Can't-Believe-It's-Not-Take-Out Shrimp Fried "Rice"

There's no run-up to this one: last night I made the most delicious imitation ever-- shrimp fried "rice" that uses my favorite culinary chameleon, cauliflower, instead of rice. Don't be intimidated by the long ingredient list-- this dish is actually quite easy and would be great for a cozy dinner party on an ugly winter night. Enjoy! Thanks to Tastespotting for bringing me this recipe If you have two frying pans, you'll need both. If not, just make the cauliflower and then the vegetables. Ingredients  --1/4 c water  --3 TBS fresh lime juice (to taste) --2 TBS green curry...

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A Very Kefi Christmas

"It is a miracle if you can find true friends, and it is a miracle if you have enough food to eat, and it is a miracle if you get to spend your days and evenings doing whatever it is you like to do, and the holiday season—like all the other seasons—is a good time not only to tell stories of miracles, but to think about the miracles in your own life, and to be grateful for them." —Lemony Snicket There are many things that have afforded me great success in this world-- I'm a white person from the US who went to college and is employed.  To 99.99% of the rest of the...

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"There's No One I'd Like To Have Dinner With"

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Occupy the Grocery Store: Slow Cooker Mustard Brussels Sprouts

Last week I did something crazy--I met up with some friends the night before I had to work and stayed out until 10:30 PM, which is WAY past bedtime. The resulting "Nurses Gone Wild" video should be released in time for Christmas delivery. But seriously--it was getting late and I had nothing to eat for lunch during the 12.5 hour shift the next day. Not wanting to brave the hospital cafeteria, I peered into my refrigerator and came up with... a bag of brussels sprouts. Without time to DO anything with said brussels sprouts (btw: did everyone else know that it's brusselS sprouts, not bussel...

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Water No Get Enemy

Yasiin Bey (TAFKA Mos Def) does Fela. If this doesn't get your weekend going, nothing wil...

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Spanakopita, Deconstructed

I've made no secret about it: spanakopita, practically the national dish of Greece, is no favorite of mine.  This indifference is, in large part, owed to the strong contrarian spirit that dominates at least two-thirds of my opinions ("Oh, you think puppies are cute? Let me tell you why I find that to be misguided...")-- but mostly it's just because I'd rather be eating my Aunt Lena's eggplant pie.  Why eat a spinach/lemon/feta concoction when you could be sinking your teeth into an amazing amalgamation of eggplant, tomato, and onion? I rest my case. But, alas. Winter is coming and...

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Chocolate Chestnut Pie

Chestnuts and figgy pudding are two of a kind. Everyone sings about them, but no one actually eats them. Always a bridesmaid, never a bride. Luckily for chestnuts, Thanksgiving at the Kef Household lets them shine once a year--MamaKef has always loved adding chestnuts to her stuffing (though I'm sad to report I have yet to see her roast them over an open fire).  This year, we also threw some chestnuts over our roasted sweet potatoes to a spectacular result.  And this got the Kefwheels turning... What else can we do with these creamy, delicious treats? What we have today...

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What treats do you look forward to this month?

"One of the secrets of a happy life is continuous small treats." -- Irish Murdo...

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World AIDS Day 2012

It's World AIDS Day. Today, I send out all the love and light in the world to those who fight HIV every day-- the testers and counselors, the patients and researchers, the advocates and the educators.  I just watched the remarkable How to Survive a Plague and was reminded of how far we have come in the fight against this 100% preventable epidemic and how far we still have to go. Washington, DC still has the highest rates of HIV in country. Our women, our poor, our communities of color, and our most marginalized neighbors are still living and fighting this plague -- help them...

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I LIVE For This

Jada Pinkett-Smith, when asked why she let her daughter, Willow, shave her head:“This subject is old but I have never answered it in its entirety. And even with this post it will remain incomplete. The question why I would LET Willow cut her hair. First the LET must be challenged. This is a world where women, girls are constantly reminded that they don’t belong to themselves; that their bodies are not their own, nor their power, or self determination. I made a promise to endow my little girl with the power to always know that her body, spirit, and her mind are HER domain. Willow cut...

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I Heart Huxtables

If Clair Huxtable ain't some damn kefi, I don't know what i...

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Words to Live By

"I cannot endure to waste anything so precious as autumnal sunshine by staying in the house." -Nathaniel Hawthor...

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French 'Cake' Kef

[Chef Kefi Ed Note: JSK could not stop raving--simply RAVING--about this. I did not get a chance to try it GF, so for now it is full o' flour only.  I will try it with GF flour this weekend and let you know how I did.] The best part about being in Paris is seeing old friends.  And eating with old friends.  My friend FabKef's girlfriend, HeleneKef (who is herself, of course, a friend now too) has made this delicious 'cake' a few times since I've been here, and I die for it every time.  Careful: in French, 'cake' (pronounced as it is in English) means like 'really delicious...

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Sweet Potato Ricotta Gnocchi with Pumpkin Cream Sauce

Queijo Kef and I will always have Fall.  The birthdays, the pumpkin, the scarves... it's enough to make two working women spend all day emailing each other delicious-looking pumpkin-themed treats. Oh wait... A few weeks ago, these sweet potato and ricotta gnocchi were the object of our 9-to-5 distraction.  I have always wanted to toss my hat into the ring of gnocchi-building and, cheered by Queijo Kef's enthusiasm, these seemed like the place to start.  I followed this recipe for the gnocchi themselves, and then doctored up the sauce to include (what else?) PUMPKIN! And...

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Love is, Actually, All Around

The First Family remains a shining example of what happens when enduring love, fiery passion, and true partnership rule the roost ... and more importantly: Wisconsin elects the nation's first openly-gay Senator Hawaii sends the first Japanese-American woman to the Senate, and she will join a Congress with a record number of women members AND FINALLY.... Maryland, Maine, Minnesota, and Washington become the four newest states to recognize justice, equity under the law, and a more inclusive understanding of lo...

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5 a.m. Musings

Understand, I'll slip quietlyAway from the noisy crowdWhen I see the paleStars rising, blooming over the oaks.I'll pursue solitary pathwaysThrough the pale twilit meadows,With only this one dream:You come too.---From "First Poems," Rainer Maria Ri...

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In case you still don't know what kefi means...

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Maple Apple Frangipane

The windows are open, autumnal sunshine is pouring into my kitchen, and the sound of the Howard Homecoming is echoing down the block--the perfect day to put freshly-picked apples to use! In the beginning of September, I messed around with this thing called frangipane and the results were underwhelming.  I swore not to be outdone by the French and their delicacies (NB: yes, the word "frangipane" is clearly Italian, but Wikipedia tells me it used to be "franchipane," which is apparently French... so I can still blame the fussiness of this almond filling on the French! Sorry, Sarkozypoo!)...

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Cauliflower, Carmelized Onions, Squash, and Cheese Casserole

Last week my unit had a comfort-food potluck. I had two heads of cauliflower in the fridge and figured I'd see what ye olde interwebs said about cauliflower and comfort. Turns out, if you throw cauliflower in a pan with some caramelized onions, roasted butternut squash, and a whole lotta cheese, it becomes quite delicious. AND makes for a pretty nice picture, thank you very much. I followed this recipe exactly (except I substituted chives for rosemary), so I won't bother to reproduce here-- enjoy! &nb...

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Eggplant "Keftedes"

Hello to my loyal readers (loyal enough to remember me, since yesterday was my first post in 11 months)- My apologies for my absence, but I have been busy with some other things.  Notably, things like this traditional Greek-abandoned-train dance I'm demonstrating below. In case you have been reading this blog and thinking, "Gosh, they keep posting these damn recipes I can make myself and ALL I WANT ARE SOME REVIEWS OF GREEK RESTAURANTS IN PARIS," I bring good news: L'Olivier, which I mentioned last year, has completely redone the interior and also has received a Michelin star....

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Return of the JetSet Kef

Big Brother Kef is back in town. Usually it is my dear sister who does the dirty work in the kitchen while I keep the water boiling as the Executive Sous Chef of Keftown (see here for more on that).  But, inspired by the post-DNC 2012 "Clinton bump," she's decided to call in the old dogs to teach some new tricks.  During her tenure, two very prominent themes have emerged: dishes are meatless photos of said meatless dishes range from unappetizing to "...oh, I see how that might actually taste good if that were a better picture." (I love my sister and her food--but seriously, she...

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Same Love

I just love this sweet little video sent around by the good people at Upworthiest (actually--I don't know if they're good people, I just know that they put together one helluva great library of progressive videos with which I fill my rainy days off!)-- it speaks for itself, so I won't bother trying to add. Get out the tissues and remember that today is the LAST DAY to register to vote in many states! &nb...

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Berry Sangria

Once upon a time, when it was fall, someone's birthday, and someone's turn to go study abroad, we made sangria in 25 liter batches. Yes, you read that correctly. These days, birthdays are not the excuse for debauchery they once were (and my liver thanks you for that, Lord!), but they still make an excellent occasion for some sangria. In general, I find restaurant-made sangria too sweet (and if you're drinking the pre-made Sutter Home stuff, please check yo'self) so I endeavored to make my own with all the flavor, but not so much sweetness. Enjoy! Grown Up Berry Sangria Fit for a Birthday...

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