Weekend Trip to Monterey

This weekend I had the joy of meeting my grandparents for a nice break from school and a little vacation getaway.  On Saturday I drove south to meet my grandparents in Salinas and tour the Steinbeck museum.  Although it is sort of a sketchy area, I had read the book, Travels with Charlie and was very interested in visiting his hometown.  It was a wonderful museum filled with quotes, little snippets of movies, and original books from their first publication.  We even got to see the original truck that John Steinbeck took on his trip across country with his French poodle.

Nancy finding our route along the historical sites in Monterey Bay

From there, we shuttled down to Monterey for the rest of the weekend.  After a little relaxation, we got cleaned up and headed out to Carmel for dinner. Isn't it neat that we could just bop from town to town and explore our options?  Bob and Nance have been through Monterey a number of times and had visited this one restaurant in particular, so we thought we would give it a shot.

It was called the Ocean Grill, a recommended offering of meat, fish, and other tasty dishes and that is exactly what it was.  Bob called ahead to make a reservation and we were able to get a lovely booth.  The restaurant is along one of the main streets and isn't overwhelming in size.  In fact, it is rather on the smaller side and has a bar right along the rows of tables and booths.  Service was super friendly, even a little chatty.  One of my favorite parts of the meal was the bread.  It was a mix between a sourdough and a cornmeal and it was delivered warm to the table.  Bob even commented that the restaurant must have been making improvements because it was much better than the previous time they had dined there. 

Nancy started out with an appetizer of shrimp cocktail. Simply delightful as she put it. 

K & Bob's fresh Bibb salad with candied pecans, & blue cheese.  One of the best salads I have had in a long time and practically impossible to find these days. 

My DELICIOUS salmon dish fit for a king.  It was accompanied by fresh veggies and a polenta-like side.  The salmon itself was covered in a roasted red pepper sauce and had to be one of the best pieces of fish I think I may have ever tasted.  I HIGHLY recommend.

Nancy's Sand-dabs - perfectly seasoned and enormous portion!

Cheesecake w/ whipped cream and a citrus sauce - We split this three ways and it was just perfect.  A moist and sweet slice was a bit more crumbly than the Cheesecake Factory slices, but had a better homemade taste.

A wonderful day in the bay and more to come tomorrow! I absolutely adore spending time with my family, especially my grandparents.  We always seem to come out with some funny stories, events, and just a ton of fun.  I hope to be like them someday and I guess that's the ultimate compliment :)

Spanish Tapas in San Jose

Who knew that we could find legitimate tapas in Northern California, almost 6,000 miles away?  Well, after knowing how important patatas bravas were to Liz, I thought I'd search around and sure enough, I found one after spotting an ad in the newspaper!

Liz, Bonnie, and I all went along to make a night out of it and relive our Barcelona adventures. A sort of hole in the wall restaurant, relatively narrow room, but excellent if you want a quick trip back to the Spanish lands.  

Picasso's Tapas 

62 W Santa Clara St

San Jose, CA 

95113

Butifarra - Catalan sausage on a bed of seasoned toasted baguette, alioli, and fresh tomato

Liz & Bonnie were in 7th Heaven with their patatas bravas. 

Overall a decent meal.  I had forgotten how tiny and slightly overpriced Spanish food was, but the sausage was imported from Catalonia, so understandable.  Bonnie also ordered the chicken, which was nice and tender soaking in a herbed broth.  From a far I noticed that sangria was a popular order, along with the paellas.  Most paellas were priced for two people, about $18/person, so I'd love to return with a group of people and test them out.  One in particular I had my eye on was the Paella Negra a la Cazadora (from the Balearic Islands) - chicken, beef, pork tenderloin, vegetables in a bed of black rice topped with piquillo peppers and finished with roasted alioli.

A job well-done and worth visiting if you can't make it all the way to Europe or just want a little exotic dinner out. 

Cheesy Wheaty Macaroni

Here's a twist on the classic and delicious childhood favorite (aren't all these dishes our "childhood favorites"??) We have used this recipe from William-Sonoma Kid's Recipes, but I took the liberty of altering it based on what was available to my taste-buds and my pantry shelf.

Ingredients:
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter (light spreadable butter)
- 2 tbsp wheat flour
- 1.5 cups milk (skim)
- 2.5 tsp salt (just a pinch)
- 2 big pinches freshly ground pepper
(I was unable to find the nutmeg but suggested additions: big pinch oregano/nutmeg)
- 2 cups shredded cheese (your choice! Today's selection was Jack & Muenster)
- 2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese for just the right kick
- 1/2 pound pasta

Directions to Deliciousness:

Put the butter in a saucepan. Place the saucepan over low heat and warm until the butter is melted. 

Add the flour to the melted butter. Using a whisk, stir the flour and butter together until the mixture is smooth and bubbling but not browned, about 1 minute. 

Increase the heat under the saucepan to medium. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon and slowly pour the milk into the saucepan. Continue to stir and cook until the mixture is smooth, thickened and gently bubbling, 6 to 8 minutes. It should be about as thick as melted ice cream.

Start to boil the pasta at the same time...Fill a large saucepan 3/4's full with water. Place over high heat and bring to a rolling boil. When the water is boiling, add the remaining 2 tsp salt.

My attempt at grated cheese - more of just a chop off the block process. Add 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, the nutmeg and pepper. Stir several times, then add the cheddar and Parmesan cheeses. Stir until the cheeses have melted and the sauce is smooth. Cover the saucepan with the lid to keep the sauce warm and set it aside. 

Add the drained macaroni to the saucepan with the cheese sauce. Using the wooden fork, stir the macaroni until it is well coated with the cheese sauce.

Finished product with green beans and a spicy chicken sausage from Trader Joe's

It's always a toss up when you try to use the healthier products, less taste or a different taste.  Maybe a different twist the next time around.

My take on the macaroni & cheesey dish: wheat pasta is obviously the healthier choice as the wheat noodles take longer to digest and leave you fuller, but they often have a chewier consistency and leaves a duller feeling.  If you are looking for the "real" taste of Mac&Cheese from your childhood, I suggest a white pasta.  Another recommendation is to experiment with your noodles.  No one said it had to be the elbow sort...try colors, shapes, all different sizes, there are so many different choices.

Add-ins or Toppings:
- Veggies: broccoli, peppers, green beans
- Cheeses: make it with your favorites! Sharp/mild cheddar, Gouda, Muenster, Jack, Pepper Jack, Swiss, Mozzarella, Asiago, Provolone
- Baked options: place the macaroni in a baking dish and top with bread crumbs or crushed crackers, bake in the oven (350-400) for about 30 minutes or until the top is lightly browned

Creative Ideas:
- Serve in little ramekins for individual portions
- Fill in mini or normal sized muffin cups and bake for about 18-20 minutes at 375

Snickerdoodles

After two years of living on campus, it's great to finally have a full-functioning kitchen.  Goodness knows I have book upon book of recipes I want to experiment with, but Santa Clara's week one has consisted mainly of pre-made salads from Trader Joe's and quick grilled sandwiches and enchiladas for dinner.

So this week I hope to kick off the start of the school quarter with some more recipes.  With a three-day weekend in honor of Martin Luther King Jr., today seemed like the perfect opportunity to try something new.  I brainstormed recipes to find a perfect sweet that would please most of my friends.  Some potential cookies included: chocolate-chip-coconut, peanut butter-oatmeal-chocolate-chip, a mint-chocolate type, or snickerdoodles.  Final decision...snickerdoodles. 

Here is the Snickerdoodles recipe and instructions from the Food Network.

Total Time: ~37 Minutes (20-25 prep and ~12 cooking time)

Yields: ~ 20 cookies (depending on how large/small you roll them)

Ingredients

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup shortening

1 stick unsalted butter (softened)

1 1/2 cups sugar (plus 3 tbsp for covering)

2 large eggs

1 tbsp ground cinnamon

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Place the butter and shortening in a bowl and mix with a handheld or standing mixer until the two are well-blended.

3. Add the 1 1/2 cups sugar and continue to mix the batter until light and fluffy (about 5 minutes)
4. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating the batter well after each one.

5. Next up, mix in the flour, salt, and baking soda, blending until smooth.  The dough may have a pebble-like consistency, but don't fear.  Continue to blend and after a minute or so, while scraping the edge of the bowl, it will begin to thicken.

Notice how the dough is not blended together as much?  Just keep mixing and the final result will look a little more like below. 

6. Mix the 3 tbsp sugar with the cinnamon in a small bowl. Roll the dough into small ball forms (1.5" recommendation, but it's up to you...mini cookies, cookie pie? the options are endless) Roll the balls in the cinnamon sugar, making sure it surrounds the entire form.

7. Place the cinnamon covered cookie balls on the baking sheet and gently flatten the balls into 1/2" thick disks.

8. Bake until light brown, ~12 minutes and let them cool on a rack or the stove. 

Mmmmmmm, what cookies or bars to sample next?

Creamy Spinach Enchiladas

Normally, we make the classic Lawry's chicken enchiladas for dinner in the Fuelling household, but tonight, we sampled a new variety, thanks to the Real Simple's suggestion for creamy spinach enchiladas.

I usually glance through these magazine recipes, but never really put them into practice.  This one was found by my mom and I think we found a new vegetarian favorite!

Creamy Spinach Enchiladas
Production: ~20 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients:
1 (10oz) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 cup corn (we used a whole kernel version from my fav - Trader Joe's)
6 oz cheddar (or any type of cheese - we opted for a cheddar/jack mix) ~1.5 cups
2 (4.5oz) cans chopped green chilies
1 cup heavy cream (milk might be an adequate substitution...sample that next round)
Salt
Pepper
8 corn tortillas (used the TJ blue corn variety)

Extras:
1/4 small red cabbage, thinly sliced
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup pepitas (roasted hulled pumpkin seeds)
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp fresh lime juice

1.  Heat oven to 400 degrees F.
2.  In a medium bowl, mix the spinach, corn, 1 cup of the cheese and the chilies.

3.  In a small bowl, stir the cream, salt, pepper, and remaining chilies.
4.  Take a tortilla and divide the mixed ingredients from #2 into the tortillas, roll and place face down in a baking dish.

Spinach enchiladas ready to cook

Original Chicken Enchiladas

5.  Cover the enchiladas with the sauce and place the remaining cheese on top.
6.  Place dish in the oven and bake for about 18-20 minutes.  Remove and enjoy!

Optional part 2: toss the cabbage and scallions with the pepitas, oil, lime juice and a little salt and pepper.  Serve alongside the enchiladas.

For other varieties of enchiladas, use the Lawry's Enchilada sauce packaging and roll tortillas with sauce, cheese, and chicken (tip - use rotisserie chicken)

Lawry's Enchiladas

There will be many great recipes from Lawry's products here in the future, but until then, check out their website: http://www.lawrys.com/recipe-landing.aspx

POPOVERS!

Ready for probably the easiest bread dish? On a whim this morning I decided it would be worthwhile to make popovers.  Now, I tried the wheat version last time and got a thumbs down from Meghan and Mom, but will attempt again when I am at school.  So today, I went with the original white flour edition.

This recipe came from the Williams-Sonoma Kid's Baking book and has some simple and tasty recipes.  It was Meghan's Christmas present a few years ago along with the cookbook, but I may have to sneak it to college or invest in one of my own.

Easy Popovers (~12 - regular muffin tin; ~6 - popover tin)

Ingredients:
4 large eggs (room temperature)
1 1/4 cup milk (we used 1%, although the recipe calls for whole milk) - your choice
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup all-purpose flour (stay tuned, the wheat flour may make an appearance in the future)
3/4 tsp salt
(butter, jams, etc. for serving...optional)

1. Before you start: preheat the oven to 425 degrees and spray the muffin tin with a little cooking spray or melted butter.

2. Make the batter:

- In a blender, combine the EGGS, MILK, and OIL.  Put the lid on and blend for about 10 seconds or until all the ingredients are blended.

- Turn off the blender and add the FLOUR & SALT, recover and blend for another 15 seconds.

3. Fill the cups: Pour the batter into the muffin tin, dividing evenly until the blender is empty.

4. Bake & pierce the popovers:


- Put the pan in the oven and bake for about 28 minutes or until the popovers are puffed and well browned. DO NOT open the oven door or they may not rise properly.

- Using oven mitts, remove the pan from the oven. Immediately tip the popovers out of the pan (or use a  utensil to wield them out) and let them cool on a cooling rack or the counter.

- Pierce the tops of the popover with a sharp tool or wooden skewer to allow the steam to escape. They are best served right away with a little butter, but taste just as good for a little snack in the afternoon.

ENJOY :)

New Year's at Pelican Hill Resort

What a treat to start off the new year with lunch in Laguna Beach with my grandparents?  My grandpa had been recovering from a pulled hamstring and it was always them who drove up to have lunch or dinner with me, so I thought I would turn the tables and make the drive south.

I had expected a simple lunch with the three of us in their gorgeous courtyard, but they surprised me with a little trip to the Pelican Hill Resort, a grand vacation resort on the hill.  When they first moved into Laguna Beach, this area on the hill was simply shrubs and open land.  But, it soon turned into this Italian styled resort, villas, and golf course.  Fortunately, it looks pretty classy and brings in tourism money so that California stays some what afloat.  It covers quite a large area of land and is normally filled with local golfers or tourists. 

Jamma and Papa entering for lunch

We had a 12:30 reservation and even though it was the three of us, my grandma, Jamma, had reserved a table for 4, an old trick to get a better table.  It was simply gorgeous!  The fog had subsided and seated on the terrace, we had a brilliant view of the ocean.  It was a bit chilly (for Southern California standards that is), around the low 60's, but there were heaters that were not too overwhelming and allowed us to take our jackets off during lunch. 

Service was wonderful early on, but the food did take a while to arrive.  With so many gourmet options, I wasn't sure where to start, but ended up with a simple salad.  Plain, I know, but we were celebrating my dad's birthday at the Arroyo Chop House later and I didn't want to spoil my appetite. Plus, I have a tendency to flip-flop between entrees, the healthy and the not so healthy (but delicious), then feel guilty and order the healthy option.

Iced Tea to start.  It had a faintly sweet taste, possibly a fruit iced tea and was accompanied by a liquid sugar, although I prefer it on the brisk side. 

Oh the bread baskets.  These are no where to be found in European restaurants, so it was nice to see them make an appearance.  Normally, it consists of sourdough (mmmmm) or a French baguette.  However, today, there were two small rolls, sourdough and a sort of currant one, as well as three delicious and warm pretzel baguettes.  

Along with a little spread of butter, this was absolutely mouthwatering.  I splurged a little and tried it and then asked our waiter to package them up for my sister who also loves pretzel bread. 

My fresh farm greens and vegetables salad w/ chicken & vinaigrette.  It was a slight disappointment because when I had asked the waiter what was in it, he had responded: broccolini, squash, etc.

Papa's Nicoise salad w/ eggs, greens tomatoes, seared ahi tuna (which I tested and have to say it was an excellent choice) and little anchovies on top. That part I could have done without. 

Jamma has a very salty palate and loves her French fries, so we decided to test out the onion rings.  The batter was a little bland and the rings themselves weren't as crispy as some restaurants serve them.  Overall a little on the soggy side.  I did see the table next to us order the sweet potato fries, so I recommend those over the onion rings as a side dish.  

Jamma's hamburger with seasoned fries.  A big hit.

Dessert options included: a chocolate drizzled pumpkin mousse tart, a chocolate cake, a variety of gelatos, and this take on the apple pie.  The "gelato" was more like an ice cream in its thickness but was probably my favorite part along with the berries.  The glazed apple on top was chewy and sweet, but the pastry beneath it provided very difficult to cut through and reminded me more of a stale croissant.


Lunch with family, chatting, and a beautiful scenery made for a lovely way to start off the new year. Here's to 2012!