Recipes | sfgirlbybay

friday food files with molly watson: grilled mussels.

Do I date myself too much by confessing that mussels always make be think of Squeeze and the song “Pulling Mussels (From the Shell)”? They do this despite being one of my big-time food memory foods, you know, those foods that food folks remember vividly form childhood, those eating moments on which we look back and realize that our lives in food were, perhaps, a bit set in stone before we even knew it.

Mussels are almost always – I’m going to say nine times out of ten? – steamed. Steaming is a great way to cook mussels, no doubt. Grilling mussels, however, is even easier, less messy, and about a thousand times more fun. Throw them on the grill, leave them on until they open and cook, then eat them. Seriously, grilling mussels is just that easy.

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Each week, the Friday Food Files are deliciously brought to you by Molly Watson. For more on Molly and her delicious recipes, you can visit her in one of many wonderful places:
Writer: mollywatsonwrites.com
Blogger: thedinnerfiles.com
Recipe Wizard: localfoods.about.com
Radio Girl: eatthatradio.wordpress.com
tweeter: twitter.com/mollywatson
teacher: mediabistro.com/courses/cache/instr404.as

[ Photos courtesy of Molly Watson. ]

by victoria | posted in guest blogs, you gotta eat | tagged "molly watson", grilling, mussels, recipes, seafood | comments (7)

friday food files with molly watson: Superbowl Snacks.

stickyribs

I will not be watching the Superbowl on Sunday. Not even for the ads. I’ll be out enjoying the relative calm and quiet of the wide variety of public entertainments that are empty because everyone is home eating snack treats and watching a screen and cheering.

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The snacky treats and beer, however, do sound good. I’ve pulled together a list of beer-friendly homemade treats for the occasion. My own favorites include sticky glazed ribs, homemade potato chips (although beet chips and sweet potato chips are tempting, too), and spicy seeded peanuts.

beetchips

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Each week, the Friday Food Files are deliciously brought to you by Molly Watson. For more on Molly and her delicious recipes, you can visit her in one of many wonderful places:
Writer: mollywatsonwrites.com
Blogger: thedinnerfiles.com
Recipe Wizard: localfoods.about.com
Radio Girl: eatthatradio.wordpress.com
tweeter: twitter.com/mollywatson
teacher: mediabistro.com/courses/cache/instr404.as

[ Photos courtesy of Molly Watson. ]

by victoria | posted in guest blogs, you gotta eat | tagged "molly watson", "superbowl snacks", beets, chips, peanuts, recipes, ribs | comments (7)

friday food files with molly watson: thanksgiving prep.

Have you ordered the turkey? Planned the menu? If you’re still looking for yummy things to serve, I’ve pulled together a bunch of my favorite fall produce-based appetizers that would be perfect to start things off next Thursday. Ditch the chips and salsa or plain veggies and dip and try making your own potato chips or, for more color, beet chips (that’s right, you can make beet chips – how f-in’ cool is that?).

beetchips

I also gathered up some great fall salads that can stand to sit around for awhile while they wait to add a burst of color and crunch to the Thanksgiving feast.

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Were you asked to bring a side dish? True, the vegetable sides have neither the glamor of the turkey nor the glory of a pie, but these autumnal side dishes can all be made ahead and reheated or simply served at a slightly warm room temperature, making it easy on you and the host when it comes to serving time.

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Did I say pie? I think I did. Everything I know about pie is in this guide, from pictures of what the dough should look like to different ways to crimp the edge.

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Happy Thanksgiving everyone! May your turkey be moist and your pie be flaky, but most importantly may your fellow diners be charming.

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Each week, the Friday Food Files are deliciously brought to you by Molly Watson. For more on Molly and her delicious recipes, you can visit her in one of many wonderful places:
Writer: mollywatsonwrites.com
Blogger: thedinnerfiles.com
Recipe Wizard: localfoods.about.com
Radio Girl: eatthatradio.wordpress.com
tweeter: twitter.com/mollywatson
teacher: mediabistro.com/courses/cache/instr404.as

[ Photos courtesy of Molly Watson. ]

by victoria | posted in guest blogs, you gotta eat | tagged "molly watson", recipes, thanksgiving | comments (0)

good reads: homemade goodness.

homemade-life

okay, so i know i’m a little late to the game, and i’ve had this book on my shelf for a while now, but i am simply loving molly wizenberg’s a homemade life! i’ve been reading all this rather deep and mysterious fiction lately, so to dive into molly’s book is like finding the dark clouds have lifted! i adore the personal, and candid way molly writes, her very forthcoming honesty and well, her contagious enthusiasm for food!

poladoughhands

as you may already know molly writes the wonderful food blog, orangette, but it’s so much more than recipes. molly is an engaging story teller, the kind that make you want to become her best friend, and spend a day lingering at the farmer’s market, or just hanging out drinking gobs of coffee and baking her yummy recipe for banana bread (any chance you’re listening, molly?!). molly and her husband brandon (whom she met through the blog!) have just opened a new restaurant in seattle, too – delancy, which is already packed with diners clamouring to try out their wood-fired pizzas and vegetables from local farmers, seasonal salads, charcuterie, and rustic desserts — the kind molly writes about and they like to make at home. i highly recommend a homemade life, and checking in on orangette on a regular basis.

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[ pizza dough & restaurant pic courtesy of orangette. top photo sfgirlbybay. ]

by victoria | posted in good reads, you gotta eat | tagged "molly wizenberg", cookbook, delancy, orangette, recipes, Seattle | comments (11)

friday food files with molly watson: Cucumber Martini.

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When summer gives me cucumbers I make a lot of tzaziki, that garlicky cucumber yogurt salad that is at its best with plenty of freshly ground black pepper and dill stirred in (at least in this humble girl’s opinion).

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But at a certain point I get a bit tired of garlic-studded cucumber yogurt. Last night I was in the mood for a cocktail. No bottle of beer, no glass of wine. I wanted a big girl, grown-up cocktail. So I shook myself up a gin martini and threw a few slices of cucumber in it along with a grind of black pepper. I shook the life out of it, strained out the cucumber and added fresh garnish-quality slices. I kicked back to watch the sun set in many shades of pink and orange in the California sky as I sipped its icy coolness. Peace and calm were mine. I wish the same to you.

cucumbermartini