I got a Kitchen-Aid mixer for my birthday (fire-engine read). The first thing I made with it was whole wheat bread. While we were in Napa, we got to see a talk by Edward Espee Brown, the Buddhist monk who cooked at Tassajaro. I also picked up his “Tassajaro Bread Book” which is full of great recipes. Somehow, I don’t think Ed would approve of the mixer since, in his words, “you have to work on the bread while it works on you” but I enjoyed how quickly it kneaded the bread.

Best served right out of the oven with honey!

4 out of 4 spoons.

I discovered this recipe in Napa. Just take your basic Vanilla recipe and substitute ground cardamom for the vanilla. It is very flowery and delicious! Makes a great ice-cream for grown-ups.

4 out of 4 spoons.

The second day, we did the sample course at Ubuntu, a vegetarian restaurant in Napa. Lots of small courses featuring vegetables done up in visually interesting and (usually tasty) ways.

3 out of4 spoons.

We went to Piccolino’s Italian Café in Napa. Not an especially notable restaurant; we were walking around the downtown corridor trying to get our bearings and, it being after six, this looked like the only place open.

I had the potato Gnochi and the Chimney Rock Pinot Noir. The wine was excellent.

2 out of 4 spoons.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup milk
2 egg yolks
5 tbsp sugar
3/4 cup heavy cream
7 green tea bags
3 tbsps hot water

I usually take the weekends off from cooking and eat leftovers or let my girlfriend cook. However, I thought I’d try to make some delicious ice cream. This was really good. I got a candy thermometer and used that to make sure the egg yolks and milk were cooked at the right temperature. The milk has to turn into a custard. You also have to steep seven green tea bags in the milk for a half hour before cooking. Most delicious, friends!

4 out of 4 spoons.

Ingredients:

Dough:

1 tsp active dried yeast
6 tbsp lukewarm water
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt

Sauce:

1 small onion, chopped
1 small red bell pepper, chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 lb tomatoes
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp brown sugar
2 tsp fresh basil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 bay leaf

I wanted to try this again; this time, I thoroughly mixed the yeast and it actually helped the bread to rise more and it made it much less crunchy. I had some smoked mozzarella which I put on the pizza in chunks; also used spinach leaves and pine nuts. Wow, this was excellent!

4 out of 4 spoons.

Ingredients:

Dough:

1 tsp active dried yeast
6 tbsp lukewarm water
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt

Sauce:

1 small onion, chopped
1 small red bell pepper, chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 lb tomatoes
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp brown sugar
2 tsp fresh basil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 bay leaf

Didn’t have basil or oregano. Used 2 bay leafs. This recipe takes a long time to make. Would be better to have some dough on hand. It takes an hour for the dough, a half hour for the sauce and then a half hour to cook the pizza. Pizza was topped with pine nuts, fresh spinach, blocks of smoked mozzarella cheese, finely sliced garlic, sliced cipoletta onion, and kalamata olives. Wow, this is really a great recipe. It will make your entire house smell like an old Italian restaurant.

4 out of 4 spoons.

Ingredients:

Spinach flour burrito shells, heated in pan
Fresh cilantro
1 onion
1 avocado
1 can of black beans
2 cups of grated cheddar cheese
salsa
2 fresh tomatoes,  sliced

Mr. Foodzie took the night off and got this lovely dish for all of his past culinary efforts.

3 out of 4 spoons.

For dessert:

Strawberry Frozen Yogurt

3 cups of vanilla yogurt
1/2 cup of milk
1/2 cup of sugar
1 1/2 cups of fresh, cut strawberries

Wow, this was great! It didn’t keep in the freezer very well so be sure to eat it all up soon after you’ve prepared it.

Ingredients:

1 tsp vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp ground coriander
3 1/2 cups of vegetable bouillon
1 cup red lentils
1 small egg
2 tbsp milk
2 tbsp mango chutney
2 tbsp chopped parsley

This one probably took the longest time to prep and cook, about 1 1/2 hours, all told. I had to use brown lentils again since I didn’t have any red lentils. I’m still learning about lentils. I guess the red lentils don’t need to be soaked beforehand, which cuts down on prep time. However, I’ve done ok with both lentil recipes now without any soaking, though perhaps the consistency was slightly different. This one requires a big food processor. Ours is a bit small so I had to process it two steps. I didn’t have any garam masala so I think the final result was a bit bland because of that. It tasted good but kind of had the consistency of cat food. Would be good on dry toast. I’ll try this one again some day with the right lentils and spices.

2 out of 4 spoons.

Ingredients:

Loaf of fresh bread, sliced
Kalamata olives, diced
1 Red onion
1 clove of garlic
2 tomatoes, peeled
Smoked mozzerella

This turned out to be a good improvised appetizer. We had it with ravioli with vodka sauce and fresh basil leaves. Delicious!

3 out of 4 spoons.