and cook something truly healthy.  So we fall back on ready meals or eating out, telling ourselves it'll be 'just this once' and then falling into patterns that are, if not unhealthy (after all, frozen fish cakes aren't exactly on par with McDonald's), not as healthy as they could be.

But there's a way to make healthy meals much faster, without always relying on completely prepared dishes: using some pre-cooked ingredients to make food that's almost from-scratch.  Apparently, some lady named Sandra Lee has sort of hit upon this (not the healthy part, though, from what I hear) in a show called Semi-Homemade.  But my version is much less terrifying: roast chickens from the supermarket, shredded up to make chicken noodle soup; pre-chopped onions and pre-peeled garlic cloves to make your pasta prep go faster; and this latest discovery, pre-cooked quinoa.

Old Favorites Remembered: Gram's Deviled Eggs

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One of my favorite treats when I was growing up was my grandmother's deviled eggs (and her chocolate chip cookies, and the Mexican brownies...).  She used to bring them sometimes when she drove to visit us, and I just remember my mouth watering as she peeled back the cling film from the plate and set them on the kitchen table.  The minute I was given the go-ahead from my mother, I'd dart forward like a small rodent and grab an egg, stuff it whole into my mouth, and bite down into the rich, soft, yolky center.

My mouth would fill to bursting with contrasts: firm white and silky yolk; smoky paprika and sweet relish; spicy mustard and cool bland egg.  I was convinced I could eat a whole plateful by myself, if I'd been allowed to be so glutinous.

A First Time for Everything: 2-Hour Whole Wheat Bagels

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I've always wanted to make bagels, but every time I thought I was up for it I either balked at all the steps or had a yeasted-things-disaster just before I was planning to make them and got too intimidated.  It seems like such a process: all that kneading and rising, then more rising and resting, then the shaping, and to top it all off they have to be boiled before they're baked??  WTF.

 

But then, last weekend, I found myself with nothing interesting to do (the bf was off with his study buddy) and some extra whole wheat flour on my hands (not literally, that part comes later), and I came across this recipe for bagels in two hours.  Yes, two hours, start to finish!  It seemed too good to be true, but I was bored and I figured I'd give it a shot.

New York, New York: City Cravings and Cold Sesame Noodles

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The BF and I are headed to New York this evening; I have a one-week layover on my way to a good friend's wedding, and he's coming along for the first two nights in one of our favorite cities in the world.  I'm so looking forward to it.  No work drama, no book stress, just pastrami and sushi and bagels and central park and wide sidewalks and all the other things I miss so much when I'm away from NYC.

One of the foods I crave heavily when I haven't been to the city in a while is cold sesame noodles.  If you've never tried them (and chances are if you've never been to New York, you haven't, as I've never seen them anywhere else), you should.  They're salty and peanutty and cool – a wonderful summer lunch dish, although I made these on a chilly day and they were just as satisfying.

Another weird veggie I'd never cooked: Chard with White Wine and Garlic

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Contrary to what you might think from reading this blog, I do in fact eat healthy foods.  Real foods, like meats and veggies and fresh, non-baked-in-sugar-and-butter fruits.  It's true, I swear!  The problem is, anything interesting enough to share is usually cooked for dinner... at night... (so please excuse the bad pics in this post) but I promise I do eat, and enjoy, healthy foodstuffs. 

Take, for example, this beautiful chard that came in our organics box last week.  Isn't it pretty?  And, amazingly, my tastebuds finally grew up about a year ago and decided they liked chard!  Especially when it's cooked in lots of butter and cheese, but that's neither here nor there. 

Stodgy Summer in a Bowl

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The New York Times is a great recipe resource.  I forget that sometimes, and then one day, in my 'Recommended For You' sidebar, up will pop a link to a recipe, and I'll just happen to have the ingredients on hand, and I'll be struck with a desire to try that recipe then and there.

And boy, am I glad I decided to try this leek and lemon chicken soup.  It's so good, and so...unexpected.  Fresh and bright, creamy but without any cream, and super healthy to boot!  It was delicious.  I was seriously really proud of myself.

Simply delicious: grilled cheese and tomato soup

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I talk a lot about simplicity on this blog.  Simple cakes, simple candies that turn out not so simple, simple...cakes.  But there are deliciously simple savory ideas out there too, and when it comes time for me to make dinner, this is where I rock.  Pan-fried chicken breast in olive oil with asparagus or broccollini?  Yes, please, and don't skimp on the salt.

Last week I decided that I would make dinner, since the bf has been cooking a lot lately and I wanted to cut him a break.  Okay, maybe I just wanted to control the dish-making for once – don't judge me.  Either way, I was struck with a wonderful idea: we had fresh tomato soup in the fridge, and suddenly all I wanted to eat it with was a grilled cheese sandwich.

What to do when you're buried in potatoes: make Pommes Anna

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I was never a big potato eater.  My mom is the kind of health-conscious, California cook who generally prefers green veggies to root ones.  We had carrots, but usually raw as a healthy snack, and we had baked potatoes sometimes, with nonfat cottage cheese (tastier than it sounds), but otherwise they were pretty much eschewed as bland, unnecessary carbs.  So of course I ordered buttery roasted or mashed potatoes in restaurants whenever I had the chance.

But once I was out from under her healthy thumb I found I wasn't that interested in potatoes after all.  I really did genuinely like green vegetables!  It was pretty shocking.

Oh, oh, it's magic, you know!

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Newsflash: I love love love an easy meal.  I'm honestly one of the laziest cooks I know.  I love to turn out something fabulous, but I hate the time/sweat/tears that go into some creations.  Which is one reason the bf does most of the savory cooking – baking (at least the kind I favor) is much less about prep time and focus than it is about throwing stuff together and chucking it in the oven, then having a nice chin-wag and a cup of tea with a friend (or watching The Real Housewives of NYC).

But that's exactly what I love so so much about this pot roast.  It makes use of our slow-cooker, which, due to space restrictions, sits on a high shelf in our kitchen and therefore rarely gets used.  But oh, man, is that thing ever awesome!  It operates like an oven, without heating up the house all day.  It sits on the counter and does magical things to meat and veg, and in 9 hours you come back from work/class/gallivanting and dinner is served!  Seriously.  Magical.

What to do with too many veggies? Make a Greenery Scramble!

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For the past month or so, the bf and I have been testing out a veggie-delivery system called Abel&Cole.  Basically, instead of buying the same 4 or 5 kinds of veg in our normal shop, we trust these organic, healthy, charming fellows to deliver whatever's in season, and we figure out a way to use it.

So far it's going pretty well– delicious veggies, great customer service, and it's cheaper than what we used to spend on vegetables in our normal shop!  We do sometimes get sick of potatoes and carrots (mostly because we don't always have time to cook them properly), and we have yet to figure out how not to massacre a beet, but generally it's been fabulous to have new things to try, like celeriac and jerusalem artichokes.  And the leeks!  Oh, the leeks make me so happy...

Homemade beats the can, hands down

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In the continued interest of posting delicious things I've made at night and taken bad pics of, this weekend I'm going to tell you something every Jewish mother already knows: homemade chicken soup is the bomb.com!  Now, I'm not saying I've abandoned good ole Progresso (oh, Progresso, how I miss your soups!), but I am saying if you have the time, go the extra mile.  Because it's easier than you think (especially if you buy quality chicken stock instead of making your own). And because nom.

Educating the Europeans: Buttermilk Cornbread

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Last weekend, I found myself with leftover buttermilk.  Again.  You see, it was Pancake Day a couple of weeks ago, and over here in the UK they take their food-related holidays extremely seriously.  I didn't even know what Pancake Day was until I moved here, but I kid you not, by Tuesday morning all the stores I checked (about 5) were out of maple syrup– that's how serious they are.  Anyway. any holiday about eating something delicious, especially if it involves breakfast for dinner, is a holiday I'm on board with, so we bought buttermilk and whipped up some tasty buttermilk pancakes.  But alas, we only used about 1/3 of the carton.  What to do?* 

 

Valentines Day At Home: Shakshuka, Champagne, and NY Cheesecake

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Um, really?  It's almost March already?  Yeesh.

Let's not even go there on what that means for my book deadlines... the important thing is that I only have a couple more days to write a Valentine's Day post and have it be remotely relevant!  So here we go.

Sometimes the only good thing about life in greytown...

Pin It ...is the proximity to Italy!

Usually, the bf and I can't afford the airfare, much less the accommodation, but we had a little windfall last month, and rather than spend it on silly things like heat or groceries, we decided to blow it all on a whirlwind trip to Naples.

And boy, were we glad we did!  Here are a few pics of the most important part of our trip: the FOOD!

Does it count as daytime eating if the sun never really comes out?

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Anybody recognize that dark-yet-festive table?  Hazard a guess what it's set for?  I'll give you a hint: see that red stuff in the pitcher?  Bloody Mary.  Hells to the yes.  That's right, it's another brunch!

This time, the star of the show was a baked egg recipe, with smoked salmon, arugula and leeks, topped with manchego cheese and freshly ground black pepper.  Oh my goodness.

Think you don't like olives?

Pin It Well, think again!

Both my father and the bf claim to hate olives.  Usually when we go out to dinner with my parents, bowls of marinated olives are left entirely to my mom and me, the salt/vinegar lovers.  But a few years ago, my parents were visiting London and we went to a restaurant called Pied à Terre for lunch.  The food was very good, and the service was pleasant, if a bit obsequious, but what we still talk about to this day were the olives. 

Fighting winter as best we can: Mom's Chicken Pozole

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London is a cold, grey place lately.  I haven't seen the sun much (which is why you haven't seen nice pics here much), and I'm getting really really tired of finding dresses I can wear over tights/leggings without sitting at my desk all day, pulling at my midriff self-consciously.

On that note, I'm also trying to eat more foods that could be classified as 'healthy.'  Not that I'm avoiding badness altogether (stay tuned for a ridiculous chocolate cake/brownie recipe), but I have decided that one way to warm up in the midst of all this mist is to eat healthy, hearty, delicious soups.  Preferably with chili.

And that's where this pozole comes in.

On savory things

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*Update: The bf and I made this again today, and this time I managed to sneak a few photos of the ingredients before the sun (if it was there behind the clouds) went down.  Hopefully these will be a bit more convincing!  And in the name of bad-pic honesty, the old photos are still here, they've just been moved down to the bottom of the post.

One of the reasons I rarely post about the savory dishes I make is that, well, I don't make that many.  The bf does most of the cooking, because he enjoys it and I don't so much.  That is, I enjoy the cooking part, but prep annoys the hell out of me, whereas he loves it.  So I usually leave it to him.

But as I've mentioned before, his schedule has become more demanding in the past 6 months, so I've been stepping up more.  Which leads me to the other reason I don't often post my savory creations (besides the fact that they rarely involve more than chicken breasts and some veggie in a frying pan with olive oil and salt): I make dinner at night.

It's getting pretty chilly out there...

Pin It I guess it's time to make chili!  (Yes, I know, I should be ashamed... but I'm not.)

The bf has been really busy with school lately, so I've sort of taken over a good bit of the evening cooking.  Which means savory.  Which is not something I've ever been terrible at, but it's always been more about sustenance than interest.