Meatless Monday: No-Knead Pizza Dough

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BOn Appetit march-2012

The March cover of Bon Apptetit was so mouth watering immediately invited friends over for a make-your-own-pizza party. Messy and misshapen, our homemade pizza was shockingly delicious, better than any of the artisan pizza spots in town (this is a true statement.) One friend even said “I had no idea you could make good pizza at home.” Yes you can friends and you must.

The secret is this unbelievable dough recipe care of Jim Lahey and New York’s Sullivan Street Bakery. Click here to find the recipe at Bon Appetite. Here are the steps. You mix tons of flour with some yeast and salt and water and let it sit in a big bowl overnight to ferment and proof.

The next morning you portion the dough into balls and allow to rest again for a few hours.

When they look delightfully fat and puffy you heat your oven as hot as it will go. Spread out a dough ball onto a baking sheet (gently to preserve the pockets of air which gives the dough it’s chewy insides). Top with your favorite veggies, cheeses and meats, if it’s not Meatless Monday of course. Bake for about 12 minutes and you have a crisp crust with toothsome insides and tons of flavor.

So good there were no pictures taken of the finished product as my hands were covered with gooey cheese and tomato sauce… for the whole night. Sorry.

 

xo,

Lydia

 

 

What to Read?

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Friends, I’m at a loss.

I just finished re-reading Gone with the Wind for book club and let me tell you, it’s even better as an adult.  All that war stuff you breezed through to get to Rhett when you were twelve is fascinating now.

Rhett, of course, is as shiver-inducing as ever.

Finishing both GWTW and Downton in the same month has been a blow.

So, please help.  What should I read next?

xoxo Sarah

P.S. There are a crazy number of pictures of Marilyn Monroe reading.  Google it and see.  It had to have been a PR directive, don’t you think?

Catherine in Coral

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Pretty much dying over these pics of HRH Duchess Catherine in coral skinny crop J Brand jeans with a classic navy school boy blazer.

 

The Duchess of Cambridge Visits The Olympic Park

 

Are you guys rocking bright denim this season? Want to copy the Duchess, similar jeans here.

 

royally yours,

Lydia

Forks Over Knives

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Friends, I’m way behind in vegan news.  Like, waaay behind.  Mostly because I’m not a vegan.  Or even a vegetarian.  Until recently, the word vegan practically made me roll my eyes.

Imagine my surprise when a meat-eating, iron-pumping, protein shake-chugging pal of mine told me Forks Over Knives, last year’s vegan documentary, was the best movie he’d seen in a while.

It took a serious head cold and a gray day for me to NetFlix it, but I did.  And I really, really liked it. Sure, there’s propaganda sprinkled here and there but we’re all savvy enough to see through it.  The doctors, however, and the medical findings they share are nothing short of astonishing.  To paraphrase Roger Ebert in his review: this is a movie that will change your life so you should probably skip it.

And no, it’s not a gory this-is-what-happens-in-a-slaughter-house kind of movie.  It’s a positive look at how a plant-based diet changes the lives of sick people around the world.

I’m still not a vegan or a vegetarian, but I’d be lying if I said this movie hasn’t made me more committed to eliminating meat on Meatless Monday and other days of the week.

Have you watched Forks Over Knives?

xoxo Sarah

 

 

Aqua + Yellow Accents

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Drew and are have been discussing how best to freshen up our living room for spring/summer (translation: I talk about ideas and he nods his head sometimes). After a few hours on Pinterest I’m falling for pops of yellow to partner pleasantly with our sea of aqua accents.

Fresh and fun right?

 

xo,
Lydia

A & O’s New Look

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Wow, right?  Totally different.  What do you think of the new look?

We wanted it to feel like us, but fresher, cleaner, brighter and more personal.  Our most spring-like selves, complete with bare legs and big smiles.  The talented designers at Creative B’stro gave us exactly that.

We hope you love it as much as we do.

We think you’ll find it much more user friendly.  Categories are clearer, you can now print recipes straight from each post and you can follow our twitter convos (see it to the left?) even if you don’t use twitter.

(Twitter, we swear, really is fun).

Still to come…a searchable recipe index!

Please, take a few to bop around and explore.  We’d love to hear your thoughts.

xoxo Sarah

The Little Kitchen on the Canal

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For my birthday last winter Sarah and Angus gave me the gift of Italian cooking in the form of a subscription to Canal House Cooking for the year. I have received the first issue and it is beautiful. Now I will gift all of you this video, a peek into the dreamy world of the little kitchen on the canal.

 

 

Two more perfectly photographed soft cover books will show up on my doorstep this year, bursting with thoughtful recipes for the home cook on every glossy page. Lucky gal indeed.

 

xo,

Lydia

Rockwater Secret Cove Resort

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I’ve never been to Canada, but for a while now I’ve been dreaming of a vacation to British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast.    More specifically, to The Rockwater Secret Cove Resort.

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We’ve gone glamping before, but the Rockwater takes glam camping to a whole other level with tree house style yurts that jut out over the pacific ocean and feature 360 degree views of water and pine, king-sized beds, rainforest showers, hypno-therapy tubs (whirlpools?), radiant floor heating, fluffy bathrobes and board games.  Whew!

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I’m a total sucker for a dreamy view.  Plus there’s great food, hiking trails, kayaks, a pool and yoga classes too.

Where are you dying to go?

xxSarah

Spring Forward

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We’re springing forward on Saturday, my loves, and I’m looking forward to seeing flowers everywhere: outside, on my table, in my vases and maybe, just maybe, in my closet.

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The blazer that got me thinking.

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It’s confirmed.  I like my florals tailored.  And a little 70’s.  It’s an Emily Henderson look, don’t cha think?

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Would you wear floral pants?  This pair gets amazing reviews.

xxSarah

Meatless Monday: Green Huevos Rancheros

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Tomatillo Sauce usually stars on our semi-famous* A&O Chicken Enchiladas. This sauce is light, tart and bursting with flavor. It’s so good it can lead to bragging about how good a cook you are and then a ruined white button down and first degree burns.** Carefully make a batch of this Tomatillo Sauce and let it transform eggs and tortillas into a brunch spectacular.

Huevos Rancheros

Huevos Rancheros with Tomatillo Sauce

serves 6

6 Organic Eggs

6 Corn Tortillas (taco size)

1 can Annie’s Refried Black Beans

2 cups Tomatillo Sauce (recipe below)

1-2 ripe avocados, remove from skin and sliced

1 cup Cojiita cheese, crumbled (can substitute feta)

1 cup Mexican Crema (or sour cream thinned out with milk)

1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped (optional for garnish)

Butter for frying eggs

Tomatillo Sauce (adapted from this recipe by Tyler Florence)
1 pound tomatillos, husked
1 white onion, peeled, and sliced
4 garlic cloves, peeled
2 jalapenos, halved and seeds removed
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped cilantro leaves
1/2 a lime, juiced
1 tablespoon of honey (optional)

Place first 4 ingredients (tomatillos through jalapenos) in a large pot and fill with water until to covered.  Bring to a boil over high heat and let simmer until vegetables are tender, about 12-15 minutes.  Drain completely.

Combine cooked vegetables with remaining ingredients in the bowl of a food processor or a blender. Pulse until smooth.  Season to taste with salt and pepper and honey if needed. Can be made a few days ahead.

Now get ready to make your Huevos Rancheros!

In a small sauce pan warm the refried black beans and season with salt and pepper (and some hot sauce if you like heat.)

Prep all the toppings: slice your avocado in half, scoop out the pit free side and slice into thin half moons. Use a spoon to pry out the avocado pit and repeat with the remaining avocado half. Set aside. Chop the cilantro. Crumble the cotija cheese and let your crema or sour cream sit on the counter a few minutes to soften the texture.

In a dry skillet over medium heat warm the corn tortillas for 30 seconds on each side. Remove each tortilla to a small plate. Spread each tortilla with warm black beans.

Now melt some butter in a skillet and fry your eggs to your liking (sunnyside up or over easy) don’t forget to salt and pepper your eggs too. Top each bean smeared tortilla with a friend egg and then a large spoonful or 3 of warm tomatillo sauce. Garnish with a big handful of crumbled cheese, a generous drizzle of crema, sprinkle of cilantro and a few slices of avocado. Serve immediately.

xo,

Lydia

* Semi-famous because a few famous people have enjoyed the dish and 2 have asked for the recipe. Once Oprah features it in her magazine I will move them to the famous category.

** I made this last week at work and exclaimed out loud “dang this sauce is so good!” Then I added a pinch of salt and turned the blender back on and it exploded all over my shirt.

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