Halloween and Autumn Baking

Cookie baking season has begun at our house! Halloween marks the beginning of our kitchen being consistently coated in flour and powdered sugar, well not just the kitchen, I'm usually covered in it as well. It's been a while since I decorated cookies with royal icing. I always find it too hot and humid in the summer to be hovering over cookies with a piping bag in hand. But now that the weather has calmed down become a little milder I'm happy to be back at it.

A couple weeks ago I made some Autumn leaf and acorn cookies for the beginning of the Autumn season. I wanted to add a little spice to my usual go-to sugar cookie recipe so I added 2 tsp of pumpkin pie spice.  Wow. Phenomenal. Plus, it makes the whole house smell like pumpkin pie. Everyone seemed to enjoy this new twist so I decided to make these cookies for the Halloween party. Hopefully they'll invoke the Autumn spices.

I decided to get an early start on the baking for the Halloween party, which takes place this weekend. I'm planning on bringing not just cookies, but cupcakes as well. So I figured I would get the cookies out of the way so I can focus on cupcakes for Saturday. I spent the morning yesterday rolling out dough and trying to decide on which of my many cookie cutters would be put to use this Halloween. After focusing on a few shapes I baked them up and spent the morning decorating. All done and now I just have to make the cupcakes. I'm super excited to share the pictures from the party!

Red Beans and Rice

I've recently started buying dried beans rather than canned beans. First of all, they're cheaper. Second, you can control what goes into them. Third, they produce less waste. So I'm a big fan. I always thought that you had to soak them overnight, so this always deterred me from cooking them because I never knew when I was going to need them unless I had been planning the menu for the week a little better. While reading How to Cook Everything I discovered that you could skip this step. I'm sure that if you soak them they will cook faster, but I can never remember the day before to soak them.

After making homemade refried beans a few times I thought I would change the recipe up a little bit and make my own red beans and rice. During my teenage years I was a vegetarian and one of my favorite restaurants was Bon Temps, a Cajun restaurant in San Luis Obispo. On their menu they had a great vegetarian option, which was red beans and rice, collard greens, and fried green tomatoes. Yummy. I thought reproducing this menu option would be delicious homemade. So I gathered up some ingredients and got to work creating my own recipe for red beans and rice.

Red Beans and Rice

1 cup red beans

1 onion, diced

1 stalk celery, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 Serrano chile, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp thyme

1 bay leaf

1 can chopped tomatoes, drained

Cayenne to taste

Salt to taste

1) In a large dutch oven add the beans and all remaining ingredients except tomatoes, cayenne, and salt. Cover with water and bring to a boil

2) Let beans simmer until tender, this can take anywhere from 45 to 2 hours. You just have to keep checking. Add more water to keep barely covered

3) When the beans are tender add the salt, tomatoes, and cayenne

4) Mash some of the beans to thicken them

5) Season and serve over white rice and enjoy!

Hot Chicken

When I first moved to Nashville I expected great barbecue. I thought (generically) that every city in the South was known for its barbecue. Well, I learned that for great barbecue you better keep moving to Memphis. Don't get me wrong, you can get some great pulled pork, but this isn't a city known for its ribs or distinct sauces. But I did learn that Nashville as its own twist on making fried chicken: hot chicken.

If you don't know what hot chicken is, well, you should. Instead of plain, mild, fried chicken you get a crispy, red, spicy coated, perfectly crunchy piece of fried chicken. This stuff will burn. If you don't like spicy food then don't even attempt. Your lips will be burning long after you've finished your meal. But the flavor is so insanely good and satisfying. I don't know how hot chicken is made, but I do know that people have their favorite hot chicken places and debates are made on who has the best.

You may prefer Bolton's to Prince's or Pepperfire over 400 Degrees or whomever has your favorite. I'm not here to get into the middle of that conversation. People like what they like for different reasons. But there is a new hot chicken restaurant on the scene: Hattie B's. The advantage this place has over the others for me: location. It's within walking distance from my house and is a lot easier than getting in my car and driving over to East Nashville. They also have beer and a patio. Trust me, beer is practically a requirement to keep the flames at bay. I don't think that their chicken is as diabolically hot as Bolton's or Prince's, so I say go one level higher than you're used to. We've gone twice in the past couple of weeks. The first time I had hot, but the next time I got damn hot. The chicken is super moist and the skin is crunchy, crispy, and on fire. Great flavor and great heat. Plus, they have great sides. So if you're on the lookout for a new hot chicken place to try I strongly recommend Hattie B's.

Carnitas

Tacos are amazing. You put practically anything between a corn tortilla and it will be delicious. But my favorite filling for a taco is none other than carnitas. Little bits of pork fried in its own rendered fat. Throw some onions and cilantro on top and I couldn't be happier. I may love many elaborate dishes, but sometimes simpler really is better.

I had never made my own carnitas before. Frankly, I thought they were so simple that I would inevitably mess them up. I wouldn't season them properly, I wouldn't cook them right, and I wouldn't use the proper method. So when I came across Diana Kennedy's recipe for carnitas I knew that this would be the recipe. I came across her book The Cuisines of Mexico at the used book store a couple weeks/months ago. It contains great recipes and explanations on regional cuisines of Mexico, as well as ingredients and techniques. Her recipe couldn't be simpler. Seriously, there are three ingredients: pork, water, and salt. I know. I was shocked too. Where does all that flavor come from? I swore that there must have been chiles or cumin, or something? Trust me. This recipe really does the pork justice.

Carnitas

From The Cuisines of Mexico

3 lbs pork shoulder, bone and skin removed, cut into small pieces (about 2 x 3/4 inches)

Cold water to cover

2 tsps salt, or to taste

1) Place the meat in a dutch oven and cover with the water, not too much, just enough to cover, then add the salt

2) Cook the meat with the lid off until all the liquid has evaporated, then lower the heat and continue cooking the meat in its own rendered fat, letting the edges crisp up, turning the meat to brown completely, this should take about 1 hour or so

3) Once the meat is browned it should be crispy and fried and falling apart a little. Heat some corn tortillas, chop some cilantro and onion, and you have yourself an amazing dinner!

California

I spent the last week visiting my family in California and had a great time. I couldn't believe that I hadn't seen them since last Thanksgiving. Time sure does fly! So I spent the week sailing with my dad, shopping with my mom, and eating... a lot. There were a few restaurants that were on top of my list that I had to eat at. We went to my favorite Italian restaurant Grappolo, in Santa Ynez, on Wednesday night. My dad is their plumber and knows the owner so he asked him if he would make their amazing fish raviolis for me, and of course I had to have the flourless chocolate cake which is the most amazing dessert. The recipes for both dishes can be found in their cookbook.

The next morning I met my friend for breakfast burritos at La Unica, in Santa Maria. This taqueria makes the best breakfast burritos I have ever had. Bacon, eggs, potatoes, and refried beans. Delicious! I spent the rest of the day in San Luis Obispo shopping with my mom and enjoying the amazing California weather.

The next day there was more Mexican food on the agenda: Lunch with my grandma at Casa Manaña. Santa Maria is full of Mexican restaurants. They are everywhere, and most of them are really good. But there is something about the cheese enchiladas and refried beans at Casa Manaña that I love. I haven't found a place in Nashville that comes anywhere near these. I could have eaten another order, but good thing I didn't because my mom had gathered up all of the family friends for a dinner at The Swiss. This restaurant has been newly renovated and the menu has changed a lot since I moved away. Now it is one of my mom's favorite restaurants. I had a tri-tip sandwich with pinquito beans because they are the specialty of Santa Maria, a dish that I took for granted until I moved away and realized I couldn't get it anywhere else. It was a great time with family and friends.

Saturday was dedicated to sailing with my dad and brother in Santa Barbara. My dad bought an old beat up sailboat and has been restoring it for the past couple of years. It looks great! We spent the whole afternoon on the ocean. We had gone sailing when I flew in on Tuesday and even saw some whales! But none on Saturday. It was the perfect day to go sailing. When we got back to the harbor my dad started cooking dinner. We bought marinated steak from the Mexican market up the street, along with some mini corn tortillas, cilantro, and onions and made some of the best tacos I've ever had. It was the perfect day.

Sunday was my last full day in California so we went to the Hitching Post in Buellton for dinner. This is my favorite steakhouse. We had the grilled artichokes for an appetizer and I had the filet mignon. Basically the same thing I always get, because its the best! I had a great time back home visiting with my friends and family. Food, friends, and family. Throw in some great weather and California sunshine and you have the makings for a perfect vacation. 

Lockeland Table

The restaurant scene in Nashville seems to get larger every month. New restaurants are have been opening all over the city, especially in East Nashville. For our anniversary last week we decided to head over to the newly opened Lockeland Table to check it out. A week before I was trying to decide on which restaurant we should go to for this occasion and when I came across the menu for Lockeland Table I knew that my search was over. Everything on this menu sounded amazing! So Will called them up to make the reservations. And good thing we did. Lockeland table has a small dining area, and it was packed when we got there. Nearly half of the restaurant is the bar area and there is even a pizza bar in the back of the dining area. Mason jars line the open shelves that separate the dining room and the bar. They are filled with pickles and jams which speak to the local, homemade feel of the restaurant. Will always makes fun of me for this, but I really love when restaurants use dish cloths as napkins. So homey and rustic. 

We decided to skip appetizers this time so we could save room for dessert. Next time I am definitely getting appetizers. I was trying to decide between the bone-in pork loin or the trout. I went with the pork loin. This may sounds strange to some people, but I know that many will agree. Sides and condiments are usually my favorite part of the meal. So when a dish comes with mac and cheese, braised greens, onion jam, and pickled mustard seeds, I know exactly what I am going to get. One word: fantastic. The pork was flavorful and made even more so by the sweet and tangy condiments. The mac and cheese was smokey and creamy and went amazingly with the greens, which were the perfect tenderness and great balance of flavors. Will had the steak frites with a perfectly cooked steak. I have to mention something about the fries. While they were not the level of crispiness that I usually prefer, they were some of the best tasting fried I have ever had. I have no idea what they were fried in, but wow. We ended the meal with deliciously fried ricotta doughnuts filled with jam. Yum!

So anyone looking for a great new restaurant in Nashville really needs to try Lockeland Table. I know we'll be back really soon!

Apologies

Hello everyone who reads my blog. Sorry I have been an absentee poster lately. I haven't been too particularly busy or anything, things just seem to rush by in the evening and I haven't been too motivated to try too many new recipes. But I promise that this will change! I know how pathetic this sounds, but Summer is my least inspiring foodie season. I know, all that fresh beautiful produce and I can't find inspiration? What's wrong with me? Well, living in Nashville in the hot and humid summers doesn't exactly having me rushing to crank up the oven. I also love cooking really homey comfort foods from around the world, and those too aren't ideal when its 100 degrees outside. 

But enough excuses. Autumn is approaching and I can already feel the urge to rush into the kitchen and bake a thousand apple pies. Ok, maybe not a thousand. But I am planning on baking a lot this season. I'll also be cooking a lot more and finding new inspirations and recipes to share with all of you. I'm off to visit my family in California next week and after that I'll be posting more. Sharing my culinary adventures and hearing about others adventures is one of my favorite things to do. I'll leave you with some photos of recent baking projects. Thanks to everyone who reads this blog! You inspire me!

Brunch: featuring Almond Puff Loaf, Herb Frittata, and Kanelbullar 

Birthday Cake for 3 great friends 

Mustache cookie-on-a-stick modeled by the beautiful Molly