shea sylvia [blog edition]

Bristol is easily one of my favorite restaurants.

Sparkling wine is definitely one of my favorite beverages.

Combine the two and you have a pretty fabulous event.

Full disclosure: I’m not getting any freebies for posting this. I just like Bristol (we went there to celebrate our engagement and their happy hour is amazing) and I like wine. Obvs.

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See? Told you I was going to make a peach pie.

Verdict: delicious.

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A few weeks ago, I signed up for the CSA program through Hen House Market here in KC. I like that it’s really affordable (you pay only $25 per week) and you get high quality, local ingredients that go beyond the expected veggies, including eggs, milk, meat and cheese. 

I ended up with two pounds of ground beef in today’s bag of goodies. That combined with tomatoes and fresh basil on hand prompted me to make meatballs and marinara. This really was an experiment in cooking with what’s available, as I didn’t follow a recipe. But the result? Awesome. Like in the top 10 most delicious things that have ever come out of my kitchen. 

Meatballs & Marinara

The Sauce:

Olive oil (roughly 1-2 teaspoons)
2 cloves of fresh garlic, diced
1 small can of organic diced tomatoes
2 large tomatoes, cored, seeded and roughly chopped
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste
Dried oregano and chopped fresh basil to taste

The Meatballs:

1 lb. ground beef (this was 85/15)
1 egg
Fresh breadcrumbs (I had multigrain bread on hand, so I popped a few slices in the food processor)
1-2 handfuls of fresh basil, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 medium shallot, diced
Grated parmesan (a few shakes out of the container)
Pinch of salt and pepper 

Fresh mozzarella (optional, but worth it)

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium saucepan, heat olive oil on medium heat. Add garlic and sauté for approximately 1 minute. Add both kinds of tomatoes, basil and oregano and salt and pepper. Simmer uncovered for at least one hour. 

Meanwhile, add ground beef to a large mixing bowl and make a well in the middle. Add egg, breadcrumbs, basil, garlic, shallot, parmesan, salt and pepper. Mix with your hands (gross, but it works) until thoroughly combined. 

Mold handfuls of the meat mixture into six large meatballs. Place on a baking sheet (make sure it has a lip so any drippings don’t fall into the oven) and bake for 20 minutes. 

When the meatballs have finished cooking, transfer them to a medium sized casserole dish or glass baking dish. Pour sauce over the meatballs and top each meatball with one slice of fresh mozzarella. Place back into the oven and broil until the cheese has melted, approximately 2-3 minutes.

Let cool for 5 minutes before serving. 

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Cheap thrills: pick a random assortment of cheeses from the “Bargain Bits” section at Whole Foods. Pair with Bota Box Pinot Grigio and feel like a low-rent, yet significantly less crazy version of Ramona from the Real Housewives of NYC.

Pictured: Kerrygold Kilaree Cheddar (good), Amadeus (Aaron’s favorite), Unikeaas Robusto (my favorite), Mitica Asiago Pressato (ok), Herve Moris Abondance Fermiere AOC (smelly and strong).

Weekend recap: lounge singers, pugs, food. The usual. 

Related: I had an amazing night out with the KC Tumblrs (Tumblrers?) on Friday. 

(Hey Tumblr - why are my photos showing up sideways?)

In which I continue to eat my way through Kansas City…

I am pretty sure half my budget is currently going to food, but in my defense, Wichita was not exactly bountiful in the way of great local restaurants. Plus our neighborhood is extremely conducive to dining out.

Last week:

• Dinner at JJ’s to celebrate Aaron’s new job. The cheese plate & prosecco were my favorite parts because I choose to live in a world where cheese, fruit, crusty bread and wine are the only items necessary to survive. The bouillabaisse was also excellent.
• Oklahoma Joe’s. Again. This time I went for the pulled pork sammy while Aaron stuck to the Smokie Joe. We tried to go back last night, but the line was too long and I was too hungry to wait. Regardless, Anthony Bourdain was right. But then, when isn’t he?
• I returned to Succotash with Aaron in tow. While the food was tasty, the service was terrible. Rude doesn’t even begin to cover it. 
• Post-Beerfest, Jackie, Jude and I refueled at The Foundry. I am always a fan of upscale bar food. Thumbs up. 

This week, I’m putting a stop to the restaurant madness and cooking at home. I swear.

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I’m waaaaay too excited about my aawesome new lunchbag. And the lunch I packed: ham and cheddar on sourdough, salt & vinegar chips, grape tomatoes, and strawberries.

(Hopefully my new co-workers aren’t judging me for the artful placement of my lunch and the serious look on my face while I photographed it… Just wait til GPOYW.)

My trip to California, in pictures.

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Tomorrow night, I head to San Diego (via Los Angeles) to spend a weekend with my beautiful sisters (who you may remember from their epic Just Dance video last summer).

Even if the forecast is right and the weather completely sucks, I have no doubt that we’ll have a blast. There really isn’t anything better than being with my sisters, period. No one else has shared the same experiences and ridiculousness and childhood memories. No one else understands the significance of brown overalls with green t-shirts, “Ur mom,” Hooga Buttray, “That’s your boyfriend,” Slapping Cheeks, Spits in Face or Giant Moon.

Other than quality sister time, my California to-do list includes:

• An In-N-Out cheeseburger, animal style
• Iced coffee and a vanilla ice blended from Coffee Bean
• Nordstrom Rack
• Fresh fish tacos
• The beach
• And if I can swing it, a drive through West LA. I haven’t been back there in five years and I really want to see my old ‘hood.

I can’t wait to step foot in my homeland. I’m afraid I won’t want to leave.