So drawing inspiration from Zesty's Super Star Toast, I decided to make myself breakfast the other day, but thought I could improve his method just a bit with FRENCH toast. He made an amazing looking piece of toast with peanut butter, bananas, and blueberries. I didn't have any blueberries on hand, so I decided to put just peanut butter and bananas on french toast.
Result? Mushy mess. Zesty knew what he was doing putting it on regular toast...the french toast just got really soggy. The flavors weren't too bad, and I got it down with a big glass of milk, but I really think next time I'll stick to regular toast. It'll hold up to the peanut butter better, I think, and give some contrast in texture, instead of the plate o' mush that I got. It didn't even make pretty photographs.
I'm pretty sure the french toast on its own would have been delicious...I mixed up egg and milk with a splash of vanilla and a sprinkle of cinnamon. It just didn't hold up to the peanut butter very well at all.
Lesson learned! Sticking with the toast next time.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Holy Yum!
So excited! Megan over at Megan's Munchies has awarded my S'mores Treats with a Holy Yum award! Brought me right out of my post-midterm funk. Thanks, Megan!
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Italian Sausage with Zucchini and Tomatoes
Here I go with the zucchini again. It really is my favorite vegetable. I got this recipe at Whole Foods, and it called for regular italian sausage. Not too long ago, my Aunt Karen introduced me to chicken sausage...all the flavor of sausage, and only 90 calories a link. I picked up this Archer's Farm brand chicken sausage at Super Target. It does NOT look appetizing raw but once I grilled it that all changed.
Saying I got this recipe from Whole Foods isn't entirely accurate...I got it from the Whole Foods Recipe app I have on my iPhone. As if I didn't have enough reasons to love my iPhone. I have browsed a lot of recipes on it and you can expect to see them soon!
This is a very simple recipe but was packed with tons of flavor. It got me thinking a lot about garlic, because the garlic in this recipe is treated so much differently than the garlic for the Summer Vegetable Pasta I made. I want to investigate garlic, but it will have to wait until after finals. Only a week and a half of summer school left!
Italian Sausage with Zucchini and Tomatoes
adapted from: Whole Foods Recipes
One package mild Italian style chicken sausage
2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
4 to 6 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tbs dried oregano
1tbs dried basil
1 pound zucchini, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
One package grape tomatoes, halved (I think it was a pint? I'm not sure. The clear plastic container.)
salt and pepper to taste
Grill sausages until cooked through. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large saute pan over medium high heat. Add garlic and oregano, stir for a few seconds. Add zucchini and cook until tender, about 3 to 5 minutes.
When the sausages are cooked, cut into bite-size pieces and add to the pan with the basil, tomatoes, salt and pepper. Continue to saute until tomatoes are just softened, about 1 minute.
Saying I got this recipe from Whole Foods isn't entirely accurate...I got it from the Whole Foods Recipe app I have on my iPhone. As if I didn't have enough reasons to love my iPhone. I have browsed a lot of recipes on it and you can expect to see them soon!
This is a very simple recipe but was packed with tons of flavor. It got me thinking a lot about garlic, because the garlic in this recipe is treated so much differently than the garlic for the Summer Vegetable Pasta I made. I want to investigate garlic, but it will have to wait until after finals. Only a week and a half of summer school left!
Italian Sausage with Zucchini and Tomatoes
adapted from: Whole Foods Recipes
One package mild Italian style chicken sausage
2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
4 to 6 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tbs dried oregano
1tbs dried basil
1 pound zucchini, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
One package grape tomatoes, halved (I think it was a pint? I'm not sure. The clear plastic container.)
salt and pepper to taste
Grill sausages until cooked through. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large saute pan over medium high heat. Add garlic and oregano, stir for a few seconds. Add zucchini and cook until tender, about 3 to 5 minutes.
When the sausages are cooked, cut into bite-size pieces and add to the pan with the basil, tomatoes, salt and pepper. Continue to saute until tomatoes are just softened, about 1 minute.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Morning Glory Breakfast Cookies
I had a hankering to bake the other day and I thumbed through one of my favorite cookie books and came across this recipe. It looked pretty good, for the most part, but I made a couple of modifications to make them a little healthier and more delicious. The original recipe called for sweetened coconut and raisins. I nixed the coconut altogether, switched the raisins to craisins, and we were in business!
I liked this recipe because I thought it looked like a very healthy sort of cookie. Obviously it still has the flour, sugar, and butter components of a cookie but it's also full of grated apple, carrots, craisins, and walnuts. The raw dough was so delicious I didn't know how many cookies I would end up with! They didn't turn out overly sweet so they truly taste more like a breakfast food, and go GREAT with coffee. When I make these again I want to use whole wheat flour to get these as healthy as possible. I have a health nut for a roommate so I want to make things that she will eat, too!
Once I get the recipe I usually defer to Alton Brown's creaming methodology instead of following the recipe exactly. He's a genius, that man. I'm Just Here for More Food is my baking bible.
Morning Glory Breakfast Cookies
adapted from: Big Fat Cookies
2 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp finely grated orange zest
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup peeled and finely grated carrots (I used 2 carrots)
1 cup peeled and grated apples (one medium granny smith apple for me)
1 cup craisins
1 cup chopped walnuts
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and position a rack in the middle of the oven. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg in a bowl and set aside. (Ideally, this should be done in a food processor or sifter. However, as we have already established, I have no food processor, and an old roommate put my sifter in the dishwasher and turned it into a rusty mess. So, I whisk. But in an ideal world: food processor. Sorry, Alton.)
In a small bowl, beat the eggs and vanilla extract together.
Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment on medium speed, beat the butter for about 30 seconds. Slowly add the sugar and beat until creamy. (This is a tricky term if you're not used to it. The key is to WATCH the butter/sugar, and it eventually gets to a point where it noticeably changes in consistency. It lightens in color and color and gets almost fluffy-looking. You can't SEE the granules of sugar anymore, but you can feel them.)
Lower the mixer speed and add the egg mixture, half at a time, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the orange peel, carrot, and apples.
Work in the flour mixture in three installments. Add nuts.
Using an ice cream scoop, scoop mounds of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving at least 2 inches of space in between each scoop. (Hey, the book is called Big Fat Cookies. They mean that literally.) Bake one sheet at a time, for about 20 minutes, until the bottoms are browned, the tops are pale but firm, and an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool the cookies on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Trust me on the craisins. Pure genius. Raisins are so passe.
I liked this recipe because I thought it looked like a very healthy sort of cookie. Obviously it still has the flour, sugar, and butter components of a cookie but it's also full of grated apple, carrots, craisins, and walnuts. The raw dough was so delicious I didn't know how many cookies I would end up with! They didn't turn out overly sweet so they truly taste more like a breakfast food, and go GREAT with coffee. When I make these again I want to use whole wheat flour to get these as healthy as possible. I have a health nut for a roommate so I want to make things that she will eat, too!
Once I get the recipe I usually defer to Alton Brown's creaming methodology instead of following the recipe exactly. He's a genius, that man. I'm Just Here for More Food is my baking bible.
Morning Glory Breakfast Cookies
adapted from: Big Fat Cookies
2 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp finely grated orange zest
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup peeled and finely grated carrots (I used 2 carrots)
1 cup peeled and grated apples (one medium granny smith apple for me)
1 cup craisins
1 cup chopped walnuts
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and position a rack in the middle of the oven. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg in a bowl and set aside. (Ideally, this should be done in a food processor or sifter. However, as we have already established, I have no food processor, and an old roommate put my sifter in the dishwasher and turned it into a rusty mess. So, I whisk. But in an ideal world: food processor. Sorry, Alton.)
In a small bowl, beat the eggs and vanilla extract together.
Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment on medium speed, beat the butter for about 30 seconds. Slowly add the sugar and beat until creamy. (This is a tricky term if you're not used to it. The key is to WATCH the butter/sugar, and it eventually gets to a point where it noticeably changes in consistency. It lightens in color and color and gets almost fluffy-looking. You can't SEE the granules of sugar anymore, but you can feel them.)
Lower the mixer speed and add the egg mixture, half at a time, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the orange peel, carrot, and apples.
Work in the flour mixture in three installments. Add nuts.
Using an ice cream scoop, scoop mounds of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving at least 2 inches of space in between each scoop. (Hey, the book is called Big Fat Cookies. They mean that literally.) Bake one sheet at a time, for about 20 minutes, until the bottoms are browned, the tops are pale but firm, and an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool the cookies on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Trust me on the craisins. Pure genius. Raisins are so passe.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
S'mores Treats and Birthday Wishes!
Today is my amazing boyfriend Matt's 25th birthday! As a special treat, I made an invention of his: S'mores Treats! We created them together for a bake sale last ear and they were such a big hit they have become a bake sale staple. I've spent the last few days studying for a tax midterm so I love having the excuse of Matt's birthday to make sweets. One of the best things about him is that he is so easy to please. A PB&J makes him just as happy as gourmet sushi and I just love it! Makes my life easier.
We normally mix chocolate chips directly into the mix but they always melt and make a phenomenal, gooey, delicious mess. This time, in honor of his birthday, I put a little more effort into it and dipped the bottoms into melted chocolate and drizzled it on top.
Delicious!
S'mores Treats
6 cups Golden Grahams
1/2 stick butter
10 0z bag of marshmallows
chocolate
Melt the butter in a large pot and then fold in the marshmallows, stirring until melted. Remove from heat and stir in the cereal, then spread into a buttered pan. Let sit until cool. Once cool, cut into squares. Melt the chocolate, then dip the bottoms of the squares into the chocolate and invert on a cooling rack. Refrigerate to set the chocolate. Once it has set, flip them over and drizzle remaining chocolate over the top.
We normally mix chocolate chips directly into the mix but they always melt and make a phenomenal, gooey, delicious mess. This time, in honor of his birthday, I put a little more effort into it and dipped the bottoms into melted chocolate and drizzled it on top.
Delicious!
S'mores Treats
6 cups Golden Grahams
1/2 stick butter
10 0z bag of marshmallows
chocolate
Melt the butter in a large pot and then fold in the marshmallows, stirring until melted. Remove from heat and stir in the cereal, then spread into a buttered pan. Let sit until cool. Once cool, cut into squares. Melt the chocolate, then dip the bottoms of the squares into the chocolate and invert on a cooling rack. Refrigerate to set the chocolate. Once it has set, flip them over and drizzle remaining chocolate over the top.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Summer Vegetable Pasta
I love Rachel Ray. I think she has a great attitude and her food always sounds great. I even own 14 Rachel Ray magazines. From those magazines full of countless recipes, I have made a total of one, and it involved Pillsbury crescent rolls. Not very daring, I know. Now we can call it two! I love zucchini but the only way I have ever cooked it is grilled, so when I came across this pasta in the 2009 June/July issue, I just had to make it!
So, first of all, as you can guess from the picture this recipe has corn in it. EARS of corn. It is the perfect season for it and I was able to get it for only $0.10 each! I had to remove it from the ear, and let me tell you, that is an interesting process.
It gets EVERYWHERE.
I live in an apartment, so there's the kitchen counter, then a higher bar-top counter; the corn flew over the bar top and I found it in the living room carpet. I kid you not. Once I got over the shock of flying corn kernels (and swept and vacuumed) I ended up with about 2 cups of corn from 4 ears. So, if you don't want to risk flying corn, maybe try 2 cups frozen/canned. But the fresh corn gives it a really great texture and flavor so I would not recommend going that route.
Also, the zucchini is supposed to be thinly sliced. So I took this opportunity to give my roommate's mandoline slicer a try. Tiffany's mom sells Pampered Chef so our kitchen is full of gadgetry. It's a really neat slicer, but about 2 zucchinis in I was sick of it. It has this safety mechanism built in, to avoid hurt fingers, but it wastes a lot of the vegetable. I think I'll reserve it for potatoes from here on out.
All in all, it was a big hit! Matt even liked it and he usually does not go for entrees that do not involve meat, meat-and-potatoes man that he is. The swiss cheese definitely adds a great kick.
Summer Vegetable Pasta
1 pound rotini
1/4 cup EVOO
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup italian-style breadcrumbs
3 zucchini, thinly sliced
4 ears corn, kernels scraped off
6 ounces swiss cheese, shredded
salt and pepper
The recipe says it makes 4 servings, but I think it's more like 6. My roommate, Matt and I all had some and there is still half of it left.
Cook the pasta to al dente in boiling, salted water and drain, reserving one cup of the water.
Meanwhile, in a small skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat then cook half of the garlic until golden (about 30 seconds). Stir in the breadcrumbs and set aside.
In the pasta pot, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat and cook the remaining garlic until golden; add the zucchini and cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp-tender (about 5 minutes). Stir in the corn, cooked pasta, and pasta water. Add 1 cup cheese and toss; season with salt and pepper.
Stir the remaining cheese into the breadcrumb mixture and sprinkle it on top of the pasta to serve.
So, first of all, as you can guess from the picture this recipe has corn in it. EARS of corn. It is the perfect season for it and I was able to get it for only $0.10 each! I had to remove it from the ear, and let me tell you, that is an interesting process.It gets EVERYWHERE.
I live in an apartment, so there's the kitchen counter, then a higher bar-top counter; the corn flew over the bar top and I found it in the living room carpet. I kid you not. Once I got over the shock of flying corn kernels (and swept and vacuumed) I ended up with about 2 cups of corn from 4 ears. So, if you don't want to risk flying corn, maybe try 2 cups frozen/canned. But the fresh corn gives it a really great texture and flavor so I would not recommend going that route.
Also, the zucchini is supposed to be thinly sliced. So I took this opportunity to give my roommate's mandoline slicer a try. Tiffany's mom sells Pampered Chef so our kitchen is full of gadgetry. It's a really neat slicer, but about 2 zucchinis in I was sick of it. It has this safety mechanism built in, to avoid hurt fingers, but it wastes a lot of the vegetable. I think I'll reserve it for potatoes from here on out.
All in all, it was a big hit! Matt even liked it and he usually does not go for entrees that do not involve meat, meat-and-potatoes man that he is. The swiss cheese definitely adds a great kick.
Summer Vegetable Pasta
1 pound rotini
1/4 cup EVOO
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup italian-style breadcrumbs
3 zucchini, thinly sliced
4 ears corn, kernels scraped off
6 ounces swiss cheese, shredded
salt and pepper
The recipe says it makes 4 servings, but I think it's more like 6. My roommate, Matt and I all had some and there is still half of it left.
Cook the pasta to al dente in boiling, salted water and drain, reserving one cup of the water.
Meanwhile, in a small skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat then cook half of the garlic until golden (about 30 seconds). Stir in the breadcrumbs and set aside.
In the pasta pot, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat and cook the remaining garlic until golden; add the zucchini and cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp-tender (about 5 minutes). Stir in the corn, cooked pasta, and pasta water. Add 1 cup cheese and toss; season with salt and pepper.
Stir the remaining cheese into the breadcrumb mixture and sprinkle it on top of the pasta to serve.
Monday, July 6, 2009
Chocolate Pecan Torte
As promised, my first food post is the torte I mentioned. This recipe was given to me by my grandmother when she found out that I had no use for my food processor. Funnily enough, after I bought everything to make the torte, I got out said food processor and discovered that at some point in the 4 years I have owned it and never used it, I lost the bowl attachment! So I improvised and used my blender. First food lesson? Blenders are not good substitutes for food processors.
Chocolate Pecan Torte
1 cup nuts
4 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
5 eggs
1/2 cup flour
You can use any kind of nuts for this recipe; I chose pecans because the grocery store I went to only had pecans, walnuts, and almonds, and pecans sounded the tastiest. Plus I planned on taking this to my boyfriend's mother, and she has a walnut allergy.
I've never had a torte before. The closest I have come is drooling at the Sacher Torte that they serve at La Madeleine. So I was pretty surprised to look at the recipe and see only half a cup of flour, but wikipedia informed me that a torte uses ground nuts in substitute of flour.
After preheating the oven to 325 degrees and lining a spring form pan with parchment and butter, I started out by putting the chocolate and the pecans in the blender and ground them into a fine paste. So far so good.
The next step of adding the sugar and butter was a little tricky. My poor little blender, try as it might, could not handle all that thickness! So I turned to my trusty KitchenAid mixer and hoped for the best. A whisk attachment is not really a substitute for blades, so everything didn't get ground up like I'm sure it was supposed to.
I added the eggs one at a time, then followed with the flour. When I scraped the batter into the pan, it didn't look smooth at all:
After half an hour in the oven it looked pretty good, and smelled amazing! Bob the Fish approved.
I made whipped cream to go with it, and took it over to Matt's parent's house yesterday, and it was a hit! Matt's mom liked it so much she asked me to make it for her birthday cake. I forgot to take my camera with me, but I took this one with my iPhone.
People liked it? Sounds like success to me! But I think I'll get my hands on an actual food processor before I make that birthday cake.
Chocolate Pecan Torte
1 cup nuts
4 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
5 eggs
1/2 cup flour
You can use any kind of nuts for this recipe; I chose pecans because the grocery store I went to only had pecans, walnuts, and almonds, and pecans sounded the tastiest. Plus I planned on taking this to my boyfriend's mother, and she has a walnut allergy.
I've never had a torte before. The closest I have come is drooling at the Sacher Torte that they serve at La Madeleine. So I was pretty surprised to look at the recipe and see only half a cup of flour, but wikipedia informed me that a torte uses ground nuts in substitute of flour.
After preheating the oven to 325 degrees and lining a spring form pan with parchment and butter, I started out by putting the chocolate and the pecans in the blender and ground them into a fine paste. So far so good.
The next step of adding the sugar and butter was a little tricky. My poor little blender, try as it might, could not handle all that thickness! So I turned to my trusty KitchenAid mixer and hoped for the best. A whisk attachment is not really a substitute for blades, so everything didn't get ground up like I'm sure it was supposed to.
I added the eggs one at a time, then followed with the flour. When I scraped the batter into the pan, it didn't look smooth at all:
After half an hour in the oven it looked pretty good, and smelled amazing! Bob the Fish approved.
I made whipped cream to go with it, and took it over to Matt's parent's house yesterday, and it was a hit! Matt's mom liked it so much she asked me to make it for her birthday cake. I forgot to take my camera with me, but I took this one with my iPhone.
People liked it? Sounds like success to me! But I think I'll get my hands on an actual food processor before I make that birthday cake.
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