This, That, and a Pussycat

Anson and I started this blog on a whim 3 years ago so that we could share our gardening and life happenings with our friends and family who live far away from us. It ended up taking on a life of it's own and I began to really enjoy the food photography and writing. I imagined making a living photographing food and got serious about the blog reflecting these aspirations. In the process, I lost some of the joy of writing and photographing; it became more of a chore than a creative outlet and life journal. 

So, over the last several months I've really tried to return to the aspect of blogging that inspired me in the beginning--sharing our life with you through photography and stories. There's no particular theme or rigorous schedule, just what I'd like to share when it comes up. I guess that's why you've seen posts that range from Kraft Mac & Cheese to lost cats to wine country vacations. I'll continue to write about and photograph what inspires me and what I think is interesting to people that know us. 

That being said, here's a round-up of some random cool things that we've been occupied with lately. Thanks for reading and commenting and keeping up with us!

Our friends, Kim and Barry from Rustic Garden Bistro, have their own little farm going on at their house with their true rustic garden, amazing French country kitchen, two dogs and 14 chickens. Now these are no ordinary chickens, you have to check out their blog to see what they look like. They have one called a Silky that is just about the cutest thing I've even seen in my life. Yes, that's a chicken, not a Muppet.

We were at their house for the Superbowl and Kim sent us home with a half dozen of these gorgeous eggs. I wouldn't let Anson cook them until I photographed them; can you see why?

A couple weeks ago, I stopped in to the Humane Society to drop off some food. I figured I might as well "just look" at the cats as long as I was there. There's no harm in looking, right? So, long story short, we are the proud new owners of a 13-year-old cuddle cat named Sailor. He is the chillest cat you've ever seen. When we brought him home (without a peep in the car), he jumped up on our couch, gave himself a bath, and promptly went to sleep as if he has always lived with us. Scarpetta was pretty worked up at first, defending her territory with lots of hissing, but she's coming around. Now, if we can just figure out how to get him to stop howling at 4 am...

A couple weeks ago we were invited to an event called "Sips South of the Border" at Vinoteque on Melrose. The event, to promote the Food & Wine Festival in Ixtapa, was hosted by Chef Guillermo Gonzalez Beristain who spoke about Mexican wine and shared his unexpected Mariatinto wine with us. I admit, I was a bit skeptical about the wine, but my eyes opened wide at the first sip. It was complex with a nice amount of berry fruit and just enough tannin to give it some body. Very nice.

Wine expert, Mark Oldman, walked us through the tastings in a charming and entertaining style. We got a copy of his book, "Oldman's Brave New World of Wine," which, if it was anything like the other wine books I have, I expected to put me to sleep on nights when I need to go to bed early. I was pleasantly surprised at how usable and engaging the book is, focusing on lesser known wines, such as Txakoli ("Zingy like a downed power line.") and Cahors ("Medieval on your tongue.") with accessible descriptions and very funny commentary. 

We were given a little bag of sea salt from Baja too. I supposed it makes sense that Mexico would have plenty of sea salt, but like the wine, I never think of Mexico when I think of these culinary flourishes. I'm thinking it's time that we start looking at Mexico a little closer. After all, did we ever think we'd be drinking wine from Argentina and South Africa?  

Anson ran the Surf City Half Marathon on Super Bowl Sunday as well. This was my Eadweard Muybridge moment--I got a shot of him with both feet off the ground. It was a perfect day for a race and he did a great job, as always. Check out those flashy shoes!

We got a new fridge too. Is this really blog-worthy? Probably not for most people. But I've been dreaming of a new fridge for years, as Anson knew well. (Hey, the hopes and dreams of food lovers are sometimes different than the dreams of other people.) So, out with our 17-year-old fridge and in with our sexy new LG.

What's so special about this fridge? It has water and ice in the door. Crushed ice. In the door. On demand. I feel like a Vanderbilt.

The first thing I did was make a smoothie with it. I used some Big Train vanilla latte mix and added an avocado. Not the prettiest smoothie, but definitely delicious. I'm going to try chocolate with spinach and banana next time. I think it will work.

Spaghetti Pancake: It's Better Than it Sounds

Spaghetti Pancake is one of a handful of comfort foods that I've been eating since my childhood. From what I can tell, it probably comes from an Italian dish called Spaghetti Fritatta. I'll have to remember to ask my mom where she got the original recipe, probably from an old church cookbook or another local source. Until the last decade or so, "pancake" would have been a much easier concept than fritatta for Midwestern housewives to grasp, so that would be my guess as to the name variation. 

Regardless, the name does not really do this simple, delicious, filling dish any favors. Without exception, if you tell someone the name of this dish they will respond by wrinkling their nose and saying, "Ewww." I always quickly tell them, "It's better than it sounds, trust me." Think of those noodles with Parmesan you loved as a child, add a little garlic and some egg to hold it together, then fry it up in butter until it has a crust. It's really more than the sum of it's parts. 

The best part is how easy it is to make, requiring only four ingredients (plus salt and pepper) that you probably always have on hand: dried pasta, eggs, grated parmesan cheese, and garlic. It's one of those dinners you make on Monday night after a long busy weekend when you haven't had time to shop. I've been known to throw in spinach, onions and zucchini, or you can make a simple side salad to go with it. Or you can just have a big plate of it on it's own like I usually do. Some things are just too good to mess around with too much.
Here's the thing, the recipe calls for roasted minced garlic, not fresh garlic. I always have a bottle of it in my spice rack for this recipe. In fact, before I started learning how to cook in college I didn't know that garlic came any other way. Get a small jar of it from Trader Joe's, it will last forever.

For more egg-centric recipe ideas, please check out my fellow Huntington Beach blogger, Priscilla at She's Cookin'.

Spaghetti Pancake

8 oz dried pasta

2 whole eggs

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon roasted minced garlic

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

2 tablespoons butter, divided

Cook the pasta a drain well, letting cool a bit.

Meanwhile, mix the eggs, Parmesan, garlic, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. It should be the consistency of a loose paste. When the pasta is slightly cool, add it to the egg mixture and toss well. 

Heat a frying pan over medium low heat with one tablespoon of butter. When it's sizzling, add the pasta mix. Let it cook for about 5-7 minutes until a nice brown crust has formed. Dot the top of the spaghetti with the remaining butter. (If you are good at flipping things in pans, you can do the whole thing. Or you can cut it into four sections and flip each one individually, like I do.) Cook the second side for about 3-4 minutes to get another nice brown crust. And you're done. 

This should make a dinner for two people, or side dish portions for four.