Finish Strong

By Steph Farrar

Wow them in the end. That's always been my goal. On stage, finish with your best song; on the track, score with your fastest 400 yard dash of the season; on New Year's, compliment your love with the best toast of the year.

And on a cleanse, finish strong. Don't cheat. 

Because if you do, you will regret it. 

My favorite meal of all 30 days, shrimp with tomatoes and zucchini, topped with fresh parsley. So easy. Preheat oven to 400 and roast cut tomatoes with olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and add shrimp to cookie sheet, roast for another 5 minutes. Serve over zoodles and top with fresh parsley.

There's a sick satisfaction with bragging rights. You've worked hard, you need recognition, you crave attention. Maybe that's why you did this whole thing to begin with? 

Or perhaps that is what your life has been about... attention? The world is a stage, yes?

Let's get back to food. 30 days of really good food. I hope I made this look easy. Because it is; it was. And it will be the next time I do (we do) another Whole30. I've decided to stick to this food plan, loosely. Yes, I will tear off a bite of that ridiculously good pretzel bread and warm butter before my Alaskan King crab and sautéed spinach, Yes, I will have a gorgeous glass of Cab with it. Yes, a bite of cheesecake every now and then. But moderately...proudly.

This goodness sneaks in with a major surprise. Blend 3 cups of spinach with one egg. Pour onto a parchment lined cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes on 400. Cook egg whites in a little oil, top with tomatoes and avocado, s+p. A fake breakfast burrito! Whole30 would not support this, as any sort of carb "fake" isn't allowed. I said screw it.

Deprivation is one thing. And it's no good. Take something away from yourself and all you will do is obsess over its loss. 

But moderate with balance, realize you're not "missing" anything, and know it's only 30 days. It's meditative, restorative. 

One of the only meals I didn't make on my Whole30, from the Lake Arrowhead Resort and Spa, white and green asparagus with salmon topped with tomato compote. Marvelous.

Ever since I was little, I've always romanticized the notion of 'being a writer.' Actually, I romanticize most aspirations in my life, but tend to focus more on the end result, rather than the journey. 

I wanna be a writer, go on a book tour, sign autographs, high five strangers; I wanna be a rock star, sell millions of albums, tour the world, fly my friends to special vacations on yachts; I wanna host a cooking show, spread my love of gathering, drink wine like an Italian, listen to jazz while slow roasting lamb. 

Wait, that last one... that's gonna happen. And I'll romanticize it until it's a reality. 

Tender meatballs with slow cooked rainbow chard and brussels sprouts.

Chop chard and sprouts nicely, cook in a little olive oil and s+p while you make the meatballs. Combine 1 lb. ground sirloin, pork or turkey with chopped zucchini, an egg, any herbs you feel like, s+p, grated carrot and red pepper, form into balls. Heat olive oil in pan and sear the meatballs for about a minute on each side. Add sauce to pan (you can either make sauce like this (no cream), or add jarred sauce, my favorite is Rao's marinara). Let simmer on medium-low for 20 minutes. Add to chard and brussels.

Seaweed Salad with raw Ahi tuna. I don't care what diet you're on. This will kill you every time.

Combine high quality Ahi tuna with a touch of sesame oil, garlic, coconut amino, s+p, red pepper flake and let marinade. I bought this seaweed salad from Gelson's and it ruled. This is a great recipe, minus the sugar and replacing the soy with coconut amino.

I think life is a process of figuring out the joy thing... where do we get it from? Do we just pull it up like an onion from the soil and cross our fingers it makes a great base for life? Do we search for it with intent and purpose, or just let it arrive? 

Some people thrive on wellness and exercise, some cleanses and nutrition, some alcohol and drugs, some parenting, some addicited to work.  It's taken me this long, after being an athlete, a bartender, a singer, a songwriter, an actor, an assistant, a home cook, an organizer... (shit) to land in a spot that feels just right. Start with the heart of the home. the kitchen. And move out from there. 

Minestrone. One of my favorite make-in-the-morning go-to's. Recipe here. Skip the beans for Whole30 - and the pancetta if sugar is present. Use Pederson Farms bacon.

This wins every time I make it. Turkey burger patty over spagetti squash, with avocado, salsa and fresh cilantro. First roast your spagetti squash like French does it here. The combine 1 lb. ground turkey with one small diced onion, fresh herbs, and an egg. Make patties, cook over medium-high heat in olive oil for 3-4 minutes per side. Let rest. Plate over squash and top with avocado, salsa, and fresh cilantro. Die.

I'm missing my Whole30, something to obsess over daily, a focus. When I'm not working or writing, cooking or parenting, I feel a void. I had to take a break from organizing to let my body heal. Cause I'm old. 

All I wanna do is feed people. Manual labor hurts. 

Simple salmon skewer with onions and red and green peppers. I just grilled this right on a stove-top griddle. And served with an arugula salad with avocado and peach... lemon vinaigrette.

Three recipes - one day of your Whole30. Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. Start with scrambled eggs in coconut or olive oil, Whole30 approved sausage, fresh fruit and an almond milk latte.

Breakfast above. Lunch below. Dinner follows. 

Chicken apple sausage with mustard, greens, mango salsa, red pepper and cucumber to dip into avocado crema.

The best chicken chili you've ever had. In fact, I'll probably do an entire post on this recipe. I stole it from the Whole30 instagram recipe page. In a nutshell... get out your slow cooker in the morning. Add one diced red pepper (or two), one diced onion, 5-6 minced garlic cloves, 2 deseeded diced jalapeños to the bottom of your slow cooker. Add 3 tbsp cumin, 2 tbsp chili powder, 2 tbsp dried or fresh oregano, 2 tbsp salt and freshly groud pepper. Add 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast and cover with 4-5 cups of chicken or vegetable broth. Cook on low for 5-6 hours. Remove chicken and shred with two forks. Return to pot and add one can of full fat coconut milk. Let cook on high for another half hour. Serve with fresh avocado and cilantro.

And a few more ideas before you decide to join this Whole30 journey...

I hate this picture. But the meal was excellent. Roasted sesame seed crusted pork tenderloin with cabbage, apple and pear slaw, topped with thyme. Combine 5 tbsp olive oil with a lot of minced garlic (like 5-6 cloves) s+p and whisk for a minute. Add the marinade and pork to a plastic bag and let flavors combine for at least a half hour. In a bowl, add half a head of chopped green cabbage, one sliced green apple, and one sliced pear. Top with fresh thyme. For the dressing, combine 3 tbsp olive oil with juice of half a lemon, s+p in a bowl and whisk. Add dressing to the cabbage combo and let sit. Preheat oven to 400. Remove pork from bag, cover all sides in sesame seeds and press into the meat. Sear on high heat on an oven safe griddle for 3-4 minutes per side. Place in oven for 14-16 minutes.

Sauteed, one-pan goodness. Ground turkey with sweet potatoes, spinach and topped with parsley. In a large sauce pan, bring one tbsp olive oil to medium heat and add one small diced onion. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Add ground turkey and brown meat. Add diced sweet potato and cook on medium-low for 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add 3 cups of spinach to the pan and let wilt. Cook for 3-4 minutes to combine flavors. Season with additional salt and pepper if needed.

Turns out diet can help reduce inflammation. Over the last 30 days, my thyroid levels have gone down, my overall sleep has set records in my life, and my general attitude about food has shifted.

This stuff really works.

It's only 30 days, remember? 

2 week Whole30 Shopping List

Proteins:

• 1 dozen organic brown eggs

• 1/2 lb. deveined shrimp

• 2 lbs. ground turkey / beef / chicken (or combination)

• 1 packet chicken apple sausage

• 8 oz. turkey sausage

• 1.5 lbs. boneless skinless chicken

• 1.5 lbs. wild salmon

• 1/2 lb. ahi tuna

• prosciutto

• 1 pork tenderloin

• 8 oz diced pancetta

Vegetables / Fruits:

• tomatoes

• 6-8 zucchini

• 2 large onions

• head garlic

• head green cabbage

• shredded carrots

• white and green asparagus

• rainbow chard

• brussels sprouts

• 3 red peppers

• scallions

• seaweed

• 2 sweet potatoes

• spagetti squash

• spinach

• romaine lettuce

• 2 cucumbers

• celery

• avocado (at least 3)

• jalapeno

• lemons / limes

• strawberries / blueberries

• mango

• 3-4 peaches

Spices / Herbs / Pantry:

• basil

• cilantro

• thyme

• parsley

• mint

• salsa

• coconut aminos

• almond milk

• almonds / hazelnuts

• olives

Tacos and a Loss for Words

By Steph Farrar

It’s been a while since I’ve posted, and while I’m a little embarrassed by it, as this is a forum to express myself, I’ve also just been out of words.  The past few months has been littered with exhausting work and play, developing projects, the creative process, a haunting election, and now the aftermath of said political hoo-haa. Of course, there are words, there are millions of them to be said and written and expressed, but I’m having difficulty putting together sentences that reflect the times along with my broken little heart.

How do I discuss food, or something delicous I whipped up out of pure necessity, while Iran is testing ballistic missiles? How can I sit and enjoy the SAG awards or a Federer / Nadal major final while a beyond arrogant narcissist rules the roost and threatens the only America I’ve ever known? How do I talk to people in my life who voted this thing into office and not become vehement, or saddened, or back to the depressive state I’ve worked very hard to climb out of?

Just do it, I guess? I’ll just do it.

I’ve been rather sick of feeding myself and people lately. I’ve reached a plateau of recipe testing; it’s become banal. Only in the wake of too much to read, to catch up on, dozens of causes to support and protest, time sucked away on too regular a basis. The only way I’ve been able to make more time is by opening up my late evenings to expression and creativity. Usually by the time both my kids bodies and minds are fast asleep, my head hits the pillow, I’ll read for a bit, and that’s a wrap. That’s all I got!

A few things. When you’re sick of feeding people, use what you have and just get it done. This will make you feel creative, feed your aching tummy, and get you on your way faster to the next or current project you’re working on or toward. I claim rotisserie chicken, often, as one of the most important and useful things in my fridge for grown-up and kids meals. Another thing; with this year newly under your belt, give your body some sort of break. Give it a little detox if you can manage. I made the insane committment to myself 14 days ago to cut out alcohol for 60 days total, and holy bananas, I’ve never felt better in my life. I’ve been blaming bad sleep, anxiety and mild depression on parenting. Nope. All that crap is gone with the toxins in my body. Clean body, clean mind: balanced, productive mama.

Sam says parenting is full of “long days, short years.” Even in a quiet home, two kids at school, abruptly 3 pm creeps up, and I’ve barely made a dent in my creative endeavors. The struggle to make ends meet, keep myself happy and content, produce art and work that makes my soul sing… is truly endless. And thank God it is. I don’t know where I’d go if I yielded.

I won’t belittle the creative process with a forward bend into “make these easy tacos, get happy.” We are all craving ease right? Feed these human people, feed ourselves, keep our heads up, show up, do our best work. Try to remain calm and collected, focused on a process of seeking joy and purpose? Impeach an insane president? Test the boundaries of the human condition? We can do it all. Together

Flynn picked out this avocado for me. Lucky Californians get the best avo’s, never short. I made a very simple Sriracha / buttermilk dressing to drizzle on the tacos, and it truly made all the difference in flavor and my general attitude toward this new year.

I don’t know if a food blog is the best forum for introspective transparency, but this is my place to unfold and let you have my heart. In the middle of what feels like a large open room, where I’m a bit afraid, I’m somehow filled with the knowledge that we are never alone. There is no alone! Thank the stars we have each other if we choose to reach out, to get out of those comfortable slippers and put on our working boots.

I love cooking shortcuts. Hence, rotisserie chicken. If you are a meat eater, I suggest one a week. Then make some stock from the carcass.

I hope you enjoy some peace this week, knowing you are making a difference. Maybe fold your arms around a friend for an extra long hug. She probably needs it.

Rotisserie Chicken Tacos

Ingredients:

• 2 cups cooked rotisserie chicken, diced

• 6 corn or flour tortillas

• 1 medium red onion, diced

• Olive oil

• 1 avocado, peeled and diced

• 8 oz, crumbled queso fresco or feta cheese

• Bunch cilantro, finely chopped

• Salt and pepper

For dressing, combine:

• 2-3 tbsp Sriracha

• 1/2 cup buttermilk

• 1 tbsp dill, finely chopped

Directions:

Heat 1-2 tbsp of olive oil in a saute pan. Add onion and cook for 3-4 minutes or until fragrant.

Add chicken to pan and stir. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for an additional 3-4 minutes until warm.

Over an open flame, char tortillas for 10-15 seconds per side.

Add 1/4 cup chicken and onion mixture to tortillas. Top with cilantro, avocado, crumbled queso fresco, a squeeze of lime and a pinch of salt. Drizzle sriracha / buttermilk dressing over top.

Wrap tortilla in foil and let sit for 1-2 minutes, allowing the cheese to melt and flavors to meld.

Enjoy!

Noodles and a Marathon

By Steph Farrar

(Marathon length post, so SPOILER)

It all started Alumni Weekend, last October 2015, 20 years after high school. I stayed with one of my oldest and dearest friends on Lookout Mountain, TN, where I was raised well, even after all the middle-of-the-night sneak outs and kissing boys, smoking cigarettes unwell. I drove into town from Atlanta with another high-school sister, my senior roommate, the only year I boarded away from home. When driving North to Chattanooga, you round a corner directly under Missionary Ridge and just beyond the bend, a great looming, vast city, bordered by mountains, hills, and ridges announces itself to you.

And when we came upon that reveal, we hurrayed. It was actually quite comforting that we were happy to be back. Nearing the end of our thirties, it's basically an even playing ground now. We're almost (if not) mid-life, searching for answers, for purpose and meaning. And it's just now getting a little easier to accept that I'm not 25 anymore.

But it still hurts.

However, not quite as much as a half-marathon. So I have Kathleen of Lookout Mtn. to blame for the pain. As well as the achievement. After our athletic years in high school, both runners, and after the reunion, she signed me up for the Vancouver Seawheeze half-marathon in August of 2016.

Signing your friend up for a half marathon is kind of like giving someone a fish for their birthday. Like, ugh... I have to deal with this now. I have to train, book a ticket and inevitably run 13.1 miles?  But damn if it didn't pay off (not that a fish really pays off; it's a pain in the ass actually.) But finishing 22k? That's some will power, Jedi mind shit. And I'll never regret a single step.

Bucket List

I don't care if you worked out today. One of my favorite lines is, "I don't want to hear about your workout unless you fell on the treadmill and broke your face." But I'm sorry to report I am here to brag. One bucket list item checked off, completing a half-marathon before 40. Because I'm an idiot. And I like any kind of adrenaline rush, like a runner's high. Ask me about bungee-jumping off a freestanding gondola in Interlocken over turf, or paragliding off a low Lake Tahoe ravine. Good move dummy.

So...this is our Before.

The Starting Line is nearing and the pressure and excitement is everywhere. It's infectious. There is no way I'm not gonna finish this race.

I love the marooned lady in the forefront, hands on her friends shoulders. A lovely, human moment.

I can say one thing about Vancouver.

Canada.

God I love Canada. It's so clean. Calm. Generous. Warm. Even though it's usually freezing. They're all just SO NICE.

If you're going to run 22 kilometers on a Saturday morning, it might as well be somewhere breathtakingly beautiful. It's difficult to shoot good photos while jogging, but I tried. I met Vancouver downtown at the impending Starting Line. I greeted this city one mile at a time; throughout the riverwalk, over and back along an extra long bridge with elevation on both ends, mermaids, surf sirens, a guy manning one of those water hover suits holding a sign of encouragement, pumper-uppers on stationary bikes, inching us 1k closer, a sign which read "Ryan Gosling is waiting with a puppy and a beer in 5K. You can do it!" and most importantly, a GREAT playlist.

There are some people who crave camera time. And some who'd prefer to remain behind, masked, private. (I tend to shift but in this case...) you would have to pay me to dress up like a mermaid, paddle board on a melted glacier in a Grecian robe, or sky rocket in a hover-water IronMan suit... with the goal of encouraging half-marathoners to finish strong. I would just rather run the marathon.

I must admit, their presence was passionate; the demonstration of art as a means to support and encourage was invigorating. And I believe I finished because of that support. My legs were little fried chickens.

But the end was near.

I took pictures of two meals from my time in Vancouver. After 13.1 miles of running, we walked four miles around the city, landing at The Noodle Bar, chowing on the BEST spicy Kung Pao Chicken and reminiscing how brave and successful we were. It's not even noon and we already made 30k Steps. So we ate whatever we wanted. And had Oysters, Beef Carpaccio and (I had a) Cabernet from Miku for dinner.

It looked like this:

then this...

then this...

then these amazing kung pao noodles and a cold beer:

Kung Pao Vancouver

then dinner at Miku... after a four mile site-seeing journey.

In my life, I've had some very proud moments... times when I've surprised myself with some level of success. Winning our Region Pentathlon as a junior, summiting Mt. Shasta summer before my senior year, shaking David Letterman's hand after performing with Weezer, Marrying the love of my life, birthing two watermelons, finishing a Whole30... and completing a half marathon.

Celebrating these moments, these successes has been paramount. I want to run the Malibu half marathon in November so I can power shove a huge bowl of carbonara into my mouth, from the local Italian eatery Tra Di Noi. Sign me up.

And keep these moments coming.

Kung Pao Chicken

stolen 1000%  from Feasting at Home

Ingredients:

• 1 lb chicken (or sub roasted cauliflower, see notes below)

• ½ tsp salt

• ½ tsp sugar

• 1 ½ tbsp corn starch

• 1-3 tbsp peanut oil or vegetable oil for frying - optional, see notes.

• 1 red bell pepper - or handful dry red Chinese chilies (see notes)

Kung Pao Sauce:

• 1 ½ tsp chopped ginger

• 1 ½ tbsp chopped garlic

• 2 tbsp water

• 2 tsp fish sauce

• 1 tbsp soy sauce

• 1 tbsp oyster sauce

• 1 tbsp vinegar (black vinegar if you have it, or use rice or white)

• 1 tbsp sugar

• 1 tbsp garlic chili paste (Sambal chili paste)

Garnish: roasted peanuts, green onion (sliced at a diagonal), lime, raw bean sprouts

Cooked noodles (2-3 servings), rice noodle or rice

Directions:

If making noodles or rice, get them cooking.

Cut chicken into ¾ inch cubes and place in a bowl. Add the salt, pepper, sugar and cornstarch to the chicken and toss.

(Alternately -- if using cauliflower, roast cauliflower florets in a 450 F oven for 25-30 minutes, with olive oil, salt and pepper)

Chop ginger, garlic and thinly slice red bell pepper into thin strips.

Measure all the condiments and place in a small bowl (water, soy, fish sauce, oyster, vinegar, sugar and garlic chili paste) and give a quick stir.

Heat oil in a wok over medium high heat, and when its hot, brown the chicken, turning, tossing and cooking through about 5 minutes.

Turn heat off and place crispy chicken on a plate lined with paper towels, blot.

Wipe out wok, add 1 tablespoon oil and heat over medium heat.

Add the red bell pepper and sear over medium heat until tender and just slightly charred in places, about 3-4 minutes. Make a well in the center of the bell peppers, add the ginger and garlic and sear (keeping them in the center), cooking and stirring 2 minutes until they are fragrant and golden. You may need to add a few more drops of oil.

Add the small bowl of mixed sauces to the wok and bring to a simmer, lower heat, then place the cooked chicken (or roasted cauliflower) back into the sauce and toss well, coating it and heating it back up. Serve over rice, noodles, or add the cooked noodles directly into the wok and sear them for a minute or two. Serve immediately.

Garnish with roasted peanuts, sliced scallions, lime and raw bean sprouts.

Notes:

If subbing with crispy tofu, prepare it in the same way as the chicken, blot, cut into small cubes, coat with salt, pepper, sugar and cornstarch (you may want to use a little more cornstarch) , and fry in the wok until crispy. Then set aside. (Alternatively, you could use "baked tofu" and not fry it, adding it at the end into to the sauce.)

*For a lighter version, use roasted cauliflower instead of chicken and add it to the wok with the sauce (at the very end). You, of course, can also add other cooked veggies, tossing with the flavorful sauce. You can sub another sweetener for the sugar, like agave, maple or honey, but flavors won't be balanced if you leave it out altogether.

*If you use the whole head of cauliflower, you may want to increase the Kung Pao sauce by half so make 1 ½ times the recipe). 

*Traditional Kung Pao also includes a handful of red, dried Chinese chilies (Thai red chilies are too spicy) . I usually toss these in at the end with the garlic and ginger, but in this recipe you don't really don't need to because of the chili garlic paste. If you do choose to use the dried chilies, add them in right after the the ginger and garlic, and decrease the garlic chili sauce in the recipe.

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Chicken Lettuce Cups

By Steph Farrar

This week, my post was going to be ... a glass of wine. How to open it, pour it, and drink it.

And then I remembered, most people reading this already know how to do that. And do it well.  So I decided not to waste your or my time.

I've been to an Urgent Care or doctor's office 6 times in the last two weeks with one or both kids. So I've gotten VERY good at opening and drinking wine. I thought I could share my expertise, but again, unnecessary.

Lay it all out there

Lately, I've noticed a common theme among friends regarding the kitchen, cooking, hosting, prepping, serving. More often than not, folks are genuinely scared of cooking. I think more appropriately stated, they're scared of failing at cooking. The stakes are high when you make the decision to invite people over and serve them, or whip up dinner for your best friend, or even to spend the afternoon recipe-testing on your own. It can be expensive, it's definitely time consuming, and it will absolutely destroy a clean kitchen. Unless you're Type A or have a live-in housekeeper.

Red Onion or Shallots - your choice

And then I started thinking about this blog and our input and impact. Truthfully, I should make all of my pictures look as terrible as my kitchen looks while cooking up these recipes before, during and after. Clearly these are staged food photos to help you understand the process, break down the ingredients, see how I chopped, minced, or diced etc. But am I giving off the wrong impression? Am I making it too staged, too set up, too perfect? (which is kind of a joke anyway, as I'm no photographer)

It's anything less than perfect. It's a process. And it's really not scary.

Shrooms

So, new mission. Make cooking less scary. For instance, this recipe is literally nothing more than adding a few things to a bowl and combining, cutting up some protein and vegetables, and throwing it all in a hot pan. Then spooning it all into a piece of crunchy lettuce. That's it.  Not. So. Scary.

Get it all in a pan. Watch it work for you.

There's so much that fills me with fear.

Bringing up two little ones in a world that's getting hotter and heavier with time? Anxiety inducing. Driving through a canyon in the rain at night, alone? Terrifying.

But cooking? Especially home cooking? Nah. I'm not trying to be Anthony Bourdain, Nigella, Bobby... I won't pretend I belong in a professional kitchen.

But I try every day. And if you can afford the time and groceries, you should try as often as you can as well. Even if it fails, who knows? You might enjoy it!

Chicken Lettuce Cups

stolen from Epicurious

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons light soy sauce

• 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce

• 2 tablespoons clear rice vinegar

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 teaspoon sugar

• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 2 teaspoons fresh ginger, minced

• 1/3 cup red onion,minced

• 1 cup chopped button mushrooms

• 1/2 cup water chestnuts, minced

• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, minced

• 8 to 10 inner leaves iceberg or butter lettuce

• Handful of fresh cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped

Directions:

Combine the soy sauce, hoisin sauce, rice vinegar, salt, and sugar in a small bowl and mix together until the sugar dissolves.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a wok or deep pan over high heat. Stir-fry the garlic and ginger for 20-30 seconds. Add the onion, mushrooms, and water chestnuts and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes. Remove the contents of the wok.

Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in the wok. Swish the oil around, add the chicken, and brown for 2 minutes, or until no longer pink. Add the cooked vegetable mixture back to the wok, decrease the heat, and stir in the sauce mixture. Stir for 1 minute, or until the sauce is heated and the chicken is cooked through.

Spoon the filling in equal amounts into the lettuce cups. Top each lettuce cup with cilantro and sprinkle with chopped cashews. Serve warm.

A Simple Stir Fry

By Steph Farrar

I can't seem to say goodbye to summer. It's certainly having difficulty leaving us, based on the current temperature in late October. But I won't complain. Instead of zucchini, I'll have apples and persimmons. And those will do just fine by me.

I'd like to endlessly agree with my partner, Sierra, on the great anticipation of things to come. There's an urgency present as the year begins to wind down into the Holidays; there's a magic pulse pushing its impatience on me. There's the yoga I should be doing to relax, yet I tend to pour that third cup of coffee instead. And often, in lieu of sitting down to write, I look around our beautiful home and realize I will always want to update, change or buy something to improve it. I'm dying to plant a million new flowers and trees in the backyard, and elevate Sam's studio into a botanist's dreamscape. There will always being something to distract me. Always. So take it easy girl. One day at a time. Rome wasn't... yada yada yada.

Shredding.

A few weeks back, Sierra and I visited a dear friend at her newly renovated home, brought three bottles of wine and some groceries for this simple stir fry. Needless to say, three bottles wasn't enough.

I'm serious. And this was on a Monday. (cut to: the reason I no longer imbibe during the week, unless on vacation, a special occasion or a wrecked day deserves a kick back).

All the ingredients you need!

The early evening quickly took a turn for a late night hang and three girls devouring not only the stir fry, but each other's presence and conversation. This is, literally, besides my family, what I live for. Bringing friends together in a comfortable atmosphere, kicking off our shoes, sipping on something delicious and letting our mouths and minds wander free. To gather, to converse, to share, to let it all out. This is everything to me.

Which is the basis for our collective anticipation of such amazing things to come for French and Farrar. This is what we do... and what we should all do more often. Get together. Cook. Drink. Chat. Repeat.

This is the exact kind of "one grocery bag" meal that makes dinner so much more than just about the food.

Simple Stir Fry

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. chicken, sliced into either thin strips or small cubes, or you can cook the breasts and cut after

• 1 red pepper, thinly sliced

• 3 carrots, peeled and cut 1/4 inch, or shredded (my preference)

• 1/2 head of green cabbage, thinly sliced

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• 1/4 cup soy sauce

• 1/3 cup teriyaki sauce (optional)

• 1/4 tsp ground or dried ginger

• 1/4 cup chopped scallions

• olive oil (or canola)

Directions:

Combine soy and teriyaki sauces in a bowl, add garlic and ginger. Add the chicken to the bowl and let marinate for at least ten minutes in the fridge. The longer the better.

Heat oil in a pan on medium heat. Add chicken and let cook through, about 3-4 minutes, stirring. Remove chicken from pan and set aside.

Add carrots and red pepper to the pan and let soak up the juices. Cook, stirring for about 5 minutes. Add cabbage, and any remaining sauce unused from the marinade bowl.

If you want more sauce, just add soy and teriyaki in small amounts, testing it along the way. Throw the chicken in and let it all mold together, stirring often. until soft, but still painting a light crunch.

Remove from heat and serve with chopped scallions. Serve over rice if you desire or with a dash of red pepper flakes, but it certainly doesn't need it.

I can eat this five nights a week.

Roasted: Chicken not Coachella

By Steph Farrar

It's the first Tuesday after Coachella and I get a sense that everyone is somehow thrilled it's over. Maybe it's my harrowing view of music festivals and grouchy age, but as much as I wish I could escape to the desert for the weekend, embrace complete freedom and walk in circles from one amazing artist stage to another, it just wasn't in my stars. Roasting a bird, however, right up my weekend alley.

I can literally feel myself getting older when I say such things. I grew up in the South, no stranger to live music. It's all I did, what I lived for. When I didn't have an essay due or a soccer game or track meet, I craved a concert. If there was live music by the river on a Sunday, we rugrats managed get a ride to the waterside, sneak cigarettes and maybe a beer and catch Tracy Chapman, Neil Young, Widespread Panic (ugh), Jimmy Buffett. Early mornings turned into super long days, soaking in the humidity, eating funnel cakes and looking for boys we liked, shying away when spotted. That's my kind of music festival.

The basics.

Life was so simple, so basic. Like a one-pot meal, all year long. I like to think, now our goal is to keep it simple. I don't know about you, but life is just hard sometimes. I feel completely resolved knowing that, embracing it, and forging ahead. And I truly believe that making meals like this roasted chicken and veggies assists in keeping me sane and calm, because it's simple.

Ewwww. Raw chicken.

I'm usually vehemently against a picture of raw chicken, but this is a tutorial, and I care about you getting this right. Don't be scared!

If you don't already have a roasting pan, this is a great time to purchase one, as well as the grate that floats the bird above, so juices run off and season the vegetables underneath. You can always roast directly in the pan, but I believe flavor is taken to another level when pan-drippings make their way into your recipe.

Tie his little feet.

You want to make sure you pull out the giblets if still inside the cavity. Discard or keep for making broth or gravy, your call. I discard. After rinsing and patting dry, salt and pepper the inside of the bird generously, stuff with two lemon halves, halved garlic and bunch of thyme. Then tuck the wings and tie the feet with kitchen string. Salt and pepper the exterior as well. Use softened (or melted) butter and spread all over.

Let's call our chicken Larry from now on.

Larry goes in the oven by himself, tented with foil for about 45 minutes at 425 degrees. Then get out your chopping block.

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Cut it all up.

Yep, cut it all. Medium chop.

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You know that feeling when your whole body rests and sort of lifts away? And you feel a light little hover, a peace, a resolve? I get that way when I watch Ina Garten smoothly instruct me how to cook, plate, entertain, enjoy. I get that way when I hear a tennis ball strike while quietly writing. And when Anthony Bourdain says, really, anything at all. Pure mellow.

There are so many roasted chicken recipes out there, but I always stick to Ina's perfect roast chicken.  Cause it's good and so easy. And Sam, like Jeffrey, loves a roasted chicken.

Pure simple. Like 90's jam bands. Like the 90's period.

Dinner for two!

When your vegetables are all chopped, season with salt and pepper, add a couple glugs of olive oil and a bunch of finely chopped thyme. Once Larry has been in the oven for 45 minutes, pull him out and add your vegetables to the bottom of the pan and cook for an additional 45 minutes. Soooooo easy. Soooo good.

The final touch on this amazing recipe is the gravy. Whatever you do, don't forget the gravy.

And try to keep is simple. Real simple.

Roasted Chicken with Veggies

Adapted from Ina Garten's Perfect Roast Chicken

Ingredients:

• 1 5-6 lb. roasting chicken

• 1 large bunch fresh thyme

• 1 lemon halved

• 1 head of garlic, cut in half crosswise

• 2 tbsp melted or softened butter

• 1 large yellow onion, thickly sliced

• 4 carrots. cut into 2-inch chunks

• 1 fennel bulb, cored and cut into wedges

• 6 small red potatoes, halved

• kosher salt

• freshly ground pepper

• 3-4 tbsp olive oil

• 1/4 cup all purpose flour

• 1/2 cup low sodium chicken stock

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees, place rack near the bottom of the oven.

Remove the chicken giblets. Rinse the chicken inside and out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pin feathers and pat the outside dry. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken. Stuff the cavity with the bunch of thyme, both halves of lemon, and all the garlic. Brush the outside of the chicken with the butter and sprinkle again with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken. Tent with foil to catch the crazy oil popping madness. Roast for 45 minutes.

Remove Larry from the oven and remove rack from pan, carefully. Combine onions, carrots, fennel, and potatoes with olive oil, salt, pepper, 20 sprigs of finely chopped thyme (removing as many leaves from sprigs as possible). Spread vegetables around the bottom of the roasting pan and return the chicken on top.

Roast the chicken for an additional 45 minutes (without foil) or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh. Remove the chicken and vegetables to a platter and cover with aluminum foil for about 20 minutes.

In roasting pan, bring remaining juices to medium heat, scraping up any brown bits. Add chicken stock a few tablespoons at a time, constantly whisking the brown bits up and combining with the stock. Slowly add bits of flour, while whisking into a thickish brown gravy. Continue adding stock and flour until you reach your desired thickness.

Slice the chicken onto a platter and serve it with the vegetables, drizzle with gravy.

Dinner for two.

Leftovers and Chicken Salad

By Steph Farrar

My husband and I started a side musical project a few years ago called Bubble and Strife. Our anecdote: Husband and Wife. Husband and Strife. Bubble and Squeak. Bubble and Strife.

In short, Leftovers.

Sam was in a band for almost 15 years called Phantom Planet and I was in a band called Agent Sparks. Unfortunately both have disbanded and life has moved on, but the music is still out there... and will be forever. So in a sense the music never dies, even if you want it to.

After a few years of neither Sam nor I grazing a stage, we decided it was time to face that long-winded fear. We, leftovers of years of touring and making music, compiled a handful of original songs and covers and somehow pulled off a thirty-five minute set, opening for Ben Ottewell from Gomez. For our first show, it was pretty damn good... especially for new parents who were operating on little to no sleep at the time. It's now been over a year since our last show... that urge is coming upon us both again.

So on to leftovers. Do you ever buy rotisserie chickens from the market? I buy at least one a week, even if I plan to roast a whole one at some point during said week. It's nice to have around, especially with a picky kid-eater. Fried rice, chicken pasta with broccoli, minced lettuce cups, and definitely chicken salad.

Add whatever you have around, nuts, dried fruit, crunchy fruit

My first favorite way to enjoy leftovers is a schmorgesborg of whatever is in the fridge: chicken, carrots, celery with hummus, jarlsberg and brie cheeses with salami and crackers, a spicy mustard or fig dip, grapes, almonds, and always tons of olives.

My second favorite? Chicken salad. If the diced chicken is accompanied by a crunchy fruit and/or vegetable, dried fruit of some kind like cranberries or raisins, a nut of some sort, some herbs, a tiny dollup of mayo or yogurt, olive oil, salt and pepper... we'll eat the whole bowl in one sitting.

Chicken Salad2

If I'm not daytime drinking wine, I'll always settle for a Pellegrino aranciata. The chicken salad doesn't even need bread, but if you have it and aren't on a starch-free fix, enjoy an italian or French loaf slice, even a cracker.

Aranciata always

When you're done with your rotisserie chicken, don't trash it! Stick it in your slow cooker, add water, onion, celery, carrots, herbs, salt and pepper. Let it slow cook overnight, strain solids and bam... you'll have an incredible homemade chicken stock. Full recipe to come.

I'm proud of my leftovers. You should be too.

Chicken Salad with Cranberries, Apple, Toasted Walnuts

Ingredients:

• 1-2 lbs. diced rotisserie chicken

• 1/4 cup chopped red onion

• 1/2 cup toasted walnuts

• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro

• 1/4 cup dried cranberries or raisins

• 1/3 cup diced green apple

• 1/4 cup diced celery

• 2-3 tbsp mayo or greek yogurt

• 1/4 cup olive oil

• Juice of one lemon

• salt and pepper

*toast french loaf slices, top with olive oil, chicken salad, sliced avocado and arugula & season with salt and pepper

 Directions:

Literally put everything in a nice size bowl and gently mix together.

Season with salt and pepper.

Enjoy as a salad, sandwich, or appetizer on a cracker

Inspired and a Bowl of Soup

By Steph Farrar

Not too long ago, a few friends joined Sierra and I for a summer bowl of soup, cornbread, mango micheladas, mint margaritas and a key lemon tart with blueberries. Even on a hot summer day, a bowl of soup can work... as long as dear friends share a seat in the shade and join us sipping something cold.

Fixins

This past week, Sam and I were miraculously able to see a few movies together, two in the theater, two at home. While I love going to the movies, the two documentaries we watched on Netflix at home were not only informative culturally and socially, but they were inspiring on a subject I've been focused on lately: a life's dedication to work and how that dedication and love of work leads to success. First we watched Jiro Dreams of Sushi, a 2011 David Gelb film, following the 75 year career of, arguably, the world's finest and hardest working sushi chef. And secondly we watched Senna, the 2010 Asif Kapadia film which documents, entirely from raw footage, the impeccable career of Brazilian Formula One driver Ayrton Senna.

While the films have nothing to do with Chicken Tortilla Soup and having friends over for an afternoon party, I've been obsessing, clinically and radically, over food, its preparation, its science, its beauty, and its grip on me for the last few years. Even more so in the last few months. After watching and somewhat studying Jiro and Ayrton's allegiance and passion for their work, I'm beginning to finally understand how loyalty to ones craft is born: continue doing what you love and never stop, never concede. The legendary English marathoner, Sir Ranulph Fiennes, only months after having heart surgery, ran 7 marathons in 7 days on 6 different continents. I'm reminded of one of his best quotes,"That part of the human mind which tells us to give up... that part is suspect."

It seems like a little ole' housewife thing to do: enjoy cooking and feeding people. Seemingly the opposite of female evolution. I fear my doctor and lawyer friends, my career motivated artist and fashionable lady-friends might jeer at this. Alas, I can not avoid or deny the sheer pleasure it gives me.

So, I will. I will continue cooking, inviting friends for dinner, posting, writing, working, doing what I love... and never stop. That is, until my presence becomes a nuisance or in any way interferes with the product, the meal, the race. I'm trying to avoid coming across like a motivational speaker here, but it's hard to not be inspired by the relentless work ethic of Jiro, who has loved every single day of his life in work, making the same thing over and over again, for the ten special guests who grace his subterranean Roppongi Hills subway sushi stop.

It's hard to avoid being influenced and encouraged by Senna's unyielding desire to be number one, to put to shame that arrogant Frenchman, Alain Prost, to win more World Championship's than anyone in history, to exist as the idol Brazil needed and deserved.

A bowl of soup does it for me. Friends visiting for a drink, a football game, a chat, a sweet dessert to complete a perfect afternoon in the Los Angeles sun. If I've done that right, I'll do it over and over, forever, continuously, relentlessly. If that brings joy to my soul and to my friends' palettes and personas, I've won.

Friends

*Photos courtesy of Christopher Wray-Mccann

Chicken Tortilla Soup with Cornbread

Soup Ingredients:

• 3/4- 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into cubes

• 1 tbsp. olive or vegetable oil

• 1/2 small onion, chopped

• 1 tbsp. chili powder

• 1 tbsp. tomato paste

• 4 cups low sodium chicken broth

• 6 cilantro stems

• 1/2 cup corn kernels

• 1/2 cup black beans 1/2 cup diced cherry tomatoes crushed tortilla chips

*diced avocado, chopped cilantro, crumbled queso fresco, sour cream and lime wedges for serving

Soup Directions:

Heat oil in large pot over medium heat

Add onion and cook for about 3 minutes

Stir in chili powder and tomato paste and cook for 30 seconds

Add broth and cilantro stems and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered for 10-12 minutes, until reduced to 3 cups

Season chicken with salt and pepper and add to broth. Cook for 3 minutes

Discard cilatro stems

Divide corn, beans, and tomatoes between bowls. Pour piping hot broth over ingredients.

Add avocado, lime, cilantro, cheese, and sour cream. Enjoy!

Serves 2

note: if you have oven-proof soup bowls, keep in warm oven before adding corn, beans, tomatoes and chips. Soup cools rather quickly once the hot broth touches the cool ingredients.

Buttermilk Cornbread

Grandmother's buttermilk cornbread from www.allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter

• 2/3 cup white sugar

• 2 eggs

• 1 cup buttermilk

• 1/2 tsp. baking soda

• 1 cup cornmeal

• 1 cup all-purpose flour

• 1/2 tsp. salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease an 8-inch square pan

Melt butter in a large skillet. Remove from heat and stir in sugar. Quickly add eggs and beat until well blended.

Combine buttermilk with baking soda and stir into mixture in skillet.

Stir in cornmeal, flour and salt until well blended but a few lumps remain. Pour batter into prepared pan.

Bake in oven for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Cheers my dears