Surprise & Desserts!

by Bridget: Nothing says September like dessert! right? At least, we took the opportunity to celebrate during this month of transition from summer-to-fall! Unbeknown to Tracy, the other three of us wanted to make this cuisine after clinical a little surprise engagement partay for Tracy and her beau fiancé. Naturally, we had to pick Tracy's favorite cuisine theme - desserts! We innocently convinced Tracy that not only was dessert randomly the theme, but that this would be a 'significant other' inclusive event (so we could get her other half, Leo, to show up too!)

The night started with us decorating and then waiting in the dark for the special couple to arrive. After a late work night, the couple arrived and treated us with genuine surprise and renewed energy on realizing this was a lil' night dedicated just to them! ... well, and tasting some yummy delicacies!

Being a good month for berries, there was a bit of a berry theme. Genevieve, a proclaimed savory gal, brought classic sweet blueberry bars along with her taste-tester bf Matt. Bridget teamed up with her included partna' Tom to make two refined-sugar free desserts: blackberry-coconut-pistachio bars, and individual berry tarts with graham cracker crust.

Tracy also pushed the envelope in the cocoa world by making scrumptiously hearty iced carob brownies. One can only hope that wedding guests will be lucky enough to have these included in the wedding dessert ensemble!

Finally, the host, Dorothy made her own marshmellows. Yes, if you were surprised these can even be concocted outside of a huge factory, you were not alone. Not only did she succeed in texture, shape, and size but we all agreed they were far tastier than packaged assembly line versions. To compliment the marshmellows, c0-host John made a family recipe for chocolate dipping sauce.

We went home with extra goodies for the week, and hope for the new seasons ahead...

Thursday Night DIY Sushi

Sometimes it's hard to organize a group of four.

We managed to successfully converge for dinner despite work, swimming, returning from a trip to Carolina, and being on-call for work.

Our sushi night kicked off to a tasty start with some panfried homemade gyoza stuffed with tofu, scrambled egg, collard greens, chives, chili, garlic, and ginger.

What's lovely about making sushi is that you can incorporate almost anything. We kept it simple, authentic, and vegetarian friendly with marinated tofu, avocado, carrots, cucumber, daikon sprouts, pickled radish, and woodear mushrooms. We experimented with making traditional rolls and then individual hand rolls.

Bridget made a delicious seaweed salad with dried seaweed, toasted sesame oil, rice vinegar, soy sauce, green onions, and sesame seeds.

We ended the night on a sweet note with some handmade mochi filled with nutella and strawberries.

Click here for simple, user friendly instructions on how to make mochi at home in your microwave.

Another great night of insightful conversation, great company, and delicious food. Thanks ladies!

Breakfast for Dinner

It took us a while, but we finally coordinated our schedules for a Breakfast for Dinner feast! For the full effect, we wore our pajamas and discussed our favorite Saturday morning cartoons.

Bridget is famous for her cardamom oatmeal pancakes, which she turned into a muffin version for our dinner.

Genevieve brought a rockin' fruit salad.

Dorothy's skillet potatoes were perfectly spiced with cumin, crushed red pepper, and rosemary.



I supplied the stone ground grits, with garnish options of jam, cheese, or butter.














We were so hungry and too busy talking to remember to document, but I managed to grab a few frantic shots.


 Oh, and um, we had leftover pie for dessert, because isn't pie for breakfast the best?!






Since the last post, Genevieve has landed a nursing job, and Dorothy, Bridget, and I have a few interviews on our plates. Progress!

We would love to make this blog more interactive, so please comment!

What are your favorite breakfast for dinner meals?
What are your ideas for themed dinner nights?
How about sharing any good interviewing tips?

Southern Fixins

By Tracy. Berkeley was hot yesterday. To commemorate the unusual heat and break the monotony of job applications, we decided to create a full-blown southern meal...complete with accents.
The inspiration wasn't difficult, as two of us date southern men (who were kindly not invited), and I spent four years in Georgia.
We pulled the recipes from various sources, including my own favorite Moosewood Cookbook!

The menu:

Macaroni & Cheese. This lower-fat version incorporated mustard, cottage cheese, and breadcrumbs.

Collard Greens. Sauteed with onions, balsamic vinegar, and a spot of sugar.

Cornbread. Buttermilk and cast-iron capture a true southern staple. And make for nice artsy pictures. 

Fruit Crisp. We may have jumped the gun on the season, but the tart peaches and blackberries were softened by refreshing vanilla ice cream.

One of my favorite things about summer is the rich color of the fruits and vegetables. A wise gardener once told me plants who were under stress during the early spring produced fruits and vegetables with a higher concentration of nutrients. As our bodies broke down and absorbed the nutrients from our meal, our brain cells stimulated from conversation, I looked out the window and reflected on this metaphor. I thought of the rich nutrients we were cultivating from our current challenges. And I pretended I heard the sound of cicadas chirping and junebugs hitting the lights outside. 

Beautiful, nutrient rich, summer fruit