Tag: cheese

pistachio feta dip + Napa recap

pistachio feta dip

Tuesday, December 6th, 3:30am. The alarm clock we typically want to throw across the room sounded different that morning. The day we had been looking forward to for months had arrived, so it was easier to get out of bed at that unseemly hour. We had been invited by Teri Turner, the force behind No Crumbs Left, to attend a gathering of bloggers in Northern California where we would eat, cook, and meet in person for the very first time, even though we were already friends through the community of Instagram. Since our little Nissan Leaf only has a range of 84 miles, we rented an SUV to transport us to Napa, along with suitcases, pots and pans for cooking, ice chests full of ingredients, and the most exciting cargo of all: our friend Christine from What Do You Crave! Of all the attendees, Christine was the only one we previously knew. We became fast friends this year, and were beyond excited to road trip with her up to the Bay Area!

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twice-baked cheesy mashed potatoes

twice-baked cheesy mashed potatoes

After this weekend’s near-disaster, we will be giving thanks for hot water at Thanksgiving this year. We awoke Saturday morning to find the water pressure in our house had suddenly dropped to a pathetic trickle, which of course happened on the day we were expecting company. We had big plans to cook with our friend Soe, who was the winner of this year’s Saveur Blog Award for Best New Voice. His beautiful website, Lime and Cilantro, is filled with stunning photography and delicious Burmese recipes including the chickpea tofu he planned to make for the dinner. All this week, we have been cooking up a storm, testing new recipes left and right, and our sink was piled high with dishes from the night before. There we stood, unshaven and unshowered, in the middle of our war zone of a kitchen with no water pressure, and our guest arriving in less than two hours.

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ricotta cavatelli

ricotta cavatelli

Yesterday was our wedding anniversary. Exactly ten years ago, we exchanged vows in front of 150 of our closest friends and family. It was a special day and a beautiful ceremony unlike any other. We stood under a Jewish chuppah inside a Christian church, married by a gay pastor and a lesbian rabbi. The building was bright and welcoming with high vaulted ceilings and a rainbow flag displayed proudly in front of the church with the words “All are welcome” for everyone to see. We walked down the aisle hand in hand as our friend played “Love” by John Lennon on the grand piano. Under the canopy, the four of us stood in a semi-circle facing the audience, so now every time we think back to November 5th, we can picture everyone’s smiling faces in our memories.

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zucchini houdini

zucchini houdini

I (Adam) remember the day we brought home the new 1977 Cadillac Seville. With a stylish light tan exterior and a dark brown top, it had more space for the family, the beige leather seats were soft and comfortable, it boasted automatic locks and windows, it was our first car with air conditioning, and best of all it had a fancy 8-track cassette deck. I still clearly remember the music collection that my parents kept in that car: there was a bright blue Barry Manilow Live cassette that I would obsessively sing along with until I lost my voice or until my parents couldn’t take it anymore and asked me to stop. My mom worked in real estate, and this was the new luxury car for showing clients around town, an impressive replacement for the dark blue ’65 Volkswagen bug that she had been driving since her 16th birthday. Despite its classy appearance, the Cadillac ended up having lots of problems over the years. When I was fourteen, it caught fire one night as we were driving home through Topanga Canyon. The engine started to make an awful sound, and when I looked out the window, flames were shooting out from the sides of the car. We immediately pulled over, and ran as far away as we could. There we stood, helpless, on the side of the road in the middle of the dark canyon, waiting for the car to explode.

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authentic cacio e pepe

authentic cacio e pepe

Last week you traveled with us to the Caribbean. We gently swayed back and forth upon the warm Atlantic ocean on a private boat while watching a tropical sunrise and enjoying a delicious coconut mojito cake. We love visiting new places and it’s even better when you come with us! So pack your bags and bring an appetite because today we are going to Italy! And with three clicks of our heels, here we are on a romantic Summer evening in Rome. The temperatures have cooled and a soft breeze fills the air, scented with the aroma of sizzling garlic. You hear laughter and clinking glasses as you walk past an old restaurant from the 1600’s built entirely from stone, and out front an older man in a black suit with combed grey hair and a neighborly smile is playing an antique accordion that fills the streets with traditional music, while couples holding hands walk by with satisfied bellies and adventure in their eyes. The night is young, so let’s go exploring, find some delicious food, a bottle of red wine, and see if we can learn a few tricks in the kitchen.

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