Lanie and Chris's Wedding Blog

YES!!!

This should go without saying, but…

Please book your hotel rooms and mail in your RSVP cards if you haven’t.  Thanks!!!!!!!!!

Happy Spring

Dear Everybody,

Happy Spring!

Love,

The Fire Escape

Sunday Supper Club: Mung Bean Noodles with Shiitakes ‘n’ Stuff

STUUUUUUPID easy.

Ingredients:

1 package saifun noodles.  They’re in the Asian section and look like whitish thread.  May also be called bean thread noodles or mung bean noodles.

2 cups green beans, chopped into bite-size pieces

1 T olive oil

2 cups shiitake mushrooms, sliced

1 inch piece of ginger, peeled & minced

1/3 cup-ish soy sauce (maybe more, I forgot to measure, as usual)

2-3 T sesame oil

crushed red pepper to taste

sesame seeds and chopped green onion and cilantro for garnish

Instructions:

Bring a pot of water to boil.  Break noodles apart and add to water.  Boil for 2 minutes then add the green beans.  Boil for another 2 min.  Beans will be al dente.  Drain the whole mess and set aside.

Heat olive oil in a pan over med/high heat.  Add shiitakes and sautee 3 min.  Add ginger and sautee 1-2 min.  Add soy sauce and allow it all to simmer for 2 minutes, stirring often to prevent ginger from burnng to the bottom.  Throw in beans, noodles and red pepper and mix it all together until noodles are coated.  Add more soy sauce if it’s too dry.  Top with green onions, cilantro and sesame seeds.

Super awesome fun time!

Sunday Supper Club: Veggie Pot Pie

I think I’ve found the best way to eat your vegetables:  In pie form.

Ingredients:

2 prepared pie crusts, thawed

2 russet potatoes, 1/2″ dice, skin on

1/2 stick butter, give or take

1/2 red onion, diced

1 c mushrooms, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 stalks celery, diced

2 carrots, diced

1/2 c peas, fresh or frozen & thawed

1 T dried thyme

1 T fresh rosemary, chopped

Salt and pepper, to taste

1/2 c asparagus

1/2 c zucchini

1 c broccoli

1/2 c -ish half and half

Preheat oven to 400ºF

Boil potatoes for about 6 minutes or until slightly firmer than you’d want if you were to eat them right away.

Heat 2 T butter in a large skillet.  Saute onions 3 min.  Add carrots, mushrooms, garlic, celery, peas and saute until carrots are tender.  Add thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper.  Turn off heat.

Boil broccoli, asparagus and zucchini for EXACTLY 90 seconds.  Add broccoli mixture to the carrot mixture.

Add half and half and remaining butter.  Stir until butter is melted.  Adjust seasoning.

Place one pie shell in a pie pan and puncture with a fork a few times.  Pour in filling.

Add the top pie shell and cut slits (or an adorable message) into the top to allow steam to escape.  Wash the top with a beaten egg.  Bake approx 35-40 minutes until top is golden.

Sunday Supper Club: Most Basic-est Lentil Soup

While we were out at The Ranch we stopped by a farmers’ market.  We had a full kitchen in our room and really wanted lentil soup.  I had packed olive oil, but nothing else pertaining to lentil soup (or any soup for that matter).  We bought the most basic stuff from the market and had absolutely no seasonings other than salt and pepper – the soup turned out really beautifully and was a nice reminder that sometimes less is more.

1 onion, diced

Olive oil

2 carrots, diced

2 celery stalks, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup dry lentils

4 ish  cups broth

1/4 c olive oil

salt, pepper and whatever other spices you like

Brown the onions, then add the carrots and celery.  Sautee 3-4 min.  Add the remaining ingredients and simmer covered until lentils are soft (about 40 min).  Finish with about 1/4 cup of olive oil.

Sunday supper club: Autumn hash

This is such a simple recipe.  If anybody can think of something good to pair it with besides pork (eew), I’m all ears.

Ingredients:

1 giant or 2 med celery roots, peeled, medium dice

2 T butter

2 apples, peels on, small dice

1 small fennel bulb, medium dice

3 sage leaves, chopped

1T rosemary, chopped

1 handful golden raisins or dried cranberries

salt, pepper to taste

Boil the celery root for 6 min. Drain.

Heat butter in a pan.  Add celery root, apples and fennel and saute until tender.  Add remaining ingredients and cook 1 minute more to heat raisins/cranberries

Sunday supper club: Soba noodles with peanut sauce

Ingredients:

2 bunches of soba noodles, cooked as directed on package

1 red bell pepper, julienned
1 medium carrot, julienned
1 celery stalk, julienned

handful cilantro, chopped
sesame seeds for garnish

Sauce:

2 T peanut butter
3 T soy sauce
crushed red pepper, to taste
1 t toasted sesame oil
1 t rice vinegar
1 t agave nectar or honey

Combine all sauce ingredients. You might have to add a bit more liquid – use more soy sauce or water.

Toss noodles and veggies with the sauce and top with cilantro and sesame seeds.

SUnday Supper Club: Vegan Chili

I know, I know….I’m super late with this post.  I was gonna hold out and just post it this coming Sunday, but I didn’t want to deprive my 2 readers of fabulous vegetarian recipes.  You get one now and – I PROMISE – one this Sunday.  Yay!

Here’s my vegan chili recipe.  So satisfying on those LA autumn days when the temperature drops to a bone-chilling 67º (note my winter tank top and winter flip flops below)

2T olive oil

1 large onion, medium chop

1 C carrot, chopped

1 C celery, chopped

1 block tempeh, chopped in to 1/2″ cubes

1/3 C soy sauce

4c veggie stock, divided

1/2 red bell pepper, med chop

1/2 green bell pepper, medium chop

5 garlic loves, minced

3 T chili poweder

1T oregano

1T cumin

1 t salt

1/2 T paprika

Cayenne pepper, to taste

15oz can diced tomatoes, with juice

approx 1 oz dark chocolate OR 1 1/2 T cocoa powder

1 15oz can kidney beans

1 15 oz can pinto beans

Handful chopped cilantro

Instructions:

Heat olive oil in a large skillet.

Brown onions then add the carrots, celery, soy sauce and 2 cups of stock. After about 3 minutes add the peppers.  Once the stock has absorbed and reduced to about 1/2, add the remaining stock and everything else but the beans.  Cover and let simmer over low/med heat, stirring regularly until the chili has thickened.  Add beans and cilantro, then adjust spices and serve with your choice of toppings.

Happy Birthday to Les!

Today is my #1 fan and future Father in Law’s birthday!

So, Les – on your 60th birthday I bring you the immortal words of the Swedish synthpop band, Universal Poplab:

60 is the New 40

Leather-chested Grandads
On the sunny side of Spain
Your open-ness. Their credit cards
Punani and champagne

This is the easy life
Come lazy days

Deep-tanned cheeks unblemished
Staying friendly with knife
We’ve been overestimating
The complexities of life

This is the easy life
Come lazy days

60 is the new 40, is the new 30
Is the new teens
We are the evergreens!
60 is the new 40, is the new 30
Is the new teens
We are the evergreens!

Viagra-loaded cocktails
Aging stallions for the girls
We may be ordering oysters
But we’ll never find the pearl

This is the easy life
Come lazy days