help! how would you cook purple artichokes?
I keep seeing these gorgeous purple baby artichokes at my local fruit and veggie market. I am enamored by them, but I have no idea how to cook or serve. I’ve done some searching, and most of what I have found is how to use them as decoration. They make lovely tabletop pieces, as seen here in this Food Network story about Thanksgiving ideas or this suggestion from CasaSugar on alternative wedding bouquets.
Surely they must be more than a pretty face? Any suggestions on how to cook? Do you just steam them like regular ‘chokes and take tiny bites? Sounds unsatisfying… Help!
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kinda genius: universal wrapping paper
Confession time: I’m terrible at wrapping presents. I always have the best intentions. I walk by Paper Source’s windows and think, “Ohhh, that’s what I want to be!” I want to be one of those people with a gift wrapping station complete with a dozen different colors of washi tape and tinsel bows. I want to present my wedding shower gift and have everyone coo over the homemade tissue paper violets perched beside the bow. But, let’s cut the crap, I never am. I don’t have the time, money, or energy to make paper turkeys to decorate Thanksgiving cards. I always end up wrapping birthday presents in leftover Christmas paper. My cringe-worthy, rock bottom moment came when I presented a baby shower gift in a slightly used Halloween trick-or-treat bag.
There is hope for me yet! A light on the end of the horizon has appeared in Wordless Design’s universal wrapping paper. The paper allows you to choose your own celebration by circling the appropriate sentiment. Not only is the paper universally usable (cutting down on having to stock rolls and rolls of specific birthday, mother’s day, Hanukkah, Valentine’s Day, Festivus, etc. paper), but it’s also sharp, clean, and minimalistically appealing. Five sheets of this rad wrapping is about 15€.
v-day help: chow.com’s valentine’s day menu game
Hey there, fellow citizens of Procrastination Nation! With Valentine’s Day looming large it’s time for the yearly scramble to make that last-minute dinner reservation. (Table for two at 4:30 pm?) But if you haven’t already, don’t: Consumerist confirms what we’ve known all along about this commercial love fest – that it makes statistical sense to stay home and eat in on V-day. Not sure what to make? Let the stars decide with Chow.com’s Zodiac Valentine’s Menu Game . Simply enter your astrological sign and that of your sweetie to generate a menu catered to your specific tastes complete with recipes for the recommended appetizer, main dish and dessert. But if a dinner out is a must, you’re in luck: White Castle is still taking reservations .
what i’ve been cooking over the holidays
It feels like the past five days have been a blur of cooking, eating and cleaning. Here's roundup of some of the recipes I've been using over the holiday weekend.
1. Popovers. These are one of my favorite special treats. They’re great for breakfast, served warm with butter, honey and your favorite jams. On Christmas, I gave them the “Yorkshire” pudding treatment, plating them up alongside the main course of beef and gravy.
2. Beef Tenderloin with Port Reduction Sauce. I found this recipe on Epicurious and thought it would be the perfect thing for our holiday dinner. Beef tenderloin sounds fancy, but it’s actually crazy easy. As this recipe instructs, the key is to “dry brine” the meat for about 24 hours before cooking. To do this, simply cover the beef in course salt, and let it sit, uncovered, on a racked pan in your fridge for at least 24 hours. It will look a little dry when you take it out, but trust me the results will be tender and juicy. Before cooking, rub olive oil all over, and then cover in a cracked pepper crust. I also made the gravy the night before, cooking down a sauce of Cognac and port until it was nice and thick.
3. Sausage and Swiss Chard Strata. We had guests sleep over on Christmas Eve and I wanted something easy and satisfying to serve on the big morning after opening presents. The night before, I prepared a sausage and Swiss chard strata from Martha Stewart Living. It’s basically an egg and bread lasagna. First you cook the sausage, then the chard, and then you layer in a baking dish with slices of day-old baguette. Pour a mixture of egg and milk over top so it is soaked thoroughly. The next morning, before baking, I added a layer of grated Gruyere on top and baked it about 45 minutes. It was so delicious. I will definitely do this again — perhaps even for dinner one night!
4. Perfect Pot Roast. We had a lot of leftover mashed potatoes after the holiday dinner, so I decided to make a pot roast to go with them. Really, I was wanted an excuse to finally try Pioneer Woman’s perfect pot roast. It was so easy to cook it was almost criminal! I took out my trusty Le Creuset French oven, and set to work. First, sear a couple of onions followed by a whole bunch of carrots on the stove. Then, brown the chuck roast. Afterwards, everything comes out of the pan and add a little red wine, stirring up with whisk to loosen all the bits on the bottom. Put everything back in the pan, add some beef broth with fresh rosemary and thyme, put the lid on it, and stick it the oven for four hours or so. Let me tell you, those leftover mashed potatoes never tasted so good!
What have you been cooking the past few days? I’d love to hear about it. — Angela M.
any over-the-top holiday lights in your neighborhood?
Here’s a sure sign that I have moved to the ‘burbs: There are some crazy Jerseylicious holiday lights nearby! The other night, we joined our wonderful neighbors for a new tradition — drive-by gawking at all the yard bling in Union, NJ. However, after spotting this insane display we actually had to get out of the car for a closer look. Every inch of the property was covered — from the life-sized Mr and Mrs Claus waving from the front steps to the blinking spiral candies around the border. We were in awe. Though I admit to having a couple of retro-style snowmen lights on our front porch, it literally pales in comparison. Best of all, they weren’t the only ones on the block partaking in the festive adornments. It was refreshing to see others were inspired — not intimidated — by the display.
Do you have a neighborhood you like to visit to see over-the-top lights? — Angela M.
More holiday decorations posts:
Christmas is over but we’re leaving the lights
