Creamy Green Bean and Orzo Salad (7/6/2010)

I would like to declare a victory for myself in this latest battle of Carissa vs. Blogger. I have been trying for forever to get a certain gadget I have since learned is called a "LinkWithin" to appear on my blog. A huge thanks to Holly at Phe.mom.enon for answering the big question. Now at the end of every post there will be links to similar recipes/posts.
May I tell you all a little about were I am living? I live in an apartment complex called Remmington in Midvale, Utah. I have lived here for almost exactly 3 years. The first two passed without incident, but this last one (and I blame it on the economy, really) has been, as Gwen Stefani so wisely puts it, B.A.N.A.N.A.S.

Incident One: Jacob goes down to the soda machine to get a soda and sees a couple having sex in our apartment pool. I can't believe it, so I walk down to check it out. Yep. My response? Call apartment management. Yuck.

Incident Two: I stop by the Walgreen's located immediately across the street from my complex, and witness a prostitution deal go down involving a girl who looks about 17. And yes, I am SURE that's what it was. You don't just wear cut-off denim booty shorts and fishnets in the middle of winter. Not in Utah (unless you want to be stoned into unconsciousness by members of the Mormon Relief Society). My response? Call 911.

Incident Three: A mere 2 months later Jacob and I are awakened by the sound of fighting. We look out our window into the lot next door to our complex and see two party vans, one white, one black, parked but still running. A couple has gotten out of one of the vans and is arguing. The man proceeds to push the woman against the wall and strangle her. Seriously? I mean, really? My response? Call 911. However, as I am on the phone with the operator I notice Jacob is gone. I then see a flash of white darting across the apartment parking lot three stories below, hear yelling and the exchange of threats, realise that Jacob is downstairs in his underwear and trying, unsuccessfully, to pull the terrified woman over a six foot cement wall. It all ends in the couple getting back into a van when Jacob yells out "I called the cops!" And no follow up by the police whatsoever. I expected at least to see a cop car sweep the lot.

Incident Four: Looking out from our patio across the above mentioned lot we can see directly into someones back yard. They seem to be having a party. Couples, families, and kids are all sitting around when out of NOWHERE one of the guys starts beating on people with a baseball bat. Apparently someone called the cops because they show up shortly there after and begin searching for the guy who Jacob and I can SEE hiding behind a large bush. We can see that the cops aren't able to find him. Jacob drives over there and saves the day! But, seriously? A baseball bat?

If anyone knows of a cool place for rent...

Creamy Green Bean and Orzo Salad, with Buttermilk Chive Dressing

Ingredients:
(for the dressing)
- 2 Tbsp. buttermilk
- 2 Tbsp. mayonnaise
- 1 Tbsp. cider vinegar
- 2 tsp. snipped fresh chives
- 1 tsp. sugar
- 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
(for the salad)
- 1/3 cup uncooked orzo pasta
- 1 cup diagonally sliced green beans
- 1 Roma tomato, seeded and cut into strips
- Kosher salt and black pepper

Directions:
Whisk together buttermilk, mayonnaise, vinegar, chives, sugar, and Dijon in a bowl to dissolve sugar.
Cook pasta in boiling salted water according to package instructions. Add beans during last 2 minutes of cooking. Drain pasta and beans; cool to room temp.
Add pasta mixture to tomatoes and dressing; toss until coated. Cover salad; chill until ready to serve.

Jacob's Birthday: Tomato and Tapenade Tarts and a White Chocolate and Brownie Torte (for the man who only likes cake when his mom makes it)(5/10/2010)

Here are a couple of recipes that I made for Jacob on his birthday (which was May 4th). I threw him a last minute American Idol themed birthday party. We all dressed up like American Idol contestants/judges from this season, and Jacob got to decide who looked the best. The hands down winner was Jacob's sister Ashley (Crystal Bowersox), who got a box of HoHo's and a box of Zingers. A close second was her husband Jake, who dressed up like Simon (wearing one of Ashley's extra-small v-neck tees). These two recipes were a big success. I also made... attempted to make these cute little chocolate covered ice cream balls. (Not my picture... obviously.)


After hours and hours of ice cream scooping, freezing, chocolate melting, refreezing prep work that started the night before:
...here is the result:
... melted ice cream on a cookie sheet. With nuts.

On a happier note, the un-cake I made for Jacob turned out ok! Jacob only likes the cake his mom makes, when she makes it... and I'm totally ok with that... So I recommend this un-cake to you if you have someone in your life who is not fond of cake in general.


White Chocolate and Brownie Torte
Recipe from: Four Ingredient Cookbook, by Joanna Farrow

Cook time: 14 hours (including overnight “inactive prep”)
Serves: 10

Ingredients:

- 11 oz (300 g) white chocolate, broken into pieces
- 2 ½ cups (1 pint, 600ml) heavy cream
- 9 oz (250 g) rich chocolate brownies (one regular sized boxed package, cooked and cooled)
- (unsweetened) coco powder, for dusting

Directions:
Dampen the sides of an 8 in springform tin (pan) and line with a strip of greaseproof (waxed) paper. Put the chocolate in a small pan. Add 2/3 cup (1/4 pint, 150 ml) of the cream and heat very gently until the chocolate has melted.

Stir until smooth, then pour into a bowl and leave to cool.

Break the brownies into chunky pieces and sprinkle these over the base of the tin. Pack them down lightly to make a fairly dense base.
Whip the remaining cream until it forms peaks, then fold in the white chocolate mixture.
Spoon into the tin to cover the layer of brownies, then tap the tin gently on the work surface to level the chocolate mixture.

Cover and FREEZE OVER NIGHT.

Transfer the torte to the refrigerator about 45 minutes before serving to soften slightly.

Decorate with a light dusting of coco powder just before serving. (Ashley as Crystal Bowersox)

next...

Tomato and Tapenade Tarts

Recipe from: Four Ingredient Cookbook, by Joanna Farrow
Cook time: 45 min
Serves: 4

Ingredients:

- 1 sheet of puff pastry (from a 2 sheet package)
- 4 tbsp (60 ml) black or green olive tapenade
- 1 ¼ lb cherry tomatoes
- ½ cup (3 ½ oz) mascarpone cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Lightly grease a large baking sheet.
Roll out puff pastry on a lightly floured surface, and cut out 4 6 ½ in rounds, using a bowl or small plate as a guide. (I cut my puff pastry in to 9 small squares. My puff pastry sheet comes folded, so I used my folds as a guide. You can also usually find pre-cut circles of puff pastry, but my grocery store was out.)

Transfer the pastry rounds to the prepared baking sheet. Using the tip of a sharp knife, mark a shallow cut ½ inch in from the edge of each round to form a rim.
Reserve half the tapenade and spread the rest over the pastry rounds, keeping the paste inside the marked rim. Cut half of the tomatoes in half. Pile all of the tomatoes, whole and halved, on the pastry, again keeping them inside the rim. Season lightly. (I season my tomatoes with salt, pepper and olive oil before I place them on the pastry. That way I don’t add more salt directly on top of the already salty tapenade.)
Bake for 20 minutes, until the pastry is well risen and golden. (If you cut your pastry into smaller squares like I did, then reduce baking time to 10 minutes.) Dot with the remaining tapenade. Spoon a little mascarpone on the center of the tomatoes and season with black pepper. Bake for a further 10 minutes (5 for smaller pastries) until the mascarpone has melted. Serve the tarts warm.

These freeze and re-cook really nicely. Just place any left over tarts in a zip lock bag and toss them into the freezer for up to a week. When ready to reheat, place tarts on a cookie sheet and cook in a 425 degree oven. Cooking time may very; it should take about ten minutes if you pop them in the oven straight out of the freezer. Just keep an eye on them so they don’t burn.

5: Caprese Stratas with Basil, Tomato and Mozzarella

Because I don't get to post as often as I'd like, I've decided to make my time on the computer count. Today I've posted six awesome breakfasts that, since making them the first time, I have craved over and over again. My favorite of the six has to be the breakfast puff pastry. It is super easy and delicious, and I probably make it twice a week because I love it so much. Enjoy!

Recipe from: ReadyMade Magazine, Feb/March 2010
Recipe by: Neil Roake

Cook time, including prep: about 40 minutes to an hour
Serves: 6-8

Let me preface this recipe by saying that I cut this recipe in half when making it for my husband and myself. We loved it! The one complaint I have is that my stratas took a lot longer to bake up than the recipe states. The original baking time was supposed to be 20 to 25 minutes, but it took me about 40 to get the eggs to set up, which was fine and nothing got burned.

Ingredients:

- 8 eggs, beated
- 1 cup milk
- sea salt and pepper to taste
- ½ t nutmeg
- 5 ounces mozzarella cheese, cut into one inch cubes
- 16 cherry tomatoes
- 32 fresh basil leaves (you don’t really need that many, the flavor can get pretty strong)
- 8 croissants, each torn into 4 equal pieces

Directions:

Beat the eggs with the milk; season with sea salt and pepper and nutmeg. Distribute the croissants between 6-8 oven proof bowls or ramekins.

Do the same with the balance of the ingredients.

Pour the egg mixture evenly over the stratas...

and pop in an oven preheated to 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Serve warm.

This is another one of those recipes that is great for breakfast, lunch or dinner. It was warm and comforting, but was also fresh and didn’t leave me feeling heavy after eating it.

6: Breakfast Puff Pastry

Because I don't get to post as often as I'd like, I've decided to make my time on the computer count. Today I've posted six awesome breakfasts that, since making them the first time, I have craved over and over again. My favorite of the six has to be the breakfast puff pastry. It is super easy and delicious, and I probably make it twice a week because I love it so much. Enjoy!


Recipe from: ReadyMade Magazine, Feb/March 2010
Recipe by: Neil Roake

Cook Time, including prep: about 30 minutes, Serves: 2-4 people

Ingredients:

- one sheet of puff pastry, thawed
- one egg, beaten
- thin cut strips of red and/or yellow bell pepper
- cherry or grape tomatoes
- onion, sliced thin
- pancetta slices

You could really top this breakfast pizza with whatever sounds good. Other ideas could include asparagus or sliced chorizo sausage. It’s also yummy if you add on a fried egg before serving.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
As I noted above, allow your puff pastry to thaw. It doesn’t need to be thawed completely, if you pop it in the oven while it is still a little firm or icy just be prepared to give it a little longer cook time. Brush the inside of the pastry with the egg wash, leaving about a 1 inch boarder for the crust. (This is me applying egg wash with a paper towel because my basting brush gave up on me a few months ago and I still haven't replaced it. Ghetto? Deal with it.)

Toss your vegetables lightly in some olive oil and salt and pepper, and arrange your vegetables however you like on the pastry. I leave the meat and add it on last, so that it will crisp up and not get soggy from the juices of the veggies.

Bake in 350 degree oven for anywhere between 12 to 20 minutes, until your vegetables are nice and roasted, and your puff pastry is golden. The magazine suggests serving with a chunky tomato chutney or an arugula pesto but I love mine as is. I hope you love it, since discovering this recipe I now make it at least twice a week. It’s as good as a quick light dinner as it is a yummy breakfast.

Chicken with Tabbouleh

Recipe by: Ina Garden from Barefoot Contessa, Family Style
Cook time including inactive prep: 1 ½ hours, Serves: 8


You will need:

- 1 ½ cups boiling water
- 1 cup bulgur wheat
- ¼ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
- olive oil
- kosher salt
- 1 whole (2 split) chicken breast, bone in, skin on
- fresh ground black pepper
- 1 cup minced scallions, white and green parts (1 bunch)
- 1 cup chopped fresh mint leaves (2 bunches)
- 1 cup chopped fresh parsley (1 bunch)
- 1 hothouse cucumber, unpeeled, halved lengthwise, seeded and medium-diced
- 2 cups halved cherry or grape tomatoes

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a heat proof bowl pour the boiling water over the bulgur wheat. Add the lemon juice, ¼ cup olive oil, and 1 ½ teaspoons salt. Stir. Cover with plastic wrap and allow the bulgur to sit at room temp for about an hour.


Place the chicken breast on a baking sheet and rub it with olive oil. Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until just cooked. Set aside until cool enough to handle.
Remove the chicken meat from the bones and discard the skin. Cut the chicken into medium dice and add to the tabbouleh. Add the scallions, mint, parsley, cucumber, tomatoes, 2 teaspoons salt, and one teaspoon pepper. Season to taste and serve immediately or cover and refrigerate. The flavors will improve as it sits.


When I made my batch, as you can see above, I used the hour while the tabbouleh sat to prep and combine my other ingredients. It was a lot of choppin'... This chicken tabouleh tastes great on its own, but I loved it in a pita pocket with mayo. This would be delish without the chicken too, for all you non meat eaters out there.

Tomato Soup and Parmesan Bruschetta.

For the past few nights Jacob has totally commanded the computer because he has been finishing up a power point presentation on an anthropologist named Edward Sapir. He wasn’t that excited about his report at first, but for the past few days it has been all he has talked about. I think Edward Sapir is amazing for two reasons: first, he is a linguist who worked primarily with North American Indians, and I think linguists are the smartest people on earth. Second, not only did he publish his linguistic findings, but he also published a collection of poetry. I love me a smarty with a sensitive side!




I found an awesome tomato soup recipe on the food network site that you should ALL try! (–Jon, this could easily be vegan-ified.) It is hearty and bright, and I had two bowls of it this afternoon when I wasn't eating ice cream-nutella-chocolate chip cookie sandwiches!

Cook time: 50 min (including prep.), Serves: about 6 people
You will need:

- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 onion, peeled and chopped
- 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 15-ounce can cannellini (white) beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 sprig of fresh rosemary, plus 1 teaspoon, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2/3 cup creme fraiche
- Zest of one lemon

In a large soup pot melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrots, and garlic and cook until the vegetables are tender (about 4 minutes). Add the beans, tomatoes, broth, bay leaf, 1 teaspoon rosemary, and red pepper flakes. Bring the soup to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes, covered.

Puree the soup in a blender in batches, and be careful to remove the bay leaf before hand. Return the soup to a soup pot and keep warm over low heat. Season with salt and pepper.

In a medium bowl fold in the lemon zest and the remaining teaspoon of rosemary to 2/3 cup creme fraiche. To serve, ladle the soup into bowls and dollop each bowl with the lemon rosemary creme fraiche. Serve immediately. Note: Crème fraiche costs about eight dollars per container and can be very hard to find. Instead of using crème fraiche I combined about 4 ounces of cream cheese with about a half cup of heavy cream, then added the lemon zest, and just stirred that mixture right into my soup. I thought it came out wonderful, so you can try it that way if you like!

I don’t have a picture of the soup because I was too hungry to set one up, but perhaps I will post one later. I do have a picture of the bread I made to go with it.

This bread is easy, fast and delicious! It is a Guy Fieri recipe he calls “Pomodoro Fresco Sourdough Bread.”



You will need:

- 1 (12 to 16-inch) sourdough baguette
- 2 garlic cloves, halved plus 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- about 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more for garnish
- 2 cups diced Roma tomatoes
- 1/3 cup thinly sliced fresh basil leaves, plus more for garnish
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Cut the bread in half lengthwise, and place it on a sheet tray. Drizzle a little olive oil on top of the halves and season with salt and pepper. Bake in the oven until lightly brown (about ten minutes). Rub the crusty bread with the garlic cloves. Drizzle with more of the olive oil and sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese. Return to oven to melt cheese.

In a medium mixing bowl combine the tomatoes, minced garlic, basil, vinegar, remaining olive oil, salt and pepper, and let sit for 5 minutes at room temperature.
Remove baguette from oven and top with the tomato mixture. Garnish with basil and extra Parmesan cheese.

Steak with White Wine Pan Sauce, and Creamy Peas.

This dinner came out a lot better than I thought it would, especially the pan sauce. The tomatoes really brightened up the heaviness of the steak, so the creamy peas didn't seem like too much. There really was a ton of butter used in this meal. I will never serve these two things together again unless I make a salad or something else fresh to go with it. (Something that isn't cooked in a stick of butter and/or swimming in cream.)

For the Steak:

- Steak cut of your choice
- Worcestershire Sauce to marinade
- Salt and Pepper
- 1 stick of butter
- handful of grape or cherry tomatoes
- about ¾ cup white wine

I marinated my steak for about 8 hours in the Worcestershire Sauce. I like to use my cast Iron skillet for my steaks, but you could use a regular skillet, or line a cookie sheet with tin foil and cook them under the broiler. (If you cook them on the BBQ then you wont get the drippings you need for the pan sauce.) Melt about 2 tablespoons of butter in your skillet, remove your steaks from the marinade and season them with salt and pepper, then place them into the skillet. Place a pad of butter on top of each steak while they cook, and cook steaks to your desired doneness. Once you remove the steaks add some grape tomatoes into the skillet and allow them to cook until their skins begin to pop slightly, (you may want to add in some additional butter with the tomatoes).


Add some white wine to deglaze the skillet. Cook sauce for another 3-5 minutes until it begins to reduce and thicken slightly. Pour over top of steaks when done.

For Creamy Peas:

- 6 ounces pearl onions
- 1 tablespoon butter
- about 2 cups frozen peas
- 2/3 cup heavy cream
- about 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1-2 tablespoons lemon juice (optional, to taste)
- parmesan or mozzarella cheese to top

Peal the onions and halve them if necessary. Melt butter in saucepan and cook onions for 5-6 minutes over medium-high heat until they begin to be flecked with brown. Add peas and cook for a few minutes. Then add ½ cup of water and bring to a boil. Partially cover and cook for about 10 minutes, or until the peas and onions are tender. (There should still be a thin layer of water on the bottom of the pan—add a little more water if necessary.) In a separate bowl, whisk the flour and cream together. Reduce heat of pea and onion mixture, then add in the cream and season with salt and pepper. Cook over low heat for an additional 3-4 minutes, until the sauce thickens. Remove from heat and add the lemon juice if desired. Top with Parmesan or mozzarella cheese and serve warm.

Parmesan Chicken, Puttanesca Tomato Salad, and the Best Garlic Bread Ever (so say Jacob and Grayson)

I know it sounds like a lot, but it is really easy and comes together fast if you plan it right. If you watched food network today then you’ve likely already seen two of the three recipes. The Puttanesca Salad is a Rachael Ray recipe, so you know it’s easy (and is jam-packed with E.V.O.O.), and the garlic bread was on Guy whatever’s show today. The parmesan chicken is an old Ina Garden recipe. If I ever let loose and get totally wasted, I’m doing it with Ina. She looks like a woman who knows how to grip it and rip it.

If you are gonna make all this in one night (like I did) here is the game plan I would suggest:

- Prep the garlic butter for the bread first.
- Next, assemble your tomato salad and store it in the fridge while you finish everything else.
- Pound out your chicken breasts and prep your flour/egg/bread crumb stations. Then get your skillet preheated and ready.
- Slice your bread, and coat with the garlic butter. Line a cookie sheet with tin foil (you will be glad you did come clean up time) and put the buttered bread on it. Preheat the broiler.
- Start breading and cooking your first and second chicken (I had to cook my chicken breasts one at a time because my skillet was too small), put the garlic bread in to cook about the same time you start your last chicken breast on the skillet.


Now for the recipes...


For the Garlic Bread you will need:

- 1 loaf sourdough or French bread, cut in half lengthwise
For the Garlic butter:
- ¾ pound unsalted butter (3 sticks of butter), room temp.
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- Pinch of paprika or cayenne pepper ( I prefer cayenne)
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- garlic salt (Guy roasted his own garlic which took an hour, I used garlic powder and it was better than fine…to each his own.)
To top:
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- either sun dried tomatoes or roasted tomatoes in olive oil, whichever you prefer. I used the latter because I think sun dried tomatoes are a little to strong/sweet if you know what I mean…
- about 2 tablespoons chopped fresh Basil


For the Garlic butter simply mix all the ingredients together. Top the bread with the butter and then broil until toasted. Slice the toasted bread, and top with the parmesan cheese, tomatoes and basil. You better serve this with something delicious, because this bread will seriously steal the show.

For the Puttanesca Tomato Salad you will need:

- ½ cup E.V.O.O. (Rach, that you so much for that…(sarcasm…))
- 1 jar large capers (drained and patted dry if you plan to fry them, but I don’t think you need to…I tried it and thought that frying took away their flavor.)
- 1 clove garlic grated or finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon anchovy paste (don’t be scared)
- 6 plum tomatoes (I used roma and was fine)
- 1 small red onion, or ½ medium very finely sliced (I used ½ a small onion and it was still a lot)
- ½ cup coarsely chopped flat leaf parsley (I used the same Italian parsley that I used in my garlic butter)
- a handful of pitted good quality black olives (Harmon’s has an olive bar, hopefully you have access to some place with one, like a Wholefoods…canned black olives aren’t gonna cut it this time…)
-salt and black pepper
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes for seasoning

If you want to fry the capers: Heat 1/4 cup oil in small pan over medium-high heat. Add capers but be careful, they will spatter. Fry the capers 1 1/2 to 2 minutes until golden, drain on paper towels.
Then, combine remaining 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil with garlic and anchovy paste. Add tomatoes, onion, parsley and olives. Season with red pepper flakes and salt and pepper. Garnish with capers and serve. This recipe has a lot of what I like to call ‘adult’ flavors. It is strong, but really good served on top of the parmesan chicken, so give it a try!

Thank you Harmon's, and your plentiful olive bar...

For the Parmesan Chicken you will need:

- 3 chicken breasts, pounded until they are ¼ inch thick
- 1 cup all purpose flour
-1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 2 large eggs, beaten with a tablespoon of water added
- about 1 and ¼ cups seasoned dry bread crumbs
- ½ cup freshly grated parmesan, plus extra for serving
- unsalted butter
- olive oil (Ina Garden is way too cool to say E.V.O.O.)
Combine the flour, salt, and pepper on a dinner plate. On a second plate, beat the eggs with 1 tablespoon of water. On a third plate, combine the bread crumbs and 1/2 cup grated Parmesan. Coat the chicken breasts on both sides with the flour mixture, then dip both sides into the egg mixture and dredge both sides in the bread-crumb mixture, pressing lightly.Heat 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large saute pan and cook 2 or 3 chicken breasts on medium-low heat for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until cooked through. Add more butter and oil and cook the rest of the chicken breasts. Serve with the additional parmesan and some of the puttanesca tomato salad.

I will tell you that I didn’t pound out my chicken to the thickness specified by Ina, and I spent about ten extra minutes cooking each breast. It was a bummer, and Jacob and Grayson didn’t get to eat until almost nine o’clock. The moral of the story, plan well fair chefs, plan well. I didn't take a picture of my chicken because it was all cut up and ugly, but you can go here to see the one Ina posted on foodnetwork.com:http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/parmesan-chicken-recipe/index.html

California Continued, and the Hollywood Walk of Fame Dog. (10/18/2009)

Monday was pretty quiet. Jacob and I had lunch at the Macaroni Grill with my mother in law, Larene. I have never had a meal I didn’t love there, and how awesome is it that you can draw on the table?! (Except for my husband who draws wieners…so don’t ever give him the crayons.) Later that day Larene and her girlfriend Jolyn took me to see the movie Bright Star, about the last few years in the life of the poet John Keats. The movie was good, but a little strange, and Jolyn laughed when the actor playing Keats said the word “breasts.” So no, I guess we never grow out of it, but I think I like it better that way.

Tuesday Jacob and I drove down to SAN DIEGO!!!! Without Finn!!!!! And we went to my favorite sushi place down in Hillcrest, Ono Sushi!!!!!!! (http://onosushi.com/) And I got my OWN order of volcano rolls!!!!! Whooooooo!!!! And I got to hang out with some of my favorite co-almost-adults: Jon, Jane, and Jason. And we talked about things you should never talk about in front of children of any age!!!! Although, Jacob almost made Jon cry. He didn’t totally cry, but his mustache twitched and his eyes got a little red and misty. (Note: it is one thing to blog about religion with Jon see http://ourantithesis.blogspot.com/, it is quite another to get into it with Jon in person. Approach with caution.)

Wednesday: CONAN O’BRIEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Standing in line, in the rain, waiting, for over an hour. But it was totally worth it, and Serena Williams gave me chap stick…FOR FREE!


Yep, awesome to the third power. After Conan, Jacob and I drove downtown (L.A.) and went to an awesome hot dog place. You might have seen it featured on one of my favorite shows, Food Network’s Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. It is called Pink’s and it is located on the corner of La Brea and Melrose, where it has been since about 1934 I think.

This brings me to the recipe of the day, the Hollywood Walk of Fame Dog. I wish I knew how they made their coleslaw, because it was the best I have ever had, but use your favorite recipe, or just buy some from your local KFC.

You will need:

- enough hot dogs for you and whoever else will be eating one.
- enough hot dog buns for your hot dogs. Potato bread buns taste best.
- about two heaping spoonfuls of coleslaw per dog.
- about one heaping spoonful of chopped tomato per dog.

Cook your dogs on the grill, or whatever your favorite way to prep them is. (I don’t think it matters, it will never be quite the same as a Pink’s dog, so just make sure you make it to Pink’s before you die.) Place the dog in the bun and top first with the slaw, then with the tomato. Enjoy. Heaven.

Jacob and I also split the Pastrami Dog Burrito: 2 hot dogs, sliced pastrami, chili, Swiss cheese, and onions wrapped in a homemade tortilla. Oh my gosh. So good. And the chili is more like a delicious chili paste. You could use it as mortar it is so thick and gooey. Mortar for a delicious building made out of bricks of cheese… Yum.

And my trip isn't close to over!
I tip my glass to you all!