Just a few things...

1. I hate day light savings time. I haven't done my hair or make up once this week. I look like a hot mess at work. I feel like I have jet lag all the time. Annnnnnnd I wore my shirt inside out today until about 10am when my coworker noticed. Not cool, US government. Not cool.

2. Well, maybe I shouldn't blame it all on DLS because last week I accidentally wore my tennis shoes to work. My hot pink tennis shoes with my bright red pants. Then the next day I left my lap top at home and had to run back and get it-1.5 hours later I was back at work and ready to roll. Then the following day I left my delicious lunch on my kitchen counter. So maybe it's me.

3. Kids. Been on my mind lately because a lot of my friends are either preggers, just had their first, or second (what?!?!) child. And can I just say that while I love mommy blogs and read them on the daily, it is like the best form of birth control. Having a todler looks ROUGH. That is all I can say.

4.Andrew and I just booked tickets to Belize! I am thrilled to go scuba diving, visit Mayan ruins, and was extra excited when I discovered we would be back only 3 days before my close friend's wedding. That means I will be tan in the photos! Shallow, I know, but I live in San Francisco where it is sweater season 12 months of the year.

5. Stanley has a new BFF and her name is Harper. The cuteness of it all is overwhelming.

Super Bowl Weekend

I know nothing about pro-football, but I love a good party. At work we got in the Super Bowl spirit with a little pre-game celebration. I was asked to be in charge of the game portion of the party. I decided we would do a trivia contest.

Since I literally know nothing about the 49ers or the Ravens, I spent a lot of time googling and came up with a pretty great Super Bowl/49ers/pop culture trivia game. PR people can get pretty competitive, especially when the prize is packs of gum.

I thought I would share the questions with you, just for fun. Grab your husband/boyfriend/roommate/co-worker and see who wins. Let me know how you do! (Answers are below, underneath the photo of us with our 49ers eye patch thingies.)

1.       When was Janet Jackson's infamous super bowl "wardrobe malfunction"?

2.       How many times have the 49ers been to the Super Bowl? 3, 4, 5, or 6?

3.       How many BILLION chicken wings will Americans consume during the Super Bowl this year? 1, 2, or 3 Billion?

4.       What American singer, songwriter, dancer and actress will perform at halftime show this year

5.       How many tweets, on average, were sent per second during the final three minutes of last year’s in Super Bowl? 5,000, 10,000, or 15,000?

6.       What is the name of the 49ers mascot? Sourdough Sam, Prospector Pete, or Golden Gary

7.       What is the name of the Raven’s mascot? Moe, Joe, or Poe?

8.       Which popular singing group performed LIVE at the 2011 super bowl and got slammed by critics?

9.       Approximately how much will a 30-second commercial cost this year? 3.8 mill, 4.8 mill, or 5.8 mill?

10.   When was the last time the 49ers went to the Super Bowl?

11.   How many Super Bowls have the Raven played in? 1, 2, or 3?

12.   Who is the 49ers starting quarterback this year?

13.   What team does Manti T’eo play for?

14.   What is the name of Baltimore’s professional baseball team?

15.   How many Super Bowls have been held in New Orleans? 5, 8, or 10?

16.   BONUS QUESTION (in case of a tie): After a 4 year hiatus, what song will Justin Timberlake perform at a pre-game concert Saturday night?

 

A1. 2004 Super Bowl

A2. 5

A3. 1.23 billion chicken wings

A4. Beyoncé

A5. 10,000 tweets

A6. Sourdough Sam

A7. Poe

A8. Black Eyed Peas

A9. $3,800,000

A10. 1994

A11. 1

A12. Colin Kaepernick

A13. Notre Dame

A14. Baltimore Orioles

A15. 10

A16. Suit and Tie

 

Ok, how'd you do?

Our 5 Things

I got tagged on Instagram for the 5 Things You Don't Know About Me (thanks Lauren!) but then I saw that my friend Tara posted hers on her blog. Genius!

And she did hers and her husbands so of course I had to jump on that! But, sorry Tara, I am one upping you because I am including 5 things you don't know about Stanley too!

1. I know this infuriates real mothers, but I think having a dog is totally comparable to having kids. I'll let you know if I change my mind when I have babies, but I'm pretty sure Stanley will always be my first born


2. I am horrible at small talk and avoid it at all costs (including hiding in supermarket isles)


3. I am an anti-hoarder and often throw things away without remembering doing it. Bills, money, and clothes have all been fished out of the trash


4. I'm allergic to walnuts and pecans but no other nut (that I'm aware of)


5. I was named Darby (my middle name) after the movie Darby O'Gill and the Little People

1. His least favorite thing is clipping his nails. He HATES how it feels. To him it's like nails on a chalkboard

2. Andrew had two bagels for lunch every day during his last 2 years of college

3. No one but me will ever know this, but Andrew could be a butt model. Seriously.

4. He's so allergic to tree nuts that we keep an epipen shot in the house. I, however, have no idea where it is located at the moment and will be super helpful in an emergency situation

 5. He owns approximately 10 shirts, including his work shirts


 

1. Stanley is a very proper and deliberate eater. If I give him olives with a pit, he will eat all the meat off the olive, suck it clean, and leave the pit on the floor

2. He doesn't like bread. If you give him a piece he'll leave it untouched

3. His favorite thing is licking my legs right after I put on lotion

4. He puts his ears flat against his head and prances around when he's excited to see you which is every time you leave for more than 5 seconds and come back

5. He is terrified of joggers

Double Chocolate Mint Cookies

I am not exactly sure how to write a food blog. I guess it is a little late for that since this blog is 2 years old and pretty much 90% dedicated to food posts. But, moral of the story-I don't know how talk about these cookies.

I could tell you they are the prefect texture-- not cakey, yet moist, light and airy yet very substantial. And I could tell you that the See's mints in these cookies push them right on to my regular cookie cooking rotation list. (I know you have one too.) I could tell you all those things but that is kind of boring.

So instead of talking about that let me tell you about my weekend. I made cookies Saturday morning and took them to a baby shower where they were consumed.

Whew. Not boring at all. Glad I switched tactics.

But seriously, you need them in your life. Well, I do. I won't project my obsessions on to you.

Double Chocolate Mint Cookies

Recipe adapted from How Sweet Eats.

Ingredients:

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 4 ounces bittersweet (mine was 90% but I didn't use dark chocolate cocoa powder {see below}) chocolate, chopped
• 2 cups chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate mint patties, chopped (mine was See's)
• 3 large eggs
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder (preferably dark chocolate cocoa powder)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, melt butter, bittersweet chocolate and 1 cup of chocolate chips. I do this in the microwave, beginning with 30 second increments and stirring until totally melted. Set aside and let cool completely.
2. In a small bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking powder. Set aside.
3. In the bowl of your electric mixer, add sugar and eggs, beating on high until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add in vanilla extract and melted chocolate/butter, beating for another 1-2 minutes until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the whisk or beater attachment, then remove it and stir in the dry ingredients with a large spatula until thoroughly dispersed by just combined. Fold in remaining chocolate chips and mint pieces. Cover the cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge overnight.
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place parchment paper or a silpat on an ungreased baking sheet. Wet your hands with water then begin to roll the dough into 1-inch balls, placing them about 2 inches apart. Do this quickly and if you are doing the cookies in batches, refrigerate the dough in between rounds. Bake for 9-10 minutes. Remove and let cool for at least 10 minutes on the baking sheet. Remove and place on a cookie rack to cool completely. 

January Things

So this place we live. I really like it.

 

Andrew had a birthday (old man) and we celebrated by taking the day off work and exploring the Marin Headlands! We went to Point Bonita Lighthouse where I fell in love with that little house on the cliff.  

 

 

And the birthday boy!!



 

Now that I live 3 hours from family I have reverted to my co-dependent days and force my mom to see me as often as possible. I'm not ashamed.

 

Andrew has to work mandatory 11 hour days and weekends soooo while some work, some play. I met my mama and sister (in law) in Carmel and shopped and ate and basically those are right up there on my "favorite things to do" list.

 

Stanley loves the beach. LOVES.

 

I get a big kick out of this guy.

 

 

 

It was a really nice day.

 

The very next weekend my mama came to the city to visit me. We went to Tartine's for breakfast and my mom was so excited to watch the bakers through the windows that she slammed face first into the glass. The first thing she said after she finished laughing hysterically was, "I paid a lot for this nose!"

 

See why I like her?

 

We took her to Point Bonita Lighthouse because we thought it was so pretty.

 

Afterward we went to the beach. I've decided living near the ocean is a luxury... even though we were in leather jackets, pants and boots. You can't have it all.  

 

Ok I have to go. Gilmore Girls is on and Rory just went to Yale. 

 

Cream Puffs and Robbery, Not in that Order

I haven't posted in a while for a very legitimate reason; we got robbed and they took my camera and laptop.

You can't really blog without a camera and a laptop.

Here is the story. About a month ago I took Stanley for a walk. A 30 minute walk. I locked the door when leaving the apartment and when I came home the door was unlocked. I came in and shortly noticed that my camera and laptop were missing. Nothing else was gone, just those two things. At first I was in denial and searched and searched for them. We live in a studio apartment; there are not a lot of places to put something so it quickly became clear both items were gone, gone, gone.

We called the police and so did our neighbor. The thief also got his laptop and new watch.

I was unnerved and a bit freaked. Understandably. Someone was in our apartment and I was only gone 30 minutes. However, after the fact I was extremely grateful it wasn't worse. I could have been home. They could have taken all the Christmas presents (which were all wrapped and sitting right next to the laptop and camera) or cleaned us out completely and taken the furniture and food Grinch style.

Really, though the camera and laptop were the most expensive things we owned, it really wasn't that huge of a loss. Stuff is just stuff. It's not that important.

And I feel safe again. Our building changed its locks and we got like 5 more locks put in plus motion detectors, surveillance cameras, and those little poison arrows that shoot at Indiana Jones in the Temple of Doom. Plus there's always Stanley, our massive guard dog.

Whoever broke in was lucky this beast wasn't around at the time.

And that is the story. Sad one, right? Well here is something to cheer you up: cream puffs!

All photos are courtesy of my phone. It will be awhile before we replace our laptop and camera.

I have been eating cream puffs a lot lately. There is this place in the city that sells them for $5 a pop and I can't stop craving them and going there. Well, when I was home at Christmas my sister-in-law made some from scratch and I was shocked! It never occurred to me that I could make them on my own. They seem so complicated. In fact, right before Christmas Andrew was telling me I should make some since I have wanted them so often and I told him you had to buy special pastry tools that scrape out the inside to make them hollow.

Dead serious. I truly believed that. The lies I tell. I don't even know where I come up with this stuff. A pastry scraper. Hah.

Turns out they are pretty easy. I think this took me an hour, from start to eating. That being said, I wont lie. There are a lot of steps involved which results in kind of a lot of dishes. I wish cooking could be my hobby without dishes becoming a hobby as well.

But, the pastry dough is super simple to make and guess what! it magically bakes up hollow. It has something to do with steam, my chef-uncle told me. No pastry scraper needed. Then I just whipped up some vanilla and chocolate whipped cream and WHAM. Cream puffs for days. Cravings solved.

Enjoy!

Pâte à Choux (Cream Puff Pastry)

Recipe from A Steamy Kitchen

• 1 c water
• 1 stick butter
• 1 c all purpose flour
• 1 pinch of salt
• 4 large eggs (next time I make this I am only to use 3 or 3 1/2 as I thought this was a bit too egg-y)
• 2 tsp granulated sugar

Preheat oven 425F.

1. In a medium pot, bring the water and butter to a simmer on medium heat. Add the flour and with a wooden spoon or spatula, stir very quickly in one direction. Carefully watch and you'll see that the flour starts absorbing the liquid -- and a dough will form. Keep stirring to continue cooking the flour and cook off some of the water, another minute or two.

2. You can do the next step one of two ways:

• Transfer the paste to the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or to a bowl if you're using a hand mixer. (I chose this method and used my Kitchen Aid.)
• If you want to mix the eggs directly into the dough in the pot, let it cool slightly, 4 or 5 minutes, or cool off the pan itself by running cold water over its base if you will be mixing the eggs in that pot. You don’t want to cook the eggs too quickly.

3. Add the salt and the eggs one at a time mixing rapidly until each is combined into the paste. The paste will go from shiny to slippery to sticky as the egg is incorporated. The pâte a choux can be cooked immediately at this point or refrigerated for up to a day until ready to use.

4. Spoon the dough into a large gallon-sized plastic bag (or piping bag.) Use your hands to squeeze dough towards the bottom corner. With kitchen shears, snip off just the tip of the bag. Pipe onto a baking sheet into little puffs, keeping the puffs 2-inches apart. With your finger, press down the peaks (as they can burn.) Bake at 425F for 10 minutes, then 350F for 18-30 minutes, depending on the size of your puffs (mine were about 20 minutes). DO NOT PEAK AT THEM WHILE THEY BAKE.

5. Let them cool before inserting the filling or else the filling will run.

Vanilla and Chocolate Whipped Cream Filling

• 2 pints heavy whipping cream, divided
• 4 TBS granulated sugar, divided
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 TBS cocoa powder

1. In a large mixing bowl, mix on high 1 pint of cream with 2 TBS sugar and 1 tsp vanilla until stiff peaks arise.
2. Scrap whipped cream in a piping bag or gallon ziploc and cut the very tip of the ziploc. Push the bag into the pastry ball and fill until filling is popping out of  your filling hole. If you are using a ziploc, you may need to cut a little "x" into the ball with a paring knife.
3. Fill half the cream puffs.
4. In a large mixing bowl, mix on high 1 pint of cream with 2 TBS sugar, and 1 TBS cocoa powder until stiff peaks arise.
5. Repeat steps 2-3.

Nom nom.

Chicken and Veggie Braid

Carbs. Can I just say it? Wrap anything up in carbs and it is immediately delicious. For example: meat pies, sheperd's pie, and beef wellington. Really, meat wrapped in bread/pie crust? That sounds disgusting. But it isn't! Carbs are magical and have super powers and best of all are calorie free! Yay for carbs!!

And tis the same with this meal. Chicken and veggies covered in saucy goodness and laid to rest in a bread pillow. Yes, please. I think this is probably one of my most impressive, yet easiest-to-make meals. I especially like it because it has your main entree and side dishes all crammed into one package, so no need to plan out side dishes and what not. And it is filling and delicious. Win, win, win.

I make this pretty much every time I have guests and people always think it is way more gourmet and time-intensive than it really is. Since it looks a little tricky/intimidating, I thought I would do my fist step-by-step post. Enjoy!

Step 1 (not pictured): Make this bread dough (yes, I know it is labeled pizza dough but it is amazing and I use it for everything) and set it aside to rise. Then, cook one un-seasoned chicken breast in a grill pan or however you'd like. Let it cool and then cut it into cubes.

Throw your cubed, cooked chicken breast in a bowl with whatever veggies you like, cheese, mayo, garlic, salt, and dill. Mix it all up nice and good.

Plop your dough onto a floured surface.

 Roll the dough into a rectangle. Or a blob that kind of resembles a rectangle. No one is judging!

 Cut dough into strips, about 1' wide and 3' deep. Leave the last 3' of the the dough un-cut. Make sure you cut the same number of strips on both sides.

Place your chicken-veggie filling in the center of the dough.

Fold both ends of the dough (the un-cut 3' inch heel parts) over the paste. Begin braiding the bread by taking a dough strip from the left side, placing it over the filling, then grabbing the opposite dough strip on the right side and placing it over the filling. The right strip should be covering about half of the left strip.

Place on a lightly sprayed cookie sheet and bake at 475 for 15 minutes.

Pull it out and admire the beauty.

Chicken and Veggie Braid

Ingredients:

• 1 chicken breast, cooked and cut in cubes
• 1 1/2 cups of veggies. I mix it up every time depending on what I have in the fridge but a few favorites have been zucchini, squash, corn, peas and carrots or just peas and carrots.  I've had it with broccoli and peppers too but that isn't my top choice.
• 1 garlic clove, pressed
• 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• ½ cup mayonnaise
• 1 tsp dried dill weed
• ¼ tsp salt

Directions:

1. Make this pizza/bread dough and set aside to rise.
2. Bake 1 un-seasoned chicken breast. Let it cool and cut it into cubes.
3. Preheat oven to 475.
4. Place chicken and veggies in bowl, garlic, cheese, mayo, salt, and dill.  Mix well.  
5. Roll out into a rectangle.  On longest side, cut dough into strips, 1 ½ inches apart, 3 inches deep. LEAVE 6’ UNCUT DOWN THE CENTER FOR FILLING.  Spread filling over dough.
6. To braid, life strips of dough across the filling to meet in center.  Continue, alternating strips to form a braid.
7. Place on a greased cookie sheet and bake at 475 for 15 minutes or until deep golden brown.  Cut and serve.