A Long Time Coming: Super Bowl Flank Steak

Hi. It's been awhile. Not much has changed, except that life seems to be moving faster and faster everyday. So quickly in fact that as I watch my girls I am torn between immense pride in their daily growth and a nagging feeling that maybe the four of us should just hide out in a cabin in the woods for a few years... In between all these ordinary and extraordinary occurrences of life, I have developed a few new little obsessions; namely tea, my iPhone4, and Pinterest. These new habits have mainly been positive, and often very interconnected. For example, a recent Saturday had me dragging my husband to a tea house, ( with the promise they sold beer there as well)that I had found with my Yelp app. I had obtained directions from Suri, and also the information that it just so happened to be near a much loved home decor store, where I hoped to find a few items that would help a few of my pinboards come to fruition.

While we sat enjoying our beverages (Oolong & IPA), my hubby, ( who is not a big fan of Facebook) brought up the notion that before people were allowed to post on Facebook, something should pop up asking the user " are you sure?" or " do you really want to post this?" , maybe " would you want your grandma to see this?" , etc. The idea was meant partly in jest, but rooted in seriousness. I mean how much of our time is spent getting way too much information otherwise known as TMI most of it from people you wouldn't have coffee with, yet they are your Facebook "friends"? I got to thinking about how nowadays anybody can just google you and find out half of your personal business. I mean, the internet is a stalkers dream! Or how your boss can send you an urgent email on a holiday or at midnight and you can't just ignore it or pretend you didn't get it because he made sure that one of your company perks was a paid for Blackberry and data plan! I continued to digress into why the Internet SUCKS but then I stopped myself. It's true, the Internet , like everything , has its faults, but it also has its virtues. The power of information for one, and the spreading of ideas and creativity that has only been possible through the Internet. The very personal function that the Internet provides in keeping us connected to each other. Like your friend from grade school whom you haven't seen in over a decade but somehow you have been able to interface with one another through blogging, Facebook, and "pinning" together. All of that makes you realize why you were friends in the first place, and you just know that you would be sharing a pot of tea or pitcher of beer together if you were to actually live in the same city, state, or country. That's the magic of the Internet, it keeps friends from becoming strangers.

Food also brings people together, which is why every culture has celebrations that focus on eating and drinking. Personally, I can not think of a holiday that I do not associate with a specific food or beverage! One of the great American cultural events is the Superbowl. You may not care or even know what teams are playing but you better believe you showed up at the party expecting buffalo wings and jalapeño poppers! This past Superbowl it was a given that those items would be served, but I also wanted a great main dish to wow my guests with. Not finding quite what I wanted on food blogs or pinboards, I appealed to Facebook. Quickly, I received a response from my friend Chad, a Major in the United States Marine Corps. He was overseas serving our country in the Middle East. Being the sports enthusiast he is, I should have known he would possess a killer, crowd-pleasing recipe for game time. Chad may have been thousands of miles away, watching the Superbowl at 3am, but it felt like he was in Oregon watching it with us because we were eating his food. And that I think, is the real power of the Internet.

CHAD'S MARINATED FLANK STEAK

2 Flank or Skirt Steaks
1 Cup Olive Oil
1 Cup Soy Sauce
1 Medium Onion, diced
7 Cloves of Garlic, diced
3 Tablespoons Honey
5 Tablespoons Powdered Ginger

Combine all ingredients in large pan or bowl. Marinate steaks 24 hours, turning every few hours. About 2 hours before serving, remove steaks from refrigerator and bring to room temperature. Grab your grill master (in my case, my hubby) and grill steaks on each side, 4-5 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before slicing. I served these steaks with flatbread and pickled vegetables.

Beer Cheese Soup

In Portland, there are a lot of big brewpubs, little brewpubs, or just pubs that serve craft beer scattered throughout the city. Every neighborhood has at least one. Now before you go thinking that us Portlanders are just a bunch of alcoholics or rather beeroholics, understand this, Portland is known for it's beer and the city and citizens pride themselves on the quality and quantity of their breweries. In fact, Portland has more microbreweries within city limits than any city in the world. So you see, we've earned the right to take our beer seriously! The abundance of pubs also has a lot to do with the weather, which is often grey, drizzly, or just downright rainy. A warm wooden booth and a pint offer a nice refuge for anybody wanting to relax, by themselves, with friends, or with family. I am not trying to make this post become a travel advertisement for Portland (and trust me it is not, especially if you are a hipster or man that wears skinny jeans, please stay away, thank you!) I am simply trying to get across to you this whole culture of  cozy pubs with yummy food and delicious beer. Due to the fact that I am a stay at home mommy of two (or you can use the all encompassing job title: Domestic Goddess), it is not always possible to hop down to the pub for a beer whenever I get the hankering. So, on weekend afternoons when the chill never seems to quite leave, and the rain starts to fall, I like to recreate a pub atmosphere in my own house. This generally involves a pint of something good and a warm bowl of beer cheese soup. (See this is why I prefer Domestic Goddess!) Hopefully the next time you are in the mood for something comforting, you will make this soup and enjoy a bowl too!

Beer Cheese Soup
Adapted from The Taste of Oregon Cookbook
Serves 4-6

1 stick unsalted butter
1/2 cup carrots, finely diced
1/2 cup celery, finely diced
1/2 cup yellow onion, finely diced
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
salt & pepper to taste
pinch of cayenne pepper
4 cups low sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
8 ounces extra sharp Cheddar cheese, grated (I use Tillamook Extra Sharp Vintage)
12 ounces FLAT beer (I used Widmer Citra Blonde, but Hefeweizen would work well too.)
Make sure to have all ingredients prepped BEFORE you start cooking, because the process goes fast! Melt butter over medium heat in a large soup pot, when butter starts to froth (not brown!) add vegetables. Saute until tender, about 10 minutes. Slowly stir in flour, turning heat down if necessary, add salt and dry mustard. Cook the mixture until it begins to brown, 3-5 minutes. Add cayenne pepper. Add chicken broth and turn the heat to high. Add the cheeses, stirring constantly. Add beer. As soon as soup reaches a boil, reduce the heat to medium low. Let soup cook to desired thickness, generally 5 minutes more. Serve immediately!

North Coast Brewing Company Belgian Style Abbey Ale

Has anyone (male or female) noticed that when the male species decides they like something, they really like it, I mean, they get really, really into it? For example, your man hears a band he likes, and then of course he needs ALL the albums, right now? Or he decides he wants to get into fishing, so he goes and purchases tons of fishing supplies, that he may or may not need? Do I have the only husband that does that? In everyday life this trait can be slightly exasperating, but in the grand scheme of things, I think it's probably a good thing. This very same quality comes across when a man is falling in love too, if he is into you, he's all in, and you'll know it, if he's not that into you, he just isn't, and he shows it.... Whatever this characteristic truly is, biological, genetic, or emotional, it's part of the man. Or at least my man, and it is for this exact reason that I just smiled when he announced a few weeks ago that his new favorite kind of beer was "Sour Belgians." I kept smiling about this until the first time I attempted to buy him a bottle from the store..... that is when I discovered that Sour Belgians are the most expensive types of beer! We are talking around eleven dollars for 12 ounces! Now it is my belief that every hard working man deserves a beer, but almost a dollar an ounce? Crazy talk! So until we win the lottery, the Sour Belgians are going to have to wait for special occasions. In between, he'll just have to be content with IPA and "bargain" Belgians I find. Like this Belgian from North Coast Brewing Company that I found at my local Costco for only $5.99 for a 750 ML. This is a smooth Belgian with a nice malty finish and should be drunk from a specialty Belgian beer goblet, but if you don't have one, just use a big, round red wine glass.

Portuguese Beans

Sofia browning the sausages & onions

If you grew up where I did in the Central Valley of California, chances are you have had some version of these beans, whether you are Portuguese or not. Every family generally has their own "special" recipe for these, this is the recipe I happen to like, which is actually my stepmom Diane's recipe. She had this recipe passed down to her from her Aunt. And so it goes, and so it goes, every family has their own secrets, and every Aunt has "the best recipe", it's a pride thing. Tweak as you go if you like, but I suggest following this recipe to a tee, the first time through, because you see, it really is the best!!

These beans are great for barbecue season as a side dish, but they also make a comforting meal with some garlic bread and a simple salad. Whatever you do, don't forget the garlic bread!

Portuguese Beans
Serves 6 as a meal, 15 as a side dish
olive oil
1/4 cup finely diced onion
1 lb Linguica sausages or rope of  Linguica, cut into thin 1/2 moons
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon pepper
1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes or plain tomato sauce
2 (28 oz) cans pinto beans, rinsed and drained (this gets rid of the added starch) You can also use dried beans, soaked overnight.
Brown Linguica and onion in a little olive oil over medium heat. When onion and Linguica are browned put them into a crock pot with beans and tomatoes. Cook 2-3 hours. The LAST 1/2 hour of cooking, add spices, mix together and cook another 1/2 hour. These beans will keep for hours after being cooked, simply set your crock pot to the WARM setting. You can also use a covered pot on the stove for this, but I find a crock pot is easier to control even cooking for long periods of time!

Beans don't photograph well, but they should look something like this!

The First Dish I Ever Cooked: Fettuccine with Prosciutto, Asparagus, and Tomatoes

If you had a conversation with my mom about my teenage years you would probably walk away thinking that she should be put on the fast track to sanctification and that man, I was kind of a brat. I'm not sure if 'brat" is exactly the right term, but I did have a cavalier attitude about most things, and this includes school and my personal safety. Like most young people I thought I was invincible and could do anything. This attitude meant that I thought high school attendance was flexible, speed limits were simply a suggestion , and that the only good food existed in the form of Reese's peanut butter cups and Jack In the Box containers, oh yeah, and that adults were complete idiots. I know I wasn't alone in this line of thinking, these are all pretty standard reasons for why most people can't stand teenagers. It took a few years and some hard life lessons for me to realize that I couldn't just run through life doing whatever the hell I wanted or saying whatever the hell I wanted. For the most part, I now think mainly good things come with age and maturity, but there is a little part of me that wishes I still had a little bit more of my spirit before it was tamed. Not the reckless, ignorant part; but the confident part, that narcissistic (in a good way) thing that only young people possess. That brief moment in time where you think you can do whatever you want to, be whatever you want to, all because you want to.....

This was the kind of confidence I had the first time I decided to cook a meal. I had collected cookbooks long before I ever thought about actually putting them to use, I just liked reading them. Then one day, I was flipping through a book on Italian cooking, and I came across a recipe that sounded good. Right then and there I decided I'd make it for my high school graduation party. I didn't know how to cook at all, but the meal turned out great. Yes, this was probably due to luck and good ingredients, but I think it also had a little to do with a confident spirit. From then on, I started cooking all kinds of things, some great, some terrible! (I once made fish and chips that were completely inedible and homemade aioli where I didn't peel the garlic cloves! Yikes is right...)  The other day I was at the farmer's market and bought a bunch of fresh asparagus and started contemplating what to do with it, when I remembered this old recipe and decided to revisit this meal again. The recipe turned out just as good as I remembered; which I like to think was due to a different confidence, one learned over years spent in the kitchen, prepping and executing. However, I know I don't know everything about cooking yet, I don't believe anyone ever can, for there is always something new to learn. So this summer I made a promise to myself to be more confident and experimental in the kitchen. I have a couple ideas, one of them being that I am going to try canning. The process intimidates me, (fear of botulism; hello East of Eden.....) but I hope to tackle the task with a bit of my old youthful fervor! How about you? What intimidates you in the kitchen? How did you try and overcome your culinary fears? What was the first meal you ever cooked?

Fettuccine with Asparagus
Adapted from "The Italian Collection" by Food & Wine Books
Serves 6
1 pound this asparagus
6-8 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 ounces prosciutto, thinly sliced and cut into thin strips
1 (14 ounce) can whole tomatoes, drained and then chopped. (I use Muir Glen Organic for quality flavor.)
1 pound fettuccine pasta
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper

Snap the tough ends off asparagus and discard. Cut the fresh spears into 1 inch pieces. In a large pot of salted, boiling water, cook the asparagus just until tender, about 3 minutes. Drain and rinse in a colander, shocking them with cold water. (This stops the cooking process.)

In a large pot of salted, boiling water, cook pasta until al dente, usually 8-10 minutes, then drain. While pasta is cooking, in a large saute pan, melt 4-6 tablespoons of butter over medium low heat. Add the prosciutto and cook, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes, salt and pepper, turn the heat to medium and simmer until sauce is thickened, about 5 Minutes. Add asparagus and cook a minute or two more until heated through. Add sauce to pot with pasta, adding Parmesan and a tablespoon more butter. Season to taste with salt and pepper. It is important to mix pasta and sauce together for about 30 seconds as this ensures that all the flavors develop and that each piece of pasta is coated with sauce! Serve with a crisp white wine and enjoy!

Twitter

Admittedly Twitter intimidates me. However, I think it can be a great tool for sharing inspiration, ideas, and news for all things food related, so I joined. If you are on Twitter follow me @luluscocina and maybe you can help me figure out how this thing works too!

Vacations

Bodega Head

The past few weeks we have been fortunate enough to take in a couple little vacations, one to Bodega Bay/ West Sonoma/ San Francisco and the other to the Oregon Central Coast . When we have been home I have been making really healthy, easy dishes to try and counterbalance all the extra indulgences and imbibing we have been doing on our travels. With no new recipes to post, I thought I might share some of the places/treats/drinks we enjoyed during our getaways. I have to confess that by doing this post I am also satisfying my own desire to rehash my vacation food memories. Hopefully these memories will stay in my head a long while, because my only regret is that I didn't take more pictures of the food. The thing is, if I am truly enjoying my food, the last thing on my mind is to stop stuffing my face and whip out the camera.  When I am tempted to do this in a restaurant there is also the thought lingering in my mind that I don't ever want to be THAT girl. You know the type, the girl who whips out her camera and starts snapping away before she has even tasted the food, all with blogging, tweeting, facebooking, or  yelping in mind? In my book, nothing is more mood killing then when you are sitting there enjoying yourself and the flash of a Nikon goes off in your face. Some places food picture taking is acceptable, outdoor markets, most brewpubs are so noisy nobody really cares, and your own home. However there are some places where it is not acceptable behavior, for example, the Casino Bar in Bodega where we had one of our best meals; I would have been 86'd immediately had I whipped out my camera to document it. So although I can't leave you with a lot of "food porn" pictures,  I can post scenery ones, in hopes that this will entice you to try some of these places for your next getaway .....

Sonoma Coast:

Occidental, Ca

St. Theresa of Avila Church , Bodega, Ca

Ferry Plaza Market Building, San Francisco, Ca

Russian River Brewing Company, Santa Rosa, Ca- Our first stop on our way west to Bodega Bay. Don't go here for the food or atmosphere, go here for beer. A 16 beer taster? Sure, why not? "The River" has so many interesting and tasty beers on tap it is hard to choose a favorite, but mine was the Belgian brewed "Damnation", and the hubby's was the Sour Belgian "Redemption".

Spud Point Crab Company, Spud Point Marina, Bodega Bay, Ca- Two words: crab sandwich. This sandwich might actually be the best thing I ever ate. I even moaned out loud, and my table manners are better than that. Tons of pure crab, no fillers, lightly dressed in red pepper mayo, stuffed in between in two thin pieces of toasted french bread.....so perfect I had one two days in a row!

Gourmet Au Bay, Highway 1, Bodega Bay, Ca- This wine shop gets a mention, not for the excellence of their wines, (they were hit or miss) but for the location, cool "wine surfing" concept, and friendly owners. They have a lovely back deck where you can sit out over the bay and enjoy your wine.

Casino Bar & Grill, Highway 12, Bodega, Ca- Funky old saloon right next to the St. Theresa of Avila Church from Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds. On certain nights, talented chef Mark Malicki comes to the bar and cooks a set menu of his own creation. What you get is gourmet food at pauper's prices. On the night we visited, we ordered the Crab Cobb Salad, Fishermen's Clam Chowder (with clams in shell, and short ribs with potatoes and creamed spinach. Grand total? 30 bucks! The food draws in an ecclectic group, to our left were locals and bikers, to the right were ladies who lunch. Coors Light and white wine spritzers all mixed together! The bar owners are super welcoming, but be aware that this is a beer, wine, or straight up liquor establishment, don't go in expecting or wanting to order a specialty drink, there are no cocktail shakers or glasses in sight. The poor guy next to us made the mistake of ordering a gin martini and he got a shot glass with ice, gin poured over, and a martini olive on top! When in Rome........

Hog Island Oyster Company, Ferry Plaza Building, Embarcadero, San Francisco, Ca- The original Hog Island Oyster Farm is located in along Highway One in Tomales Bay, Ca. Picnicing outside eating oysters along the Pacific sounded wonderful, but I get easily carsick. Not wanting to upchuck the schucks so to speak, we decided it was best to visit their space in the Ferry Plaza building in San Francisco. There are an overwhelming array of food establishments in the Ferry Market, but I was extremely pleased with our meal at Hog Island Oyster Company. Sipping Pinot Grigio and slurping up fresh oysters while looking out over the bay was the perfect way to end our vacation.

Oregon Central Coast

Gleneden Beach, Oregon

I got a chance to spend Mother's Day weekend at the Oregon Coast with both my mom and grandma. Since my family lives in California, the last time I got to see them for Mother's Day was over ten years ago!  We prepared most of our meals at the beach house, prefering to lounge with a glass of wine and eat at our leisure, rather then rushing around trying to get everybody up and out the door before breakfast hours were over. This didn't mean that the food we ate wasn't special or restaurant worthy though, it was just simple. Breakfasts of fried eggs and thick cut Pendelton bacon, dinners of fettucine pesto, butter lettuce salad,  barbecued oysters, tri-tip, and shrimp cocktail, and bay shrimp melts with beer-steamed clams , we really took advanatage of Oregon's bounty and our time together. However, we did eat out a few times, and had a noteworthy lunch at these two places:

Tidal Raves Seafood Grill, Highway 101, Depoe Bay, Oregon- Tidal Raves holds a special place in my heart for a number of reasons, a major one being that I have had the chance to break bread here with many people I love. The food is always fresh, delicious, and reasonably priced. I also think this restaurant has the most spectacular dining view on the Oregon Coast, and I would even venture to say the entire state. I reccomend the calamari, pan fried oysters, and Seahawk Bread for appetizers, all of their outstanding soups (personal favorite: Smoked Salmon chowder), cioppino, and pan fried snapper topped with shrimp salsa over a potato/smoked salmon cake. For dessert, try their bread pudding with bourbon sauce, it is so so good!

J's Fish and Chips, Highway 101, Lincoln City, Oregon- A little hole in the wall in a rundown shopping center, it's not much to look at, but the place serves up great fish and homemade chips. The Fish is fresh, and the panko breading is crisp and not too thick, no soggy breading here! Try the combo basket or the super fresh halibut!

Random Food Finds
If there are two things that really get me excited it's good beer and cheese. Here are some from our trips that made me happy!

Beer:

Damnation, Russian River Brewing Company
Cappucino Stout, Lagunitas Brewing Company
Racer IPA , Bear Republic Brewing Company
Boont Amber Ale , Andersonville Brewing Company
Tsunami Stout, Pelican Brewery

Cheese:

Mt. Tam Triple Creme Brie, Cowgirl Creamery
Pt Reyes Blue, Point Reyes Cheese Company

Vintage Extra Sharp White Cheddar, Tillamook Cheese Company