*hey there, it's christa*

A Tale of Two Soups

Disclaimer: I just noticed that my blog has gone a little foodie crazy lately, so here's hoping that's okay with everyone reading. :)

Don't worry, I promise I'll still keep talking about movies and makeup and everything else, but when I'm not on a writing deadline these days, I've been doing a whole lot of cooking, hence all the food-focused posts.

It's no secret to anyone who knows me that I love trying new recipes, and with our recent cold snap in DFW, soups and stews have basically been our go-to dinners.

This past weekend, I gave Giada's Tuscan-Style White Bean & Fire-Roasted Garlic soup a try, and I'm pleased to report that it was a total winner. Thanks to her helpful little starter at Target (see left), a big ol' pot of delicious soup was ready in about 30 minutes flat.

You gotta hand it to the Italians, they sure know how to make the most of a few simple ingredients, and this soup was no exception. With just a little chicken broth, bacon (!!!), white beans, roasted garlic, onion, tomatoes and spinach, you've got a one-pot wonder that's actually relatively healthy.

Keeping with the whole comfort food theme, Will and I were inspired by the recent season of Top Chef and opted for homemade gumbo for football Sunday. Since the DFW programming meanies decided to replace my previously scheduled Packer game with the Carolina Panthers/Miami Dolphins match-up instead (I'm guessing Aaron Rodgers' absence in the starting QB slot had something to do with the decision), I had plenty of time to whip up some authentic New Orleans gumbo.

As far as Cajun cuisine goes, jambalaya has been part of my regular repertoire for a while now. But since I've never made gumbo, I was pretty excited to see how it turned out. Like jambalaya, there's lots of great ingredients and plenty of chopping, but I've heard the key to mastering gumbo lies in making the perfect, dark chocolate-colored roux.

Needless to say, I didn't know the process would take that long or require that much whisking (I felt like I acquired some pretty awesome arm muscles by the end, though), but my patience paid off when Will declared the gumbo "perfect."

Incidentally, if you try the recipe I linked to, I made a few modifications that mostly involved a lot more spice. We Banisters like some heat in our food, so we went a bit heavier on the hot sauce, added some cayenne and seasoned the chicken with some more of the Cajun seasoning the recipe called for.

While everything in the gumbo was aces, my favorite part was, hands down, the richly flavored broth. Occasions like these call for a fresh French baguette to dip in all that yumminess, and needless to say, the bread totally stole the spotlight from the jasmati rice served underneath.

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like...Thanksgiving!

I'm not quite sure how it happened so fast, but we're now only nine days (!!!) from chowing down on turkey celebrating Thanksgiving.

Considering how all the stores transitioned to all things Christmas weeks ago (yes, I actually heard "Silver Bells" while shopping the day after Halloween—absolute craziness), I think Thanksgiving gets a little lost in the shuffle. And considering how it's my favorite holiday, hands down, I think that's a little sad.

Nonethless, I'm thankful it's not going to be long until what I've nicknamed "the Super Bowl of home cooking." Once again, I'll be making my all-time favorite turkey recipe, Sunny Anderson's terrific Roasted Turkey Breast with Peach Rosemary Glaze.

Until I tried this turkey, I was always a little apathetic about the bird. With so many great side dishes (cornbread stuffing, green bean casserole and homemade sweet potato biscuits, anyone?), why save room for turkey?

No doubt, the idea of peaches and rosemary with turkey may seem a little strange, but trust me, this turkey will change your life. When I saw Sunny make it on Food Network, it was one of those moments when I wanted to reach into the television and grab some from the serving platter. Yeah, that's how good it looked.

So if you're looking to shake things up a little this Thanksgiving, here's Sunny's recipe. And to all, a very Happy Thanksgiving.

Roasted Turkey Breast with Peach Rosemary Glaze

(This recipe is four to six servings, but if you like dark meat and/or have more guests for dinner, I think it would work fantastically with a whole turkey, too)

Ingredients:

2 cups apple cider, plus 2 tablespoons
1/4 cup salt, plus more for turkey
3 to 5 sprigs thyme
3 sprigs rosemary plus 1 teaspoon chopped
1 (3 3/4-pound) boneless turkey breast with skin
1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for turkey
Freshly ground black pepper
1 (10-ounce) bag frozen peeled and sliced peaches, chopped
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar

Directions:

In a large bowl, whisk together 2 cups apple cider, salt, thyme and rosemary. Add turkey breast and enough water to cover the bird. Cover and let brine in the refrigerator 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

For the glaze:

In a small saucepan, saute onions in oil until softened. Add peaches, honey, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar and remaining 2 tablespoons apple cider. Bring to a boil. Lower to a simmer and cook until peaches break down and glaze thickens, about 12 minutes.

Remove turkey from brine and pat dry with paper towels. Brush with oil and season with pepper. Place turkey in a roasting pan. Cook 15 minutes until skin begins to turn golden. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F and brush the top generously with the glaze. Continue cooking until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the breast reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, about 45 minutes. Let the turkey rest at least 10 minutes. Its temperature will continue to rise. Serve and enjoy! :)

Pumpkin-y Goodness in Your Homemade Granola...

There's nothing better than when two of your favorite foods come together and make something even tastier. Case in point: this homemade pumpkin granola.

In what won't be a surprise to anyone who knows me well, I'm a pretty ardent pumpkin enthusiast. Whether it's in a pie, scone, latte, ravoli, whatever, I'm a happy girl. So naturally, when I found out that pumpkin puree is really delicious in a granola recipe, well, I had to make some.

For the record, the whole house smelled, well, heavenly.

Granola is ridiculously easy to make—and a whole lot healthier and cheaper when you whip it up at home. So with no further adieu, here's what I used for my pumpkin granola.

The great thing about granola, too, is that you can easily customize it to your preferences. But this is what I used for mine...and I wouldn't change a thing.

PUMPKIN-Y GRANOLA GOODNESS  (lasts two weeks in an air-tight container)

3 c. rolled oats

1/2 c. brown sugar

1/2 c. maple syrup (grade A or B)

1 T vanilla

1/2 stick unsalted butter (melted)

1/2 c. pumpkin puree (not the pumpkin pie filling)

1 T cinnamon

1/2 t. nutmeg

zest of one lemon

pinch of salt

1/2 c. macadamia nuts

1/2 c. walnuts

1/2 c. pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

1/2 c. dried cranberries

1/2 c. yellow raisins

Mix all of the ingredients together until the oats are well coated. Make sure you leave some of the clumps intact, as they are often the yummiest of granola pieces. Bake in a 325-degree oven for 35-45 minutes. Every 15 minutes, give the granola a good toss with a spoon or spatula to ensure even browning. After the granola is toasted, light brown and delicious, stir in the dried cranberries and yellow raisins. After that step, I sprinkle a pinch more salt over the top while the granola is still warm to balance out the sweetness and bring all those delectable Fall flavors out.

Serve over ice cream (or Greek yogurt if you're being healthy), with milk for your morning cereal (that's how Will likes it) or eat it straight from the container like I do...whatever sounds best.

Rainy Days and Mondays? Sign Me Up...

Today I woke up to the most glorious of sights—delightfully overcast, rainy goodness in DFW. And on a holiday Monday, no less...

Lest you think I'm being sarcastic about rainy days and Mondays not getting me down, let me assure you, I was, indeed, very happy. See, we don't get too many of these sorts of days in the  oh-so-sunshine-y Metroplex, so when the rain does arrive, well, you want to take advantage of it. And make soup (or chili, in my case, the first big batch of the season).

Really, the only downside of this wet and cloudy Monday is that it's still pretty darn balmy and humid. But 75+ degrees or not, I decided to dress for the weather I wanted.

To cover up what's sure-to-be huge, Steel Magnolias hair, I'm sporting a green knit winter cap. Meanwhile, jeans, a black hoodie and furry boots officially complete the look, which for the record, was basically my uniform when I lived in St. Paul for four years. In Texas, however? Not so much.

Rainy days are also pretty great for writing, so that's what I'll probably spend the bulk of the day doing since my novel isn't going to write itself (incidentally, that doesn't mean I haven't imagined it doing just that...ha ha).

Ok, Now I Get the Cronut Craze

For the past few weeks, people have been tweeting like crazy about something called a cronut, and I honestly thought it was a new iPhone ap. Or maybe a new exercise craze like Zumba.

So today for my continuing cultural education, I finally decided to google "cronut" and see what all the fuss is about.

A doughnut and croissant merged into one sinful treat? Ok, now I get it...

So, friends, have any of you tried a cronut yet?

Since people seem to be waiting in very, very long lines for a taste and one guy even held off on proposing to his girlfriend because of a cronut shortage, I can't help wondering if they're that delicious—and available in DFW, perhaps?

A Cookbook Worth Reading From Cover to Cover

I'm embarrassed to say that I got this for Christmas and (gasp!) finally got around to flipping it open this past week.

Better late than never, right?

Yes, I'm one of those people—the kind who practically devours cookbooks like good fiction. Like most things, I admittedly jumped on the Smitten Kitchen bandwagon way, way later than most, but I'm thrilled that I did. I can't wait to try these recipes.

While her Smitten Kitchen blog is nothing short of extraordinary, I love this cookbook even more. The breathtakingly beautiful photography, not to mention the intriguing flavor profiles, are nothing short of spectacular. Plus when you factor in that everything's being made in a very small kitchen in Manhattan, well, you love it that much more. 

But what really won me over was Deb Perelman's charming introductions to each recipe. I love, love, loved her snarky kitchen confessions, her borderline picky attention to detail and the unconventional way she came up with a few of the delicious creations she invented. Rather than saying, "hey, this is a great cookie recipe," she makes a strong case for why this particular cookie will change your life. And yes, you'll believe her and want to start baking immediately. 

Now,  my major dilemma is what to try first? I'm thinking it might be the potato, bacon and feta frittata. I'm not usually a big egg person, but my mouth was practically watering when I read the recipe, and I know Will will dig it too. To him, breakfast is the best meal of the day, after all.

Nursing a Turkey Coma

If you've visited my blog before, it's no secret that I LOVE cooking Thanksgiving dinner because I've mentioned it like a gazillion times (and yes, the valley girl speak was totally intentional...ha ha).

For me, it's basically the Super Bowl of all culinary adventures, and I spend weeks pouring over recipes before officially settling on the menu.

While Thanksgiving usually isn't the day for springing something new on dinner guests, I love integrating a few new dishes with the old favorites, which I must confess is all kinds of fun.

And now that Thanksgiving is officially a wrap, I'm nursing a serious turkey coma. It's a good thing I didn't have any aspirations of waking up super early for Black Friday shopping because I'm not sure I could've done it. Even a triple grande caramal macchiato from Starbucks hasn't pepped me up in the slightest.

All things considered, the turkey coma has been worth it, though. Since we got Will his favorite Greenberg smoked turkey (a total Texas thing that'll transform your ordinary fridge into a smokehouse just from the sheer potency of the aroma), I opted for roasting a turkey breast instead.

While I came across a few different options that almost changed my mind, I ultimately went with an old standby for the turkey—Sunny Anderson's turkey breast with peach rosemary glaze. I can't even begin to tell you how delicious this recipe is. And because I used a fresh turkey rather than frozen, I'm convinced it was even more delicious.

Will liked it so much, he suggested I make it for Christmas, too, so we'll see what happens. :)

For the sides, which let's face it, are the best part of the meal, I made the foccacia stuffing from Williams-Sonoma with my own little touches like spicy sausage, celery, granny smith apple and caramelized onions, green bean casserole with fresh portabello mushrooms and cream, cranberry orange compote, mashed potatoes with sour cream and a Paula Deen-approved amount of butter and the piéce de résistance, Martha Stewart's pumpkin pie with a shortbread crust instead of graham crackers or the traditional flaky crust.

Yeah, can you tell I was counting calories for this meal? Ha ha.

I was pretty pleased with how everything turned out. The stuffing was a little on the dry side, so I added more chicken stock and baked it a little longer. The pie was definitely a nice twist on the traditional pumpkin pie. Not only was the custard so flavorful, but I could've just peeled off the filling and ate that crust by itself. It was like the best, butteriest shortbread people generally have with tea or coffee. In a word: Yum.

Hope your Thanksgiving was happy, too. And if you're a Cowboys or Jets fan, I'm sorry. What rotten, rotten games—well unless you're Robert Griffin III or Tom Brady, I guess. :)

Just Hangin' Out With Julia (Child, That Is) For Two Months Straight...

Usually I plow through whatever I'm reading, especially if it's something I'm really enjoying, at breakneck pace.

But for whatever reason, when it came to the remarkable Julia Child biography by Bob Spitz called Dearie, which just happens to weigh in at a whomping 534 pages, I took my sweet, sweet time—two months, in fact.

I read it while waiting in the reception area at the dentist's office. I read it before I dozed off to sleep every night. I even read it during those rare free moments when I wasn't up against a deadline while sipping my first pumpkin spice lattes (I'm sure Julia would've approved) of the season.

And given that Spitz is such a terrific writer and Julia such a fascinating, lovable subject, well, it was the sort of reading experience you never wanted to end. In short, Dearie was easily one of my favorite books this year, and perhaps, one of the best biographies I've ever read, hands down.

In a world where everyone's so eager to conform, it's downright refreshing to read about a woman who really did things "her way" (cue the famed Frank Sinatra song). Not only did she live out her life's passion to the ripe ol' age of 92, but her illustrious career in French cooking didn't even begin until she was in her 40s. Yes, I was reminded once again that life's grandest chapters aren't limited to what happens before you're 30, and that it's never, ever too late to try something totally new. 

In addition to hearing about her love of French food and cooking in greater depth, the reader also gets a front-row seat into her long, loving marriage with Paul Child, her various travels before—and after—she became a household name since she moved around frequently when doing government work and the details of her comfortable surburban upbringing that ultimately made her hungry to pursue something a little more left of center with her life.

And unlike many biographies where the author is clearly so infatuated with his/her subject that we don't have an opportunity to learn about their flaws as well as their triumphs, Dearie is a warts-and-all look at Julia. Like most people, she was complicated and not always the strong, self-assured and approachable presence she was on TV.  Plus, I discovered she doesn't even (gasp!) like Italian food, so that's something we would've majorly disagreed on (ha ha!).

All in all, it was a joy just hangin' out with Julia for two straight months. I could practically hear the trill of her oh-so-unique voice as we walked through her colorful life. And in the same way I couldn't stop thinking of Paris after reading Hemingway's A Moveable Feast, I'm already pining for a return trip to the Paris that Julia loved so much—if anything, just to eat sole meuniere again, the rich, buttery masterpiece that forever changed the course of her life.

For the Love of Croissants

I was just downloading the pics off my phone from my recent visit to Colorado Springs, and I came across this little gem that my sister took.

Oh yeah, the croissants, the flaky, buttery naughtiness that totally made our whole day. Pure heaven, I tell ya.

There's this cute little bistro in the Springs called La Baguette that's an absolute must-visit if you're ever in the area. They have the most incredible French onion soup with a thick, melty cap of gruyére gracing the top. When you break through all that cheese, the soup underneath is just as remarkable. It just might be my all-time favorite French onion soup.

While I hear their frites are also to-die for, I'd just be happy with another one of these croissants. When I was in Paris, I had a chocolate croissant every single day, so I hate to order that to compare, naturally. But my sister wisely ordered the cream cheese-stuffed delight on the left, and it was nothing short of perfection. Trust me, the pictures don't even do it justice.

If all those incredible pastry layers weren't already delicious enough, the cream cheese cream totally sends it over the top. That, with a nice strong cappuccino, made for what was easily the best breakfast I had while I was there (Starbucks, eat your heart out!). 

File Under: Cooking Revelation of the Decidedly Oh, Duh Variety!

Will and I have been on the healthy eating track as of late, but to make tonight's Greek salad with roasted shrimp (mmmm!) a little more special (it is a Saturday night, after all), I decided I'd make my own croutons with the leftover rosemary bread in the cabinet.

And here's the oh, duh part, they were ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS. In fact, I'm pretty sure I never want to eat a store-bought crouton ever, ever again.

The thing is, as much as I love to cook, I'd never bothered making my own croutons before. Sure, it looked easy enough when Giada and Barefoot Contessa did it on TV, but who really wants to invest an extra 20 minutes when there's perfectly acceptable store-bought croutons in the cupboard?

As it turns out, though, they were super simple to make. I chopped up some of the aforementioned rosemary bread into cubes, tossed them with a little salt and pepper, olive oil and a pinch of red pepper flakes, threw them in a 400 degree oven for 15 minutes and presto!

These little beauties totally made the salad, and I'm officially a homemade crouton convert. I'm thinking some nice focaccia croutons with roasted garlic may be in our future next...