A Typical Weekly Menu

I thought it might be interesting to post what a typical weekly menu in the Grow household looks like, so here it goes. This is what we have planned for next week:

Monday:
This is, of course, Meatless Monday, and also our first day back from our LA vacation, so we will be having stir fry using whatever vegetables I have leftover in the fridge, which is quite a lot at this point. Broccoli, peppers, spinach, and snap peas are definitely in order, served in a soy-ginger sauce over brown rice. Dessert will be the best of the season, strawberry rhubarb crisp, with fresh, sun-ripened strawberries from the stand on Jefferson Boulevard.

Tuesday:
I’ve actually been trying to go mostly meatless lately. Tonight I want to try a Japanese dish called Otsu, which is basically soba noodles with cucumbers and fried tofu, tossed with a soy sauce and sesame oil dressing. Got the recipe from 101 Cookbooks, a hugely popular blog focusing mostly on healthy whole foods.

Wednesday:
Cinco de Mayo, which means I’ll be heading to Whole Foods to get a cut of pork (they only ell humanely raised pork, which is a must) for Carnitas! I’m gonna cook it in the slow cooker all day, then have a fiesta that night!

Thursday:
I’m tired by Thursday, so I’ll be going with something simple. I know I have leftover Chicken Sausage in the freezer, so I’ll saute that up with some bell peppers and olive oil and serve over whole wheat pasta with a mixed greens salad.

Friday: I’m completely exhausted by Friday, so we usually do our date night here, often opting for Thai food.

Saturday: Usually it's spontaneous and somewhat laid-back. We’re attending a Yelp ball at the Sterling Hotel (a perk of being an Elite Yelper) with food served from various local restaurants (for free! Yay!).

Sunday: Dinner with my family, who live 10 minutes away. This usually means comfort food prepared by my mom and dessert brought by me. However, this Sunday will be Mother’s Day, so I will supervise my little brother and sister as they attempt to make spaghetti with meat sauce, green salad and a crusty loaf of warmed and buttered bread.

I’m thinking I might get a pie from the infamous, elusive Real Pie Company for dessert, as I’m now on the owner Kira’s exclusive underground e-mail list. Since she’s a stay-at-home mom now, she offers one type of pie each week and alerts fans by e-mail. Then, you have to order your pie and pick it up at the Corti Brothers the next Friday. This week’s offering was an apple, quince and wild bluberry galette. Can you say delish?!

These Are A Few of My Favorite Things (for the Kitchen)

Here are a few of the kitchen gadgets that I cannot live without!

OXO storage containers: I love that they are air-proof so I can safely store my many flours (white, whole wheat, bread, etc.) in them. They pop open so easily when you press the button in the center; press it again, and it's sealed tight! Available at Crate and Barrel and Target.

Microplane box grater: I remember scraping my knuckles against my cheap old grater. No more! This amazing tool gets regular use in my kitchen, as each of its 4 sides boasts a handy tool, from cheese slicer to fine zester.
My aunt bought me this cake tester (also OXO) and it is wonderful. No more knives or toothpicks when I'm testing cakes, brownies, breads, etc. It is so thin that it doesn't even leave a mark.
Again from OXO (did I mention I love that brand?), this cookie spatula is my favorite spatula to use because of its thinness and flexibility. It's great not just for cookies but also for eggs and just about anything that you don't want to break with a thicker, clumsy spatula.

This is one purchase that I haven't made yet, but I know my next indulgence will definitely be a quality pepper grinder. There is no substitute for freshly ground pepper in recipes, and these are my favorite, from Williams-Sonoma. You can see the peppercorns inside, effortlessly grind them with a twist of the wrist, and on the bottom, you can choose how fine or large you want the pepper to be.

Mother's Day Brunch

My sister-in-laws and I collaborated to serve a special Mother's Day Brunch for our mothers and grandmothers today as an expression of appreciation. I feel like it was an inspired idea; between the delicious food and the fun get-to-know-you game we played, it was a delightful bonding experience for all of us! Cheers to Chelsea for hosting.

What are you doing for your mother on May 9th (or before)?

The Orchid Table

The Rose Table

Lemon poppyseed bread with lemon curd, petit fours, pumpkin cookies, and assorted herbal teas

Top: Cucumber sandwiches; Bottom: Leek and Bacon Quiche

Fresh fruit plate and mixed greens

Lemon-Poppyseed Tea Cake

2 large lemons
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
2 1/2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
2 teaspoons poppy seeds

Preheat oven to 325°F. Butter and flour two 9- x 5- x 3-inch metal loaf pans, knocking out any excess flour.

Finely grate enough zest from lemons to measure 2 teaspoons and squeeze enough juice to measure about 1/2 cup. Into a bowl sift together flour, baking powder, and salt.

In a large bowl with an electric mixer beat together butter, 2 cups sugar, and zest until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. With mixer on low speed add flour mixture and milk alternately in batches, beginning and ending with flour mixture and beating just until batter is combined well. Beat in poppy seeds and 1 tablespoon lemon juice and divide batter between loaf pans, smoothing tops. Bake loaves in middle of oven until a tester comes out clean, about 1 hour.

While loaves are baking, in a small bowl stir together remaining lemon juice and remaining 1/2 cup sugar until sugar is dissolved.

Cool loaves in pans on a rack 15 minutes. Run a thin knife around edges of pans and invert loaves onto rack. Turn loaves right side up and pierce tops all over with a thin skewer. Repeatedly brush lemon glaze over tops of loaves until all of glaze is absorbed.

Cool loaves completely. Tea bread keeps, wrapped in wax paper, in an airtight container at room temperature 4 days or, wrapped in foil and frozen, 1 month.

The Secret of the Best German Chocolate Cake

When I was a young girl, my father’s birthday meant Esther Stinchfield’s German Chocolate Cake. At that time, my dad was a bishop in our church and watched over the elderly widows as part of his duties. One sweet, energetic woman called Esther Stinchfield, then in her late 80's, never tired of expressing her appreciation for his help by making his favorite concoction for him each year for his birthday.

The cake she presented him with annually was not a typical German chocolate cake that would weigh one down; instead, it seemed to float in a heavenly manner down to your stomach where it would settle with a great deal of satisfaction. Outside, the cake was smothered in creamy white whipped cream frosting; inside, the moist double-layered cake contained a thick coconut pecan filling.

For years we wondered how she made it taste so good and begged her for the recipe, but she usually just smiled in response to our requests. Finally, when I was a teenager and she was in her 90's, I struck a deal with her. She had been in poor health, so I offered to clean her cute little house if she would teach me the ways of the German Chocolate Cake- and she agreed! I enthusiastically cleaned, then we made her cake step by step, side by side.

As it turned out, she was quite the little tiger and had been using boxed cake mix and canned frosting all those years! I still say her cake is the best - maybe it’s the frosting! The silky, light whipped cream (slightly sweetened with powdered sugar) balances out the dense filling so that overall cake is not too heavy. In recent years, I have learned that if I dot the top of the cake with walnut halves and sprinkle generously with toasted coconut, it makes an extremely impressive dessert. I made this cake last week for a co-worker’s birthday and everyone loved it. It reminded me to be grateful for that wonderful, giving woman who has since passed away. Thanks, Sister Stinchfield - for the "recipe".

10 Simple Ways to Be More Green

Happy Earth Day, everyone! I was browsing chow.com and came across an interesting article, "10 Simple Ways To More Green". I thought I would share some them and see what people thought about these- reasonable, or asking too much? #2 makes me worry about messiness and contamination. Also #1 and #5 seem a little contradictory. What do you think?

1. Buy only what you know you’ll consume in a week, to avoid throwing away stuff you don’t end up using. (Steer clear of the “stockin’ up!” Costco mentality.)

2. Don’t use the plastic bags for fruits and vegetables in grocery stores. Bring your own that you’ve saved at home from when you were less green, or don’t bag at all. Wash and reuse saran wrap—just dry it on the drying rack.

3. Think before you open the oven and fridge so you don’t waste electricity. Don’t stand in front of the open refrigerator eating jam with your fingers. (The first is green; the second is gross.)

4. Don’t ditch beet tops, turnip tops, or radish tops—sauté them and eat them! Save scraps of meat and vegetables in the freezer and make stock when you have enough.

5. Buy stuff from the bulk section to avoid packaging. (Most markets will let you bring any kind of container you want—Mason jar, gym sock, what have you—just weigh it empty first and record the weight somewhere on the container for the checker.)

6. Shop at local, independent grocery stores, bakeries, and other purveyors, as well as at farmers’ markets. Fewer goods will have traveled thousands of miles to get to the shelves.

7. Try some baking soda or coarse salt to remove caked-on food from a pan or oven before you resort to oven cleaner. That stuff is toxic.

8. No bottled water. Ever.

9. Use cold water to wash all but your greasiest of dishes. Hot water heaters use energy.

10. Learn to cook. Eat the Michael Pollan way: mostly plants. Grow your own herbs. Feed your friends—staying in is the new going out.

The Best Pizza Dough You Have Never Tried

One of my favorite magazines, Cooking Light, did a piece on pizza this month. With it, they came out with a fantastic recipe for homemade pizza dough. Reasons to love this dough:

1) It's cheaper than store-bought pizza dough, which can run $4+.
2) The bread flour gives it an excellent, tender texture; the olive oil and kosher salt add an incredibly flavorful nuance. It rises like a dream and browns beautifully.
3) It's so versatile - you can use it on the grill or throw it in the oven on a pizza stone or even on an ordinary cookie sheet (sans ridges).
4) It's incredibly convenient - just mix up the ingredients one night, stick it in the fridge for 24 hours, and it's ready to go for dinner the next night.

We had this pizza tonight, topped with sauteed bell peppers, red onion, mushrooms, and black olives. While it was setting for about 10 minutes after I removed it from the oven, I sprinkled it with freshly torn basil leaves and a little freshly ground pepper. Fantastico!

Basic Pizza Dough
Adapted from Cooking Light

1 c. warm water (100 to 110 degrees)
2 c. + 2 T. bread flour
1 package dry years (about 2 1/4 tsp.)
4 tsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
Cooking spray
1 T. yellow cornmeal

Pour 3/4 c. warm water in the bowl of a stand mixer with dough hook attached. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups and spoons; level with a knife. Add flour to 3/4 c. water; mix until combined. Cover and let stand 20 minutes. Combine remaining 1/4 c. water and yeast in a small bowl; let stand 5 minutes or until bubbly. Add yeast mixture, oil, and 1/2 tsp. salt to flour mixture; mix 5 minutes or until a soft dough forms. Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray; cover surface of dough with plastic wrap lightly coasted with cooking spray. Refrigerate 24 hrs.

Remove dough from refrigerator. Let stand, covered, 1 hour or until dough comes to room temperature. Punch dough down. Press dough out to a 12-inch circle on a lightly floured baking sheet, without raised sides, sprinkled with cornmeal. crimp edges to form a 1/2-inch border. Cover dough loosely with plastic wrap.

Position an oven rack in the lowest setting. Place a pizza stone on lowest rack. Preheat oven to 550F. Preheat the pizza stone for 30 minutes before baking dough. Cover dough with sauce, cheese and toppings of your choice; bake for 11 minutes or until the crust is golden.

4 Places I Want to Visit Before I Die

Venice: I know it’s said to be overrated and falling apart, but it’s so iconic. It feels like the sort of place you should visit at least once. Plus, real Italian food - HELLO!

India: My interest in this culture began in college with a few Bollywood films, expanded with my discovery of Indian cuisine, and I would truly love to explore this amazing country at some point.

Cambodia: I had a friend who was able to travel to Ankhor Wat and the other ruins here. They look incredible!

Bali: I know several people who have been and loved it. Reading Eat, Pray, Love a couple of years ago solidified my inclination to go someday. The beaches, architecture and culture look fascinating.

Where do you want to travel to before you die?