running with tweezers

saying thanks

"For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food, for love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends."

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

It's the day before Thanksgiving and I'm writing to you from a hotel room on the way to Louisiana. I'd been racking my brain about how to approach this post. Which links to previous recipes I'd include to encourage you to make them this holiday. How to convince you to make brussels sprouts or pumpkin cheesecake bars my way.

You don't need me for that. It seems like every blog I read is helping you along for the holidays. Go use recipes from Elise or Ree or Zoe. They're foolproof. You won't be disappointed, I promise. 

My post on this day is about gratitude. It's been a whirlwind few years for me - that's been no secret. I look back at this blog and feel like it's going through a renaissance, much like I am. Just as it was getting off the ground, my mom passed away. Then my dad 2 years later. Add in work stresses and relationship turmoils and, well, this blog went months without having much to say...much like me. It's been just over a year since my dad passed away and the balance is just now being re-established. I now have an enthusiasm for life, writing, and cooking again that I haven't seen in a very long time.  This blog is a mirror for what's going on in my life...and I wouldn't have it any other way (believe me, I've tried to make this place clinical and just about cooking and i just can't).

So today, I'm thankful for all of the people - both in "real life" and through this blog - that have supported me and helped me come to this place. It's been a rough go for several people I know this year...and my hope is that I have even begun to support you the way you have me. Even when I still had my parents around, you all have been my family just as equally. I'm also thankful for the reason I'm on the road again. My relationship makes me feel safe, empowered, inspired, and invincible - even on the days when it's hardest to show it.

This Thanksgiving, I'm thinking of the past not with sadness or bitterness but with an open mind and a warm heart. The things that have happened have allowed me to come to this place. I have the opportunity to forge new traditions and experience the holiday in a way I never have before. I hope those of you out there that read this have the holiday YOU want to have, whether it's re-enacting the same Thanksgiving as the year before...or you make this year it's own. Enjoy old traditions and relish making new ones. I can't wait to see how you all spent your holidays...and I can't wait to share mine. Oh and by all means, please do make the pumpkin cheesecake bars - they're delicious, I swear.

A House of Love - The 17th Annual National Gingerbread House Competition!

Those of you out in the land of food fanatics have undoubtedly, at some point, seen one or two of those cake challenge shows on Food Network, right? The ones that make you a little tense as you see these huge creations made before your eyes?  In the same vein as that network's challenges, every year you see a feature about The National Gingerbread Competition, which takes place in Asheville at The Grove Park Inn. I've marveled at it many times and it always manages to get me in the holiday spirit when I see it - even if I see a rerun in April or so! I don't have television at home (don't judge, people, don't judge) but I've been in front of one enough to know that when I got the chance to attend the competition with Helen from Tartelette, I didn't even ask when or how. I just said yes.

As grand as the Grove Park Inn is as a hotel, that same attitude comes through in the competition. People from all across the country - 20 states were represented - work for months and months on their creations. This year was the 17th annual competition and around 200 gingerbread houses - from children and adults - were entered to win in their respective category. Let me tell you...it's quite something to see. When I opened the door of the Grand Ballroom at GPI, the overwhelming wafting smell of gingerbread almost knocked me over - in a good way. I can't imagine being a judge and having to focus in that large room smelling delicious gingerbread all day!

The panel of judges included Helen, internationally known sugar artist and instructor Nicholas Lodge, cake designer to the stars and author of FIVE cookbooks Colette Peters, South Dakota-based pastry chef and author of The Gingerbread Book Steven Stellingwerf, and 6 others from various art and pastry fields. Judging began early in the morning and culminated at 5:30 pm with the announcement of the winners. Each house was carefully scrutinized and judged on appearance, originality, precision, difficulty and continuity of theme. I saw how thorough the judging was and how much time the judges put into giving proper consideration to each house. Several of them have been judging the competition for many years - they know what they're looking for: great execution and originality while still being true to the notion of a "gingerbread house".

There were so many fabulous creations at the show, it was hard for me to focus on just one or two. While I understand the judges favoring really elaborate, structurally incredible houses...I have a really soft spot in my heart for the ones loaded up with gumdrops and candy canes. That's the kind of gingerbread house *I* remember as a kid and the colors & whimsy still make me happy as an adult. I think it's also inspired me to try and make my own this year - something I've never done!

Three top winners in each age bracket were chosen and given a prize. However, in the end, only one gingerbread house could be named Grand Prize winner. This year, the distinction went to Jodie Stowe of Polkville, NC. Her birdcage design was pretty spectacular - the construction and the details in it were remarkable. For her efforts, she won $3,000, a 2 night stay at Grove Park Inn, and other prizes. Most importantly, she won bragging rights!

I was able to take lots of photos, which I have posted in a photo set on Flickr here. You can also get more details on the winners of each category here at Grove Park Inn's website.

soup seems fitting

It's been a very hectic week and an even more insane weekend here. Photo shoot, preparing for the holidays, a cozy dinner at Cakes and Ale (our favorite spot in Atlanta), the PRIMAL butcher event (which I'll be posting about this week), and working on my post from the Gingerbread House Competition.

With so much to do and so much going on, I woke up this morning to another episode of Atlanta's Dreariest Weather (tm). I am beginning to feel like I live in Seattle without all the good coffee and no Delancey. While part of me loves these grey days for lounging around the house doing nothing, it makes for a lack of motivation - and fear of Atlanta drivers around me - when it comes to getting out and about.

It also makes me want chili.

I made this version about two weeks ago for our Top Chef Wednesday dinner. I don't want to start some heated dialog about what counts as chili and what doesn't. The last time I posted a chili recipe - which was vegetarian and had black beans in it - I thought I was going to have to change my email address or join the witness protection program. Seriously, folks - chili is a state of mind and not a set of guidelines, ok?

This recipe is based on Laurent Tourondel's version he makes at BLT Burger. I tweaked my batch out a good bit. I omitted the corn because, well, I forgot. I think it would add color but not much more to this - we didn't miss it. The pork sausage - replacing the usual ground beef - added so much great chunky texture and awesome flavor. I added extra chili powder to mine and a healthy pinch of fennel seeds to really amp up the pork sausage. We served ours with some jalapeno-corn muffins and a dollop of sour cream and cheese - I didn't feel like all the extra garnish was necessary. This would also make killer filling for some gourmet sloppy joes the next day.

BLT Chili - recipe based on this recipe by Laurent Tourondel - makes 8 generous servings

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 3 pounds pork sausage, casings removed
• 2 medium onions, cut into 1/4-inch dice
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/4-inch dice
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 tablespoons sweet paprika
• 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• Two 28-ounce cans diced tomatoes
• Two 16-ounce cans kidney beans, drained
• 1 cup corn kernels
• 4 cups water
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• Shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, chopped onion, pickled jalapeños and hot sauce, for serving (optional)

- In an enameled cast-iron casserole, heat the oil. Add the sausage and cook over high heat, breaking it up, until browned, about 15 minutes. Add the onions, bell pepper and garlic; cook over moderately high heat, stirring, until the onion is translucent, 8 minutes.

- Add the tomato paste and cook for 3 minutes. Add the chili powder, paprika, cumin and oregano and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, beans, corn and water and cook over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 1 hour. Season with salt and pepper. Serve the chili with cheddar, sour cream, onion, jalapeños and hot sauce.

carolina in my mind

I wish I knew where to start to describe the incredible long weekend I just spent in one of my most favorite places with one of my most favorite people. See, Helen (from the delicious blog Tartelette) and I met on our last journey to Asheville, NC - along with several other bloggers you'll probably recognize. We ate and drank everything that wasn't nailed down. Somewhere in between all the gluttony, I totally fell in love with Asheville. As a bonus, Helen and I became blog buddies and work peers and now friends. When she was asked back to Asheville to be a judge at the National Gingerbread House Competition at Grove Park Inn, she asked me to come along. You wouldn't say no either, right?

As it was after my first visit to Asheville, I have a hard time putting all of its beauty and awesomeness into a post. As we did on our first visit, we stayed at Grove Park Inn. Let me gush for a second: it's a beautiful place. Steeped in history, it manages to be cozy and grand at the same time. There is an air of luxury while managing to be warm and accessible. Everyone I've met from Grove Park Inn has been so friendly, helpful, and accommodating.

Honestly, you really could just stay at the hotel and never leave. The views are breathtaking from the Sunset Terrace (where these first photos were taken). The Spa is one of the most remarkable I've ever seen - I fell asleep sitting in the WAITING AREA before my massage...that's how relaxing it is! Every restaurant there is fabulous in it's own way. You can have a 5 star dining experience at Horizons (which we did with the other judges on Monday night) or a scenic lunch at Sunset Terrace, which was where I ate the above lobster cobb salad like I was a pack of wild dogs. 

That having been said, you're going to miss out on a lot if you don't venture out into the city. We've seen (and eaten!) a lot of Asheville in between our two visits. On this last go-round, we started out our weekend with a lovely dinner at Bistro 1896, which is on Pack Square. The short ribs there were to die for. Afterward, it was on to our favorite little spot in town, French Broad Chocolate Lounge. Dan, one of the owners along with his wife Jael, was there....and so was EVERYONE ELSE IN ASHEVILLE. This place was packed - and for good reason. Their truffles and desserts are some of the best I've ever tasted. We also got to sample their maple bacon ice cream, which was a great riff on a classic butter pecan or maple walnut flavor. The next day, we met our friend Dodie (who works for the Asheville CVB) for brunch at Corner Kitchen. Joe Scully, the chef there, has cooked for us on our last trip and we wanted to visit his restaurant. I had a KILLER bloody mary and house-made corned beef hash topped with perfect poached eggs.

Every evening, it was nice to come back to the hotel and unwind with a glass of wine in front of the huge stone fireplace in the Great Hall. We also spent a good bit of time wandering the halls of the hotel ogling & taking photos of the display of holiday trees. You can tell how much effort is put into creating a warm, festive environment in advance of the competition. The trees really are stunning - each of them with their own theme and loaded with gorgeous decorations. Perfect ways to end perfect days in Asheville.

For more photos from the trip to Asheville, see this Flickr set. I'm saving the photos and details from the competition for another post because it's really like nothing you've ever seen and I want to give it all the credit it's due. Stay tuned!

and the winner is...

Wow! Judging by the number of people who entered this contest, the world is even more obsessed with chocolate than I even realized! Thanks to everyone who took part!

The winner of the copy of Max Brenner's "Chocolate: A Love Story" - chosen by Random Number Generator and not a white fuzzy paw pointing at a comment on the screen - was comment #16, which was posted by Anne from Anne's Food. She said:

"Oh, It's hard to say just one thing, since chocolate is so wonderful, but I think my absolute super-indulgence is chocolate mousse. I make it with a dark, but not bitter, chocolate, and it's sinfully good."

I will be contacting you via the email you provided here in your comment. Congrats! 

Chocolate: A Love Story...and a cookbook giveaway!

Two pieces of useless information about me:

1) I consider both carrot cake and red velvet cake merely vehicles for cream cheese frosting.

2) As some of you have heard before, I am not a fan of chocolate as most people are.

Having recently received a copy of Chocolate: A Love Story from Little Brown, I wasn't quite sure what I would tackle first. Let me say that this is one of the most visually moving and interesting cookbooks I've gotten in a long time - more a food coffee table book than a cookbook, per se. The graphic design elements in the book are like nothing I've ever seen from a cookbook. I was in a full swoon as soon as I opened it.

Trying hard to focus on the recipes as much as I was the design of the book, I got sidetracked as to what I would make first. Flipping through the pages in need of a dessert for a dinner party, I spied a carrot cake. SOLD! Wait...there's no frosting. There's no cream cheese frosting. Keep movin' along then. After I went through the rest of the book, I came back to that carrot cake recipe. A simple cake - something both Mike and I are fans of - chock full of candied ginger, dates, and a just a smattering of chocolate to sweeten things up. 

My first words of wisdom about this recipe are: the batter is a little scary. There is no sugar in this cake - it uses only honey as the sweetening agent. When I tasted the batter before pouring it in the pan, it tasted very mild and almost flour-y. Very thick and gloppy and intimidating. Don't worry - just make sure all of your ingredients are equally combined in the batter and throughout the pan.

I used a mixture of finely and coarsely grated carrots for a little more "tooth" in the cake - something everyone enjoyed. Being fans more of darker chocolate than its sweeter counterpart, I used Scharffen Berger bittersweet chocolate in mine - use whichever you prefer. For my dinner party dessert, I served it with a little maple ginger snap ice cream. The combination was a huge hit. You could also serve this with some cream cheese ice cream as a witty take on the classic. 

I have a copy of Chocolate: A Love Story to give away, courtesy of Little Brown. All you have to do to win this cookbook is leave a comment after this post and tell me what your favorite chocolate indulgence is. A random winner will be chosen at 10 am EST on Friday, November 20th. Please, please, please make sure to include an email address somewhere so I can contact you if you're the winner!

Modest Carrot Cake - makes between 6 and 8 generous servings - recipe originally from Chocolate: A Love Story by Max Brenner

• 1 stick butter, softened
• 1/2 cup good quality wildflower honey
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 2 1/2 cups all purpose flower
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 3 cups freshly grated carrots (about 8 carrots)
• 1/2 cup chopped California dates
• 1/2 cup chopped candied ginger
• 6 ounces dark chocolate, coarsely chopped into chunks (i used Scharffen Berger)

- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Lightly grease a 9 inch round cake pan.

- In a mixing bowl, beat the butter and honey until smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in the milk and orange juice.

- In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet, mixing until just incorporated. Fold in the carrots, dates, ginger and chocolate until just combined.

- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and rap the pan a few times against the counter to knock out any air bubbles. Bake until the crust is a light golden brown and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Cool on a rack. Dust with confectioners sugar before serving.

a little bite

It's a gorgeous Saturday morning and I'm getting ready to hit the road again. I'm on the road to Asheville, NC for a long weekend with my friend Helen. She writes a little blog called Tartelette - have you heard of it? I'm totally kidding - of course you have. It's stunning and fabulous and about 30 other adjectives that I could use off the top of my head. There will be some food adventures and some sightseeing going on before Monday, which is the National Gingerbread Competition. I'm a total food dork and got totally giddy at being able to see it in person instead of bits of it on TV. I'll have a full report when I get back.

In the meantime, I wanted to share a little nibble with you from a shoot I did this past week. Scratch is a new-ish line of baked goods here in Atlanta. Amy, who is a total sweetheart, asked me to take some shots for her of some of her goodies. Folks, they're delicious. Really delicious. So delicious I couldn't have them around the house for fear of eating them all - everyone I came in contact with last week was given huge chocolate chip cookies, the most divine pumpkin chocolate chip bread, and the stunning rugelach you see above. Scratch also does morning yummies like cinnamon roll scones and several kinds of muffins. She also ships outside of Atlanta. Just sayin'.

how sweet of you

I'm not going to mince words here: this is one of the best cookies I've ever eaten. My friend Jen, whom you just met through her soup recipe post, brought these to the Eat on $30 Challenge wrap party. They sat on a plate pretty innocent like. People plowed through all of the savory apps and then made their way to this unassuming brown crackly cookie. Glimmering with a little coarse sugar, they just hinted at how delicious they would be. A plate of them was devoured in mere minutes. Everything you want a cookie to be - sweet but not too sweet, chewy with a little give, perfectly spiced and baked.

Yesterday, a conversation online between Betty and I ended with BOTH of us baking these cookies. When I mentioned that I had made them, other people who attended the party gathered up the ingredients and made them, as well. A viral cookie baking outbreak. There are ginger chewies all over Atlanta...if they haven't been eaten already.

I made this batch - my first - per recipe to see how they turn out. Jen makes two tweaks to hers that I think are crucial: rolling them in coarse Turbinado sugar makes a world of different. The slight crunch of the sugar is incredible with the chewy cookie. Also, she makes her smaller, which aids to a better texture and a slightly flatter cookie. You can adjust the recipe however you prefer yours to be. Just be prepared to eat them quickly.

Ginger Chewies - original recipe shared with me by Jen found on Chow - makes 14

• 2 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon cloves
• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), at room temperature
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup molasses
• About 1/4 cup granulated sugar

- Position a rack in the middle of the oven. Heat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

- Sift the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and ginger, and cloves into a medium bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter and brown sugar, egg and molasses, and mix until blended and an even light brown color, about 1 minute.  Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl as needed during mixing. Add the egg and molasses, and mix until blended and an even light brown color, about 1 minute. On low speed, add the flour mixture, mixing just to incorporate it.

- Spread the granulated sugar on a large piece of wax or parchment paper. Roll 1/4 cup of dough between the palms of your hands into a 2-inch ball, roll the ball in the sugar, and place on one of the prepared baking sheets. Continue making cookies, spacing them 2 inches apart.

- Bake the cookies one sheet at a time until the tops feel firm but they are still soft in the center and there are several large cracks on top, about 14 minutes. Cool the cookies on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then use a wide metal spatula to transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

- The cookies can be stored in a tightly covered container at room temperature for up to 4 days.

something in the air

I realized today that I never posted about this rockin' butternut squash "casserole" I made a couple weeks ago. As I sat down to write this post, I was informed that RWT was chosen by the AJC as one of the best blogs in Atlanta! I'm totally flattered - it was a shocking piece of happy news on a not-so-easy day for me. Hi to everyone that's visiting for the first time! 

Filling a loft that has 28 foot ceilings with wafting smells of any sort is no small feat. This casserole, which I initially found in a copy of a Gourmet cookbook that used to belong to my mom, is one of the most yummy smelling things I think I've ever cooked. The sharp but sweet red peppers, the twang from the rosemary, the warm garlic smell. My neighbor could smell it outside and came by to say that whatever it was I was cooking smelled DIVINE.

Don't expect oozy-gooey cheese with this "casserole" - it's more of a gratin with cube shaped ingredients. Whatever it is, it's a great accompaniment to roasted meats of all sort - pork anything would be heavenly. Also, please do a better job of evenly distributing your Parmesan than I did. Sheesh.

Butternut Squash and Red Pepper Casserole - recipe originally found here - serves 6 as a side dish

• 3 1/2 pounds butternut squash
• 1 large red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• 3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
• 1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary leaves
• freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan (about 2 ounces)

- Preheat oven to 400°F.

- With a sharp knife cut squash crosswise into 2-inch-thick slices. Working with 1 slice at a time, cut side down, cut away peel and seeds and cut squash into 1-inch cubes (about 9 cups).

- In a large bowl stir together squash, bell pepper, oil, garlic, herbs, black pepper, and salt to taste. Transfer mixture to a 2- to 2 1/2-quart gratin dish or other shallow baking dish and sprinkle evenly with Parmesan.

- Bake casserole in middle of oven until squash is tender and top is golden, about 1 hour.

a year to the day

I've turned to this blog many times in the past four years (!!!) - for happy and not-so occasions. Today, I'm sitting down to write whatever comes to mind as I've just been puttering around the loft, flipping open cookbooks, shuffling things around. Not really able to focus on getting the things I need to accomplish done.

A year ago today, my dad passed away at the age of 78 from lung cancer.

Dates like today start building up in your head a few weeks before they creep up on you. The feeling of tension, mindlessness, not being able to pay close attention. I've been through it all before. Recently. Too recently, I often think.

As it was when my mom died three years ago now, the days leading up to the anniversary are way worse than the actual day. Yesterday, I woke up crying and had fits of it all day. Today, however, is just quiet. Pensive. Reflective.

How do I feel today? I miss my family. I'm my parents' only child and have started out on a premature journey to make my own way all by myself. It's lonely sometimes, I can't lie. It's hard sometimes, too. It's the natural order, however - you're supposed to outlive your parents. Grieve the loss of them. Build your own life and honor theirs.

That's what I'm doing. I feel more adult now than I did a year ago. More responsible, more patient. Certainly more focused on my career and this blog. I'm still ridiculously blessed with fabulous friends who today, like every other milestone day in a process that some of them are quite familiar with, reach out to me from wherever they are to support me. I've also lucked upon an incredible partner with whom I am building that life - and it's magic.

So today, while there is a certain grey haze on the day, there is also an overwhelming feeling of gratitude - to my parents for making me who I am and to my friends for letting me be that person. All of you - with me in body, spirit, or both - have my heart.

(photo taken at the Nashville Farmer's Market. why this photo? i dunno - it made me happy today)