an adundance of mint: I think it's time for mojitos and vietnamese food
Here's an oldie but a goodie to kick off the weekend. 1982 was a good year (wink).
Today is the summer solstice, which technically means it's the longest day of the year or maybe not.
As a long-time fan of the Sopranos, I was super sad to hear about James Gandolfini's death. His co-star, Edie Falco's, words of condolences were really beautiful and touching.
As a fan of all things rhubarb, Seven Spoon's rhubarb danish looks too good for words.
A favorite blog of mine took a vacay to Montauk. See all the gorgeous photos here.
It's Very Berry Festival at the Hilldale Farmer's Market. What could be better on a Saturday morning I ask?!
Finally, on Sunday, my sister Holley and I are taking a sausage-making class at the Underground Food Collective's Meat Facility; couldn't be more excited!
Happy eating, -s.
Tomorrow is my 11th wedding anniversary. How fast does 11 years go, you ask? Really, really fast. Our 11 years have included two cities, two houses, two kids, several new jobs, a temporary stay in a condo to find our dream house, lots of highs and some lows, too many bottles of wine to count, amazing travels and some really incredible meals. I can't wait to see what the next 11 years brings for me and Mr. Klein. And speaking of the fabulous Mr. Klein ... can I wax poetically for a moment? He is my best friend, the person who makes me laugh the most, the guy who likes food almost as much as me and my co-conspirator on all boozy evenings during the last 11 years. He's the best dad and he's loyal to a fault. Oh, and did I mention he puts up with my crazy worrying, my bouts of perfectionism and my manic moments in the kitchen? It goes without saying, but he's the best husband a girl could have. I'm so lucky. Love you, Babe. Here's to 11 x 11 more years. We have a busy, busy weekend full of graduations parties, birthdays, Father's Day dinner and probably some yard work mixed in for good measure. I love having ready-made lunches for this kind of weekend. I have a real weakness for chicken salad in general, but I am proclaming the following recipe to be the best. I've modified it a little -- roasting the chicken breasts and cutting back on the raw garlic, which gives me a headache. Oh, and the extra dressing is great smeared on a cucumber and sprout sandwich on whole-grain toast. Just saying ...
photo from Gourmet.com
Cilantro-Almond Chicken Salad modified only slightly from this recipe serves many hungry bambini and their moms and pops, too Ingredients
For roasting chicken: 4 large chicken breast halves (with skin and bone; about 1
lb. each) Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper For dressing:2 cups slivered blanched almonds (6 oz) 1 garlic clove 1/2 to 1 fresh hot jalapeño, coarsely chopped, including
seeds (optional if feeding kiddos) 3/4 cup mayonnaise 1/2 cup sour cream 1/2 cup fresh lime juice, or to taste 1 tablespoon kosher salt, or to taste 3 cups chopped cilantro Accompaniments: mixed greens; roasted yellow, orange,
or red bell peppers Directions For roasting chicken: Generously sprinkle the chicken with kosher salt and
black pepper. Let stand at room
temperature for 20 minutes before roasting. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil.Put chicken in a pre-heated 375 degree oven.
Roast until skin is browned and crisp, about 35 minutes. Remove from oven to
cool. When chicken is cool enough to handle, discard skin and bones and shred
meat (you will have about 8 cups). Note: Chicken breasts will shred most easily and
beautifully when freshly roasted and cooled, so try to refrain from the
temptation to cook and chill the breasts a day ahead before shredding.
For making the dressing:In the
already-preheated oven, roast almonds in a rimmed baking sheet until golden and
fragrantly toasty, about 10 minutes. Cool.
With motor running, drop garlic into food processor and
finely chop. Stop processor and add jalapeño, mayonnaise, sour cream, 1/2 cup
lime juice, and 1 tbsp. kosher salt and blend until smooth. Add almonds and
pulse until chopped. Add cilantro and pulse just to incorporate. Taste and
season with additional salt, pepper and lime juice.
Combine chicken with dressing in a large bowl.Chicken salad keeps, chilled, 5 days. Bring
to room temperature before serving.
My dear friend Shannon hosted a French-themed book club last week and since then all I have been thinking of is fromage and baguettes and champagne! Her cheese course was an ode to the French with a true local focus; here's what she served (copy for your next party): Everything listed below can be found at the fabulous shop, Fromagination, on Madison's lovely Capitol Square. Hard cheese: THE Pleasant Ridge Reserve Soft cheese: Petit Frère from Crave Brothers Blue cheese: Dunbarton Blue Accompaniments: Quince and Apple's fig and black tea preserves; dried figs, assorted crackers and a lovely mixed green salad. Have a lovely weekend ... see you on the flip side. Happy eating, -s.
I couldn't resist a little mom-themed
music to kick off the weekend. And since I couldn't pick just one, here are some hits
that span a few decades. Have a dance-party with your mom. p.s. Happy Mother's Day to my
mom — she's the best, most supportive mom anyone could wish for. I love her a
lot. p.p.s Happy Birthday to my two
beautiful, amazing sisters who were born on mother’s day a few years ago. Love you, girls! p.p.p.s. Chris and I are heading to a favorite restaurant, Forequarter, for dinner tonight. Cannot wait. We’re also heading out to some Madison Craft Beer Week events, if we’re not too tired after dinner. Should be a fun evening. Happy eating, -s.
For those who wish for less
ephemeral gifts, here are some pretty things for
that fabulous, lunch-packing, dinner-cooking, (still) sexy,
smart-as-a-whip momma in your life. As a collector of all things pig-related, No. 1 is to-die-for! And No. 20 is a dream gift, but how glorious is that coop?!
Happy Mother's Day to all you fabulous moms out there! -s.
Since it’s Cinco de Mayo on
Sunday, here's a sexy little Latin number to listen to with a margarita or Cuba
libre in hand. p.s. Here's what we're eating
this weekend: Friday: Pizza Brutta with the kiddos Saturday: Cream of broccoli soup with homemade focaccia
Sunday: Braised tomatillo chicken tacos, black
beans and rice/margaritas p.p.s My book club is walking
the Walk MS event on Sunday for Team Vega. If you're in Madison
on Sunday head to Warner Park at 10 a.m. to help a really important cause. ¡Buen proveco! -s.
Hello! The Hungry Bambino is a food and lifestyle blog I write from my home in one of the best places to live (ever!): Madison, Wisconsin. As my little family has grown from uno bambino to due bambini, so too has The Hungry Bambino grown in focus. You can find weekly meal planning tips, dinner party menus, heritage dishes and the celebration of the weekend. I hope you’ll stay and look around—and join me in the kitchen!
