Ariana Sexton

23 Dec 2011

“Without this playing of fantasy, no creative work has ever yet come to birth…the debt we owe to the play of imagination is incalculable.”
— Jung - posted by lovely friend Tex - for a good look at one of the ways he plays check out Why The Nose.

23 Dec 2011

Linguini, brussels, pine nuts and lemon

Making this tonight from here to bring over to dinner with Allison, Jeff and Geri.

Linguine with Brussels Sprouts, Lemon and Pine Nuts
Serves 4
Adapted from Epicurious

-2-3 cups finely sliced Brussels sprouts
-2 tablespoons butter
-1 tablespoon olive oil
-1 teaspoon lemon zest
-1 pound linguine pasta
-1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, plus more for topping
-1/3 cup pine nuts

1. In a large skillet, heat the butter and olive oil on medium heat until the butter is melted.

2. Add the brussels sprouts and cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring frequently, until cooked through. Stir in the lemon zest and season with salt and pepper.

3. Meanwhile, boil the linguine according to package instructions and drain.

4. In a small, dry skillet on medium heat, toast the pine nuts for 2-3 minutes until browned.

5. In a large serving dish, mix the pasta, brussels sprouts, parmesan and most of the pine nuts. Top with more parmesan and pine nuts and serve at once.

19 Dec 2011

Today’s Recipe - Soft Pretzles

The kids love pretzles and while I love baking the sweet stuff, I think we should make something savory tonight. I don’t have much experience with yeast and rising, but tonight we are gonna try this one:

Ingredients

  • 4 teaspoons active dry yeast
  • 1 teaspoon white sugar
  • 1 1/4 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
  • 5 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1/2 cup baking soda
  • 4 cups hot water
  • 1/4 cup kosher salt, for topping

Directions

  1. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
  2. In a large bowl, mix together flour, 1/2 cup sugar, and salt. Make a well in the center; add the oil and yeast mixture. Mix and form into a dough. If the mixture is dry, add one or two tablespoons of water. Knead the dough until smooth, about 7 to 8 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
  3. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). In a large bowl, dissolve baking soda in hot water.
  4. When risen, turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a rope and twist into a pretzel shape. Once all of the dough is all shaped, dip each pretzel into the baking soda solution and place on a greased baking sheet. Sprinkle with kosher salt.
  5. Bake in preheated oven for 8 minutes, until browned.
Tags: pretzle. recipe. baking.

17 Dec 2011

Sea Salt, Dark Chocolate and Anything…

Dark Chocolate Almond Toffee w/ Sea Salt Recipe

From here

INGREDIENTS:

2 cup unsalted butter
3 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoon light corn syrup
2.5 cup finely chopped almonds
12 ounces dark chocolate, chopped

Coarse sea salt

PREPARATION:

Line a deep cookie sheet (13x9”) pan with foil and nonstick spray.

In sauce pan, heat butter, sugar, corn syrup and 2 tablespoons water. Heat over medium heat to melt butter. Cook mixture about 12 minutes until golden brown and reaches 300 degrees F. Do not stir.  - Make sure to get all the way to 300 or it will be too soft.

Remove from heat and pour toffee onto prepared pan and spread to edges. Sprinkle immediately with almonds and spread. Let stand for 30 minutes.

Melt chocolate in microwave on high for 45 seconds. Stir to smooth and spread over top of cooled toffee. Refrigerate for 40 minutes.

Once chocolate is firm, break bar into 2-inch pieces. Store in airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 weeks.

17 Dec 2011

Egg Nog, Egg Schmog

While my sister and I can remember our father drinking egg nog from the carton (ewwww), I’m not a huge fan and we are having a small East Bay Holiday Soire tomorrow. We will buy the half gallon from the market and we will spike it, but I found this Cuban recipe for a Coquito on the Always Order Dessert blog and had to give it a try.

I am substituting coconut milk for cream, as it is what I have in the pantry and I need to chill it over night…

We’ll see how it tastes!

Coquito (Puerto Rican Coconut Eggnog)
Makes about 15 to 20 small servings

Ingredients
1 (12oz) can evaporated milk
1 (14oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (15oz) can coconut cream (such as Coco Lopez or Goya)
3 cups rum (preferably light, but dark rum always works! See variations at the end for low or no alcohol versions)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cinnamon sticks
1 vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise (optional)

Directions
Combine evaporated milk, condensed milk, and coconut cream in a large blender and blend until well combined. Add the rum, vanilla, and ground cinnamon, and blend in.  (If your blender is small, do this in batches and pour into a large bowl as you go.)

Pour into a pitcher or glass bottles with sealed lids and drop in the cinnamon sticks and vanilla bean halves. Cover and chill in refrigerator for at least 2 hours or until very cold.

Serve straight in small glasses garnished or on the rocks in larger ones. Garnish with a sprinkle of cinnamon and a cinnamon stick. Leftovers will keep tightly sealed in the refrigerator for about one week (shake the jar vigorously each time before serving).

11 Nov 2011

“Daddy, can you hold me? This place is a hot mess.”
— Zoë while hiking in the woods - there were a ton of trees down. Drakes Estero, Point Reyes, November 5, 2011.

30 Sep 2011

“Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.”
— Maria Robinson

9 Aug 2011

STEMposium 2011 - inspiring and exciting. What will happen in 2012?

8 Apr 2011

Thinking about Poppy and Poppies, Life and More

This past Wednesday is what would have been my father’s 65th birthday. It is odd how this time of year, we are all reminded of him because of the poppies that are blooming all over California. I’ve tried, but cannot seem to grow these wildflowers, I can’t pick them (a strange California law) or buy them and they aren’t as prolific in other states.

They bring beauty to my life, the rich colors and the softness and fragility of their petals. I see them and I am warm, but also sad that my father isn’t truly here with us, enjoying my children, supporting me and my husband in our latest endeavors, chatting on the phone, doing on-the-fly design projects for me and my clients, sharing a margarita, just holding my hand. I still struggle with this loss and am creepily comforted by the fact that he won - he no longer has cancer or has his failing body to deal with. Perhaps there is a heaven and he is somewhere watching us from above, protecting us and helping us get through the difficulties in life. I suppose I wont know until it is my time. I wonder what my children and grandchildren will find to comfort them and remind them of me when my time has come…

If you are out there and reading this and lucky enough to live or be near California, please take a photo of some poppies and post them here.

8 Apr 2011

What gives you hope? I helped produce this emotional piece for STEMposium. So proud and excited to be a part of this grassroots campaign to bring more attention and resources to STEM (science technology engineering and math) education in K-12.