Live Life, Eat Right

After unpacking my overweight suitcases and settling into my rented room, I decided it was time to explore. I had a day before work started and plenty of errands to run beforehand.

I made sure to stock up on breakfast items and snack foods to save money (eating out gets expensive fast!). I had a simple bowl of yogurt, banana, Bearnaked Vanilla Almond Crunch Granola, cranberries and honey.

I had to run to the bank, and unfortunately the closest branch is 30 minutes away in Santa Rosa. I made a twisty-turny drive through the mountains and explored the area. I stopped at a little cafe called Holy Roast Coffee. I ordered a bowl of Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Soup, Goat Cheese-Pecan Salad, Coffee and an Apple.

Lunch was simple yet satisfying. One thing to note: It is HARD, HARD, HARD living in a new town when you do not know anyone and have an extreme interest in food. There are so many restaurants I wanted to visit in my first days here (plus, it’s restaurant month and many have deals), however; going to a restaurant alone is something I’ve never done before. Sure, I’ve been to cafes and lunch places by myself but never an elegant sit down restaurant. With work, I will not have much time to visit restaurants but I also hope to meet people to dine with on my days off!

I drove through Yountville and payed respects to Thomas Keller’s restaurants (Ad Hoc, Bouchon, French Laundry); Michael Chiarello’s Bottega and NapaStyle; and the Chandon Estate. There are several restaurants in Yountville that I have admired for years from afar. I found myself excited and nervous at the same time to even just drive by. I’ve placed this area on a pedestal– some people worship celebrities, I worship restaurants.

After a long day of driving, getting lost, and restaurant-worship, I did what any single girl in a new city would do and found a pizza place with take-out! To my luck, I found a really good place called Pizzaria Tra Vigne.

A little pinot for my mushroom pizza–PERFECT (will review in tomorrow’s post!).

And a large salad so I didn’t feel as guilty for eating half of the pizza. Granted, it was a small wood fire pizza–very filling but SO tasty that I couldn’t help myself. I will be ordering again soon!

First day of work tomorrow–wish me luck!

Napa Dreams,

Nora

3:30 pm Saturday Afternoon: I return home from Culinary school, hug my parents and proceed to unload my over-stuffed car.

4:30pm Mom tells me that she has roasted chicken planned for dinner.

4:31pm I offer to clean and prep the chicken…and make dinner.

So much for unpacking.

On Saturday morning I slept in (for once in my life). I showered and was greeted to fluffy, warm pancakes a-la-dad! My dad is the best! He only believes in real maple syrup, so I doused my cakes with the good stuff and topped them with some sugary banana slices and walnuts.

Seriously…can you think of a more perfect way to start a late day?

My Papa (name for my grandfather) was coming over for dinner that night and I wanted to make him something special. My dad sent me an article about a local restaurant that had pork medallions on their menu, and wanted me to make them while I was home. I portioned a pork tenderloin, shaped each slice with cheese cloth into rounds and marinated them in a mixture of olive oil, garlic, rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper for about 20/30 minutes. I heated a skillet and seared each piece until golden and crispy. I finished my medallions in the oven until they reached the internal temperature of 145. To finish, I served them topped with apple cider sauce (apple cider, apple cider vinegar, pan drippings from pork and butter), roasted butternut squash-maple puree and roasted Brussels sprouts.

For dessert, my mom made warm apple crumbles with vanilla ice cream. My Papa loves all things apple, and it was a great way to end our hearty winter supper.

I miss my Papa terribly and it meant a lot for me to prepare a special dinner for him while I was home. I’ve never lived more than 4 hours from home–now that I am in California, I’m not sure when I will see my family next. It has made me appreciate out phone calls and time together even more than ever.

Like I said before, packing/unpacking/moving isn’t really my thing. I procrastinate and get frustrated. I am lucky to have friends and family–I could never do this alone. The day before my big move, I fell into a funk. After breakfast, I decided that if I started making lunch, it would give me something to look forward to….It would also give me an excuse to leave packing every 5 minutes to check on its progress.

I snacked throughout the morning and by the time lunch rolled around, I wasn’t even hungry. (I tend to do this while packing.) I enjoyed a light lunch of carrot and ginger soup, topped with Greek yogurt, almonds and honey. I gave myself a pat on the back for a lunch well made. Warm, hearty and packed with flavor. Twas good.

For my final meal home, I combined my two favorites into one dish: Seared Scallops and Risotto. I made a mushroom risotto with Cremini, Shiitake and Oyster Mushrooms. To increase texture/mushroom flavor, I took half of the mushrooms I sauteed and pureed them with homemade chicken stock to add back into the risotto at the end. I also roasted a few handfuls of the mushroom mix for a crispy garnish. I finished the dish with Truffle Oil and Parsley Oil, and served asparagus to have a green vegetable.

California Pinot…why not? A perfect farewell.

Home Girl,

Nora

Two days of salmon recipes?!? I know, I know…but I promise this one is a keeper. Mid-way through yesterday’s post, I realized I had this pretty little thing hidden away in the archives of my iPhone photo album.

It also involves thick hickory smoked bacon, so you KNOW it has to be good .

[Rule of Thumb: Bacon = Better.]

I cut said bacon into about 1/4 inch cubes, rendered the fat and removed the yummy bites of heaven from the pan. I used the bacon fat plus a splash more olive oil to sweat a mixture of carrots, celery and onion.

Into the pot went some neat beluga lentils (black lentils–so tender, yummy and unusual–a real treat I picked up from a market in NYC!) and water and enough salt to enhance the flavor. Bring to a boil and simmer until the lentils are perfectly soft (should not have a bite). Right before serving, I added the bacon back to the mix. Mmmm, mmm good.

I served my lentils on top of sauteed spinach. I also made a “gastrique” that I wish I had play-by-play of pictures for. To make a gastrique, you start by making a caramel. I took about 1/2 cup sugar and 2 T of water and cooked it until the sugar began to caramelize. This process can be tricky because you do not want the sugar to burn (I burned my first attempt!). Once the caramel has reached its perfection, I added a mixture of apple cider vinegar and apple cider. Reduce until desired consistency. It almost reminds me of the sweet and sour elements of found in Asian cuisine. A little gastrique goes a long way to compliment foods–especially luscious fatty fish .

After sauteing my salmon I made a sauce of butter, lemon juice and brown sugar in a pan with walnuts for topping. I love pan sauces–so much flavor!

My family and I enjoyed this lovely meal paired with a medium bodied Chardonnay. It was nice Winter dinner for a brisk night in Upstate New York. Although, I feel obligated to say: the butternut risotto I made takes the cake for ultimate “Winter Comfort” in my book. I am aware that this is an unfair comparison–cheese never fails to make life good.

Bon Vivant,

Nora

7-months ago my life changed.

I packed up my apartment and my cat. Completed my marketing job. Said goodbye to my parents. And went to culinary school.  I wasn’t sure what to expect, however; nothing had ever felt SO right in my life. As I drove over the Mid-Hudson bridge I was full of excitement and fear. My future was uncertain and I certainly loved that.

After living on my own and in apartments for years, I hesitated with the idea of moving into a dorm cell with a complete stranger. Giving up my privacy and subjecting myself to the “terrible” roommate situation was not something I welcomed kindly. My best option was to live on campus, so I bit the bullet and took the risk. Whatever happened, happened and I could certainly find ways to get along with / avoid a bad-roommate situation.

I checked into my building with my fingers crossed, hoping she was not there yet. I wanted to set up my stuff…on the side of the room I wanted…and avoid any awkward interactions.

Too bad.

She was there before me and took the side of the room I didn’t want. We had spoken once before and I gave her a nervous bear hug when I walked in the door.

Minutes into our culinary school journey, we knew we would be great friends. We unpacked many similar items,  joked and laughed, walked campus together and checked in to receive our books. 15-minutes into our relationship, the orientation volunteers asked if we had planned to come to school together, assuming that we had known each other our entire lives.

We haven’t been apart since. My roommate Sammy is my best friend and confidant. She has been an important part of my life at the CIA. School just wouldn’t be the same without her. After the holidays, we both came back to campus a day early for our jobs. Our return was bittersweet. In two short weeks we will be packing up our dorm room and 7-months worth of memories and heading to separate parts of the country for a 5-month externship.

I am going to miss her. We decided to make the most of our time left and shared a “welcome home dinner” at The Melting Pot before seeing the movie New Years Eve. It was a fun meal for two culinary students. I mean, how often do you get to play with and cook your own food table side at a restaurant? We enjoyed the food and company.

In two weeks I will be in California for 5-months. I am terrified and uncertain, but I certainly love that. I don’t know what the future will bring and I am looking forward to it.

Bon Vivant,

Nora

Looking for a last minute New Years Eve snack? This flavorful, unique pizza will keep guests happy (and help clean out your refrigerator!)

During my holiday break I have been studying for my practical exam and apartment hunting. Two very tedious and frustrating tasks, but hey, someone has to do them. Two days ago, I found myself in need of a break. The weather outside was frightful so I decided to turn the oven on and make something. With a refrigerator full of holiday leftovers, I did not want to go too crazy and add to the chaos.

I went for a low-and-slow route: oven drying tomatoes. I took a large can of whole plum tomatoes, drained the liquid and halved them. I lined them up all pretty on a baking sheet lined with parchment, gave them a healthy dose of garlic, thyme, a few bay leaves, salt pepper and olive oil. Into the oven they went at about 200 for a few hours until they were wrinkly and my house smelled like heaven.

Swoon.

We had salad greens that needed to be used in the next day, so I made a champagne-vinaigrette (Whisk 1/2 small shallot, 2 T champagne vinegar, 1tsp mustard, 1 tsp honey, 6T olive Oil, salt and pepper), while drinking a beer–Thank you Dad for my favorite Middle Ages 10th Anniversary Double IPA. So hoppy, so good.

I found some yeast and decided to procrastinate studying by watch dough rise. I love making fresh dough, but you can always buy some good stuff at the local grocery store.

On top of the copious amounts of salad greens that needed to be used we also had 1/2 a bag of arugula. For fear of over-salading my parents and making them feel like rabbits, I used the arugula for pesto. About 1/2 cup walnuts, 2 cups+ arugula, 2 cloves garlic, grated cheese and enough olive oil to make it all come together. **TASTE YOUR PESTO–Add Salt and pepper as necessary before using!**

A layer of pesto!

A thin layer of leftover pomodoro from pasta night and oven-dried tomatoes.

4-5oz of goat cheese—because it’s good. Drizzle a nice bit of olive oil on top and brush the crust with olive oil. Bake at 4oo until crisp and golden!

I had leftover toppings from the roasted pear salad I made for my friend the previous day, and thought it would be a refreshing addition to the pizza.

I’m not ashamed to admit that I went back for seconds….Between 3 people, we ate a solid 3/4ths of it. Moral of the story: make a pizza, clean your refrigerator and make your loved ones happy.

Ah…the power of food.

Happy New Year!

Nora