Recently, our lovely friend Jen (our “other” Jen) turned 26, on November 26. Her Golden Birthday was upon us, and as Corelyn was visiting we knew we had to do something special.

This is a photo of us from our Scavenger Hunt earlier this year, along with Ms. Jess!

But what to make? We sat around, brainstorming, knowing a) that cupcakes were the best option (easy to transport, as we were doing our celebrating at the mini golf/arcade) and b) that it was Jen’s Golden Birthday, and c) that she likes vanilla. But what? Luckily, after searching the Internet for an inspiring recipe, we knew that what we needed was right under our noses…a good ole recipe we’d made before with a twist!

The Better Homes and Gardens yellow cake recipe is really solid – always delicious, very easy, and can be adapted to cupcakes. But what can you do to yellow cupcakes? Why, spray paint them gold, and line their cupcake liners with golden sprinkles, of course!

We headed to Michael’s to find supplies that would make our cupcakes shimmer and shine, and found exactly what we needed.

The best part was the spray paint was edible, as were the golden sprinkles, so this delicious treat was beautiful and a crowd please! Happy Birthday, Jen!

What recipes do you whip up for birthday love? Cupcakes, cake, brownies?

It’s been a hectic week for us as we recover from our Thanksgiving high. Between traveling back to the East coast, getting a whopper of a cold, making our way throught the turkey leftovers, and introducing a new guest blogger, we’ve barely had a moment to say so much as “Hi, how are ya?”

Next week, we’ll take a deep breath, and plunge headfirst into the holiday season, but for now we want to run through the things you might have missed in the last week:

Our favorite photographer, Mary Costa, put up her photos from our Thanksgiving extravaganza last week. Go take a look. She manages to make me, Jennie, and all of our friends look glamorous while still capturing the sense of frenzy that inevitably accompanies every Garlic, My Soul gathering. I am especially fond of the action shots of me, Jennie, Melissa, and George (our turkey carver and newest GMS guest blogger) in the kitchen.

This is Jennie pulling things that have been warming from the oven – you can tell by her face she’s glad to be doing this again!

Speaking of the Garlic, My Soul reunion last week, we did more than just cook a Thanksgiving feast. We also took part in one of my favorite L.A. activities, a beach bonfire. It was dark and a little cold, but it was nice and toasty by the fire. Here’s a shot of me with Melissa and Mary just before the sun finished setting and we lost the light.

Turning back to food for a moment. Jennie and I are eyeing a couple of homemade hand pie recipes that seem like the perfect fall weather foods.

This one offers a great new way to eat up those turkey leftovers.

And this one is more vegetarian friendly, combining pumpkin and goat cheese in a flaky crust.

And when we get sick of turkey and pumpkin, we’re looking forward to trying out one of these healthy taco recipes for a weeknight dinner.

We’ll check them out and report back!

We’re also always on the lookout for new gluten free recipes, so we’re dying to check out the recipe for these gluten-free high fiber dinner rolls from the King Arthur Flour blog. They look golden and flaky a delicious, and they have extra fiber! What more could we want? Perhaps our gluten free contributor, Melissa can be convinced to give this recipe a whirl and let us know how it goes? If you want to see her try it, tell us in the comments!

And so, as the week comes to a close, we find ourselves heading into December and getting geared up for the holidays. In fact, Jeff and Jennie got a head start on holiday decorations this week. Here’s a peek at their mini-tree!

Happy Holidays!!

Greetings Everyone!

Today I am excited to become a part of this wonderful site and to achieve a few firsts.

1. I am the first male guest contributor.  It’s a simple thing, but I can’t help but be a little proud. So hello from your new pal Fratellospirito.
2. I am the first contributor to focus specifically on alcohol and how it can enhance a meal.
3. This is my first blog post.  Ever.   I know, you have full license to ridicule me, but please continue reading.

So what am I going to be writing about?  What crazy ideas will I be sharing?  To put it simply, I love a great glass of wine, a simple yet filling pint of beer, or the taste of a wonderful liquor.  Not in a weird or problematic way I assure you. I just truly believe that wine, beer, spirits, or their complimentary mixers can make or break a meal.  They can turn a culinary experience from good to memorable.  Whether it be used in the actual meal or simply to compliment it, alcohol, while offering many wonderful after effects, when imbibed in moderation, also opens up our palettes to a smorgasbord of sensations that we may not have experienced otherwise – real or imaginary!

It is my goal over the course of what I hope to be many posts to share my thoughts on these properties and offer opinions on how they can be used as another means of invention and creativity. I’ll also discuss how they can change our perception of what we put into our stomachs, for good or ill, and how influential they can be in some of our favorite dishes from not only a practical sense, but an experimental one too.

Before I go forward I wanted to lay down my credentials on this subject matter.  You may be asking yourself, who is this dude giving me advice on booze?  I know what I like.

Now I was not classically trained in analyzing any of the substances I will no doubt be talking about.  My training came from experience, from the desire to try any alcoholic beverage once, and my experimentation with combining these different substances with  things I enjoy eating.  I suppose it all started a few years ago when I first moved to Los Angeles.

At the time I was just getting out of college and while I had a more refined palette for wine and spirits than most people my age, I could hardly claim to be superior.  I have been working in the film industry since I finished school and my first course, so to speak, in the art of choosing alcoholic substances came from my bosses.  While working in the VFX department on one the first films I worked on, my bosses, who were incredibly wonderful people, introduced me to the world of quality wine and spirits.  Although I am ashamed to say it, my knowledge of wine was pretty standard – there was red and there was white.

But over the course of a few months I got to taste extraordinary wines from Northern California and beyond, beautifully crafted single malt scotches, and micro-brewed beers that left me asking for more.  With that, my curiosity spiked and I have been teaching myself ever since. I may not have a full understanding of all the processes, the chemistry, etc.  But I know what I like and I look forward to sharing what I have learned and what I will continue to learn with all of you.

So finally, what do you have to look forward to with me?

Starting next week I will begin bringing you a Weekly Booze Review!  In this short segment I will review a particular beer, wine, or spirit that I have tried recently or that is an old favorite.  I will tell you the price, where I found it, and whether or not I recommend it.

Also starting next week I will begin posting a monthly entry on how an alcoholic beverage complimented or was used in a meal that I either made or was served by someone with better culinary abilities than my own.

My goal is to have my readers want to seek out the new beverage experiences.  To say to themselves: “I am not going to keep drinking only what I know.”  Coming at this all from a fresh perspective and an adventurous spirit I have no doubt this will be a great deal of fun.

With all this being said, I look forward to next week and the start of what I hope to be a great friendship with you, my future readers.

Sometimes, you just need a piece of steak. This is how Jeff and I were feeling recently when we decided to make ourselves an old recipe of the Ree’s that is easy to put together and so delicious I forgot why we don’t make it weekly!

You can tell how loved this cookbook is? There may or may not be some rips, pages falling out, and the binding is breaking. Love, love, love.

Start with an onion. Dice it up.

Melt some butter in the cast iron.

Put your diced onions in that delicious butter.

Let ’em cook for a bit. Until they look splendidly brown.

Turn off your burner. Add the whiskey. Let it burn off a bit, and breathe deep! Delicious.

Now whisk in some more butter. Hey, I didn’t say this was healthy, did I? Also whisk in some broth – about 1/4 cup. I used beef broth, personally.

Now it gets good. Are you ready to add cream? I am.

Meanwhile, make your steak. Melt some butter.

Make sure you season both sides well.

We’re skipping to the end now. Serve with kale and baked potatoes, or mashed potatoes and broccoli, or green beans and couscous…whatever you want!

What recipes do you make all the time? Do you strive to keep them healthy, or often turn to comfort foods?

We just couldn’t let the fall season pass us by without cooking our favorite fall vegetable. There are a million delicious ways to prepare Brussels sprouts, but this recipe is my favorite because it uses my favorite flavors –cumin and roasted onion–and it’s the easiest thing in the world. We made these for Thanksgiving last week, but I recommend Brussels sprouts this way for any occasion. It works well as part of a 20 person Thanksgiving feast, or as your quick and easy vegetable side for a Tuesday night dinner.

First things first. I like to get one or two gallon size plastic freezer bags and toss all my ingredients inside, including olive oil. Then I seal ’em up and shake shake shake. You can mix the ingredients in a bowl if you like. I’ve also been known to get really lazy and just lay my Brussels sprouts on a baking sheet, drizzle some olive oil, and shake my spices haphazardly over the top. Whatever works for you!

By the way, did you know that the proper spelling is Brussels sprouts? I didn’t until just now. Thank you Wikipedia.

For the record that’s Brussels sprouts, cumin, a little chili powder (feel free to sub in curry powder or cayenne), a little nutmeg, red onion, and olive oil. Get ready to shake!

Spread them on a baking sheet, and throw them in the oven on around 375 for 30 to 45 minutes. Truthfully, we tend to just put these in the oven no matter what temperature it’s on. I think higher temperatures for shorter times are better, because I don’t mind if my Brussels sprouts get a little crisp and crunchy. Either way, just put them in the oven and check them every now and then. They’re ready when you can pick one up with a fork, but they’re still green and a little crunchy.

And on extra special occasions, we like to garnish with fresh pomegranate seeds. Not required, but truly delicious. Give it a try!

See recipe here.