Since I consider us so close friends, and since I’m a bad liar, I want to let you know that for the next couple weeks my posts have all been written in the past. You see, as I write this post I’m sitting on my couch with my wedding a full 3 weeks away. However, at the time you are all now reading this I am in reality on the other side of the country from my couch, pulling together all the last details for my wedding and trying not to freak out since I’m going to be married in only 4 days.

Here’s what I’m hoping my life looks like right at this moment:

I fit in my wedding dress. I hope for this most of all.

All of our luggage made it across country. I can probably wear my wedding dress all week, but it might get weird.

There are sunny skies. Hurricanes would be highly unwelcome right about now.

I’ve eaten at least a pound of crab legs by now. Two pounds would be ideal even better.

I tried this recipe back when I was on my diet. When I wasn’t eating things like this of course. I’ll probably keep it around though, since this was about a million times tastier than I could have imagined. Although I would probably never confuse these with actual mashed potatoes, there’s a definite chance that might actually choose these over them.  Give them a try. Sometimes healthier can actually be better.

 

Parmesan and Dill Pureed Cauliflower

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1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 oz cream cheese
1 teaspoons chopped dill
3 tablespoons butter
Salt
Freshly cracked pepper

Boil the cauliflower for 6 -10 minutes, until well done.

Combine in a food processor with the rest of the ingredients and blend until smooth That’s it! Now enjoy!

My wedding dress and I are in a staring contest. See, my wedding is less than a month away and I have to fit. Seriously, if it means that I don’t exhale the entire evening, then that’s a sacrifice that must be made.

Just to bring you up to speed, I’m not wearing your average wedding dress. I’ve actually altered my grandmother’s dress that she wore in 1946.  Here’s what it looked like then:

Dude, isn’t my grandmother a fox? Is it weird to think that about your grandmother? It is? Yeah, just ignore that then.

Here’s something you should know about me and my grandmother. We are not the same dress size. At all. Basically, she’s just over 5’ tall, and was skinny as a rail when she got married, whereas I am 5’10” and have hips. So yeah, although the dress was altered to fit me (and to look a little more modern), it’s a snug fit. By “snug” I mean that I need to lose a couple pounds if I hope to breath at any point during the day.

Thus begins my month of dieting. But knowing myself, there’s no way I’m going to stay on a diet if I’m only eating dull, boring food. Thank goodness for recipes like this scallion noodle bowl. The noodles are coated in a light but flavorful sauce of ginger and scallions, and then topped with super easy-to-make pickled cucumbers for some tang, and some crisp sautéed cauliflower.  This might not sound super exciting, but my meat-lover fiancé loved this dish. Not that he needs to lose weight; I have to admit to you that he’s actually skinnier than me. That is totally lame.

To kick off my “fit into wedding dress” plan I was gifted a lovely bottle of rice wine vinegar from Nakano. I was surprised when it ended up being flavored with basil and oregano, but I’ve always loved rice wine vinegar because of it’s light and slightly sweet taste, and the added flavors are pretty tasty. Even cooler than that, as a gift our lovely readers, they want to give one of you some vinegar as well, PLUS a $25 American Express gift card (lucky!).

Here’s the deal: check out their website, and then leave a comment posting a link to your favorite recipe, or leave me a comment with your own suggestions for ways to use this stuff (I do have a whole bottle, after all). Please submit all comments by noon on Wednesday (Pacific time) and I’ll announce the winner shortly after that.

Update: Congrats to Janna M. for winning the giveaway!

“The Vegetable Pastry Purses are calling to me.
http://mizkan.com/Recipes/?action=view&recipeID=369258124447
Congratulations on your wedding! I love your blog and especially the way you word your captions on foodgawker and Tastespotting.”

Thanks everyone for the sweet comments; you guys are awesome!

Momofuku’s Ginger Scallion Noodle Bowl

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Adapted from Momofuku Cookbook via Amateur Gourmet

To make the pickled cucumbers, you’re basically just adding salt and sugar, marinating, and then adjusting to taste. I gave you an approximate amount to what I used, but I would recommend adding a little of each and then adjusting as you go. I added more soy sauce and vinegar than what the recipe called for and have adjusted it here. Nakano sent me a basil & oregano flavored vinegar, which was surprising but actually tasted pretty good. I would experiment with plain vinegar or using a different flavor as well.

1 medium sized cucumber – approx 1 cup of sliced cucumber
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon sugar
2 ½ cups thinly sliced scallions
½ cup minced ginger
¼ cup grapeseed oil
2 teaspoons light soy sauce
1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ large head of cauliflower, cut into florets
1 lb noodles – ramen, soba, or lo mein

Thinly slice the cucumber. In a small bowl toss the cucumber with the salt and sugar. Allow to sit for a few minutes and then taste one of the slices. Adjust the salt and sugar as necessary.

In a bowl combine the scallions, ginger, grapeseed oil, soy sauce and rice wine vinegar. Allow to sit and marinate for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil on high in a skillet and add the cauliflower florets. Cook on high until they begin to turn crispy and brown. While those are cooking, bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook your noodles. Drain, and toss the hot noodles in the scallion sauce. Disperse into bowls and top with cauliflower and cucumbers.

Everyone, please meet my go-to. You all have a go-to, right? Let’s first discuss what constitutes as a go-to….Well, it’s usually one of those super easy, simple meals that you know will be a crowd pleaser.  And best of all, a go-to is something you can make sans recipe and probably, if your life depended on it, with your eyes closed and one hand tied behind your back.

You see, me and this dish have a history. A long history that first started with me making it as a side dish to a roast lamb on Easter. (This dish won against the lamb, by the way.)  And then it made a dinner at a pot luck dinner with some supper club friends. And then I served it to some friends along side a salad for a light, vegetarian dinner.

And so many other times that’d I bore you if I told you all of them.  This dish is great for many reasons, but I was initially smitten with it because I found out I could make it the night before and bake it off when I needed it.

It’s a flexible dish that can act like the main performance or step back and be cute side-kick to something more impressive.  It has no ego.  And since it’s full of cheese, it feels great in the winter.  It’s also a great left-overs meal, and this is a person not too keen on eating the same meal over and over again, but with this dish it seems like all I want to do is make and repeat.

Cauliflower and Brussels Sprout Gratin

Adapted from Ina Garten from Barefoot In Paris

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3/4 head of cauliflower, cut into large florets
3/4 lb of brussels sprouts, trimmed, and quartered lengthwise through core
1 teaspoon of kosher salt
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, divided
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups hot milk
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
a pinch of grated nutmeg
3/4 cup grated Gruyere cheese, divided
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup fresh bread crumbs

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Prepare a large bowl filled with ice water and ice.  Cook the cauliflower florets in a large pot of boiling salted water for 5 to 6 minutes, until tender but still firm. Drain. Throw the cooked cauliflower into the bowl of ice water to stop them from cooking any further.  Bring the pot back up to a boil and put in the quartered brussels sprouts and cook for 3-4 minutes.  The cauliflower should be completely cooled.  Drain them and set aside. After the brussels sprouts are done, throw them in the bowl of ice water and ice.

Meanwhile, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Add the flour, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon for 2 minutes. Pour the hot milk into the butter-flour mixture and stir until it comes to a boil. Boil, whisking constantly, for 1 minute, or until thickened. Off the heat, add 1 teaspoon of salt, the pepper, nutmeg, 1/2 cup of the Gruyere, and the Parmesan.

Pour 1/3 of the sauce on the bottom of an 8 by 11 by 2-inch baking dish. Place the drained cauliflower and brussels sprouts on top and then spread the rest of the sauce evenly on top. Combine the bread crumbs with the remaining 1/4 cup of Gruyere and sprinkle on top. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and drizzle over the gratin. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the top is browned.