This week’s guest post is one of my favorite dishes, ever, made by one of my favorite people, ever. Casey Barber, of Good. Food. Stories. fame, is not only a dear friend, but one of the most accomplished home cooks I’ve ever met in my life. Nothing rattles this girl. The fact that spaghetti carbonara is her throw-together meal of desperation substantiates my claim.

Thank you, my dear, for recording this recipe for posterity.

Royal Tenenbaum decided he wanted to write his own epitaph, and so his tombstone displayed the masterpiece phrase “Died Tragically Rescuing His Family From The Wreckage Of A Destroyed Sinking Battleship.”

My tombstone, on the other hand, will probably list my recipe for spaghetti carbonara. ... Read the rest of Risotto Carbonara on The Culinary Life.

Permalink | Posted in European, Gluten Free, Recipes on Nov/Tue/2011
Post tags: arborio rice, carbonara, chicken broth, eggs, garlic, Gluten Free, italian, olive oil, onion, pancetta, parmesan, recipes, rice, risotto, white vinegar, white wine
© Stephanie Stiavetti for Wasabimon!, 2011.

It’s been one of those weeks. I’ve spent most of my time in an office, fighting the good fight and dodging obstacles with a deftness that comes only with years of bureaucracy-battling experience. You’d think I’d be used to it by now, after decades spent being a professional problem solver; but finding and implementing solutions isn’t always graceful, and after a while it wears on you.

So at the end of the day, I’ve been grabbing whatever edibles aren’t going to take a lot of time or energy to procure. Some night it’s a healthy choice, but most evenings it’s just a quick shot of easy calories. I might make some pasta and homemade tomato sauce from the freezer, but I’m more likely to get Chinese takeout, a sandwich from the deli, or an expensive box of glop from the Whole Foods hot section. As a result, both my health and wallet are suffering.

I can’t help being super busy. I’m balancing life, love, work, freelancing, the book, and a few minor health snags. When life ramps up like this – or maybe it’s always like this and I just can’t admit it to myself – the first thing to suffer is my diet. Lately I’ve been stuffing myself with pastries, take-out, and a myriad of other non-healthy foods. No bueno, especially at a time when my body needs healthy food to cope with the day’s mega-stress du jour.

That’s where The Parchment Paper Cookbook comes in. This little book, packed with 180 recipes, is ideal for those of us just can’t find the time to eat well, or those that have time to cook but hate the cleanup that usually comes with preparing your favorite dishes. What’s a tired, busy, hungry girl to do? Consider cooking in parchment packets, that’s what. ... Read the rest of The Parchment Paper Cookbook: 180 Healthy, Fast, Delicious Dishes! on The Culinary Life.

Permalink | Posted in Gluten Free, Grain Free, Meat, Parchment on Nov/Thu/2011
Post tags: cinnamon, clove, cookbook, cream, garlic, Gluten Free, onion, pork, pork chops, pumpkin, recipes, sage
© Stephanie Stiavetti for Wasabimon!, 2011.

This week’s post is care of Thad Jones, also known as The Boy Who Eats the Food I Cook (and occasionally cooks for me!). While he grew up in Germany, for the past few decades his parents have lived Washington DC, where he visits for Christmas every year. Below, Thad shares one of his mom’s recipes for a beefy Russian cabbage stew, the perfect dish for those of you stuck in east coast storms this week.

Also, be sure to check out some of Thad’s other recipes: Bavarian Torte Recipe, German Cucumber Salad, Hippyfied Banana Bread

When I look out the window of the plane, I can see the entire Washington DC mall spread out below me, with all its memorials dedicated to various political figures. Flying into Reagan National is one of the best routes for seeing most of what DC has to offer. The mall looks so small from the sky, but having visited my parents every Christmas over the past 18 years, I’ve learned that it takes well over a week to see most of the major museums and memorials. If you aren’t a resident, there’s so much to do, and so little time to do it. I’ve seen almost everything you can imagine exists in DC, but I never tire of visiting the Natural History Museum every year, no matter the weather.

Okay, I have to backtrack a bit. Up till 2009, the weather in DC had been mild to say the least. In fact, for a long time it felt like Bay Area weather. Sixty degrees, with wind and rain, but not much more than that. Since 2009, however, the weather pattern has changed. Storms that whip up from the gulf, full of moisture, meet with the bitter Arctic air coming down from Canada, colliding right over the Atlantic states. The end result has been intense blizzards, or as they are called here, Nor’Easters. It’s like a hurricane of snow, and it can get so bad that entire swaths of eastern states completely shut down. Airports, government, even the reliable USPS. ... Read the rest of Beefy Russian Cabbage Soup, or Shchee/Shchi on The Culinary Life.

Permalink | Posted in European, Gluten Free, Meat, Soup on Nov/Thu/2011
Post tags: bay leaf, beef, beef shanks, cabbage, carrots, celery, garlic, lentils, onions, paprika, potatoes, russia, soup, sour cream, stew, thad, thyme, tomato, tomato sauce, turnips, washington dc, winter
© Stephanie Stiavetti for Wasabimon!, 2011.

Our weather has gone bipolar here in the Bay Area. We’ll have two days of 80 degree humidity, and then the skies will falter to an overcast 55, with a wind chilly enough to send you clamoring for your scarf. Then, the next day, we’ll have a few overcast days where the thermometer manages to reach 74 while the sun has yet to peek its heads out from behind the clouds.

You know those kinds of days, when you look outside and see fog, decide to grab a coat on your way out, and then you’re doused in sweat within two minutes of stepping out of your front door. Those are the days when I feel out of sorts, like my body and the weather are at odds, like I’m expecting one thing but getting another. The color of the light doesn’t match how I feel, and my brain can’t seem to make a connection between my insides and my outsides. ... Read the rest of Baked Quinoa Pudding with Raisins on The Culinary Life.

Permalink | Posted in Baking, Desserts, Gluten Free on Oct/Wed/2011
Post tags: agave, agave nectar, cinnamon, eggs, milk, nutmeg, quinoa, raisins, vanilla
© Stephanie Stiavetti for Wasabimon!, 2011.

I remember walking down a narrow cobblestone street in Florence, Italy, perusing the menus of the little sidewalk cafes that were just beginning to lay out the tablecloths for dinner service. The light had turned a deeper shade of blue, reflected off the darkening sky, while a warm breeze swept down the lane and kicked up spirals of tiny spring flower petals. I examined each menu carefully, overwhelmed by choices. So many lovely restaurants, so many amazing dishes, so many smiling waiters waving me down and begging me to come inside. “Ciao signora!” They called. “Che cosa vuoi per cena?”

In Italy, diners don’t eat until late; many restaurants aren’t even thinking of opening their doors until after 7:30pm. Americans, with our somewhat earlier dining habits, are often famished by the time Italian dinnertime rolls around, and the throngs of US tourists scuttling from menu board to menu board are always fun to watch. Tired of pizza, gelato, and fried risotto balls (or arancini ri riso), these hungry mobs just want a decent sit-down meal. And I was right there with them. ... Read the rest of Crock Pot Osso Busso with Quinoa on The Culinary Life.

Permalink | Posted in European, Gluten Free, Meat, Recipes, Slow Cooker on Oct/Wed/2011
Post tags: bay leaf, beef, beef shanks, beef stock, butter, flour, garlic, heirloom tomatoes, italian food, italy, leeks, osso bucco, quinoa, recipes, thyme, tomatoes, white wine
© Stephanie Stiavetti for Wasabimon!, 2011.

I’ve got some really big news that I’m going to be sharing over the next few weeks, but it’s top secret for now. Until I can let you in on the surprise, all I can tell you is that I am going to be very, very busy for the foreseeable future. Thankfully, I’ve got an awesome support system to help me out on the blog while I get my affairs in order.

Today’s guest post is compliments of Nico over at Pisco Trail, a lovely blog dedicated to Peruvian cuisine. Given my Peruvian lineage, I’m very excited to feature a dessert from my grandmother’s homeland – especially one that includes quinoa! I tried this out over the weekend, and I have to say that I should make more desserts with quinoa. The nuttiness really lends a new depth of flavor to this creamy flan-like dish. Perfecto!

Crema volteada is the Peruvian version of the Spanish flan or the French crème caramel, but one of its ingredients gives it a very unique flavor and texture — quinoa. The Incas of Peru called quinoa “the mother grain,” and though I have enjoyed quinoa in many savory dishes or salads, I was very excited to be adding quinoa to a dessert for the first time. Not the least because it somehow made the dessert a little bit healthier. ... Read the rest of Crema Volteada, or Peruvian Caramel Custard on The Culinary Life.

Permalink | Posted in Desserts, Gluten Free, South American on Sep/Mon/2011
Post tags: condensed milk, crema volteada, dessert, dessert recipes, eggs, evaporated milk, flan, peru, peruvian cuisine, pisco trail, quinoa, sugar, vanilla
© Stephanie Stiavetti for Wasabimon!, 2011.