I threw together this grain salad for our Mother’s Day dinner last night, and it was worthy of writing down! Besides this, my brother- and sister-in-law treated us to some amazing grilled pork, zucchini and peppers, a tossed romaine and pine nut salad, and my favorite, grilled haloumi cheese. If you haven’t had the haloumi yet, you MUST try it this season.

I’m also gearing up for the first ever Food Revolution Day this Saturday May 19th! I’ll be attending the Slow Food Austin pot luck brunch, so it’s time to figure out another quick and tasty dish to bring along with me. I can’t wait to see what everyone else brings, too.

Mother’s Day grain salad with green beans, chickpeas and cranberries

1 cup cooked brown rice, preferably chilled or leftover
1/3 cup dry bulgur wheat
1 lb green beans, trimmed and cut in half
1 can chickpeas, drained
1/2 cup dried cranberries
2 bunches basil, chopped

For the dressing:
1 clove garlic
kosher salt
6-8 black peppercorns
juice of one lemon
2 tsp tahini sesame paste
1/4 cup walnut oil
2 tbsp olive oil

1. Bring 2/3 cup water to boil in a small pan. Add the bulgur wheat, turn off the heat and cover. Let sit for 30 minutes. (note: if you don’t have cooked brown rice handy, you can increase the bulgur wheat to 3/4 cup and the water to 1 1/2 cups)

2. Bring a pot of water to boil, and blanch the green beans for about 2 minutes. Drain in a colander or cool in an ice bath or cool running water. Set them out on a kitchen towel and let dry off a bit.

3. Make the dressing: start by mashing the clove of garlic, about 1/2 tsp kosher salt, and peppercorns in a mortar and pestle. Add in the lemon juice, tahini and oils and whisk together until well blended.

4. Toss the bulgur, rice, green beans, chickpeas and cranberries together with the dressing, and add in the basil. The salad tastes great chilled after a few hours, but you could have it right away, too.

Enjoy!

photo by Whit Preston

French Place is a quiet urban neighborhood, with modest-scaled houses, many beautiful gardens, and walkable proximity to some of Austin’s favorite local restaurants. Our clients, James & Leah, bought this 1960 house several years ago with the aim to downsize from the family’s 3100 sf house in Great Hills to a more manageable, conveniently located modern home for their ‘empty nest’ years.

photo by Whit Preston

We met with James and Leah about a year before they planned to start construction (the project was completed as Rick & Cindy Black Architects) to begin the design process. Some important ideas quickly emerged: the desire to create a connection to the street and neighbors, plenty of space to cultivate the garden, and a more modern, cool palette that would still fit in with the surrounding context.

photo by Whit Preston

While the footprint of the main house was maintained, we reconfigured much of the interior space, added on with a porch and outdoor kitchen facing the backyard, and built a new workshop to store garden tools and other equipment.

The problems with the existing house started with the entry: the front door was tucked far into a dark porch and was not a welcoming approach. One entered into a dark hallway and through a series of rooms that felt cramped and dark, and there was little connection to the outdoors. The finish materials were dated and worn: glass block, saltillo tile, laminate countertops, flimsy wood siding. Luckily for James & Leah, the foundation and roof were in tip-top shape! Below is the ‘before’ montage:

One way to expand the feeling of the inside was to create a gracious covered porch facing the backyard, with huge 16-foot sliding doors from the living and dining. We designed a steel structure with a cedar-lined soffit and ceiling, and a custom steel gutter directs water down the rain chains in the corner. A trellis extends in front of the kitchen window and creates another little sitting area with a water feature and rain collection tank nearby. (note: the tree in the ‘before’ photo sadly passed away before construction – another Bur Oak lost to disease!)

photo by Whit Preston

An outdoor kitchen is integrated into the structure, with a brick base to complement the front walls of the house and a galvalume metal top. James’ Big Green Egg definitely takes center stage, along with the stainless gas grill. Custom cedar cabinets provide storage for grilling tools and charcoal.

photo by Whit Preston

A cedar soffit connects the porch to the house, easing the transition from the traditional gable form to the modern flat roof. We wanted to maintain some natural light through the side windows, so the porch roof steps away and reveals a rain garden for shade plants below.

photo by Whit Preston

Back inside, the kitchen, dining and living encompass one large space with a clean flat ceiling. This gives enough breathing room for the visiting family members, but doesn’t feel too huge for the every day life of two people. We minimized the size of the trim, and painted the room just one shade of a cool white to keep the space visually calm. The CB2 Firefly pendant and the Hampton wall sconce add sparkle and interest.

photo by Whit Preston

The back wall of the kitchen features a Bertazzoni range and vent hood, with a glass subway tile backsplash, and walnut open shelves.

photo by Whit Preston

The kitchen takes a U-shape, with the sink facing out to the back yard and workshop building, and a long peninsula facing the dining and living space. An open shelf at the end of the peninsula is a great place for cookbooks. Insulator pendants from Railroadware hang over the peninsula.

photo by Whit Preston

We loved this Kohler Prologue sink with the single bowl and big drainboard. The straining basket is so useful, too!

photo by Whit Preston

A spice shelf is integrated into the refrigerator surround, convenient to the cooking and prep near the range. Facing toward the front street is a counter-height desk space with bar sink and wine refrigerator – a nice perch for a morning cup of coffee or a little wine later on.

photo by Whit Preston

The pantry is tucked behind one of the redwood lined walls that divided the main space. The redwood was actually sourced from our friend’s house – our contractor, Texas Construction, offered this option as they were about to remove the wood from the other project. Perfect timing! We love reusing materials wherever possible, and this batch even avoided the typical shipping costs. We refinished the walls with a couple layers of white wood stain.

photo by Whit Preston

The floors offer so much character to the large space – we worked with Hardwood Designs in Austin. This is an engineered flooring, with an 1/8″ top layer of reclaimed pecan that has been lightly stained and hand scraped. The thick top layer means that it can be refinished in the future as needed.

photo by Whit Preston

The redwood walls continue into the dining area and create a space for a desk (not pictured) and a little bar cabinet with a limestone top. The front door is a custom five-panel design, painted a lovely spring yellow on the exterior.

photo by Whit Preston

The living room has a big north-facing skylight to bring light into an otherwise dark area. New bookshelves with Torchiere sconces line one wall, with a Normandy blue interior. We transformed the fireplace from a typical brick veneer and raised hearth, to a new stucco veneer and flush hearth with a limestone mantel.

photo by Whit Preston

It was so great to see James and Leah move in and everything fit into place! We measured the furniture that would come with them to make sure it would fit, and they purchased a few new items to complete the space. We loved how everything came together, feeling like a comfortable family house and chic urban cottage in one.

We give credit to all the wonderful folks who contributed to the project:

General Contractor: Texas Construction

Appliances: Kiva Kitchen & Bath

Cabinets: Tim Cuddy

Concrete Countertops: Newbold Stone & Concrete

Limestone Countertops: Architectural Tile & Stone

Wood Flooring: Hardwood Designs

Landscape: K+D Designs

Photography: Whit Preston

Even though I love cooking, sometimes it can get a little overwhelming since we require food pretty much constantly throughout the day. Every couple hours, there’s another decision to make: shall I toss something together, or grab a meal out? This debate for me starts the night before with the question of breakfast. If you read my post here, you know that my standard breakfast involves something piping hot out of the oven. When I’m feeling energetic, I make a batch of scones or muffins the night before. When I’m feeling super-crazy-optimistic, I leave the scone baking to the morning. While always worth the effort, it can get a little hectic on those days trying to get to school and work on time.

So that’s why I appreciate more simple recipes for weeknight dinners. My method is to work around whatever I have in stock, and tonight it was going to involve sweet potatoes and cucumbers. Luckily, I have an inspirational Food & Wine magazine on hand – the March 2012 issue of Healthiest New Ingredients. I found all kinds of clever ideas here for the weeks to come: salads with various grains, scallions, avocados, sprouts, nuts and some really great sounding vinaigrettes. My recipe tonight was inspired by the Super Sprout Chopped Salad.

I think it’s worth saying that I repeatedly prefer a home cooked (or tossed) meal to eating out. It’s not that restaurant food is bad, but it’s just hard to go out and find something like the dish below: simple, lightly cooked ingredients with a bit of a twist. My goal is to create a few five-ingredient staple dishes that I can fall back on for quick and easy meals.

Speaking of food and creativity, Food Revolution Day is coming up May 19th! As an Austin Ambassador for the event, I’ve been reaching out to leaders in the food world with some ideas for events. So far, we may see a few potluck picnics, farmers’ market activities, elementary school garden days, and a pizza party at a very special location! I encourage everyone to get involved… here are a few great ideas for starting an event:

Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution Day – Event Ideas

And here is that recipe – serves two:

Sweet Potato, Cucumber & Soba Noodle Salad

1 sweet potato, cut into 1/4″ sticks
pinch coriander
pinch of red pepper flakes
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp sesame oil
sea salt
1 handful walnuts
1 tbsp ume plum vinegar
1 tbsp raspberry vinegar
1 tbsp tamari sauce
1 tsp honey
1 package buckwheat soba noodles
1/2 cucumber, chopped
3 green onions, sliced thin
black sesame seeds

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Toss the sweet potatoes with the coriander, pepper flakes, olive oil, 1 tsp sesame oil and sea salt to taste. Bake on a cookie sheet for 12 minutes, adding the walnuts in the last 6 minutes.

2. In a small bowl, mix the vinegars, tamari, honey and remaining tsp of sesame oil. In Place the cucumbers in a large salad bowl where you will mix the salad, and add half the dressing. Let marinate while you make the noodles.

3. Bring a pot of water to boil, and add the soba noodles. Cook according to packages instructions, 4 minutes or so, drain in a colander and rinse.

4. Add the soba noodles, sweet potatoes, walnuts, green onions and dressing to the cucumbers, and sprinkle with black sesame seeds. Enjoy!

Several concerns and desires have led me to volunteer in this movement: what our elementary kids are offered for school lunch; why ammonia-washed meat is endorsed by our government; the teeny organic food section at most groceries; obesity and sedentary lifestyles; wanting to inspire people to experiment with new ingredients; my constant search for good, healthy, but seriously tasty food. It’s a no-brainer… why wouldn’t I find some time to help out with this?

So you may be hearing from me in the next few weeks about some volunteer opportunities. My dream would be to host a sort of ‘pop-up picnic’ like the one I read about in the Times last year – the Parisian Diner en Blanc. Everyone brings a picnic meal – including their own table, linens, and chairs - to a predetermined but secretive location, and identifies one another by wearing all white. Could we pull this off? What other ideas do you Austin folks have for some great food events for May 19th?

Here’s your inspiration:

We had the privilege of attending some early food and drink tastings during the process, so it’s been a tortuous waiting game knowing how good this place was going to be for us neighborhood foodheads. An early favorite of mine was the ZLT (zucchini, lettuce, tomato): zucchini sauteed with smoked paprika, paired with roasted tomatoes and a lovely sweet goat cheese. I don’t know if I had any influence on this or not (ahem) but I was SO excited to see brussels sprouts on the menu, simmered in a rich bacon sherry vinaigrette. I’m a total buffalo wing addict, so I couldn’t resist those, which were fantastic and super spicy. The second night I tried the chicken sausage & waffles, which was not nearly as heavy as I thought it might be, and had a light sweetness that would be perfect with a beer. The fennel salad with beets and oranges was all chopped fine and perfectly integrated (rather than awkward large pieces that you so often see in restaurants). Literally, everything on the menu strikes the perfect note and would balance well with their wide variety of drinks. See for yourself!

Please excuse my horrible photos until the professional comes in, but I just can’t wait to show off the place!! We owe much thanks to John Atwater and his team at Franklin Alan, who did an excellent job with the construction.

Below: the bar, with its ever-so-charming bartenders. On TV? Rushmore. Awesome!

Behind the bar, the goods. Drink.well. has some amazing cocktail recipes going on. I must say that I drink wine about 98% of the time, but two cocktails caught my eye: the Sherry Cobbler (Amontillado sherry, touch of sugar, fresh blackberries, fizzy soda, egg whites) and El Diablo (tequila, lime, blackberry coridial, ginger brew). These satisfied my sweet tooth but didn’t put me over the top with citric acid, like many cocktails.

Hand painted mural on the brick wall features Superman and Wonder Woman, our official mascots and unofficial alter-egos of Mike & Jessica.

The place: dark glossy ceilings & steel, white oak walls, padded banquette details, and original terrazzo floors. We did a lot of Barn Light Electric fixtures which had a nice rough-hewn, industrial quality. The vinyl cut-out lettering on the windows turned out well.

Exterior: we kept the original stone, soffit and ceiling height of the old building to stay in scale with the neighborhood commercial strip. Hand painted sign on the new stucco wall:

Enjoying drink.well.!!!

It’s been pretty well packed since their opening on Thursday, so stop by some night soon! Tip: the best seat in the house is the back corner bar seat by the brick wall, near the little table lamp. It’s all yours… unless I’m already in it!

Late January seems like a good time to check in with those New Year’s resolutions – it’s only been three weeks, but it’s amazing how quickly we creep back into the old routines. I wanted to start something new this year, or rather, to restart something that has gone by the wayside for the past 5 years: dinner parties. With all the amazing food inspiration I come across, for some reason I haven’t shared it with friends the way we used to.

We all tend to find excuses and hold off on being a host: once the renovation / house cleaning / new garden / cooking skills have been achieved, THEN we will have the perfect scenario for a get together. Clearly if we wait until that point, all our opportunities for connection would have passed us by. The early dinner parties that Rick and I hosted (all of them fun, in my memories!) were in places that were far from perfect. In our modest first apartment we hosted many dinners created on the tiny 24″ stove and served at our card table, drinking and talking until 3am. I guess everyone was a little more lax back then, as we all had house design goals either in progress or still in the dream phase.

I’d like to get back to that relaxed party phase… what’s the point in waiting? I’m setting a New Year’s goal for myself to host lots more dinner parties, or other casual food affairs, and just have more fun in general. Here’s a recipe to inspire a foodie get together that could be served family style or a little more formal, depending on your mood.

Mixed Greens with marinated carrots, avocado & lime vinaigrette

serves 6 as a first course

3 large handfuls mixed greens – red oak and bibb lettuce
4 carrots, peeled and sliced into rounds
1 clove garlic
1/2 tsp kosher salt
3 whole black peppercorns
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 handful fresh parsley
juice from 1 lime

1 tsp red wine vinegar
1/2 shallot, minced
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp walnut oil
1 avocado, sliced
crumbled queso fresco cheese
handful roasted salted pepitas (or tamari pepitas)

1. In a mortar, crush the garlic, peppercorns and cumin seeds with salt to make a paste. Add the parsley, and crush until well blended. Whisk in the lime juice, vinegar and shallot, and slowly drizzle in the oils. Taste for seasoning – it shouldn’t be too acidic or pungent from the olive oil.

2. Toss the carrots in 1/2 of the vinaigrette and let stand for 1 hour, or overnight.

3. In a large bowl, arrange the bibb lettuce, carrots, avocado, queso fresco. Dress with the remaining vinaigrette and toss in the pepitas.

This salad would be a great first course to a spread of fajitas, Grilled Chicken or Broiled Fish Tacos, or anything with ancho peppers. It was light and refreshing with a kick of garlic. For dessert this time of year I would go light on sugar, since everyone’s been overloaded by the holidays! Maybe this Black Sticky Gingerbread or this Salt-Kissed Buttermilk Cake from 101 Cookbooks, and a fresh pot of coffee.

Enjoy… with friends!

Alas, I have no image to share of the stew pot for this blog entry… that’s because stew is not a particularly photogenic food. But how satisfying is it during these cold and rainy days? November is usually the month that I break out the Dutch oven and throw together any combination of meat, seasonal produce, wine and herbs and just go for it. Aside from the noisy browning phase at the beginning, making stew is one of the simpler cooking rituals with maximum impact. It can’t be overcooked, the scents of cooking fill the house and even reach the street, and it makes for fantastic leftovers. Plus, the only way I really enjoy eating red meat is when it’s been tenderized beyond all form, breaking into threads of browned goodness in a sea of vegetables.

This recipe is based on one in Better Homes & Gardens a few years ago that my mom made during one of our holiday visits. I’ve tweaked it to have lamb instead of beef; if you haven’t eaten much lamb, this is a good place to start! The butternut squash is in season right now, and its sweetness pairs well with the olives and herbs. Speaking of, my herb garden is going crazy right now, so it was a great excuse to use some lavender. Maybe I should make a batch of lavender madeleines soon!

Provencal Lamb Stew with Winter Squash & Olives

1 lb boneless leg of lamb, cut into 1 1/2″ pieces
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, cut into 6 pieces
1 celery stalk, cut into 6 pieces
Provencal herbs: rosemary, lavender, thyme, marjoram, 4″ sprig of each, plus 1 tsp fennel seeds
1/2 c. white or red wine
1/2 can whole Cento tomatoes
2 c. water
1 zucchini, halved lengthwise & cut into 1/2″ pieces
1/2 butternut squash, peeled and cut into 3/4″ pieces
1/4 c. nicoise olives

1. Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Season the lamb pieces with kosher salt & ground pepper, and brown well in the oil. Set aside.

2. Add onion, carrots, celery, and herbs, and cook until slightly browned. Return lamb to the pan, and add wine to deglaze. Bubble away until almost dissolved, and add water, tomatoes and more salt & pepper to taste. Cover and cook 1 1/2 hours at a simmer.

3. Remove celery, carrots and herb twigs (the herbs themselves will be left in the stew).

3. When the lamb is almost tender, add the zucchini, butternut squash, and olives with a little brining liquid. Simmer another 30 minutes or more, until everything is tender. Taste for salt and serve hot, with a side of couscous or buttered egg noodles.

Enjoy!

I’ve got people helping me figure this out and hope to clean it up asap! For anyone considering starting a blog, can I just say that it comes with an incredible demand to learn the ins and outs of php language and other technical jargon? AHHHH!

On a happier note – recipe for Provencal Lamb Stew coming soon…

I’m excited to show this transformational before / after! Chris and Jenny live in a 1996 house in Travis Country, and after 15 years, this kitchen had seen some serious wear and tear. As an avid cook and high-heat stir-fryer, Chris longed for a more central location for the cooktop to showcase his skills and socialize with friends and family. Jenny, the sous chef, needed a clear workspace and much better storage to control the clutter.

The original layout had a central island that was really too small for prep work, and the pantry occupied a large amount of space in the corner. Three drywall-sheathed columns framed the kitchen without much order or rationale to their shape. The dining table seemed a bit too large for its space.

Below is a photo of the kitchen before our renovation…

…and after, the same view. The new layout gives some order to the large space, defining the kitchen, vestibule and bar area. A large island features a cooktop and floating hood, so Chris can face out to his family and guests while cooking. We moved the refrigerator to the back wall, with pantry cabinets on either side. A bar area with a wood top separates the ovens from the dining banquette.

The first time I visited the house, I noted all the 45 degree angles in the rooms. Chris and Jenny liked how the angles set up a dynamic relationship between the rooms, and wanted to incorporate some of this in the design of the kitchen. We took the inspiration into the vestibule, which before looked like this:

…and after, has a slight inward bend to its shape. This was a good way to bring some form into the space without compromising the kitchen layout or cabinetry.

The vestibule cabinet served as an overflow for the kitchen, and holds china, decorative items, and some of the books and binders that were formerly cluttering this space. A little niche was built into the side wall by the island for spices and salt.

This before view shows the back wall of the kitchen: the pantry on the left, which dominated the scale of the kitchen, the cramped cooking area for the range and micro-hood, and the narrow island.

This back wall works much better for the ‘big solids’ in the kitchen: refrigerator and pantry cabinets. The door faces were skinned with shiplap to give a modern rustic style to the kitchen, but also to break up the scale of this large storage element. The island surface is a Brazillian Santos mahogany, and we repeated this material in the corner shelves in the upper cabinets to the right. Stainless steel buttons act as a trivet for larger serving dishes, set up right in front of the chef for his presentations.

We kept the sink located under the big window, but Jenny removed the shade so they have a great view of their banana plant outside. The new light fixtures are from Rejuvenation Hardware, and this countertop is Caesarstone Nougat. The sink is a large single-bowl cast iron from Rohl and really helps brighten this work area.

The backsplash is an embossed edge, matte white tile from the Ann Sacks, Barbara Barry line. Our idea for the color scheme was to go softer and in blue /grey tones, a nice change from the bold yellows and reds!

This project was completed in about 11 weeks – Tonianne and her crew did a great job! Thanks to all these providers and skilled people who contributed to the project:

Contractor: Tonianne Soster of TAS Construction – 512.825.3773

Cabinetry: FABShop, Richard Macdonald

Wood Countertops: DeVos Custom Woodworking

Tile: Ann Sacks

Appliances: All KitchenAid, from Kiva Kitchen & Bath

Hardware: Push Pull Open Close

Photography: Allison Cartwright of Twist Tours