The 7-year hiatus

So...am I the first person in the history of the world to return to a blog after a 7-year hiatus?

I actually thought I'd lost The Hungry Dog. I put it aside for awhile, a few years, and then one day, maybe three or four years ago, I went to find a recipe and the blog was gone! Too long since I'd logged in or something; everything was gone. I felt pretty sad. I mean, I spent a lot of time writing all those posts. 

But then today, while going through some old recipe emails, I came across a link to an old post and to my surprise, it worked! So. Here we are. Although, I doubt anyone still reads blogs, unless it's done ironically.

A few things have happened in the world since May 2014. For starters, our country elected a lunatic for President, who actually served a full term! Boy, does it feel good to be on the other side of that now. Adults are in charge! And, we elected the first female Vice President! That's pretty huge. 

We also had a pandemic, in case you didn't know. That's been a real treat. And there's tons of stuff that is just too depressing to get into...domestic terrorists storming the Capitol, anti-vaxxers, wildfires, floods, buildings collapsing, asshole billionaires rocketing into space, but even worse, returning. It's a lot.

Here at the Hungry Dog household, we've also had some changes. So, first, we no longer live in San Francisco! We left in 2018 and spent a strange, stimulating, and surreal year in Los Angeles. We lived in the middle of the city, which, like some things in life, somehow turned out to be the best and the worst at the same time. We were five minutes from LACMA, Petit Trois, Connie & Ted's, Mozza, etc--but about two minutes from the saddest states of human existence you can imagine. We were one block from one of the fancier neighborhoods in L.A., but also one block from tent encampments. Our bikes got stolen from the locked bicycle storage in our building. And one day, the abandoned meth house next to our apartment building went up in flames and we had to be evacuated. It was...rough. On the upside, L.A. is hands-down the most interesting and diverse place I've ever lived, and the food absolutely rivals San Francisco's. We lived within minutes of Koreatown, Little Armenia, and Filipinotown. 

In 2019 we hit the road and headed to San Diego, which is where we've been ever since. San Diego is a very pretty, easy, simple place to live. It's not very interesting and the food is overall pretty lame. But, did I mention how pretty it is? And how easy it is? Everything takes 10 minutes to get to. It's been a great respite after L.A., and the ideal place to ride out Covid. 

Other stuff hasn't changed. Same jobs. Same huz. Same pup. Although, sweet Soph has entered her golden years. Much as we did for Frannie, the original Hungry Dog, we've got an elaborate caretaking schedule to tend to her every need. It's hard, but I know it's a lucky thing, too. To have a dog that lives a long life is what you want, right?

Anyway, that about catches us up. I might start posting again; our cooking in San Diego is vastly different than it was in SF. We have a grill here, and that's been fun. I finally understand not wanting to turn on the oven in the summer. In San Francisco, we did it to heat up the house on cold July days. Life is funny.

Hope you're all well, and thanks to anyone who actually read this. 

Pizza, cake, Kauai

Um, it's already May?

Once, when I was much younger, I commented on how fast time flies and an annoying cousin said to me, smugly, "Wait until you get older." It bugged me at the time (because being the youngest always meant that everyone else knew everything before me) but of course it turned out to be true. This year is flying by faster than ever, and this poor blog is getting left in the dust.

It's hard to keep the momentum up with a blog, as any of you who keep one know. Thinking of things to say and dishes to make, trying to finagle a decent photo, editing it, etc, then feeling sad if you don't get as many readers or comments as you feel the post deserves--it's tiring. It can hurt your ego. And there have been times where I've felt like I've outgrown this blog--sometimes I don't think I care about writing about food anymore. And sometimes I feel like I have to be careful about what I say on this blog--it's actually weirder to have people you know read it than total strangers. (Luckily, one can have a secret blog on which they can be their full anonymous self.) Anyway, I'm back, after a hiatus. Sort of, at least.

***

Recently, I started making pizza.

I always resisted making pizza but now I'm kind of into it. I like the kneading part. Do I have aggressions to work out? Yes, who doesn't? Dough is a good thing to take them out on.

I also like covering the dough to rise and checking on it periodically to assess its progress. It's a miracle to me that dough rises, all because of a little thing called yeast (some call it science). 

We've been using this recipe, which is as simple and good as it promises. It makes two pizzas, and generally we've been doing one tomato-y one and one white pie. So far, the best combos are tomato with mozzarella, arugula, and serrano ham; and  zucchini with ricotta and pine nuts. I haven't really been into taking pictures much these days but I did get a Hipstamatic of a shaved asparagus and crispy ham pie we made, which was pretty delicious.

***

I've also been baking a lot of cakes. I made this blueberry crumb cake for Easter brunch.

It was a total hit. You should try it. But, make it in a springform pan. Silly Ina, how am I going to get a crumb cake out of a regular cake pan?

The other thing I made for Easter brunch that was a little bit interesting, although not a cake, was strawberry bellinis.  I kind of went apeshit for them. Basically, you make a simple syrup, puree it with frozen (!) strawberries, strain the seeds, mix it with prosecco, and voila! They really were good, although a bit of a girly drink. That worked out fine for Easter, though, as with the exception of the huz (good sport!) it was me, my mom, and some of my girls. I hate to encourage a cliche, but girls like pretty pink drinks.

I also recently made this cardamom and coffee pound cake for the second time. The first time I made it in a loaf pan (per the recipe), but I underbaked it. While the flavor was amazing, the center was a gooey blob. This time I did it in a bundt pan, the king of pans, in my opinion, rivaled  only by the springform (I could write an ode to the springform pan). Turned out much better. I cheated and just used regular jarred cardamom but I have no doubt going the extra mile and roasting, grinding, etc the cardamom yourself would be divine. I think what truly makes this cake special, though, is the espresso in it. And the creme fraiche. And the vanilla bean icing. Vanilla bean icing! My heart melts at the words.

This is one of those great cakes that can be dessert or breakfast.  I feel like a cake with icing can be breakfast but a cake with frosting cannot. Although, typing that now, I'm not sure that should be a hard and fast rule.

***

We're headed to Kauai next week. Kauai is tied with Paris for my favorite place on earth. We have talked a lot about moving to Kauai, and one of the main reasons we have had trouble taking the plunge is that it would make our flight to Paris that much longer. That isn't the only reason, but it's up there, along with having to put Soph into a short quarantine. Actually, those might be the only two reasons.

Aloha!

Maple once, maple twice

Around Christmas, we bought some panettone. While I don't care for the idea of fruit cake, I'll throw down on some panettone. I splurged and bought a fancy one at our grocery store, wrapped in crisp red paper and tied with a ribbon. Here is how pretty it looked (thanks, Amazon!).

My original idea was to make French toast with it, but that panettone was so pillowy and delicious it seemed a shame to weigh it down with milk and egg and syrup. So, instead we toasted it and ate it with butter and jam. Good idea, right?

The thing is, I'd already bought some maple syrup. Now, we don't eat many pancakes or French toast, and the husband isn't wild about maple as a flavor. But with a bottle of Vermont's finest, I figured I ought to do something worthy of it.

First, I made these scones.

These were good! But mostly because of the maple icing. The scone, um, body is perfectly nice, but let's face it, the glaze is what makes these scones sing.  There may be people out there that do not care for the idea of icing making its way into a breakfast item, but I am not one of them.

After the scones, I still had some syrup left. I also had pears, which always seem to go from hard and angry to mushy and sad in about 4 minutes.  I captured them right as they were sliding into their brief happy stage and made this maple-pear upside down cake.

I'd been holding on to this recipe literally for years--clipped it out of the Times the day it was printed in 2009. But see, I never have maple syrup on hand. So, finally...well, you see how this went down.

I didn't end up having enough syrup--I was 1/4 cup shy--but it didn't matter. And I decreased the sugar in the cake because I was worried it was going to be too sweet to pass for a breakfast cake (two of my favorite words when paired together). It was divine. Mine baked for around 38 minutes instead of 45-50 and was perfectly cooked--just know your oven.

With a cup of coffee, you'd be hard-pressed for a better way to start your day.

A new twist on an old favorite

Sometimes a recipe takes hold of me and I just can't shake it until I've made it. This happened this week when I read about this simple and spicy tomato bisque, heated up with fresh ginger, red pepper, and cayenne and topped with tangy goat cheese.

I made it that same night to rave reviews. On a cold evening (cold by California standards, I admit), this hit the spot and had us peeling off sweaters. More and more, the husband and I really enjoy a spicy tomato sauce, which is basically what this is. I love this recipe most of all for its flavor and warmth, but the fact that I usually have everything in my pantry (with the possible exception of the ginger, which is a key ingredient) doesn't hurt. There's also the fact that it comes together in about 40 minutes, 30 of which are just the soup simmering while you watch last night's Jimmy Fallon on the DVR, check your email, or space out.

The next day, I ate the remainder of the soup (bisque?) for lunch, but left off the goat cheese and instead served up a grilled cheese on the side. Sometimes you just have to keep it old school.

Welcome, 2014!

Happy new year!

I've never been someone who gets sad around the end of the year but by January 1, I am ready to kick the holidays to the curb and move ahead. We took down our few decorations yesterday and put our Christmas tree out this morning. Our street is littered with them, waiting for pickup. Someone drew a chalk outline around one.

2013 was a good year. We were both gainfully employed and enjoyed good health. We went to Paris, which constituted our one major trip, but I also visited my sister in New Jersey, and we had a fantastic getaway to Santa Cruz in May for our 8th anniversary. We spent the end of the year in Kentucky with the husband's family and got a good dose of Southern life (and food: beer cheese! jam cake! bourbon balls and Hoppin' John!).

We also ate quite a bit, and quite well, at home. In fact, in looking through my iPhoto library, it seems I have a lot of new recipes I made in 2013 (and 2012, gulp!) that I never posted about. My posting frequency has dropped off rapidly over the years: 101 in 2009, 90 in 2010, 48 in 2011, 26 in 2012, and a measly 16 in 2013. My cooking hasn't dropped off, though, and there are a lot of things I've wanted to tell you about.

This chicken tagine, for example, is something I have been making for close to a year, at least once a month. You can find the original recipe here, and I recommend you do. It is absolutely delicious, studded with salty Castelvetrano olives and chewy prunes and finished with lemon juice and mint. We love it chez Hungry Dog. It's great with rice, mashed potatoes, or creamy polenta.

As for 2014, I'm not one for resolutions, but I do have some things I'm interested in doing this year. For one, I'd like to take another art class. I bought all those supplies last fall and they're sitting forlornly in the hall closet. I even have some brand new wood panels awaiting my clumsy brush strokes.

Also, I probably won't do this if history is any indication, but I really want to work on my French. The next time we go to France, I'd like to be a little better at conversing. Seeing how fast time flies, our next trip will be here before we know it.

Speaking of, we are planning two trips for the year: Hawaii in the spring, and possibly Spain, or a Spain/Portugal combo, in the fall. Stay tuned.

And finally, the husband and I have started to think, very seriously, of getting another dog.  So many sweet pups need homes, and I think Soph would like having a little dog friend.

We'll see where the year takes us. I'm sure at the very least, there will be some good food involved, and I'll try to be better about posting here at The Hungry Dog.

Cheers to you all for the new year!

Last bites

If there is anyone out there who actually wants to make or eat more Christmas cookies, here's a little trio I made recently that were a pretty big hit:

Ginger-spiced molasses cookies
Espresso shortbreads
Pierre Herme chocolate sables

Christmas is upon us in a big way and while I have only a medium-interest in the holiday itself, not being remotely religious, nor having children to ruin with piles of gifts, I do enjoy some things about the season. For one thing, time off. Even for the self-employed, there is time off (it's just unpaid). Also, there's some holiday cheer to be had. And finally, I soak up the spirit of generosity that seems to overcome many of us.

While this season is a joyful one for lots of us, it's also difficult for many. Therefore, I encourage you to donate either time or money if you have either to spare to help make others' experiences of these next few weeks a little better. Some ideas if you need them (and only the first happens to be a client, so don't think this is a plug of self-interest):

Family House
San Francisco/Marin Food Bank
Meals on Wheels
On Lok Lifeways
Toys for Tots
PAWS (Pets Are Wonderful Support)

This is my last post for the year, as we are off to Kentucky in a few days.  So, see y'all in 2014. Best wishes from me, the huz, Soph, and Santa Hedgie.

Eat, drink, and be thankful

This is a yellow lab puppy born recently at Guide Dogs for the Blind, one of my clients. He's so tiny, he fell asleep in his food bowl!

I hope on this Thanksgiving, you have the good fortune to be off work, surrounded by family and friends, full of delicious food, and headed toward a similar blissful state as this puppy (though hopefully you'll manage it with more dignity). I know I am thankful for good health, good luck, good people in my life, and my very good dog.  Wishing you all the best, too.

Paris, France

Since we returned from our trip a few weeks ago, many friends have kindly asked what we did in Paris. We have answers: we ate great food, went to museums,  saw lots of churches, strolled along the Seine.  These things are all true. But, the real beauty of the trip can be explained in our daily routine: wake up (late, because a 9-hour time difference is no joke), eat something delicious for breakfast, walk around, see some art or old buildings, eat something delicious for lunch, walk around,  stop for a glass of wine, walk around some more, take a short nap back at the apartment, go out for an apertif, eat something delicious for dinner, find a place to drink a last glass of wine outside and people watch until midnight or so.  This may seem repetitive, but no two days were alike and every day was perfect.

Here are some things we did and saw.

Admired the many enormous blue doors.

Ate tiny French donuts.

 Went to the Musee d'Orsay.

Ate salty shrimps with creamy mayonnaise.

Admired this brilliant contraption: bread slicer designed like a paper cutter.

Marveled at the tiny gas stations.

Drank coffee.

Pondered life at the Rodin Museum.

Had glasses of wine here.

 And here.

And here, a wine bar and bookstore.

We ate apple turnovers alone the Seine.

And perused the local farmers markets, which were full of beautiful produce, as well as stands selling the usual charcuterie and crepes, but also Moroccan and African food.

We ate here (burrata with mozzarella, prosciutto, olive oil, and crumbled hazelnuts; monkfish with spinach; dourade with tomato risotto).

And here (crab and potato cake; tartare of oysters, salmon, and shrimp; sea bream with pesto and vegetable fritters).

And here...

Where I had haddock vitrine with sweet pepper puree...

And roast chicken with potatoes Dauphine.

We rode the Batobus.

And admired the skyline.

Shopped for books and art along the river.

 And ate cured meats and cheeses at every opportunity.

We saw French dogs and pined for ours.

Sighed over the Hotel de Ville at night.

Looked at art.

 Looked at people looking at art.

Ate American cheeseburgers.

Wondered what this was and contemplated stealing it for a joy ride.

 Stumbled across this guy.

 And practiced looking French.

In addition to the food described above, we had lovely meals at past favorites Fish and Le Comptoir du Relais. But some of our favorite experiences were at new, very casual spots: a tartine of creamy cheese, smoked duck, and walnuts (which were in season and therefore everywhere) at La Tartine; chicken tagine with dried apricots and polenta at Glou; ham and butter sandwiches from one of the many local bakeries. At Les Temps des Cerises, they won my heart from the moment we sat down and they placed before us a plate of perfect French radishes with a tiny wooden bowl of sea salt.

Some of the best food we had was at Frenchie, where we not only enjoyed foie gras with figs, guinea hen with eggplant, squid ink, and olives, and trout with kale and spaghetti squash, but the company of Camille and her husband, Nick. Camille is the pastry chef for Frenchie To Go, which was pretty lucky for us because we were able to ride her coattails and get star treatment that night, including complimentary champagne and the most outrageous last course I have ever had, a small sort of shepherd's pie. I don't often think of eating oxtail stew topped with bechamel (or mashed potatoes, as the husband claims--either way it was deliciously creamy) at the end of a meal, but I can no longer think of a reason why not.

After a second trip to Paris, I am 100% convinced it is the best place on earth. It's not perfect, but it's beautiful, interesting, (mostly) progressive, easy to navigate, and seems to be populated by people who understand that living well is less related to how much you work or earn and more about how much you stop, sit, and look around, preferably while drinking a glass of wine and eating charcuterie.

The Hungry Dog returns

Well, sort of.

I've been missing you guys, and though I wouldn't presume that you have been missing me, or wondering what I've been up to, I thought I might dip a toe back in the blog water. All of a sudden, summer is over, Halloween candy is in stores, and Thanksgiving plans are being made. Guess I missed a whole season.

I've been doing things, though. Like for one thing, I started taking a painting class. I've been enjoying it, in spite of being very poor at it. I think I've discovered one of the cool things about getting older: I don't mind if I'm not good at something. I used to feel bad if I wasn't good at something I attempted, but I don't feel that way about painting, even though I carry the baggage of being the daughter of a painter. It is enough that trying to paint gives me the sensation I was craving--the feeling of pushing everything else out of my mind, which is otherwise crazy 24-7.

This made me realize that it was OK if I was terrible at it, as long as I found it fun. Fortunately, I'm good at other stuff, things that I also enjoy, as well as some things that make money. You don't have to excel in every department.

In addition to my art class, we've done some other groovy things this summer, such as attending the Giants' Dog Days game.

Soph enjoyed that, not only because it was a good old fashioned fun day, but because it gave her a break from a certain ankle biter named Emma we've been spending time with. Emma is our friends' new puppy. She is stupid-cute and completely obsessed with Soph. "Ankle biter" is literal in this case.

Poor Soph, I don't think she misses having puppies!

There's been plenty of food stuff, too. For example, we've been digging this place and have spent way too much on casual but decadent lunches there in the last few weeks. I mean, wine on tap...? How can I not love it?  But, we've also had some thrifty backyard picnics.

In case you're missing a caption, that's a tomato and arugula salad; leftover fried chicken from Wayfare Tavern (eaten cold, natch!); Hawaiian mac salad in the tupperware; and a good basic chianti.

And, I've been making crostatas, like I always do. This one was with nectarines.

 And this fig and almond cake.

 And today, I got some kiwi berries in our CSA box. Here they are in a tiny colander!

They are the size of kumquats and taste like a hybrid of kiwis and blueberries. I can't decide what to do with them.

We also bought a grill, which has revolutionized my cooking. For one thing: fewer dishes! For another: the husband mans the grill! We've been grilling maniacs: grilled chicken, grilled steak, grilled pork tenderloin, grilled vegetables. But I don't have any photographic evidence. You'll have to trust me.

And finally, we are on the verge of our Paris trip. PARIS! Man, I love that place. And, I'm in desperate need of a vacation. Who isn't, I guess. But being self-employed makes me want a vacation in a different way than I used to. While I don't have a routine or a grind to get away from, I am also never fully detached from my work, unless I am out of the country. So, with it being one year since we went to Italy, I'm bouncing off the walls a bit.

I regret to say that my French remains as awful as it was the last time we went in 2011, despite my braggy claims right after that trip that I would be conversational by the time we returned. C'est dommage, non? Two and half years go quickly when you're sitting around doing nothing.

So, have a lovely few weeks, my friends. Be good.