I will be making this

Often times whole wheat spaghetti does not satisfy the right cravings when I'm in the mood for a pasta dish. That's why I like the way this recipe from the NY Times highlights the strong, nutty flavor of the whole wheat with this particular sauce (if you can call it a sauce) made of prominent flavors like rosemary, hot pepper, and Japanese bonito flakes.

Whole Wheat Spaghetti With Spicy Chickpeas, Rosemary and Bonito Flakes

From the NY TIMES

Salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 clove garlic, smashed

1 whole dried hot pepper, piri piri if available

1 sprig rosemary

1 medium white onion, cut into 1/2-inch dice

1 large carrot, cut into 1/2-inch dice

1 stalk celery, cut into 1/2-inch dice

2 15-ounce cans imported chickpeas

1 pound fresh or dried whole wheat spaghetti, or tonnarelli, if available

2 teaspoons unsalted butter, or as needed

Flaky salt (such as fleur de sel or Maldon) and coarsely ground black pepper

Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling

1 tablespoon finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano, or as needed

2 tablespoons Japanese bonito flakes.

1. Place a large pot filled with lightly salted water over high heat to bring to a boil.

2. Place a large saucepan over medium-low heat and add olive oil, swirling it to coat the bottom. Reduce heat to low, add garlic, and cook it slowly until tender and golden, about 15 minutes. Add hot pepper, rosemary, onion, carrot, and celery and toss to coat well with oil. Raise heat to medium and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 15 minutes.

3. Discard rosemary and garlic. Add 1 can of chickpeas with the liquid from the can. Drain the second can, reserving the liquid. Add those chickpeas to the saucepan along with one can of water. Raise heat to medium-high and cook until liquid in pan is reduced by half. Discard hot pepper. Remove from heat and keep warm.

4. In the boiling water, cook the pasta until almost done, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain well and add to saucepan of chickpeas and vegetables. Cook the pasta in the sauce for 2 to 3 minutes, then add butter. If the mixture seems dry, add a bit of the reserved liquid from the chickpeas. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.

5. To serve, place the pasta in a deep, warmed, platter. Drizzle with a bit of extra virgin olive oil. Dust with Parmigiano Reggiano, and sprinkle with bonito flakes. Serve immediately.

Yield: 4 servings.

New Year Food Resolutions

I don't really believe in resolutions...or if I do, it's more or less around my birthday. That is the time when I assess my habits and life direction, goals and achievements. So many people try change habits on January 1, and it makes the gyms entirely too crowded.

Anyway, if I did make resolutions, it would be these:

1. Bake more bread at home. Artisanal bread with 3 week starters, challah, brioche, pizza dough, and all other sorts.

2. Make recipes from my increasingly large library of cookbooks rather than always going to the internet for inspiration.

3. Post more recipes on this blog. Looking over the past year, I realized just how much I blog about topics other than actual recipes. I make delicious new foods all the time...I need to share them with you.

4. Try to shop even less from the grocery store and even more from farms, co ops, and farmers' markets. My goal is to eventually not go to the grocery store at all (I know this probably will never happen, but it's a good goal).

5. Bake treats for people *just because*.

6. Try my hand more at curious things like canning, jarring, preserving, pickling, and brewing.

7. MORE PICTURES!!!! The biggest problem I have as a cook/blogger is that I get so involved with what I am doing in the kitchen that I never remember to pull my camera out....and then when my food is prepared I can't stand to wait for pictures before digging in. Henceforth, I shall take one bite and then take a photo. It will take discipline, but I can to it!

What are your kitchen resolutions?

Greetings from California

For most of you, I'm sure, these past few days, and weeks even, have been very busy ones. It certainly has been with my family. On top of the normal Christmas festivities, I have a new brother who has never seen Los Angeles, it has been raining enough here to not even feel like Los Angeles, and we've got a big wedding reception happening here at my parent's house on New Year's Eve. This is the first time I've even had the chance to sit down and tell you how my Christmas was- epicureanly speaking. I tell you, I was pretty tempted to come to the computer with a glass of wine, but instead I opted for this amazing new tea that my aunt gave me.

There hasn't been that much cooking on my part since we've been here. I've been in vacation mode, letting my mother take the front seat while I happily tune out my loud family and wash the dishes after (not sure when dish washing became therapeutic for me...)

As the previous blog mentioned, on Christmas there were lots of vegetables to be roasted- leeks, brussel sprouts, carrots, and green beans. I forgot to add that to go along with the green bean casserole that I wouldn't make, there was creamed corn to not make also. Good thing I had already tried Edna Lewis' recipe for corn pudding on Thanksgiving and knew that it was delicious (and a perfect substitute). Based on the happy reviews, I think this is a holiday repeater. As a matter of fact, I think maybe it should only be made on holidays, since there is pretty much no excuse for having that much fat and starch in a dish any other day of the year. By the way, I think the secret to making it good when corn is not in season is to get extra cobs and only cut off the tender, sweet tips of the kernels.

And speaking of fat and starch, I am so glad that my friends in Seattle love me enough to not send me bucketfuls of delicious desserts. My mom is not so lucky, and I was forced to help her consume much of what was given. I definitely feel a pudge that was not there two weeks ago...I doubt I'm the only one.

YUCK!

Monsanto’s Neotame molecule allowed in USDA certified organic foods

"Everyone wants to indulge a sweet tooth at this festive time of year, without suffering the inevitable consequences of weight gain. But, be aware of the hidden (not listed on ingredient labels) dangers of Neotame sweetener in almost everything consumed by humans, and now even in feed for livestock raised for human consumption"

Read the rest of the article here.

I don't do green bean casserole...

My mother in law asked me to make green bean casserole for dinner on Christmas night. I told her I don't do green bean casserole, but I would make a bunch of roasted veggies.

I thought, since this was Christmas after all, that I would actually look up a recipe rather than just making a bunch of veggies on the fly....meh.

No recipes looked good to me, but I did find a lot of good instructions on how to roast perfect veggies. It's my favorite way to cook them, you know, because roasting brings out the sugars and naturally caramelizes the vegetables like no other cooking method can. All it takes is a drizzle of olive oil and some salt and pepper. The playing with herbs and spices and other flavors like garlic or bacon can come later.

Martha Stewart has good basic instructions for roasting here.

And here I found an informative (if a bit small) chart of roasting time for a few veggies.

Since that chart was missing a lot of my favorite produce, it inspired me to build on it and compile my own list for you:

Vegetable Roasting Times

{Set your oven to 450 degrees)

Acorn Squash- halved and seeded- 50 minutes

or

Acorn Squash (and any other squash)- 1" cubes- 25 minutes

Asparagus- trimmed- 10 to 15 minutes

Beets- whole- 60 to 90 minutes

Bell Peppers- quartered- 15 minutes

Bok choy- leaves separated- 6 minutes

Broccoli- florets- 10 minutes

Brussels Sprouts- whole- 40 to 45 minutes

Carrots- peeled, 1/2" sticks- 18 to 20 minutes

Cauliflower- florets- 15 minutes

Corn- whole and peeled- 1 hour soaked in water, 8 to 10 minutes in oven

Eggplant- whole, pierced a few times- about 40 minutes

or

Eggplant- 1/2" slices- 20 minutes

Fennel bulb- 1/3" sices- 30 minutes

Green beans- trimmed- 12 minutes

Green onion- whole- 10 to 12 minutes

Jerusalem Artichokes (aka 'sunchokes)- 1/4" slices- 12 to 15 minutes

Leeks- trimmed at green parts and halved- 30 to 35 minutes

Onions- halved- 25 to 30 min

Parsnips- see carrots

Potatoes- 1" cubes or small potatoes- 30 to 35 minutes

Radicchio- quartered lengthwise- 10 to 12 minutes

Rutabaga- 3/4" cubes- 30 to 35 minutes

Shallots- halved- 15 minutes

Sweet potatoes- 3/4" cubes, 25 to 30 minutes

Tomatoes- halved, plum tomato sized- 25 minutes

Zucchini- 1" rounds- 15 minutes

Have You Seen This?

If you must save your budget and not buy totally organic, the USDA put this list out a while back of the produce that was left with the most- and the least- pesticide residue after washing. You can print this and stick it in your purse or wallet.

A Perfect Pink Martini Recipe

This post has nothing to do with food.

Except that if you are throwing or attending any Christmas cocktail parties, dinners, brunches, shindigs, extravaganzas, family game nights, or any other kind of get together, this album must be on your playlist. It pairs so well with holiday food.

{Joy to the World ~ Pink Martini}

I love Pink Martini- there is no other band on the market right now with their level of musicality and talent- and I have been lamenting for weeks, months even, about how I wish they would produce a Christmas album. Lo and behold, today my husband gave me an early Christmas gift. This album came out less than a week ago. Let the dinner parties begin!

Nice Use of "Nom Noms"

For your Christmas enjoyment...

www.allculinaryschools.com has a very festive, very informative "Brief History of Christmas Cookies."

They MADE me buy it.

YES I should be Christmas shopping for other people. NO I couldn't control myself when I saw these on Gilt. YES, I bought four of them.

A good mug is hard to find, you know. One that isn't too small to hold a decent cup of tea, but isn't so big that a cup of coffee will keep me wired for five days. One that is juuuust right. With a good, comfy handle. And the cutest art work you've ever seen in your life that makes you think of a happy, summary forest, even in the middle of winter.

(Although, my brother-in-law just burst my bubble ever so slightly by saying the deer looked like dinosaurs).

I just got the mugs, but more details about the entire set is here on the Iittalla website.

Also just purchased for a party I'm having next Saturday:

{Williams Sonoma Tartan Plaid Tablecloth. }

Can you guess where I got the inspiration for that? You'd think at Christmastime plaid tablecloths would be in abundance. However, I started at lower end stores and worked my way up, and had a hard time finding much of anything. I decided in the end to drop the $$ for this one, because it will make me happy when it comes out with my Christmas decorations year after year after year, and WS quality has proved itself to be good in the past so I think it will last a long time.

I say!

It's time to interrupt the Christmas festivities to bring some news (or perhaps even suggest another gift for the Anglophile in your life). I am going to start with the assumption that you know that Prince William (whom I admittedly have always thought was pretty cute but mainly because he's a prince) is engaged to the deservingly cute Kate Middleton. Don't tell anyone, but I was sure to watch the news special about England's first royal-commoner marriage, with Princess Diana's ring, blah, blah blah....

I honestly can't say if I'm hypothetically envious of Kate (in a "one day I might be queen" kind of way) or if I would never in a million years want to be in her shoes. One thing I do know is that England is crazy about its royals, and ecstatic about its fads, and I would never, ever want an entire country eating off of my face.

...or drinking tea from my head. On top of that, could they have picked a more boring photo of either of them to put on these Aynsley China commemorative plates, the 2010 Engagement Collection? Man, English people are weird. And I mean that in the nicest way possible.

Anyway, I couldn't find a price on this collection. But really, can you put a price on this?

More love.

Trader Joes can really frustrate me sometimes- like when they constantly seem to discontinue my favorite items or when they allow a high fructose or partially hydrogenated ingredient slip into their products. On the other hand, sometimes I wish there really was a Trader Joe so I could kiss him- like when organic baby spinach is $1.99 a bag when elsewhere it's $4.59, or when I bake mini quiches for a party. Today, it's because of the chocolate pictured above.

Bakers an pastry chefs know what a pain it can be to melt chocolate for recipes (such as brownies, truffles, and anything chocolate dipped). Either you have to spend ridiculous amounts of time chopping pounds of chocolate or you have to pay ridiculous amounts of money to buy melting wafers. The only brand that I knew was commonly available was Guittard, and a 1 lb box can run anywhere from $9.99 to $12.99 or more.

So, thank you, thank you, Trader Joes, for marketing your own chocolate wafers, and pricing them at $1.99 for 8 oz. Not only is that price incredible, but the chocolate is good quality and quite amazing in taste. It's 100% cocoa mass (translation: only the basic ingredients of chocolates, with no fillers, preservatives, or emulsifiers), which is surprising enough. Even more shocking to me was how nicely flavored and textured the chocolate is. No seriously, I've been eating the wafers on their own or with a bit of peanut butter spread on top (a dangerous road....)

A Good Deal

Usually the Lucky Magazine website has a "deal of the day"- a current piece of clothing or accessory on sale for 50% off just for the day. Needless to say, I log on whenever I think about it to see what cute item is posted. Today happens to be this pot. I almost spit out my tea when I thought it was Le Creuset. It isn't- it's a brand I have honestly never heard of called Green Cooking Pots (which is a promising name). However, with the coupon code Lucky is offering (use luckydaily4), it's literally 1/4 the price of a Creuset pot (only $76). If you need some enameled cast iron cook pots, it's worth a go, in my opinion.

Available here at www.greencookingpots.com. Coupon code luckydaily4.

Oh, it's only today, by the way, and it's a good Christmas gift!

Love this.

This Tommy Hilfiger ad was on TV last night. I never thought of myself as a Hilfiger lover (usually I'm not that in to Americana), but something about the style of this commercial struck me. Probably the fact that I love to wear cozy knits and to decorate with plaids. At any rate, I want to have a holiday dinner just like this one...rustic picnic style with soft plaid blankets for tablecloths, but juxtaposed with gold rimmed plates, and fancy taper candles in silver holders....What a wonderful mix of fancy and rustic food I could make!



And I feel like I have to confess what a sucker I am: I thought the clothes were so cute that I bought two Tommy Hilfiger sweaters online last night. Oops.

How I survive the holidays.

It's the official start of the busiest 3-4 weeks of nearly anyone's year. Everyone has his or her special tips for how to survive. For me the truth is...I don't just survive! I enjoy the holiday season for all it's worth.

Here's how:

1. I committed long long ago to never ever buy a Christmas gift or participate in a Christmas activity out of obligation. If it's not fun for me, I won't do it. This saves me from too many parties, and stressing out over a huge shopping lists. Don't get me wrong, many presents are still purchased for my loved one, but this is because I am excited to show my love through giving gifts. This goes for throwing a party, too.

2. Building off of tip #1, I rarely buy children gifts. I realize for many of you with kids, this is just not possible. I do not have kids yet. The mobs and shopping terrors commonly occur around toy departments, so I avoid them like the plague. Also, the way kids in our culture tear through presents, throwing them aside and looking for more to unwrap without a bit of gratitude is off putting to me. We have 9 nieces and nephews, and about five years ago we started a tradition of taking them to eat pizza and play arcade games while we are in California. They really look forward to it now, and we're giving them a long lasting memory rather than a toy that they will break or lose interest in. IMPORTANT NOTE: For those of you who do have kids, you too can give an experience rather than another toy. Think a trip to the zoo, or minature golf.

3. If I can avoid it, I will not buy mass-produced merchandise. Unless someone really wants something specific. This also aids in circumventing the shopping mobs. I much prefer to buy a gift for someone that they wouldn't have been able to get for themselves, whether it's a regional wine or, a trinket I picked up while overseas, or a special baked good.

4. I give consumables to people who already have more stuff than they know what to do with. Again, this may be something I baked. However, it could also be a photo calendar made on Shutterfly, a delicious piece of chocolate, a box of special oranges, tickets to see an event, or a great chapstick.

5. I relish not only our family traditions, but also little traditions I've made for myself. Things like ordering a peppermint mocha and walking slowly through a mall to look at all the decorations, reading a book while listening to George Winston's 'December' album, sewing a pair of PJ pants for Raj, drinking as much egg nog as I want, opening a bottle of red wine and watching holiday inn, or putting up my little brass Christmas tree.

6. I eat cheese. How amazing do some of these Martha Stewart cheese platters look? Yum!

What is Kombucha?

According to Wikipedia:

"Kombucha is a fermented tea that is often drunk for medicinal purposes. There are scientific studies that support the health benefits of Kombucha that show it to be antimicrobial, anticancer, to havehepatoprotective qualities, and to be antioxidative among other benefits. Kombucha is available commercially and can be made at home by fermenting tea using a visible, solid mass of yeast and bacteriawhich forms the kombucha culture which is often referred to as the "mushroom" or the "mother"."

Sounds delicious, no?

Seriously though, I luuurves me some Kombucha.

It makes me feel good.

Immediately.

And naturally.

Part of that reason is that, being fermented, Kombucha contains traces of alcohol. Not enough alcohol that anyone should worry. It is perfectly safe for anyone- including children and adults who for whatever reason don't drink alcohol. However, there is definitley something in the drink that makes you a bit more....relaxed. In a good way.

On top of that, the long term health benefits of Kombucha are phenomenal. People claim that it has been the driving force in fights against all kinds of cancers...and even the word "cure" has been thrown out there a few times. While most nutritionists will tell you not to drink anything with your meals, including water, the exception to this is, yes, Kombucha, which actually aids digestion rather that hindering your stomach acids.

With that said, it's for sure an acquired taste. Upon your first drink, it will taste vinegar-y and odd. I encourage you to try different flavors in order to find your favorites. Mind are guava and ginger. After a while you will, as I have, grow to love the flavor. It is naturally effervescent, which satisfies when I am craving something bubbly.

I don't think conventional grocery stores sell Kombucha drinks yet. You will have to check health and specialty food stores. Or you can make you own quite easily...if you don't mind "mother mushroom" bacteria sitting in a jar on your counter for 3 months....

Epic Win

I had absolutely no intentions of making dinner on Wednesday after a full day of Thanksgiving prep. However, the record breaking sub-freezing weather and ice rink roads decided differently for me. Luckily, I had this amazing soup in my "to make" file, so at 5:00 pm I did a run through of my pantry and then rang Raj and asked him to stop and buy 2 pounds of cod on his walk/light rail ride home from work.

This soup took only about 30 minutes to make, and combined with the quinoa I used instead of couscous, made a perfect and healthy pre-Thanksgiving dinner for the 6 people I am feeding right now. Fish soup is just a little different for Americans, which makes it even more exciting.

The recipe is here from the NY Times.

Annual Whitehouse "Turkey Pardon"

Obama Outlines Moral, Philosophical Justifications For Turkey Pardon

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!

Thanksgiving Menu

I hope that you are all cozy in your homes, prepping for your day of feasting tomorrow. I only have a bit of time to rest and tell you what we have planned this year. We are going very traditional, consisting of the best recipes we have found over the years. (Here are the links, also, if you need some last minute inspiration)

~Turkey

~Roasted vegetable casserole

~Dries cherry and Italian sausage stuffing

~Corn pudding

~Baked pecan yams

~Garlic mashed potatoes

~Green salad

~Golden onion pie

~Pumpkin pie (made with home made puree, and all butter pastry dough)

~Pecan pie

Great Fact of the Day

Something you should buy at Costco: Kirkland Signature Organic Olive Oil

"Costco's Kirkland Signature Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil may be the best-kept secret in the store. At $9.99 for 1.5 liters, it is roughly half the cost of the well-known Bertolli brand, and yet, according to at least one independent study, it's much better. In a recent comparison of 19 olive oils on the market, The Olive Center, a research group at the University of California-Davis, found that Kirkland Organic was one of only five in the study not mixed with cheaper refined olive oil that can spoil the taste. The other four at the top of the list were all high-end brands that cost as much as five times Costco's. Make sure you buy the Costco version that's labeled organic, though, as opposed to the one that's simply called "extra virgin olive oil." It'll cost a little bit more, but it's worth it."

Something you should not buy at Costco: Imported Shrimp

"Most shrimp sold in the U.S. is imported from countries in Latin America and Southeast Asia, where environmental regulations are often lax or not enforced, according to the Environmental Defense Fund, (EDF), an education and advocacy non-profit. The EDF classifies shrimp imported from these regions as "eco-worst" for the environmentally destructive ways in which they are often farmed. Greenpeace took aim at Costco's seafood sustainability practices last June with an aggressive campaign called Oh No Costco. While Costco seafood buyer Bill Mardon says his company has entered into a partnership with the World Wildlife Fund to set global standards for shrimp farming, the specific objectives are still being discussed.

"Costco gets credit for starting down the road," says Tim Fitzgerald, senior policy analyst for oceans at of the EDF, "but they are still very early on." In the meantime, you're better off buying shrimp at Trader Joe's, which is much further along on the same path. After Greenpeace launched its Traitor Joe campaign in early 2009, Trader Joe's pledged to remove all non-sustainable seafood from its stores by the end of 2012, and it's already taken concrete steps in that direction."

{Information comes from this article here}

Do you want to be a baker?

It's around the holidays that I miss and I don't miss having a baker job all at the same time.

On the one hand, it really gets you in the holiday mood. Seasonal pastries are being made, the bakery is cozy, and the joy and excitement on customers' faces when they see what you have made are infectious. You rush about the bakery trying to make deadlines, all the while feeling like one of Santa's elves.

On the other hand, you really do bake right through the holidays. If you get time off, it's only on the actual holiday. It's a small price to pay, though, for all the fun you have with the other bakers and pastry chefs in a commercial kitchen.

Whatever you are doing, don't forget to stop and enjoy this holiday season. Find joy in whatever you do. And HAVE FUN!

If you are interested in being a baker, here's an interview with another guy who thinks it's really fun, too.

Seriously Basic Roasted Chicken

A few weeks back on Oprah, Jessica Seinfeld (Jerry's wife) did a show about simple and healthy cooking. While her and Oprah kind of got on my nerves, I couldn't help but acknowledge how spot on this basic roasted chicken recipe was. Seriously, anyone can make it.

Seriously Basic Roasted Chicken and Root Vegetables Recipe

• 1 whole chicken (4 pounds)
• 1 Tbsp. and 3/4 tsp. kosher salt
• 3/4 tsp. crushed black pepper
• 3 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 lemon
• 6 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 1 pound carrots , cut into 3-inch sticks
• 1 pound parsnips , cut into 3-inch sticks
• 1 pound small red potatoes , halved

Directions

Heat the oven to 400°. On a sheet pan, toss the carrots, parsnips and potatoes with 2 tablespoons of oil, 4 sprigs rosemary, 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

Rinse and pat dry the chicken and season with the remaining salt and pepper, then rub with 2 tablespoons of the oil. Pierce the lemons several times with the tip of a paring knife and stuff, along with 2 sprigs of the rosemary, into the cavity of the chicken. Using cooking twine, tie the legs together.

Nestle the chicken among the vegetables and put in the oven—with the chicken's legs toward the back of the oven. Roast, stirring the vegetables once, until the chicken is cooked through (the internal temperature reaches 165° in the thickest part of the thigh), 55 to 60 minutes.

Carve and serve with the roasted vegetables.

...and mine!

My mom likes to shop early.

So, you see, I'm doing her a favor.

Dear Santa (aka Mom & Dad),

{Mighty Leaf Tea Stainless Steel Tea Top Travel Mug $15. I saw this in a gift set today at Cost Plus with 8 tea bags and the mug for $19. So cool!}

{Set of 5 assorted reusable grocery bags made with vintage fabrics $35. Ahh, so cute! I'd probably use them for everything but groceries!}

{Black Wing Corkscrew $10.95}

{Recycled glass wine glasses $7.95. I love the greeny tint of recycled glassware, and the vintage feel of these.}

{Recycled glassware double old fashioned $4.95}

{Recycled pint glasses $12 each}

{Twixit clip combo pack $5.50. Don't tell any who sells, but I have found much of the Pampered Chef to be a bit disappointing. Not these chip clips, though. I forgot about an open bag of tortilla chips once for 3 months, and they were still crunchy! That's actually kinda scary...}

{Kamiak 2006 Cellar Select Red Wine. Will someone PLEASE find more of this for me? PLEASE???}

Holiday shopping- the Etsy edition.

So it just dawned on me that in two weeks exactly we will be eating our Thanksgiving feast, and then the radio will be playing Christmas music (if it hasn't been already), and then we will blink and the time frame for shipping online gift orders is going to be passed! Aaaaugh!

Anyway, a few kitchen ideas from Etsy, most under $25. I know I appreciate something hand made so much more than mass produced merchandise. One of a kind gifts can be really special. Even better if these inspired you to make something on your own.

{Vintage parfait set $36. Seriously, how cute are these? I am about to buy them myself}

{Hand thrown travel mug with lid $22. There's something I love about pottery, and I'm really impressed if this was made with a water tight seal. That takes precision, folks.}

{Modern hot pad $10. Can't go on Etsy without finding a cute, hand made pot holder.}

{Large gingerbread boy cookie cutter $6.95. I've never seen such a fat little gingerbread man. It made me giggle!}

{Beautiful pedestal dessert/cake plate $25.}

{Snazzy zebra and polka dot apron $16.99.}

A story and a recipe

My new brother in law, George, grew up on a Greek island- Crete, to be exact. His idea of winter is largely what mine was for the first 18 years of my life growing up in Los Angeles. That is, perhaps cool enough to wear long sleeve top at night time. Another interesting fact about George is that he is fluent in 4 languages. I only say this to let you know that when I talk about his funny mishaps with the English language, it's not to make fun of his intelligence...for Heaven's sake, I can barely get basic French!

As I said, George's English is fantastic, but we've found that although he knows certain words, the exact usage of said word can be a bit tricky. This combined with the fact that George has never lived anywhere cold has created a funny discussion around what the word "cozy" means. We have tried to explain it to him as a pleasant situation; something warm that makes you happy inside. He then later responds to that with an observation like, "Look at that cute squirrel! How cozy!"

"No no, George." We say.

But really, how do you explain cozy when it's such a...feeling? I've even tried to describe it with pictures of things that, to me, are cozy:

{my all time favorite Christmas album}

{a thick sweater}

{hot tea}

{snuggling with Toby in my down comforter}

{hanging out with my family and watching sports on a holiday}

{a weekend retreat to a cabin during the winter}

{a spice colored, soft, snuggly blanket}

Still, no amount of describing things can invoke a feeling.

Until...a few days ago when we took Toby for a walk. The sun had just gone down, it was chilly outside and silvery gray. We walked for a long while until we were freezing, and then went back to our house. When we walked through the door, we were greeted with golden light, jazz on the radio and the aroma of bean soup wafting through the door.

George said, "Oooh! This is so nice!"

"No, George," I said, "This is cozy!"

White Bean and Kale Soup

2 cups finely chopped kale

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 large cloves garlic

2-3 cups cooked white beans

1 ½ cups stock

1 cup water

1 tablespoon tomato paste

4 fresh sage leaves

1 teaspoon sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Freshly grate pecorino cheese

Wash kale and remove the stems from the leaves. Roll up kale leaves and cut into thin ribbons. Set aside

In a 4 quart soup pot, heat olive oil and sauté the garlic briefly over medium heat. Add about half of the cooked beans and the stock. Puree the rest of the beans and water in a blender along with the tomato paste and sage Stir the pureed beans into the soup. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Mix in kale and simmer until wilted (about 10 minutes). Add the lemon juice and enough water to make the soup a desirable thick consistency. Taste for salt and pepper and adjust seasonings. Serve the soup topped with pecorino.