It’s hard to believe that we’re already to Valentine’s Day and that it’s February. We had a blast working on the Heart Cake this year – a tradition started by Mary and Rebecca and continued when Rebecca frolicked off to London. Over the past three years Mary and our GMS team have continued to grow the shoot each year – from two years ago when we shot in Elysian Park to last year when we settled on a black heart and shot in Culver City.

This year, we wanted to return to the shoot’s roots in friendship, as Becca, Jessica, Mary, and Megan did in the heart cake’s second year. We don’t get personal on the blog too often, but GMS is a labor of love. We have roped friends into contributing (including Becca who is still giving us great content from London!) and we often ask our friends to taste test, let us make them cakes, cook them dinners, bounce ideas off of them, and even let us practice our teaching skills on them.

Over brainstorming in January, Corelyn and I thought it’d be awesome to involve our friends and have a Valentine’s shoot surrounding friendship love rather than romantic love. Our LA friend group is our family and lots of our events in Los Angeles surround food – pizza nights, birthday parties with treats, celebrations for holidays, the New Year (Chinese and regular!), jobs, engagements, etc.

We think that Valentine’s Day should be no exception. So we whipped up a vegetable frittata and some cinnamon rolls and some grapefruit mimosas, and we baked our annual heart cake (this year in mint!) and we got together to laugh, eat, chat, and of course, photograph.

We hope you check out our tutorial on how to make this Heart Cake and make it for your friend group this weekend – this cake is DENSE and it deserves to be shared with a big crowd. Everyone deserves a piece of your heart (cake) we say. If you do end up making the heart cake, let us know – tag us on Instagram (#GMSForRealLife) and show us what you can do!

Thanks to everyone who put so much work into this project – it is truly a group effort and we’re so lucky to have such a great group of creative friends!

Photographer: Mary Costa Photography
Food & Food Styling: Garlic, My Soul
Set Design: Traci Doromal, Jessica Kucinskas, Megan Roy, Ellen Tremiti
Calligraphy: Jessica Perelle // Letter and Ink
Models: Jessica Kucinskas, Steve Gregoire, Ryan Morris, Lauren Michal, Megan Roy, Mitchell Pumar
Production Assistants: Jeff Hayford & Mike Marsoupian

Hello Folks!

We are fast approaching a few major holidays, but rather than focusing on Valentine’s Day I wanted to go ahead and talk about that other holiday, Presidents Day.

Full disclosure: I am huge American History nerd, especially when it comes to Presidential History, so I figured I would take a moment to acknowledge this lesser celebrated holiday by bringing you some presidential inspired drinks. We have had a total of 44 chief executives of our country but I obviously could not list them all, so I chose to focus on the four presidents that are currently carved into the Mount Rushmore National Monument in South Dakota.

President George Washington
Drink of Choice: Beer/Ales

A little known fact about our first president was that he was also, during his time in office, one of the country’s largest Rye Whiskey distillers. In fact, several years ago excavators at Mount Vernon discovered a “Still Factory” on the grounds.

While he made whiskey and drank many types of other liquors and wine, he was known to love a great beer or ale. Back in the early history of our nation, most of the politicking was done in pubs.  Washington, being a war hero, didn’t really need to brag about his qualifications, but he enjoyed the meeting the common man approach very much. So in the spirit of Washington I chose a great beer from New York, where Washington was actually inaugurated. Ommegang always produces a great draft and this one with its creamy viscosity and ultimately complex flavors I think would have been a favorite of our first President.

President Thomas Jefferson
Drink of Choice: French Wine

President Jefferson took great pride in the fact that he was a Francophile. Before his presidency, Jefferson served as the Ambassador to France during the fledgling days of our nation. Needless to say one of the things he came to love was their wine. Rumor has it that he nearly went bankrupt at one point in his life because of the amount of wine he stocked in his cellar. I’m not 100% on that, but I’ve read it in a few places.

In honor of Jefferson I chose a wonderful Bourdeux style French wine. Its color is dark and rich, its taste is bold and earthy with wonderful hits of fruit and would go wonderfully with a great meal of beef or lamb. I think Jefferson would have purchased a few bottles and opened them all in good health.

President Theodore Roosevelt
Drink of Choice: Mint Julep

Teddy Roosevelt was a vivacious president. He was known to be a bit unorthodox and rather energetic. But all that energy came in handy and he is one of our most beloved and accomplished leaders. Most of the modern environmental conservation laws, food and drug safety mechanisms, and general ideas on infrastructure stem from steps he took while he was in office. He believed that you could have a good time and should enjoy your work so he was always at it. He would often entice members of his cabinet and congress over to the White House on Saturdays with the promise of Mint Juleps and sport and then would sucker them into talking about work during what was supposed to be jovial times. Brilliant!

Ingredients:
1 Serving

1 cup of crushed ice
1 cube of sugar
8 mint leaves
3 ounce of rye whiskey
2 tbsp. of water

Directions:

In a glass muddle together the mint, sugar cube, and water, until it is sufficiently pulverized. Fill the glass with crushed ice and pour in the rye whiskey. Add a mint sprig for garnish.

President Abraham Lincoln
Drink of Choice: Brandy (kind of)

President Lincoln was inaugurated during a time of great tumult in our nation’s history. Dealing with a stagnant economy, leading a relatively new political party, and dealing with I don’t know the Civil War, you would think this guy would need a drink or two everyday to keep the edge off. However, according to most observers, Lincoln drank little to nothing while he was in office – he wanted to ensure his wits were as sharp as possible while on the job. However, before he was president, he held several positions, one of which was owning a bar/general store. He ultimately sold his shares in this endeavor before entering law and politics, but it was said that Lincoln enjoyed a fine glass of brandy on occasion.

I have included a glass of Brandy from a distillery in Kentucky (which many forget was Lincoln’s actual place of birth). The taste is smooth and rich, with a nice kick on the back end.

Just remember folks, yes, even the most powerful men in the country enjoyed a drink from time to time, but you should always still be responsible – or you might end up like President Franklin Pierce who after finding out he would not be re-nominated by his party for the presidency decided to go out on his horse…after drinking…and was cited for a DUI…think about it.

Good Spirits Folks!

When it comes to special occasion dinners, it’s hard to go wrong with a well seasoned steak. In fact, it’s hard to pick what I like better about this Valentine’s Day meal, the steak or these decadent burgundy mushrooms. Actually, I was wrong. It’s the mushrooms. They’re divine. But truly, this combination is killer, and you should cook it for whatever loved one you love most this weekend.

First, the steak. If you ask us, the secret to a good steak is a a good marinade. We wanted something tried and true, so we turned to my father’s basic recipe.

Marinade Ingredients:

4 tbsp steak sauce
4 tbsp worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp dried oregano
plenty of salt & pepper

Marinate filets for at least one hour, then cook on a grill or on the stovetop in a cast iron skillet. 7 minutes on the first side, and 6 minutes on the second side should cook to about medium. Use a meat thermometer to ensure the correct temperature.

Our steak recipe won’t disappoint, but to really impress your date, don’t forget the burgundy mushrooms. They take a little time, but we promise your patience will be rewarded, and they are the perfect thing to occupy you while your steaks marinate!

Ingredients:

button mushrooms, cleaned and stems removed (we recommend 16 – 24oz)
1 medium shallot, minced
2 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp butter
2 cups red wine

Directions:

1. Heat olive oil and butter in large frying pan and saute shallots over medium heat for 1-2 minutes until the begin to turn translucent, careful not to let them burn.
2. Add mushrooms in a single layer that covers the bottom of the pan and cook until golden brown on both sides. Note: Some will prefer to accomplish this with frequent stirring, while others prefer a meticulous approach, browning one side then carefully flipping each mushroom cap individually to brown the other side. Take whichever path feels right to you. We don’t judge at GMS.
3. Add red wine and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer 40 – 60 minutes until the wine is reduced.

Now, go forth and prepare to fall in love! With these mushrooms, of course.

Valentine’s Day is coming, and we at GMS think there is no greater gift you can give a loved one than a home cooked meal. We love dressing up and going out for a fancy dinner, but there is something about cooking with someone or for someone that just is tops.

So this week we’re here to bring you a couple recipes that we think you can whip up for Saturday’s festivities without too much trouble. This first one is one of our fave recipes that’s simple, comes together quickly, and can be fancied up with shrimp, chicken, or a big side salad.

This is the Pioneer Woman’s Baked Lemon Pasta. We made it for the Pioneer Woman Challenge of 2010, and we were hooked. We now have it on a semi-regular rotation. We’ve made it in several different iterations, with yogurt, with a meat, with a veg thrown in there, but this is the classic recipe straight up.

And, of course, by straight up we mean double the garlic, double the lemon zest, and tons and tons of bright green parsley. Don’t forget the parsley – it really takes this to the next level. Parsley is so under appreciated, don’t you think? And yet, so very good for you.

Serve this up on Saturday and you’ll look a cook who really knows his/her way around the kitchen. We can see it now – a big salad, a hot cast iron of pasta, two glasses of wine…in fact, can we come over?

Up tomorrow, another option for Valentine’s Day that will have you meat lovers out there swooning…

Hey y’all. We want to start a little series around these parts to help you out. Now, we love posting recipes for you on the regular, but we also happen to have a lot of passions surrounding other types of food knowledge – for example, because we run a food blog we’ve become better and better at grocery shopping, using up everything in our fridge, and learning how to stock up our pantry for the week. We think the weekend is a good time for you to get at your kitchen goals, because you have more time to devote to planning ahead.

We had a request recently (Hi, K!) for more info on how to waste less food, so here are our suggestions:

1. Once a month, clean out your fridge – the whole thing. You guys, it’s the beginning of the month, which is usually my favorite time to do a bigger sweep of my fridge. I used to let jars and condiments sit for months – months! – without worrying about them, because I was too lazy (or scared, or just simply unaware) to check them out. But the beauty of the Internet is that it is full of knowledge, so I started doing more and more research on what can stay – and what should go. Check out this article from the kitchen for more, but here’s a pro tip – write on everything with a permanent marker when you opened it. That way, you don’t have to be wondering every time you open the BBQ sauce and hold your noise whether this is from that BBQ you made in January, or from the Fourth of July picnic.

2. Designate a grocery day, and try to stick to it. In our house, grocery day is typically Sunday, because usually we’re not working (Jeff works freelance and we cook for the blog on the weekends, so Saturdays are iffy at best.) Sundays go as follows: clean out your fridge (again!? I know but it makes number 1 that much easier!) and throw away anything questionable. Check the essentials – eggs, milk, proteins, etc.

To minimize your throw away items see below (under meal planning) but just know inevitably we all forget about the second bag of cilantro or those leftover potatoes from your fave restaurant that got lost behind the Brita. Anyways, off topic here. Once you’ve cleaned out your fridge, make a list of things you need. Here’s how to make a list for the grocery store. We also use the app “OurGroceries” because it lets Jeff and I share lists between the two of us. BUT HOW DO I KNOW WHAT I NEED? I am glad you asked. Because…

3. Meal plan. I’ve seen capsule wardrobing pop up all over the Internet (also known as “Sierra-ing your wardrobe”), telling everyone to par down their closet and stick to the basics. It makes getting dressed easier – and the same goes for food. Let’s be honest, here. You have a wheelhouse of recipes you make often, and some of those things have overlapping ingredients, yeah? I mean sure, sometimes you throw in a new recipe or two and some of those stick, but for the most part there is a rotation of dishes you are definitely going to look forward to and are easy to put together.

So make yourself a list of what you (and your spouse/roommate/family) have going on that week and here’s a trick: plan for one less meal. I learned early on that cooking for two is hard and I end up making food for four. Tack on an unexpected birthday celebration, a cold coming on, you/your partner working later than expected, and you definitely are staring those enchiladas in the face thinking, man I just want a bowl of cereal and a bar of chocolate. 

4. List what you have somewhere in plain site. If you make a list of what you’re cooking, then make a list of what you’ll need to make those recipes, you will see where there are ingredients you’re going to have leftovers that will need to be used. For example: buying tortillas for enchiladas, will you end up with extra tortillas? If so, think of what you can do with those before you buy them, or else those last couple of tortillas will end up moldy in the trash. Make a list of the more perishable items and stick it on the fridge – we have a white board in our kitchen that I use to list all the produce we have so we remember what is in those drawers.

5.  Once every quarter, clean out your pantry. Think of this like a repeat of number one, but with your more shelf stable items. I will usually make a soup from half-bags of grains, remember that I have several cans of black beans and make a dip, etc. Here’s more info on how to make your pantry work for you, but just remember – you should have things you’re going to use in your pantry, so try not to give into the 10 for $10 sales of things that will inevitably sit in your pantry for years to come.

Woah, that was a long one, but we hope it helped you out. What are you tips and tricks for making sure you’re not wasting food throughout your fridge?