Welcome to Cooking Stuff. This is a place where we talk about all things food, cooking, and life. More of me, here.
There are a few tickets left for our next BACKYARD dinner on October 28th. We’ve got slow roasted pork, butternut squash, grilled cabbage, Japanese sweet potatoes, and an apple shortcake!!! Marco’s mixing an apple jack sour in addition to more Subject To Change wines. Oh oh, remember those stuffing rolls I made last fall? They are hitting the table too.
P.S. Dinners are open to anyone in the LA area. Don’t be afraid to come alone! You’ll leave with new friends.
I have a big life update – we purchased a rice cooker. We owned a rice cooker in the past, it was Marco’s from college, but we got rid of it when we moved. Shortly after I learned how to make rice in a pot and dubbed the rice cooker as an “unnecessary” appliance. My opinion has shifted, it’s freaking amazing, and I think you might need one too.
This last year we have been eating out a lot. On the one hand, it has been really fun to go out (obviously), we felt like we were making up for lost time due to covid, and exploring LA’s food scene again gave us so many options. We leaned into takeout during this hard year when cooking felt impossible and it became a regular thing. Although Marco can eat small amounts of the things he is allergic to, it’s hard to avoid them when eating out and he has been feeling pretty shitty recently. So we decided to challenge ourselves, for the last few months of the year, to stop the takeout and limit our eating out to only social activities with friends.
This is where the rice cooker comes in. I, the woman who loves to spend 6 hours on a single fruit tart, also love a shortcut for everyday eating. I wanted a rice cooker to simplify part of my day-to-day. For example, I tested my slow roasted pork recipe this week in the Big Green Egg. It took longer than expected and I was cooking outside in the dark. I ran in, put white rice in the cooker, honeynut squash in the steamer basket, and hopped in the shower. When I popped out the pork was ready to eat and I had rice plus a vegetable ready to eat too. It was miraculous. I haven’t experienced such convenience in…probably since I used my crockpot last and that thing is deep in a cabinet covered in dust.
Another way the rice cooker has changed our life is for breakfast. Marco gets up and starts a pot of rice. After his workout, he fries an egg and is able to have a breakfast bowl. Later that day I have a bowl with the extra rice for lunch. How wonderful is that?!
If you can’t tell, I’m obsessed and in love with my little rice cooker. I have been watching rice cooker TikToks because a rice cooker can do so much more than just cook rice. Like steam salmon, meal prep bowls, and cook dumpling soup.
This weekend Marco spent his time outside prepping the garden. The summer vegetables came out, the irrigation was updated, and it is now ready for fall planting. Cabbage, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, celery, leek, arugula, kale, and a bunch of herbs are on our list with the goal to use as much as we can for our BACKYARD dinners.
Inside I spent the weekend making soup. During my vacation, I sat on the beach enjoying every minute, but deeply craving fall. It is fall and I made soup! In typical LA fashion, it’s now back up in the 90ºs again LOL. First I made a Meatball and Broccolini soup which you have seen before (recipe below). Then Slow Roasted Tomato Soup which I make a big batch of every year at the end of summer.
I feel fully refreshed and reset after our trip. I’m ready to embrace the cozy, slow down a bit, and spend the next few months cooking more.
I wasn’t the only one who made this soup this week! Three people sent me beautiful photos of their roasted tomatoes. This year I was able to use tomatoes from our garden after we did our final haul before ripping the pants out. My freezer is stocked for winter!
Mini Cocktails Are Taking Over Drink Menus – Absolutely love a mini cocktail.
I went to an exclusive L.A. dinner party. Everyone was naked – So many of you sent this to me and I joked my next BACKYARD would be naked. Serious note, I love this for them but have zero interest in eating naked with others. Hard pass for me.
Fell down a rabbit hole about Dominican Republic history while on vacation. I was curious why so many Dominican baseball players end up in the MLB and found this video. It’s fascinating and you should watch it even if you don’t care about baseball one bit (like me).
A little rice cooker!!! It has more buttons than I wanted but I love how small it is.
Curious how a rice cooker makes perfect rice every time? Watch this Reel.
Meatball and Broccolini Soup
I made this recipe at the beginning of the year and have been dreaming about making it again. This is a loaded soup that really satisfies as a meal. The base is carrots, celery, onion, and garlic – all things I usually have at home. Seasonings? Dried spices. Which are also always on hand. Pork is my default for the meatballs but you can use turkey, chicken, or even beef. It all comes together in one pot and is great as is but I like it spooned over cooked brown rice. Pasta is lovely too!
Don’t have broccolini, use broccoli or broccoli rabe. Chopped kale is a nice hearty green that would hold up nicely as a broccoli substitute. Use what you have and enjoy!