Monday, March 18, 2013

sophistikitchen: spring vegetable soup with turkey meatballs

hello! it's been awhile, but i made a fantastic soup for dinner tonight and had to share the recipe.
...happy sophisticating...


turkey meatballs
ingredients:
1 1/3 pounds 96% fat free ground turkey
seasoned breadcrumbs - about 1 cup, give or take
1 egg, whisked
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 a yellow onion, grated

instructions:
to the grated onion, add the minced garlic and ground turkey. begin to work together with your hands and then add your egg and breadcrumbs. this is an art, not a science. you don't want the mixture so wet that it's insanely sticky, but not so dry that it's brittle or crumbly. the onion, when grated, produces quite a bit of juice, so just add enough of the breadcrumbs to give the mixture some body. once the mixture is fairly well mixed (don't over do it!), get hands damp and roll into 1 1/2" balls.

line them up on a baking sheet, covered with wax paper. cover baking sheet with plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour or so before using. this produced about 48. i used half for the recipe that follows. these freeze beautifully as well!

spring vegetable soup
ingredients:
4 c low sodium chicken broth
2  water
3-4 carrots or a large handful of baby carrots, chopped
3-4 celery stalks, cut in half vertically then chopped
7-8 white mushrooms, sliced
1/2 package frozen peas
1 C spinach, stalks removed, roughly chopped
1 package Trader Joe's frozen brown rice
2 bay leaves
1 T fresh rosemary, minced
1 T garlic olive oil, divided
sea salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
turkey meatballs (recipe above)

instructions:
heat 1/2 T garlic olive oil in a pan over medium/high heat. once hot, put all turkey meatballs in pan and keep moving. the idea is to "seal" the meatballs so they hold together in the soup and stay moist. no need to brown, though it's okay if you do. keep them moving in the pan and, once all white/brown, turn off heat and set aside.

meanwhile heat remaining 1/2 T garlic olive oil in a pot. once hot, add chopped carrots, keeping them sautéing for about 4 minutes. salt and pepper with each step. add onion, saute 2 more minutes. add celery, saute 2 more minutes. add mushrooms, saute 2 more minutes. toss in meatballs from pan and continue to saute until most of the liquid is absorbed and you're getting a slight char on some of the veggies. add broth and water, rosemary and 2 bay leaves. let simmer for 10 minutes, ensuring that meatballs are cooked through. add peas, spinach and brown rice - bring back to a simmer for another 5-10 minutes. salt and pepper to taste, remove bay leaves and serve! top with a little grated parmesan, if you feel so inclined.

Sunday, April 15, 2012

lazy sunday links: première partie

hello sophisticated friends. we've had some technical difficulties lately...my apologies!
we're going to ease back into this with a new series. 

.: lazy sunday links :. 
a collection of the things that have inspired me this week

...happy sophisticating...


 my husband and i are beginning plans to convert our 1934 carriage house [wannabe garage] into a fun hang-out space. i'm thinking barn lights & an industrial bar are non-negotiables.


 ran out of candles the other day. not sure how that happened, but was so glad to have stumbled upon this quick fix to make our home smell like a williams sonoma. give it a try!


just love this.


it feels like summer is already arriving in southern california, so i loaded up on cherry tomatoes to make this summer garden pasta.


"big girl in a skinny world" - a new youtube show starring my dear friend marcy guevara for marie claire. ladies of all sizes should check it out for tips on sophisticating your wardrobe!


cannot wait to bake this beautiful rose water glitter cake for a special occasion.

what are your favorites?

Monday, February 6, 2012

design obsession: cabins

happy monday!

maybe it's just me, but this monday has me longing for "the other." ANYTHING other than...this. now. the first month of the new year is over, i have successfully cannonballed into the deep end at work, the calendar is already jam-packed...and i find myself already yearning for a little escape. a little time to sloooooow it down.

if you're in the same boat as me, it's time to book a therapy session OR spend a minute or two or twenty on the photos below. i stumbled across these via bright bazaar via apartment therapy via cabin porn. just the sight of them was enough to give me a little moment of inspiration to carry me through. i'd love to own a splendid little place like this someday. not too big, not too fancy - just a room, a major view and lots of fresh air.

...happy sophisticating...











Saturday, February 4, 2012

saturday splendor: steven gambrel

i recently stumbled across the site of s.r. gambrel, a remarkable design firm in nyc. i'm quite familiar with their work, as they've been featured in the pages of just about every design magazine i scour. why i hadn't thought to go straight to the source and dive headlong into the splendor, i'll never know. but i have now and let me tell you...it's glorious.

steven gambrel is the mastermind behind it all and i love his work for a number of reasons:
1- his ability to seamlessly blend the modern and traditional. he will combine unbelievably timeless furnishings with pops of mid-century modern in a way that is so elegant and confident and right.
2- his pops of color. i think we all know how obsessed i am with neutrals right now, but i couldn't help but become lost in his use of color. he uses bright, fun colors in a way that is not the least bit juvenile or cliche. so inspiring.
3- he has a background in architecture, which becomes abundantly clear when you dive into his work. it's clear that he spends a significant amount of time understanding the structure of a space, and then uses the design to elevate that structure. i think this is why there is so much variety in his work - he has the ability to adapt to what the house itself needs, and not just impose his own sensibility on things. this is no one-trick-pony.

this is a rather photo-heavy post. as it should be. give in to the splendor.
...happy sophisticating...

okay, i just had to sneak in my neutrals.




i wish i could sit there for hours. unbelievable light.


there are no words. just, perfection.








again with the light. and that daybed? utterly fantastic.





i mean, that piece! unreal.

perfect.


almost trumps carrie & big's closet.




now THIS is a children's room.