Love You, Mom!

Posted on May 11, 2014 by thekeyofkels

I was fishing around for some photos for a post recently and I came across a few gems that I had somehow skipped over.

My favorite of the bunch was a group of pictures that I had taken when my parents were in town back in February. I was lucky enough to get off from work most of the week they were here and we spent some good quality time together. This is a rarity, as when we are together it is usually non-stop planning and visiting and eating and everything else…

Not this time. We actually got to relax and take our time and sleep in and just sit around and cook a casual dinner together. You might even remember, we cooked some pizzas and tasted some wine.

And although I found enough photos from the day to put together a post, doesn’t this picture just speak volumes?

I know the exact feeling! Your first mozzarella ball! There’s nothing like it!

My mom stayed at home with us three kids for most of our childhoods, and made us a home cooked meal most every single night. She is a wonderful cook and I owe my love of cooking and being in the kitchen mostly to her. (The cookie making part is all my dad…)

She can usually be seen dancing to Motown or Bruce Springsteen while she’s stirring pots or checking on meats in the oven. And the things she makes in her slow cookers – although she always says they are the easiest recipes ever – are the best comfort food a girl could ever ask for. They make the whole house smell like roast-y heaven all. day. long. So by the time dinner comes around you are literally ravenous for whatever is in that pot.

As I’ve become an adult, it’s been so exciting to share kitchen tips and dig up old recipes that she made for us when we were kids. Her meatloaf recipe is still my number one (seriously, this recipe will make you love meatloaf), and she always puts out an amazing spread when entertaining people at the house.Love you to bits, Mom. I am so very thankful to have you as an inspiration, a shoulder to lean on and – most importantly – one of my best friends.

Happy Mothers Day to all of the moms out there today, especially the ones who have loved and raised me. I wish you all a relaxing day full of love!

xoxo

Music To Cook To: Ribs & Black Keys “Turn Blue”

Posted on May 6, 2014 by thekeyofkels

It’s no secret that Brad and I are big Black Keys fans.

Brad’s been a fan for years and years. He introduced me to them back when we first started dating, and I was drawn toward the bluesy rock, the grittiness but soul that they brought to the table. I liked the simplicity of their first albums, with just guitar and drums.

Plus, Brad was really hot – so I probably would have liked any music he brought me.

Since then, we have seen them in three very different venues. We’ve been front row, just a few feet away at the Hollywood Palladium. We’ve been underneath the stars in Liberty State Park with the Statue of Liberty practically behind the guys. And then we saw them with my family at the Verizon Center in DC.

But we most often listen to the Keys while we are whipping up something delicious for dinner, or driving down to the market, or over to Hollywood…

Or just anytime, really…

The Black Keys aren’t just good music to cook to, they are good all the time music.

But if you’re throwing together some dinner tonight and need a pumped up, bluesy-rocking, but slightly chill soundtrack – throw on iTunes and stream their new album Turn Blue, out May 13th.

Because it goes just so nicely with a rack of ribs and a glass of rose on a weeknight.

xoxo

Candied Grapefruit Peel

Posted on May 1, 2014 by thekeyofkels

Last week at the market, I wore my grapefruit shirt. Therefore, I bought grapefruits. Of course.

Not only was it a no-brainer to buy the fruit that I was advertising on my shirt, but I had been craving candied grapefruit peels ever since I had a greyhound a few weeks ago adorned with a little slice of the sugared candy. The actual greyhound was kind of mediocre, but that candy! The bartender ended up giving me a few extra pieces because I was raving so wildly about how much I loved it.

So this week I broke out the peeler and got to candying.

For some reason, I thought the naked grapefruits were really entertaining. It’s kind of weird how many pictures I took of them. And posted to Twitter about them…Anyway, enough with the grapefruit porn.

I found a couple of different recipes and took the best of the feedback from both of them to come up with my method. I wanted them to be sugary sweet, but to still have the bitterness that I love. Continue reading →

Salted Caramel Shortbread Cookies

Posted on April 18, 2014 by thekeyofkels

Caramels have become my new obsession.

I was buying cookie-making materials recently and happened to see one last jug of Martinelli’s Apple Cider hidden on the juice shelf. Normally just available in the colder months, I snatched it right up to make another batch of those apple cider caramels from smitten kitchen. They are to die for. And shouldn’t be limited to certain times of the year by such a thing as seasonal fruits…

But then, after I forced Brad to take bags of the addicting wrapped candies to work so I would stop eating them by the handful, I started brainstorming different ways I could eat caramels no matter the season. Things I could put in caramels when apple cider is unavailable. Things I could put caramel on. Things I could put caramel in.

Endless possibilities. Expect a lot of variations on caramel coming up. Like these. Salted caramel on shortbread. It sounded delicious.

salted caramel shortbread cookies

Gooey caramel on top of a flaky, sweet, buttery cookie? Yes. Sign me up.

So I gave it a try. I found myself two tart’s recipe that didn’t use cornstarch (because – really? is that necessary??) and got to work.

salted caramel shortbread cookies

I only changed the recipe a tiny bit, using unsalted butter because I like to have more control over the amount of salt in my candies. I think I’d rather sprinkle the salt on top than have it all mixed in. I also got really excited and forgot to let the shortbread chill for 30 minutes before baking. It still turned out wonderful… but I recommend using patience if possible. Continue reading →

Playlist: Mellow Music To Cook To

Posted on April 1, 2014 by thekeyofkels

Yesterday, I had good intentions.

I wrote a blog. I caught up on a few things around the house. I edited some photos. I ate a healthy breakfast. I made myself tea. I made a to-do list for the week.

And then, at 2:00, I decided I would do a quick workout before taking a shower and heading out to work.

I put on a fun playlist. I pulled up one of my saved workouts from my super-hero strength friend Steven. I tied up my sneakers. I did two burpees. The dog always gets excited when I start working out because she thinks I want to play. She started running around.

I did a third burpee. Gibson happened to jump up right where I was jumping down into a pushup. Our heads cracked. She yelped like I’ve never heard her yelp before. I basically fell to the floor.

I think March was mad at me for kicking it to the curb. It was leaving me with a parting gift.

About five minutes later, I had gathered myself and the dog was hiding under the table. A giant welt had formed on my forehead and I had a splitting headache. I sent a picture to my manager with the caption “So… this just happened…” and she basically told me to ice my ridiculous injury and stay home from work.

No one wants to order food from someone with a welt this good growing out of their forehead.

(I will not subject you to the photo I shared with her. Basically, imagine an egg coming out of my forehead and you’ll have it.)

So I spent the rest of the afternoon on the couch, icing my head and trying to convince Gibson that I wasn’t mad at her. That, and trying to reassure myself that I didn’t have a concussion. Every time that I’d forget where I set something down or how to spell a word on a text, I started worrying a little.

But then, I got bored of the couch. And Gibson had started bringing me toys to play with her, so I knew she was ok. Plus, I suddenly had a craving for chocolate.

Because silence makes me anxious even when I have a nagging headache, I put on a mellow playlist (who knew Spotify has a hangover playlist? Perfect for minor head injuries, too!) and got to baking.

After a while, I realized that this is music I would almost never cook to, as cooking usually goes hand in hand with entertaining for us. And when entertaining, you usually want something a little more upbeat and exciting.

But not last night. Last night I was the opposite of upbeat. And I was on my own. With caramel and chocolate. So mellow it was.

I’m sure that many of you sometimes have mellow nights when you have minor head injuries and just want to bake cookies and make caramels, too, right? Well… for when that happens (I hope the head injury part doesn’t!), here is a good mellow playlist to cook to.

And now, back to icing the forehead. Thank goodness for makeup.

xoxo

Coleman Farm Lunch

Posted on March 28, 2014 by thekeyofkels

I don’t know if you remember, but in September Brad was auctioned off at Weiser Farms right in front of my very eyes.

After bidding hit about $200, I realized I could no longer afford my husband. I was going to have to share.

For a good cause, of course.

A lunch for 8 at Coleman Family Farms was sold to the buyer who had $1400 for Alex’s Lemonade Stand. They scheduled and planned, and then rescheduled for after the crazy holiday season – which ended up being yesterday.

With me and the Barolo Joe guys in tow, Brad put together a 5 course lunch for what turned into a group of 16.

We drove up to Carpinteria super early (for us), explored the farm a little, and then hand-picked fresh greens, flowers and herbs for lunch.

Then, it was off to the races. We set up and prepped…