Jasmine Pulley is a Chicago, IL photographer who specializes in family and brand photography in the Chicagoland area.

“Twenty Dinners” Cookbook Review + Preview Recipe of Stuffed Poblano Peppers

04.15.15

Twenty Dinners by Ithai Schori and Chris Taylor is truly a work of art. You all know how I feel about cookbooks. And in my opinion, a cookbook is hardly even allowed that title if not for gorgeous imagery.

I will say, it is not exactly a gluten and dairy free friendly cookbook, but that doesn’t stop me from proudly perching it on my shelf. There are still plenty of recipes I can make from this book, you just have to sift a little bit.

I especially love the stories of the two authors and how they both came together bonding over their love of spending time in the kitchen, and then inviting their friends in to spend that time with them as well. I feel like I so often put my energy into having a meal prepared and waiting for my friends to arrive, and then focusing my time on the presentation around the table. I love the shift in perspective of having friends involved in the chopping, sauteeing, peeling, etc. It can be hard for me admittedly, I am a bit of a perfectionist in the kitchen, and I like to contain my messes. This of course, can be hard when you have more than two people in a space. But that’s not what it’s about. A dinner party shouldn’t be about the presentation and the perfection, but about the time spent together with friends, which is what authors Schori and Taylor try to convey in each chapter centered around not just recipes, but a shared meal.

As far as the difficulty of the recipes, I found that there were a good variety ranging from beginner to intermediate, with hardly any ingredients lists calling for more than 15 items, and most were spices. There really were not any obscure items that you couldn’t find at your normal grocery store. One thing I noticed is that they do a lot of French inspired cuisine, which really intrigues me.

I actually ended up making their Stuffed Poblanos with Eggs and “Anna’s Chili Sauce” tonight. The funny thing is, I was actually planning on making stuffed bell peppers with the leftover quinoa and brown rice I had in the fridge, but I immediately knew their poblano recipe would put my sorry bell peppers to shame.

I already tried it, so I will have to say…I don’t know that I’m ever making stuffed bell peppers again. This recipe is a winner. Plus, the egg on top?! Genius.

stuffed poblano peppers from twenty dinners cookbook photography by jasmine pulley -2

Here’s the recipe.

You’ll need:

-grapeseed or canola oil

-2 poblano peppers

-salt

-2 cups grains such as rice, quinoa, or farro

-4 large eggs

Directions:

-Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

-Heat a large cast iron skillet until it’s very hot. Coat with oil and let the peppers char on all sides. (If you don’t have a skillet, you can use the broiler in your oven as well.)

-Once cooled to the touch, cut peppers in half and remove seeds

-Lay peppers on a baking sheet with parchment paper. Season the inside with salt and fill with your cooked grains. Make a small well in the grains and crack an egg into it. Season with salt.

-Cook for about 15-20 minutes. (I cooked mine for 15 minutes at 350, then 5 more minutes at 400 because I don’t really like runny eggs.)

-To finish, dress with chili sauce.

For Anna’s Chili Sauce, you’ll need:

-6 tablespoons

-1/2 cup chopped red onion

-2 large garlic cloves

-pinch of salt

-1/4 cup of red chili powder (I used 1 tbsp because I used my mom’s Indian chili powder and that stuff can heat. 1 Tbsp was plenty hot with that stuff, so you’ve been warned.)

-1 tsp ground cumin

-1 tsp smoked paprika

-1 tsp mustard powder

Directions:

-Warm 2 tbsp of oil in a medium saute pan over medium heat.

-Add the onion, garlic, and salt and cook until the onions are soft and browned, but not caramelized.

-Add the chili powder and 1/2 cup water. Continue to mix until a thick paste is formed.

-Keep the sauce simmering over a low heat and add the remaining spices. Add the remaining oil a couple of tablespoons at a time.

-I ended up running my sauce in the blender so I would have a really smooth like texture, and added about another 1/2 cup of water, as well as another tbsp or so or olive oil.

stuffed poblano peppers from twenty dinners cookbook photography by jasmine pulley -4

I received this book from bloggingforbooks.org in exchange for writing this review.

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Locale // Gather Home & Lifestyle in Wicker Park, Chicago

04.02.15

Gather Home & Lifestyle is making waves as a seriously beautiful little shop in Chicago’s Wicker Park neighborhood. If you haven’t seen some photo of the space on instagram, then you might be living under a rock because everyone who stops in can’t help but take a snap before leaving with their cute home good purchases.

It amazed me that owner Kristen just opened up the space last December, because it seems like overnight it’s one of the most popular spots to visit on the West Side. That might have something to do with her amazingly curated home goods selection but I think an awful lot of the credit goes to her impeccable minimalist taste when it comes to interior design. Which, speaking of, can you believe she designed the entire space herself?! Talk about a baller shot caller. Yeah, I went there.

I got the chance to hang out with her a bit as I shot photos and she is really the sweetest girl, so make sure you stop in and have some chats with her on your visit! I was also lucky enough to interview her a bit on what goes into being a bad ass boss lady, so be sure to see what she has to say!

Q. When did you know you wanted to open your own shop?
A. Opening my own shop was something that came really naturally to me. I had been working as a Visual Merchandiser for several years for corporate companies and it just seemed like the right time to transition to my own shop.

Q. How do you go about finding the vendors to sell in GHL?
A. I initially started by reaching out to some of my favorite small makers that I was already familiar with, whether from Instagram or because I already owned some of their products personally. From there I scoured other shops from around the country that fit the aesthetic of how I envisioned the shop to look and used them as resources. Now it’s a little bit of mix – some vendors reach out to me, some I see on social media, and others get recommended.

Q. Is the aesthetic of the shop similar to the aesthetic of your home?
A. Absolutely! It’s always easiest to do what you know best and that’s essentially how the shop came together. I really admire modern, neutral interiors and I think that shows.

Q. What is your favorite item in the shop right now?
A. These are always the hardest questions to answer. Everything I put in the shop is hand selected and are items that I would personally own, suggest, or give as gifts to friends, so there isn’t much that I don’t really love. A Questions Of Eagles out of Los Angeles is probably my favorite maker currently, but I’m also really excited to collaborate with Hackwith Design House this summer.

Q. What’s the most exciting thing about having your own retail space and also the scariest or worst?
A. The best part is being in complete control of the vision. I spent so many years working to create things that others wanted created and now I create for myself. At the end of the day everything in the shop comes back to my final stamp of approval. The scariest part is the idea of not being successful. Just because I’ve created a space I think is great, it doesn’t mean other people will come shop it.

Q. And just for fun what’s your favorite thing to do in chicago??
A. I love going out for drinks or meals at local spots. At the end of the day it’s the local places that make the city a great place to live and unique city to visit.

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“A fifty year silence” book review

03.27.15

At first, I felt it odd the level to which author Mouilott took ownership to trauma as horrific as the holocaust, which had happened to her own relatives just one generation before her.

But the further on I read, the more it made sense, and the more I couldn’t blame her. In fact, I ended up growing to love her for the boldness with which she pursued a story from generations past, trying to bring it to life for her own clarity of where she came from.

During one of her visits to the home in the south of France that her grandparents had purchased together during their short lived marriage, she writes of it,

“But I knew, deep down, that I didn’t really live here, and that made me sad. At times I felt as if I’d never been so at home, and at times I felt like a beggar at a window, dazzled by a thing that wasn’t mine. Already, I was plotting my return. I couldn’t help but believing that if I came there for good, I would be freed from the weight of my history, that I could escape the past by living somewhere that embodied it.” P. 76

This passage is striking to me because it so perfectly describes quite a few places in my life actually. Places that feel like mine but maybe aren’t. Though, I’m not sure who makes the definitive decision on that sort of thing anyway. But I understand the need to go after those places, and unveil their mysteries. To find out what piece of the puzzle they play in our past and in telling why we are, who are, today.

Mouilott’s storytelling ability is beautiful and appreciated. She brought to life a time and season that has so many dimensions, the story often still feels untold completely.

I feel I should also add, I love this growing genre of memoir; of telling the stories of generations past. It seems as we live in a world where the majority one generation is more likely to live in another city, state, or even country, then the generation before them, the desire to uncover their shared history grows.

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eats // spiced sweet potato + quinoa cakes

03.24.15

Recently I learned about veggie cakes. Apparently I am super late to the party but I don’t even mind it because now that I know, I am obsessed. I don’t really know what you’re supposed to call them. I’ve seen them called cakes, burgers, fritters, even latkes. No matter the name, they are always amazing. Once you figure out the right the consistency, there are so many veggie combos + flavor profiles you can play with. I’ve made some with cauliflower, black beans, and in this post, sweet potatoes. Believe me when I say, I’m not even close to done yet! In this recipe I went for a sort of southwest/ Thai fusion…two of my absolute favorite tastes!! Try them and let me know what you think!

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 40 minutes

Total time: 1 hour

Yields: 12 large cakes, enough for 3-4 people.

Ingredients:

4 medium sweet potatoes
1 egg
1 red chili pepper
1/3 cup finely chopped cilantro leaves
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 stalks green onion, diced
2 cups cooked quinoa
2 tsp ancho chili powder
2 tsp sea salt
2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp red pepper flakes
juice of one lime
coconut oil for pan
flour (only if your batter needs thickening)

To garnish:

avocado slices
diced green onion
freshly ground black pepper
red pepper flakes

Directions

To cook quinoa, rinse first thoroughly with water, then bring 2 cups dried quinoa to a boil with 4 cups water. Once it hits a boil, bring the temperature to low and let it sit covered for 20 minutes
While quinoa is cooking, peel sweet potatoes and chop into 2 inch thick pieces. Bring to a boil in a large pot and continue to boil sweet potatoes until they feel tender enough to mash.
Once sweet potatoes are soft, mix with all the rest of your ingredients. The quinoa should be done by now too, add that in. You want the batter to feel thick enough that a large spoonful sticks together. If it feels too runny for any reason, you can add a tablespoon at a time of flour. (I’ve used almond meal and gluten free flour).
Warm a cast iron skillet or non stick skillet to medium high heat with about a table spoon of coconut oil in the pan.
Spoon large (about the size of your fist or smaller) dollops of batter onto the skillet. Cook on both sides for about 3 minutes each, until they get a nice golden brown.
Keep going until all your batter is done. You may need to add more oil to your pan, you really don’t want to cook them without oil or you won’t get that nice crispy brown to your cakes.
That’s it! Garnish with slices of avocado and diced green onion, red pepper flakes + crushed black pepper
Optional serving suggestion, fresh greens or grilled asparagus on the side.

This recipe + my photos were also featured on the In the Kitchen series of The Common Table Blog. Check them out here!

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Locale // Plein Air Cafe in Hyde Park, Chicago, IL

03.19.15

It’s true, I spend a lot of time on the internet. But that’s how I find these gems of places so who can blame me? I remember hearing of Plein Air Cafe while still in Seattle and couldn’t wait to visit. I’m a sucker for good interior design and joints that serve fresh food + delicious coffee, so really, what I’m trying to say is, I’m planning on moving in here next week.

I kiddddd… but wait, can I?

After visiting, I can attest to the amazing fresh food and yes, delicious coffee, but especially the calming atmosphere. I trekked myself out to Hyde Park, which was about a 35 minute drive (yes that feels far in the city), but as soon as I arrived, I felt like I left Chicago entirely. I mean this in the best way possible.

Stepping inside Plein Air, you feel like you’ve been transported to an authentic French eatery. It doesn’t hurt that Plein Air is nestled amongst the University of Chicago’s gorgeous 100 year old buildings, that are also remnant of a sleepy bygone era. Truly though, I am so glad to have found this spot, because it’s absolutely worth the drive whenever I need to “getaway.”

What did I eat? Oh, I’m glad you asked. I had the Balti Bowl which is a quinoa bowl with sauteed vegetables under a curried tomato sauce, with a decaf americano. I hope they don’t mind but I loved that dish so much I’m going to have to try to recreate it at home!