Recipe Boxes

I am looking for a new way to organize my recipes. Since starting this blog, I have accumulated tons of new recipes that I am planning on experimenting with. Currently, they are stored in an old binder. I do have them in sheet protectors but its a pain in the butt to flip through to find what I am looking for. Sure I can get dividers, but I am seriously loving the idea of a recipe box. Here are a few that really caught my eye.

1canoe2 Letterpress recipe cards & box

I am a hooker for anything letterpress! I think the cards are darling, and the fact that everything is hand-drawn by the artist make for a unique piece.

Igloo Letterpress

I love the fact that this is not your traditional recipe box, unfortunately it is not for sale. However, I am still super attracted to these adorable recipe cards, which were illustrated by Suzi Ultman. Again, letterpress!

Sparrow Graphic

These owl cards are sent as pdf files which makes it very convenient to printing them as needed (not to mention never worrying about running out of cards!) I have somewhat of an owl fetish, and I do tend to be attractive to things that are cute, rather than refined.

Dabney Lee Home

Ok, so I am about to contradict myself here. I know I just stated that I am not a refined kinda gal, and this acrylic recipe box is most certainly refined, but the plethora of color options really spices things up here! What isn't so attractive, is the price. I just couldn't bring myself to spend $80 on recipe storage.

The Farm Chics

This is a do-it-yourself project that combines a Martha Stewart box and hand-crafted recipe dividers made from scrapbook paper. I think the end result is a vintage-looking box that feels like a family heirloom.

The Demy

Now, I could scrap the whole recipe box idea and go for something techy. This digital recipe box is sleek, compact, and kitchen-safe. It's like the Cookbook version of a Kindle. I also like the fact that I can choose to keep my recipes private of share them with whomever I choose.

So what do you all think? How do you store your favorite recipes? I would love to hear from you! Until next time, cheers, and happy eating!

Israeli Salad

You may have noticed that this salad does not have a trace of lettuce in it. Honestly, the only salad you will find in Israel with lettuce in it is a Caesar salad. That is not to say that Israel is short of delicious and unique salads. They are quite proud of their salads! There are veggie salads, pickled salads, bean salads, corn salads, and just about anything else you can imagine. A visit to any restaurant includes an entire course of salads, not to mention the most fluffy and warm pita, served on the table before you even order. The colors pop, the taste buds are tantalized, and the hunger is always satiated!

In order to make this authentically Israeli, you must dice the veggies up finely! As a child, I remember my cousin and my brother would have contests to see who could make their salads with the finest chopped vegetables. It pretty much boils down to this simple ration: equal parts tomato and cucumber to one-third red onion. I hope you enjoy this as much as I do!

Israeli Salad

3 roma tomatoes, finely diced

1 large cucumber, finely diced

1/3 of a large red onion, finely diced

1 lemon

1/4-1/3 cup olive oil

salt

pepper

Combine, eat, enjoy!

Jungle Love

The images from Ikea's new cookbook really left an impression on me. They are so artful and geometric that I had to find out who was responsible for them. His name is Carl Kleiner, a photographer who hails from Stockholm. Looking through his photographs (most that are not food related) it is obvious that he gravitates towards abstract photos that are minimally styled, yet still manage to make an impact. Of course I had to share his food related photos.






It is hard to pick a favorite, but I am gravitating towards the eggplant zebra. The squash puppy is pretty impressive too. How about you? Which is appeals to you most?

Ikea Food Porn

Leave it to Ikea to publish a cookbook filled with a crazy cool arrangement of ingredients. I can't vouch for the quality of the recipes, but I could blow these photos up and hang them as artwork!





What do you all think? Pretty cool, no? I am feeling super inspired to try my own version! Maybe next webisode....

Eggplant Parmesan Done Right

I am not sure what to be more excited about, the new band featured in this week's webisode, or how utterly delicious this Eggplant Parmesan is. In case you haven't already noticed, music is just as important to me as food. Listening to a great new song and eating a delectable dish evoke the same feelings in me. So I hope you all enjoy the tunes as much as you enjoy the food!

I have to give a shout out to my friend Ellen for teaching me how simple this dish is to make. Ellen had made it for my husband and me one night. It was so yummy, but of course we had leftovers. The following night, I had invited some guests over for a dinner party. I set this out in case anyone wanted to try it and it disappeared faster than any other dish.

Just a few tips. The success of this meal heavily depends on the quality of the ingredients. Because we aren't making a tomato sauce from scratch, I can't stress how important it is that you purchase really good quality sauce. The same goes for the cheese. After the eggplant, the cheese is the star ingredient.

I hope you all enjoy this. Please leave me a comment and let me know what you think! Cheers and happy eating!

Eggplant Parmesan

2 medium size eggplants (cut into 1/2-inch rounds)

all-purpose flour, for dredging

2-4 eggs, beaten with 2-3 Tablespoons of water

Italian breadcrumbs, for dredging

vegetable oil, for frying

2 jars of good quality marinara sauce

12 ounces grated mozzarella, not fresh

12 ounces grated pecorina romano

handful of basil, chopped

salt

pepper

italian seasoning

Place the flour, eggs (beaten with water), and bread crumbs in three, separate, large shallow bowls.

Season each eggplant slice on both sides with salt and pepper. Dredge each eggplant slice in the flour, shaking off the excess, then dip it into the egg, and lastly dredge it in the bread crumbs. Transfer to a baking sheet.

Heat a good amount of oil in a saute pan over medium heat. When the oil gets hot, fry a few of the eggplant slices, making sure not to crowd the pan, and turn once until golden brown. About 3 minutes per batch. Transfer to a paper towel-lined baking sheet. Continue with the rest of the eggplant.

Cover the bottom of a baking dish with some tomato sauce and arrange eggplant over the sauce covering the dish. Cover the eggplant with some more sauce, grated mozzarella,
Romano cheese, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning and basil. Repeat to make 2-3 layers (depending on baking dish and how much eggplant there is.) Lastly, top with a few pieces of butter and bake until hot and just beginning to brown, about 30-35 minutes.

Flank Steak Tacos

Anytime my husband is looking to impress a friend, he whips these babies up. It never fails that customers always leave satisfied. Ask any one of our friends, they have ALL had Micah's flank steak tacos and they have all come running back for more. Micah makes these for me with shrimp, so it just goes to show you can substitute any protein you would like.

We use La Victoria taco sauce and salsa to make these, but it can be tricky to find. If you don't have luck, use whatever authentic Mexican sauces your local grocer has. Also, don't worry if you don't have a food processor! In our college days we didn't have one so we use to grate the tomatoes with a box grater. It was a great arm workout.


As I said in the webisode, there is some prep work to these and they cook for nearly 4 hours but it is well worth it. This dish is perfect for lazy Sunday.! At our house, Sunday equates to cook-day. We spend nearly half the day in the kitchen cooking up a storm. It's become somewhat of a family tradition.



Micah's Flank Steak Tacos

6 tomatoes
1 large onion
2 jalapeno peppers, finely diced (use one if you are sensitive to heat)
3-4 garlic cloves, finely diced
1 jar of La Victoria, taco sauce, hot
1 jar of La Victoria, salsa, hot
1 bunch of cilantro, chopped
1.5 pounds of flank steak
salt
pepper

Blend the tomatoes, onion, salt and pepper in a food processor until coarsely chopped. (See note at bottom.)

Pat dry the flank steak. Salt and pepper both sides. Cut steak into 2-inch cubes.

Set a large skillet to medium-high heat. Pour a generous amount of vegetable oil. Cook meat until seared (browned) on all six sides. About 2-3 minutes per side.

Add entire jar of taco sauce and stir. Add tomato and onion mixture stir. Add the salsa, stir. If sauce looks thick, fill salsa jar half way with water and add to steak sauce. Add jalapeno, garlic and cilantro. Stir.

Reduce heat to medium low. Add a generous amount of salt and pepper. Simmer for 3.5 to 4 hours until the meat breaks apart with a fork.

It's Always Good for a Change

I was browsing the internet today and happen to stumble upon some kitchen items that got me all excited, and it got me thinking on making a blog post about it. It's never a bad thing to spice things up a bit (no pun intended) so I hope no one minds the departure from the usual webisodes. Who knows, maybe this will be a regular thing? No worries though, Friday will have my usual video banter, and this week I am sharing my husband's flank steak tacos recipe, something he is somewhat famous for around our circle of friends. So onto the dream list....

Wusthof Classic Santoku Knife

I have good knives, but not great knives, and boy would I love to wrap my pseudo-chef fingers around this professional baby. Honestly, I'll take any Wusthof, or Henckels. What appeals to me about this particular knife is that the grooves cause the knife to act as a serrated knife. You can chop, slice, and dice anything easily and food will not stick to the side of the knife. To me, the "test" for a good knife, is how well it can chop juicy tomatoes, and I think this knife would score an A++.

Breville Hot Cup

One day, when I have the kitchen of my dreams, I will have an infinite amount of counter space that this handy dandy water boiling system will not be a cluttering agent. I admit, that I drink an exorbitant amount of tea. It is definitely a habit I have formed and I would love to have a pot of boiling water at my beckon call.

Perfect Portions

It is well known that the elements of a perfect cake (or any pastry for that matter) is the right amount of ingredients. It is for this precise reason that I am not a huge fan of baking. I am much more a spontaneous chef then a methodical one and having to measure this and count that drives me crazy. Most bakers will tell you that measuring cups and measuring spoons just don't cut it and, if you are seeking perfection, a scale is what you need. Well, this baby takes things to a whole other level. It not only a scale, its a dietitian and a nutritionist too! This is perfect for anyone monitoring calories, sugar, or carbs and has a database of nearly 2000 foods.

Mr. Bento Stainless Steel Lunch Jar & Bento Lunch System

I am a teacher, and therefore never get to experience the joys of feeling like an actual professional and taking an hour lunch break out of the building. Creating an interesting lunch poses quite a challenge. (Sandwiches get boring really fast!) But than there is Mr. Bento to the rescue. With 4 different compartments that fit into the stainless steal vessel the combination of delectable lunch treats are endless. And the kids version would end the guilt I feel every morning as I pack lunch, snacks, you name it, into Ziploc bags!




Speaking of Japanese Bento boxes, check out these outrageous creations! That's not quite what I had in mind when I mentioned I needed to jazz up my lunch....but I could only imagine the commotion it would make in the teacher's lounge.

Floral Inspirations

We always have flowers in the house, and these minimal floral arrangements are exactly the look I am going for these days. I just love how organic the placement of the flowers are.

Hope you guys are enjoying the week! (Chef)uality will be back Friday with its usual webisode post! Cheers and happy eating!