IN MY KITCHEN

Posted in General, In My Kitchen by sallybr

One of the blogs I visit all the time is Fig Jam and Lime Cordial, hosted by Celia, a mother of two boys living in a wonderful spot in Australia, where she and her husband maintain a garden that provides almost all the vegetables they consume, raise chickens, and in her time off, she does trivial stuff like baking all the bread they consume, making cakes and tempering chocolate. Talk about impressive! Her blog is always a joy to read, and I particularly look forward to her posts under the category “In My Kitchen.” Check them out here.

Today I join her by sharing with you some of the highlights in my kitchen these days.

In my kitchen….
A brand new arrival! A Cuisinart ice cream machine, red, sexy, gorgeous… which was put to test with a chocolate sorbet, a favorite of my husband, who used to order it often at Sweet Harts, in Los Angeles. The enabler for this purchase was another favorite blogger of mine, Fer, from “Chucrute com Salsicha.” She always makes amazing concoctions with her ice cream machine, and I could not resist getting one myself.

Here it is, hard at work, it’s fun to watch the ice cream starting to form in front of your eyes

In my kitchen… serendipity…
When we lived in L.A., I used to visit an amazing Anthropologie store in Beverly Hills, and drool over their clothes and kitchen stuff. This set of plates caught my attention then, but the price tag left me cold, so I did not buy them. A couple of weeks ago, I logged into ebay and just for fun did a search for Anthropologie & plates. I felt a shiver up and down my spine (the good kind of shiver) when these plates were the third item, no bids, a couple of hours to go, great price… don’t you love when things work so well? 😉

In my kitchen…
A beautiful bowl, with my favorite colors, that I found over at Etsy, in this store from Kim Berger. Perfect to serve pasta, salads, stews, rice…

In my kitchen…. a little soba-obsession, maybe? 😉
I brought this “small sample” with us from L.A., from our favorite Japanese market. The green ones are made with tea, and I must use them instead of guarding the packages like a terrier with his favorite toy.

In my kitchen….
Muffins or crumpets rings, could not resist bringing them home. Wait for a post using them in the near future… 😉

In my kitchen….
Gorgeous beefsteak tomatoes, straight from our farmer’s market… juicy, heavy, superb! I love Summer!

In my kitchen….
I am not spoiled, I just happen to have three favorite toys… wanna play?

ONE YEAR AGO: Heavenly Home-made Fromage Blanc

TWO YEARS AGO: A Perfect Sunday Dinner

19Jul2011

A GUEST BLOGGING GIG

Posted in General by sallybr

I am thrilled to share with you a post from the blog Diva Entertains, hosted by Debra, a virtual friend I’ve known for many years from exchanges in cooking forums. Her cooking style is very similar to mine, except of course for the fact that she can bake a cake in her sleep. 😉 I am sure you will love to visit her site and will find a ton of recipes to try!

Thank your for having me in your site, Debra!

12Jul2011

ANDY WARHOL WAS RIGHT!

Posted in General by sallybr

I just got my 15 minutes of fame! 😉

Thank you to Pork Recipes Videos for highlighting the Bewitching Kitchen!

And, by the way, the site is a wonderful source of recipes and information regarding pork, so if you are fond of “the other white meat,” stop by and get ready for some serious bookmarking… 😉

ONE YEAR AGO: Russian Tea Cookies (a lesson in persistence)

TWO YEARS AGO: Cinnamon-Raisin Walnut Loaf

13Jun2011

MAJESTIC SEDONA

Posted in General by sallybr

Our long road home passed through Sedona, where we and our dogs rested for a day before facing the second day of travel, a grueling 13 hour drive to our final destination. We’ve been to Sedona a few times before so we know what a fantastic place it is, surrounded by awe-inspiring red-rock canyons that create a mystical atmosphere all their own. It’s hot in the summer, but the altitude tempers the dry heat and a cool breeze blows after sunset. Sedona is a hip town, with art, healing vortexes , great food, and lots of outdoorsy, hippie folks. Wherever you look you’ll see bronze suntans and beautiful legs, from lots of mountain hiking. We were re-energized the moment we completed the winding descent from Flagstaff to Sedona. It’s not a drive for the faint of heart, but it’s worth every mile… so beautiful!

How could we not feel re-energized in such a setting?

The last evening in Sedona found me worrying about the drive home. Will the dogs be OK? Will the drive be too hot? Will the car break down in the middle of nowhere? I was contemplating these issues in the backyard with a couple of dogs close by competing for attention, unaware of my state of mind. Suddenly, the most amazing and long-lasting shooting star crossed the sky in front of me! It was so brilliant that I lost my breath for a few seconds and couldn’t say a word, but when I finally screamed for Phil the show was over. I’ve seen many shooting stars in the past, but none like my Sedona Shooting Star. I’m not a mystical person, quite the contrary, but the beautiful view of that meteor crossing North to South soothed my mind. It was a good omen for the remaining journey home. And home is where we are…

…with the Bewitching Kitchen back in full swing, so stay tuned for recipes! 😉

ONE YEAR AGO: Caipirinhas

5Jun2011

GOODBYE L.A.

Posted in General by sallybr

Ten months passed way too quickly, and our time in California is coming to an end. We brought two dogs with us, and two dogs will travel back, but only one will recognize the place as his old, beloved home. Oscar has no idea how much his life will change, from a small patch of astroturf to a big backyard with fat squirrels waiting to tease him. It’s close to dog-paradise.

We will miss many things from our stay in this amazing city. All the friends we made, the time with C & C (aka ” LA’s coolest couple”), the conversations with our our boss (both scientific and otherwise), and all our labmates at UCLA. We’ll miss the EARLY morning runs up and down Beverly Glen (we completed 81 of those!), interrupted by sunrise over Mulholland Drive, the walks with the dogs through our neighborhood canyons, and the howling coyotes in the middle of the night. I might even miss the nano-kitchen… 😉