If one is good, three is great. Case in point: Butternut, acorn and zucchini squash soup. Next time you consider whipping up a batch of that old fall go-to, butternut squash soup, consider this delightful remix. Roasted three-squash soup You’ll need: 1 acorn squash 1 large butternut squash 1 zucchini 1/2 of yellow or white onion 4 cloves garlic, roasted 1/2 teaspoon curry 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg 1 teaspoon white pepper salt to taste olive oil and butter for roasting 1-2 cups chicken or vegetable stock Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees. Cut up your squash in slices and scoop out the seeds, but don’t peel them. Drizzle…
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1 tequila, 2 tequila, 3 tequila … no hangover??
I consider myself a pretty savvy tequila drinker—after all, I did learn from the best (thanks dad). I got an early education and managed to avoid the requisite Jose Cuervo binge in college that’s resulted in a whole generation of young adults who gag at the slightest whiff of tequila. So obviously, I jumped at the chance to attend a tequila tasting at Sunda sponsored by Tres Generaciones tequila. As a self-respecting native Arizonan, and Tucsonan specifically, I have a discerning taste for the stuff. Like a fine wine or scotch, good tequila has a unique and complex flavor profile that should be savored slowly. I know the basics of enjoying a good…
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Tailgate touchdown
This Saturday we enjoyed some good, old-fashioned tailgating and college-football fun courtesy of Greg and his parents Patsy and Greg Sr. The little Pace, John Henry, is the starting long snapper for Northwestern and they happened to be playing Dave’s alma mater, Miami of Ohio. As usual, I’m a little more focused on the food than the football—although I should mention that Northwestern won. The families of Northwestern players take their tailgating very seriously. I’ve never seen anything like it. There are hours of pre- and post-game tailgating, full of food, booze and tricked-out tailgating trucks complete with huge flat-screen TVs and grills. First I enjoyed a breakfast fit for…
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The iceberg sunk this Titanic
“Kate and Leo Tomatilllo (salsa)” Whaaaaa??? I know. I said the same thing when Dave suggested the name for my … errr … “his” tomatillo salsa for the Cars.com salsa competition. We were trying to think of something that rhymes with tomatillo (there isn’t much), when Dave blurted out “Kate and Leo” … as in Kate Winslett and Leo DiCaprio. *awkward silence* “Yeah, c’mon … cause, y’know … this salsa is TITAAAANIIIIC!!!” “Ummm, the Titanic sunk and hundreds of people perished.” “Well … yeah … but how funny would it be to put a still shot of that ‘I’m flying Jack … I’m flying!’ scene on the blog???” So there…
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Pulled pork, Baklavian treats and aptly named cocktails
Advertising folk and the people who love them are pretty damn fun to hang out with. On the eve of the first day of my new full-time copywriting job, I hung out with some of my favorite people from my old full-time copywriting job. Marc—marketing guru, general jack-of-all trades, and personal copywriting mentor—was gracious enough to have us all over for a Sunday, North-Carolina-style BBQ. The air was crisp, the hickory chips were fragrant, the baklava was, errr, “baklavian” (thanks Dana), and the drinks were … uhh … hot tranny messes? Michael snatched my camera and took some action shots as I, sadly, was more interested in capturing the pork than…
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My plan was foiled …
A few weeks ago I went into a cleaning frenzy, and before I knew it, I had doused my entire oven in CLR. CLR is not exactly non-toxic, as you may know. I realized what I’d done almost immediately and began furiously wiping down the oven with cold water. An hour of scrubbing, several frantic Google searches, one call to my mother and one email to Jelmar (the makers of CLR) later, the oven still smelled of CLR and I wasn’t sure if it would ever be safe to cook in again. In the end I may have overreacted a bit—Googled turned up several forums with people who’ve cleaned cast-iron…
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Foodbuzz 24, 24, 24: Five years of love, laughter and fabulous food
Dave and I have been together five years this month. We’ve had some great times, travelled to some amazing places and are closer and more in love than ever. But enough with the mushy stuff—you don’t really want to hear about that anyway—let’s get to the good part: the food. I’m a part of this month’s Foodbuzz 24, 24, 24, and I decided to do a five-course anniversary meal—celebrating each year of our relationship with a memorable dish from that year. Four grocery stores, one fish market, four hours of shopping, and nine hours of cooking later, we sat down to eat five years of memories to the mellow tunes of John…
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Double the Bayless
What a lucky girl I am—I got to eat at Frontera and Topolobampo (and came thiiiiis close to getting my first taste of XOCO) in the same month. Topolobampo for a not-so-friendly-on-the-wallet (but well worth it) bad-economy brunch a few weeks ago, and Frontera was last week for Dave’s mom’s birthday. Don’t ask about XOCO—it’s too traumatic to recount. OK, fine, if you’re gonna twist my arm about it … I went there to grab lunch for Dave and me a few weeks ago. I stood in line. I inhaled the thick scent of carnitas and chorizo. I watched the cooks expertly crafting wood-fired tortas. I furiously photographed the scene.…
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Cookies for Cars.comers
Dear Cars.comers, I wasn’t holding out on you by not posting this recipe. It was just a simple case of procrastination. I swear. I know you really like the oatmeal chocolate-chip cookies I send to work with Dave every so often, so now you can make them for yourselves. But don’t worry, I’ll still send some oatmeal love your way now and then. Bon appetit. love, J.C. Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe adapted from Gale Gand’s Sweet Dreams (Food Network) You’ll need: 3 tablespoons butter, room temp 1/2 cup brown sugar 1/4 cup honey 1 egg 1 tablespoon water 1/2 cup flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 1…
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Redemption and bear-shaped tostadas
Last week, I made some delicious game-day food for the return of Sunday Football at Jim’s place. Unfortunately, as a result of Cutler’s awful debut performance, I was too dejected to actually post about it. Since I went to great lengths to make bear-shaped food, and the Bears redeemed themselves tonight in an exhilarating win, I think I’ll get around to posting about that meal now. Plus, this tortilla soup is way too good not to share. Black Bean Bear Tostadas and Tortilla Soup For the Tortilla Soup you’ll need: 3 chicken breasts 1 cup chicken stock 1 zucchini finely chopped 1 onion finely chopped 1-2 jalapenos (depending on how spicy…