kinfolk magazine ; issue one

Have you all checked out Kinfolk Magazine? If you haven't already, please do.

In a world where families and friends can hardly gather together without the distraction of smart phones, TV and other gadgets, it's refreshing to see young people putting emphasis on the importance of eating together. It's not all about the food, it's about the company surrounding you. The best kinds of meals shared with the ones you love are the ones that last a long time, just talking, laughing, feeling cozy and close. Kinfolk Magazine focuses on this tradition.

With it's gorgeous photography, perfect layout and thought provoking content, this magazine is absolutely wonderful. Flipping through this issue made me want to gather all of my favorite people and throw a dinner party that will last for hours.

For the first issue, click here.

plates!

Flora & Fauna Dessert Plates $32

When it comes to your kitchen, accessorizing what you're cooking is almost just as important as how well it tastes. With so many great and affordable serving items out there, why not pick up some gorgeous dinnerware? Here are some pretty plates that I've come across and love:

Flights & Fancy Dinner Plate $12-$16

Scott Lifshutz Appetizer Plates $24

Script & Posy Salad Plate $12

Field Study Rimmed Dessert Plates $32

Picnic Time Plate $6

simple summer enchiladas

When you're craving enchiladas, there is almost no way out of it. It's a certain type of craving that really can't be ignored. Okay, it can be ignored. In fact, for the benefit of your health it should be ignored most of the time. However, every once in a while it can be both a delicious and somewhat nutritious meal. Mexican cuisine is probably my favorite ever, but it can be a dangerous thing too often. God knows what restaurants really use back there in the kitchen and what truly goes into your food. The amount of butter and grease involved in restaurant foods like enchiladas can be astounding. So take matters into your own hands! Plus, you can have leftovers (unless you lick the dish clean.)

With dishes like enchiladas, it's important to practice the "use what you have" mentality. Take a look inside of your cabinet, freezer/fridge and see what kind of cheese, meat and veggies you have. Just make sure you have some tortillas, tomato paste and spices.

Buying canned enchilada sauce can be convenient but it can also lead you into a mysterious situation. Ask yourself: What is truly in it? Can this be made at home? The answer to the second question is almost always yes. 9 times out of 10, homemade versions of your store bought favorites are much more delicious and basically guilt free. Plus, you can say you made it yourself! That's something to be proud of.

Simple Summer Enchiladas:

What You Will Need-

-Tortilla wraps (I used five sundried tomato wraps.)

-Lean ground beef

(use the right amount according to how many people you are serving. Keep in mind that there will be vegetable fillings as well)

- 1 can of sweet corn

-1 can of black beans (no salt added)

-1/2 cup of chopped baby spinach

-4 tsp of cumin

-2 tsp of paprika

-2 tsp of chili powder

-2 tsp of parsley flakes

-2 chopped garlic cloves

-1 yellow onion

-2 tsp of hot sauce

-3 cups of chicken broth

-3 tbsp of tomato paste

-salt & pepper

-1 cup of mozzarella cheese

1. To start the enchilada sauce: add the chopped garlic, chicken broth, tomato paste, 2 tsp of cumin, 1 tsp of chilli powder, 1 tsp of paprika, salt & pepper, a sprinkling of mozzarella cheese and the 3 tsp of hot sauce to a sauce pan. Stir & then let it simmer for about 30 minutes.

2. As the sauce is simmering, get your other ingredients chopped and ready to be prepared. Throw the onions into a sautee pan with garlic. In the same pan, brown the ground beef until it is cooked thoroughly . Drain the grease out. Season the meat accordingly (add the remainder of the spices)

3. Once the onions, garlic and meat are seasoned and cooked to perfection, add in the chopped baby spinach, black beans (drain & heat up in the microwave first) and corn (drain as well). Stir & let everything cook together.

4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. As the oven is heating up, drizzle olive oil into a glass baking dish and line up your tortillas evenly spaced.

5. Add the filling to each tortilla, sprinkle a bit of cheese on top and then roll each tortilla up. Once they're all filled & lined up, pour the enchilada sauce over everything & then sprinkle salt, pepper, parsley and more cheese on top.

6. Bake in the oven til it's golden & bubbly!

Enjoy!

french garlic bread with caramelized onions

Let's face it. Garlic bread is one of those things that everyone loves to shove in their mouths almost any chance they get. It's one of the ultimate comfort foods but after awhile, same ol' garlic bread gets a bit boring. Similar to chicken, bread is the type of food that is simply a canvas just begging to be painted on. So start painting! Get creative with foods like this because the discoveries are endless.

Garlic bread is typically an Italian type of side dish accompanying an equally garlicky main course. So today I decided to experiment with different additions to the basic garlic bread combinations. The outcome was a bit of a French inspired version of the old favorite. The key difference in this recipe that I wanted to focus on are: lemon & rosemary.

Are you willing to take the risk of smelling like you just bathed in a tub of garlic and onions? Okay, good.

What You Will Need:

-Good bread!

(I used sliced italian bread that I had laying around the kitchen and needed to be used up. This is a great recipe that will help you use up the last couple pieces of fresh sliced bread before it goes bad! no waste!)

-One yellow onion (I used half since I didn't make that many pieces)

-Juice of one lemon

-Extra Virgin Olive Oil

-Balsamic Vinegar

-Parsley (Dried or Fresh)

-Two garlic cloves

-Rosemary

-Black Pepper

-2 tbsp of butter

-Good quality shredded mozzarella cheese

-Shredded parmesan cheese

For the caramelized onions-

1. Heat up your sautee pan with a bit of olive oil.

2. Mince one clove of garlic and toss into the pan to infuse the oil, but keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn't burn.

3. Chop up the yellow onion and add to garlic & oil in the simmering pan.

4. Stir the onions, garlic & oil around so everything is evenly coated.

5. Squeeze the juice of 1/2 a lemon into the pan & sprinkle black pepper onto the onions.

6. Add just 1/2 tsp of balsamic vinegar into the pan. Make sure everything is evenly coated.

7. Sautee in the pan on medium until the onions are fully caramelized.

For the French butter & bread-

1. In a small mixing bowl, add the butter (make sure it's at room temperature/a bit soft. if not, put in the microwave for 10 seconds), parsley, pepper, rosemary, 1/2 tbsp of olive oil, juice of 1/2 lemon and garlic (one clove minced) until it is all smooth and evenly mixed. Use a fork to really get in there until it reaches a good consistency.

2. Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees.

3. As the oven is heating up, line a cookie sheet with tin foil and drizzle a bit of olive oil onto it to avoid sticking.

4. Slice up your bread however you desire and line them up on the sheet.

5. Spread the French butter onto each slice of bread and then add the caramelized onions.

6. After each slice has the right amount of butter and onions on top, sprinkle a bit of shredded cheese to the top. (I used mozzarella cheese & parmesan cheese)

7. Bake until golden brown (about 10 minutes)

enjoy!

roasted veggies!

Let me start this off by saying that I just love to cook for people. It's one of the top things in my life that I truly truly love to do. Generally, it's extremely therapeutic to cook. Something about the chopping, dicing, mixing, sauteeing that really puts me in a good mood. On top of all of that, it's an extremely creative process! You are making something from scratch (most of the time) and creating a dish that you and your loved ones can enjoy together. In my opinion, the colors and presentation of the food is just as important as the taste. Everything has to flow together and come straight from your heart.

Two of my favorite vegetables are sweet potatoes and string beans. They have their own little flavors going on but on the whole, they are like little sponges, completely vulnerable to every flavor you want to add to it. That's when food is fun. The challenge of taking a plain ol' string bean and turning it into something delicious.

For this meal, I needed a side dish for my chicken dish (I wish i took pictures! it was just chicken breasts baked in a homemade lemon-scallion-herb sauce. I will make it again, I promise.) and while carbs are always (ALWAYS) fun, vegetables needed to be dealt with. This is where my little orange & green friends enter the situation. For both, I prepared them with the every-day kind of herbs & spices that can be found easily in almost everyone's kitchens :

Not So Boring String Beans:

What You Will Need:

-A bunch of fresh string beans (prepare the right amount for the size of the crowd you're cooking for)

-2 tbsp of Olive oil

-1/2 cup of Chicken broth

-Juice of one lemon

-Salt & Pepper

-1 tsp Onion flakes

- 1 tsp Cumin

-1/2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes

-1 1/2 tsp Garlic powder

-1 tsp Sesame seeds

-1 tsp Parsley flakes

-1 tsp of Oregano

1. Wash the string beans & cut off both ends on each one.

2. Put the string beans into a medium sized mixing bowl

3. Combine all of the ingredients into a small bowl (note: I used a measuring cup) and mix together til a sauce is made

4. Pour the sauce over the string beans so everything is evenly coated.

5. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and let the beans sit while you take care of the sweet potatoes. (If you're skipping the sweet potatoes, just put the beans on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet & bake them for about 20-30 mins)

Somewhat Spicy Sweet Potatoes

What You Will Need:

-Sweet potatoes (I chopped up three)

-2 tbsp cup of olive oil

-1/2 cup of chicken broth

-Juice of one lemon

-1 tsp of chilli powder

-1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper

-2 tsp of garlic powder

-1 tsp of paprika

-Salt & Pepper

1. Make sure the oven is preheated to 375 degrees

2. Cut up the sweet potatoes, coat them a bit in olive oil and put into a mixing bowl

3. Once they are in the mixing bowl, put them into the microwave for 5 minutes to soften them up

4. While they are softening up in the microwave, combine all of the other ingredients into a small bowl. Wisk together til a sauce is formed

5. Once the 5 minutes are up, remove from microwave and pour sauce over the potatoes

6. Mix together so everything is evenly coated.

7. Transfer potatoes to a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Leave room for string beans (if you are making them as well) and bake together for 45 minutes.

Enjoy!

pretty kitchens.

Sometimes I daydream about the day when my kitchen isn't the tiniest thing ever. Don't get me wrong, I love my kitchen in my college apartment. It's tiny but it is perfect for just me. My apartment is very old and I can't change much about the design of the kitchen (hello cabinets. you REALLY need to go, but you cant.) I get by with what i've got.

Since i'm a fan of interior design, it's exciting to think of the day when I can have a big, real life kitchen to decorate.

Here are some beautiful kitchens i've come across lately:

from beautiful spaces & places
from my ideal home
from design*sponge
from skona hem
from 79 Ideas
from decor8

from my ideal home

Let's face it, kitchens are one of the best (if not the best) rooms in a house so it should be well designed and thought out. The colors and all of the little details count. When you love to cook, it's super important to have a comfortable and cozy place to create.

iced coffee

marshmallow flavored iced coffee!

Iced coffee is quite possibly my favorite thing ever in the summer time. In fact, I love it in the winter as well. It's just the best afternoon pick me up and also the perfect thing to wake up to. While I don't like to drink coffee after 5pm, I have it atleast once or twice during the day. I must admit, I love trying different flavors when it comes to coffee. I'll be keeping track of what I discover on here.

Note: NEVER try mango iced coffee from Whole Foods. Or anywhere for that matter. Mango & coffee flavors do.not.mix.well.

writing/working on different projects at Panera with a gigantic hazelnut iced coffee. Cannot go wrong.

spanish potatoes

This is a quick & easy way to jazz up potatoes. Now, I named this Spanish Potatoes but in reality, I am just an Irish-American girl attempting to spice up a very Irish item. Let's just say that this experimentation in the kitchen turned out delicious with just the right amount of spice and flavor. It's simple and tastes even better the next day.

What You Will Need:-Yukon Gold Potatoes (I used four)-One yellow onion chopped-A mixture of olive oil & canola oil- 1 tsp of paprika-2 tsp of garlic powder-1 tsp of cumin-1/2 tsp of chilli powder-1/3 tsp red pepper flakes-Salt & Pepper (sprinkle on evenly. Use your best judgement)

1- Slice and dice your potatoes, put them in a mixing bowl and then put in the microwave for 5 minutes to soften them up.2. Once the potatoes are softened up, let them cool a bit.3-Slice the yellow onion and then throw them into the mixing bowl with the potatoes. 4- add 3 tbsp of olive oil and 2 tbsp of canola oil. Throw in all of your spices. Mix it all together with your hands (wash your hands first, obvs!) so each and every potato and onion slice is covered with all of your ingredients. 5- Heat up a decent sized sautee pan on the stove (on medium) and coat it with a bit of olive oil.6- Once the stove is heated up, throw in everything. Stir it occasionally so everything is evenly cooked. 7-Cook for about 45 minutes until everything is crispy and delicious looking!
Enjoy!

Strawberry, Mint & Coconut Icing

When it comes to sweets, I'm not obsessed or anything. I mean, obviously I'm not anti-cupcake or anti-cookies. Who the hell is? But when it comes to sweet vs. savory, I will almost always want savory. However, I want to expand my culinary horizons (oy, that sentence is making me want to slap myself in the face) and bake more. Cupcakes are clearly the most obscure baked good ever. Isn't anyone going to discover how cute and delicious these things are? Come on. It's like a foodie secret just waiting to be uncovered.

All sarcasm aside, I decided I wanted to test out a recipe that I've seen over and over again but I wanted to add my own twist. Cream cheese frosting is something that rules. Hello, red velvet cake! I wanted to take matters into my own hands and experiment with my frosting daydreams (skinny!) and see what would happen. I was very pleased with the outcome so it's time to share:

*note: I used store bought chocolate cake mix. A total loser move, huh? This is me taking baby steps with the baking, alright. Let's concentrate on the icing :)

What You Will Need:

- Naked chocolate cupcakes baked & cooled ready to be iced

-About 2 cups of fresh strawberries (or thaw out some frozen ones if that's what you've got)

-About four fresh mint leaves (I used about two too many.)

- One package of non-fat cream cheese

-4 teaspoons of Splenda

-3 teaspoons of butter

1/2 cup of coconut milk

note: All of these measurements created enough icing to cover 15 cupcakes, and I still had more leftover.

1- Pour your strawberries into the food processor/blender (whichever you find is easier) until they are silky & smooth.

2- Once the strawberries are blended, add your coconut milk & sugar and blend all of that together as well. Once that is blended, then add the cream cheese & butter.

3- Mix everything together until it is resembling some type of whipped goodness. At this point, it's good to taste test it a bit to see what else you can add before the mint goes in. I realized I needed to put a couple more strawberries in with the mint leaves. Then hit that blender button!

4- Once everything is taste-tested and looking good, remove from food processor and pour into a bowl. You're going to want to let the icing sit for about 45 minutes before you ice your cooled off cupcakes.

5- And this is the outcome once everything is said and done! I decided that the cupcakes needed some accessorizing once they were iced. They were looking sad, so I crumbled up two Oreo cookies (put the cookies into a plastic bag & go over it with a rolling pin) and sprinkled them on top.

Overall, I think the taste is different and refreshing! The mint could be left out if you're not into the idea but I think it really gives it a little something extra and is the perfect compliment to the subtle taste of the coconut, chocolate and the refreshing strawberry.

four green pesto

Sometimes I don't get the right amount of greens that I should every day. While I'm not a fan of light colored lettuce like iceburg (to me, it's worthless.) i'm a huge fan of dark leafy greens like arugula & spinach. Lucky for me, those are the best types of greens to eat. While I'm working on making sure that every meal I eat includes an array of colors (i'm a recovering 'white food kid'), eating greens is (most of the time) boring. So this is where pesto comes in handy.

Pesto is delicious, garlicky & nutty magic. I've found that store bought pesto is almost always barf-worthy. No matter what the brand, it always seems to have a mysterious taste with an even more mysterious ingredients list. Pesto is quite possibly one of the easiest things to make, so why should it's ingredients label list be outrageously long with chemicals & other crap I can't even pronounce? It's kind of silly.

The best store bought pesto that I've ever had is Le Grand Garden Pesto

The packaging is so beautiful and striking, but what's really striking is the aroma that hits you as soon as you open it. It literally smells like you are walking through a basil garden. The ingredients are simple but the price tag is not. It's around $8 for a package of this and if you're like me, on a 20 something budget, that's not cutting it. If you don't have time to make the pesto from scratch, it's a good investment to get this kind. The unique packaging makes it easier for the pesto to last a bit longer in the fridge also. So if you're going to go with store bought, go with the best. Don't go with the crap.

But let's get back to the D.I.Y approach.

To make Four Green Pesto this is what you'll need:

-A bunch* of:

Basil

Spinach

Arugula

Green Onions (5 stalks cut up)

-Juice of one lemon

-Extra virgin olive oil

-3 chopped garlic cloves

-1/2 cup of almonds

-1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

-Dried herbs & spices

Salt & Pepper

Red Pepper Flakes (one dash/pinch)

Oregano flakes (three dashes/pinches)

*when I say a 'bunch', i mean to just eyeball how much you think is necessary.

Once all of the ingredients are washed & chopped, add them gradually into the food processor. First blend two of the greens (ex: basil & spinach) with some garlic and olive oil to get it into a smooth consistency. Once it's somewhat of a sauce/paste, add the next two greens until that is smooth as well. Throw in the rest of the ingredients & squeeze the lemon juice at the end. Give it one last blend and then let sit for about 10 minutes. Chill it immediately until it's ready for use.

The options are endless for pesto. Throw it on basically anything you want. It's the savory version of nutella, if you ask me. It makes any meal a bit more interesting. Here's how I used it the past couple of days:

-chopped yellow onion, organic quinoa, pesto, corn, arugula & diced apple.

-Pesto, a sprinkle of parmesan cheese folded into a pastry puff with black pepper on top. baked at 375 degrees for 15 minutes or until golden brown. (the "before" picture is at the top of the post)

beer of the week: smuttynose summer weizen

Now i'm certainly no beer expert, but I do enjoy tasting new beer & differentiating the flavors. One new beer that I tried this week was Smuttynose Brewing Co.'s Summer Weizen. I'd be lying if I said that their packaging doesn't attract me immediately. There's this gem above. My boyfriend and I named her "Ethel" or "Edna" (both are appropriate). Their IPA has two old men in flannel shirts sitting in lawn chairs on the cover. I mean, come on. What more can I ask for? Oh yes, the taste.

It's delicious and refreshing. It's brewed with a combination of both domestic & continental wheat & barley malts, lightly hopped & fermented with a Belgian wit yeast. There are hints of chamomile and other floral-y tastes that really flow well together and make your taste buds very happy.

$8.99 for a six pack.

strawberries

As you all know, it's been pretty damn hot lately. The thought of even getting dressed the past couple of days is enough to make me want to yell (let's face it: nothing is comfortable or cute in 100 degree weather. A.C please). But food? That's where it gets tricky. Most food is hot..and when your skin is already boiling from the hellish temperatures outside, what's your palate to do? Eat some strawberries!

While grocery shopping, I decided to pick up some strawberries. Now i'm not one to really snack on these but recently i've been enjoying the taste of them much more than usual. Maybe it's a texture thing, but I never really cared about just biting into one. Strawberries, however, are the type of fruit that can be used in so many ways and the flavor can be savored (oy, that rhymes) endlessly. Not to mention they're a great source of vitamin C, fiber and potassium. Here are two extremely simple ways I used them this week:

Sweeten up some boring iced water:

- slice up some fresh strawberries (or frozen! just let them thaw out a bit) in any way you please. I like to cut off the green part, and slice them up a bit on the thinner side so the 'flesh' of the berry really gets soaked up in the water.

-add your fruit slices & a decent amount of ice cubes into a pitcher
-fill up with water & put in the fridge for about 30 mins to let it all soak together! Keep chilled. THE END!

Oh and if you're in the mood to completely cancel out most of the nutritional value (well, kinda) then dip them in some melted chocolate (i used 1/2 cup of milk and a 1/2 cup of chocolate chips melted on the stove til it was smooth and saucey) & chill for one hour in the fridge on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.

Nothin' like corrupting a sweet innocent berry.