-
Review: State Bird Provisions (San Francisco)
A visit to State Bird Provisions in SF has been a LONG time coming. It’s been on my food to do list since it opened, and I can’t believe it has taken me this long to make it out there. Sorry I didn’t take many pictures (other than dessert), I was too busy eating! State Bird Provisions is self described as “an adventurous, inventive, delicious, thoughtful contemporary American restaurant [CA native].” It honestly is all of that and so much more. The environment is upscale yet casual and trendy yet unique. The dining room is warm and inviting, but has a lot of unique decor choices pinned to the walls.…
-
Homemade Kale and Cashew pesto
I absolutely love pesto, but sometimes it can be a little rich and over the top. Also, store bought pesto can be too oily and unhealthy to eat regularly. Last night, I made some homemade pasta dough and was waiting the obligatory 30 minutes while it rested. I wanted to create a fun and delicious sauce for the spaghetti and thought that pesto was the way to go. I didn’t have any basil or pine nuts, but figured I could adapt this recipe for the ingredients I had on hand. I served this on pasta, but you could also serve this as a spread in a sandwich, on some crostini,…
-
Veggie Sweet Potato Chili (Slow Cooker)
With the Superbowl coming up, I feel like my friends are always looking for vegetarian recipes that can serve a crowd. The non-veg football recipes seem more obvious, but sometimes the vegetarian options are super unhealthy or boring. This recipe for sweet potato chili is the opposite. It’s warm, hearty, and filling, and I promise, even your meat-lover friends will enjoy it. It’s also a great way to just put together ingredients that you may already have in your pantry and use your magic slow cooker to transform them into something yummy! Ingredients: 3 sweet potatoes- peeled and cubed 1 can garbanzo beans 1 can black beans 1 can tomato…
-
Thomas the Tank Engine Cake
My adorable and amazing nephew Mokshay turned 2 this month and I was beyond excited to celebrate his Thomas the Tank Engine themed birthday. Let’s be serious, we all love time in a bouncy house, even in our 20s! For his birthday cake, I made two chocolate cakes (one 10 inch and one 8 inch round). The bottom layer was covered in rainbow jimmies (sprinkles) and the top layer was covered in white rolled fondant. The little thomas train on top is made of rice crispy treats covered in blue fondant. All of the smaller decorations were done in vanilla buttercream frosting or rolled fondant. Here’s some pictures of the…
-
DIY Infused Olive Oils
I absolutely love homemade edible gifts. I think they are a great way to show someone you care without having to spend a ton of money (which around the holidays can be a serious problem!) Last year I gifted some people holiday cookies and cookies in a jar (see here). This year I decided to do something a little different, and made infused olive oils. They are super easy to make and cost effective, but are easily usable gifts that taste great! Ingredients: Olive oil bottles (I used these 4 oz bottles from The Container Store) 4 oz of extra virgin olive oil per bottle Several dried chili peppers Several…
You May Also Like
DIY Thumbtack Pumpkins
-
The Will to Persevere Induced by Electrical Stimulation of the Human Cingulate Cortex
We published a paper today in Neuron: The Will to Persevere Induced by Electrical Stimulation of the Human Cingulate Cortex. The anterior cingulate is an area of the brain involved in emotion, pain, etc. In this paper, we show that electrical stimulation of this region causes subjects to report a feeling of imminent challenge. Strikingly, both subjects report a strong will to overcome and persevere through the difficulties. They also experienced autonomic changes (increased heart rate) and resting-state fMRI connectivity analysis showed that the site of stimulation in both patients was in a key portion of the brain’s salience network (known to be involved in emotion). The paper (a summary…
-
Pumpkin & Spinach Lasagna
I hosted a Friendsgiving two weeks ago to celebrate the arrival of the holidays with some of my closest girlfriends in San Francisco. If you’ve never done a Friendsgiving before, I highly recommend it. It’s an awesome way to share stories and catch up over some delicious food and wine. I decided to make Pumpkin Lasagna for the group because its a great dish that serves a lot of people, tastes delicious, and is easy to make! Ingredients: 18 oz Lasagna sheets (I used a store bought gluten-free pasta) 2 C mozzarella 1/2 C parmesan 15 oz (about 2 C) low-fat ricotta cheese 5 oz fresh spinach 15…
-
Neural activity in natural settings
When scientists design an experiment, we try really hard to minimize the number of variables so that we can identify a clear change caused by our experimental parameters. This is useful because it allows us to ask a specific question and manipulate a unique condition to study its effects. Though this may be experimentally useful, there is a disconnect between the findings of these experimental paradigms and how our bodies function in “real-life”. This new paper, from our lab at Stanford, tries to address the congruence between experimental paradigms and natural conditions. We looked at neural responses in parietal cortex during an arithmetic condition and then used that activation to…
-
Feta & Almond stuffed delicata squash
It’s fall in San Francisco, which really means we are experiencing amazing 80 degree weather and enjoying the sunshine. Yes, I do intentionally try to make all of you suffering through any sort of cold jealous. No shame. This week, my CSA (community supported agriculture) farm brought me a wide array of fall fruits and veggies including Delicata Squash. I am a huge fan of squash in general, especially butternut squash and small summer squashes. Delicata is an interesting variety though because unlike butternut squash, the rind is pretty thin and easy to cut. It also is thin enough that you can bake it and eat it without peeling! Here’s…
-
Veggie Enchiladas with Homemade Enchilada sauce
Enchiladas are a really easy dinner to make and much of it can be done in advance. It’s a great option for a group because you can make it in a large tray and serve several people at once. I had a girl friend over for dinner on Tuesday and we decided to make enchiladas and margaritas. I often dislike store bought enchilada sauces, so I also made this super easy sauce from scratch! (This recipe makes 8 enchiladas) Ingredients: 1 can tomato sauce (8 oz) 2 t. cumin 2 t. salt 2 t. chili powder 1 T garlic minced 1 T AP flour 1/4 C olive oil 8…
