Spice Dish

Sad State of Affairs

Sad isn’t it? For all my spouting off about CSA boxes and big Sunday meals and the goodness of fresh ingredients…. that is my fridge. AND I don’t live alone. That is a two person fridge. No I’m not on some juice cleanse, or fast or diet of any sort. That’s just what our fridge generally looks like. Champagne? Check. Sriracha sauce? Always. There’s some Cowgirl Creamery Wagon Wheel and real parmigiano reggiano from Lucca in there, but not much else.

 

Yes, there are remnants of food projects in there… some roasted cauliflower, a half a jar of carrots I pickled, a drizzle of homemade tomato soup. But honestly that is a sad sad showing. Why does my fridge look like this? Does yours?

EB

Toss it?

smashion.com

I'm in a new phase in my life I think. It definitely wasn't brought on by New Year's resolutions, but something definitely shifted towards the end of last year. I decided (consciously or not) that I needed less stuff in my life, not more. I'm not sure what brought this on. I mean I'm a good consuming American, but I kind of reached a saturation point I guess. I started by purging storage boxes, then my closet, then swapped my large dresser for a small desk and recycled stacks of periodicals I was saving (for what I have no idea). I felt lighter. Instantly. Then Christmas came. While for the most part I made it clear to the gift givers in my life that I would prefer an experience or time with them instead of stuff, I still received a few gifts meant for the kitchen. 

The kitchen had been next on my list to purge. Now I was kind of stuck. While my dress collection was easy enough to whittle down, deciding between a bamboo steamer and a pate terrine seemed to put me into a spin. In the end, I cleaned up and organized but purged nothing. This leaves me with a with a question though: What makes something a kitchen essential and what is just a toy? I mean some of the gifts I've received are clearly toys. Case in point, This PB&J cake pan:

And clearly this knife in my arsenal is essential. 

But where does this espresso pump fit?

 

Or my Silpats? 

 

And what about the fact that I still really want this vintage slow cooker?

What about you? Any new year purging? What are your kitchen toys that you can't live without?

EB

What's the Sign for Pizza?

mozzeria.com

There’s been a lot of chatter about Mozzeria. A new little joint in the mission that specializes in Neapolitan style pizzas and happens to be owned and operated by a deaf couple. The fact that the bulk of the staff/patrons are non-hearing makes for a quieter dining experience than you might be used to in the Mission, but whether hearing or not, a draw for any restaurant is the food.

 mozzeria.com

The reviews have been mixed but my dining companions and I enjoyed pretty much everything about our meal. Knowing that pizza was the star, and wanting to try whatever came out of the Stefano Ferrara wood-burning oven, we ordered the margherita w/buffalo milk mozzarella, the eggplant/cherry tomato special and the roast duck with hoisin sauce special. Unfortunately the duck pizza was sold out. Ho hum, more room for cheese. We also ordered the crab ravioli, pecorino cheese which came with a lovely, buttery crouton and the Mozzeria Bar. Which is, for all intents and purposes, a giant, fried mozzarella stick-- a very delicious, giant, fried mozzarella stick. The pizza crusts were perfect. Thin, chewy and with a slight saltiness. The ravioli was creamy and lovely too. Our only real disappointment was the ricotta cheesecake. The flavor was great, but it was frozen solid.

There were a few tiny kinks in service, but there always are with new restaurants and nothing serious enough to complain about here.

 mozzeria.com

The next day, I did get the chef’s take on what it’s like to work there, produce usage and what he wants the menu to be (versus what it is), but cocktails were involved and we all blow off work steam at the bar right?

I really enjoyed my dinner and will most definitely go back. It seems like I’m not the only one either, lines and crowds can continually be found at their door already. 

 

Enjoy!

EB

 

You can find Mozzeria at:

 

3228 16th Street (at Guerrero Street)
San Francisco, CA 94103

(415) 489-0963

 

Still Craving the Sweets?

Buzz!

It's that paradoxical time of year when our bodies crave lighter foods after months of feasting but we still have those cravings for sweet treats that became habitual. This is the perfect thing for these January days. It's sweet, but not too sweet, tart but not too tart, creamy but not too creamy.... you get the idea. It's also possibly one of the easiest recipes ever!

 Espresso Chip Frozen Yogurt

1cup greek yogurt (either plain or vanilla)

¾ cup powdered sugar

pinch of salt

¾ cup whole milk

1 cup cold espresso

1 tbs crushed chocolate covered coffee beans

Whisk together all ingredients and chill completely. Freeze in your ice cream maker, 10 minutes for a shake, 20 for frozen yogurt.

 

Enjoy!

EB

Resolutions 2012!

Happy New Year's!

Again, I'm not a New Years resolution kind of gal, just never have been. But lovely Marisa, of Food In Jars inspired me this morning. Just because I don't do personal resolutions doesn't mean I can't make some bloggy ones! So here goes, my Blog Resolutions for 2012:

1- To post more vintage cookbooks (you guys seem to like those)

2- Maybe a little re-design (change is good right?)

3- In general, just be more consistent with my posting (I can do it!)

Sound good? Ok then. Happy 2012!

EB