Gearing up for 2011.

I am in love with the January 2011 issue of Bon Appetit.  Admittedly, I have not been as happy to get my monthly BA as I was to get Gourmet.  I confess that I have read the January issue cover to cover 5 or 6 times already.  That's how much I love it.

My favorite article is by Mark Bittman, who I have adored since I was first introduced to his book How To Cook Everything by my good friend about 8 years ago.  I just like the guy.

He wrote a book, which I haven't read yet, called Food Matters.  It's been on my to-read list and I'm hoping to check it off in the next few months.  Anyway, he totally changed his lifestyle and eating habits for health reasons.  This is something I researched and adopted for myself in the first half of 2010, so I love reading about the success stories of others.

You can read his article on the Bon Appetit website here.  He basically eats a vegan diet until dinner, when he does eat meat and fish, but in smaller portions.  It sounds more reasonable and less scary than a fully vegan diet.  Nonetheless, I've recommitted myself after the gluttony of the Holidays to eat a mostly vegan diet again.  I'm on Day 4 of no meat, dairy, or wheat and I'm already feeling better than I have in weeks.  (No wheat because I'm still not sure if I have an allergy to it or not.)

In addition to my love of Mr. Bittman, I love the recipes this month too.  I've bookmarked a few to try in the near future:

Potato and Kale Cakes with Rouille (slightly altered to be vegan)
Tomato, Fennel, and Crab Soup
Green Salad with Miso-Ginger Dressing (miso is so good for you!)
Saigon Chicken Salad (I'm going to sub tofu for the chicken)
Spiced Coconut Pancakes with Tropical Fruit
Stir-Fried Bok Choy and Mizuna with Tofu

I'm not saying everyone needs to become vegan or enact such a drastic change in diet.  To each their own, I say.  But I like the way I feel when I'm not eating meat and dairy, so I think I'll give it another try.  (Sure there will be exceptions.)  And eating more veggies and fruit never hurt anyone.

Besides eating healthier and eliminating foods that don't agree with me (I'm looking at you dairy and wheat!), I a going to try to take up yoga.  There is a Hari Krishna temple not too far away from where I live that offers free yoga each night.  After talking to friends and doing some research, I've realized that yoga might be a good way to keep myself off antidepressants and keep me feeling good.  And, lucky you, you can look forward to more posts about health and wellness in the future.  It's what I've got on my mind.  I'm turning 30 in March, and it's time for me to be as healthy as I can be.  You are invited to join me.

What are your 2011 health goals?  Have you decided to make any changes towards better health?  I'd love to hear about your goals and plans for The New Year.


p.s.  I will still be posting non-vegan recipes for y'all to enjoy.  My husband and my kids are not giving up meat and dairy, and I still cook for them.  But you just might be surprised how yummy vegan dishes can be when you see what I've been coming up with in my kitchen.

Merry Christmas!

My favorite festive spot in the house.

It's after midnight. I'm typing this as my husband assembles the new toy kitchen from IKEA.  (Santa has had her his eye on that for months.  And the darling felt food to go with it.)  My children have been asleep for hours. A true miracle.  I delivered homemade spudnuts and candy to our neighbors and friends.  I got my George Bailey fix.  I even made it to the gym today.  I'm so sleepy I can barely keep my eyelids propped open.

My heart is so full of joy and thanksgiving today.

This year has not been easy for many reasons. One of the major hardships to hit our family was the loss of my husband's job back in May. His summer break has lasted a very long time. :)

For the past few weeks we have been the recipients of much generosity and kindness. Even those two words aren't enough to express it. There has been money, food, gifts. Every other day. Sometimes twice a day.

I am humbled by the goodness of our anonymous benefactors. I am humbled that so many would share so much with little old us. Surely there are those who are much worse off than we. And yet, I'm so grateful.

I hope the New Year brings good things to us--particularly a new job. And I hope it brings good things to our Secret Santas who took care of us this year. I also hope it's good to you also.

Thanks for stopping by and commenting.  Thanks for sticking with me as I've dealt with my depression--for your kind words of support and love, your friendship, just being there. It means so much.

I am thankful for this Christmas season where I am reminded how wonderful it is to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, the Savior of this world. I am grateful for Him and celebrate His birth and His life.

Merry Christmas! Happy New Year!

XOXO
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A few pics from our week:

My family getting ready to ride Trax, our local commuter train in downtown Salt Lake City to Temple Square.

Fritz and I waited outside for the lights to come on.  It's one of the most beautiful light displays I've seen and draws crowds all throughout the Christmas season.  That's the famous Salt Lake LDS Temple in the background.

On Monday night we had a fun party with my husband's family, who I absolutely adore.  This is a picture of my husband's father (in the plaid shirt in the center) with his siblings.  They are a riot when they all get together.  I just love them all so much.



And our family Christmas card that I never got around to sending...the best of intentions. :)

Potato Doughnuts & Egg Nog

I have to tell you a secret.  Come closer.  I don't want those boys who made fun of me for being chubby to hear this.

On Make and Takes: Fennel and Orange

I'm over at Make and Takes today talking about Fennel and Orange.  Hope you'll join me!

Key Lime Candied Ginger Ice Cream

Folks, my Cuisinart ice cream maker has been busy this past week.  Cream was on sale, I've had tons of eggs  in the fridge, and my mind was racing with ideas for new flavors.  While I have loved all the new flavors, this is my very favorite.

This ice cream is amazing.  It is simply amazing.  Cool, creamy, deceptively light.  Then you have the pow! from the Key lime juice and the zing! from the fresh and candied ginger.  So, take note.  You're going to want to make this today.

This is my oldest daughter, Lilly.  I told her to do a "I don't like ice cream" face.  (I don't believe her either.)

Key Lime Candied Ginger Ice Cream
from the amazing brain of Lindsey Johnson

1 cup Key lime juice (could sub. bottled juice, but fresh is better)
1 tsp. Key lime zest
1 Tbsp. freshly grated ginger
4 large whole eggs
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup milk (whole or 2%)
1/2 cup finely chopped candied ginger

Whisk lime juice, zest, grated ginger, eggs and sugar in a non-reactive 2-quart saucepan.  Cook over medium heat until curd thickens, about 5 minutes.  (Do not let it boil or it will curdle.)  Remove from heat and stir in cold heavy cream.  Pour through a fine mesh sieve into a clean bowl.  Chill until very cold.  Process in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer directions.

Makes about 1 1/2 quarts.
Note:  This recipe was designed for a 1 1/2 quart ice cream maker.  Adjustments will need to be made if your ice cream maker has a capacity of 2 quarts or more.

Lilly wants to share some with you.

P.S. Happy Birthday, Dad! Hope you have a great day!

Holiday Q+A: Dessert for a Crowd

Hi Lindsey,
Please help! We've been invited to my sister-in-law's for Christmas and there will be 21 adults plus many kids running around. I'm supposed to bring dessert. I am hoping you can give me some good ideas for easily transportable desserts....I love your peppermint bark brownies idea so that will probably be one of the desserts. But, I need more!


Many thanks,
Karen

Dear Karen,

I love you for asking me this question! Desserts for a crowd are my specialty. In fact, I'm insulted when we're invited somewhere and the hostess doesn't ask me to bring a dessert. (Just kidding.)

I happen to know that Karen is a busy mom to little kids, so she probably needs something easy to prepare, easy to transport, and can be made in advance.

One thing to keep in mind, readers, is that at this time of year there are so many treats wherever you go, people sometimes won't eat as much of a particular dessert as they might another time of year.  You may not need as much dessert as you think.  Trust me on this.  I catered a wedding a few days after Christmas and the desserts (which were marvelous) were barely touched in favor of the savory appetizers.  Just a thought to keep in mind.

I gotcha covered, Karen.  All of these can be easily transported, I've included tips for transportation under each heading.  I hope you enjoy the Peppermint Bark Brownies and have a wonderful Christmas.

Eggnog Creme Cookie Sandwiches

This time of year brings memories of my Grandma Maxie and her Christmas cookies.  She was a fabulous cook and baker.  I still remember her hands, speckled with age spots and knuckles swollen with the beginnings of arthritis, spooning out dough onto a baking sheet.

My grandmother and my mother would make spritz cookies when I was a little girl. They were darling little cookies. I remember their tender, melt-in-your mouth butteriness. Sometimes there were trees or wreaths with little silver dragees adorning the top of each tender cookie.  Each one was so pretty and begged my little girl hands to keep reaching for another and another.

Simply the Sweet Life Magazine

I first learned of April Atwater when I saw her on a local television station a few years ago.  I looked up her blog and somehow or another we ended up being friends.  Her blog is wonderful, especially if you live in Utah Valley, which I do.  But she has done something amazing--she started up her own online magazine, Simply the Sweet Life Magazine. (It debuts tomorrow and someone I know may have made a mint chocolate cake for the cover...)

April asked me if I would be a contributor and I accepted, but of course.  She's got some amazing contributors.  I'm in very good company.

Tomorrow night is the virtual launch party on Twitter.  Pop in if you can.  #sweetlifemag  You'll get to meet the editors and get a sneak peek into the magazine.

Holiday Q+A: Make Ahead Breakfast Ideas

This is my living room, about as decorated as it's going to be.

Scene:  It's 6:00 am Christmas morning.  The kids didn't fall asleep until midnight.  You were up late fighting about discussing the assembly of the new toy kitchen with your spouse.  Then you still had to put out the presents and fill the stockings.  You've only slept for what seems minutes instead of hours.  The kids have found their presents and are begging you to get up.  (Or if it's my house, the presents were already opened by one child while everyone else slept peacefully.)

Breakfast... you groan to yourself.  What am I going to feed these kids?

Well, even if this doesn't happen at your house, maybe you still groan as you think about preparing breakfast on Christmas morning.

Never fear, dear readers. I am here to ease your breakfast woes.

Fortunately for you, the possibilities are practically endless when it comes to do-ahead breakfast dishes.

Christmas Treats and Sweets

(Clockwise from left to right:  Homemade Peanut Butter Cups, Orange Spiced Candied Nuts, Caramel Turtles, Caramel Popcorn, Cherry-Almond Divinity, Brie and Jam Cups, Blood Orange Cupcakes, Red Velvet Bonbons, center:  Homemade Marshmallows.  Not pictured, English Toffee.)

I've been baking cookies this week.  We started with gingerbread for the gingerbread house, but that is still in the fridge waiting to be baked.  Then I moved on to sugar cookies and Scottish shortbread.  We still have pfeffernussen leftover from the wedding.  My husband says he thinks they taste the best after they have sat for month or so.  (I say it doesn't matter.  They are always delicious.)

Heavy cream was on sale and I bought a gallon few pints. I had lots of egg yolks leftover from the meringue buttercream, so you can look forward to three new flavors that are absolutely smashing and Christmas-y. I can't wait to share them with you.

I'll pop back in tomorrow with the answer to the most popular question, "Do you have any good ideas for make-ahead breakfasts for Christmas morning?" You bet I do!

A Cake for Colby and Chelsea.

When I finish a big project, like a wedding cake, I am always relieved and sad for it to be finished.  It's funny to get attached to something like a cake.  I feel almost protective over it, like it's another child that I'm sending off into the unknown.  What if they didn't like it?

The cake had its own mishaps.  It almost toppled.  The bottom layer started falling apart--probably because it wasn't a sturdy cake.  Moist and delicious?  Yes.  Sturdy?  Not quite.  I did the crumb coating around midnight on Friday, I was so tired.  Saturday morning and all the sunlight showed me that I didn't have everything lined up.  A few layers were lopsided.  Oh, well.  That's where to final coating of frosting saves the day.

The theme of the party was Van Gogh's Starry, Starry Night.  I took a cue from Mr. Van Gogh and applied the rest of the buttercream in thick strokes.  It worked.  I think the bride liked it.

Though everyone was too full of hot chocolate and cookies, a few people ate the cake and enjoyed it.  My dad, who I thought hated coconut, told me that was his favorite layer--particularly the dulce de leche filling.  That makes it a success in my book.  

If you want to make this Coconut Cake with Dulce de Leche filling, here are some links:

Coconut Cake from Martha Stewart
How to make Dulce de Leche (Doce de Leite)
Easy Version Coconut Cake
For kicks, Coconut Rum Cake
How to make Swiss Meringue Buttercream (technically Italian Meringue Buttercream)

And now if you'll excuse me, I think I'll pop into the kitchen and pull out a piece of leftover almond cake for a little afternoon snack.

Sometimes I Bake Wedding Cakes.

In January, I made a wedding cake for these two lovely people. 

Meet Samantha and Chas Kelly.  Even if I wasn't related to them (by marriage) I would love and claim them as my own.  (Sam is an amazing artist, by the way.  She has an Etsy shop called Can You Hear Me?  You should check it out.)

I offered to make their cake and hoped they'd say yes.  When they did, I was completely honored and took my responsibility seriously.  I even set up a special blog just about The Cake.  Basically, I had a marvelous time.  Sam had only one instruction--it had to be delicious. 

Photo by Jan Dawson

The cake was delicious.  Even though my royal icing cake decorations broke into a million pieces...the cake ended up looking decent enough.  I had to step back and just let it be what it was.  And delicious is truly what it was, if I am allowed to toot my own horn.

The 12" bottom layer was a coconut cake with a coconut-almond dacquoise (nut meringue) with dulce de leche filling.  The 10" layer was an almond cake with homemade sour cherry jam filling.  The 8" layer was one I took some creative license to creat.  It was a lavender-blueberry marble cake with Dorie Greenspan's Lemon Cream Filling.  (I honestly cannot remember what the topmost layer was--I think it was the same as the 8".)

There was a groom's cake that I will be making again and posting since it's such a good cake--chocolate+hazelnuts+caramel pastry cream.  And a side cake--my famous carrot cake.  (It's only famous because it's my mom's very favorite cake and she requests it each year for her birthday.)

This week is another wedding cake.  I haven't been taking on many outside projects lately.  I stay so busy with my kids and activities at church.  My sister's brother-in-law is marrying a gorgeous girl who is a foodie.  How could I say no?

So far we have:

12" square--pumpkin spice, white chocolate cream cheese filling

10" square--almond with homemade peach-vanilla bean jam (Ashley's recipe that I bottled in the fall)

8" square--coconut with dulce de leche (it's too good to not make it again)

6" square--(a work in progress) something chocolate with marshmallow cream and chocolate ganache filling (layered respectively)

They are having a hot chocolate bar at the reception.  I suggested a few cookies to go along with it.  They will also be serving brownies and cheesecake (I think).  I made three of my favorite Christmas cookies.

*Pfeffernusse (pepper nuts)
*Chewy Ginger Cookies
*Spritz

I'll post photos and recipes of the cake layers and the cookies over the next few weeks.

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Don't forget to e-mail me with your holiday party woes.  I will e-mail you back and answer your questions here on ye olde blog.  (Just as soon as the wedding cake is complete.)

Communal Giveaway Winner.

Congratulations to Jordan and Jandee.  They won the $25 gift certificate to Communal.

Thanks everyone for entering.  I wish I could give one to you all.  One day when I'm rich and famous, I just might. :)

Last Chance...

Don't forget to enter the giveaway for the $25 gift card to Communal.  You have until 10:00 PM Mountain Standard Time.  Come on, you know you wanna.

Click here to leave your comment.

(image via communalrestaurant.blogspot.com)

Holiday Party Questions.

How many parties have you already been invited to this holiday season?  Have you been assigned to bring something and have no idea what to take?  Do you need an idea for a hostess gift for your sister-in-law who has everything?  Can't come up with a menu plan to feed 50?

E-mail me.

I'm more than happy to offer any advice or answer any questions you might have.  And I'll even blog about it.

cafejohnsonia(at)gmail(dot)com

(Image above is of my famous Peppermint Bark Brownies which bring holiday cheer to any party.  Just sayin'.)

Corn+Leek Chowder

Baby, it's freezing cold outside. Here in Utah we've had more snow already this year than I remember having all of last year. Okay, I'm exaggerating just a bit. I am longing for the sun. That is no exaggeration.

I go through these phases when I love certain veggies or fruits. I use them in everything until I find a new love and move on. Fennel was my veggie of choice for most of the summer and early fall. Leeks are back in my heart now.





Oh, how I love leeks. I cheer when they are in season, though you can get them year-round. I sneak them into just about everything I can--Thanksgiving stuffing, soups, pizza, omelets, spoonbread. You name it.

I'm having a hard time getting my kids to eat much of anything these days. My son is on a strict bread and butter diet with the occasional sausage or meatball. My oldest daughter wants pasta, pasta, pasta all the time with Creamy Cheese Sauce, which is nothing more than a bit of butter, a bit of cream cheese and a bit of milk to thin it out. My little redheaded daughter will eat almost anything. The catch is this: my husband or I must be eating it. She's a dinner thief.



One thing they all like is soup. Sure they may only eat the broth and leave the goodies behind, but we're working on it.

This chowder actually pleased most everyone. Fritz picked off the bacon and slurped the creamy broth. Betta ate mine after I took photos of it.  It did have sharp cheddar and bacon on top--I can't blame her. Lilly ate bowl after bowl after bowl. I don't think she realized she was doing it. My husband declared it one of his favorites and told me I could make it again if I wanted to. (Be still my heart. I love it when my husband is pleased with my cooking.)

Know what's really good with this chowdah?  Sourdough rolls.  We like the Crusty Sourdough Rolls from Rhodes.  (They didn't pay me to say this.  This is not a sponsored post.  I'm telling you about it because they are really good--surprisingly good.)  Another good thing?  Niman Ranch bacon.  (I bought it on sale.)  It was a weak moment that I'm glad I succumbed to.  It's uncured and comes from humanely raised animals.  Worth the splurge and really good crumbled over this soup, though it doesn't really need it.

Corn and Leek Chowder

1 small bag frozen corn

3 leeks, white and tender green parts, well washed and thinly sliced

2-3 stalks celery, diced

1 large onion, diced

a little oil, for sauteeing

4-5 medium red skinned potatoes or other waxy potato (don't peel them, that's too much work), diced

8-10 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup + 1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

1 cup whipping cream

Garnishes:  sliced green onions, shredded cheddar, crumbled bacon, fresh herbs if you got 'em

In a large stock pot, saute the leeks, celery, and onion in a little oil until they start to soften.  Toss in the potatoes.  Add enough chicken broth to cover and simmer until the potatoes are almost cooked through.  Meanwhile, in a small saucepan or skillet, melt the butter.  After it starts to foam, add the flour and stir with a wooden spoon.  Cook for a few minutes, being careful not to let it brown.  When the potatoes are almost cooked through, add the flour/butter paste a little at a time and stir.  The soup will thicken up at this point.  Keep stirring.  Add the whipping cream and any additional broth to get it to the desired thickness.  Add the corn and simmer for a few minutes.  Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Ladle into bowls and garnish, if desired.

Makes enough for 8-10 people, unless you want seconds (you will), and in that case more like 6 people.