Happy Birthday Gabi!

Asher went to Gabi's first birthday party this week. She's like a little girl now! It only seems like a couple of months ago that I met her for the first time. She was just a month old (and I was six months pregnant)!
The little party animals in action.
Asher was very fond of this yellow cube. He played with it for about 15 minutes holding it to his mouth making Darth Vader noises.
We tried to get a picture of the three of them sitting neatly on the carpet together. We quickly realized that was never going to happen (except for Grayor).

Opening her presents...

Grayor thought he'd get in on the action and help Gabi out...
..Asher decides that looks like fun!
So he finishes the job.

Red Wine Pot-Roast with Porcini

I thought this was an exceptional dish; the meat came out exceptionally tender. The porcini mushrooms give it such an intense, unique (in a good way) flavor. I put the leftover juices (which I didn't reduce down) in my blender to make a smooth sauce. I will make this again for sure.

• 1 cup low-salt chicken broth or beef broth
• 1/2 ounce dried porcini mushrooms

• 1 4-pound boneless beef chuck roast, trimmed
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large onion, coarsely chopped
• 2 celery stalks with some leaves, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
• 3 garlic cloves, smashed
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh marjoram plus sprigs for garnish
• 1 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes, drained
• 1 cup dry red wine

Preparation

Preheat oven to 300°F. Bring broth to simmer in saucepan. Remove from heat; add mushrooms, cover, and let stand until soft, about 15 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer mushrooms to cutting board. Chop coarsely. Reserve mushrooms and broth separately.

Sprinkle beef with salt and pepper. Heat oil in heavy large ovenproof pot over medium-high heat. Add beef and cook until brown on all sides, about 15 minutes total. Transfer beef to large plate. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon drippings from pot. Place pot over medium heat. Add onion and celery. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and sauté until beginning to brown, about 8 minutes. Add garlic, chopped marjoram, and reserved porcini mushrooms; sauté 1 minute. Using hands, crush tomatoes, 1 at a time, into pot. Cook 3 minutes, stirring frequently and scraping up browned bits from bottom of pot. Add wine; boil 5 minutes. Add reserved mushroom broth, leaving any sediment behind. Boil 5 minutes.

Return beef and any accumulated juices to pot. Cover; transfer to oven. Cook 1 1/2 hours. Turn beef and continue cooking until tender, about 1 1/2 hours longer. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Cool slightly. Refrigerate uncovered until cool. Cover and keep refrigerated.)

Transfer beef to cutting board; tent with foil. Spoon fat from surface of juices in pot. Bring juices to boil; cook until liquid is reduced to 4 cups, about 7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Cut beef into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Transfer to platter. Spoon juices over, garnish with marjoram sprigs, and serve.

Grilled Tuna Salad With Sun-Dried Tomato Dressing

I rubbed the tuna with a little cumin along with the salt and pepper. I thought it made it more interesting.

For the dressing

• 1 large garlic clove, minced and mashed to a paste with 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice plus additional to taste
• 1/4 cup finely chopped drained sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil
• 2 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons sour cream
• 1/2 cup packed fresh coriander

• 10 cups loosely packed mesclun (mixed baby greens, available at specialty produce markets)
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved lengthwise
• 1 cup cooked fresh corn (cut from about 2 ears)
• two 1-inch-thick tuna steaks (about 1-1/2 pounds) olive oil for brushing the tuna nasturtium blossoms for garnish if desired

Preparation

Make the dressing: In a blender blend together the garlic, the vinegar, 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice, the sun-dried tomatoes, the plum tomatoes, and 1/4 cup water until the mixture is smooth and with the motor running add the oil in a stream. Add the sour cream, the coriander, the additional lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste and blend the dressing until it is combined well. (The dressing may be made 1 day in advance and kept covered and chilled. Let the dressing return to room temperature.)

In a large bowl toss the mesclun with the tomatoes and the corn and divide the mixture among 4 plates. Brush the tuna on both sides with the oil, season it with salt and pepper, and grill it on an oiled rack set about 4 inches over glowing coals for 4 to 5 minutes on each side for medium-rare, or until is cooked to the desired degree. Let the tuna stand for 3 minutes and cut it against the grain into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Divide the tuna slices among the salads and pour about 1/4 cup of the dressing over each serving. Serve any remaining dressing separately and garnish the salads with nasturtium blossoms.

Wild Rice Salad with Dried Sour Cherries

1⁄2 cup wild rice
5 cups Chicken Stock
4 slices bacon, coarsely chopped (You can omit the bacon if you don't eat porc)
3⁄4 cup dried sour cherries
1 rib celery, diced
1 scallion, trimmed and chopped
Leaves with 5 sprigs parsley, chopped
2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Put rice into a medium pot, cover with water, and swish around with your hand. Drain; repeat process until water is clear, 3-4 more times. Drain rice; return to pot. Add stock and bring to a boil over high heat. Stir rice once or twice and reduce heat to medium-low. Partially cover pot and cook rice until grains are swollen and tender but not blossomed, 50-60 minutes. Drain rice in a colander and let rest, undisturbed, for 10 minutes. Transfer rice to a large bowl to let cool.

2. Cook bacon in a medium skillet over medium heat until crisp, about 5 minutes. Transfer bacon and 2 tbsp. of the rendered bacon fat to bowl with rice. Add dried cherries, celery, scallions, parsley and vinegar and toss well. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish salad with a sprig of parsley, if you like, and serve at room temperature.

Miso-Marinated Salmon with Green Sauce

This is a new favorite of mine! I served this with steamed edamame and sushi rice.

2 1/3 cups miso, preferably white miso
1/4 cup mirin
3 tbsp. sake
1 tbsp. peeled fresh ginger, finely chopped
1 chile de árbol, stemmed, seeded,
and finely chopped
4 8 oz. boneless skin-on salmon filets
1 tbsp. sugar
2 egg yolks
2 tbsp. frozen chopped spinach
Sweet pickled ginger, for garnish

1. Marinate the salmon: In a bowl, whisk together 2 cups miso, mirin, 1 tbsp. sake, fresh ginger, and chile. Spoon half the miso marinade into the bottom of a shallow dish. Score the skin of the salmon filets on the diagonal with a sharp knife. Lay the filets evenly over the marinade, skin side up, and spoon the remaining marinade over the top, spreading it evenly over the fish. Cover with plastic wrap and let marinate for 2–3 hours at room temperature or up to 8 hours in the refrigerator.

2. Meanwhile, make the sauce: Pour water into a medium pot so that it reaches a depth of 2". Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. In a small food processor, pulse the sugar and eggs to combine. Add remaining miso, remaining sake, spinach, and 2 tbsp. water. Process until the spinach is finely chopped and the mixture is smooth, about 15 seconds. Transfer the spinach mixture to a medium metal bowl; place over simmering water and cook, whisking constantly, until the sauce thickens and becomes glossy, 8–10 minutes. Transfer sauce to a small bowl and set aside.

3. Arrange an oven rack 3" from the broiler element and heat. Scrape marinade off salmon, brush each filet with 1 tbsp. miso–spinach sauce, and place them on a foil-lined baking sheet, skin side down. Broil for 2 minutes. Turn salmon and continue broiling until the skin crisps and browns, about 2 minutes more. Divide the salmon between 4 plates. Spoon more sauce onto the plates and garnish with pickled ginger slices.

I have a little crawler!

YIKES! While in Salt Lake, Asher was working really hard at getting the crawling down. He would slide and shimmy around like an inch worm. And occasionally he would take a small step or two. But as soon as I put him down the night we got back into town he just took off! I guess he was making up for being cooped up on a plane all day.

Giving Thanks...

At my mom's house after Thanksgiving dinner from left to right: My sister-in-law Jen, my brother Wes, my mom Sharon, my step-dad Jan, Moises, and Grandma Phyllis.

We have so much to be thankful for. Just to mention a few: we both feel so grateful to have such wonderful families, good health, and to be blessed with a beautiful, healthy baby boy who amazes us and brings so much joy to our lives every single day.

Moises, Asher and I went to Salt Lake for Thanksgiving to be with my family. It was great seeing everybody and eating wonderful food. My mom is an amazing cook!



We had a second Thanksgiving dinner at my dad's house. From left to right: Asher, my sister-in-law Jen, my brother Wes, my aunt Teri, Moises, Grandma Geni, my dad's girlfriend Dixie, my dad Jim.

Some day I'll be big like you!

Past Asher's Bedtime

This is what happens when Asher stays up past his bedtime. He was falling asleep at the table. Poor guy... so I put him back in his stroller so he could sleep. We went out to eat at the Bohemian Brewery because it was Wes and Jen's last night in town.

Check out the video to find out what Asher's first word is...

And no...unfortunately it's not mommy.
You can also see he's whistling.

Asher loves bath time!

And Babi gets Asher laughing again!

Babi gets Asher going!

As you can see, Asher had pure entertainment while visiting Babi!

I love Babi Sharon!

Babi and Asher having a pajama party!

Asher loved playing with the cool new toy that Babi got him.
I love Babi!

Bumpa Jan!

Here is my step-dad Jan. Asher was fascinated by his beard!