Wow. I did not realize I had abandoned my writing for a whole month! It’s been crazy and I hope I haven’t lost your attention. I started nutrition school which has been a wonderful addition to my life and I am overly-enthusiastic about my decision to go and all of the information I have learned in a little over a month. I plan on continuing to post recipes but with more nutritional info attached. I also got back from a 10-day vacation and to no surprise, the rest of the world had not stopped while I was gone.
My recent trip to Vermont put me in the official Fall mood. The air was a crisp and invigorating 40 degrees and the changing leaves were different shades of green, yellow, orange and red. We fully experienced the beauty and bounty of the Fall: tangerine butternut squash soup, The Red Onion (turkey-apple sandwich), VT cheddar cheese, and plenty of Magic Hat. The Fall mood has travelled back to San Francisco with me where the weather is not as obvious but instead rather odd. One too many rainstorms and muggy days later, my kitchen has seen nothing short of Vermont Fall inspired recipes. This one was delicious yet interesting, and if you decided to make it I would be curious to know what you thought. It’s adapted from Moosewood classics. I opted to use Flax meal instead of bread crumbs to add some Omega-3s.
Apple Onion Cheddar Gratin
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon unbleached white flour
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
Pinch of ground cloves
4 cups peeled, cored and sliced apples, such as Mutsu
1 cup chopped onions
2 cups grated Cabot Cheddar
1 cup chopped walnuts
3/4 cup Flax Meal
Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly oil an 11-inch x 7-inch baking dish. In a small pot, scald milk, bringing it almost but not quite to a boil. In another small pot, melt butter and whisk in the flour. Slowly add scalded milk, whisking continuously until sauce starts to thicken. Add the nutmeg, salt and cloves and stir for about a minute, until thick. Remove from heat and set aside.
Spread apples and onions evenly in prepared baking dish. Sprinkle on grated cheese and pour sauce over top. Scatter on walnuts and flax meal
Bake uncovered for 45 minutes, until top is golden and crisp. Serves 4-6.
In our recent travels to visit our "southern family" we took our regular route through Tennessee but decided to end our trip with a stop in New Orleans. Neither of us had ever been to the Crescent City and thought it would be fun to explore a new place. I've always wanted to visit New Orleans, explore the old architecture, eat some delicious gumbo and drink myself silly on Bourbon Street. We checked all of the above and much more from our to-do list during our visit. 
Our first meal was at the excellent Green Goddess, a small space that creates inventive and fresh dishes with a changing menu. We shared an order of the "duck fat" French Fries, which were intensely flavorful yet not as rich as they sound. I then enjoyed the Mofongo de Camarones, a grilled, mashed plantain cake topped with honey-lime shrimp and guacamole. Joe ordered the Crab Cake sandwich, the daily special and also a great choice. 
Our trip started in Knoxville, where my sister and husband currently live. We had Christmas part 1 on December 19th with french champagne and foie gras, presents, a honey baked ham and porcini-gorgonzola risotto. Ahh, and of course, home-made creme brulee. Divine. While in Knoxville we also drove to the smokeys where all the roads were closed from ice and snow. It was funny because it wasn't even snowing that much and coming from VT if they closed roads for that it would be like The Shining all winter long. 
warmer, the blues a little louder and the wake up call a little earlier. We have a two-year old niece who kindly kept us from over-sleeping during our stay. For me though, there is nothing like getting out of bed, going down the stairs, and hearing the most joyful good morning holler of all: "MIMI!!!!"It was priceless. For this part of the trip my dad finally met Joe's parent's. It was exciting, stressful, necessary, and actually successful. 
Wow. I did not realize I had abandoned my writing for a whole month! It’s been crazy and I hope I haven’t lost your attention. I started nutrition school which has been a wonderful addition to my life and I am overly-enthusiastic about my decision to go and all of the information I have learned in a little over a month. I plan on continuing to post recipes but with more nutritional info attached. I also got back from a 10-day vacation and to no surprise, the rest of the world had not stopped while I was gone.
My recent trip to Vermont put me in the official Fall mood. The air was a crisp and invigorating 40 degrees and the changing leaves were different shades of green, yellow, orange and red. We fully experienced the beauty and bounty of the Fall: tangerine butternut squash soup, The Red Onion (turkey-apple sandwich), VT cheddar cheese, and plenty of Magic Hat. The Fall mood has travelled back to San Francisco with me where the weather is not as obvious but instead rather odd. One too many rainstorms and muggy days later, my kitchen has seen nothing short of Vermont Fall inspired recipes. This one was delicious yet interesting, and if you decided to make it I would be curious to know what you thought. It’s adapted from Moosewood classics. I opted to use Flax meal instead of bread crumbs to add some Omega-3s.
