Dorien's Balsamic Dressing

I make this all the time. It's wonderful. It's actually sort of hard for me to give this recipe up... there I said it.

Dorien's Balsamic Dressing
1 Clove Garlic
1/4 C Good Balsamic Vinegar
1/2 T Dijon Mustard
1/2 T Brown Sugar
1/2 t Dried Oregano
1/2 C Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper

I have an immersion blender. It's my #2 favorite kitchen gadget. I've had it for years, I think it was a gift but I honestly don't remember. I use this for all my salad dressings. If you don't have one, you can use a blender but you will have to double the recipe. If you don't have a blender either, you can use a whisk or a fork but you will have to squeeze the garlic through a press.

So all you do is place the first 5 ingredients into the blender or the immersion blender-cup turn the blender on and slowly add in the olive oil until the viscosity is nice and thick. Then add salt and pepper to taste.
I'm regretting this. Sigh...

Kitchen Gadget Glory: Mukka Express

I've never been a fan of fancy kitchen gadgets, or I wasn't until I got a bunch of awesome ones as wedding gifts. Before the wedding, I was using my mother's old warped pots and pans and some plastic cooking utensils that family friends gave me when I got my first apartment. Every now and then, I would get a nice knife as a Christmas gift or I'd invest in a good baking dish or cast iron pot. But I never passed a Sur La Table with the intention of buying anything. I was fine making due with what I had and teaching myself to cook great food on a starving-artists budget.

Now that my idealism is out there, I should probably come clean...

I always secretly coveted my friend Becca's stove top cappuccino maker. I'm not sure what it was exactly, the foam, the espresso, the combination of the two? But it made the greatest coffee. I would drive up to Santa Barbara for a weekend at her house and get super excited about breakfast. I'm not normally a morning person but I loved that cup of coffee. 6AM? No problem. I loved it so much that I started adding on a mid day pick-me-up cup. By the time I made the drive back to LA, I was either on a full blown caffeine high or crashing into oblivion.

Happily, I seem to have taught myself a little moderation, now that Becca's parents have bought me one as a wedding gift.

I say me not us, because The Husband doesn't drink the stuff. Insanity, I know. So here is the vehicle for my happy morning time. If you are a gadget person, I would highly recommend buying one. If not, come over and I'll make you a half dozen cups or so.