Turkey Burger with Arugala

Adapted from: The Neely's Stuffed Turkey Burger

Summa time!!!! Makes you want to crank up a certain sublime song and pull out the grill.

Because I live in Miami grilling isn't exclusive to summertime, but it is definitely encouraged. There's just a feeling when it's summer, maybe its the old memory of freedom, but it makes you want to do anything and everything cliche.

I dont love the taste of regular ground beef, in fact I strongly disklike it. But that doesn't mean I dont want to feel like a red blooded american, I want me a burger!

I opt for a turkey burger which is coincidentally also a healthier version, 1 point for me.

I paired this turkey burger with arugula tossed in a lemon vinaigrette. Arugula has an enjoyable bitter taste and it really paired great with the burger.  I also added some sautted mushroom and onions. Yummmm

Cooking time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4 burgers

Ingredients:
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 Vidalia onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 pounds ground turkey
2 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp soy sauce
Salt and black pepper

Cooking:
1. Preheat grill to medium-high heat
2. Mix garlic, onion, turkey, mustard, soy sauce and salt & pepper together
3. Divide mixture into 4 patties
4. Grill the burgers until cooked through about 5 to 8 minutes


Lemon Vinagrette (adapted: Giada De Laurentiis)
1 package of arugula
1 lemon juiced
2 tbl of olive oil
salt and pepper

1. Mix lemon and olive and oil together
2. Season with salt and pepper
3. Toss with arugula

Coffee Cake Muffins

 I bribe people with food.

Its true, im not proud of it, but I do what has to be done. Whether its people at the bank, doctors office, dentist office, dry cleaners you name it.

Its not that I exchange baked goods for payments. But when you bring someone food they automatically associate you with the feeling of sweet sugar love hitting their stomach, and you quickly become a favorite and memorable customer.

Its genius and it works.  

I'll give you an example:

Me (to mechanic): "how long will it take to check my engine."
Mechanic: "you'll have to come back and check at the end of the day."
Me: "Oh by the way I brought you these coffee cake muffins."
Mechanic: "Thanks!" ( while eating a muffin) "Let me see if I can have someone check it out right now."

Thank you Coffee Cake Muffins. Thank you.

Adapted: Sweet Tooth
Servings: 24 muffins
Cooking time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

Muffins
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups sour cream

Streussel Topping
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp unsalted butter, chilled

Milk Glaze
1-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
3 tbsp milk

Baking:

Muffins
1. Preheat the oven to 350, line two muffin tins with liners
2. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together
3. In a separate bowl cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (should be pale yellow)
4. Add in eggs one at a time, mixing after each one
5. Add vanilla
6. Add flour mixture and sour cream into butter mixture
7. Fill lined muffin tins with batter evenly

Streusel
1. In bowl mix flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt
2. Cut small cubes of butter into mixture
3. With clean hands crumble butter and flour with your hands until it is combined but still crumbled


1. Press half of the stresuel into the top of the muffins
2. Sprinkle the rest of the streusel on top of the muffins
3. Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean
4. Cool for 10 minutes, remove and let dry until room temperature

Milk Glaze:
1. Whisk powdered sugar and milk
2. Drizzle over muffins ( best to do over parchment or wax paper)

Portobello with Pesto & Prawns

There's 3 parts to this dish, all equally simple, and equally savory.

There are many ways to make a portebello mushroom: roasted, grilled, or sauteed. I prefer roasted, though all 3 methods taste similar. I love the way vegetables taste after roasting, caramelized and  smoky at the same time. Feel free to make the portobello anyway your heart desires.

I am not gonna go into exact amounts of mushrooms or shrimp because you can really tailor this recipe to how many people you're feeding. If it's a dinner for 1 you can roast 1 or 2 mushrooms and 5 or 6 shrimp. If it's 4 you're serving, roast about 6 mushrooms and 1 lb of shrimp.

The pesto recipe is a large amount no matter how many you're serving, so I freeze the leftover for other dishes like pesto pasta or paninis. ( this post is dedicated to the letter p)

Cook time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

Portobello Mushrooms
 Mushrooms
olive oil
Kosher Salt & pepper

Pesto (adapted: Giada De Laurentis)
2 cups of baby spinach
1/4 cup walnuts, toasted
2 tbl lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp of lemon zest
1/3 cup of olive oil
1 clove of garlic, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup of freshly grated parmesan cheese

Shrimp
Shrimp
Olive oil 
Garlic
Lemon
Salt & pepper

Cooking:

Mushrooms:
1. Wipe mushroom caps with wet paper towel
2. Brush both sides with olive and sprinkle with salt and pepper

Pesto:
1. Toast walnuts over the stove on a frying pan for about 4 - 5 minutes
2. In a blender combine spinach, lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic, and walnuts
3. Gradually add in the olive oil
4. Add in the parmesan cheese
5. Season with salt and pepper to taste

Shrimp:
1. Heat olive oil in pan
2. Add garlic and let cook for 2 minutes
3. Add shrimp and season with salt and pepper
4. Squeeze 1 half - 1 whole lemon
5. Cook for about 7 minutes until shrimp are pink

To assemble: Fill the mushroom cap with pesto and top with shrimp

Blueberry Scones

Adapted: Martha Stewart
Mmmmm, scones i love them for so many reasons.

Really just about two.

The first being they make me feel classy. There isn't anything exotic about the ingredients to a scone,  but everytime i say "i'll have a scone please" I muster up an image of big hats and tea.

The second reason is much more practical and that is that I love a baked good where there's a base recipe and an interchangeable star ingredient. Ive made these same scones with fresh cranberries as the star and they were deliciously tart and sweet.

This time I made them with fresh blueberries and they were the perfect mid morning snack.

Servings: 8 scones
Cook time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:
2 cups flour, plus extra for surface
8 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2/3 cup (plus 1 tablespoon) half-and-half
1/2 cup of blueberries
1 tsp cinnamon

Cinnamon Sugar mixture
1. Mix 3 tbl of sugar with 1 tsp of cinnamon

Baking:
1. Preheat oven to 425
2. Whisk together flour, 5 tbl of sugar, baking powder and salt
3. Mix in cold butter and beat until the butter is the size of peas
4. Add 2/3 cup of half and half
5. Fold in blueberries
6. Dump the dough on a floured surface and knead 5-10 times
7. Pat dough into 1 inch
8. To get a triangle shape find a square item in your kitchen to cut the dough, then cut the square in half. If you dont have a square just use a cup or any cookie cutter you have, any shape will be delicious
9. Brush the top of the scones with the remaining half and half and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar
10. Bake 12- 15 minutes or until the tops are golden brown

Rose Cake

Perfect Cake for Mother's Day! I have to be honest though, I actually made this cake for a royal wedding party, but my procrastination has made it just in time for Mother's Day.

I became infatuated with the idea of making buttercream roses when I saw one of my favorite food bloggers post it. She even included a tutorial, so how could i not try! (Rose Cake Tutorial From I Am Baker)

As long as you have a pipping bag, these roses are very easy to make and quite the crowd pleaser! I made this cake with my sister and in order to cut down some time we bought our buttercream from our supermarket's bakery, but any buttercream recipe will work. We also added mint leaves from our garden to fill in empty spaces and to add color.


I filled the middle of the cake with raspberry buttercream, which added an extra layer of flavor and color. To make this pink icing i just mixed my regular buttercream with raspberry jam to taste. 

The cake recipe is from my grandmother, my original baking hero, who taught me love through sugar and to only lick the spoon once (that one never really did stick, sorry grams) This post is dedicated to her and my mom. Happy Mother's Day!


Ingredients:
Cake
1 3/4 cup of sugar
1/2 cup of shortening (Crisco)
2 eggs, room temp
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups cake flour
2/12 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups of milk

Baking:
1. Preheat the oven to 350
2. Cream the sugar and shortening
3. Beat eggs in 1 at a time, on low speed
4. Add vanilla and speed up mixer for 1 minute
5. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a seperate bowl
6. Add flour mixture and milk to the batter, alternating starting and ending with flour
7. Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean

Assembly
1. When cakes are cooled flip over and apply a layer of buttercream (or raspberry buttercream)
2. Place 2nd layer on top and gently press down with palms of your hand
3. Apply a light layer of buttercream on the top of cake, so the roses have something to stick to, and a thicker layer around the sides
4. Rose the top of your cake

Fav of the week!

Home grown cucumbers! My vegetable garden has been a mixed bag of passes and fails. My greatest pass thus far has definitely been my cucumber plant! I strated it from seeds and it took off right away. I transfered it to the raised bed, only to have it out grow every other plant and start attaching itself to the lawn. It reminds me of the plant from Little Shop of Horrors (without the cravings for blood.)

If you want to try planting something this summer I highly suggest cucumbers! Just make sure you have plenty of room, preferably a wall or fence for the plant to climb.  I get about 3 to 4 cucumbers a day, I cant give them away fast enough. Interesting cucumber recipes to come!

Pb & J Bars

ROADTRIP! (say in frat bro voice)

Having me on your ROADTRIP means two things: rest stops and snacks. lots of both.

The conversation with my fellow roadtrippers usually goes like this,

me: " Need to stop at the next bathroom!"
roadtrippers: " Again?! We just stopped."
me: "Did I mention I made these homemade peanut butter and jelly bars!"

This bribe usually entertains my friends and family for the first 3 bathroom stops. Luckily these bars were so good, I got away with minimal complements for all my pit stops!

Easy to make and easy to pack up, peanut butter and jelly bars are a great twist on a childhood classic.

Follow this link from Ina Garten
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/peanut-butter-and-jelly-bars-recipe/index.html

Quote of the week

"You don't have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces - just good food from fresh ingredients." 

- Julia Child

Spaghetti Puttanesca

Adapted: The Curvy Carrot

Simple. Simple. Simple.

Puttanessca sauce is the lazy foodies gold mine.

Every night can't be a well prepped, well planned meal. You need those nights where you can whip something up in 15 minutes and still feel like a superstar. Puttanesca is that night.

There are a few specific ingredients needed, such as anchovy paste and capers. Both can last a long time so I would suggest buying it next shopping trip and having it on hand for this quick meal fix. 

This dish is elegant enough for company and yet comforting enough as a meal for one.... in front of the tv....preferably watching bad reality shows.


Cooking: 15 minutes
Serving: 6

Ingredients:

1 pound spaghetti

5 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons anchovy paste

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes in juice (San Marzano is a great brand)

1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives

2 tbls drained capers

Pinch of sugar (optional)

3/4 cup chopped basil

Parmesan cheese, grated (for topping)

Cooking: 

1. Bring pot of salted water to boil

2. While pasta cooks, heat saute pan with oil on medium heat

3. Add garlic and cook for 2 minutes, not letting it brown

4. Add anchovy paste, salt & pepper

5. Puree tomatoes in a blender

6. Add tomatoes, capers, olives, and sugar to pan.

7. Let sauce simmer, stirring, until pasta is ready

8. Mix pasta with sauce and add basil and grated cheese

**Tip: If you grate cheese on steaming hot pasta after draining, the cheese will stick to the pasta and soak up the sauce better

Quote of the week

"No one ever filed for divorce on a full stomach." - Mama Leone

Hummingbird Cupcakes

 

I didnt know why these were called hummingbirds, until I took a bite and the sweet & subtle cake with the rich & creamy icing made me want to sing. The name fits the cupcake perfectly. 

The cake is a mixture of yellow cake with pineapple, banana, and nuts. PINEAPPLES. I love when recipes have out of place ingredients.

The pineapple was perfect in both texture and sweetness, the banana gave a comforting hint of sweetness, and the nuts gave a much needed balancing of texture. The cream cheese frosting is decadent and perfect. End of story.

Cooking: 

Servings: 24 regular sized cupcakes

Ingredients:
Cupcakes 
1 1/4 flour, all-purpose
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soa
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup sour cream
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup mashed banana (1 banana)
1/2 cup canned crushed pineapple, drained
1/2 cup pecans, chopped finely

Frosting
1 stick unsalted butter, room temp
6 oz cream cheese, room temp
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups powdered sugar

Baking:
Cupcakes
1. Preheat oven to 350 and line cupcake pans
2. Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and set aside
3. Beat together the egg, egg yolk and sugar for about 2 minutes. Color should be pale yellow
4. Add oil and vanilla and blend.
5. Mix in sour cream completely
6. Add flour mixture and blend until mixture is smooth
7. Add cinnamon, banana, pineapple and pecans, mix into batter
8. Fill cupcakes 3/4 to the top
9. Bake about 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean

Frosting
1. Cream butter and cream cheese on low speed. Add vanilla and blend.
2. Add powdered sugar and blend for 2 minutes on medium speed ( this lightens the frosting)

Fav of the week!

Cupcake deck! This a great cupcake collection of 25 recipes. Each card in the deck has a beautiful picture and delicious cupcake. Inside the card are the ingredients and directions, making it a very portable grocery list and a perfect size to keep in the kitchen while baking. I made Hummingbird cupcakes (recipe above) from the deck and they were one of the best cupcakes I've ever made. This makes a great gift idea for any cupcake lover in your life!

Check out the link below

http://www.amazon.com/Cupcake-Deck-Elinor-Klivans/dp/0811857948

Shrimp Calzone

 Above: Shrimp Calzones, Below: Extra shrimp filling

Close your eyes and picture stuffed,warm, crusty pizza dough. As you take a bite you get a mouthful of warm tomatoes, melted cheese....and something else...SHRIMP!

What an amazing surprise these shrimp calzones were.

They make an adorable appetizer or a fun main dish. I got this ingenious idea from Giada  De Laurentiis. In full disclosure, she made her own pizza dough, and I used store bought. 

The shrimp is cooked in tomatoes and olive oil, and marinated with classic Italian flavors. The recipe only calls for 1lb of shrimp but since I had 2lb I doubled the ingredients and used the 2nd half for extra shrimp side dish.

I never thought of shrimp as an ingredient for pizza but the simple flavors of the shellfish and the familiar seasoning of the tomatoes made a comforting and filling meal.

Cook time: 35 minutes
Servings: 6

Ingredients:
2 tbl olive oil, plus extra for brushing
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup canned chopped tomatoes
1/2 tsp dried thyme
2 tbl chopped fresh Italian parsley
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 pound uncooked large shrimp, peeled and deveined
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Store-bought pizza dough
3 cups shredded mozzarella
1 large egg, beaten

Cooking:
1. Heat olive oil in saute pan. Add garlic and cook for 2 minutes
2. Season shrimp in bowl with salt and pepper
3. Add tomatoes, wine, thyme, & parsley
4. Increase the heat until mixture is simmering and cook until liquid begins to evaporate, 7-10 minutes
5. Add shrimp to mixture, and cook until they start to turn pink,  about 3 minutes.
6. Take off the heat and set aside to cool, while you roll the pizza dough
7. Depending how large you would like your calzones divide pizza dough into 2,4,6 equal balls
8. Pound out dough into a rectangle about 1/4 inch thick
9. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese on dough then spoon shrimp mixture and top with desired amount of cheese (the more the better!)
10. Brush the end of the dough with egg wash
11. Fold over to make a pocket, pinch sides in a folding motion, or press down with fork.
12. Place parchment paper on 2 baking sheets, place the calzonse on top
13. Bake for 12-15 minutes
14. Brush with olive oil and serve!

Chocolate Babka

I don’t know what's more fun: saying “Babka” or eating it.

I made this chocolate swirl bread for my dad's birthday—it’s his favorite sweet. Like the beginning of most of my baking adventures, I started to research multiple cookbooks and blogs for chocolate babka recipes. I ended up combining 3 recipes to create my perfect Babka: Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook, Jewish Cooking in America Cookbook, & Peggy Cullen on Foodnetwork.com. 

I made the bread in two parts: the dough one night, leaving it to rise overnight. And the filling of chocolate and streusel the following day. The inside filling is the same mixture you used on the top of loaf. I split the dough in half and made to smaller loaves instead of 1 large since I did not have an adequately sized pan.

This delicious desert bread is literally bursting with flavors of chocolate, cinnamon, and buttery sugar.

Serious perfection.

Cook Time: 10 hours
Servings: 2 small loaves

 Ingredients:
 Dough
1/3 cup of milk
1 package active dry yeast
1/2 cup sugar
2 sticks unsalted butter
4 egg yolks
4 cups sifted flour
Pinch of salt

Streusel
3 tbl flour
3 tbl sugar
1 tbl butter, melted

Filling
3 oz semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 of the streusel
2 tbl melted butter

Baking:
Dough
1. Heat milk to lukewarm temperature and add yeast with a tsp of sugar. Stir.
2. Let sit 10 minutes until the yeast starts to bubble (if it does not bubble you are using bad yeast, do not continue baking. Your bread will not rise.)
3. Cut the butter into small cubes and place in food processor or mixing bowl.
4. Add egg yolks, yeast mixture and mix well
5. Slowly add the flour, salt, and sugar
6. Cover dough and leave in refrigerator for 6 hours or overnight
7. The next morning remove the dough and let stand for 45 minutes before continuing 

Streuesl
1. Whisk together the flour and sugar
2. Gradually add the melted butter
3. Mix with your fingertips until the mixture is in small lumps.

Filling 
1. Mix together the chocolate, sugar and cinnamon

Assembly
1. Reserve 2 tbl of the chocolate mixture and 3 tbl of the streuesl mixture. (This is for the top of the loaf)
2. Pound dough into a rectangle on a floured surface
3. Fill with the chocolate mixture the streusel. Make sure to leave 1/2 inch border on the long side of the rectangle to brush butter for rolling.
4. Brush melted butter on 1/2 inch of length side of the rectangle
5. Roll the dough towards the buttered side, forming a log
6. Pinch ends together to close the log, and form a ring.
7. Twist the ring into a figure eight
8. Grease and flour a loaf pan. Place parchment paper and grease and flour again
9. Place the dough in the pan and brush with butter
10. Preheat oven to 350 
11. Cover with towel, place in warm area and let rise for 1 hour. (It will not double until baked, but you will know when it's ready if your finger leaves an indentation)
12. Brush with melted butter again and sprinkle reserved chocolate and streusel on top
13. Bake for 45 - 50 minutes. If the top is browning too quickly cover with foil
14. Cool slightly before slicing

Quote of the week

When baking, follow directions.  When cooking, go by your own taste.  ~Laiko Bahrs

Fav of the week!

 

Organic Rainbow Carrots! When I saw these in the store I stared for a good 30 seconds. Red, white, purple carrots?? I got that creeping feeling of  "how has this existed without my knowledge," like when you see an insect with 30 legs and 2 heads. Probably not the best comparison because I was pretty thrilled with the carrots, and not so much with a double headed bug. Before you go out looking for some rainbow carrots you should know, they taste like a regular carrot. They do make a fun addition to any salad. And you know what they say, the more colors in a salad the healthier. Yum.

Salmon & Lentils

I had one mission: Find a salmon recipe my sister and mom ( salmon haters) liked. I knew I could intrigue them with the idea of lentils, since no of us frequently eat them.

This recipe from Ina Garten ( my idol) mixed Provencal flavors with a perfectly seared salmon. The lentils were really easy to make and I had enough leftovers for days!

The mix of the sweet and savory lentils and the salty and seared salmon was the perfect marriage. Both my mom and sister were running for seconds.

Mission accomplished!

Try the recipe here!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/salmon-with-lentils-recipe/index.html

Strawberries

Sweet, sweet strawberries. Pros of living in Florida: strawberries in April. Cons: heat stroke.  I only planted a couple of strawberry roots, so at most I get 2 ripe berries at a time; not enough to make a dish but perfect for a mid-day snack.

Quote of the week

"Vegetables are a must on a diet.  I suggest carrot cake, zucchini bread, and pumpkin pie."  ~Jim Davis

Monkey Bread

You know that age old question: If you could eat dinner with one person, dead or alive, who would it be? My answer use to be, hands down Bill Clinton, for so many reasons. Well really just one he was my first crush. But sorry Bill my answer has officially changed. I would have dinner with the inventor of Monkey Bread. Who is this person? And where did they come up with such gooey deliciousness? 

I have been late to join the monkey bread parade, as it is apparently well known and loved, but I am now a dedicated follower for life. 

The preparation was blissfully easy and the outcome was sinfully sweet. The whole premise of the dish is cutting up biscuits and gluing them together with butter, sugar and nuts! While there are many variations of this recipe I decided for my first attempt I would use the simplest version I found online.

I invited a few girlfriends over (to ensure I wouldn't eat the entire thing) and it was the most popular dish at brunch!

Cooking time: 40 minutes
Servings: for a lot of people!

Ingredients:
2 (16.3 oz cans) of buttermilk biscuits
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup of margarine, melted
1/2 cup of walnuts, chopped

Baking:
1. Cut the biscuits into quarters
2. Mix sugar and cinammon in a ziploc bag. Add biscuit pieces and shake, shake, shake
3. Grease a bundt pan. Place the pieces on top of each other to fill the pan, mixing the walnuts in between pieces.
4. Melt the butter over low heat. Add brown sugar and stir.
5. Pour mixture over the biscuit pieces.
6. Bake 30-35 minutes.
7. Let cool for 10 minutes and Invert pan to serve.

Chocolate chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream

 I have a rule of thumb: A bakery is only as good as it's chocolate cake. It comes from the same theory as a chain is only as strong as it's weakest link.

I always crave chocolate, I am a girl after all, and hasn't chocolate been linked to the X chromosome? Well not yet, but I think my eating habits could be a pretty valid hypothesis!

The problem is whenever I order chocolate cake, I end up with a mouthful of a dry, unflavorful, imposter of what chocolate tastes like. Harumph. Why is it so hard to get that delicious chocolatey fudgeyness into cake form??? Well chocolate lovers I have found the solution to the choclate cake woes, or rather Ina Garten's friend Beatty has. I have no idea who Beatty is but in my head she encompasses everything pure and great. She's god.

The cake is so moist and full of chocolate flavor I almost teared with the first bite. She has a few unfamiliar ingredients such as buttermilk and freshly brewed coffee that add great flavor. The buttercream is out of this world. It's important to use good semi-sweet chocolate instead of chocolate chips. I used a bar of Ghirardelli chocolate.

After icing this cake I had to fight ever fiber in my body to not faceplant it. It's amazing. I have come to the conclusion, when done right, there is absolutely nothing more satisfying than chocolate cake.

Here's a link to the recipe

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/beattys-chocolate-cake-recipe/index.html

(I'll be giving you links to Ina Garten's recipes for now. She has them copyrtighted and I haven't quite figured out what that means for blogging.)

Fav of the week!

 

This pear salt n' pepper shaker is my favorite thing of the week. They're functional and cute! I love the metallic gold color it adds to the kitchen. In an all white kitchen, one item that screams fabulous is entirely necessary! 

Buttermilk Cornbread

Unfortunately buttermilk is an item you buy in a quart and only use a cup of for any given recipe. Fortunately having leftover buttermilk always encourages me to bake new things! Its become a game for me. What can I make with leftover buttermilk? Ive tried biscuits, cakes, muffins, and now cornbread!

It was late when I started the recipe search, so I looked for something quick and more importantly not messy! I found this on allrecipes.com. At first I was skeptical because I wasn't sure of the dependability of the site, but it was someone's grandmother's recipe and for some reason that made me trust it. Anything that has descended a couple generations must have some merit. And it did! 

This cornbread was denser because of the buttermilk but absolutely scrumptious. Next time I will add in some bits of real corn for some extra texture and sugar. I definitely have a go to recipe now for my leftover buttermilk!

Cooking time: 40 minutes
Servings: 9 pieces of cornbread

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
2/3 cup white sugar
2 eggs*
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt

Baking:
1. Preheat oven to 375 and grease and 8 inch square pan.
2. Melt butter in a large saucepan. Take off the heat and add the sugar, mix well
3. Add eggs and make sure they are mixed well.
4. Mix buttermilk and baking soda together and then add to the mixture
5. Mix in cornmeal, flour, and salt and stir until there are few lumps
6. Pour into pan and Bake 30- 40 minutes and until a toothpick comes out clean from the center of the pan.

*Tip: Always crack your eggs in a separate bowl to ensure you do not mix a bad egg into your batter. You will know if you have a bad egg as soon as you crack it because of the rotten smell.

Quote of the week

" One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well. ~Virginia Woolf"

Weeknight Pasta

The scene: It's 6:30 pm, no meat or fish defrosted, and I'm about to reach for the take out menu......but no something stops me. Somethings telling me, WAIT you are resourceful! you are creative! You can cook.......right????

So I reached for the box of pasta instead. I found 2 veggies in my fridge, mushroom and spinach and started to improvise. It was delicious and so fast that I had an extra 30 minutes in my night to blissfully do nothing.

Try this as your next weeknight quick fix!

Cooking time: 20 minutes
Servings: 5

Ingredients:
1 box of Whole Wheat Spaghetti
2 tbl olive oil
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 package baby spinach
1 (8oz) package of sliced cremini mushrooms
1/4 cup of white wine
1 tbl fresh thyme, minced
3/4 cup reserved pasta water
Parmesan cheese

Cooking:
1. Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large saute pan. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute
2. Meanwhile bring a large pot of water to boil and add pasta, cook according to package directions
3. Add mushrooms to pan and cook for 2 minutes. Add spinach and continue to cook until spinach wilts.
4. Pour white wine over mushroom and spinach mixture and bring to a boil. Cook for about 7 minutes or until most of the white wine is evaporated
5. Before draining the pasta reserve 3/4 cup of the pasta water
6. Drain the pasta and add it to the mushroom and spinach mixture. Also add the reserved pasta water
7. Add thyme and cut chunks of Parmesan cheese to add on top
8. Drizzle each serving with olive oil.

Garlic Shrimp

There's something you should know about me....I'm a Food Network Junkie.  

I have favorites, I watch the shows, I make the recipes, I love all of it. I also love shrimp but I get bored with the same scampi.

I tried this recipe from Bobby Flay and really enjoyed it! The simple ingredients kept the meal light but also full of flavor. I did eliminate the chili powder because i'm not a fan of spicy but feel free to add 1/1/2 tbl of chili powder to the marinade.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons chopped thyme leaves
6 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
24 (or more up to 30 is fine) large shrimp, shelled and deveined
Salt and black pepper
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
Wooden Skewers

Cooking:
1.Heat the grill medium to high heat.
2. Soak wooden skewers in water 
3. Make the marinade: 1/4 cup of olive oil, chopped garlic, 2 tbl thyme
4. Skewer the shrimp and brush with marinade
5. Heat the rest of the oil and cook the sliced garlic until golden brown
6. Remove the garlic and reserve the oil separately
7. Increase the grill to high, salt and pepper the shrimp. Grill on each side for 1.5 -2 minutes
8. Remove shrimp from skewers to a platter and drizzle with some of the reserved oil, garlic chips, and sprinkle with the rest of the thyme

Quote of the week

"Part of the secret of success in life is to eat what you like and let the food fight it out inside." ~Mark Twain

Red Velvet Whoopie Pies

 Hello Lovaaaas. 

I honestly never saw the big whoop about red velvet....I know, I know most of you are gasping right now, but just wait for it...UNTIL I started to make my own.

I'm intrigued with how unique the ingredients are to red velvet. A few tablespoons of cocoa really do make all the difference in this delicious combination of vanilla and chocolate cake.

This recipe is from Magnolia bakery and it is absolutely the fluffiest red velvet i've ever tasted. You will need a few specific ingredients so plan a trip to the supermarket. I also altered the red food coloring from 6 tbl to 4 1/2 because I dont like the color to look fake but more earthy.

The filling is a recipe from Paula Dean, the queen of anything butter and cream cheese. I actually was planning to bring them to some friends who were visiting.....but they never made it past the kitchen. ADDICTIVE. enjoy. 

Ingredients:

 Whoopie Pies

3 1/3 cups cake flour (not self-rising)  

1 ½ sticks unsalted butter, softened
2 ¼ cups sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature *
4 1/2 tablespoons red food coloring
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 ½ teaspoons salt
1 ½ cups buttermilk
1 ½ teaspoons cider vinegar
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda  
Powdered Sugar for dusting 

Filling

2 8oz packages cream cheese, softened

2 sticks butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 cups powdered sugar

3/4 cup finely chopped pecans, optional

Baking: 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour 2 baking sheets (make sure the sheets have rims). Place parchment paper in each and butter and flour again 

2. Cream the butter. Add sugar and beat on high until fluffy - 3- 5 minutes

3. Add eggs one at a time 

4. In separate bowl whisk together cocoa, red food coloring, vanilla. Then add to mixture and scrap down all sides of the bowl.

5. Sift the cake flour, set aside

6. Mix Buttermilk and salt. 

7. Add flour and buttermilk to mixture alternating, starting and ending with flour

8. Mix together apple cider vinegar and baking soda and add to the batter

9. Divide the batter in the prepared pans about 3-4 cups per baking sheet

10. Bake for 10 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean from the center of the tray

11. Let the cakes cool completely! Then proceed to cut with cookie cutters (I did a heart) or the rim of a cup ( like I did for circles). Then FILL and roll in nuts if you desire....I do.

 

Filling

1. Cream the butter, cream cheese and vanilla

2. Add the sugar on low then increase to high until light and fluffy

* TIP: To get your eggs to room temperature either leave them out for 2 hours or place them in a bowl of luke warm water for 5 minutes.

My First Tomato!

My Pride and Joy. The first fruit of labor to come from my new vegetable garden. A few months back I had the idea to plant some herbs to supplement my cooking and also save some money. The more trips I made to the store for soil, the more vegetable plants I saw, tomatoes, peppers, brussel sprouts...each one would get me so excited I became a vegetable impulse buyer. I know, i'm a dork for getting so excited over vegetables, but I have discovered the satisfaction with seeing the growing process. Ofcourse we all know that vegetables come from the ground and people somewhere grow them, but seeing them bud from my own plants got me saying "Oh My Gosh its true!" I was so excited when this tomato started turning red, it could have been rotten and I would have still gobbled it up. Lucky for me this was the sweetest ripe tomato. I sliced the lil' guy up salted it and was in heaven for a whole 30 seconds.

Limonana

Let me introduce you to the most refreshing, delicious lemonade: limonana.

I found this drink during a summer I spent in Israel. They sell it in every cafe, coffee shop, and restaurant. On a sunny afternoon my sister and I decided to recreate it. It's essentially just lemonade, mint and ice. A minty lemonade slushy. Are you craving summer yet???? Well at least spring is close...invite some friends over and serve this.

Is it the weekend? Add a few shots of vodka!

Cook time: 10 minutes
Servings: 6

Ingredients:
4 lemons
2 1/2 cups of water, cold
1/2 cup of sugar ( add more to your own taste)
A bunch of fresh mint (10-12 leaves)
Ice, a lot

Blending:
1. Juice the lemons and mix them in pitcher with the water
2. Add sugar
3. Pour in a blender and add mint leaves
4. Fill the rest of the blender with ice and turn on high
5. Serve immediately

White Bean and Tomato Medley

   

Mmmmmmmmm don't you just love a good medley. Ok so medley isn't exactly a gourmet culinary term, but its the perfect word to describe my favorite bean dish. 

While living abroad in Athens, Greece I discovered a dish that I lovvvvvvved called Yiyantes, translated as Giant. The traditional dish is baked in a tomatoey sauce and is perfectly seasoned and super filling. 

That summer I returned with a craving for white beans! This is my rendition of the fabulous greek dish. I always add in a green vegetable to pack in some more nutrients, this time I used fresh spinach, but its easily replaceable with green beans or any veggies you have on hand. 

I make a huge batch and eat it over a few days, hot for dinner and cold for lunch! Its perfect both ways.

Cook time: 25 minutes

Servings: 6-7

Ingredients: 

3 (15.5 oz) cans white cannelini beans 

1/4 cup of olive oil 

2 fresh tomatoes or 1 (8oz) can of diced tomato

1 small yellow onion, diced

4 cloves of garlic, minced

1 bag of fresh spinach

1 1/2 tsp fresh thyme leaves, minced

Salt & pepper, to taste

Cooking: 

1. Heat oil over medium heat and drain beans

2. Add onions to the oil cook for 5 minutes, add garlic cook for 1 minute

3. Add beans and tomatoes and season with salt and pepper and cook for 10-12 minutes until beans are cooked through

4. Add spinach and cook for 4 minutes until spinach is wilted

5. Add thyme leaves and cook for 1 minute, taste and season with salt and pepper 

Stuffed Cabbage

You're probably thinking "what is this saucy hot mess." 

Stuffed cabbage is an old Eastern European recipe. I used the recipe from the one and only Mrs. Ina Garten. It is hearty enough for a main course and also fun to make. 

 Rolling the cabbage is suprisingly easy, and the sauce mixed with brown sugar, tomato and raisins is a perfect combination of sweet and savory. 

Ina suggest blanching the cabbage whole, but I found afterwards that some of the inner leaves were too hard to use and I had to blanch them separately. The second time I made the recipe I blanched the cabbage longer. I also had leftover meat filling so I made a meatloaf. 

The queen of stuffed cabbage, my 90 year-old Polish grandmother, even approved. Phew.

I provided the link with the recipe and also a video at foodnetwork. Try it, you won't be sorry!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/stuffed-cabbage-recipe/index.html

Sauteed Zucchini & Tomatoes

Zucchini doesn't have much taste so it's up to you to find great ways to bring out the natural flavor. Don't be discouraged! I love this vegetable because it allows me to be creative each and everytime I use it.

For this side dish I wanted something light becuase it was being paired with breaded chicken. I used classic flavor infusers like garlic, onions and fresh herbs.

Simple & Delicious.

Ingredients:
Olive oil 
2 large Zucchinis or 4 medium, sliced lengthwise and in half 
2 tomatoes, diced or  1 (8oz) can diced tomatoes
1/2 yellow onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbl fresh thyme, minced
Salt & Pepper

Cooking:
1. Coat saute pan with olive oil and put on medium heat
2. Add onions and garlic and cook for 5 minutes
3. Add zucchini and season with salt and pepper. After 5 minutes add tomatoes.
4. Saute until zucchini are cooked through and become soft, 10 -15 minutes, they will turn from white to a slightly yellow color
5. Add thyme and cook for 2 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper