Is Manicotti Passé?

Tonight I'm making Crab and Ricotta Manicotti for dinner, courtesy of Confections of a Foodie Bride.  I have saved the recipe for a very long time (two years!) and I'm finally going to give it a spin.

I used Manicotti with some regularity when Adam and I first got married.  I had a (very loose) recipe that a friend taught me in high school: it basically consisted of stuffing ricotta, grated mozzarella, salt, and pepper into uncooked Manicotti shells.  Place in glass baking dish.  Cover entirely with jarred pasta sauce - seriously, douse it.  Grate lots more mozzarella over it (to taste).  Cover with foil, bake until cooked through.  I couldn't tell you the temperature or timing, as it's been years since I have used this "recipe."  I'm guessing 375 degrees for 45 minutes.

But those days are long gone and now I find myself looking for Manicotti shells for this recipe.  Wouldn't think it would be so hard, would you?  But it has been for me.  Adam looked at Chelsea Market (at both Buon Italia and Manhattan Fruit Exchange) and came up with nothing.  I looked online at Fresh Direct - no luck.  I looked at Eli's Manhattan to no avail.  So I got desperate and, at Eli's, picked up flat lasagna noodles and figured I could wrap them up - almost like pasta spring rolls.

So what's the deal?  Is Manicotti passé?  Is the fancy-shmancy stores I'm shopping at?

All that searching and I probably would have been better off going directly to the closest store in my neighborhood, otherwise known to me as one of the most utter crap grocery stores I've ever known: Key Food.  Wouldn't that be ironic?

Eat, drink, and improvise.

California Food Love

I'm back from ALA Midwinter and so thrilled - I feel like the holidays and this conference have taken away so much of my free time.  I'm so ready to enjoy some food and time with my family!

I did have a truly awesome food moment at the conference: Liz Burns who blogs at A Chair, A Fireplace, and A Tea Cozy and Angie Manfredi (who blogs at Fat Girl Reading) stopped by the booth and told me they were going to In-N-Out, the greatest  fast food burger joint ever (as far as I'm concerned).  The California Girl in me oohed and aahed, and Liz and Angie were so affected by my food geekdom that they offered to bring some back for me.  One $40 round-trip taxi ride to In-N-Out later, and here is me gushing over my animal-style cheeseburger and cheese fries:

Amazing.  An absolute highlight for me.  It reassured me that, even though I live across the country, the things I love about home are still within reach.

Eat, drink, and get by with a little help from my friends (thanks, Liz and Angie!)

Home

Come Wednesday, I'll be flying to San Diego for the ALA Midwinter Meeting, and I'm trying really hard not to be bitter about the fact that I was just in California five days ago to visit my family*.  I can hardly believe I'm heading back to the West Coast again.  Which is one reason why this New Year's weekend has been so important to me: I have such a strong sense of homebody-ness.  I have spent the last three days really hunkering down and enjoying my own little home here in NYC, spending time with Adam and Bug.

The craziness aside, it is during weeks like this when menu planning becomes even more of a priority to me.  It's more than food - it also assures me that Adam and Bug will eat well in my absence and that there is a certain amount of order in a chaotic world.  I mean, when the going gets tough, the tough eat good food, right?:

 Monday: Oatmeal with Apples, Brioche Toast.  Breakfast for dinner?  Absolutely.  This recipe is one of my favorites from French Women Don't Get Fat - the apples make it even heartier and more fulfilling, not to mention that they lend a brightness to the oatmeal.  I'm stressed and tired before a conference...yet this makes me feel like I've still provided a comforting, satisfying meal to myself and my family.

Tuesday: Creamy Parmesan Polenta with Brussels Sprouts.  I use Ina Garten's new recipe for the polenta and Nigel Slater's uber-easy recipe for the Brussels sprouts.  This dinner will truly take me only 30 minutes to put together...but the rewards are endless: it's the culinary equivalent of a working brick fireplace in my apartment.

Wednesday: Nachos.  Guess who is now in San Diego...  This is Adam and Bug's table now.  Chips, cheese, black beans, olives, salsa, sour cream.  Naturally, everything is organic-y.

Thursday: Grilled Prosciutto and Cheese.  Again, I'm gone.  I added prosciutto to make it resemble something delicious and uptown.  Does it help that they'll be making the sandwiches with Comte and Fontina?

Friday: I leave them to their own devices.  It's either Breakfast (eggs, potatoes, bacon, toast) or they'll go out.  I'll be busy stacking up books in the booth, waiting for the two hours of madness that is the conference's "opening reception".

The comfort food theme began tonight with Cabbage and Straw, one of my favorite winter pasta meals.  It comes from Rachael Ray's magazine, in which she says "I cannot successfully transition from summer to fall without eating this Italian classic".  But don't listen to her.  This is too hearty to be a summer/fall transitional dish - it's winter through and through.

CABBAGE AND STRAW
Adapted from Rachael Ray


2 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
9 oz. fresh fettuccine or pappardelle pasta (not dried)
1/2 large head Savoy cabbage - quartered, cored, and shredded
1 stick (4 oz) unsalted butter
6 garlic cloves - smashed, skins removed, cloves quartered
20 fresh sage leaves, 10 whole and 10 thinly sliced
1 tsp. fresh ground pepper
1 1/2 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese


Bring a large pot of water to a boil; salt it.  Add the potatoes and cook for 7 minutes.  Add the cabbage to the same pot and cook for 3 minutes.  Add pasta and cook for 2 minutes (fresh pasta needs to be cooked for much less time than dried, which is why I altered Ray's recipe).

While the potatoes and pasta are cooking, melt the butter in a large, deep skillet (I used non-stick) over medium heat.  Add the garlic and whole sage leaves.  Cook until the sage is crisp, 3-4 minutes.  Remove the garlic and sage leaves to a small plate.


Add the sliced sage and pepper to the skillet; just before draining the potatoes, pasta, and cabbage, add 2 ladles of the starchy cooking water.


Drain the potatoes, pasta, and cabbage and add to the skillet.  Stir it all together, adding the Parmesan as you work to get a cheesy, buttery coating.  Adjust the salt and garnish the pasta with the reserved whole sage leaves and garlic.


I drank a cheap but satisfying wine with it - Odfjell Babor Cabernet Sauvignon - and Adam really liked his Brooklyn Brewery Winter Lager pairing.

My point is that, even when you have no time, even when you're not home, planning balanced and satisfying meals is entirely possible.

Eat, drink, and make good food a priority.

* Oh, how I wish that I could have stayed there and just worked from my parents' house! 

Photoshop

Working on this blog for the last 2+ years has greatly increased my awareness of and knowledge of photography.  But, truth be known, I'm more confused and overwhelmed than ever!  It's a big, wide world of cameras out there!

I started with a point-and-shoot, a Panasonic Lumix.  Now I have my Canon Rebel Xsi, which I adore.  But even now, a year after buying the Rebel, I'm already getting itchy for more.  We've added a zoom lens to our equipment and we're saving up for a macro lens.  I also want some filters and a dimmable flash.  

I also added Photoshop to my list of wants.  And I got it for Christmas, thanks to MC (my mother-in-law).  A friend of hers knows a photographer, and MC went to him for advice.  He randomly pulled an image from my blog and did a quick touch-up using his own Photoshop.  Here is the Before picture:

And here is After:

Big difference, right?  Sure, it's brighter in general, but he also brought out the blue of the plate and the yellow in the cheese.  And I'm guessing that even more could be done; for instance, I would love to get rid of the red folder in the background.  What the heck is that doing there?!

So I'll be playing with Photoshop in the months to come - can't wait!  Also, thanks to this photographer friend, I've added round reflector disks and a hand-held strobe to my growing list of wants.  

Now all I need is a super cute camera bag to hold it all in.  I particularly like this one:

Because we all know it's about the accessories, right?

Eat, drink, and continually learn.

Inspiration for a New Year

As family and friends frequently remind me, my blog has certainly seen better days.  Which is true, of course, but it's also difficult for me to hear: in my long list of priorities, Pinot and Prose is usually the first thing to get dropped.  Which is sad and frustrating for me.  Certainly in the new year, one of my goals is to make more time for things I love, blog included.  It's usually the things that we love, that fulfill us and energize us, that tend to get shunted to the side in our busy day-to-day lives.  For some reason, they start seeming frivolous and self-indulgent.  Or, in my case, it's easier to sit in front of a 30 Rock episode than to be creative and interesting and challenging.  I hope to end that in 2011.

That said, it's not like my life has become a wasteland of duty to jobs, commuting, and bills.  On the contrary, I am constantly inspired, moved, and wowed by my fellow bloggers.  My Google Reader is chock-full of people (let's face it - mostly women) who make blogging, reading, eating, and living a full life a major priority.  So as this year comes to a close, I want to say thank you to the following people (and this list is by no means exhaustive) who have kept me going in 2010.

• Bookends: Cindy and Lynn blog at Booklist and - maybe this is one of my favorites because I know them - but I find their blog (and them as people) so fun and joyful.  And incredibly informative.  
• Bookshelves of Doom: Leila makes me feel like I have my finger on the pulse of really random pop culture news items. And I laugh heartily reading nearly every post.
• Coconut & Lime: Rachel's photos are gorgeous and her recipes are totally accessible.
• Color Me Katie: Sheer joy packaged in every post.
• A Cup of Jo: So stylish and chic. Not to mention that I credit Joanna Goddard with introducing me to Yves Saint Laurent's perfume Parisienne, for which I've received many, many compliments.
• emilyreads: Book reviews in haiku. Hilarious and brilliant.
• honey & jam: I just discovered Hannah's blog this year and it was love at first sight. Stunning photography - I'm repeatedly awed.
• I'm Here. I'm Queer. What the Hell Do I Read?: As far as I can tell, no one in the children's book world is doing what Lee is doing.  And certainly not as well. He's an essential voice.
• Je ne sais quoi...: Get a true, down-and-dirty view of Parisian life here.
• La Tartine Gourmande: Eye candy.
• Lardon My French: After 3 years as an interior designer in the U.S., Katrina dropped it all to live in Paris as a freelancing, blogging expat.  Inspirational for me, for sure.  Her Tartine Tuesdays feature incredibly accessible recipes, especially for weeknight cooking.
• Lucy's Kitchen Notebook: No "Favorites" list of mine would be complete without Lucy Vanel.  Think her photos are gorgeous?  Wait until you read her prose.  
• Simmer Till Done: Marilyn has such a sense of fun in everything - her blog posts, her recipes, and her photos.  And she is hands-down one of my favorite Tweeters (@simmertilldone).
• Unhappy Hipsters: Consistently reminds me not to take myself nor life too seriously.
• A Year of Reading: Two teachers who definitely "get it".  Their enthusiasm for books and poetry is contagious.

It's a New Year that will see a move for me (Manhattan, here I come!) and a move for the Soul Twin, who it appears may be moving to NYC.  It'll see my daughter, known to all of you as Bug, turning 10 years old (and getting her ears pierced).  Hopefully this is the year when I finally go skydiving.  Maybe this is the year when I'll be able to achieve the cliched and elusive "work-life balance."  

Thanks to my fellow bloggers who inspire, push, and teach me and thanks to the family and friends who keep up with my blog.  

Happy New Year!

Anguilla: A Taste

I was optimistic and enthusiastic, thinking I'd be able to blog more often post-NCTE (or just plain foolish).  I forgot about those tedious things called Work...Christmas...ALA Midwinter.  I still desperately want to tell you all about Anguilla...but I just can't snatch enough time!

So...I'll tease you with this:

Local Anguillan crayfish that is so buttery it's just beyond belief, truly.  I swooned over this meal at the shack-on-a-beach place known as Palm Grove.  I'll tell you all about it but, in the meantime, check out this Washington Post article about Anguilla - it captures the flavor of the island perfectly.

Eat, drink, and get away from it all.

Celebrating Winter with Friends

I've missed being here so much and I can't tell you what a huge relief it is to come back here: it's a sign that my life is returning to some amount of normalcy.  I was drowning in all things NCTE and ALAN before Thanksgiving (check out the recaps here and here) and then I was on the loveliest trip ever to Anguilla for the holiday (photos forthcoming).  Christmas and ALA Midwinter are looming larger and larger on the horizon but, for right now, I'm here.  And I'm determined to enjoy this moment and not think about the rest.

Our first weekend back from the sunny beaches of Anguilla we were faced with 40-degree winter days and I thought that there wasn't a better way to brave the weather than to hole up with good friends - Jenn and Phil - and catch up on all our news.  On the menu: Brussel Sprouts with Bacon, Creamy Parmesan Polenta, and Grilled Sausages.

Jenn and Phil are regulars at the Lutz table and we've settled into a nice routine where we cook and they bring dessert. Often, it's petits fours from this wonderful bakery near Jenn and Phil but, last night, it was Salted Maple Walnut Thumbprints, made by Miss J herself.  Fabulous.

Things are always crazy during conference time at work and the holidays compound that.  My blog dropped off...I didn't contribute to the holiday fair at Bug's school like I had intended...I haven't set my fantasy football teams for three weeks.  But there's always time to get together with friends, to catch up over food and drink, and to share laughs and smiles.

Eat, drink, and prioritize.

Speaking of food writing...

...Remember yesterday I talked about exceptional food writing?

Today, I have an example of...to put it kindly...not good food writing:

When stewed in a cauldron, the big, tough-looking leaf becomes wonderful and delicious, tender and emotional. [referring to collard greens]

This appeared in my latest issue of Saveur in the article "Green Goddess."

I don't want to be mean.  I don't.  But this sort of writing brings out the mean in me.  I love Saveur and I certainly won't cancel my subscription over this (because the photography alone is worth the price of admission, for me).  But this writing is so affected and overwrought.  "Emotional" collard greens?!  No.  Just...no.  "Wonderful and delicious"?!  No.  It's one thing for an inexperienced blogger such as myself, but you're Saveur.  For goodness sake.

On the upside, "emotional" has become a catch-phrase in our house.  Adam and I enjoyed a late-night snack of burrata on toast this weekend and we absolutely declared it to be tender and emotional.  It really was so good - with some lemon zest, flake salt, and fresh pepper - that I wanted to cry.

Eat, drink, and emote.



Note: Another upside is that the Collard Greens, Cornmeal, and Sausage Soup looks really amazing.