Marcella Cooking Stuff • September 6th - September 12th
September 6th - September 12th
I'm a traditional gal. I'm a very non-traditional traditional gal. I love a tradition that has been done for years but I also like doing it my way. I like what I like and I'm going to do things my way but I'm comforted in the routine of something that has been done the same forever. Does any of that make sense?
Here is an example, my wedding. Marco and I skipped the tradition of him proposing, mostly because I am impatient, a control freak, and horrible at letting people surprise me, and we eloped. We eloped at sunrise in complete secret on our four-year anniversary. After, we headed to the Avalon Hotel in Beverly Hills for 24 hours alone to enjoy our wedding bliss in secret.
The next day we headed to dinner with our immediate family. I had been texting all of them from Marco's iPad pretending to be him and setting up a dinner where they expected him to propose to me. To their surprise, I walked in first, started talking, and told them we were already married. From dinner, we went straight to a bar where I had set up the exact same scenario with a group of our friends. Surprise again.
The thing was I also wanted a wedding. I had thought about my wedding my whole life. My mom, who is a hairdresser, and I had always talked about doing my wedding hair. I imagined my dad walking me down the aisle in his formal Marine uniform. I wanted all the cheesy crap that you only get to do (hopefully) once in your life. So on top of planning a secret elopement and surprising our family and friends, Marco and I also booked a venue and started planning our formal wedding to happen the following year on our anniversary. See what I did there? I made it easy. One date to remember.
At the time, no one was doing this. If you ask the internet how they feel about eloping and then having a wedding you won't get very comforting information. I was riddled with anxiety and some days, regret. I was afraid people wouldn't want to be there and celebrate us because the wedding was "fake" and we were already married. NEWS FLASH: No one gave a shit. The people that love us were happy to celebrate us and it was the second-best day of my life. I truly got to have my cake and eat it too.
I'm not saying I'm a trendsetter BUT I have seen a lot of COVID brides postpone their big wedding and get married intimately on their original date. I love to see it! No matter how stressful it is right now, they will have an abundantly special day and then get to do it all again. It's 2020, we are starting new traditions.
One classic tradition that goes along with getting married is the registry. I'm a firm believer in asking for what you want. There is nothing worse than being stuck with a bunch of stuff that you won't use. If you can't afford a honeymoon and have already made your nest, ask for a honeymoon fund. If you want to take up backpacking together, register at REI and get that gear! If you don't cook at all, don't register for pots and pans that will collect dust.
We went the traditional route. I was more than ready to upgrade from our college pint glasses and mix-matched towel sets.
This is the time to register for products that are a little nicer than you would normally buy. Think of them as investments from your loved ones. Things you will keep for many years and think of them when you use the item. I think of my best friend's parents all the time when I use my toaster oven, my grandma when I use my mini food processor, and my friend Clare when I put fruit in my beautiful ceramic colander every week.
Marco's coworker Stephanie requested some help with what kitchen investment items she should add to her registry. Here are 8 things I registered for, received, and believe that everyone else needs to.
1. Le Creuset, Dutch Oven
Whether you cook a lot or only cook on special occasions, every kitchen needs one. I recommend a 5.5-quart size. It is big enough to make a meal for six and also to make dinner for two. Burners on stovetops are round, I recommend round instead of oval because you will get more even heat distribution. The curved edges on the oval won't get direct heat when you cook. If you cook a lot of brisket or pot roasts, you may need an oval but besides that stick with a round one. Think longevity when choosing a color. The pastel pink is really cute right now but might not be in 10 years...
Find my indago blue Le Creuset here.
2. Breville Toaster Oven
Everyone needs a toaster oven. A traditional toaster can make...toast. This is a mini oven that will make your home cooking more enjoyable. We use ours daily. It toasts bread, it broils, it bakes, it heats up in about 3 minutes, and can even fit a pizza. It's essentially like having a second oven in your house. I use it for small batches of cookies, toasting nuts, roasting berries, and anything that needs to be cooked in an oven but isn't big enough to justify heating the oven. It's especially great in the summer so you don't have to heat up your entire kitchen with your oven.
Find my mini Breville toaster oven here.
3. Duralex Nesting Bowls
Get rid of the five random mixing bowls that don't stack well and take up a whole cabinet. These are durable, beautiful, nest nicely for storage, and you have every size bowl you will need.
Find my favorite nesting bowl set, here.
4. All-Clad, 10 Piece Set
Everyone needs grown-up cookware. There are lots of options out there but I'm a fan of All-Clad stainless steel. This 10 piece set covers your basics and you'll have everything you need to get by. Read the instructions on how to use them, you may need to adjust the way you cook slightly, and they will last you a lifetime. Keep Bar Keepers Friend on hand to get them perfect and shiny.
Find the set I have, here.
5. All-Clad Measuring Cups and Spoons
These match my cookware, they are stainless steel, durable, and attractive. You don't need five different sets, just get one long-lasting set of each.
Find measuring cups, here.
Find measuring spoons, here.
6. Kitchen Aid Mixer
I didn't register for a mixer because I already had one but I would have if I needed one. Go with the standard 5-quart, tilt head. They make smaller ones but they may be too small for some recipes. They also make larger ones and professional bowl lift mixers. Unless you are starting a bread business the average home baker doesn't need those. I have a 5 quart and have never had a problem. When choosing a color, remember longevity not trendy.
Find a 5-quart mixer, here.
7. Duralex Glass Cups, multiple sizes!
Register for a durable set of cups in multiple sizes if you can. These Duralex ones are my favorite. They stack nicely, you can drop them and they (usually) won't break, and they will last forever. I worked for a family that had a set from their wedding in the 90s. If you don't like these find a style you like but make sure you have a nice matching set for when you finally host Thanksgiving one year. Oh and make sure you can buy replacements for when they do break instead of having to buy a whole second set!
Find my Duralex glasses, here.
8. Some Type Coffee Maker
Marco and I registered for the big mac daddy Breville espresso machine and we got it. Espresso is Marco's preferred coffee form. It took him two weeks and multiple bags of coffee to learn how to use it. I never bothered. It wasn't an issue until we had guests. Waiting for Marco to make everyone a coffee wasn't ideal, so I bought a Nespresso. It makes hands down the best cup of coffee. Yes, it uses pods but you can send them back in prepaid shipping bags to be recycled. Although he makes espresso with his Breville all the time, he is also a fan of the Nespresso. No matter what coffee maker you have you need the Nespresso Aerochino for foam. It will change your coffee game.
Find Marco's Breville espresso machine we have, here.
My Nespresso Vertuo and Aerochino machine, here.
*All of these items are on Zola.
Tuesday
Shrimp Pad Thai
I'm not going to talk about how much I love the Night + Market Pad Thai recipe again. I want to just tell you about the mistake I made. A mistake I have made in the past too.
I don't have a wok so I use a large saute pan. It works fine except when I double the recipe. When doubled there are too many ingredients jammed in the pan for the liquid to properly evaporate. You can't flick the ingredients around like in a wok so they kinda sit in the sauce too long. When the liquid can properly evaporate the flavors concentrate and coat the noodles. When they can't everything sits there and boils. The noodles absorb it and the flavor is a little bland.
I mean, we still ate it but it wasn't the best. Keep this in mind when you are cooking at home.
Wednesday
Zucchini Goat Cheese Quiche
Random Wednesday Salad
New quiche recipe! This was a random creation that was a huge success. Loaded with onions, herbs, and cheese but made with milk instead of cream. Don't skip sauteeing the onion and lightly roasting the zucchini. This removes moisture from the vegetables. If left raw, that moisture will make your quiche watery.
Random Wednesday Salad:
Arugula
Feta
Figs
Toasted Walnuts
Balsamic dressing
Thursday
Pork + Beans
Confession: I didn't grocery shop this week and all these meals are pulled together with whatever we had on hand.
We had a little taste of fall with 50-degree rainy weather this week. I made a big pot of Pork & Beans. I had one big piece of pork shoulder frozen and dry cranberry beans. So I started it at 1 pm and let the pot simmer on low all day long. You can improvise a bit with this basic recipe. I added diced cilantro stems with the onion and used some homemade chicken broth.
I kept the mixture liquidy and we ate it as soup for dinner. The following day I spooned out some meat and beans and turned them into tacos. The third meal we got from it was served over rice as taco bowls. Lots of options here.
Friday
Jammy Eggs + Potatoes with Herbs and Chili
Challah Class!
Whipped up a very delicious breakfast on the fly! Roasted potatoes, bacon, and 6-minute eggs. Served with herbs and chili.
Using what I had on hand, I combined thinly sliced scallions, parsley, dill, and Fresno chili with olive oil and a tiny splash of red wine vinegar. Everything sat and infused together while I cooked the other ingredients. Once plated the herb/chili oil was drizzled on top. Easy peasy and flavorful!
I lead a challah class for ChowNow this week! I tried out to new flavor combinations. The first was a butter loaf with honey and vanilla. It was a dessert bread for sure! Sweet, vanilla-infused, and almost cake-like. The second was black pepper, pecorino, and scallion. The exact opposite of the first one. This loaf was extra savory. Very pepper forward with a slight tang from the pecorino. It needed more scallions and I will incorporate them into the dough next time.
Saturday
Chicken Teriyaki Bowls
Chicken Teriyaki Bowls were another meal made with ingredients I had on hand. Chicken thighs from the freezer, broccolini, and carrots got thrown on the grill. Simple.
While they cooked, I made a pot of rice and some teriyaki sauce.
Simple Teriyaki:
2oz - Mirin
2oz - Soy Sauce (I use tamari)
1oz - Seasoned Rice Vinegar
Simmer on the stove until slightly thickened.
Toasted sesame seeds from the pantry and a few scallions from the fridge were sliced for garnish. Everything got tossed into a bowl and we had an uber tasty easy dinner. This would be good for a quick weeknight meal. Teryaki can be made ahead and kept in the fridge. No grill? Cook some thin boneless skinless chicken on the stove.
Random thing of the week:
We are working on landscaping the front of our house. Marco shoveled 4,000 pounds of rocks from the driveway to the front yard.
Pet photo of the week:
Lola helping change the sheets.
The two non-kitchen related things that everyone needs are a nice set of towels and sheets. White always! It's timeless, classic, and clean. Live a little and splurge on these, your body will thank you.
And if you are thinking of asking for a second, or third, Le Creuset item...do it. Yes, always yes, to more Le Creuset.
See you next week,
Marcella