All Source

Serves 4 to 6
3 large carrots
Sharmoula Marinade
1/2 a lemon
1 cup coriander leaves
1/2 parsley leaves
2 medium hot chili peppers
2 garlic cloves
1 table spoon cumin (or to taste)
Generous drizzle olive oil
Salt to taste

In an effort to prove to you that indeed, this blog will start encompassing non-cupcake things, lets talk about footwear, shall we? This is a tricky time of year because you want your feet to stay warm, but you also want to look good (at least, you should want to). Ive compiled a few shoes Im currently obsessed with. Whether theyll keep you warm isnt my problem, but they are great for the transition from winter to spring.

If shoes could be snorted, Id probably have leather bits on my nostrils right this moment. Heres why:

1. Iris Van Herpen X United Nude, $1,295.95: Only 100 of these made, the crab claw shape means noone else will have them, but at the price of a months rent, you could be the woman who literally lived in a shoe.

2. Sam Edelman Nivan T-Strap Platform, $98: Im a HUGE fan of Sam Edelman becuase not only are his shoes adorable and unique, but theyre actually really comfortable. "A 5-inch heel, comfortable? Shenanningans!" you say, but its true! And with just a teeny peep toe and a metallic pewter shade, these are a great shoe to transition from winter to spring.

3. J.Crew Paulina ankle-tie Ballet flats, $188: I rarely wear flats, its true, but after seeing Black Swan, Im determined to turn my spring wardrobe into a prima ballerinas dream come true. These will help me do so.

4. The Haus of Price Multi-Gem Shoe, $250: Does this or does this not just make you smile? Nuff said.

5. Jeffrey Campbell Lita Multi-Glitter, $159.95: Im pretty sure his initials are JC for a reason--he IS a God. Again, I bet this shoe is comfortable because of the high platform. A higher platform displaces the height of the heel. Its practically like walking on a cloud when you think of it that way. A cloud made of glitter.

Like Amy Sedaris, as a child Halloween was one of my favorite holidays. Not because of the candy (which was awesome) or because I got to dress up (which was even MORE awesome), but because I was fascinated with getting a peek into strangers homes. I was curious to see what their furniture looked like and if they kept the lights on in the hallway or not (I just think its weird to keep your house dark when youre in it!). Naturally, this curiosity wasnt limited to only homes--Im always excited to see the interiors of hotels, especially when theyre marketed as "luxury." So, I had to figure the rest of you are exactly like me and would feel gipped if I didnt share one last peek into our Greecian honeymoon of our hotel rooms. Here ya go, creeper!!

In Athens, we stayed at the Hotel Grande Bretagne. As soon as we entered the lobby, it smelled sweet and fresh, and made me wish I knew more about how to describe scents. We had a suite which was just the perfect amount of room for two nights before the big show in Santorini.

Do you have a question? Do you want us to explain the popularity of Rachael Ray? Do you have a recipe you would like demonstrated? Drop us a line and let us know how we can help you. By the way, we do get quite a few requests, so if you dont see your recipe dont take it personally! Well get to it evenutally (or not). Thanks!

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When I started this blog I really didnt think that far ahead. I never thought of my 100th blog but now that Im here Im really excited! I wanted to make something special and decided homemade pasta would be perfect. Ive tried making homemade pasta on my own in the past and was semi-happy with the results but that was a long time ago. I cannot begin to tell you how I felt trying it again this time. I dont know if it was that I felt more confidant this time, or if I was just thinking a lot about Nanny but I was really overcome with emotion. Once the dough was made I was constantly reminded of how it felt when I made it with Nanny. The smell of the took me back to that place about 20 years ago when I kneeled on her dining room chair and got my hands in the dough. When I asked Steve to smell it he couldnt really smell much but for me it was very familiar. I have to say I was filled with regret at never really having the patience to learn everything that Nanny knew about cooking. I watched and touched and tasted but never tried to do it on my own when she was around to help me and guide me. If you have someone in your life who you admire and want to learn from, whether its cooking or baking or anything else, do it now. It may be hard to imagine but there will be a time when you wish you could ask a question or need their opinion and its too late. Ask everything while they are still around.

Okay, now that I depressed you all (sorry!) lets get to the recipe and my results. I had a lot of fun making this and probably got a little carried away with making sure it was thin enough. When Nanny rolled it by hand and when I got impatient and wanted to cut it she always said it wasnt thin enough. So I think I made the pasta too thin. I used my pasta attachment for my kitchen aid mixer and put the pasta through twice through each setting 1-6 and then once through 7. I put it through twice because I remember watching Mario Batali doing that but the directions of the recipe I followed said NOT to do that. I loved using the attachment, its so much quicker and easier than rolling it out by hand. However, if you can knead it and roll it out by hand go ahead and do it, Im sure its a very cathartic experience. You can also make the dough in a food processor.

Pasta Dough

Recipe from Bibas Taste of Italy

(makes a little over 1 lb of fettuccine)

Ingredients:

5 eggs
3 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt (I added this on my own - not sure if it makes a difference)


Directions:

In bowl of stand mixer beat eggs and salt. Attach dough hook and flour a little at a time, beating well after each addition. Increase the speed and knead the dough for 5-6 minutes, until smooth, soft and pliable.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured wooden board of other work surface. Flour your hands lightly and knead the dough for a minute or two. If the dough seems too firm, wrap it in plastic wrap and let it rest at room temperature for 20-30 minutes, then knead the dough again for about a minute.

Bibas tip: Making the dough with a machine requires a little less flour than making it by hand. Reserve 1/2 cup or so of the flour called for in the recipe. After the dough has been kneaded, touch it. If it is silky and slightly moist, it is ready; if it is too sticky, work in the reserved flour.

This tip was great. I did not need to use the 1/2 cup reserved flour. If I used it the dough would have been too dry.

To roll out the dough with pasta attachment:

Set the rollers of the pasta machine at their widest setting (1 - for Kitchen Aid) Cut off a piece of dough about the size of a large egg and flatter in under the palm of your hand. Keep the rest of the dough wrapped in plastic wrap. Dust the flattened piece of dough lightly with flour and run it once through the machine. Fold the dough in half, pressing down on it with your fingertips, and run it through the machine again. Repeat this step four to five times, dusting the dough lightly with flour if needed, until the dough is smooth and no longer sticky; the dough will become firmer since the machine is actually kneading the dough. Do not skimp on this step, or, as you think the pasta, it may stick to the rollers.

Adjust the rollers to the next setting and run the dough through once; do not fold the dough again. Adjust the rollers to the next setting and run the rollers once; continue to adjust the rollers and roll the pasta through the machine until it reaches desired thinness.

If you are making stuffed pasta, cut and stuff the dough immediately, before rolling out another piece. For string pasta or ribbon noodles, roll out the remaining dough and allow the sheets to dry before cutting them into noodles.

Bibas Tip: If the sheet of dough sticks to the pasta machine, dust it lightly with flour. Be sure to run the sheet of dough once through each setting; dont skip a setting or the dough may tear.






To cut pasta using attachment:

Spread a clean tablecloth on a large work surface and lay out the rolled-out sheets of pasta on it. Let dry for 8-10 minutes, depending on the temperature of the room, until the sheets of pasta are no longer sticky and are beginning to curl up slightly at the edges.

Run the sheets of pasta through the widest setting for tagliatelle or the narrow setting for tagliolini. Arrange the noodles in bundles on a wooden board or tablecloth. They can be cooked immediately or allowed to dry, uncovered and cooked later; they an be kept at room temperature uncovered for several days.

These are still something of a work in progress, as a recipe. Mr. Ferdzy thought they were a bit bland, and I have to agree. Still, thats not really the problem. Seasoning is a personal thing and I expect people to adjust them to their own tastes.

The real problem is that the texture is a bit soft, and they tend to moosh out the sides of the bun. I need something to firm these up. Suggestions, please? Im trying to avoid egg to keep them vegan, but egg would do it, Im sure. Maybe some ground flaxseed, which might also help with that too-soft mouthfeel. But if anyone has other ideas, Id love to hear them. Those patties in the picture are half-size; the full recipe would make 16 of them.

These are somewhat slow to make, what with all the drawn-out stages, but that has some advantages. They can be made in advance, and cooked up as needed. Im pretty sure the formed but uncooked patties would freeze well.

8 regular sized burgers
30 minutes prep time not including cooking beans or barley


1 cup cooked barley (1/4 cup dry barley)
1 1/2 cups well drained cooked black or kidney beans
1/2 cup dried tomatoes
1/2 cup boiling water

1 cup grated carrot (1 medium)
1/2 cup chopped onion (1/2 medium)
1 cup shiitake mushrooms
1 tablespoon mild vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
1 teaspoon rubbed thyme
oil to fry
(added equivalent to 1/2 cup flour to second half of the batter, which helped but not enough)
flour to fry
Advance Prep:
You could use tinned beans, or beans you have cooked yourself from dry, but in either case drain them well. If you use tinned beans, do not add the salt until you have tasted the mixture to make sure you dont add too much.

Cook the barley. I do it in the rice cooker, at three parts water to one part barley. My rice cooker wont cook 1/4 cup raw barley, so I cooked more and have extra to put into something else. (Or to try these again.)

When you are ready to proceed, soak the dried tomatoes in the boiling water for 10 to 15 minutes.

Make the Burgers:
Peel and grate the carrot. Peel and chop the onion. Clean and slice the mushrooms. Sauté these together in the oil until softened and lightly browned in spots.

Put the sautéed veggies into a food processor with the drained beans, drained barley and drained tomatoes. Add the seasonings and flour. Blend well, leaving some texture, but until everything is well amalgamated.

Form the mixture into patties, 8 to 16 depending on what size you would like. Roll each patty in flour and set aside. Cover the bottom of a heavy skillet with a layer of oil. Heat the oil over medium-high heat, and cook the patties for about 3 minutes on each side, until they have a browned and slightly crisp finish to them.