mushroom toasts

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7

Repeat... times 5. 

so pretty...

Mushroom Toasts

Serves 4

12 slices crusty bread, toasted

1 garlic clove, minced

8 ounces (227 grams) mushrooms, sliced (cremini and shitake, or whatever combination you like)

2 large shallots, minced

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

splash white wine

fresh thyme or oregano leaves (about a teaspoon)

sea salt

freshly ground pepper

dash lemon juice (makes such a difference!)

grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

1) Melt butter and olive oil in a heavy pan (preferably cast iron) over medium heat. Add shallots and soften for about two minutes. Add the garlic and cook for a minute longer, stirring; do not allow garlic to burn. Add mushrooms and increase heat to medium high. Making sure not to crowd the pan, fry mushrooms until they are golden brown and no liquid remains in the pan. Add a splash of white wine and cook off until evaporated.

2) Take mushrooms off heat and squeeze in the lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste and then stir in thyme or oregano. Serve immediately on 4 small individual plates, topping baguettes slices with mounds of the mushroom mixture, followed by a sprinkling of fresh Parmesan.

chewy chocolate chunk cookies

Ben’s mom + sister Becki and her two kids came for a short visit this past weekend to see the King Tut exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts, which I think turned out to be a bit of a disappointment for its failure to actually be a real pyramid in the arid Egyptian desert (kids have their expectations you know).  Anyway, I made these chocolate chip cookies to have on hand when the little explorers came over to our house…

These are really my quick go-to cookies. You can make them without the nuts and just use chocolate chips to make them even simpler. Enjoy!

Chewy Chocolate Chunk Cookies

            3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

            1 cup brown sugar

            1/4 cup granulated sugar

            1 egg

            2 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

            1 ¾ cups all purpose flour

            2 teaspoons cornstarch

            1 teaspoon baking soda

            1 teaspoon salt

            8 ounces dark chocolate, roughly chopped (chunks)

            1 ½ cups pecans, toasted and roughly chopped

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Cream together butter and sugars until smooth. Add egg and vanilla and blend in.

Stir in flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt. Stir in chocolate chunks.

Drop by tablespoons onto a greased baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes, until golden brown around the edges.

mercy vs. justice

I have been thinking about grace a lot lately. This concept kind of fascinates me, yet I only really began to consider it in college, when my busy lifestyle and studying for the MCAT started to interrupt time I wanted to be spending with friends, when my ‘sorrys’ became more frequent than my greetings, and when my sighs of disappointment in self replaced sighs of contentment. Now it’s Step time (like the MCAT on steroids) and the all too familiar feeling of a busy life has returned. The reason I am pondering grace these days is because I find myself requiring it more often.

Grace or justice? Mercy or true deserts?

I remember once having a conversation with my mom about forgiveness while we were in the kitchen snapping green beans. She used to make me do things like that around the kitchen: you know, snap green beans, dice stuff, crack the eggs…I am not sure if it was because she is bossy and liked having two sets of hands (heck, I do the same thing now…ask anyone who has stepped in my kitchen while I am cooking) or if she just liked having me there.  Anyway, this particular chat began to challenge my grasp on this theological principle of mercy when she tried to tell me that a man in prison could be forgiven and then end up in the same heaven as me. My heaven—where there were ice cream mountains and soulful hymns (I think I was about 8 years old at the time)?! I just could not fathom such insanity. I think she could tell I was developing some angst in trying to accept such a generous forgiveness, so she offered me a life-line. I remember going to the phone (the kind still attached to the wall by the miles of curly cord) and calling up my southern Baptist grandmother in Louisiana, thinking surely she would know. I also remember getting off the phone still disappointed, so I am fairly certain she agreed with my mom.

In his Orthodoxy, GK Chesterton propounds the interesting thought that children prefer justice while adults prefer mercy. Now, as an adult with 24 whole years of human life under my belt, I now could not agree more. I stand indebted to Christianity for dividing the crime from the criminal; a true acknowledgement of the justice that will be served makes the grace I am daily afforded all the more amazing. 

thank you MLK

Martin Luther King Day is a very important holiday in that it annually affords me a day off to celebrate with my family. I must admit that I never feel like I am actually celebrating Dr. King’s life and accomplishments (although he certainly merits it), but instead am gathering up my family and close friends to celebrate my birthday, as it falls fortuitously close to this national holiday.

We spent the previous weekend in Lamar with my parents, Ben’s parents, Ben’s sister Becki and our precious niece and nephew eating, resting, sneaking in some studying, and eating some more. My Starkey grandparents and my old friend Ryan even joined us for dinner one night (obviously everyone is reaaaalllyy excited about MLK). Our good friends Callie and Slayt joined us on Sunday night (we always really appreciate time with them as they tend to bring out the fun in us). I got into the baking mood at one moment and optimized a little gift I received from Mrs. Patti (new bundt pan); my lack of willingness to go to HEB prompted creativity (in the form of pantry raiding) and Callie and I came up with the scrumptious bundt below!

thanks for the bundt pan Mrs. Patti!

Cocoa and Symphony bar swirled with Amaretto

night fishing off the dock
ben and slayt caught a few fish...and callie and i caught mostly rocks

salmon en papillote

Proverb of the moment: I wish that I knew what I know now, when I was younger.

{Okay, I admit, I did not come up with this catchy little maxim. It’s actually from a Rod Stewart song that plays at the end of the Wes Anderson film Rushmore}

The validity of this statement still stands all the same. I wish I knew what I know now (which is not very much as I am only 23) when I was younger. How differently I would have acted in high school, even college!

And what wisdom will I accrue by the time I am twice this age? I wish I could know that already too, although I am sure I can only actually learn those pearls through years and years of experience.

When I am 50, I hope I will have the type of wisdom built from an eternal perspective. I hope that I will know that spending time with family trumps all else. I am sure I will look back and wonder how I concerned myself so anxiously over all the little details of my young life. Sounds like I should really spend more time with my elders…

ready to seal and stick in the oven...

Salmon en Papillote

I got this idea from a Dorie Greenspan cookbook. Since I perceive that she is very particular about reprinting her recipes (I gather this much from other blogs, who despite showcasing her beautiful food, never offer the actual recipes), I will just vaguely offer some direction as to how you can recreate this suuuuuper simple meal.

Preheat your oven to 475. Prepare 2 large squares of foil by sprinkling them with some olive oil. Lay 2 basil leaves on the center of each foil and place the salmon on top, skin side down. Drizzle olive oil over the top, then salt and pepper. Slice about 8 cherry tomatoes in half and divide between the two foils (lay alongside each salmon piece). Thinly slice a lemon and place 3 of the thin slices on each piece of salmon. Squeeze whatever juice you can salvage from the rest of the lemon over the pieces of salmon. Place 1 or 2 basil leaves on top of each piece of salmon. Slice 1 green onion (white parts included) and distribute between the two foils. Now tightly seal your packet, making sure they are airtight but have space above each piece of salmon. Put the foil packets in your preheated oven and bake for 10-12 minutes. Theses turned out beautifully after 12 minutes for me- either dump (umm, carefully slide) the contents of each packet onto a deep dish plate (the packet will create wonderfully tasty juices) or serve 'en papillote' (in its foil packet)!

chocolate crackles

Today it stormed. Nearly flooded the medical center streets. Tornado warnings and the whole bit. Today I also began my studying for Step 1 (a monstrous test all second year med students have to take this summer).

When a day gets a bit overwhelming, chocolate always helps (at least in its power to bring you back to the realization that there still exists immediate good in the world). You know what also works? Making a To-Do list of all the things you already accomplished that day then checking them off for pure satisfaction’s sake. 

Chocolate crackle cookies

½ cup all-purpose flour

½ cup granulated sugar

¼ cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa

½ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon cornstarch (optional)

¼ teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1 large egg, beaten lightly

1 teaspoon Frangelico (hazelnut liquor) (optional)

¼ cup powdered sugar (or more if you need it)

Stir together flour, granulated sugar, cocoa, baking powder, cornstarch (if using) and salt. Beat in butter and egg until blended. Wrap in plastic wrap (or freeze right in the bowl if you actually have that much freezer space) and freeze for about 15 minutes until firm.

Preheat oven to 400°F. and lightly grease 2 baking sheets.

Roll small balls of dough (about a tablespoon each) and set onto a sheet of wax paper. Put 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar in a small bowl and roll each dough ball in the powdered sugar. Arrange balls 2 inches apart on baking sheets and bake in upper and lower thirds of oven, switching sheets halfway through baking time, 8 to 10 minutes, or until cookies are just set. Cool cookies on racks.

some family time...and more deer

Well I survived my first ever flat tire this week. Luckily it popped right as I was turning into the parking lot of the store where my big brother Miles works, so I only had to ride the rim until I could find a parking spot. Since I do not know how to change a tire (who was supposed to teach me this? my dad? does he even know how?), my first thought was to just abandon the Tahoe and move on with my life. After all, who has time for these sorts of bothersome real life set backs? My second thought was to call Ben since he was at work not too far away. He did show up as moral support, but since he was wearing a suit (fresh from the dry-cleaners) we decided his pretty little self should just go back to work. Long story short, a nice man from "road side assistance" contacted by my car insurance showed up and changed the tire. I watched him and am fairly certain I could do it myself next time, but let's hope that "next time" never actually happens. I am still thankful for all the potentially helpful men I had around me at that moment though.*


Miles came over after he got off work at 9 for a little late night dinner.....of more deer!

* I knew Miles could change the tire since he is better at real life things like that (and I have seen him do it before). I also knew Ben could do it...but he was wearing a suit (good excuse). 

Venison sliders with Gouda cheese
on a platter made for me by very creative friend Stephanie.

hunters and gatherers

Over the break, my otherwise peaceful husBen shot a deer. He outright killed it when it was just sauntering through the woods, making its way to the feeder for a little early evening snack. Ben is not usually a hunter, so I do support him in his experience of, hmmm, providing food for the family in this very prosaic manner.

Me… I am more the gathering type. I like to roll over to the HEB and gather up my wild berries and edible greenery, harvests of sorts, etc. While this is a seemingly more modest and safe form of providing food for the family, let me remind you of how aggressive a woman can become when she steps into a crowded grocery store ‘round about 5 o’clock.

Anyway, dinner tonight proved that we make a good team: us hunters and gatherers. The venison gave this meal a good gamey focus while the fontina offered a subtly sweet balance and the peppery arugula just really finished it off nicely (oh wait, the truffle salt I sprinkled on mine actually finished it off the most nicely).

Venison Flatbread with Fontina and Arugula

2 pieces of naan (Indian flatbread)

1-2 cups deer sausage (depending on how much meat you want)

1 ½ cups grated Fontina cheese

3 cups loosely packed Arugula

extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Fully cook the sausage in a cast iron skillet until browned and crispy. Brush the naan with olive oil, top with the cooked sausage, then add the grated fontina. Bake in your oven for about 5 minutes until the cheese melts. Briefly turn on your broiler for another 2 minutes until the cheese starts to brown a little on top. Meanwhile, toss the arugula with just a touch of the olive oil, salt and pepper. Remove flatbread from oven, top with arugula and serve warm!

This hunter-gatherer business reminds me of a story…

Once in college, Ben and I accidently amounted to a funny sort of couple’s costume on Halloween. Without consulting with each other on what we wearing, we showed up to a party dressed as an Indian (Ben, great costume from a thrift store which included a headdress) and mother earth (me, complete with vines all over me and a beach ball under my hippie dress). Since we were dating and everyone assumed we had planned our outfits accordingly, they just would look at us and say “Indian and his knocked up wife?”

failed new year's resolutions but some darn good gnudi

In 2012, I resolve to do one thing a day that makes Ben glad he married me (you know, just really makes him sigh with gratitude at our good fortune).

Well, on only the second day of this New Year, I already failed!

I still accomplished the thing I thought would make Ben happy—which entailed accompanying him to the Galleria to buy a suit—but I did it with such a poor attitude that it completely undermined my effort.  I learned (or was reminded rather) that our motives and attitudes matter greatly to our actions. Sacrificing my sanity at the Galleria in order to support my handsome husBen did not avail so much due to the fact that the Galleria turned me into a mean, crazy person. I walked fast, complained often, and got downright delirious, all before I decided the trip would be much more pleasant and the deed more productive if I just went with it and stopped trying to resist the raging waves of people trying to drop the cash weight they gained over Christmas. In fact, I am over New Year’s resolutions already; I am just going to be loving and indulgent when and how my heart prompts me to, not because I set a new rule for myself. I hope all of your new year’s resolutions are much more successful than mine!

I made this for dinner last night and at the end of the day, Ben told me he was glad he married me, for the gnudi’s sake.

Gnudi are light, gnocchi-style dumplings made with ricotta. Although this dish did not photograph well in my opinion, it is very tasty! I found this in a magazine published in the UK so the measurements are in grams… sorry but its time to get your kitchen scales out.

Spinach and Ricotta Gnudi with Brown Butter Sage sauce

Serves 6 as a starter/side dish or about 3-4 as a main meal

waiting to be boiled...

crisping the sage in butter...

tasty gnudi

150 g flour, sifted plus extra for dusting

250 g baby spinach, blanched and drained

1 large egg

500 g ricotta

25 g finely grated parmesan

¼ teaspoon grated (or ground) nutmeg

Finely grated zest of 1 lemon (I added a squeeze of the lemon as well)

Extra-virgin olive oil, to drizzle

150 g butter

Handful of fresh sage leaves

Grated pecorino (or more parmesan) to serve

1.     Dust tray with flour. To make the gnudi, whizz the spinach and egg in a blender or food processor until smooth. Transfer to a bowl, add ricotta, parmesan, flour, nutmeg and lemon zest. Season well (add salt and pepper to your liking…which means you should taste it at this point to ensure you don’t over or under salt) and mix. Using a tablespoon measurer and a spoon, shape the mixture into oval shaped dumplings and place on the tray.

2.     Bring a pot of salted water to boil. Add the gnudi in batches and cook for 5-6 minutes until risen to the surface. Transfer to a bowl and drizzle with some oil. reserve 4 tablespoons of this cooking water for the sauce.

3.     Meanwhile, melt the butter in a frying pan over low heat for about 3 minutes. Add the sage and cook for 1 minute until crisp (note: sage fried in butter is awesomely delicious). Stir in the reserved 4 tablespoons of cooking water and simmer for 1-2 minutes until slightly reduced. Add the gnudi and toss gently, then spoon onto plates with some of the butter sauce. Serve topped with grated pecorino (or parmesan). 

break and back

Ahh, what a break. We have now settled back in our little four-plex after the wide open spaces of our family homes in both Temple and Victoria. Back to the dining table which doubles as a study desk. Back to the closet size kitchen (though honestly, I have missed it).  Back to the mismatched living room which now boasts of a treadmill (a. this is okay because we are only 23/24 and b. this is my favorite new toy so I don’t even mind if it is awkwardly situated in the living room). Back to the books and papers and tests. Here we go 2012!

We first spent Christmas at the Smith household wherein I got to experience a “real Smith Christmas.” This special little title merits quotations and a whole lot of emphasis in that it generally means the spirit of giving dramatically moves Dr. Randy and his efforts blow up the Christmas tree with gusto!  Becki got a trampoline (the taj mahal of all trampolines), Naomi got a fabulous diamond necklace, I got a treadmill, and Mrs. Patti got a Chevy Volt. Yes, a little red electric car which he alluded to by wrapping up an extension cord. The kids really liked it—they all packed in with Dr. Randy and bounced around to some techno music for a minute or two), so no matter that it was eventually returned in the end.  I think the fact that I got to marry this whole family is enough of a Christmas present every year so all this extra wrapped stuff I consider bonus. I also got to help cook Christmas dinner (partially at the request of Naomi, Ben’s oldest sister, that we “cater” the dinner. Hello, I am your caterer.) I had a grand ol’ time with Mrs. Patti in the kitchen! (recipes below)

Then we made it down to the Starkey house where we each gained five pounds over a marathon of eating all day then going over to my grand parents house nearly every night for dinner. I truly enjoyed getting to spend Christmas morning with my immediate family, all of whom are grown up and not so interested in the presents anymore it seems. Honestly, the presents-part-of-Christmas usually gives me anxiety. Everyone else in the world has probably already thought of the perfect gift, wrapped it, and poised it under the tree by December 1st while I am still hidden away on a computer searching Pinterest for the perfect do-it-yourself gift on December 24^th (I just want to get it right, you know).

The break culminated in the merging of the two families for the Baylor Bowl game in San Antonio. I really appreciate these times together with both our parent units, as they seem to blend so effortlessly (as Ben pointed out). We also got to have lunch with some old Baylor friends at a cute little restaurant called Nosh and I was reminded that although time flies and distance widens, some relationships still bubble up some joy when you do indulge a little time together.

Well here we go 2012. May you see us live well, eat well, and love well in this next step!

Salad with dried cranberries, candied pecans, red onions, and blue cheese and balsamic vinaigrette

Corn Pudding

2 pounds frozen corn kernels, thawed

Whole milk as needed (about 1 cup)

6 eggs, separated

1/2 cup sugar

6 tablespoons butter, softened

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Chihuahua,* Monterey Jack, or Cheddar cheese

1 poblano chile, roasted, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/4-inch strips

Half of a red bell pepper, cut into strips

mixing the souffle

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 13-by-9-inch baking dish and set aside. In a food processor fitted with a steel blade, puree the corn with only enough milk to make a smooth puree, not to exceed 1 cup. With the machine running, add egg yolks, one at a time, and process 30 seconds after each addition. With the machine running, add the sugar a little at a time and continue processing until mixture is lighter in color and sugar is dissolved, about 3 minutes. Add butter and process until smooth. Transfer to a large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine flour, salt, and baking powder; fold into corn mixture. Beat egg whites until soft peaks form and fold into corn mixture, alternating with the shredded cheese. Pour into the prepared baking dish and garnish with strips of chile and red bell pepper. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Recipe from Fonda San Miguel in Austin

Garlic Butter Roasted Mushrooms


1 pound mushrooms such as cremini or white, halved lengthwise if large


2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and chopped


3 large garlic cloves, minced


2 tablespoons vegetable oil


3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces


2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice


1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

Preheat oven to 450°F with rack in middle. Toss mushrooms with capers, garlic, oil, 1/8 teaspoon salt and several grinds of pepper in a 1 1/2- to 2-qt shallow baking dish. Top with butter and roast, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are tender and golden and bubbly garlic sauce forms below, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in lemon juice and parsley. Serve immediately, with crusty bread on the side for swiping up the juices.

Recipe from Gourmet