Blergh.

Ever since I moved up here I've been searching for a job, and the search is getting progressively more desperate. Can't afford stupidly expensive gluten free flours when I'm unemployed.

This afternoon I had an interview at a coffee shop in downtown Minneapolis.

AND I KILLED IT.

This is how it wrapped up:


"Well Galina, it's been a pleasure interviewing you. I would say that you're our ideal candidate for this position"


Yup. I came, I spoke, I conquered.


"I would love to hire you on the spot..."


I CAN BUY A GARLIC PRESS


"But..."


...


"Your school schedule interferes with the shift hours we're looking to fill. We would love to talk to you when your schedule opens up more."


Blergh.


So, if anyone wants to give me a job, all offers are welcome! I can cook!


I decided to de-stress by making risotto and stirring up a storm.

How am I managing to get worse at photographing food?

I discovered risotto once I switched over to a gluten free diet. So delicious! Can be heavy and starchy though, so some see it as more of a cold weather dish.

Easily fixed by adding summer veggies, lemon zest and omitting heavy cream!

Summer Risotto

Serves 3-4 entree sized portions.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups arborio rice

4-5 cups vegetable stock

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 small onion

2 cloves fresh garlic

1/2 cup of white wine

1 lemon

1/2 lb asparagus

1 small zucchini 

1 ear of fresh corn

2 tablespoons fresh basil

1/2 cup fresh parmesan cheese

Salt

Pepper

Heads up: Multitasking is not easy to do while making risotto. Make sure you're able to focus on stirring the rice. Turn off the Food Network.

1. In a medium sauce pan bring stock to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer. Leave on the stove on a back burner while you prepare the other ingredients.

2. Dice the onion into small pieces and mince the fresh garlic cloves. Sauté in a large pot with two tablespoons of olive oil on medium heat. Cook for approx. 3 minutes until the onions are translucent.

3. Add rice to the pot and stir for 3 minutes.

4. Add wine and lemon zest. Stir until rice has absorbed the wine. 

5. Once wine is absorbed, begin stirring in the stock into the rice, using a ladle. Pour in one ladle full, stir until the rice has absorbed the stock, and then pour in another ladle full. Repeat until the rice is tender, but still has body. (Stir frequently enough so the rice doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot)

While the rice is absorbing the stock, chop the zucchini and asparagus in uniform pieces so they all cook evenly. Sauté in olive oil on medium heat. Season with salt and pepper.

Chiffonade the basil and grate the parmesan cheese.

Once the rice has absorbed all the stock, stir in the veggies. Add cheese, basil, and salt and pepper if desired.

Serve hot!

Curry fingers

Rainy day up here in St. Paul. I welcomed the weather, but according to some this may be here to stay for a while.


Days like this make me want to curl up in some comfy pants with a rainy day chai, but I managed to find a decent balance of productivity and relaxing. Even managed to get a good run in.


Running has been the highlight of my days since I came up here. I love that it makes me think about when and why I got started, and how far I've come since then. For a few minutes after I run I'm able to forget where I am and who isn't here, which is both good and bad.


I thought that a day like today called for a special snack.

Well, hello there.


One of the older neighborhoods of Omaha, Dundee, has a small restaurant called Amsterdam Falafel and Kabob. Their falafel and salads are delicious, but I could devour a basket of their curry fries on a daily basis. They're thinly sliced and dusted with curry powder, and served with a tiny little fork to avoid having you fingers smell like curry for a week. But who wouldn't want to be reminded of those delicious fries they consumed?


I decided to try making my own curry fries, but I used sweet potatoes instead.


Overall I was pretty satisfied with the results, but I'm still getting to know my oven so some fries with a little beyond crispy.


Curried Sweet Potato Fries
I suggest one medium sized potato for every person you're serving


Ingredients:
2 sweet potatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch of salt
Pinch of pepper


Preheat the oven to 450 degrees


Chop potatoes into the fry shape you prefer, thick or thin. Drop into a mixing bowl and pour olive oil and spices over the potatoes. Toss the fries with your hands until they're all coated with the oil and spices. Arrange on a baking sheet so all fries are flat on the surface. Bake for 10-15 minutes (more towards 15 if you cut the potatoes thick). Flips the fries with a spatula so they bake evenly on all sides, and then leave in the oven for another 10-15 minutes, or until they are browned and crispy.


Dust with a sprinkle of curry powder and serve with ketchup or your favorite dipping sauce.


Keep these in mind on a rainy day!

I must prevail!

My obsession with food began and has slowly progressed since early this year while I was up in New York at school. I used to be pretty into the show "Ace of Cakes" on the Food Network, and occasionally watched a few other shows like "Best Thing I Ever Ate." Whenever I would work out in the dorm I didn't feel like watching "Jersey Shore" or "Secret Life of an American Teen," and food network was the only channel that was consistent with its content. Therefore, I drove many New School students crazy by watching Giada put way too much emphasis on the word "ricotta" while hittin' the elliptical.

Food Network was one thing, but then my friend Nicole introduced me to foodgawker. I spent so much time avoiding homework by browsing through all of the delicious recipes that the website compiles together. I have frequently considered setting foodgawker as the home page on my laptop. I've resisted so far.

Last night I crossed my fingers and submitted my first entry to foodgawker. I refreshed the site every half hour to see if I saw my blog name posted under my photograph. Much to my dismay, the post was rejected for lacking "photo/food composition." Serious bummer.

Buying a fancy schmancy camera is definitely not in my near future, so I can only attempt to improve my photography skills using the point and shoot that I currently have. 

I attempted to cheer myself up with this:

Almond Mascarpone Tart with Peaches and Raspberries 

Crust ingredients:

1 package of Bob's Red Mill Almond Flour/Meal

1/2 cup Bob's Red Mill Brown Rice Flour

1/2 Trader Joe's Almond Meal

2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter

1 large egg, beaten

Tart topping ingredients:

2/3 cup mascarpone cheese

1/2 cup greek yogurt (I used nonfat)

1/3 cup clover honey

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon nutmeg

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

I apologize for the hodge podge of flours in this recipe, but the crust is really delicious. And gluten free! In a large mixing bowl whisk together flours, almond meal, sugar, salt, and baking soda. Once dry ingredients are combined, cut the butter into eight small pieces and add to the mix. To mix together I used my hands, rubbing the flour and butter between my palms and fingers until the butter was in pea-sized chunks. Add the beaten egg and mix until moist. Refrigerate for 15 minutes. 

Once chilled, pat the crust mix into the bottom of a tart or pie pan. Once evenly covered, place the pan in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and fragrant. 

While the crust bakes, add mascarpone cheese and greek yogurt to a small mixing bowl. Cream for a minute or two with a hand mixer. Add honey and vanilla extract, mixing until well combined. Mix in nutmeg and chill in the fridge until the crust is ready to be covered. 

Once the crust has cooled, use an offset spatula or the next best utensil and spread the topping over the tart, covering the surface evenly. I topped the tart off with peaches and raspberries, but use whatever fruit you prefer and is in season. 

Share it with the people you love!

Things are coming together.

My parents came up to see me and help me put my apartment together this weekend. This means that I finally have the piece of furniture that this blog is named after.

Get used to seeing a lot of blue!


My dad, mom, and twin brothers came up here from Omaha on Saturday afternoon. I was extremely relieved to finally have furniture, but I was even happier to see all of them. They were all their usual selves, with my dad trying to figure out how to sneak onto the roof of my apartment, my mom attempting to get him back to moving things, and my brothers clomping around like the uncoordinated teenagers they've become. The visit was busy and too short though. We spent some time with my dad's brother and his family, and my mom and I attended my cousin's wedding shower. It was held at a bowling alley, which turned out to be a lot of fun. Almost broke 100! While we were having girls time my dad, brothers and uncle went to the state fair. From what they've told me it sounds pretty wild, so I think I'll be going next weekend.


This morning we all got together for breakfast at Hell's Kitchen in downtown Minneapolis. The food there is out of this world delicious and I just about polished off a whole jar of their peanut butter. I definitely recommend it for breakfast, lunch, or dinner if you're ever in the Twin Cities.


Furnishing an apartment wouldn't be complete without a trip to IKEA, so before my family had to hit the road my mom helped me pick out a rug and some other things. Now that my apartment is just about complete it feels more welcoming, but I do wish I had people to come over and share it with. In time I will.


After IKEA I accidentally took a four hour nap, so by the time I woke up I wasn't really feeling like cooking an extravagant meal.


However, I bought some fresh figs last night at Whole Foods and wanted to find a way to use them. The only form of figs I'd ever had up until recently came in fig newtons, and I had no idea what I was missing! I love the texture and they're very pretty.

I wanted the taste and texture of the figs to be the focus, so I prepared them in a really simple manner.


Honey Balsamic Roasted Figs with Goat Cheese


Ingredients:
6-8 small figs
1 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon orange zest
2 tablespoons of goat cheese


Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

In a small bowl whisk together honey, balsamic, and orange zest. Pour into the bottom of a small, glass baking dish

Slice the figs in half and arrange them in the baking dish, the open halves facing down.


Leave in the oven for 10-12 minutes. Remove, rotate the figs, and stuff little half inch pieces of goat cheese into the center of the fig halves. Place in the oven for another 2-4 minutes, or until the cheese has melted.


I was super happy with how these turned out! Hope you are as well.

My frustrations with the quality of my photographs for this blog have me looking at prices of DSLR cameras. This could be bad news!

The Perfect Chai Latte

When it comes to coffee shop drinks I'm not nearly as adventurous as I once was. When I walk up to the register at Starbucks I don't have to think about my order; "Grande, nonfat, no water chai, please."


No water? Sounds funny for a drink order.


When I was a senior in high school I was hired as a barista at Starbucks. It was by far my favorite job I've ever had, and it effected my life in ways that I could never have dreamed of. I always enjoyed chai lattes, but I usually saved them for rainy days and always made them with soy milk and a dash of cinnamon on top. I actually stole my current drink order from my best friend, Lilly. We were roommates in New York City, and I wouldn't have chosen to live with anyone else. Wish I could be making her a grilled cheese and braiding her hair right now.


If you do the math for how much a Starbucks habit can cost you, the numbers are scary. Other coffee shops may be a little cheaper, but I have found few places that make a chai that isn't too sweet. I like 'em spicy.


I found a possible solution by visiting CostCo and Williams-Sonoma.


CostCo sells Tazo Chai Concentrate in bulk, which happens to be the brand that Starbucks uses in their chais. However, I'm finding that the retail version is a little more diluted (Starbucks' chai recipe calls for the chai concentrate to be cut with water, but without the water the drink has a nice warm kick to it).


William-Sonoma sells a handy little gadget called the Aerolatte Milk Frother. What's a chai latte without a layer of creamy foam?

Not half bad! Although, as soon as I sprinkle nutmeg on top the foam disintegrates, which is a little unfortunate. I can't say I'll be able to go cold turkey on Starbucks, but this should at least help me put aside some cash for textbooks.


Finally getting some furniture tomorrow!

...and on the fourth day I made a pizza

The kitchen gods answered my prayers. I have a working oven.

Actually, Tim the maintenance guy answered my prayer. Or phone call.

To celebrate this I decided to make a delicious, summery pizza. This was by far the best thing I've made since I moved up here.

I live across the street from a little supermarket and I decided to go check out what kind of produce they had today. It's a great little store but it is definitely not ideally priced for a college student. But they had some perfect looking peaches so I treated myself to a couple of those.

After forming the dough on the baking sheet I popped it in the oven, only to realize that none of my baking sheets fit into my little baby 1960's oven. Challenge accepted. 


Eventually I ended up placing the pizza on the removable bottom of my springform cake pan.

Beautiful.

Now that I have a working oven I look forward to doing more baking posts!

Peach Goat Cheese Pizza with Honey Balsamic and Fresh Thyme

Makes one 9 inch pizza

Ingredients:

Bob's Red Mill Pizza Mix

1 1/2 cup of warm water

2 eggs

3 tablespoons of olive oil

Half of a ripe peach

1/2 cup of goat cheese crumbles

1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon of honey

A pinch of cinnamon

A pinch of salt

4-5 sprigs of fresh thyme

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Prepare the Bob's Red Mill dough according to the directions on the package. I only used 1 fourth of the dough for this recipe, saving the rest in the freezer. If you wanted to make this for more than one or two simply double, triple, or quadruple the pizza toppings. 

Once the pizza dough has had time to rise, arrange it on a greased baking sheet so the dough is a little less than half an inch thick. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes.

While the crust is baking, slice peaches to your preferred thickness.

In a small bowl, mix the honey, balsamic, cinnamon, and salt together until combined. Set aside.

After 10 minutes remove the crust and coat it with olive oil using a pastry brush. Arrange peaches and cheese crumbles evenly over the pizza. Drizzle the dressing over the entire pizza, and then sprinkle the fresh thyme on top. Place in the oven for another 5-7 minutes, or until the edges have browned.

Serve hot and enjoy!

I POACHED AN EGG

Today was a little more triumphant than the past few days have been. It's about time.


I spent a good deal of the morning and just about all of the afternoon with Hillary, one of my best friends from Omaha who goes to the U of M. We went to the Mall of America with her friend Erin. Malls stress me out in general, but the Mall of America definitely takes the cake for anxiety-producing-shopping. Too many stores, too many children running loose, and too many kiosks with men chasing after me with a hair straightener. Thanks, but no thanks.


But I had a great time seeing Hill and Erin and by the time I came back to my apartment I was ready for a nice long nap. Casper was pretty happy about that.


I realize that this blog could use some serious polishing, but hopefully as I continue to cook, write, and photograph I can only get better at this. Maybe. How am I expected to have all of this organized when I'm attempting to start a new life with nothing but an air mattress?


Tonight my dinner was a little breakfasty, but I'm attempting to stay creative with my meals without the use of an oven.


To those who have attempted to poach an egg: I applaud those who have succeeded and I encourage those who have failed to keep trying. I feel like once you get it down you're golden.


Tonight was definitely not my first time trying to poach an egg, but it was the first time that it worked! My mom has made them for me since I was young and I was never able to recreate her mastery.

Look at that little champ, happily perched on his bed of asparagus.


Poached Egg and Sautéed Asparagus:


Ingredients:
1/2 lb asparagus, trimmed
1 egg
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt
Pepper


In a shallow pan, coat asparagus with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Place on the stove over medium heat, cooking the asparagus for about 3 minutes, rotating, then 3 more minutes.


While the asparagus is cook, fill a medium sauce pan about 1/3 of the way full with salted water. Bring to a simmer on the stove. Crack the egg into a small bowl without breaking the yolk. Once water it ready, create a a little whirlpool by stirring a wooden spoon in a circular motion through the water. Drop the egg into the center of the water, allowing it to form a tight little blob. After 2-3 minutes, or once the whites are completely opaque, gently remove the egg and lay it atop of on the side of the asparagus.


Good luck!

Adjusting

Casper and I are both a little on edge today. His meows seem a little more irritated than usual. I can't really blame the little guy though, I took him from a comfortable Nebraskan home and stuck him in a 500-square-foot apartment that is usually around 90 degrees. Makes our hair a real mess.


I learned last night that nothing makes you realize that the building you live in is 100 years old like a windstorm does. Due to the constant banging of my windows throughout the night I overslept and woke up with only ten minutes to get ready for my job interview. I managed to look presentable, but my voice had that scratchy "I wish I was still sleeping" quality throughout the whole interview. Definitely made an impression, just not sure if it was a good one.


For some reason I chose to make a dinner tonight that required me to use 3 stove burners at the same time. Apparently I felt the need to turn my kitchen into a sauna. I still haven't figured out my oven, which is a real bummer because I wanted to bake something to bring over to my friend Hillary at her sorority house tomorrow.


Sweet Potato Salad with Spinach, Goat Cheese, and Toasted Almonds

Makes two entree sized portions or four side dish portions


Ingredients:
1 cup of short grain brown rice
2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 small sweet potatoes
2 cups of spinach
1/2 of goat cheese crumbles
1/4 cup of toasted almonds


Directions:
In a large sauce pan bring two cups of water to a boil. Stir in rice and reduce heat to a simmer and cover. Cook for approximately 40 minutes or until rice has absorbed all water.


While the rice is cooking, peel and chop sweet potatoes into roughly 1/2 inch pieces (pictured above). Arrange evenly on a baking sheet and coat with olive oil.  Bake in the oven at 400 degrees for 25 minutes (I had to cook mine on the stove).


In a small frying pan on medium heat saute the spinach with a tablespoon of olive oil. It may look like a lot at first but the spinach will wilt. Remove from heat once all the spinach is cooked thoroughly.


You can buy toasted almonds, but to make your own simply pour into a small pan set on a burner at a low heat. As soon as you can smell the almonds that means they are done. Burnt almonds aren't nearly as tasty.


Once all ingredients are cooked mix together and sprinkle goat cheese (feta might be good if you prefer it) and almonds on top. Serve hot!


Enjoy!

A big warm Minnesota welcome

I am officially a resident of St. Paul as of yesterday, and I would like to extend the sincerest of apologies to every car that has had to wait behind me while I demonstrate how to parallel park your car in the worst fashion possible. Terribly sorry.


Today has been all over the place with ups and downs. Someone came and showed me how to turn on the cooking gas and pilot light for my oven, and I also got myself a job interview tomorrow. I was a feelin' good about the day, until on my way to Trader Joe's I noticed a few slips of paper peeking out from my windshield wipers. Apparently from 2 am to 7 am on Mondays, only Mondays, you cannot park on the street where I was parked last night. Payback for my botched parallel parking jobs I suppose.


To cheer myself up I decided to make a little gluten free treat. I wasn't feeling like going all out just yet, so I decided to give Bob's Red Mill brownie mix a try. If you're gluten free there's a good chance you've stumbled across Bob's Red Mill products. They can be a real life saver, but its not always easy to figure out what kind of unusual flours (garbanzo... tapioca... xantham what?) are right for a recipe. I'm still trying to get a grip on all of this too. I will say that ordering from the Bob's Red Mill website is a lot cheaper than picking it up at the grocery store.


As soon as I opened the package of brownie mix I realized the following: I still don't have mixing bowls or any kind of mixer. Therefore, I threw everything in a deep dish pie pan and whisked away.

I decided to add some walnuts for a little texture. As I was finishing off the mix, I opened the oven to see if it was preheated only to find that it was not heated whatsoever. I did smell a lot of cooking gas though, so I thought it best to turn it off. I was pretty bummed. As delicious as brownie batter is, I really wanted to have a little square of that rich, chocolatey goodness with a glass of milk. The batter is hanging out in the fridge just in case my oven decides to work.


If dinner hadn't worked out this food blog would be a serious fail.

This is Casper, the laziest sous chef ever. The drive was a little rough on him yesterday, but he's back to his loud, lazy self today. Quinoa has become a staple in my diet this summer, and I thought it would be a good host for some summer veggies.

Much better.


Bob's Red Mill Brownies:


1 package of Bob's Red Mill Brownie Mix
1 1/2 sticks of butter
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cup of warm water
1 cup chopped walnuts


The directions are on the packaging, which I followed except I added walnuts and just a tad more vanilla.


Honey Lemon Quinoa:
Makes two entree sized portions, or three to four side dish portions


1 cup white pre-rinsed quinoa
2 cups of water
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 small zucchini
1 ear of fresh corn
1/2 tablespoon of honey
1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons of lemon zest
a pinch of salt and pepper


In a medium sauce pan add two cups of water and 1 cup of quinoa. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer, cooking for roughly 12 minutes or until the quinoa has absorbed all the water. In a frying pan, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and the zucchini, quartered and sliced. On medium heat, sauté the veggies until they are soft and browned. Shuck the corn and slice the kernels off the cob. In a small bowl whisk together honey, lemon juice, and zest. Add all components together and serve hot. Salt and pepper to taste.