Friday night we started with drink & h’ors d’oeurves at Hotel Vitale. We had a spectacular view of the Bay Bridge – slightly shrouded in fog – and the Ferry Building. Afterward we walked over to the Ferry Building for a special street fare dinner that featured some local yummy treats.

Saturday afternoon was an amazing Tasting Pavilion event.  This event had another spectacular view from the top of the Metreon. The layout was fantastic – far larger than I would have ever predicted. And so many generous and talented purveyors sharing samples of their food.  For me, the sparkling wine fiend, one highlight was the California Sparklers Tasting hosted by Alder Yarrow of Vinography.com.  Well done & delicious!

Saturday night was a dinner hosted at the Greenleaf distribution center. What a treat to see their headquarters (immaculate!) and have such an amazing dinner served to us.  I was lucky enough to share a table with folks from Greenleaf, Frog Hollow Farms, and some other local bloggers.  We had wonderful conversations and found a lot of common ground.

I wanted to simply thank FoodBuzz again for hosting this event. I loved it and look forward to future years of exciting food blogging! What a great community you have created!

For Margaux I often mix prune puree into oatmeal.  Or with ricotta cheese.  She is wild for prune puree no matter how its served, but those are some ideas that are baby and adult friendly.

The best thing is – its super fast and easy to make:

• Put about 8 prunes in a small pan with ~1 c. of water.  Bring to a simmer & cook about 10 minutes (covered).  The prunes should be plump and soft.  Puree the prunes and water together or just the prunes alone.  Add to anything!

For Margaux: I love to take greek yogurt and add in special seasonings.  A few favorites (for her & me!):

• yogurt + applesauce + cinnamon
• yogurt + sugar free jams (fruit only jams)
• yogurt + veggies

Give this type of yogurt a try. The best thing is to purchase it plain and add in your favorite items. Then there is no extra sugar, and certainly no hidden HFCS.

Note: a LOT of yogurts have high fructose corn syrup – including Yoplait which I used to love. AVOID any yogurt with HFCS!!  And especially don’t give it to a baby.

Yesterday we traveled to Portland and after landing I had my brother take us by New Seasons which is a fabulous grocer in the Portland area.  I picked up a bunch of fruits & veggies so I could make Margaux some food.  She tends to really enjoy Swiss Chard, so last night she got to try polenta & I added swiss chard to it.  She was a huge fan! The best thing about this recipe is its perfect for old & young alike, a great way to eat polenta & get more greens!

Swiss Chard Recipe:

• Wash & trim the leaves off one bunch of swiss chard.  Tear or chop the leaves and place into a glass container with a lid.  Add about 2 tablespoons water.  Cover and microwave for ~3 minutes.  Stir and microwave 1 more minute if needed.
• Remove and add everything to a blender.  Blend until finely chopped and smooth.
• For Margaux I add this puree directly to many dishes.  You can also freeze it if you do not want to use it all at once.  This can be added to adult dishes as well.  You will be shocked at what a small amount of puree this makes from such a big bunch of leaves!

Polenta:

• Bring 2 cups of water to a boil.  Add a generous pinch of salt.  Sprinkle in 1/2 cup of polenta.  Stir constantly and lower heat to low/med-low.
• Keep stirring and keep heat high enough to gently simmer the polenta.
• Polenta will cook in approximately 20 minutes – give or take.  It is best to stir nearly constantly.
• Remove from heat and mix in desired seasonings.  Good choices are: salt, pepper, butter, Parmesan cheese, spices, etc.
• For Margaux I added a small amount of salt, pepper, and a pat of butter.  Then I spooned out her portion and added a big tablespoon of swiss chard puree.

Perfect for kids of all ages!

I’ve never roasted figs in this manner but I give it a huge thumbs up. They were fantastic with the lamb and made all the flavors melt together.  We served with mashed potatoes and grilled veggies, all in all a lovely dinner.  Perfect for a romantic dinner at home or entertaining friends!

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
• 4 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
• 1/2 teaspoons dried marjoram
• 2 2-pound racks of lamb, trimmed of fat and sinew (frenched)
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, sliced
• 12 ripe purlple figs, halved lengthwise
• 16 sprigs thyme
• Extra-virgin olive oil

1. Combine all herbs in small bowl except the extra sprigs of thyme. Rub lamb with 2 tablespoons olive oil, half of chopped herbs, and garlic; cover and chill for a few hours or overnight.
2. Preheat oven to 425°F. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle lamb with salt and pepper; sear until brown on both sides, 5 minutes total. Transfer lamb to large rimmed baking sheet; roast to desired doneness, about 20 minutes for medium-rare. Transfer lamb to cutting board; let rest 5 to 10 minutes.
3. Place figs and thyme sprigs on baking sheet. Sprinkle with remaining herbs and drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil. Roast in oven at 425°F for 10 minutes.
4. Cut lamb racks into individual chops; arrange on plates and place figs alongside.

Where have I been? I’ll show you – busy with this little love bug:

That’s Margaux, Brad, & I.  Margaux is already 6.5 months old – the time really flies!  And while I don’t cook nearly as much as I once did, I do have a lot of fun with her.  Brad however cooks much more than he ever did and I’ll share some of his recipes too – because they are great!  So come back and stick around!  The Whole Wheat has returned.

This recipe is a great jumping off point for banana bread – add chocolate chips or blueberries, mix up the spices, just make it your own.  And enjoy!  The hard part is waiting an hour for it to bake…

Ingredients:

• 3 to 4 ripe bananas
• 1/4 c melted butter
• 1 c sugar (I used 1/2 brown sugar and 1/2 white)
• 1 1/2 c flour (this is a great place to sub in a 1/2 c. of spelt or other different flour)
• 1 t vanilla
• 1 t cinnamon
• 1/4 t salt
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 t baking soda

1. Preheat oven to 350.  Prep a bread pan baking dish with butter or cooking spray.
2. Place bananas in a medium mixing bowl and smash with a fork or potato masher.  The more smooshy and smooth the better.
3. Add all remaining ingredients to the bowl and combine.
4. Transfer batter to the bread baking dish and into the oven.
5. Cook about 1 hour or until a toothpick comes out clean.
6. Cool several minutes then remove from pan and allow to continue cooling.  Bread is delicious warm but try not to burn yourself!

Though a little late for holiday cookies, this is a fantastic nut brittle recipe that I had to share!  It isn’t health food but it is delicious and a fun splurge.  I had never made candy before but this year decided to splurge and gifted a bunch of brittle to friends and family.

The primary things to keep in mind to make this recipe are: you need a candy thermometer and the salt (use a specialty salt if you can!) added at the end really does add that extra punch to the brittle!  You can use any type of nut you would like, this year I made the brittle with cashews but almonds, peanuts, anything would be wonderful.  Be sure to spread the brittle as quickly as possible as you poor onto the parchment or other pan – it begins to harden more quickly than you expect.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup light corn syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 12 ounces roasted salted peanuts, cashews, pistachios and/or pecans
• Fleur de sel or crushed Maldon sea salt

1. In a large saucepan, combine the sugar, water, butter and corn syrup and bring to a boil. Cook over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until the caramel is light brown and registers 300° on a candy thermometer, about 10 minutes.
2. Remove from the heat and carefully stir in the baking soda. The mixture may bubble. Stir in the nuts, then immediately scrape the brittle onto a large rimmed, nonstick baking sheet (or other baking sheet lined with parchment paper).
3. Using the back of a large spoon (oil it lightly if it sticks), spread the brittle into a thin, even layer. Sprinkle with salt.
4. Let cool completely, about 30 minutes. Break the brittle into large shards.

This tart is one of my go to standby recipes.  Both Brad and I love it everytime we make it.  Though I prefer to make my own crust, I confess that a premade crust can come in handy when you don’t have the time or energy (such as this pregnant lady) to make your own.  Brad also asked me to specifically note that maple bacon is a bad idea in this tart – a smoky or savory bacon is the way to go.

Ingredients:

• 1 pie crust
• 3-4 pcs bacon, cut into 1/2? pcs.
• 3 eggs
• 1c. milk (I use 2% typically)
• 1T Dijon mustard (optional)
• 3 small leeks chopped finely
• ~3/4c crumbled goat cheese

1. Pre-bake the pie crust approximately 10 minutes or until lightly colored.  Follow directions on package or recipe used.  Typically this is about 10 minutes at 375.  I like to use  pie weights to keep the crust in nice shape.
2. If necessary, change oven to 375. Cook bacon on stove top. While that is cooking, beat the eggs, milk, and Dijon together in a bowl.
3. Remove bacon to paper towels then cook leeks in some of the left over grease (or olive oil if you prefer).  Cook until softened and nicely colored. Remove from heat.
4. Spread veggies evenly in a pie plate, add bacon & goat cheese covering evenly. Pour on egg mixture. Bake 45min-1hr until egg mixture is firmly set.
5. Serve with a green salad or cooked green side for a perfect dinner.

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• pinch of nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup vegetable shortening at room temperature (non-hydrogenated please!)
  
• 1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup molasses
• About 1/3 cup demerara sugar for tops of cookies (or other chunky sugar)

1. Whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and salt in a bowl until combined.
2. Beat together shortening, butter, and brown sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes in a stand mixer (preferably fitted with paddle attachment) or 6 minutes with a handheld. Add egg and molasses, beating until combined. Reduce speed to low, then mix in flour mixture until combined.
3. Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 375°F.
4. Roll 1 heaping teaspoon of dough into a 1-inch ball with wet hands, then dip 1 end of ball in sanding sugar. Make more cookies in same manner, arranging them, sugared side up, 2 inches apart on 2 ungreased baking sheets.
5. Bake cookies, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until undersides are golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes total, then cool on sheets 1 minute. Transfer to racks to cool completely. Make more cookies with remaining dough on cooled baking sheets.

Recipe originally from Epicurious with very few modifications.