Benvenuti in Mia Casa

Posted on October 3, 2010 by Katharina

Edit: voting is now open, and you can click here to check out this entry to vote! Thank you, and good luck to my fellow contestants.

The third challenge of Project Food Blog was one that I’ve had my eye on for awhile.

Inspiration for the meal that I had been imagining came from this.

A simple sprig of rosemary. This challenge asked us to host a dinner party where our guests would discover new tastes and exotic flavors. Also, watch out for hosting tips throughout the post.

So here’s what I’ve had in store for the third challenge!

What to do a week or a few days before your dinner party…

Come up with a guest list and invite them! On the invitation I let my guests know that this affair was one that called for “dressing up” with room for their own interpretation. I couldn’t wait to see what they would come up with.

: Pick out recipes.

Keep your guests and their allergies/dislikes/likes in mind when coming up with a menu.

: For instance, I remembered one of my friends really loves farfalle.

Little things like that can bring a simple smile to someone’s face.

: Make your shopping list.

Things to do the day prior…

: Hunt and gather!

While I was shopping for my groceries I kept in mind that I want my guests to feel as special as they are. Quality and authenticity are very important to me, and this doesn’t have to mean breaking the bank: check for sales, don’t just buy the first thing you see, and consider the things that you feel okay splurging on.

: Tidy up your place, and make sure your co-host is squeaky clean.

: Looking at the steps in a recipe beforehand will keep you from finding out about long prep times at the last minute.

Depending on what you’re making, you can start prepping the day before. I recommend doing whatever will keep you at ease. The last thing you want is for your guests to feed off of any stress, so it’s better to do things at a nice pace rather than waiting till the last minute.

: Simply enjoy yourself! My sassy self doing just that by singing along to Domenico Modugno .

The day of…

First thought: FINALLY!

Most of your cooking should be done today to ensure a fresh meal, and to let the seductive smells take over; Perfect for greeting your guests! Also, keep love and celebration in your heart when cooking. I truly believe that people can take these things in while they’re polishing off their plates.

The bell rings and…

: The guests have arrived!

I wanted us to take a journey through Italy starting from the northern region and making our ways feasting through this incredible country. Italian cuisine is usually associated with pizza, pastas, red sauces, cheese, and wine. Over the years I’ve learned that there are so many more dishes that this country has to offer. Afterall, with such an ancient history and every family having a sacred recipe by their Nonna, there’s just got to be more!

: Very fresh out of the oven!

Focaccia is enjoyed throughout Italy, but it’s interesting to see how the preparation differs in each region. One thing that is so great about this bread is that it really embodies this sense of community. It brings me back to times of getting a big loaf of bread at a bakery with friends, ripping off chunks and devouring it while walking and talking the hours away.

: I put the knife down and we all just broke off pieces with our hands, dipping it in the oil & vinegar infusion.

My mom may recognize this dress, since it was hers from when she was my age! I thought the Emilio Pucci print was very fitting for traveling through Italy, don’t you think?

Matilda attending to her duties as co-host, switching to each guests lap spreading the love... or wanting the food?

: Next stop, the romantic lands of Tuscany.

People in this area are often called mangiafagiole, which means “beaneaters”. None of us had ever tried a pasta dish like this, and we all agreed that we would happily try more!

: Sicilian cuisine is usually influenced by the sea and fresh picks from the garden.

It’s nice to be reminded that simplicity can also be thoroughly enjoyed, which shows that you don’t need to make a highly elaborate dish to satisfy your guests. I think an empty dish can attest to that.

See what I mean--sneaky sneaky.

In a relaxed atmosphere, helping ourselves to more if we felt like it...

And having good conversation!

Then it was time to make the dessert. It’s nice to cook with your guests, and it doesn’t come off as unprepared at all. We’re human and sharing food is such a great way to establish a deeper connection. Who needs stiff air that doesn’t allow for any interaction if everything is already “set”?

Matilda knew something sweet was in store.

Ending a meal on a sweet note, Italian-style!

I served the oranges in a marsala sauce along with the biscotti, and sweet white wine (which I highly recommend) for dipping. Everything complemented the other wonderfully. When my guests exclaimed that these were the best biscotti they’ve ever had, I couldn’t help but agree! Hey, when it’s good, it’s good.

I was little weary of this recipe because of the combination and I made them egg-free.

A toast to recent accomplishments and a great meal.

What a great challenge, and I hope you all enjoyed it! I had been looking forward to this and keeping my fingers crossed, hoping I would make it to this round so I could have the most motivation to host a dinner party. Having a dinner party may sound like a stressful task to undertake. But if you see it as something fun where you get to share a wonderful experience with others… well, why not have a glorious feast in that honor?

Voting opens tomorrow at 6 AM Pacific Time October 4th through 6 PM Pacific Time October 7th. You can check out my profile here!

Great Things Come in Small Packages

Posted on September 18, 2009 by Katharina

Bahaha an old warped picture from Photobooth - because it's Friday and everyone's smile should be that big!

Oats with bananas mashed in + Asian pear + biscotti + cashew butter

I am just going to do all my posts like this: breakfast-y foods first, then the rest just fall in place.

Waffle Pancake Wednesday

On the side is a chocolate protein shake I made with mixed berries and rolled oats for kicks.

I had pancakes for breakfast on Wednesday instead of waffles, Janetha.

These pancakes were HUGE! Almost the size of a plate. So I cut one in half and decided to do two different toppings. One side has coconut oil, apple slices, cinnamon, and confectioner’s sugar with nutmeg. The other half was just buttered, apple slices, cinnamon, and maple syrup. I sprinkled the last of my rolled oats on the whole shebang. I kept alternating between the two because I loved both sides equally. But which side was lucky enough to be my last bite?

Last week I received a package in the mail!

I’m sure you guys have seen Late July at your grocery store, but have you tried their stuff out? They’re organic snacks and a very family oriented company. Companies that care are an A+ in my book. I was sent their new Mini Sandwich Cookies to try out. The flavors are: milk chocolate and white chocolate. The website says that they are melt in your mouth good, and I agree. I also enjoyed washing down these cookies with a warm glass of almond milk. Yes, these are tiny (my hands are just bigger now that I’m a “big kid”), but it’s so fun to feel little again. If any of you Mommies or Daddies out there are trying to shy your kids away from chemical-laden treats, but don’t want to eliminate sweets – these are worth trying!

Cute!

“Seven different endangered animals are featured on the cookies and 10% of the profits go to the Jane Goodall Institute to help with their efforts in endangered animal awareness.”

My favorite grilled cheese sandwich!

I hope by now you all know what’s in this sandwich. Mango chutney + cheddar cheese. Rather than using pumpernickel bread -which I didn’t have- I used 2 slices of the Spelt loaf I bought last week. While eating this sandwich I realized this bread is the perfect grilled cheese bread. I’ve said it before, but bakery bread just tastes so good. But I’d imagine the best bread would come straight out of Mia’s oven! What’s that peeking in to the left of the sandwich?

Why hello there tasty salad.

While Kim and I were in the kitchen making dinner, she offered me some of her Lime tortilla chips. Then I thought, this would be awesome on my salad! I love edamame, and after seeing edamame hummus at Trader Joe’s I want to make some of my own.

Lately, I’ve been making myself a cup of agua de panela with a squeeze of lemon juice. What’s panela? It’s whole cane sugar, basically, unrefined sucrose. I just googled it, and this how someone described it, “a sweetener that tastes like a cross between molasses and brown sugar.”

I bought this box last time I went down to Colombia.

Running low, uh oh.

I’m sure you can find this at a Latin food market. Who knows, with the international food aisles the chain supermarkets have now, you may even find it there!

A Jamaican inspired meal.

While browsing the internet for tempeh recipes, I came upon one for Jamaican jerk tempeh. I’ve always wanted to try jerk something, so of course I decided to give this recipe a whirl. I found some others that asked for apricot juice instead of OJ. I think apricot is a better choice because of the sweetness. Since I didn’t have a lot of those spices on hand (crazy!) I used my tea masala. Tea masala has a bunch of Indian spices. I served it on brown rice I cooked with cinnamon, and once served I mixed in coconut oil. On the side I made a tomato, cucumber, and onion salad.

Since I baked the tempeh and it was rather dry, I spread on some tamarind-date chutney.

Such an exciting meal with an array of flavors. Sweet, citrusy, savoury, and a spicy kick.

I’ve been making more use of my toaster oven, now that I discovered that I can actually bake with it.

Toasted kabocha seeds with brown sugar and cinnamon.

I baked the kabocha with butter, cinnamon, and brown sugar then sprinkled some of it’s seeds for decoration. Then I assembled some Ak-mak crackers, spread some creamy gorgonzola, agave, red onion, Asian pear slices, and a sprinkling of more cinnamon. I haven’t had these Armenian crackers in so long! They’ve been sitting in my cabinet and I forgot all about them. It took me forever to finish this plate. An hour later I realized I was still eating. I find that when I eat alone, I finish rather quickly. But with this meal I took my time, and I didn’t even have to try.

So here’s my heart to heart for you guys:

The topic I want to share with you all is about “being on top of things.” There are responsibilities that I can’t ignore; like taking care of my beloved Matilda. I’m ready, but it’s hard when others around me don’t quite get it. Which is why I probably feel more at ease around older people because they don’t see my responsibleness as pooping on the party. But there is a crazy, fun-loving side to me as well! I’m starting to get it back. I think I explained before that I went through a period in my life where I became overly practical and cut out so many things. It was such a bleak moment, simply a moment… that I don’t want to go back to. I enjoy the feeling that I get from knowing that I’m flourishing again and walking down the street with my head up high and shoulders back ready to take on whatever is ahead of me.

Oh, and to fill you guys in on my school shtuff:

Not suppose to be eating in my studio!

In that big tupperware I layered a lot of kabocha, brown rice + coconut oil, and leftovers from my Jamaican jerk tempeh with tamarind-date chutney. And a little jar of roasted seeds!

Next week is my first critique of the semester in my main sculpture class. I’m kind of nervous because I’m making a video for it, and I know that some people might be like… why didn’t she make a sculpture? Well, I might make one – I just haven’t really thought of anything yet. I don’t really search for ideas, they just come to me. Hopefully, as I’m editing the video I’ll be knocked out of my chair by an idea that hit me!

Staring contest or crotch shot

Na-na-na-na-boo-boo, getting ready to do upward dog.

Stay tuned for the next post because I plan on featuring a culinary adventure I will be attempting tonight. Happy Friday everyone!

Another First

Posted on September 16, 2009 by Katharina

The missing flavor is Lemon Ginger (tried that awhile ago)

The lovely people over at Kardea generously sent me 4 of their bars to sample. A lot of their products are known to aide in cholesterol management. I know Cheerio’s help with that too, but these my dear readers, are the bomb.com. I’ve already decided that I’m going to try the Banana Walnut bar last because I like to save the best for last. Although, I have a feeling it really wouldn’t matter because so far out of the ones I’ve tried, they’re awesome. A lot of bars taste good, but they don’t quite live up to the name of their flavors. However, these bars actually taste like what they’re named. The Lemon Ginger bar wasn’t overwhelming at all – it was just right.

Next up was Cranberry Almond.

I’m not sure if the strange look of it is because it was delivered to me when it was really hot out. Cranberry check. Almond check. These don’t even taste like nutritional bars (in a very good way)! Just delicious. I’ll give you guys some info on these bars:

Banana Walnut, Chai Spice, Cranberry Almond, and Lemon Ginger

Plant Sterols-1 gram

Total Fiber-7 grams with 5 grams Soluble Fiber

Heart Healthy Soluble Fiber-3grams

Protein-7 grams with 3.5 grams Soy Protein

Vegetarian-Friendly (Chai Spice & Banana Walnut Are Vegan)

Kosher Certified

Only 150 Calories/Bar

No Trans Fats

Lower Glycemic Formulation

I’m surprised that these bars haven’t caught on with a lot of folks actually. They are truly delicious, and good for your heart!

So guys, what have I been up to?

Last Saturday my friend organized an eating contest at a park, and I was the judge/scooper. What’d they have to eat? Mashed potatoes! All participants had to bring in a bag. Kim also brought fake bacon bits, which was a good idea. And I kindly offered my assistance to anyone who felt they could no longer fulfill their “duties”.

Huge piles!

Kim's got her game face and Rodman jersey on.

Let the eating begin!

Serving it soup kitchen style.

Tuning out to keep from... well, you know.

The victory bite!

Tiara didn’t really look too happy, but atleast she won! This girl kicks butt.

Later that night I decided to bake around the witching hour. Well, more like 3 hours before because supposedly the witching hour is at 3 am.

Cinnamon-Raisin Biscotti

I was browing through biscotti recipes and found one that I had the ingredients for. I wanted to make lemon ginger biscotti but, alas, I had no crystallized ginger and I’m sure this was something my neighbor wouldn’t have had either. The aroma of these wafting in the apartment as they were baking and I was studying… it made my life a little sweeter.

Can you believe I baked these in my toaster oven?

Perfect sidekick for a bowl of oats.

Like my girl, Janetha, I love cinnamon. I went a little crazy with it and this is why -ladies and gentlemen- my oats are brown. I put a big spoonful of peanut butter and a little one of my Date and Almond Creme spread. To add the finishing touch to this bowl of oats, I bruleed some bananas a la Katie! The cinnamon is hogging the spotlight though.

The last of my peanut butter!

I tried to do this blob of peanut butter justice by making a bowl of PB&J oats. Holla at the peanut butter queen, Jenny! As I was saying goodbye to one jar of yummy goodness, I said hello to Crofter’s Blueberry Superfruit spread. Ah so good, and I could see the tiny blueberries in there. I don’t bother with jellies that don’t even have an inkling of a fruit, but Crofter’s spreads are jam packed with real fruits. Did ya catch that?

I’ve really been inspired by everyone’s blogs lately, and last week I was reading Sophia’s blog and she had posted a recipe that seemed way too good to just look at.

Kabocha Soup with Bacon and Goat Cheese

Unfortunately, the fake bacon bits that were brought the eating contest were finished off, so I couldn’t sprinkle them on! So I made the best of it and blended in some ketchup, smoke sauce, and Worcestershire. How do you say that word anyway?

A big mug of soup, cinnamon + coconut oil + almond milk + brown rice, tomato slices + roasted red pepper hummus.

I kept the skin on so that's why it's green... I also thought I could do a swirly affect with the cream.

Hey Sophia… this was awesome!!! I love this girl’s blog. Not only does she have a refined taste for things that taste delicious, but she also shares a piece of her mind and heart with her readers in every post.

Oh... and this mug is absurdly HUGE!

There are so many bloggers to talk about in this post. I had the chance to actually meet a fellow blogger yesterday. If you guys don’t know her already, I met up with Brittany from Eating Bird Food. It’s always neat to see when you guys meet up with other bloggers. Some of you hit it off and became partners in crime like Brooke and Kailey! Holly and Angharad too! All the meet-ups just seemed like so much fun. Brittany and I agreed to meet up at Ipanema, a vegetarian and vegan restaurant. I was so excited when she suggested we go there – hell yeah girl! I love that place, and a couple of my friends work there as well.

The only menu in the place is written on the chalkboard.

This place reminds me of Germany because you walk down, like walking into a Ratskeller. A Ratskeller is basically a tavern below street level and it’s the city hall’s basement. When Brittany walked through the door I immediately though, “oh my gosh she’s so pretty and adorable!” We looked through the menu and when we decided on what we wanted, we made our way into one of the booths.

Indian pizza

Service was rather fast that night! Oh gosh, I can’t remember exactly what this entailed, but I’ll give it a shot. I ordered an Indian pizza with a curry sauce, zucchini, cauliflower, red onions, and paneer. The sauce was strangely zesty and for some reason I was envisioning a red or orange curry sauce. It was good, but I probably wouldn’t order it again. The side salad’s dressing was yummy though! I tried some of what Brittany ordered as well. She got their Thai carrot soup, which resembled baby food haha! But it was very tasty. She also got a spinach salad with pears, gorgonzola, and pecans. That combination is always a winner in my book.

It was getting late and after talking it up, we asked for our checks. Brittany, it was so nice meeting you! You’re so kind and polite – can’t wait till our puppies meet! And next time, I’m taking more pictures!

She also gave me a baggie of tomatoes grown with TLC.

These are delicious by the way! I love popping little tomatoes in my mouth. You take one bite and BOOM there’s a burst of flavor.

Well guys, I’m going to save some stuff for my next post. I tend to get carried away with my posts, and I don’t want anyone to be overwhelmed with my kitchen adventures haha! Since I mentioned so many other bloggers in this post, I think it’s appropriate to spread the word on this bit of exciting Blogworld news:

Foodbuzz has announced its 1st-Annual Foodbuzz Blog Awards!

The categories are:

Best Overall Blog

Best New Blog

Best Wine Blog

Best Cocktail/Spirits Blog

Best Baking Blog

Best Food Photography Blog

Best Visual Blog (graphic design)

Best Writing Voice

Best Healthy Living Blog

Best Green/Sustainable blog

Best Family Blog

Best Recipe Blog

Best Blogger Humanitarian Effort

Best Community Blog Effort

Most Humorous Food Blog

They’ve also got another section!

Blogger you’d most want to:

1. Take to dinner

2. Cook a meal for you

3. Be your personal Sommelier

4. Create you a cocktail

5. Watch on Food Network

6. Watch on Iron Chef

7. See open up their own restaurant

8. See their blog made into a movie

So go out there and vote everyone!

It’s Wednesday everyone! Is it just me or did it feel like the end of the week on Monday and Tuesday? Well, now we’re finally getting there!

Bittersweet

Posted on September 6, 2009 by Katharina

My roommate and I were talking a couple weeks ago and realized we hadn’t quite yet christened the apartment. Well, what better way to do that than with a Bake Fest and a couple glasses of white wine.

: Let the festivities begin!

Kim wanted to try baking her own loaf of Irish soda bread.

: She decided to sprinkle some lavender on top.

: And I decided to bake some lemon poppy-seed biscotti.

Now where’s the freakin’ wine?

: Oh! She’s got it!

Oh gosh, looking at some of these pictures is really making me laugh. So we realized we didn’t have a wine opener. We figured what better time to introduce ourselves to our neighbor, than when we needed a corkscrew. I feel bad that I can’t remember his name, but he was very friendly and kind of nervous.

: Attempt at opening the bottle… the wrong way!

: Using my phone to go on eHow.com

: Corny joke: RAISE THE ROOF!

: We’re making progress here!

: Success! And I accidentally flicked the camera off.

: A white wine we both like! Moscato D’Asti if you haven’t tried it yet!

Do you want to know what else we used the wine for?

: For dipping!

: I made this beautiful salad to go with the biscotti and wine.

I just used romaine, an Asian pear, dark grapes, gorgonzola, red onion, and honey mustard dressing. One of my favorite salads I’ve made! Those grapes looked a lot of black olives though (not an olive person). Thank goodness they were actually grapes!

: I think Kim’s first attempt at baking bread deserves some kind of awesome award, don’t you?

: Fro-yo at home! This is especially good with crumbled graham crackers and chocolate sprinkles on top.

Are you guys ready for more deliciousness? I’ve been anticipating this post, and I can’t wait to share this with you guys! Okay, okay so here goes.

A few weeks ago I received a really snazzy package in the mail from the people over at UliMana.

: Look at these fancy treats.

So what are these exactly? Ahem! I’m going to let them speak for themselves because I wouldn’t be able to say it any better.

“UliManaMana, or UliMana for short, was incorporated on July 13, 2005 (a very good day astrologically) and may very well be the first raw chocolate company ever! Our first product Nirvana Manna, now called Maca Manna, was inspired by David Wolfe’s book Naked Chocolate, and was first sold by Nature’s First Law, now Sunfood Nutrition, in October 2005. It wasn’t long after that when our five other products: Cacaoliente!, Chocolate Chai, Cacao Menta, Cacao Kava and Goji Manna were born, one after the other. (We couldn’t help it! Our creative juices were flowing, thanks to all the psychoactive ingredients in the cacao.) Everything made with organic chocolate (cacao) and other vegan, organic ingredients.

Most recently we created a line of raw, vegan, organic truffles that are basically sending the raw food community into Samadhi! (it’s a yoga word that means Enlightenment or Bliss) Okay, so maybe I’m exaggerating a little. They are really delicious and selling like crazy. It’s just hard to believe they’re good for you too! So praise the Cacao God, David Wolfe, and UliMana for these luscious, healthy, mood elevating vegan treats!”

If you guys really enjoy chocolate then you will absolutely love these! I’m not kidding folks. I’m not even that crazy about chocolate, but I would recommend these to anyone and everyone. You know what? Actually, maybe after trying these I’ve become an UliMana chocolate-freak, chocoholic, fiend… what have you.

: Part of my complete breakfast!

: This sweet hazelnut crisp wants to party too!

This was the Peppermint truffle made with Organic Cacao Powder, Organic Agave, Organic Cacao Butter, Organic Peppermint Essential Oil, Organic Vanilla Beans, and Celtic Sea Salt. No skimping on flavor with this truffle! I can only imagine what the others taste like – hello coconut truffles!

: This was a lovely combination of dark chocolate, dried apricot, and a walnut.

This sounds like something you guys could turn into a delicious bowl of oats!

: I believe this was something made with dates.

: My favorite: the Chia Moon Drop!

This one has chia seed power! So what goes in these adorable drops? Organic Dates, Organic Cashews, Organic Chia Seeds, Organic Cacao Powder, Organic Coconut Oil, Organic Coconut Shreds, Organic Agave, Organic Vanilla Beans, and Celtic Sea Salt.

And last but not least…

: One of their raw chocolate hemp brownies.

Oh wow! This was the boldest of the bunch – incredibly rich and bittersweet. In a good way… in a very good way.

“A perfect combination of hemp and cacao powder and sweetened with just the right amount of agave, these brownies are completely satisfying, a good source of protein, uplifting and energizing.”

On top of them making delicious treats, they also encourage more organic, sustainable farming and support fair trade by donating 5% of their profits to CRF, Oxfam, and Mercy Corps. I encourage you all to check out their website and check out their products and all the interesting information they have about their ingredients and ethics. Thanks for UliMana for caring and making such mouth-watering chocolates!

p.s. I’ll be updating my recipe page soon, and it will include my latest recipes from myself and other sources. So keep an eye on that page! Oh! I’ve also added a search bar, so it will make it easier for you guys to find things on my blog.

p.s.s. Here’s a song, a little gift, I’d like you all to listen to. It’s from my favorite movie of all time, Amelie. If you haven’t watched it, I suggest you do. I pass it along to everyone and I’ve watched it countless times myself. There’s just something about it that really speaks to me, and it’s just beautiful to watch. Enjoy my dearests!

Katharina's Food Adventures

Tag Archives: biscotti

Benvenuti in Mia Casa

Great Things Come in Small Packages

Another First

Bittersweet