I Just Bought $60 Worth of Coffee Beans

No joke.

I took myself (well, myself and my rather adorable pug/rat terrier, Klaster) to the gorgeous, California coastal town of Mendocino. Holy retreat, people. Not only do I recommend the dog-friendly Inn at Schoolhouse Creek, I'm going to tell you right now - if you don't hit Moody's Organic Coffee Bar in downtown Mendocino, you really shouldn't bother going at all.

I'm seriously in LOVE, L. O. V. E. with their Rendezvous blend. I bought a bag after casually asking the barista (is it baristo for a man, or what?) for a recommendation. I have never had coffee this good. Evah. So I sent Bill at Moody's an email practically begging him to ship me some.

He did. Bill's real sweet. Five bags later (and like $6 shipping, not too sure how Bill pulled off that one), I am a very happy girl. Seriously. Either go here or buy a bag and call for an order to be shipped tell ol' Bill that Faith from Sacramento is plugging him like crazy.

An Easy Dinner for One - Chicken Mushroom Quesadillas

Except that I probably ate two servings, which is really what I tend to do normally, anyway. I figure I work it off by living a rather active social life AND walking up the one flight of stairs at work instead of riding the elevator. Right?

These quesadillas are pretty scrumptious and easy. I was lucky enough to follow it up with a couple of hours of wine drinking with neighbors under the Sacramento 70-degree night sky.

Chicken Mushroom Quesadillas
courtesy of Ellie Krieger

1 tablespoon canola oil
1 large onion, chopped (about 2 cups)
8 ounces white button mushrooms, (about 3 cups)
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups cooked chopped skinless, boneless chicken breast (1 breast half)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 cups baby spinach leaves, sliced into ribbons
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
4 (10-inch) whole-grain flour tortillas
1 cup shredded Mexican cheese mix or Cheddar
1/2 cup salsa
1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream


Heat the oil in a large skillet over a medium heat. Add the onions and mushrooms and cook until the mushroom water is evaporated and they begin to brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Add chicken, cumin, chili powder and oregano and stir until all spices are incorporated.

Add spinach, salt and pepper and cook until spinach is wilted, about 2 minutes.
Lay 1 tortilla on a flat work surface and sprinkle with 1/4 cup shredded cheese. Spoon 1/2 chicken and vegetable mixture on top of cheese, then top with an additional 1/4 cup cheese. Top with another flour tortilla.

Heat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray over medium heat. Carefully place 1 quesadilla in pan and cook 3 minutes. Using a large spatula, gently flip quesadilla and cook an additional 3 minutes until lightly browned and cheese is melted. Repeat with second quesadilla. Slice each quesadilla into quarters. Place 2 quarters on a plate with 1 tablespoon sour cream and 2 tablespoons salsa.

Good Friends + Pasta + Wine = Happiness.

I swear, I have some of the greatest friends in the world. How it happened is beyond me. Erin is a girl I met in college. We couldn't be more different. She's a smart, cute lil rocker chick who is currently sporting some awesome purple streaks in her raven-black hair, tattooed feet and a band boyfriend. I was a preppy, khaki-wearing sorority Republican girl, naive to a fault. Six years later, Erin made me this incredibly yummy meal and we reminisced over a lovely V. Sattui merlot that resulted in a super-sweet headache for both parties the following day.

This isn't your every day pasta cheese bake. Snippets of lemon and spinach come through, and the dish is perfected with sliced almonds. Yum!

Baked Pasta Casserole
courtesy of 101 Cookbooks

Extra virgin olive oil
3/4 lb whole wheat pasta shells
sea salt
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic
4 cups well-chopped spinach
1 1/2 cups sliced almonds
Zest of 2 lemons
8 oz mozzarella

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a large casserole dish. Cook pasta, toss with olive oil.

In the meantime, heat a bit of olive oil in a skillet over medium-high. Saute the onions with a couple pinches of salt for a few minutes (or if you want a bit more depth of flavor until caramelized). Stir in garlic. Stir in spinach. Cook for just about 20 seconds, until the spinach collapses a bit. Remove from heat and stir in 1 cup of the almonds and 1/2 of the zest. Add to pasta and stir and stir - mixing extremely well, a minute or so.

Now sprinkle the bottom of baking dish with the rest of the zest. Add a layer of the pasta to the bottom of the baking pan, now sprinkle with some of the cheese, add more pasta, then more cheese. Finish with a layer of cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes or until cheese on top is bubbly and melty. Serve sprinkled with the remaining almonds.

Nothing Like a Lil' Vacation...

Ok. So, a) we all need a little hiatus. I took one. Now I'm back. And, b) go here to fight some hunger. Because just because you get to eat three square meals a day and dream up delectable recipes to whip around in your kitchen, many people try to figure out how they're going to scrounge up one measly piece of nutrition to take care of their basic need of hunger.

Oh, lastly? Some food blogger just named her food blog, "I Pray to Feta." That's, sorta uncanny. Anyway. Stay tuned for recipes and the random ramblings from I Pray to GOUDA. Gouda. Not Feta.

Food Post from Paris: Potato Gnocchi with Thyme Vinaigrette and Lemon Cashew Cream Sauce

Paris is such a Faith city. Bustling streets, apartment buildings from the 1500s, a cozy cafe on every corner and people who are more interested in enjoying each hour of every day rather than rushing through it. I came to Paris not for the Tour de Eiffel, the Louvre or Versaille, but to experience the culture of a people who sit and enjoy an espresso or fromage with friends without worrying about tight schedules or how much money they put in the meter. And I've been able to get my full experience in this amazing French city.

So here I sit in my apartment in Les Halles, doing one of my fave things - food blogging!

This is a recipe my friend, Jennifer and I made on New Year's Eve. Jennifer is vegan, and I must say that the sound of this recipe sent a tiny shiver down my spine when I first heard of it. Amazingly, however, this gnocchi dish is phenomenal. It's a little bit of work, but fun to do and even more fun to eat.

Potato Gnocchi with Thyme Vinaigrette and Lemon Cashew Cream Sauce
Serves 2-3

For Gnocchi:

2 Russet Potatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1 Scant Cup Bread Flour (No salt!)

For Thyme Vinaigrette

2 Tbs Fresh Thyme, leaves only
1-2 Pinches Salt, to taste
4 Tbs Olive Oil
1 tsp White Wine Vinegar

For Lemon Cashew Cream

1 Cup Water
1 1/4 Cups Roasted, Salted Cashews (or raw)
Zest of 1 Lemon
1/2-1 tsp Lemon Juice

For the specific cooking directions, head on over to Vegan YumYum...

Updates Soon!

I just figured out how to plug my camera's memory card into my computer rather than waiting to buy a new little cord thingie. Insert eyeroll here. Meanwhile, I'm blogging from beeeautiful Paris, France and will be back online soon with yummy recipes! Au revoir!

Meanwhile...a $2.00 Treat for Ya!

Starbucks is having a "tea" event from January 6-18. They've released new tea drinks with weird names such as "London Fog" and "Vanilla Rooibos." Not all that genius, if you ask me (why can't they just stick to coffee, for crying out loud?), but with this coupon, you can try one of these anomalies for two bucks.

What's to lose?

Coming Back Soon!

I have some great recipes to share (a vegan gnocchi and a few fabulous French recipes from Sacramento's very own William Rolle), but I've misplaced the little thingamabobber that allows me to hook my camera up to the laptop. Recipes and pics coming soon!

Here's to 2009!

Happy New Year!

Here is to a year of good food, good friends, good things and good times.

A Post-Christmas Breakfast: Chocolate Chip Buttermilk Pancakes

Have you made pancake batter from scratch yet? If not, I'd highly recommend trying it. It sure beats Bisquick, if you ask me. And the best way to get it done, and get it done quickly with the least mess is by having a Kitchenaid stand mixer. There aren't too many kitchen tools I declare as absolute necessities. That darned mixer is one of them.

Try these. While they aren't the healthiest option for a breakfast (who out there is being healthy this week, though?!), I bet you'll enjoy them just as much as my niece, Skyler did...

Buttermilk Chocolate Chip Pancakes (makes enough for 4)
courtesy of Joy the Baker

2 eggs
2 cups flour
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups buttermilk
4 tablespoons butter
½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2- 3/4 cup milk chocolate chips (depending on how chippy you feel)
oil or cooking spray (for cooking)

In a large bowl beat eggs. Add buttermilk, butter and vanilla and mix well. Add flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix well until mostly smooth. Fold in chocolate chips and let batter set for a few minutes.

Heat griddle or pan over medium heat. Add a teaspoon of oil to the pan or spray with cooking spray. You can test to see if the pan is hot enough by adding a few drops of water, if or when the drops start to dance its hot enough.

Pour 2 Tablespoons of batter onto the griddle. Cook on the first side until bubbles that form start to pop. You can also gently lift up the pancake to make sure the bottom is not overcooking, if it is the pan may be too hot and you will need to adjust the heat. Flip the pancake over with a spatula and cook until golden brown. Repeat until all the batter is gone. Let cooked pancakes rest on a heat proof plate in a 200 degree F oven until ready to serve.