AfricanKelli

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Talked some friends into joining me for dinner this week at Gallo Blanco. If you live in Phoenix and haven’t made it in for a meal yet, andale! The food is great, the staff is kind and the atmosphere is eclectic.   The fish tacos, in particular, are my favorite. Also, the guacamole is so, so good — rivals that of the locally famous guac at Barrio Cafe.

These chilaquiles were gone before I could come up for a breath. Yum.

~K

This weekend a couple of Matt’s friends from home were in town. It’s golf week in Phoenix — which is typically the craziest and best week of the year for fans. The PGA event last week was in Tucson and this week is in Scottsdale. Lots of  of players and caddies — like Woody and Mick — are hanging around between events.

It was such a treat to meet two of Matt’s friends. He’s been immersed in my social scene since he arrived more than a year ago. He and Salty are like “brothers from another mother,” and they spend more time together than I spend with either of them. He’s also one of the family at Sunday dinner and has been overwhelmed by the number of friends here who truly missed him during his latest 5 month adventure into never-neverland. (Australia/Africa/NOT TEMPE)

So, we had dinner a couple times this weekend with his “mates” and oh, how I loved it. Not only did they want to talk golf, which I have a slightly jaded love and respect for, but also Africa, politics and dumb things Matt did in high school. As you can imagine, it was a delight.

In turn, they enjoyed a typical meal from my family cookbook: Mexican meatloaf, roasted sweet potatoes, french bread with rosemary garlic butter and brownies. Of course, brownies.

Without a doubt, I miss Africa.

~K

Paired with some greens for dinner last night. The new farmer’s market at ASU started yesterday and I spent way too much money on way too little — but the flavors were wonderful. Plus, I’m learning that it is often not cost/time effective to do the best thing for your community (farmer’s markets, carpooling, low energy use electronics) but it is still the better option. And so, we very much enjoyed the $5 tomato — sliced with a bit of salt and savored before scallops and greens.

Today starts lent, and those who’ve been around for a while know that traditionally means the kickoff to Calculated Acts of Kindness (CAOK). I’ve done this for 4 years. This year, with a variety of new challenges in hand, I cannot. I fully believe CAOK is something you do regardless of the season and I hope my excessive efforts of the past have encouraged others. My one hiccup was the jaded feedback I’d misplaced humility to seek praise for good deeds. Noted. This year, my lenten journey will be private.

If you are participating in CAOK, I’m happy to praise you. Keep me posted on what you are doing!

~K

The latest issue of Cook’s Illustrated featured a three-page spread on the author’s love of chewy brownies. She admitted boxed mix brownies are chewy and delicious and she didn’t see the point in making them from scratch. But, this being Cook’s Illustrated, getting it just right with your own ingredients was a challenge she couldn’t overlook.

With a weekend dance card full, I knew a brownie challenge was in order. I bought 2 boxed mixes – Ghirardelli is my favorite and made them exactly as the box says. (I am not always one to follow directions, but this time I put on my best scientist hat and tried to minimize my own touches.) Then I made two batches of the recipe listed – “Cracking the Code to Chewy Brownies.”

In a nudge to get more people to appreciate this magazine, I am intentionally NOT listing the recipe. If you love to cook and you aren’t reading CI, you should be. And if you want desperately to make these brownies, find this one issue. March/April 2010. Again, it will be worth your couple of dollars.

The results?

Matty, freshly home from Africa, helped me wrap up each set. Red were out of the box. Pink were homemade. I put them in gift bags with a few other goodies and over the weekend began receiving returned surveys. Which did they like more? Why? I had about 20 people play and 10 or so provided feedback more than the crumbly, “Brownies?! YUM!”

(Always appreciated, but not exactly helpful for this project.)

For the most part, it was a 50/50 split in who liked homemade vs. boxed. There was one significant problem in my experiment — I accidentally added too much salt to the homemade version. Some folks liked this, others thought it was gross.

I like the fact the $2 box mix is cost effective and takes 45 minutes total. I also like the cakey, beautiful shine and robust flavor to the homemade brownies, although they cost $6 a pan or so. For special occasions, I’ll stick with homemade. For the bulk of baking brownies, I remain a fan of the exceptional Ghirardelli box mix.

Your thoughts?

~K

make limoncello.

My friends Juliann and Jennie are super smart librarians who can drink me under the table. Our outings regularly involve new restaurants and swapped recipes, books that are secret gems of the library, Meatloaf lyrics, and wine. Red wine, to be precise.

They recently decided to make limoncello with the current bounty of Arizona citrus. They threw a limoncello party this weekend and it was, as described above, more fun than you can imagine. We sat outside by a great fire while the men smoked cigars as we sipped our limoncello, enjoyed countless rounds of bruschetta and homemade biscotti (these foodies know no limits) and laughed until my cheeks hurt.  This is a new group of friends for me — but one where I’ve quickly found a comfortable place. And they seem rather comfortable with me too — calling me on my BS and deliberately not laughing at my jokes when they could have been told better.  Juliann and her hubby are two of the most generous hosts I’ve ever encountered. They’ve had me over countless times in the last year and each time I’m surprised by the caliber of their welcoming friends into their home.

It also helps the Js are as sarcastic and cynical as I am about many topics. Much like their limoncello, they are tart and strong. We three are the sole members of the “Anti Vampire Book Club,” where the only rules are: no poetry (not my rule) and most certainly no vampires. If you knew them, even if you are a Twilight fanatic, you’d understand. And you’d be laughing.

~K