bouchon bistro & bakery

after reading and obsessing over the bouchon bakery book i really wanted to go and try the bouchon bistro. they have locations in yountville, las vegas, and beverly hills. the closest one to us is beverly hills and we made the longish drive to get there during the weekday (in hopes to avoid crowds). 

mom paying at the bakery

not cheap but delicious

the chocolate macaroons and chocolate almond croissants were my fave

really pretty dining interior 

mom & nico 

gold hardware! 

croque madame

soooo good 

great service and pretty ambiance 

it was a really fun experience but i was shocked that they charged $7.50 for water per bottle! 

welcome to beverly hills 

oh valentines day...

via

ahhh valentines day...even when i was single i LOVED valentines day. all the red & pink in the stores just make me happy. isn't this fort just amazing? i would love to surprise ry with this but i definitely don't have gorgeous fabric just laying around my house waiting to be draped all romantic-like. 

but that would be awesome if i did. 

valentines day makes me want to go crazy decorating everything in my house with hearts and love quotes everywhere. love quotes like this:

via 

and i wish i had sunglasses like these:

via

but even better than sunglasses- FOOD!
(well, i guess it depends on which sunglasses...these are so lovely)

for valentines day i love making spicy shrimp and spaghetti aglio olio. tastes great and doesn't take a lot of effort- perfect! thank you rachael ray!

happy valentines day!

Spicy Shrimp and Spaghetti Aglio Olio (Garlic and Oil)
Recipe courtesy Rachael Ray

Prep Time:30 minInactive 
Prep Time: -- 
Cook Time:15 min

Level:
Intermediate
Serves:
4 servings

Ingredients
Spicy Shrimp:

2 pounds jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 lemon, juiced
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley (a couple of handfuls)
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
4 cloves garlic, crushed and peeled
Coarse salt, about 1 teaspoon
2 tablespoons (a couple of generous drizzles) extra-virgin olive oil
Aglio Olio:

1/4 cup (4 turns around the pan in a light stream) extra-virgin olive oil
1 (2-ounce) tin anchovy fillets
6 to 8 large cloves garlic, crushed and minced
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 cup finely chopped flat leaf parsley, a couple of handfuls
Coarse salt
1 pound spaghetti, cooked to al dente
Tomato and Onion Salad, as an accompaniment
Crusty bread, as an accompaniment
Directions
Combine shrimp with next 6 ingredients and toss to coat shrimp evenly.

Heat a large, nonstick skillet over medium high heat, then add half of the shrimp. Cook shrimp 3 minutes until pink and just firm. Remove shrimp to a warm platter and repeat process with remaining shrimp.

Return pan to heat and reduce heat to medium low. Add 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil. Add anchovies, garlic, and pepper flakes to oil. Break up anchovies with a wooden spoon until they melt away into the oil and garlic mixture.

Toss spaghetti in the pan with parsley and the garlic oil, then season with a little coarse salt, to your taste. Top servings of garlic and oil spaghetti with spicy shrimp and serve with Tomato and Onion Salad and Crusty Bread.

Cook's Notes: Prepare the shrimp while the pasta is cooking.

Prep your garlic and parsley for aglio olio and set them, as well as drained pasta and remaining ingredients all within arm's reach of your stove top.

The aroma will be intense! Cooked anchovies have a salted-nutty (rather than fishy) taste that compliments the garlic as it sweetens and softens.

Tomato and Onion Salad:
5 medium plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise, gently seeded, and thinly sliced
1 small white skinned onion, peeled, halved lengthwise, and thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley (a couple of handfuls)
A generous drizzle extra-virgin olive oil, about 2 tablespoons
Coarse salt and black pepper
Crusty Bread, as an accompaniment
Toss the tomatoes and onions with the chopped parsley, oil, salt, and pepper. Let stand while you prepare dinner, about 20 minutes. Re-toss and serve salad with crusty bread for mopping up juices and oil.

Yield: 4 servings

staying in

a bright pepper pasta 

trying to chase the winter blues away

not working- although i love the tea towel pictured

a quick photo while i whip up dinner

 adorable 

petite paletas

ive always loved Mexican and Spanish desserts. my mom would always make flan at Thanksgiving and on special occasions. when i was baptized i remember a few dishes of the golden brown yummies being gobbled up really fast.

 growing up in southern california i felt like i was brought up eating Mexican food once i could eat solids. particularly, Mexican desserts...hot chocolate & churros (the best pairing ever), horchata (not a dessert but sure tastes like one), polvorones (wedding cookies), tres leches cake (my ultimate favorite cake), and last but definitely not least paletas (icepops). oh so good. i grew up with the inexpensive popsicles stashed up in the freezer- the whole rainbow! i never really fell in love with the more gourmet paletas until later. 

when it came to figuring out how to make my own paletas, the obsession started last summer when i was in the earlier stages of pregnancy. what did i crave? ice pops! surprise surprise. on a family trip to miami i ate like a ravenous woman. i just blame my sweetie pie colette- she loves food! haha

after the trip i hunted down a book specifically on paletas and took a chance on this one

thank you fany gerson

this has fulfilled my paleta cravings

here is a free recipe posted on amazon and so far its my favorite!

Paletas de Yogurt con Moras
(Yogurt Icepops with Berries)


MAKES 8 TO 10
1 lemon
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1-1/2 cups plain unsweetened Greek-style yogurt
2 tablespoons honey
2 cups fresh blackberries, or the berry of your choice

Rinse the lemon, then peel it. (This recipe uses only the peel, so save the lemon for a different use.) Combine the water and sugar in a small saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring, until the mixture comes to a boil and the sugar has dissolved. Add the lemon peel, lower the heat, and simmer for 5 minutes. Let cool to room temperature. Strain the syrup through a fine-mesh sieve, then refrigerate until chilled.


Put the yogurt and honey in a blender, add the chilled syrup, and blend to combine. Pour a bit of the yogurt mixture into each of the molds, to a height of about 3/4 inch. Freeze until the mixture begins to set, about 40 minutes. If the blackberries are big, cut them in half. Divide the blackberries among the molds, then pour in the remaining yogurt mixture, dividing it evenly among the molds.

If using conventional molds, snap on the lid and freeze until solid, 3 to 4 hours. If using glasses or other unconventional molds, freeze until the pops are beginning to set (45 minutes to 1 hour), then insert the sticks and freeze until solid, 3 to 4 hours. If using an instant ice pop maker, gently fold the blackberries into the yogurt prior to filling the molds and follow the manufacturer’s instructions.

and here is my version with raspberries plucked from the backyard:

i know there isn't much difference in the 3 pictures of the paletas but colette is just too cute!

peanut butter hot chocolate

image and recipe from Dolcetto Confections

Tried this recipe out the other day. A perfect cure to gloomy day blues. Seriously so good. I substituted the milk chocolate for a teaspoon of instant chocolate powder and it still turned out yum. Left out the whipped cream because I was feeling lazy but I'm sure it would have been positively dreamy. 

happy weekending to you! AND happy Chinese new year early!

Peanut Butter Hot Chocolate

adapted from Martha Stewart Living, February 2011

active time 5 minutes

total time 10 minutes

makes 4 servings

This recipe is the perfect cure for the winter blues - not only a vessel of warm, thick liquid, but also boasting the irresistible combination of chocolate and peanut butter. I replace the whole milk and cream with skim milk, allowing the richness of the chocolate and the peanut butter to ring through. This substitution also provides the perfect recovery drink for runners returning from a long, cold winter run.

Ingredients

2 cups skim milk

1½ ounces bittersweet chocolate

1½ ounces milk chocolate

3 tablespoons creamy peanut butter

Heavy cream, whipped to soft peaks, for serving

Preparation Instructions

In a medium saucepan over low heat, warm milk until it just begins to simmer and bubbles form around the edge of the pan. Whisk in chocolates and peanut butter until melted and smooth. Cover and continue warming over low heat until warm. For a thicker cup of cocoa, simmer hot chocolate uncovered until desired thickness is achieved. Ladle hot chocolate into individual mugs and top a dollop of whipped cream.

happy thanksgiving

via martha stewart

today is thanksgiving for us which equals a busy day of cooking!

here is the menu:

brown sugar, mustard-glazed ham

green beans with hollandaise sauce

creamy garlic mashed potatoes with gravy 

stuffing with celery and onions

cranberry sauce (maybe if i have time...)

apple cider

no dessert this year! ill be whipping up pumpkin chocolate pie after our visit to ry's family for a non-traditional thanksgiving (indian food). im bummed that there will be no turkey to eat this year (turkeys are way to big for two people) so we decided to cook a ham instead with the traditional sides. ill be missing my mom's paella, turkey and cranberry salad. YUM. maybe she will freeze some leftovers for me :) a pregnant woman hopes. 

hope you have a wonderful thanksgiving weekend. enjoy your black friday too. will you be participating in some sales? i love cyber monday so much more than black friday- no crowds!

happy thanksgiving friends! hope you enjoy time with your loved ones. 

*and im sure most of you already know the gender of baby but im waiting to post pictures to "officially" reveal it here on ze blog ;) 

**check out martha stewart thanksgiving menus here (super helpful when planning!)

make it a magical martha holiday

a few months ago luckily stumbled upon a free year subscription of martha stewart living magazine

yippeee!!!

magazines are not a need but a want so normally i have zero subscriptions

 (it helps keep the paper monster away from my house too)

i always look forward to the december issue

seriously the best

provides great inspiration for the holidays

a pretty cover page

let's glitter everything!

the glittered deer idea has been around forever but i never tire of it!

pretty silver

a star themed Christmas cookie party

ooh fabulous!

have you received/picked up the December Living issue yet? do you have any other magazines that have amazing Christmas issues too? id love to know about them

here is martha interviewing at google 

presenting her new entertaining book

watch out- she cursed! 

menu for the week

the pioneer woman's chicken tortilla soup

pretty huh?

monday: chicken tortilla soup- its soup season!
tuesday: spaghetti aglio olio and roasted veggies- you must like anchovies for this one, so yum
wednesday: baked rigatoni with bechamel sauce- luscious and indulgent pasta bake
thursday: black beans and rice- first time trying this one out, ill let you know how it goes
friday: chicken carbonara- another recipe im trying out for the first time, looks super good
saturday: meatloaf, peas and rice- not sure if i should try this one or this one
sunday: white chicken chili from our best bites

wish i could tell you one of those days is a "leftover" day but i have had quite the appetite and eating more than i thought i would! yikes! im so grateful that the morning sickness has been slowly ebbing away. its either im sick in the morning or sick in the afternoon/evening, but thankfully not the all day sickness that i have been experiencing for the past couple months. looking forward to rekindling a relationship with food!

my chicken salad

one of my favorites

ingredients:

roasted chicken

real mayo (or veganaise)

mustard

salt and pepper

lemon juice

grapes (optional)

celery 

dill (one of those herbs you either love or hate- i LOVE)

so good! roasted chicken is key- the flavors seemed more developed versus boiling chicken. however, last week my friend S made me some chicken salad with chicken boiled and it was very good too. whatever works for you! i love making this as a leftover to roasted chicken. 

watch this video by barefoot contessa- her chicken salad looks so tasty!

freezable make-ahead recipes

pot sticker dumplings and soy-vinegar sauce

one of my favorite snack/side dish foods

not to say this can't be the star in a meal 

ry loves em

i make mine with pork, but this turkey variation looks good too!

recipe here

savory chicken pocket pies

a great "to-go" food

have not tried it yet 

but im looking forward to it!

recipe here

profiteroles

do i need to explain these?

recipe here

all three are from lucinda scala quinn (mad hungry)

i adore her!

need to get her cookbook...birthday gift?

how-to video for all three here

tender mercies

via

sometimes you just can't cook

its funny coming from me who normally loves to cook!

but when you have a tough day- the last thing you want to see is your oven

thank goodness for caring and attentive visiting teachers

my visiting teacher S came by and delivered me dinner yesterday

yummy sloppy joes, rolls, smashed potatoes, lemon butter broccoli, fresh cherries and zucchini brownies

so delicious 

home-cooked meals are the best

 feeling so blessed

another day that i know that God is looking out for me

the sandwich guy

via

a hello kitty sandwich? i say yes!

via google images

recently i have been addicted to watching the Next Food Network Star and i was surprised to see Jeff the Sandwich King win! i kinda was hoping for Suzy to win but i think Jeff's idea is a little more fun. 

Sandwiches!

for the first time in a LONG time i made my first sandwich during the weekend of my brother-in-law's wedding in Colorado. and i fell in love again. throughout our 3 years of marriage i told myself i would never make an ordinary cold-cut sandwich for ry- maybe a panini or something that takes a little more effort. but after that sandwich in colorado- yum. 

craving sandwiches all over again!

the hunt for good Chinese food

map and more explanations here

there are always pros and cons to where you live and once you do choose a place its how you deal with the cons that make life happier. this might be a very superficial con, but to me its a con nonetheless.

utah= no good Chinese food

 (or most ethnic food for that matter- even typical American chain food is not as good)

even when ry and i have gone out to eat at some chain restaurants the version i ate out-of-state was better. example= a pasta dish at Romano's Macaroni Grill in Cali tasted better than one in Murray, Utah

*although i have noticed the food closer to salt lake was a tad better. 

there have been select places where the food has been okay but never "wow" .  not trying to say that i am a food critic by any means- i just want the good food that i grew up with! 

my parents have happily fed my siblings and i  lots of Chinese food. my dad is obsessed. i am partial to the Cantonese style of  Chinese cooking (probably because my dad is too). when i was attending school in idaho i looked forward to every holiday or break so that i could go home to my parents and eat Chinese food.

its not only a type of food, its a memory that sends me back to my childhood.

luckily, this weekend my family and i had the opportunity to test out two Chinese restaurants- i was surprised!

01. Red Maple Chinese Restaurant- a Cantonese restaurant. my cousin-in-law picked this place out for his wedding rehearsal dinner. it was good! not as good as places in Cali, but definitely not bad. i would come back here again, most likely for dim sum. the sea bass was my fave.

02. Wa Me Chinese Restaurant- a Szechuan restaurant. no ambiance whatsoever (a-hole-in-the-wall). food came in a timely manner. service was okay. i recommend anything spicy- if you love spicy food you would love Szechuan style cooking. the rice cake and spicy beef were great. definitely coming back. another plus? its well priced.

okay so there are only two restaurants i can talk about right now, but im looking forward to tasting more Chinese/Asian restaurants and discovering new places.

any tasty Asian places in Utah you recommend?

*if you do visit Cali (or Vegas) head to Sam Woo my absolute favorite. they have locations peppered throughout Southern California and i believe one location in Nevada. it is Cantonese style cooking.

some favorite dishes of mine:
house special chow mein, shrimp with walnuts, fish mao soup, winter melon soup, duck with spring onion and buns, house special fried rice- and many others that i can't remember off the top of my head right now. maybe i will steal a menu next time :)

grilling on a saturday

photos of us grilling 3 weeks ago

ry really enjoys the grill

i haven't conquered it yet

guess it doesn't come natural for me

the shrimp turned out the best

SO GOOD!

the sauce was a lemon butter sauce

why does butter do magical things for food?

grilling peaches

grilled peaches with blackberries and vanilla ice cream

a nice change from typical desserts

*today i am flying back home to ry*

miami was super fun

pictures to come this week

down home with the neely's cheesy veggie flatbread

a delicious and more importantly simple flatbread recipe

i guess you could call it a "veggie pizza" too

used zucchini, red onion and radish

it was so yummy!

the veggies all in rows

pretty

radish centers are pretty

i love the pattern!

edged the flatbread in radish slices

parmesan cheese, olive oil, red pepper flakes on top

done!

delish

Gina's Cheesy Flat Bread

Recipe courtesy The Neelys 

Prep Time:

15 min

Inactive Prep Time:

--

Cook Time:

25 min

Level:

Easy

Serves:

2 to 4 servings

Ingredients

• 4 ounces goat cheese
• 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon freshly chopped basil leaves
• 2 tablespoons freshly chopped chives
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Flour, for work surface
• 3/4 pounds store-bought pizza dough
• 1 medium red onion, sliced thin
• 1 zucchini, cut into thin rounds
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

In a large bowl fold together the goat cheese, cream cheese, garlic and herbs. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper.

Line a sheet tray with parchment paper and lightly flour a work surface. With a rolling pin, roll the dough into an oval shape that fits a half sheet tray and lay out on the parchment paper.

Spread dough with the goat cheese mixture, leaving a 1/2-inch edge. Arrange the red onion in a row, overlapping slightly. Repeat with the zucchini.

Brush the red onion, zucchini, and crust with olive oil. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes, salt and pepper, to taste, and the Parmesan. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes.

Remove from oven and using a pizza cutter, slice into thin strips for serving.

blueberry craving

lemon blueberry tart

im sure its amazing

recipe here

wishing that i could grow a lemon tree

can't really live without em

i have a bowl of limes and lemons pretty much always

on the dining table

mixed berry salad with mint

perfect for the season

simple and easy

recipe here

blueberry and buttermilk tart

maybe i should take my new tart pan out for a spin

this recipe looks like it could be great

blueberries and raspberries always remind me of summer

and the fourth of july

they are just perfect

all the talk about the superfruits of the world

well i think that the blueberry is a superfruit in its own right

yea for summer!

have a happy fourth of july

today i will be spending it with my family 

shopping, eating, movie watching

i absolutely love when my family comes to visit

all via martha