Clearly, I have been a little behind on posting.   I am in the process of putting all of my delightful recipes into a book.  Yes, a cookbook is in the works and in the meantime I will be adding my new creations to the book and not my dear site.  I am aiming for a completed manuscript in the next month or two and will keep everyone posted on a final completion date.  Thank you all for your continued support.

Much love,

Emily  a.k.a. The Thirty Year Old Housewife

From the look of this website over the past month you would think I shut the doors of my kitchen and erected a huge out of business sign.  In truth, I have cooked quite a bit this past month.  The strange position of being lazy and busy at the same time as well as severe technological problems have prevented me from sharing my meals with you. Excuses, excuses, excuses.  Now I find myself at the business center in my Madrid hotel far away from my dear Eliza and my stove and finally able to put pen to paper or should I say fingers to keys.  Despite the severe separation anxiety I am experiencing, Madrid and a little alone time have done me well.  While my husband was in a meeting this morning, I found myself strolling the Prado all by myself.  Yes, alone…something I haven’t experienced in sometime. With that realization, I made an audible sigh which I am sure my fellow museum patrons assumed to be a response to the art.  Think not art history majors on study abroad!   I was simply very relaxed.  This sense of calm was very quickly followed by a panic to get back to the hotel to see what news Grandma had concerning her babysitting job.  I can report that Eliza is doing more than well and enjoying the benefits of a very doting grandmother. 

First let it be known that our entire trip was nearly derailed from bad takeout that left me in the ER last week.  A few bags of IV fluids and I was ready to rock Europe, but not before a first and last visit to the famed Charlie Trotter’s which is closing for good at the end of summer.  The food was about what I expected – well portioned and refined with a hint of modern techniques but still a far cry from its competitors molecular gastronomy creations. Our meal, however, was spent on the third floor of the restaurant, forcing the men to immediately relieve themselves of their coats and swiftly aiding in the smudging of my mascara.  The night was topped off with a quick tour of the kitchen which would have been fabulous had a very obnoxious head chef (who will go nameless) not scolded our tour guide/kitchen assistant in a very public and very cringe worthy manner.  In total, delicious food, sauna-like conditions, shockingly rude top chef.  The morning following our meal we said a very long and very sad goodbye to Miss Eliza and set off for Madrid. 

So Madrid… We have spent the bulk of our time here walking around the city and occasionally stopping at markets for an appetizer and a glass of wine.  Our favorite so far is the San Miguel Market right near Plaza Mayor.  We have stopped by this beautiful market the last two nights for appetizers before heading off to dinner.  San Miguel Market is reminiscent of an old train station…think of the station from the movie Hugo and add vendors with fresh seafood, beautifully cured meats and decadent sweets.  After snatching up some wine, we grazed the many food options before settling on fresh gazpacho, a generous helping of Iberian ham,  a cheese platter adorned with Spain’s finest, chocolate balls filled with Brandy, and yes, another glass of wine.  The perfect appetizer. We will be in trouble if we keep this up the remainder of the trip. More to come from France!

I found this while cleaning out my recipe box.   My sister gave me this recipe at my bridal shower years ago. Clearly, the cooking gene skipped her:)

Cooking has taken a bit of a backseat to motherhood lately.  My kitchen feels neglected and so does Ellie. She claimed the baby’s stroller bassinet as her own.  Believe me when I say it was a tight fit and a fight to get her out. 

Stay tuned…more recipes to come.

There comes a point in most women’s lives when they realize they are becoming just like their mothers. Growing up we often made the 2 hour drive from the mountains to Denver for school clothes shopping.  This was a much anticipated trip in which we would enter the mall empty handed and leave with bags of goodies all of which we would eagerly model for dad when we got home.  “Oh and look dad, this one was on sale.”  His retort, “think of all the money we saved!”  Spoiled to say the least and only as an adult do I realize just how much.   The value in these trips, however, were mom’s ridiculous stories, her occasional “look at this a-hole,” remark in the direction of an unfavorable driver and lunch at a special spot.  Without fail, we left every lunch on a mission to replace the shirt mom had worn to Denver because she had spilled something on the original shirt.  Fast forward 15 years and you will find my mother’s daughter always covered in her meal and this dressing was no exception- literally all over my shirt and not to mention one of the few that is still accommodating my belly.  The stain was well worth it as this seasonally inspired dressing was splendid on a mixed green salad with goat cheese. 

Serves 12

Ingredients:

- 1 cup pomegranate seeds, about one large pomegranate

- 1 cup olive oil

- 2 tablespoons champagne vinegar

- ½ teaspoon kosher salt

- 2 teaspoons sugar

- 2 tablespoons finely chopped rosemary

Instructions:

Place the pomegranate seeds in a food processor and mix until smooth.  Add the vinegar, salt, sugar and rosemary and continue to mix.  While the food processor is still mixing slowly add olive oil through the feeder tube and mix until fully incorporated.  Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to 5 days.

Click here to watch!

My first video post… What can I say? Well, I need a little practice on camera as evidence by a bit of repetition, lack of eye contact as my husband kept pointing out while filming and oh yes, forgetting to add one of the main ingredients.  Oops! Hopefully, you will still get the gist of things.  Enjoy and prepare for more videos to come!

Serves 6

Ingredients:

- 1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped or minced

- 2 tablespoon olive oil

- 1 tablespoon butter

- 1 cup Arborio rice

- ½ cup white wine

- 4 cups chicken stock

- 1 cup roughly chopped shitake mushrooms

- 2 cups chopped asparagus

-1 cup shredded pecorino cheese

- ¼ cup heavy whipping cream

-1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions:

Pour the stock into a large saucepan and heat over low-medium heat.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil as well as the butter over medium-high heat in a large stockpot.  Add the onion and sauté for 5 minutes or until translucent.  Stir in rice and cook for 2-5 minutes.  Add wine and cook until wine reduces by half.  Ladle ½ cup of warm stock onto the rice and stir constantly until liquid is absorbed by rice.  Continue this process of pouring ½ cup portions of stock onto the rice and stirring until the rice reaches a creamy texture and you have used the majority of the stock- this takes about 30 minutes in total.  Feel free to taste the rice every 5 minutes to determine if it is done and be careful not to overcook as risotto continues to cook for sometime after it is removed from the heat.  Remove the rice from the heat and cover.

In a large sauté pan, heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add the asparagus and the mushrooms and sauté for 8 minutes, stirring frequently.  Pour the asparagus and mushrooms into the risotto pot along with the shredded pecorino, salt and whipping cream.  Stir until the cheese is fully melted and serve immediately.