La Quatrieme Gourmande: Recipes, Cooking, Photography

Huntington Beach!

2010-09-11T19:02:00.000-07:00

Temple Pics

2010-08-20T23:31:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine is a very talented temple photographer, in case you're ever interested ;)

One more. Why not?

2010-08-04T23:44:00.001-07:00

Little iHumor :)

2010-08-04T23:24:00.000-07:00

And, btw, iMade also.

More family photography

2010-08-03T16:56:00.000-07:00

What a sweet little chub, huh?

Provo Farmers Market and CSA

2010-07-24T16:31:00.000-07:00

It's not secret that I love fresh produce. And, since reading In Defense of Food, I find myself gravitating more towards organic, locally grown produce. That's why I signed up for my local CSA.

"What is a CSA?" you ask. A brilliant idea, for one. CSA stands for community shared agriculture. Essentially, you pay a local farmer at the beginning of a growing season to pay for the growing costs. Then, each week throughout the season, the farmer provides you with a box of freshly picked, locally produced vegetables and fruits. You don't usually choose what you get, but that's part of the fun, really. It teaches you to cook new dishes.

I signed up for the smallest share available which is still way too much for me. My current CSA shares are just vegetables, so I supplement with fruits from the farmer's market, another place to get fresh, local produce.

Not only does local, organic produce taste better, but it supports the agricultural culture of your area. The more we support these local farmers, the less dependent we'll be on industrially produced supercrops, which lack the nutritional quality and ecological integrity of local foods.

Oh, and did I mention how delicious they are? :)

Summertime--and tomatoes--in Utah

2010-07-19T21:55:00.000-07:00

Summertime and the pollen is high.

I love photographing dandelions. They're so...ethereal. Especially when backlit ;) Don't they make you think of summer?

You know what else makes me think of summer? Tomatoes. And this year, I grew my own. You may remember when my first little guy budded. Well, feast your eyes upon...this!

That, friends, is my first tomato of the season. And of ever. I grew it myself. Victory tastes so sweet. My tomato plant may be dying and seeping with neem oil to control the aphids, but boy is it fruiting!

So, on my next post I hope to do a review of a book I recently read called In Defense of Food. By the time I'm through with you, you'll be begging me for some of my organic tomatoes, hahaha!

Maybe not. But, it's fun to lord over others with our produce from time to time.

:D

L.O.V.E. (More family photography)

2010-07-10T21:02:00.000-07:00

"L" is for the way you look at me

"O" is for the only one I see

"V" is very, very extraordinary

"E" is even more than anyone that you adore can

Love was made for me and you :)

Homemade, wholesome pizza and more Utah gardening adventures

2010-06-18T21:03:00.000-07:00

HAHAHA! Skeeaired? Don't be. It's not a dangerous spider. I mean, you don't want one to bite you (leaves a nasty welt, I hear), but they're good at killing bugs you don't like. Oh, and they jump. *Shiver.* But, look how fuzzy he is. I mean, in a way, isn't Harold here kind of cute? Just look into those eyes. And those other eyes...and those ones too... He's just a hardworkin' arachnid; don't hate!

It's called the Daring Jumping Spider. I ran into this cuddly little fellow yesterday as he was attempting to climb into my tomato plant. I should have let him. My tomato plant is covered in filthy vermin! It's stressing me out. Those are my tomaters, free loaders! Yuck. Anyway, they'll soon be getting a thick serving of organic insecticide.

Ok. Now I'd like to get serious with you for a minute. Because, I'm going to show you my pizza. I made a pizza the other night and it was wonderful and healthy and you need to know about it.

So, good pizza must begin on a solid foundation. I wanted this pizza to have a kick-butt dough and I found one called Jay's Signature Pizza Crust. However, as is my wont, I Meg-ified it by subbing half whole wheat flour. That made this a pretty healthy dough since the fat is just a bit of olive oil. This crust is outstanding! Be warned: this is a yeast dough and must rise, so you'll have to start it about an hour before baking it (but it is SO worth it!)

After rising and rolling, it was time for some exceptional ingredients. I wanted simple but striking flavors, so I opted for no tomato sauce (gasp) and went with 3 toppings:

Emmentaler cheese, basil, and vine-ripe tomatoes.

Three words (and one article) for you: I am a genius.

Bahaha. But it did turn out pretty good.

Next, we threw it on my $10 baking stone and this is what came out:

And then we had ourselves a little slice of heaven. Actually, several rather huge slices.

What I've Been Up to Lately: Gardening and Quilting

2010-06-08T20:49:00.000-07:00

Do you see that little guy in the middle there? That glorious, green, little orb represents weeks of worry, water, and fertilizer. That, folks, is my first tomato.

That's right; I'm gardening. And by gardening I mean I have a tomato plant in a 5 gallon planter...that's currently sitting in my neighbor's yard because my tiny excuse for a half-porch doesn't get direct sunlight. And so what if I bought it at Costco? It didn't have any tomatoes yet; that part was all me. And the soil. And the fertilizer. Which both came from Costco.

Actually, I sort of feel that each little tomato popping up is somewhat of a miracle, since my plant has been flowering for over a month and has seen snow and near freezing temperatures. In case you don't know (and as I've learned), tomato plants don't like that. If I were the tomato plant, I wouldn't want to fruit either.

Want to see the rest of my "garden"?

In other news, the ongoing saga of my niece's quilt is beginning to wrap up. Only two years after it began.

Yes, I'm a master quilter as well as a farmer.

Everyone loves pork fat

2010-05-27T21:10:00.000-07:00

Especially me.

J and I decided that there's enough garlic used on these to burst the space time continuum, which is why my hands smelled like garlic the day before I actually cooked them.

And the day of. But I think J likes when I smell like ribs.

When we eat these, it's hard not to just shove them down our throats as fast as our breathing will allow. That's how good they are. Tender, juicy, barbecue-y pork fat. Can you blame us?

I'd love to disclose the recipe, but my brother has sworn me to secrecy (he's our family grill master). So, I thought I'd just post these pictures to tease everyone.

Just kidding. I like you too much for that. But aren't they tempting?

Googly Eyes

2010-05-15T10:40:00.000-07:00

So sorry. I've been a major blog slacker lately. But I've been having a blast.

So, you know how I know I'm the luckiest auntie in the whole world? Here's how:

And look at this one. How unfair is this face?

You want to know how I know I'm the luckiest girlfriend in the world? The other day I showed J Christopher Walken's classic gardening skit on SNL. It's one of my all time favs. Anyway, yesterday, I go to look at my tomato plant (whose name is Brad Paisley) and my bonsai (whose name is Jianli) and look what I found:

Good Chilean Food

2010-05-01T22:03:00.000-07:00

So, a few weeks ago, J and I went to Pantrucas, a local chilean restaurant.

Yum. Yum. Yum.

I love to cook. But sometimes, I just want to go out and be lazy. And pay a lot of money. For poor service and sub-par food.

Wait. No I don't.

That's why I like this place. It's not expensive, the service is lovely (it's run by a delightful Chilean couple), and the food is both authentic and delish! J spent sometime at a university in Chile, so he knows the real deal.

Take for instance, this golden-brown piece of heaven:

Crispy chilean empanada

When I was in college, I took an advanced logic class that drove me to the brink of insanity. On one occasion, I remember writing out a long, extremely complicated proof that I'd done. I may have been the only one in the class who'd gotten it and I beamed with pride. However, my professor simply said,

"It's not elegant."

After my initial rage wore off, I realized that what he meant was, because I was struggling to even solve the beast, I'd done a lot of unnecessary steps and taken a less direct route. It needed to be simplified.

This is a lesson I've taken to the kitchen. Simple does not mean boring. Simple means poignant, elegant food. Simple means work Anyone can slop on the fats and spices to distract the tongue. The real challenge is enhancing flavor-- not covering it. And limiting you palette means you have to make every flavor count.

That's why I loved the Chilean salad. I think it was a simple concoction of fresh tomatoes, minced onion and cilantro, lime juice, and a bit of salt. But, oh the flavor! I'll never taste a tomato the same way again.

Fresh Chilean salad

J captured my Chilean food excitement:

Anyway, if anyone has any simple, yet tastebud-invigorating recipes they'd like to share, please post! I'll try to make it and put it up on here. Just know that I'm rather slow and lazy sometimes.

Before you go, check out these cute Chilean figurines:

Peace and blessings.

LQG

Recent bridal photography shoot in Utah :)

2010-04-21T23:05:00.000-07:00

Just lightroom :)

How to make quick, healthy, and easy biscuits!

2010-04-13T21:01:00.000-07:00

I love homemade rolls, but I rarely have time to make them, as worth the effort as they are. So, I make a lot of biscuits because they take about 10 minutes to mix up and 10 minutes to cook. Easy!

Oh, but there's a price. It seems to me that, in general, the less time a bread takes to cook, the more fat and/or sugar it contains. I don't know when you last made biscuits, but most of the recipes I've seen call for nearly a cup of butter per 10-12 biscuits. I love butter, but if the thought of it settling on my hips isn't enough, the claustrophobia of closing arteries usually does the trick.

So, I developed this recipe. Butterless? Not in your dreams. Significantly lower in fat and more nutritious? Now we're talking. And no one is going to know these are "healthy." They're tender, crumbly, and scrumptious. Really. I was surprised myself.

Meg's Rosemary Oatmeal Biscuits

Preheat oven to 450 degrees

1 c white flour
1 c wheat flour
1 c quick cooking oats
1 tbs dried rosemary
4 tsp baking powder
1 tbs sugar
1 tsp salt
1/4 c butter
1/4 c olive oil
1 c milk

Mix up the flours, oats, rosemary, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
Next, cut in the butter with a pastry blender (a food processor might not be a good idea because you want the oats to stay whole).
Add olive oil.
Finally add the milk.

Drop biscuits using a 1/4 c measuring cup on to ungreased baking sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes.

"Portion Control" and other things you don't want to hear

2010-04-05T20:42:00.000-07:00

I know what you're thinking: what the heck are M&M's doing in a measuring cup? They don't go together. You don't measure M&Ms. They already come in convenient measurements of "bag", "bigger bag", and "jumbo delight."

Well, my friends, this is a serving of Peanut Butter M&Ms. I know. I, myself, nearly wept.

This reminds of the time my friend Portia and I we're talking in the kitchen while our friend Andie made herself a NutriSystem "dinner."

When the biscuit-sized "pizza" came out of the oven, Portia asked, "What in the world is that?"

"It's a pizza."

"That's not a pizza. That's a dang cracker."

Well, that's how I felt about this. To be honest, however, I've never really struggled too much with portion control and here's why: I grew up poor. We didn't get treats like M&Ms very often and when we did, I would always ration mine out for as long as I could so that I could continue looking forward to having more the next day. Did I exhibit such precocious talents in all of my appetites? Um, no. Let's leave it at that ;)

Anyway, I think that, to attain the self mastery necessary to control your portions, you have to have a goal in mind. I once heard someone say that "nothing tastes as good as thin feels." Since we live in a culture where women sometimes take this literally, I'll restate it thus: "nothing tastes as good as healthy feels."

I don't just mean physical health, though this is an obvious benefit. I mean psychological health too. It is so important to our sense of self worth to be able to control our appetites (no pun intended...maybe).

Self discipline does not mean an austere, joyless life with no cupcakes. It means enjoying the pleasures in life instead of being enslaved by them. It means believing that there will be more pleasures to be had tomorrow (and thus I don't have to eat this whole cheesecake right now).

Speaking of joy and pleasure, have you ever eaten frozen blueberries? Trust me; these are a viable alternative to Peanut Butter M&M's. I'm hoping to recondition my taste buds by laying off the candy for awhile. Bahahahahaha!

But seriously, the blueberries are good.

And the La Caille Giveaway Winner Is...

2010-04-03T21:33:00.000-07:00

MIKEN RICHMOND !!!

La Caille gift certificate GIVEAWAY

2010-03-25T23:05:00.001-07:00

Be sure to check back on APRIL 3rd to find out if you're the winner!

How to cook tender chicken: My favorite trick for juicy, perfect chicken

2010-03-23T18:30:00.000-07:00


Pan-sauteed chicken over a spinach and strawberry salad

The number one compliment I get on my chicken is that it's moist. I've lately noticed that a lot of us suffer from CCS: Chewy Chicken Syndrome. Maybe we're afraid of salmonella. Maybe we like dry, chewy, tasteless chicken. However, there are ways to treat CCS. For me, I use a special trick that I rarely ever see home cooks use: pan-sauteeing.

I thought for awhile that I was really on to something unique, until I realized Julia Child's covers this method in-depth in her cookbook The Art of French Cooking.

First: never use those pre-frozen, bagged, chicken wannabees. Why? Because they suck. And you won't get beautiful, juicy chicken out of them. Buy them fresh. They cost about the same, and all you have to do is wrap them individually and freeze them when you get home.

So, first, defrost your boneless, skinless chicken boobs. I mean breasts (sorry, I had to). However, don't let them cook in the microwave unless you like chewing rubber (my dog does).

While you're defrosting, get your stainless steel skillet hot. Medium-high hot. Sprinkle a little salt over your chicken and then toss those bad boys on the skillet. Yeah, straight on. As in, no oil. I know, I know. But this works!

What you're doing right now is searing the outside, which will not only help keep the moisture in, but will turn your chicken a delicious golden brown. Mmmmmmm....

See how the outside is browned but the middle is still raw?

It takes a little practice to know when to turn them, but only turn these baddies once! It's usually about 3-5 minutes per side. Don't sear them any longer and don't keep turning them because you'll only burn the outside and cook the inside and you don't want the inside of the chicken to cook during the searing process. We're going to do that with low heat.

Once you're done searing, the juicy part begins. Now you're going to add some broth or stock to the pan and reduce heat to low. The amount you add depends on whether or not you're creating a sauce for the chicken. If you are, then you'll add as much as you need. If not, add only enough to keep the chicken from cooking in dry heat-- about 1/4 inch in the pan, like the ones below. You aren't going to add too much liquid, so don't worry about that. Worry about not adding enough, which will dry your chickies out.

Now, cover and let them simmer. I usually shoot for 5 minutes on each side, depending on the thickness. The ones above, as you can see, are quite thick. I probably simmered these guys about that long. I know it's tempting. I know you want to because so many of us suffer from CCS. But don't overcook those breasts! If they're a little pink still, you can keep simmering. But you can't unsimmer them if you overcook them.

At some point, I'm going to put up a few quick, easy, gourmet-tasting sauces that I make using this method. But for now, just add a little butter to the stock and season those puppies up and voila!

I put these chickies over a spinach salad with strawberries, carrots, and apple. I whipped up a little dressing that about even parts red wine vinegar and raspberry jam plus a little olive oil. Simple. Fast. Divine. Enjoy!

The Leprechaun

2010-03-18T15:11:00.000-07:00


This is a pub I used to frequent (pub does NOT equal bar in this case because I don't drink). Ok, so it's not in Ireland, it's in England, but isn't so...pubby?

I think this is a good time to give everyone a little of my histoire J. I love being Irish and I was taught, growing up, to feel sorry for people that weren’t. My mom’s whole family is Irish and so are most of the people in the town I grew up in.

I was born in California, but we moved to Butte, Montana (that’s byoot, now ) when I was nine because it’s where my mom and step-dad grew up. Butte’s heyday has long since passed with the closing of the mines but, Irish culture is still alive and well there and you can’t throw a stick without hitting a Sullivan (my very Irish family includes Sullivans).

Needless to say, St. Paddy’s is a big deal there and growing up, it was almost offensive not to wear green on St. Patrick’s Day.

So, one day in high school when St. Paddy’s was on a weekday, everyone’s attention was suddenly drawn out the window (teacher included) during English.

“It’s The Leprechaun!!”

Sure enough, it was The Leprechaun, and he was taking two one step forward and two back as he teetered his way towards the festivities uptown (the drinking starts around noon).

Butte, MT has a leprechaun. Everyone knows him. He’s a leprechaun year ‘round and finding him strolling the streets is common. He’s always wearing his shamrocked hat and buckled shoes, like any self-respecting leprechaun, complete with green waistcoat and breeches. Yes, he’s from Ireland. What he fills his leprechauny days with, no one knows. Except on St. Patrick’s Day.

More free picture editing: Why you still don't need photoshop :)

2010-03-16T07:06:00.000-07:00

I love doing engagements :)

Free or cheap photo editing: And why you don't need Photoshop.

2010-03-11T20:40:00.000-08:00

First, if this photo doesn't make you happy, where is your soul?

Second, I have a secret to tell you: you can take great photos without an SLR and make them pop (like this one) without Photoshop [gasp]! It's true. I'll explain.

You can take pro-looking photos with a point and shoot. I no you think I'm lying, but hear me out. A camera is, essentially, just a light-tight box. The body of a camera has nothing to do with the quality of the picture. What matters is your lens and your sensor. Professional photographers buy the expensive SLRs because they enable them to work more easily, efficiently, and to produce consistent results in less than perfect photographic conditions. Also, people who aren't good at photography buy them thinking the camera will do what their skills aren't up to yet.

That being said, here's the scoop on point and shoots: if you can conjure up good conditions for the photography, it will take a pro-looking photo. Unlike the Nikon D3 (drool), however, a point and shoot is only going to produce good photos if you have all the right conditions. That's because the sensor on a D3 can produce professional results in a variety of lighting situations.

Basically, a $20 pair of shoes and a $200 pair of shoes will both get you a short distance comfortably and without falling apart. However, the $200 pair will win out every time once distance and conditions change.

Now, on to Photoshop (and why you don't need it). That picture of my nephew up there: it was done on Adobe Lightroom. Which costs $100. Rather than the $700 of Photoshop. Additionally, there are FREE programs on the internet you can use (GIMP, Pixler, SumoPaint) that do everything Photoshop Elements does. I used GIMP for years doing engagements, portraits, and still life photography. It's harder to get the results you want sometimes, but not $700 difficult. I'll post some examples. I guarantee you that, as a non-professional photographer, you will never use anything in Photoshop that you can't get out of Lightroom or a free Elements substitute. If you get into wedding photography, commercial photography, or graphic design, then Photoshop may be a better fit. The executive board at Adobe laughs maniacally everytime an amateur photographer buys $700 worth of software they don't need.

GIMP edited photos:

How to use sirloin steak

2010-03-08T22:07:00.000-08:00

There are a lot of reasons why I love Mexicans. The taco is one of them.

You know I'm cheap. Make that frugal. Well, when it comes to beef, cheap cuts usually mean tough. That's why these tacos are perfect-- the "toughness" doesn't matter.

Not only that, but these are fresh and healthy. Do not read: low fat. They are not the same for me. Whoever said healthy can only mean low-fat was probably a shrewd, miserable person whose taste-buds fell off. I think that, in a day, you need to keep your fat intake moderate and that you should strive to make those healthy fats whenever possible. But never eating fat is as extreme as it is boring.

It's all about balance and moderation.

Hey, can you hand me the rest of those Skittles? I dropped them on my ice cream filled chocolate cake. Thanks.

Anyway, to make these, here's what you need:

Meg's Sirloin Tacos

(Note: I never measure anything. It's not my style. Too useful. Portions will vary upon how many people you're cookin' for)

sirloin or flank steak
fresh tomatoes
fresh white onion
fresh avocado
corn tortillas
cheese
seasoning (i like cumin, oregano, and a little chili powder, but taco seasoning works too)
salt n' peppa

The key to these bad boys is to not over cook the meat. American's love to overcook meat. We're so afraid of the meat we cook it bone dry. Here's what I like to do:
Get your pan HOT. Stainless steel is really best for this. No oil.
Sear the outside VERY quickly and then turn it down to med/med low and finish cooking with the lid on and a little liquid of some sort (just a little) to keep it from drying out. With flank steaks, you really probably want the middle pink; they're tough enough as it is.

While they meat is searing, season it up.

When the meat is done, dice up the tomatoes, onions, and avocados and mix together. Shred some cheese. I go light on the cheese with these, unless I use chicken.

Toast the tortillas in a pan before serving.

Easy, peasy!

You never know where the day will find you

2010-03-05T23:27:00.000-08:00

Reggae. Sushi. Sci-fi. Michelle Pfeiffer.

Today, I started Fahrenheit 451 (I'm learning to spell that with fewer tries), listened to Bob Marley's Exodus album, made sushi for dinner (while singing No Woman, No Cry), and watched What Lies Beneath. Sheesh, did I do anything today that doesn't require me to italiize?

Well, I did work 8 hours. Make that 7ish. But the italicized stuff was more fun.

Stay tuned. Sushi pics to follow.

J loves apple pie. Actually, I do too.

2010-02-10T22:30:00.000-08:00

Cutting the apples does take forever. But man is it worth it! They key to a great apple pie is, for me, 90% about the crust. I use AllRecipes' Basic Flaky Pie Crust but substitute butter for shortening. The key to a good crust is to keep it COLD. It gets it's tender, flaky texture because, if kept cold, the better doesn't melt it all into one blob. Also, try not to work pie crust dough too much, as this builds the gluten, which will make the dough chewy. NEVER use bread flour for pie dough.

Oh, and here's a great tip (thanks D): before baking, brush the dough with a mixture of butter and sugar. This not only makes it taste better, but gives it a shiny, golden finish.

Unbelievable Roast Chicken. Oh, and it's thrifty, too.

2010-02-10T22:18:00.000-08:00

This beautiful bird cost me around $3. And, thanks to Julia Child, it was incredibly easy. All you do is brush it with butter and then cook 15 minutes at 425. After that, decrease temp to 350 and baste every 10 minutes. A three pound bird takes around 1hr15. I added carrots, onion, and celery to the pan and after cooking in the juices, they were wonderful. I also seasoned all with dill.

And believe me; this poulet roti tasted just as good as it looked.

Also, I saved the bones and made about 6 cups of delicious, healthy, homemade stock.

Welcome. Have some bread.

2010-01-25T21:19:00.000-08:00

This is Susan's Farmhouse White Bread, which I modified to be mostly whole wheat (and added some flaxseed). Julia Child, food genius, says that American methods for making bread involve too much yeast and heat, which causes the yeast to produce rancid gases, thereby tainting the taste of the loaf.

What I like about Susan's Farmhouse bread (you can find it at Farmgirl Fare) is that she uses very little yeast and does a much slower rise (slow because of the lack of heat). This allows the flavors of the grains to come through. Yum!