The Lederman Kitchen

Our trip back to the US was too short to do everything and see everyone we wanted.  But it was all the time we had so we tried to make the most of it. After Lauren & Ryan's wedding in Seattle , seeing and spending time with friends and family in Portland and the Bay Area was our priority.  Along the way, we squeezed in eating the food we miss and running some essential errands - you know Costco, Target, Banana Republic. We were busy.  And I was pretty bad about getting out my camera.  I know, I can't believe it either.  It just felt so normal being home, spending time with our friends, eating at our favorite restaurants.  I'm full of regrets now. How cute are our Nephews? Seeing some of my besties in Portland Portland Boys photo, with Clara - there are a few playmates for her on the way in this group! Pho - I miss this so much in Ireland, it's hard to look at the photo Beautiful fall trees in Portland Mom's amazing homemad...

Okay, before you say anything, have you tried it?  Bone marrow is one of my absolute favorite dishes.  What's not to like?  Amazing beef flavor, crunchy bread, great textures, an all around taste explosion.  Plus, you get to eat with your hands, and let's face it, that's alway fun.  This was my first attempt at making this dish at home.  My favorite marrow can be found at Euclid Hall in Denver.  I have to get it every time I am in town.  Here is the "after" pic from my trip to Denver last week.   I finally decided to try and make my "it's on the menu so I have to order it" dish at home.  You can find marrow bones (typically veal femur bones) at most butchers.  They don't always have them on hand so it's best to call ahead.  I found mine at Faletti Foods down in Hayes Valley.  They were super nice and held the bones for me until I could pick them up after work.  The butcher said that they sel...

I am generally a fan of topping most things with an egg: pizza, burgers, and salads to name a few.  After coming back from Seattle with a pound of chanterelle mushrooms, we used half for our scallop dinner and I needed to find a use for the other half.  I enjoyed the arugula salad that I made earlier in the month so much that I decided to make it again.  This time with the Seattle mushrooms and topped with a couple of poached eggs to make a meal out of it. For the salad you will need: 3 cups arugula 1 shallot, chopped 1/2 lb mushrooms, sliced 1 garlic clove, minced 1 tablespoon dijon 1 tablespoon vinegar (I used balsamic) 1 tablespoon white wine 2 tablespoons olive oil 1/2 cup croutons 2 eggs Preheat the oven to make the croutons if you are making the homemade kind , it only takes about 20 minutes. While the croutons bake, bring a pot of water to simmer with a few tablespoons of vinegar.  Our stove takes forever to heat up so th...

We had our first dinner guest tonight since starting the blog.  Christina is in town from Boise and is always craving good Mexican food when she visits California.  We kicked off her trip with homemade Steak Fajitas.  It's one of my all time favorite Mexican dishes and super easy to make at home.   After seeing Carlos Santana play at the Bridge School Benefit on Sunday, I thought that it was only appropriate to break out the vinyl copy of Abraxas to help my fajitas conjure up some Mexican goodness.  It's amazing how much better guacamole can taste when it's made while listening to "Oye Como Va".   Tonights dinner was somewhat of a feast.  I made the traditional fajitas and to join them we had Mexican rice, refried beans, guacamole, salsa, and pickled onions.  Needless to say there will be no blog post tomorrow as the wife and I will be enjoying the leftovers. For the pickled onions: 3/4 cup of white vinegar 2 ...