you asked for 'em!

last night i hosted my annual girls' holiday party and gift exchange (yes, it's always in january - easier not to deal with all of the december conflicts and it's so nice to have one last party to wrap up the season).

i look forward to this party every year because i get to spend time catching up with so many wonderful ladies and, well, because i love a party. we spend hours gossiping about boys, jobs, engagements, babies (this is a relatively new development for us!), and have an increasingly wild gift exchange - all presents must come from good vibrations or some place similar.

i hear that there are LOTS of happy ladies, hubbies and boyfriends every year when the girls get home!

another tradition is that, every single year, i serve up my favorite mac 'n' cheese. this year i had SO MANY requests for the recipe that i thought i'd share.

cupcake and frosting recipes below as well!
Jen's Bacon Mac 'n' Cheese (loosely based on Martha Stewart's Favorite Macaroni and Cheese recipe, but modified and simplified over the years)
Serves 12. (but i made 3 full recipes for you girls!)

Ingredients
* roughly 5-6 cups grated cheese. (This can really be any kind you want - including blue, brie or goat - though I'd recommend that at least half is a sharp white Cheddar or Gruyère. For the party, I used white Cheddar, Swiss, Jarlsberg, Gruyère, Jack, and Parmesan - basically anything that was already in the house!)
* 1/2 pound (minimum) good smoked bacon, cooked and chopped into small pieces
**NOTE: save your bacon-fat as you fry and set aside!
* 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
* 5 cups milk
* 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
* 1/2 teaspoon chili powder, or to taste
* 1 pound elbow macaroni (small)
* 1/2 to 1 cup Japanese panko flakes (you can buy 6 oz. bags by Wel-Pac at Safeway in the Asian Foods section)

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2. In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, heat milk. Melt 3 tablespoons of butter with 3 tablespoons of reserved bacon fat in medium to large pot. When butter bubbles, add flour. Cook, whisking, 1 minute or until brown and pasty.
3. While whisking, slowly pour in hot milk. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until the mixture bubbles and becomes thick.
4. Remove pan from heat. Stir in salt, black pepper, chili powder and 3-4 cups cheese. Set cheese sauce aside.
5. Fill a large saucepan with water; bring to a boil. Add macaroni; cook 2 to 3 minutes less than manufacturer's directions, until the outside of pasta is cooked and the inside is underdone. (Different brands of macaroni cook at different rates; be sure to read the instructions.) Transfer macaroni to a colander, rinse under cold running water, and drain well. Stir macaroni into the reserved cheese sauce.
6. In a small bowl, melt 2 tablespoons reserved bacon fat (or butter if you're running low) in the microwave. Add panko and toss. Set aside.
7. Pour half of macaroni and cheese mixture into a large baking dish. Cover with bacon. Pour remaining half over bacon.
8. Sprinkle remaining cheese, and panko, over top. Bake until browned on top, about 30-45 minutes. Cool 5 minutes; serve hot.

by far, the most popular gift of the night. who knew?!

Devil's Food Cupcakes (based on Michael Recchiuti's Devil’s Food Hearts recipe.)
Serves 24.

Ingredients
* 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
* 2/3 cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1 teaspoon kosher salt
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 cup strong coffee (I like Peet's French Roast), brewed and cooled
* 1/2 cup flavorless vegetable oil
* 1 cup whole milk
* 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, preferably Madagascar Bourbon
* 2 cup granulated cane sugar
* 2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line two 12-cup muffin tins with paper cupcake liners.
2. Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt together into a bowl. Stir the baking soda into the coffee in another bowl and then stir in the oil, milk and pure vanilla extract.
3. Combine the sugar and egg in a medium bowl and whisk together by hand. Whisk in the flour mixture in 2 additions, alternately with the coffee mixture in 1 addition.
4. Pour the batter, 1/4 cup per cupcake, into tins.
5. Place on the middle shelf of the oven and bake for 15 to 18 minutes. Cakes hsould be moist to the touch and slightly springy. Let cool completely on a wire rack.

Golden Cake Recipe, courtesy of Valerie
Serves 24.

Ingredients
* 1 3/4 cups spooned and leveled cake flour (no substitute - must be cake flour)
* 1 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
* 1 1/2 cups sugar
* 1/3 c water
* 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into 1-tablespoon pieces
* 2 teaspoons vanilla
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/3 cup canola oil
* 3 large egg yolks
* 2 large eggs
* 1/2 cup heavy cream

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two 12-cup muffin tins with paper cupcake liners.
2. Beat flour and baking powder for a full 30 seconds at medium speed on the mixer, then pour the flour mixture into a large bowl and set aside. Don't wash the mixer bowl.
3. Add the sugar to the bowl and place back on mixer.
4. Heat water in microwave or on stove, and add to mixer bowl. Beat a few seconds to dissolve the sugar, then beat in butter, vanilla and salt. Add oil and mix on medium to blend.
5. Sprinkle 1/3 of flour mixture over sugar mixture. Blend on low with a minimum amount of beating. Continue adding flour until incorporated.
6. By hand, stir in yolks one at a time. Then stir in whole eggs one at a time.
7. Place a bowl, beaters, and heavy cream in freezer for 5 minutes. Whisk the cream until soft peaks form. Whip just a little beyond this. Stir 1/4 of whipped cream into the batter to lighten, then gently fold the rest of the whipped cream into batter.
8. Pour batter, 1/4 cup per cupcake, into tins. (Drop from 4" or so to knock out bubbles.) Bake until center springs back when touched or toothpick is clean. My cupcakes took about 15 minutes. Let cake cool for about 10 minutes before removing from pan.

Browned-Butter Frosting, courtesy of Land O' Lakes
Serves 24.

Ingredients
* 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
* 3 cups powdered sugar
* 12 teaspoons vanilla
* 3 to 4 tablespoons whole milk or cream - or as needed
* salt to taste (maybe a pinch or two)

Directions
1. Melt 6 tablespoons butter in small saucepan over medium heat. Continue cooking, stirring constantly and watching closely, until butter starts to turn golden (4 to 6 minutes). (Butter will get foamy and bubble.) Remove from heat. Cool completely (and don't worry about the browned bits, they're tasty).
2. Combine browned butter, powdered sugar and vanilla in a medium bowl. Beat at medium speed, gradually adding enough milk for desired spreading (or eating!) consistency.

HAPPY BAKING! and, oh yeah...

courtesy of one of last night's guests

sandra and john get engaged.

60 cupcakes, 12 bottles of champagne and more-cheese-than-you-can-shake-a-stick-at consumed - pretty good for a sunday night!

as many of you well know, i love a good (or any, really) reason to throw a party. last night i had the pleasure of co-hosting, with my good friend elaine, an engagement party for two of my favorite people at my home.

i met john when i was involved in "team in training's" san francisco triathlon team. he's incredibly handsome... so i'd assumed he was just another playboy. instead he turned out to be one of the most genuine people i have met in my adult life. he's caring and kind and he's like the little brother i've always hoped for.

sandra i met a couple of years later. while we went to college together, i'd never had the pleasure of meeting her. i finally got the chance when several friends decided to travel to peru to hike the inka trail to machu picchu and she decided to join us. she was instantly lovable - a strong, independent (and half-asian, so gorgeous) girl who has a soft spot for people in need. i was friend-crushing on her immediately.

so, our mutual friend amanda (a sneaky little minx) hatched a plan to fix them up. they were perfect for each other and we would hound and cajole them until they realized it too!

and now, 3 years later, there's a ring on her finger and a brand new puppy to love.

here are a few shots of the decorations for the party we hosted - though i failed to take any of the guests as i was far too busy enjoying myself.

it was a simple affair - cupcakes (carrot for he and yellow with chocolate for she, and chocolate with brown butter or cream cheese for everyone else), champagne cocktails (with elderflower liqueur and fresh peach, blackberry and raspberry puree for mixers), and my favorite french candies for all. oh, and enough cheese to put everyone into a coma.

it was so nice to wake up to 6 dozen roses on my doorstep! thanks, "babe"!

party prep in progress (and yes, all cupcakes and frostings were from scratch!).

fresh flowers, in red and pink, everywhere.

elaine and her doug start pouring for the guests!

sandra and john, may you be incredibly happy and may life bring you all of the blessings you deserve. i love you both!

xoxo jen

P.S. since i was cleaning and making 75 cupcakes already, i decided to make it an even hundred and hosted "rad friend event" #1 at my house on saturday night.

here are a few photos of said rad friends sitting by the tree, watching classic christmas cartoons, with homemade persimmon old-fashioneds (thanks, nicole!).

i <3 korean barbecue.

i'm ethnically chinese/ taiwanese (and bunches of other stuff) but, man, do i love me some korean barbecue. set me in front of a plate piled high with kalbi, kimchi and japchae and i am a happy girl. (you - not so much because, no, i will not share.)

so, i finally taught myself to make kalbi (marinated short ribs) at home - it's so tasty, everyone loves it, and it's easy to make enough for a big group.

this weekend i had a dinner party for 10, so i just bought 10 pounds of korean short ribs to serve. these are beef ribs, cut l.a. style, into flat pieces with small rounds of ribs all across the top. i bought kimchi (spicy pickled cabbage is most common) and japchae (cellophane noodles with vegetables in sesame and soy sauce), but i'm learning those now too!

my sous chefs

here's the recipe:

* 4-6 pounds of korean short-ribs (if you don't have a FAB local korean market like i do, you can ask your local butcher to do this for you)
* 1 1/2 cups soy sauce
* 3/4 to 1 cup white sugar - i go a bit heavier on the sugar for extra caramelization
* 1/4 cup sesame oil
* 5 cloves of garlic, minced
* 3 large green onions, cut into small pieces
* 2 tbl toasted sesame seeds
* 1/2 to 1 tsp of red pepper flakes - again, i go a bit heavier because i like spicy

1. mix all ingredients, except for the meat, in a large bowl.
2. place meat into large freezer bag(s) and cover with marinade.
3. place in refrigerator for several hours (at least 4) or overnight. turn at least once so all of the ribs are well marinated.
4. remove from refrigerator when ready to barbecue.

at this point, i'd suggest pouring the marinade into a saucepan and cooking over medium/ medium-high until reduced. be sure to bring it to a rolling boil at least once to kill any nasty bacteria that might ruin your night.

in the meantime, cook ribs over very hot grill until they are brown and a bit charred/ caramel-y.

when reduced, and when ribs are ready, serve reduced marinade for dipping or drizzling over noodles and ribs.

not the best picture i could have taken, but i was HUNGRY.

honestly, this could not be simpler. and your friends will eat until they are sick (which is good because i like company when i do the same).

enjoy!

happy campers

halloween fail.

i have no idea either...

this year's halloween was awesome. i decided to buck the trend and go with a demure costume rather than participate in the yearly "slut olympics". i mean seriously, ladies, WHAT is up? (actually, shhhh... next year's costume: slutty broccoli!)

i had on my mobile evite calendar 4 fun parties to attend, as well as one ridiculously comfortable overstuffed, zip-up bee costume (it's like a fuzzy puffer with a hoodie - huzzah!). should have been easy to make the rounds then, since all i had to do was to throw on jeans, zip up my new fuzzy jacket, and go...

slut olympics, no more! or, as my good friend noted, a costume that is "super cute and not feminism-stunting."

well, i don't know what happened that i was unable to get out of the door of my cozy little house until after 11pm. so, rather than party-hop, i headed to my local for a quick drink and to re-group with the girls. we decided to hit the party closest by (at this point it is virtually impossible to get a cab).

that hot new indie chick-rock band, the mariachi and the bee.

the party, hosted by my new AWESOME neighbors dustin and shahneeyam, was awesome. so awesome, in fact, that i took only 3 pictures the whole night. (awesome-awesome-awesome - god, could i BE any more california?)

i'd planned for a great post, with tons o' photos, on halloween in san francisco - it's really pretty amazing - but no luck, people. this is all i gots fer ya.

halloween FAIL.

could we "bee" any cuter?

punkinpatchpunkinpartypunkinpatchpunkinparty

i'm finally starting to feel settled in to the new place - so it felt like a good time to celebrate my favorite season and, equally as important, being able to SLEEP IN on a saturday (!).

this weekend there was to be no painting, no unpacking, no hammering, no laundering, no gardening - nothing but fun with a few of my friends.

on saturday, some of the girls (and dave, who was a total gentleman and very patient with all of our photo taking and general giddiness) joined me on my annual road trip, complete with spiced apple cider, to farmer john's pumpkin patch in half moon bay. (this place is so famous that even martha has visited!)

this is a truly special place. while it is very well known, it is set away from all of the other pumpkin patches in half moon bay - so it is quieter and more relaxed than the craziness of all of the bouncy houses and rides that happen on highway 92.

but, even better is the riot of colors. this place specializes in heirloom pumpkins and squash - so they have every color and shape of pumpkin you could ever dream of. for someone who loves fall as much as i do, this is a dream come true.

just a very few of the species available. can't believe i forgot to take photos of the white stars!

so, we indulged our inner dorks and this happened:
and we got to spend some time with the man himself:

(seriously, WHAT is up with my hair?!)

mineminemine! one of the 3 wagon-loads of pumpkins that made it home with me!

after workin' up some FIERCE appetites huntin' punkins, i took the girls to my absolute favorite seafood resturant-slash-stand in princeton-by-the-sea, barbara's seafood parlor. if you've never been there, do yourself a favor and GET THERE SOON.

barbara's is across the street from the half moon bay brewery - where you pay many more dollars for both mediocre food and service. instead, park at the brewery, grab some cash from their atm, and walk right up to the window at barbara's.

i'm not usually bossy (i lie) but I AM TELLING YOU to order the tempura-fried day boat scallops. they're as big as silver dollars, moist and juicy, with a light and crispy tempura shell.

then steal a picnic table (with amazing views of the marina and the bay), spritz a little lemon on yer scallops and grab a sierra nevada pale ale to wash it down. i mean, seriously, people - LIFE IS GOOD.

...after the lunch, we headed home to prep for the carvin' party.

how could i have a carvin' party without a spooky cake?

and to relax by the fire...
lots of my favorite tricks showed up with their favorite treats (i.e. boyfriends and hubbys), with some fabulous pumpkins in tow (and one very adorable bulldog puppy in a yoda costume).

so, fortified with my "famous" applewood-smoked bacon mac 'n' cheese, we got to carving.

lots o' carvin', in fact...

and there were many jack o'lanterns...

and just general cuteness...

followed by some whiskey with the girls, resulting in some late-night mac 'n' cheese thievery.

good night! hope you all had as much fun as sarah did (ha ha)!

for more photos, click here!

p.s. anyone know how to set picture widths WITHOUT resorting to the html editor?

what comes before part b?

partaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay. ha! that one just never gets old for me.

i think it's very important, when moving, to put an immediate stamp on your new place. what better way to do so than with a party?

now that i am blessed with my very own yard, i decided i should do some grillin' for the besties. it wasn't fancy (read: we had no dishes yet and no furniture in the house at all - thank god i remembered some t.p. at least!), but it was sure fun.

i have a minor obsession with korean barbecue so i decided to try to make some on my own. it was supposed to be a nice day, sunny and hot, so what better? especially with a bit of kimchi on the side? and ice cream sammies? with lots of chilled bubbly on the side?

i mean, seriously, who would even notice that we don't have furniture?

you'll note from the photos below that the new recipe was a success. but, more importantly, what a great opportunity to share such a major milestone with some of the people i love most.

fire!

wha so funnay?


after the story about kicking a guy's face in on muni i am wary of the look on v's face.


meat


meat gone


auntie jennifer always has the best party favors


my lovely charlotte

that was, like, WHOA...

it takes a village...

so, g and i survived our first weekend of homeownership - and, miraculously, no serious regrets (aside from the multiple hangovers).

we've had the keys for 6 days now and here's a snapshot of what we've accomplished in those few days: 12 lbs short ribs, 9 bottles champagne, 5 bottles wine, 3 six-packs, 2 lbs cookie dough & 1 room painted. huzzah!

special thanks to everyone who's stopped by with gifts and glad tidings. you've made this is a very memorable week for us!

- mom & jeff, who changed all of our locks and put together the barbecue! (not to mention the gift of a thousand tools and a 20-foot ladder!) and brought us a magnum of 1982 chateau montelena. big people wine!
- dad and bonnie for the 14-person "woo-hoo!" all the way from the oregon coast. you brought tears to our eyes!
- amanda, susana, valerie, debbie, sandra and barkley for a great first night at *home*.
- the horstmanns for a home-cooked dinner on friday night...
- and eric and ryan for each stopping by with my favorite fancy-schmancy beers. (and thus making sure i was not nearly as productive as i'd planned to be!)
- jim, valerie, doug, riin, sarah, matt, deb, and alex for a super "lazy sunday afternoon" barbecue - and for the many, many gifts. can't wait to crack open the ardbeg!
- and the horstmanns, again, for sunday night dinner. you are superstars!

i love you all!