Slowly I Turn....

Slow going at the homestead. Our bricks were delayed by about 2 and half weeks. They are now sitting in formal little piles around our lot. Would someone please put them up so I can see if I like and sleep better!?

But they kept crankin' on the inside. We have walls, along with that required nappy Texas texture (another local joy), and rounded corners. Yesterday they finished most of the inside trim, which is baseboards in most rooms and little ledges in some places and door casings, plus a garage door. Our garage entry is now a festival of door mismanagement; the door actually hits the proceeding door which means we have to use our entry/utility room as an airlock. Not good. We're hoping they come up with something brilliant. And soon!

We saw our cabinets in boxes placed in the garage last night. About 8:15 we had a heavy rainstorm at the apartment and we hope everything at the house is sealed and tight. I'd have enjoyed the rain more if we had BRICKS UP!!!! I'm still excited about it all, but KK needs things immediately, and this little test of my will is starting to get to me. I'll feel better once they put our actual trim color choice on and see it with the brick. That will decide if we ever invite anyone over. Although we have guests scheduled in October, so I've got to get on the ball!

I'll get pictures tonight of the cabinets and such.

It's.... ALIVE!!!

We snuck onto our own property last night just before dark to check out the progress of the house. The pictures might be a bit grainy since it was getting pretty dark. The front view is our new gorgeous dark chocolate trim and empty walls-- the brick is late. I'm actually about to drive over there and see if we have a pile of bricks to play with. I know we have sand, but they can't put that up WITHOUT THE BRICKS!!! Delays irritate me, but I'm trying. This whole process is really good for my immediacy neediness.

The inside is rolling along, as our builder said they wouldn't wait around. They sheetrocked the entire thing since Saturday, so it took about 3 days. The rest of the pictures are of the insides.

And in the quiet of the evening, with no workers around, and an empty house, out back is our trusty bull, watching over us all. No joke, that bull was back! I think I will have to give it an affectionate name if this becomes a habit.

The living room, as seen from the stairs:

The entry way, from the stairs in the opposite direction: (and if you'll look closely, someone has emblazoned a Lays potato chip bag at about eye level on the wall.)

Master bedroom, looking towards the back of the house:

Tuscan Tuna and Bean Sandwiches

My picture of this was not nearly as attractive as the one in Gourmet, so I will not humiliate myself by adding it. I found this combination yummy, much nicer than regular mayo-ish tuna sandwiches. And excellent with a rosé...

For Beans:
1 (14 to 15 oz.) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped (I found this was too much)
1 T fresh lemon juice
2 T olive oil (not sure how much I actually added, just be wise)
2 T chopped fresh parsley or basil (or both!)
1/4 t salt
1/4 t pepper, freshly ground

Coarsely mash the beans, then stir in everything else.

For Tuna Salad:
2 (6 oz) cans Italian tuna in olive oil (NOT veg oil)
2 T finely chopped basil or parsley (or both!)
1/4 c pitted brine-cured black olives, chopped fine
1 celery rib, finely chopped
2 T red onion, finely chopped (or omitted altogether- too strong!)
2 T olive oil
1 T fresh lemon juice
1/4 t each, salt and pepper

Flake tuna in a bowl then add everything else.
Spoon one fourth of the bean spread on 1 slice of really good bread, then t op with one fourth of tuna, some watercress (or arugula), and another slice of bread.

Moroccan-Spiced Chicken

Although not as pretty as my last picture, this one has inner beauty. And inner-yum! I have been picking over my old Gourmet magazines, ripping out the interesting recipes and tossing the rest. I don't want to move heavy recycled paper to a new house, so we're downsizing our written media collections.

KK was craving a really crisp, citrusy Sauvignon Blanc for Saturday, and our cellar is a little low on whites. We did have an Italian Sauvignon Blanc which was quite delightful, along with pan seared Hawaiian marlin (sort of like swordfish). But we had even more delectable designs for Sunday...

We now have a local source for Nora, an Albarino. We actually refer to it as a female named Nora even though it is just a bottle of delicious white wine. We've found Nora to be so flexible, she's fantastic with Middle Eastern food, spicy food, HUMMUS in particular, and simple salads. After finding it locally, we grabbed a couple bottles (I don't want to run out!). I earmarked a new recipe that seemed perfect for Nora, and Sean and I made it Sunday afternoon.

I will say we followed the recipe exactly this time (unusual for me) with the exception of salt. The oil-cured olives added a sophisticated saltiness that was sufficient in the couscous, and Sean salted only one side of the chicken. This was so enjoyable; we will definitely keep this one in rotation.

MOROCCAN-SPICED CHICKEN PAILLARDS
(serves 4)

Sauce ingredients:
1/4 c orange juice
1 T mild honey
1 t fresh lemon juice
1 cinnamon stick
1/4 t dried red pepper flakes
2 T unsalted butter (added late in the game)

Paillards ingredients:
1/2 t ground cumin
1/2 t paprika (not hot)
1/4 t black pepper
2 T olive oil
4 boneless chicken cutlets, or breasts, pounded thin
1 1/4 t salt

Heat grill pan over moderate heat until hot. Meanwhile, simmer all sauce ingredients except butter in a small saucepan, uncovered, stirring occasionally, 2 minutes. Set aside.

Cook cumin, paprika and pepper in oil in a small skillet over moderately low heat, stirring until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Brush some of this spiced oil on 1 side of the chicken (2 at a time if you need to), then sprinkle salt on the chicken. Place chicken in grill pan (cooking 2 at a time), oiled side down, then oil and salt the other side. Grill 2 minutes then flip and cook the other side, about 3 minutes more. Repeat with the other two chickens if you didn't have room in the pan the first time. You should use up about all of the oil. Keep the skillet ready for later by NOT WASHING IT. Keep cooked chicken warm on a platter. Microwaves are good for this holding pattern.

Pour sauce through a fine strainer into the reserved skillet, discarding solids. Add any juices from chicken platter if you wish and bring to a boil. Remove from heat, add butter to skillet and swirl to incorporate. Season sauce with salt and pepper and pour over chicken... which is sitting on a plate on top of.....

COUSCOUS WITH OLIVES AND LEMON

1 1/2 t minced garlic
3 T olive oil
1 3/4 c water
1/4 t salt (or not)
1 1/2 c couscous
16 oil-cured black olives, pitted and coarsely chopped
1/3 c chopped parsley
1 1/2 t finely grated lemon zest

Cook garlic in oil in a 2-3 qt saucepan over moderate heat, stirring frequently until golden, about 1-2 minutes. Add water and salt and bring to a boil. Stir in couscous, olives, parsley and zest, then cover pan and remove from heat. Let stand undisturbed for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

This was yummy. I'm having leftovers for lunch with tomatoes.

The Most Beautiful Food Picture

I simply can't top this. Our Salad Niçoise from Sunday was the most beautiful dinner we have ever made. I think it is the eggs that make the picture, so this is Sean's plate (I hate eggs in all forms). We chose to sear from fresh tuna for this, but we will have it again tomorrow with canned, oil-packed tuna.

You do end up with several bowls of components drizzled in vinaigrette before assembly, so get a stack ready at the beginning.

We started this from a Cooks Illustrated recipe, but I think I could have done it on my own. This is especially nice with a fine Rosé (Turkey Flat, 2006).

Salad Niçoise

3-4 small red potatoes per serving
1 small handful green beans per serving
1 egg per serving
6-8 cherry tomoatoes per serving
juice of 1-2 lemons
very good olive oil
selection of fresh herbs (oregano, thyme and basil work really well)
1 teaspoon of dijon mustard (approx.)
Ahi tuna steak, or canned, oil-packed tuna
small head of butter lettuce
capers, dark brined olives

Mix up the dressing: To the lemon juice, add any combination of chopped herbs you have, the dijon mustard, and then the olive oil. Tradition says more oil than lemon; I say more lemon than oil. Just go with it. Salt it if you wish, or wait for the end. Finely chopped shallots would also be appropriate.

In a small pan, add the eggs and enough water to cover by one inch and bring to a boil. Remove pan from heat, cover, and let stand for 10 minutes. (This does not make them very "southern hard-boiled" so if you like them harder, extend the boil time.) Meanwhile, prepare a bowl of iced water. With a spoon, transfer the eggs to the iced water; let stand 5 minutes. Peel eggs and quarter lengthwise; set aside.

Meanwhile, quarter the potatoes and place in a large pot of water. Heat to boiling, and add 1 T salt to the water. Cook until tender, but not destroyed, 8 minutes or so. Fish them out of the water, but save the water. Place the cooked potatoes in a bowl and drizzle a fair amount of dressing; toss to coat.

While the potatoes are cooking, trim the green beans into bite size pieces; set aside. Quarter or halve the cherry tomatoes, and place in a bowl; drizzle with dressing and set aside.

Once the potatoes are taken care of, place the beans in the boiling water. Boil until tender, 4-5 minutes. Drain and toss with dressing.

Layer a serving platter, or individual plate, with the washed butter lettuce leaves. Make little piles around the lettuce layer of the green beans, tomatoes and potatoes. Chop the olives if you wish and scatter around, also capers. Place all back in the fridge if you have room, and work on the tuna.

Salt and pepper the tuna steaks; heat up a skillet and sear as long as you need. Slice and lay in the center of the platter/plate. Or, alternatively, slightly drain the oil-packed canned tuna and place in the center. Drizzle the remaining dressing over all, and salt and pepper at will.

What a Difference A Week Makes

Our foundation was poured about a week ago (last Monday) and what a difference a week makes. Today we got shingles! (construction material, not neurological disease).

We still cruise the neighborhood to check out the other houses, too. There is another model just like ours, but exactly reversed. I can't look at it too much, since I try to envision everything backwards. Another house on the other street has the coolest dark chocolate trim color. We love it! Ours will be a shade or two lighter, but still dark-ish. In 6 or 7 years or so, we'll probably bump that up to a super dark color. We only had like 6 choices of trim color in varying depths of color, and the darkest one was a bit too warm/reddish for our brick. So this way, in a few years, we'll pick a super dark cool color to emphasize our slamtastic bricks (we hope).

I've been taking pictures of the inside, sketching them, and painting them different ways to see what the heck I'm going to do with the walls (thanks Beth for letting me live vicariously through y'all's house colors). It gives me something to brood over around 3-6am. Every night. @#$$^&! I'm just not sure I want our super dark steely blue color in too many places, but it is our favorite choice so far. Some of those walls are darn high, and it might be best left to some professional to break his neck falling from that height. We have a large open room and two walls of it are logical to paint our cool dark color, but the third wall is hard to define. Too many angles probably means I should leave it boring white. I'll let Mom decide when she comes.

Here are a few inside pix that are solidly in the "before" category. The first one is a view out back at sunset. This wall is 14 feet high.

This one is our skeletal kitchen, facing the back, just to the left of the picture above. There are two little tiny windows that we don't know why they included in the plan. They truly seem like shotgun defense windows, but should look directly at our neighbors fence eventually. Maybe for light? Actually, they would make fantastic drive-thru windows, one for payment and orders, the other for food pick up...

Farewell, My Cupcakes

Today two of my longest-lasting students had their last lesson with KK. And it wasn't even a lesson. These two girls were among my very first Texas students, starting right after I moved here. What longevity! I couldn't have asked for nicer, cooler girls!

So in honor of their upcoming graduation, today was CupCake Day. Shannon asked for tons of icing, Mallory had no preference. So I thumbed through Cooking for Mr. Latte for a chocolate cake recipe I had been wanting to try.

Personal note: Sean and I sampled the leftovers for quality control purposes last night. He did not like the icing; too tangy. I loved it's consistency and it was really easy, but I also prefer a more chocolatey flavor. The cake, however, I liked and will do again. The recipe calls for the batter to bake in a 9-inch tube pan, which I will acquire soon with my Williams-Sonoma gift card (thanks!), but I used half the batter in cupcake tins, and half in a loaf pan. Cupcakes bake for around 20 minutes, the loaf continued for another 13-15 minutes.

Chocolate Dump-It Cake (an inelegant title, at best)

2 cups sugar
4 oz. unsweetened chocolate
1/4 lb unsalted butter (1 stick)
2 cups A-P flour
2 t baking soda
1 t baking powder
1 t sea salt
1 cup milk
1 t cider vinegar
2 eggs
1 t vanilla
1 1/2 semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups sour cream, at room temperature

Set out the sour cream to warm up. Put the sugar, unsweetened chocolate, butter and 1 cup of water in a sauce pan. Place over medium heat and stir occasionally until all of the ingredients are melted and blended. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place a baking sheet on the lowest rack to catch any batter run-off.

Sift together the flour, baking soda, powder and salt. In 1 cup glass measuring cup, combine the milk, vanilla and vinegar. Grease and flour a 9 inch tube pan (or line muffin tins with cupcake liners).

When the chocolate has cooled (15-20 minutes), whisk in the milk mixture and eggs. In several additions, whisk in the dry ingredients. Dump the batter (hence, the title?) in the tube pan and bake on middle rack until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30-35 minutes. Let the cake cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then remove to a cooling rack.

Frosting: Meanwhile, melt the chocolate chips in a double boiler until smooth, then cool to room temperature. When the chocolate is the same temperature as the chocolate, whisk small amounts of the sour cream into the chocolate. If the temperatures are different, the mixture will sass you and get grainy or lumpy. Test a sample first.

Frost the cake when completely cool. Store in the refrigerator.