Saturday Post No. 10

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Home. There's no place like it. 

We are back in MKE after a wonderful few days in MN. As always, the days fly by and we never get to do all that we'd like to do or see all who we'd love to see. But there's so much to be thankful for this year, especially our newlywed life (as busy as it is) and our families. These are the two parts of my life that get me through every single day, and I'm thankful for them all the time, but especially at Thanksgiving. 

I hope everyone had the best time with their families and friends, ate and drank plenty, and just enjoyed some quiet time as November ends. I can't believe it's December tomorrow. Tonight, we unpacked, ate our leftovers, and are going to put up the Christmas tree. No better way to cheer up after the five-hour drive than to decorate our apartment and chat with our families. 

Much love to all, and Happy Thanksgiving. 

In the kitchen: the very best oatmeal.

Cold and snowy (yes, it's snowing!) mornings call for hot breakfasts, ideally with baked goods. There's something special about a cozy kitchen turning out warm and comforting dishes to start the day. This isn't easy to do during the week, or in my case, weekends, because my blankets, pillows, and an extra 10 minutes in bed usually win. However, even when I've given in to the snooze button on the alarm, I still have time to make oatmeal and satisfy my craving for a toasty breakfast.

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When I was little, my mom would make us oatmeal before school. While that doesn't sound particularly like an exciting breakfast, the way she made it was just the best. Keep in mind, this was during the early 90s, before everyone became obsessed with steel-cut oats and those silly brown paper packets with flavored instant "oatmeal" were everywhere. In our kitchen, though, regular old fashioned rolled oats did the trick. And now, as I've grown up (and admittedly, have joined the steel-cut oat obsessed...this is one of my favorite recipes), I still find that there aren't many better breakfasts around than my mom's recipe. This takes me right back to my kitchen in MN...where we'll be in just a few days! To say I can't wait is maybe the biggest understatement of the week.

Brown sugar oatmeal, for two. 
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1 3/4 C. milk 
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
1/4 tsp. salt 
1 C. old fashioned oats 
Pinch of salt 
Toppings: pecans, raisins, cinnamon, heavy cream...really, anything you want. 

Combine milk, sugar, and salt in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer.

Add oats, stir to combine. Cook the oats for 3-5 minutes, then turn off the heat. Cover the saucepan, and let the oats steep for an additional 3 minutes.

Top with pecans, raisins, a pinch of cinnamon, and a spoonful of heavy cream. Enjoy with a giant mug of coffee, and savor the slow and hearty start to the day.

In the kitchen: Caesar salad dressing.

Caesar salad is, if made right, truly a comfort food. I know, I know - a comfort food with lettuce and anchovies? Really?  But there's something about the combination of tangy/salty/creamy dressing mixed with crisp greens that I can't get over. And as always, it's a million times better if it's homemade. 

I have played around with several different Caesar salad dressing recipes, and the one thing that drove me crazy each time I made a salad was preparing the anchovies. There's something about washing them to get rid of the little bones that a) isn't particularly enjoyable and b) gets rid of half the anchovy. I know there are recipes out there that don't call for anchovies, but for the purists, it's just not a Caesar without them. Enter anchovy paste. 

This little tube gives the salad that briny taste that is so necessary to a Caesar, but without the unpleasantness that is cleaning anchovy fillets. And that makes for a happier time in the kitchen.

The recipe below is the end product of testing several different recipes, and mixes my (Ukrainian) love for all things garlic with this classic salad.

Caesar salad dressing. 
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3 garlic cloves 
1/2 tsp. anchovy paste
1/4 tsp. salt 
1/2 tsp. black pepper    
3/4 tsp. lemon juice 
1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce 
1 tsp. grainy Dijon mustard 
1 egg yolk 
1/2 C olive oil 
2 medium hearts of romaine lettuce 
1/2 C grated Parmesan cheese 
For serving: croutons, chicken breast 

Place the garlic cloves and salt in a mortar and pestle and mash together until a paste forms. Add the anchovy paste. 

Whisk in black pepper, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, and egg yolk until combined. Slowly whisk in the olive oil. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. 

Pour over chopped romaine, top with cheese and add croutons and chicken breast. Toss to combine. 

Makes two big salad bowls, perfect for a lunch date. 

In the kitchen: butterscotch pot de crème.

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So let's not talk about yesterday's loss. The Ukes just couldn't get going; I knew it was going to be rough when, within the first three minutes of the game, France had two corners.

Instead, let's talk about one of my favorite desserts from one of my favorite restaurants in my absolute favorite neighborhood of Minneapolis. No hyperbole at all. We've been to Tilia quite a few times, for birthday brunches, summertime dinners, a particularly warm St. Patrick's day, and graduations. One afternoon, Andrew and I ordered their butterscotch pot de crème, created by Zoe Francois (who happens to be our go-to for all things pizza and bread). It was perfectly smooth, rich, and best yet, topped with a thin layer of crème fraîche. And then, we found that Zoe posted the recipe online.

I made these for our dinner party we had last week. Truly, this is such an easy dessert, but sounds so much fancier and more difficult than it actually is to make. I didn't grab a photo of the finished product...I actually had to run to grab the crème fraîche just a few minute before the appetizers went out. And that is reason number 23 out of 1098 of why it's best to live near two grocery stores.

Butterscotch pot de crème, via Zoe Bakes. 
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2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1/2 C brown sugar
2 C heavy cream  
1/2 vanilla bean, scraped; or substitute 1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. salt
4 egg yolks
Crème fraîche, for serving. 

Preheat the oven to 325.

Cook the butter and brown sugar over medium heat in a heavy saucepan, stirring with a wooden spoon, until the sugar has completely melted and the mixture starts to turn brown and turn smoke slightly.

Add the cream one cup at a time, cooking the butterscotch until the seized sugar cooks down again. Add the remaining cup of cream, vanilla, and salt.

In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks. Temper the yolks with a ladle or two of the cream mixture, whisking until warm. Pour the yolks back into the cream and slowly whisk to combine. Strain out the vanilla beans.

Divide the custard into four 4-ounce ramekins. Place them in a baking dish and pour in hot water to reach half-way up the sides.* Bake for 25-40 minutes, depending on the heat of the water and your oven. Once the custards have set, remove the pan carefully, and allow the custards to cool in the water bath. Cool until they come to room temperature, then cover and chill for at least one hour (but they can easily be made a few days in advance, which makes this a perfect dessert for parties!). Before serving, top with crème fraîche.

*I find it helpful to have a kettle of hot water going before you start tempering the yolks. That way the water is hot and ready to pour for the water bath, and it's easy to do without splashing up your kitchen.

I love these for so many reasons. Zoe says you don't have to serve it with crème fraîche if the contrast of the sour and sweet isn't your thing, but for this Uki girl, who can't ever get enough sour cream, the topping is absolutely necessary. Enjoy!

Futbol.

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After a fantastic game this Friday, the Ukes are going into the second leg of their World Cup qualifying games with 2 goals to France's 0. Fight through one more game, хлопці, and we're off to Brazil! 

I can't wait to watch this afternoon! Bперед, Україно!

The Bear & The Hare.

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I'm one of those people that may just prefer Thanksgiving to Christmas. Maybe it's because Thanksgiving isn't as commercial as the other two holidays surrounding it - it's easier to decorate (and shop) for Halloween and Christmas. I still love celebrating and yes, decorating for Christmas, but I think taking a day to cook a wonderful meal for (and, best of all, with) family, all without shopping, presents, stuff...is better than most anything else.

All of that being said, there's something about this Christmas ad that just tugs at my heart. I know it's designed for an expensive department store chain, and of course, the ad-execs/Mad Men of the world know how to best play on our emotions to get us to buy...but still. I do not pretend to be immune to Christmas advertising.

Just watch the sweetness:

How can you not just melt? And maybe better yet is the work that went into making the ad...see here for all of the incredible details. 

So. With Thanksgiving only a week away, I can hardly wait to cuddle and snuggle and be cheesy with my favorite people (and dog), and, fine, maybe even drink coffee in Christmas mugs. But only after Thanksgiving dinner. 

Friday favorites.

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Happy Friday! Since I work both weekend days and have Fridays off, I've started to really savor this day. While my schedule doesn't allow for what most people consider a "weekend," I've worked weekends most of my life anyway. And this just makes days off like today that much better.

Tonight we're having Andrew's friends over for dinner, and I'm excited to get our apartment all prettied up for a little party. And make butterscotch pot du creme, for a taste of home and MPLS in MKE. And go running, because it's beautiful outside. And study. And that's how a day off fills up oh, so quickly.

In the meantime, here are some additional links for anyone else hosting parties, including "Friendsgiving," this weekend, or are getting down to planning for the big day on the 28th:

I'm obsessed with Williams-Sonoma for Thanksgiving. And with their pumpkin butter. Here's a recipe to make your own!

I like gin. I like PAMA. I want to drink this.

If you've never hosted Thanksgiving and want to go all out for your first shot, NYT has published an everything-you-need-to-know Thanksgiving essentials guide.

One of my favorite traditions from growing up was Thanksgiving Eve. My aunt would come over, we'd eat apples and brie, and start preparing for the next day. Here's a lovely take on what to make for dinner on Thanksgiving Eve.

I'm still searching for one more dessert to make for Thanksgiving dinner. Maybe this one? 

In two weeks...

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This is what I'm imagining our road home will look like, in just two weeks from now. There are parts of that drive that seem awful when we're in the car (I'm thinking specifically of the west-bound portion of 94 just before Tomah), but having made this trip many times this summer, I've learned to take it in sections. We're in Madison? Great, now let's make it to the Dells, Tomah, Eau Claire...and finally, the border. And then the drive is manageable, familiar...pretty, even.

It's been over a year and a half since we made that first drive from MN to MKE and back, in March of 2012. I can't believe it's been that long. So much has happened since, so many drives back and forth. We've learned how to make the most of the WI speed limit (and our WI plates); we've also become quite good at packing lunches or dinners for the road so we don't have to stop anywhere. I like our routine - I drive, Andrew plays both navigator and D.J. I feel close to him, and not just because we've usually packed our little Corolla up to the windows with laundry, coolers, and sometimes a sous-vide machine.

Needless to say, these two weeks better go by quickly...and then I'd like for the following few days to go as slowly, quietly, and happily as possible.

Happy Countdown to Thanksgiving! Can't wait for MN.

In the kitchen: salted butter chocolate chip cookies.

The other night, my husband called me a bad wife.

This came about when we both decided we wanted chocolate chip cookies for dessert, but didn't have any in the house. He reminded me that I used to make so many cookies and that now I don't make any, and that fact alone qualified me as a "bad wife."

Never mind that I had been at the office all day, or that we didn't actually have any chocolate on hand at the time of his request, or that he, too, could have gone out earlier to get the ingredients to make them. Apparently, I have been slacking. Right.

Despite that lovely comment, I braved the elements and trudged to the store (ignore the fact that we actually have two grocery stores within a two minute walk from our apartment...I'm going for drama here), and came back ready to bake.

I've linked to this recipe before, but below is the version I made last night; there's a bit less flour, so they're slightly less chewy and definitely more buttery. I think the best thing about these is the salt. Using flaky sea salt is the key to making these cookies so delicious. And if you sneak a spoon-full of batter to taste before baking, I won't tell...oh, and I did redeem my bad wifely qualities with these. Especially because I have extra dough in the freezer. 

Salted Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies, via David Lebovitz. 
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1/2 C sugar
1/2 C brown sugar
1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces. 
1 egg
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/4 C. flour
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 300. Adjust the oven rack to the top third of the oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 

Beat the sugars and eggs together until smooth, about 2 minutes in a stand mixer. Add in egg, vanilla, and baking soda. 

Stir together the flour and salt, then add them to the batter. Add chocolate chips and mix until incorporated. 

Scoop the dough into 10** balls (I use a rounded tablespoon of dough for each cookie). Space them at least 2 inches apart on the baking sheet, they do spread out a bit. 

Bake for 17 minutes, until pale brown. Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack. 

**The recipe makes enough for about 20 cookies, but since there are only two of us, I'll usually just make half and freeze the rest of the dough. And when the rest of the day has looked like this, having that batch of dough ready to be sliced and baked makes the night that much cozier. 

Some Vinni for your Friday.

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And we've made it to Friday. While this has seemed like a long week, the month is actually flying by: how is it that there are only three weeks to Thanksgiving?! 

If you need a break and a laugh today, I suggest you take in some quality YouTube videos of Mr. Winnie the Pooh. No, not the Disney version, but the SoyuzMultifilm version of the 1960s. This is one of the few occasions that will I let my Ukrainian pride step aside and give way to the Soviets (noting, of course, that the second photo in the above link to learning Russian is actually a shot from a Ukrainian dance)...because this bear is just too cute. And his friends are hilarious. And I can't help but laugh each time Vinni dances and sings. The animation is incredible, too; as Andrew says, he actually looks like a bear as imagined by a child. 

And then there's this Buzzfeed link - after watching Vinni and Pyatachok take on the bees, you'll have to agree.

Leaves and snow.

WI font yard. 

MN back yard. 

Both make me want to stay inside and cook soups. 

In the kitchen: roast pork loin with bacon and Comté cheese.

I've said it before, and I'll say it plenty more times: I have a fantastic husband. Not only is he extremely dedicated to his work and research, he's also a fantastic cook (I like him for other reasons, too, but for now, these praises suffice). This Sunday, after a long day of research, grading, and writing, he whipped up this for dinner.

Yes, that is pig, on pig (on pig). The kitchen smelled amazing as I walked into our apartment after spending Sunday at work. Andrew put his own spin on it by cooking the pork in the sous vide (see here for more), which ensured it wouldn't dry out, but the recipe below just requires regular roasting. As there are only two of us, this recipe left plenty (read, PLENTY) of leftovers, but I think it'd be great for a family get-together, too; maybe a pre-Thanksgiving dinner party?

Roast Pork Loin with Bacon and Comté Cheese, adapted from Stephane Reynaud's Rotis.** 

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2 lb, 12 oz. pork loin

4 tablespoons olive oil

6 sweet onions, peeled and sliced into rings

6 slices of bacon; cook until crisp and set aside. 

7 oz. Comté (or Gruyere) cheese, sliced

4 green onions, finely chopped. 

Preheat oven to 350 F. 

Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a non-stick frying pan until lightly golden. 

Heat remaining olive oil in a roasting pan. Add the pork and brown on all sides over high heat. Once all sides are browned, roast pork in the oven for 1 hour, 20 minutes, basting it with its juices. 

Remove roast from the oven, let rest for about 5 minutes. Make 6 cuts about 2/3rds of the way through the roast; in each, place some fried onions, a slice of bacon, and a slice of cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then return to the oven for another 10 minutes to melt the cheese. Sprinkle with green onions. 

**This book is fantastic. Roasts are really easy (and generally quite hands off), but for some reason I find lot of people are intimidated by them. Rotis is the perfect cookbook to help you break out of that. And besides, who wouldn't want to make their home smell like a French kitchen? 

Saturday Post No. 9

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There are still plenty of pumpkins and Halloween decorations up in our neighborhood. People go crazy for Halloween here - so many front yards are overtaken by cobwebs, hanging skeletons, witches crashing into trees, giant spiders...honestly, I'm done with it. Pumpkins are good for a while longer, but not giant inflatable spiders.

I've worked many weekends in my life, but this is the first time I'm doing so for work. Real work. It was a long, challenging, but good day.

I have more reading I could be doing, but the knowledge that tomorrow is going to be yet another long day is preventing me from pulling out the books. Andrew is more productive than I am right now, as he just informed me that he's doing research for one of his final papers. I'm constantly impressed at how much he can get done in a day. Today, for example, he graded papers (freshman composition papers...a special kind of beast), researched for his own, read, bought groceries for dinner, and is now doing more research. And, he was super wonderful and bought us new coffee tumblers. Ones that are actually going to keep my much-needed coffee warm for more than 1 hour (goodbye, former coffee tumbler). Life is good with this guy.

And with that, it's time for wine, maybe some reading, and Saturday night college football. And candles. Definitely candles.

This Month.

November brings with it plenty of changes, but we're ready. A new schedule, a new job, even a new haircut! We're excited, ready to go, but still look forward to the end of the month when we get to celebrate one of our favorite holidays with our very favorite people.