Food Finery

Warm Shrimp Salad

2012-01-12T08:47:00.008-07:00

Making salads at home is wonderful because you choose your fresh and local ingredients but it can be a challenge to make them exciting. This salad is something I came up with a few weeks ago and it is so tasty. A much needed break from all of the heavy winter foods served around the holidays, I served it with fresh wheat bread sticks. The warmth makes it a cozy winter salad.

Warm Shrimp Salad

1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 head butter (Bibb) lettuce

1 pound fresh spinach

1 head romaine lettuce

1 avocado, cubed

2 ripe tomatoes, cubed

1/4 pound Apple Walnut Smoked Promontory cheese (Beehive Cheese Co.)

Peel and devein shrimp then slice down the center, to split in half. Heat a sauté pan with the olive oil and garlic then toss the shrimp until cooked through (they will "curl" as they cook, after you've split them...makes for a beautiful presentation). Set aside and shred lettuces and spinach. Toss together, in a serving bowl with avocado and tomato. Make dressing.

Dressing for salad

1 avocado

1 clove garlic

1/2 cup sour cream

5 fresh limes, juiced

Salt and pepper

Process all ingredients in a blender and pour over salad. Toss well then top with warm shrimp and grate fresh cheese all over.

Serve with your favorite bread.

Maple Egg Nog Cupcakes

2011-12-21T12:46:00.005-07:00

My best friend and I have a tradition. Every year we get our families together, for one evening the week before Christmas and have coffees, dessert and exchange gifts with each other. We have been friends for 20 years, had our first babies 10 months apart 14 years ago (both girls... also very best friends), can talk on the phone (literally... just ask our husbands) for up to 3 hours at a time, have fought and made up where another set of friends would have given up, have been with each other through babies, moves, marriages, deaths, job changes/losses, business openings/closings, family drama, friend drama, selfishness, selflessness, fear, joy, pain, health scares, heartache, happiness and everything in between. I love her. We are so opposite it's almost laughable but we gel and share a closeness that I value and cherish deeply. We usually do this Christmas get-together at my house but this year we are doing it at hers. See... this year she had a new baby (a surprise baby!) so I figured it'd be easier to go to her since she has 4 kids and I only have 2 :) Another great part about our tradition is that my mom is a part of it. She comes over and she and my bff exchange gifts as well. She's coming tonight too. I decided I'd make a treat to take. I came up with these cupcakes this morning and they are awesome. I'm taking them tonight and wanted to share so you can make them for one of your holiday gatherings this week.

Maple Egg Nog Cupcakes

1 stick unsalted butter
2C maple syrup
3 eggs
1t vanilla
2 1/2C flour
1T baking powder
1t salt
1/2t nutmeg
1/2C milk
1/2C egg nog

Heat oven to 350 and line muffin tins with cute little Christmas liners. Sift dry ingredients together and set aside. Cream butter until it's light and fluffy then add the syrup. Add eggs, one at a time then add vanilla. Alternate the dry ingredients and milk/egg nog and combine well. Fill muffin cups 3/4 full and bake for 15-18 minutes. Cool completely.

Cream topping

1 1/2C whipping cream
2t vanilla
2C powdered sugar
nutmeg (for dusting)

Whip the cream till it forms soft peaks then add the vanilla and sugar and whip until it forms stiff peaks (fairly stiff too... you want it to hold up). Pipe onto the cupcakes and dust each one with a light sprinkle of nutmeg.

Merry Christmas! Enjoy this week with people you love so much and make sure they know it!

Pumpkin Granola

2011-12-13T16:42:00.004-07:00

I've posted a granola recipe once before and granola is not rocket science but I do feel like a lot of people are afraid to make it at home, or maybe feel like it's difficult. It isn't and I want to share this recipe with you so you can see how simple it is, make your own adjustments and enjoy a dish at home. It's perfect for the season and even more perfect for breakfast at the holidays.

Happiest of holidays to you and yours!

Pumpkin Granola

3C rolled oats
1/2C pureed pumpkin
1/4C hazelnut (or almond) oil
2T honey
2T maple syrup
1/2t cinnamon
1/2t nutmeg
1/2C dried cranberries
1C chopped pecans
1C mini chocolate chips

Heat an oven to 350 and line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat. In a large bowl combine; oats, pumpkin, oil, honey, maple syrup, cinnamon and nutmeg (make sure you really mix these ingredients so all of the pumpkin is combined). Pour out onto the prepared baking sheet and spread this and evenly. Bake for 10 minutes. Stir, spread again and bake another 10 minutes then add the cranberries and bake 5 minutes. Stir and add pecans. Bake a final 5-10 minutes (watch it closely so it's browned but not burned). Remove and cool completely on the pan then stir in the chocolate chips and store in an airtight container for up to one week.

White Cheddar Spoon Bread

2011-11-29T20:32:00.006-07:00

Spoon Bread is a Southern "comfort food" and for sure more popular in the South than here in Utah. I'd never tried it until I made it on my own. It's beautiful and easy and delicious. I did a little research and made my own recipe, after reading several others. It's base is cornmeal so it truly does resemble bread and polenta. I added white cheddar to my version and am pleased with the results. I'm a huge fan of polenta so I knew I would probably love this dish. I also like warm comfort foods and souffles (I read this dish described as "cornbread souffle"... love that!). Be patient. There are a few steps and you can't walk away from the cooking process here. I am going to deliver as basic a process as possible. Try it. My family gobbled it up and it makes a really pretty accompaniment to a holiday meal.

White Cheddar Spoon Bread (Spoonbread)

1 1/2C cornmeal (yellow or white)
1T sugar
1 1/2t salt
2C whole milk
1C half & half
4T butter
4 eggs (separated)
2t baking powder
1C grated white cheddar

heat your oven to 350. Butter a souffle dish. In a small bowl, combine the cornmeal, sugar and salt. Set aside. In a medium saucepan, bring the milk and cream to a boil and heat to near scalding then remove from heat and whisk in the cornmeal mixture. Separate the eggs. Return to heat and stir the butter in, with a rubber spatula, until completely melted. Add the baking powder. Temper the egg yolk mixture by adding 1/4 cup of the cornmeal mixture and combining then an additional 1/4 cup and combining. Add the tempered egg yolk mixture to the rest of the cornmeal and turn the heat off once more. stir the cheese in and continue to stir until completely combined. With a handheld beater, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form then fold them into the cornmeal mixture with the rubber spatula. Pour into the prepared souffle dish and bake for 25 minutes.

Remove from oven and allow to "sink" at the table. Serve by "spooning" onto serving plates.

*The spoon bread should rise above the rim of the dish, while baking, then sink in the center, when removed from heat. The same way a souffle would.

Pumpkin Cranberry Yeast Bread

2011-11-23T20:10:00.006-07:00

I started making this bread 3 years ago for Thanksgiving breakfast. It's totally scrumptious and I can guarantee you'll be hooked your first try. No one wants a heavy breakfast Thanksgiving morning so this bread is perfect. It makes an amazing toast so... I truly recommend it that way. I make it in a bundt, then slice it thick, toast it, slather it with unsalted butter and sprinkle it with a light dusting of cinnamon/sugar. Happy Thanksgiving! I pray your day is safe and blessed and filled with people you love, traditions you cherish and food you want!

Pumpkin Cranberry Yeast Bread

1C milk
1C dried cranberries

Heat the milk to just under the boiling point (where tiny bubbles form around the outside edge but the milk does not boil). Turn off the heat and add the cranberries. Soak for 15 minutes.

1C pumpkin
1/4C honey
1 egg

Combine in a stand mixer then add the milk mixture and mix well. Add the following:

2 1/4t yeast
5C bread flour (1C at a time)
2C milk
1t cinnamon
1t allspice
1/2t nutmeg

Combine completely and allow to rise, in the bowl, for one hour.

Spray your pan (any pan works, I use a bundt) with non-stick spray then sprinkle the pan with sugar. Pour the batter in and smooth out with wet fingertips. Allow to rise another hour. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350.

Once risen, bake the bread for 15-20 minutes. Cool briefly then invert onto a rack and cool completely.

Creamy Tomatillo Dressing

2011-11-07T10:10:00.006-07:00

I made this dressing over the summer but never posted it because it wasn't quite right. Something was off but then my best friend brought me some tomatillos from her garden and I decided to try it again. I'm not sure what I did different but this is it! It's such a fantastic salad dressing. I served it with fish tacos and it was perfect. You will seriously love this dressing and the great part is, tomatillos are available year round so you can make it anytime!

Creamy Tomatillo Dressing

8-10 tomatillos (peeled and scrubbed well)
1/2 jalapeno
5 limes (juiced)
1 avocado
1/2C sour cream
1 clove garlic (minced)
2t salt
freshly ground black pepper
*reserved cooking water

Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil and boil the tomatillos for 10 minutes (till very soft). Meanwhile, in a blender, combine the jalapeno, lime juice, avocado, sour cream, garlic and salt and pepper. Add the soft tomatillos and blend well.

*Reserve some cooking water and add to the dressing, if needed, to thin it out.

Chill and serve. This dressing makes quite a lot and will freeze nicely for up to 2 months.

Pumpkin "Dream" Cookies...

2011-10-31T14:33:00.011-06:00

I woke up, in the middle of the night, Friday night and had this great idea for a cookie. I think I started dreaming it then woke up to kind of finish the details. Funny how the mind works sometimes, isn't it? I decided a good name would be "Pumpkin Dream Cookies" and it even fits because they are dreamy. They worked just as I'd hoped except that I'd pictured them filled in my dream. I thought I'd scoop out a small hole in the middle then pipe the frosting in and kind of spill it out but they ended up being more flat than mounded so I frosted them. They are cake-like and sweet but not too sweet. They are a great fall treat and I hope you make and enjoy them!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE!!!!!! Have a safe and fun night of tricks and treats!!!

Pumpkin "Dream" Cookies...

3/4C shortening
2C brown sugar
1 egg
1 1/2C flour
1 1/2t baking powder
1t cinnamon
1t nutmeg
1/2t ginger
1/2t allspice
1t vanilla
1 1/2C pureed pumpkin

Cranberry Compote...

2C fresh cranberries
1C water
1t vanilla
1t cinnamon
2T sugar

In a small saucepan combine all ingredients and bring to a simmer. Cook for 15 minutes and set aside to cool and thicken. While the berries are cooling, continue with the cookie dough.

Combine shortening and brown sugar and whip till light and fluffy then add the egg and combine completely. Whisk dry ingredients together and add to the sugar mixture then add the pumpkin and vanilla. With a spatula, fold in the cranberry compote (which should be cooled to room temp and quite thick).

Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes. Cool completely then frost with...

Cream Cheese Frosting...

1 package cream cheese (room temp)
2C powdered sugar
2t vanilla

Combine all ingredients then frost the yummy cookies!

*the compote can be made ahead of time. It will keep, tightly lidded, in the refrigerator for a month.

*Set out some cookies to be eaten the day you make them but keep the remaining chilled until ready to serve.

Stuffed Pumpkin

2011-10-24T20:55:00.005-06:00

This recipe is everything deliciously warm and fall-like, it'll make you feel so comforted and it's so versatile. You can change it up and add something you'd prefer or make it new each time. I enjoy trying a different cheese each time but the cheeses below are an excellent first choice! It's a perfect appetizer, for a larger crowd, or a perfectly suitable main course, for 4.

Stuffed Pumpkin

1 3-4 pound pie (or sugar) pumpkin
3-4 slices crusty french bread (or a baguette if you like a less soggy bread)
3 slices thick-cut bacon
1/4 pound sharp cheddar cheese (cubed)
1/4 pound fontina cheese (grated or cubed)
1/4 pound mild white cheddar cheese (cubed)
1 clove garlic (minced)
2 Tablespoons freshly chopped herbs (I used oregano, basil and thyme)
1 Cup cream
salt and pepper

Heat your oven to 375 and line a large baking sheet with foil. Cut a lid in the top of your pumpkin and scoop out the insides (discard). Cube the bread and toss into a large bowl along with the cheeses, garlic, herbs, salt and pepper. Set aside and fry the bacon to a nice crisp (not burned) then chop into small bits and add to the bread mixture. Toss all of those lovely ingredients together and pack it all into the pumpkin tightly. Leave enough room at the top to be able to fit the lid back on. Pour the cream over the mixture, slowly. Keep pouring and packing the mixture down and pouring some more until it's full but not overflowing. Place the lid on top, place the pumpkin on the prepared baking sheet and bake for about one hour.

Remove and transfer to a platter. Cut into slices and serve.

Happy Halloween!!!

Family Food Flashback

2011-10-03T22:05:00.013-06:00

A group of local food bloggers/foodie friends got together for a baby shower last month and got to chatting about nostalgic foods from our childhood. Heidi of Foodie Crush orchestrated the "around the circle" talk and got each of us to share a food memory, mostly from our mothers, that took us back to our little girl years. For the most part, none of us had a formal, gourmet upbringing and our fondest food memories were those of pre-baked, store bought, semi-boxed foods. A lot of us were giggling and connecting over funny food flashbacks and Heidi decided it would be fun to bring all of our memories together for one big food flashback post. Here is my contribution:

I mentioned two foods. One my mom still makes at Thanksgiving and one she used to make for lunches, when I was a kid. It's hominy. She ate it as a child and we both still eat it today. I love it. My husband thinks it is one of the nastiest foods out there but it's so comforting to me. A lot of the girls at the party had no clue what hominy even was and a lot of them did know but had never had it the way my mom and I (and my grandma and my aunts) eat it. I can remember eating a warm, salty, puffy, buttery plate of yellow hominy with my mom,on the couch, in the house I grew up in. I know for certain where I got my love of butter and salt... my mom. You have never known a woman who loves that combination more than my mother. I think she adds food in just to make herself feel better... she could salt a stick of butter and eat it alone, I just know it! I was excited to do this post just so I could make myself hominy.

Please follow along closely as this will be difficult for you to try at home.

1 can yellow hominy
1 T butter
salt

In a small frying pan, melt the butter. Drain the hominy and pour the contents of the can into the hot pan. Cook for 5 minutes, salt generously and eat.

I am not ashamed to admit that I have been known to consume the entire can myself.

The second food that reminded me of my childhood and my mother but that was also so far from gourmet yet so super comforting was Sour Cream Cheesecake. My mom has been making this for years! It's a Thanksgiving staple but I remember begging her to make it other times throughout the year too. I still sneak a small sliver every Thanksgiving. The ingredients make me laugh. Truthfully, I feel like Cool Whip has to be the most horrible invention almost ever yet... here it is... shining in it's glory. Without it, there would be no Sour Cream Cheesecake. When I was little, I had to eat a slice with a huge spoonful of canned cherry pie filling smothering the top... I pass on that now and just eat the pie! I'm including a picture of my mother's recipe card. I borrowed it for this post because the card alone brings back memories and because my mother's handwriting makes both she and i (and everyone else we know) laugh.

Please check out Foodie Crush for a complete list of all the Family Food Flashbacks.

"Infused" Pasta

2011-09-26T08:53:00.002-06:00

This is a fun way to add flavor to your pasta at home, yourself. I used whole grain pasta this time around but plan to use homemade noodles next time. We recently visited Seattle and purchased several pounds of infused pastas (dried). I love the idea and thought using fresh ingredients, in my own kitchen would prove even more delicious... I was right!

"Infused" Pasta

1 pound pasta
1C water
1C chicken stock (the richer the better)
2T olive oil
1 clove garlic (minced)
3 lemons (juice from 2, zest and slices from 1)
1T finely chopped chives
salt and pepper
sprinkle of freshly grated Parmesan

Bring the water to a low simmer, add the stock and lemon juice and keep warm. In a separate pot, boil the pasta in salted water for 4 minutes (under al dente). Transfer the pasta to the warm lemon pot and toss in the olive oil and garlic. Bring to another very low simmer and add the zest. Remove the pasta with tongs (do not drain) then toss with the chopped chives, salt and pepper and garnish with the freshly grated cheese.

Hot Crab Dip

2011-09-06T19:47:00.011-06:00

I had dinner with a friend last week and we discussed my "blog". As any of you who take the time to stop by and read know, I am not much of a blogger. I'm a cook. I owned a little kitchen shop a few years back and people would always say to me "Do you have a blog?" "Do you post recipes?" "What is your blog?" "You should have a blog." so... I got one. I never intended to make money, I never knew how HUGE the blogging world was, I have had a blast with it, met many, many friends because of it but the bottom line is... I am not a blogger. I am a cook. I can't take a decent food photo to save my life... it's laughable. I want to share my love of food with the world, I want to learn from all of you, I want to post my original recipes and create a sort of online cookbook. My plan (from here on out) is to share food with you. Not stories of my kids and a cutsie tablecloth, not vacation photos and a silly story but FOOD. I am going to give you recipes that work and recipes from my heart/home/kitchen. I hope you like them.

With that said (smiley face)... I recently went to a baby shower for a friend and took this warm little dip along with. I created it the night before and I hope you'll make it. It's a tasty little appetizer.
photo by Heidi Larsen of Foodie Crush
Hot Crab Dip

1 16oz. package cream cheese
1/4 cup mayo
2 Tablespoons sour cream
1 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
2 pounds fresh crab clusters
2 Tablespoons fresh oregano leaves
2 Tablespoons fresh parsley
1 Tablespoon fresh basil (I used boxwood)
1 Tablespoon fresh thyme
salt and pepper
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1?4 cup panko

Combine the cream cheese, mayo, sour cream and cheese well (no lumps). Heat the crab on 350 for 10 minutes in 1/2 cup of water. Cool and crack. Remove all meat and place in the creamed mixture. Finely chop all of the fresh herbs and toss in as well along with enough salt and pepper to taste. Place in a baking dish and chill for at least 2 hours. Heat your oven to 350 and bake the dip for 15 minutes. Meanwhile toss the olive oil and panko together then top the dip with the crumb mixture and broil about 3 minutes.

I served this dip with sliced baguette and homemade tortilla chips.

Layered and Grilled Peaches

2011-07-25T08:47:00.006-06:00

My husband loves peach desserts. Peaches-n-cream is his absolute favorite but I am always trying to come up with new peach treats for him. His birthday was a couple of weeks ago and I wanted to do something new for him. I came up with this dessert. It was delicious, he loved it and everyone that joined us gave it a big thumbs up! I made individual servings but you could easily make it in a spring form pan, a pie tin or a tart pan.

Layered and Grilled Peaches (serves 8)

4 peaches washed, halved and pitted
1 t fresh lemon juice
3 T honey

8 ounces mascarpone cheese
2 C confectioners sugar
1 t fresh lemon juice
3 t vanilla
1 T butter

16 graham crackers
8 T butter
1 t cinnamon
3 T sugar

Preheat oven to 325. In a food processor, pulse the graham crackers till they are broken up and very fine. Add cinnamon and sugar then drizzle butter in till it all comes together. Butter 8 ramekins (or pan of your choice) and form a "crust" by pressing the mixture into the bottom of the dish... as thick as you like. Bake for 8 minutes then remove from oven and cool completely.

Next wash, cut in half and pit your peaches. Toss in a large bowl with the lemon juice and honey the refrigerate while your crusts cool and you make the next layer.

Combine the mascarpone and confectioners sugar then add the lemon juice, vanilla and remaining tablespoon of butter. Whip until doubled in volume (about 5 minutes). Pipe a nice thick layer over each ramekin of graham cracker crust and allow to chill one hour.

Preheat your outdoor grill and grill the peaches, flesh side down for 5-8 minutes then flip for only an additional minute then place them, flesh side down once more, on top of the chilled desserts.

Serve immediately so the peaches are warm and dripping over the creamy layer and down onto the crust.

Alaskan Halibut

2011-07-05T18:48:00.011-06:00

My thoughtful friend Barbara (BarbaraBakes) recently traveled to Alaska and went deep sea fishing while she was there. She and her husband caught some lovely fish and she was kind enough to bring me 4 gorgeous pieces of halibut from her trip. I am stowing 2 away for fish-n-chips but this dinner was so delicious that I have to share it! The fish was so mild and buttery... truly one of the best pieces of halibut I have ever had. Thanks Barbara!

2 pieces halibut
4 T butter
juice of 1 lemon
4 T olive oil
1 T charcoal sea salt
a good grinding of black pepper
4 sprigs lemon thyme (I am growing mine in my new little herb garden this summer)
1/2 lb. fresh green beans

Preheat oven to 375 along with a 12" cast iron skillet. Once hot, remove the skillet and cover the bottom with 2 tablespoons of the butter then place the fish (skin side down) in the center and place back in the oven for 5 minutes. Combine the lemon juice, olive oil, charcoal sea salt, pepper and thyme in a dish and mix well. Remove the skillet again and pour the sauce all over the fish to evenly cover and place in the oven again. Bake for 20 minutes. Wash the green beans and then pour them over the fish and sauce along with the remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Continue to cook for another 10, or so, minutes then remove from the oven and allow the dish to "rest" for at least 5 minutes. The butter should be nicely browned and the beans should be slightly wilted but still crisp! I served mine over whipped Yukon potatoes.

Salted Caramel Ice Cream

2011-06-22T17:10:00.006-06:00

What you are looking at is a picture of some of the best ice cream ever. Ever. It has the perfect texture, the perfect creaminess, the perfect flavor and probably about 1000 calories per serving. I made it to celebrate the first day of summer. I messed around with my ingredients and came up with such a great combination of salty/sweet that the recipe lasted exactly 2 evenings... gone. I kind of love ice cream in a very addictive way but my husband is not so much a fan. He eats ice cream but would prefer a million other things to it. This ice cream made him drool. He loved it and asked for more and wants another batch as soon as possible. That says something. Enjoy!

Salted Caramel Ice Cream

1 1/4 Cup Sugar (divided)
1 1/2 Cup Heavy Cream (divided)
1 3/4 Cup half and half
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 eggs

Heat one cup of the sugar until it begins to melt then stir until it is nearly liquid and add one cup of the heavy cream. Stir constantly until the mixture is a medium brown color then remove from heat and stir in the remaining half cup of heavy cream, the salt and the vanilla (taste this now... if you like more salt, like i do, add a little more). Cool to room temp.

In another pan, bring the half and half and the remaining sugar to a boil. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs together then pour half of the warmed milk into the eggs slowly. Whisk then pour the egg mixture back into the pan of milk and whisk constantly until the mixture is thick and custard-like. Cool 5 minutes then mix into the cooled caramel mixture. Chill completely (it should take about 2 hours) then freeze according to your ice cream makers directions.

Scoop the ice cream into a freezer container and freeze about one hour for the perfect consistency.

A few things to know:

*I am a terrible "candy maker". If the caramel hardens too quickly or darkens too quickly... please do not stress. Toss out the nasty bits and still use what's left. You should be looking for FLAVOR here... don't let the sticky candy stuff put you off. Mine did the same thing... each time. Oh well!

*Please use the different creams. They are the star of the texture.

*I use a fine sea salt from France... use whatever you wish but the finer, the better!

Summer Salad

2011-06-13T09:16:00.009-06:00

It kind-of-almost feels like summer *might* be around the corner. Not that I welcome it with open arms... I am not it's biggest fan BUT I am ready for a little less rain and a little more warm... if only for some pool time with my favorite little girls. This salad is one I made for a girlfriend lunchy-get-together some friends and I had. I was in charge of salad. I came up with this and feel like it needs to be shared with you, to make your summer brighter and tastier.

Fruit Salad

1 cantaloupe (peeled, seeded and cubed)
2 bananas (sliced)
1 lb. strawberries (sliced)
1/2 lb. blueberries
1/2 lb. grapes
2 mangoes (peeled and sliced julienne... for texture and look)
1 lemon (juiced)
1/3 C honey
2 T orange juice
1/2 t cinnamon
1/4 C Blackberry Ginger Culinary Sauce*
1/2 C roasted pumpkin seeds*

Wash, peel, seed, slice and care for all fruit. Toss it all together in a serving bowl. For the dressing combine: lemon juice, honey, OJ, cinnamon and culinary sauce (or another fruit syrup or juice). Pour the dressing over the fruit and mix well. Just before serving, toss in pumpkin seeds (they will become soggy if you add them too early).

*Earth and Vine Provisions
This company has fantastic sauces, spreads, dips, jams, etc. They make lovely gifts and add delicious flavor to your cooking! I used to sell the line in my shop and highly recommend their products.

*Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Heat oven to 350 (If you have a "roast" or "convect roast" option... use it). Combine pumpkin seeds, 1/3 cup oil (I used almond but any other nut or even olive will do), 1 tablespoon cinnamon and 4 tablespoons sugar together then lay out, evenly on a baking sheet. Roast for 25 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes then cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to a month. Toss them in this salad or eat alone as a snack.

TASTEMAKERS

2011-05-23T08:45:00.016-06:00

My husband and I attended Salt Lake Magazines first ever Tastemakers event this past week (May 19 and 20, 2011 5pm-10pm). It was quite the event and also quite a success for a first time and for SLC! Salt Lake Magazine sold 1000 tickets (the maximum amount) and even in chilly, dreary and rainy weather, everyone came and made the most of what I hope will be an event that becomes tradition.

The idea was a kind of "stroll" through different food tents and restaurants throughout the city where you tasted mini bites from local vendors and got a passport stamped as you went along. The tickets were reasonable ($20 with an optional $10 wine/beer pairing). We made the absolute most of the event and got our passport stamped in full. We bumped into friends throughout the stroll, chatted, ate, sipped and had a great time! It was exciting to see our city support this event and to see so many people having fun eating. Below you can find a list of all participating restaurants and their offerings as well as some photos:

IN THE TENT:

Blue Lemon Bistro~ Salmon BLT Canape
Caffe Niche~ Grapefruit "Brulee"
Easy Street~ Lobster Mac & Cheese (my favorite!!!)
Gracie's~ Gracie's Crown Rib's (served with a veggie mac)
Martine Cafe & Tapas~ Morgan Valley Lamb Kibbe
Meditrina~ Scottish Salmon Crudo
Talisker On Main~ Ballard Farms Pork Loin Medallions
The Downtown Farmers Market~ Tastings from Liberty Heights Fresh, Tulie Bakery, Rico Brand and Cali's Natural Foods

AROUND THE CITY:

Benihana~ Sushi Roll Sampler
Caffe Molise~ Pollo Alla Gratella
Christopher's~ Stuffed Tenderloin of Beef
J. Wong's Asian Bistro~ Salted Baked Shrimp
Market Street Grill~ Maryland Lump Crab Cake
Metropolitan Restaurant~ White Albacore Crudo
Naked Fish~ Sashimi Trio
Ruth's Chris~ Prime Slider
Squatters~ Mussles and FritesThe top food photo is the offering from Metropolitan. Delicious and simple. The rain REALLY hit once we entered the restaurant so we got comfy, ordered a glass of wine and watched it pour while we nibbled on the albacore crudo. Photo #2 is the prime slider from Ruth's Chris. It was my second favorite offering. Generously portioned and incredibly flavorful, we were seated at the bar and served these sliders. As completely stuffed as we were... I probably could have downed 5 of these... YUM! Photo #3 is the sashimi sampler from Naked Fish. How beautiful is it?!? I say it gets the award for most lovely presentation. It was also super tasty!

If you want "juicy" comments... I don't have many. Let's see... I felt horrible for Meditrina. The 1st night, the Salt Lake County Health Dept. shut them down for trying to serve "raw fish" (crudo) that the health department had already pre-approved. They were there on night 2 and the crudo was light and perfect! Every glass of red wine served was ice cold so I think the vendors could have put more care into that and... some of the restaurants got so incredibly busy with their regular evening service and us at Tastemakers that they treated some patrons poorly... that's a kink that absolutely needs to be ironed out by next year. That's it. It truly was delicious and a lot of fun! Way to go SLC and Salt Lake Magazine!

Whipped Key Lime Curd Tarts

2011-05-01T16:08:00.007-06:00

I feel like we may be officially ready (?) to welcome spring here to Utah. It's been a wacky season so far... lot's of snow, rain and hail storms. No one has had a chance to plant a garden that will survive but this 1st day of May brings sun and warmth and hope that we'll get at least a month of spring-like weather before the hot summer hits us! I made these tarts for Easter and they were creamy and delicious. I am such a fan of key lime and have a favorite key lime tart that is made by a local bakery, Cafe Normandie, here in Salt Lake. I have been trying to nail down their recipe for years... these tarts come close. A lot of times I feel like people's key lime ends up tasting what I imagine Pine Sol would taste like... they have a sort of cleaner smell and taste. This gives key lime a bad name because it's truly one of my personal favorite flavors... when done right. I made these mini and with a graham cracker crust (graham cracker crumbs, butter, sugar and a little cinnamon). Normandie makes theirs in a shortbread crust and I've had delicious key lime in a chocolate crust. Do as you wish but please... make these soon! You will love them!

Whipped Key Lime Curd Tarts

For the Lime Curd
1/2 Cup sugar
2 whole eggs
2 egg yolks
the juice from 10 key limes
the zest from 4 key limes
6 Tablespoons butter

Place the sugar, whole eggs, egg yolks, juice and zest in a medium pan and whisk to combine. Heat and continue to constantly whisk until the mixture turns pale and thickens (about 5 minutes). Remove from heat and whisk in the butter. Store in jars or an airtight container for up to one month.

For the tarts
2 Cups key lime curd
2 cups whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 Tablespoons sugar

Whip the cream until it thickens quite a lot (about 5 minutes) then add the vanilla and sugar. Fold the lime curd in with a rubber spatula and fill desired shells/crusts. Chill 2 hours then top with additional whipped cream if desired. Allow to come to room temperature for 10 minutes before serving.

Hazelnut Cream Cheese Brownies

2011-04-04T15:41:00.011-06:00

I am a hazelnut fanatic. I love everything hazelnut. Creamer in my coffee, ice cream, any kind of candy or cookie with them in it, hazelnut bread, muffins, bagels, scones, tea, Frangelico, by the handful... I love to bake with hazelnut oil. It's kind of one of my favorite flavors! I thought it might be yummy and fun to mix hazelnuts into brownies. It was good BUT it was dry. Hmmm... enter cream cheese. Perfection!

Hazelnut Cream Cheese Brownies

4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1⁄4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 t fresh lemon juice
1 t vanilla extract
1⁄4 cup finely ground roasted hazelnuts

1 cup semisweet chocolate
4 T butter
3⁄4 cup flour
2 T unsweetened cocoa
1⁄2 t baking powder
1⁄4 t salt
3⁄4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 t vanilla extract
1⁄2 cup coarsely chopped roasted hazelnuts

For the filling: Put cream cheese and sugar into a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Add egg, lemon juice, and vanilla and continue beating until well mixed. Fold in hazelnuts with a rubber spatula. Cover and refrigerate. For the batter: Melt chocolate and butter together in a double boiler set over a pan of simmering water over medium heat. Remove pan from heat and set aside. Sift flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt together into a medium bowl and set aside. Preheat oven to 350°. Put sugar, eggs, and vanilla into a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth and pale yellow, about 2 mins. Beat in melted chocolate mixture, then add flour mixture and continue beating until mixture is smooth. Fold in hazelnuts with a rubber spatula. Spread 1/2 the batter into a greased/floured 8" square pan. Spread filling over batter. Gently spread remaining batter over filling. Pull a rubber spatula through layers to marble. Bake about 40 minutes. Allow to cool before cutting.

Baked Pear French Toast

2011-03-14T16:43:00.004-06:00

More about how much I love brunch in this post. I made this bake over the weekend and wanted to share yet another completely delicious brunch option with you. My husband really enjoyed it and my only complaint was that it was a tad bread pudding-ish. The center was a little soggy but I think that's what one would probably love most about it... just not this someone. It's simple and flavorful and a perfect addition to what you're serving for brunch this coming weekend.

Baked Pear French Toast

9 slices Texas Toast
3 fresh pears
3T butter (plus more for the baking dish)
1/4C brown sugar
2t cinnamon
1t nutmeg
7 eggs
3 1/2C whole milk
1/4C sugar
2t vanilla

Butter a baking dish then toast the bread and cut in half, into triangles. Line the dish with the slices. Set aside. In a large skillet, melt the butter and add the pears cut into cubes and saute' until soft (about 8 minutes). Turn off heat and add brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Set aside to cool. Whisk eggs and add milk, sugar and vanilla. Pour mixture evenly over the bread then pour the pear mixture over that. Cover with foil and chill overnight.

The next day: heat oven to 350, remove bake from fridge and remove foil. Bake for 60-70 minutes then rest, counter top, for 10 minutes then slice and serve alongside something savory and deliciously salty.

Granola

2011-03-01T11:11:00.006-07:00

Granola is relatively simple and extremely versatile. There are over a million recipes floating around for it... so why am i adding to that list? What specialness can I offer? I have tested many, many recipes and feel like I have really perfected this one. If you enjoy fresh, homemade goodness and a healthy breakfast option, try my granola and see what you think. I really love it mixed in with Greek Yogurt and fresh banana or other fresh fruit. I also adore it softened just a bit with almond milk. This specific post was made with slivered almonds and unsweetened coconut flakes but it's amazing with these "mix-in's" as well:

*dried fruits (I especially enjoy berries and apples)
*hazelnuts
*sunflower seeds (pre-roasted)
*mini chocolate chips

If you add dried fruit, add it after you remove the granola from the oven, while the granola is still hot but don't "bake" it. If you choose something a tiny sweeter and add mini chocolate chips, let the granola cool completely before stirring them in.

Granola

3 C old fashioned rolled oats
1/2 C steel cut oats
1/2 C almond oil (I also love hazelnut oil and walnut oil)
1/2 C organic pure maple syrup
1/2 t nutmeg
1/2 t cinnamon
1/4 t ginger
3 T agave nectar
1/2 C slivered almonds
1/2 C unsweetened coconut flakes

Heat oven to 315. Combine all ingredients and mix well, making sure to cover all of the oats with oil and sweeteners. Spray a large rimmed baking sheet with non-stick oil and pour the granola mixture out onto the pan. With a spatula, even out the layer of granola and bake for 10 minutes, Remove pan and stir the granola then return to the oven for 10 minutes, remove and repeat. Your granola should cook 30 minutes having been stirred 3 times on low heat. Cool on pan then transfer to an airtight container. Keeps 2 weeks in a cool dry place.

"Taquito's" with Guac-ey-Pico

2011-02-22T16:33:00.006-07:00

Thought you might enjoy a quick, easy, healthy weeknight meal recipe. These are simple and full of fresh ingredients and once you get the hang of folding the tortillas without them cracking... they are super easy to throw together! Play around with the ingredients and enjoy!

Chicken Taquito's

1 store bought rotisserie chicken
1/2 jalapeno pepper (finely chopped)
juice of 1 lime
1 t salt
1 t onion powder
1 C shredded sharp cheddar cheese
12 white corn tortillas

Shred the meat off the entire chicken and place in a large bowl along with all remaining ingredients, set aside. Warm tortillas in the microwave for 25 seconds then place a damp, warm kitchen towel over them (yo prevent drying). Fill each tortilla and wrap to close then place on a well greased baking sheet. Spray the top of each taquito with cooking spray as well. Heat oven to 375. Make the following:

Guac-ey-Pico

2 avocados
3 Roma tomatoes, chopped
2 T finely chopped onion
1/2 jalapeno (finely chopped)
juice of 2 limes
2 t salt
1/4 t cayenne pepper

Chop avocado, tomato, onion and jalapeno in a dish. Squeeze lime juice over the veggies and add salt and cayenne pepper. Toss well. Serve alongside taquito's.

Bake taquito's for 15 minutes (until crispy).

I read that today is National Margarita Day... have one with this meal or serve this for dessert! Cheers!

Brunch

2011-02-15T15:47:00.004-07:00

Let's talk brunch, friends. It's such a fun mealtime and offers so many dishes you wouldn't eat any other time of day. You can mingle breakfast foods with lunch foods and still make sense of the plate by throwing a mimosa in and calling it... brunch. I am a total potato girl. I love potatoes cooked almost any way and really, really love them at brunch. I always order a side of whatever potato is being served just to make sure I get a salty starch with my brunch. The following recipe is an easy and delicious addition to any brunch menu. We served it alongside thick maple french toast and coconut hot cocoa but I can see it with an omelet or biscuits and gravy or even fresh fruit and a bagel. I used a dutch oven and liked the deep sides but you could use a large, rounded edge skillet too. Be careful not to make your "patty" too thick or you will have deliciously crispy edges with a gluey center.

Potato Patty

5 large potatoes
1 T chopped green onion
2 T chopped chives
1 T Lawry's Seasoned Salt
6 slices thick cut bacon (I used a peppered bacon from Harmon's Butcher)
salt and pepper to your liking
2 T butter
1/4 C Parmesan cheese

Peel and scrub the potatoes and shred in your food processor (or grate them if you don't have a processor). Place a clean dishtowel over a large bowl and place the grated potatoes on the towel. Squeeze all of the water from the potatoes then toss them into another large bowl. Add finely chopped onion, chives, seasoned salt and salt and pepper and toss. Set aside to marinate. Cook bacon slices to a medium crispness, drain fat and chop then toss in the potato mixture and mix well.

Heat a large (12" or larger) dutch oven skillet and melt one tablespoon of the butter (coating the entire surface). Form a large potato patty into the bottom of the skillet, making sure to fill the pan and touch all sides. Brown the patty for 8-10 minutes (the bottom and sides should be a toasty brown). Turn off the heat and place a large plate over the patty, invert the patty out onto the plate, turn the heat back on, throw in the last tablespoon of butter then turn the patty back out onto the hot skillet. Brown again for 8-10 minutes, slide the patty onto a serving plate and top with freshly grated Parmesan.

Slice and serve.

Valentine Cupcakes

2011-02-08T09:37:00.004-07:00

I love Valentine's Day. I know it's been dubbed "The Hallmark Holiday" and I understand the cynicism (bitterness) toward throwing away money on a stupid day created to give card and floral companies money and that we should show our love for others every day. Give me a break though... I do show my love for others every day but I also LOVE giving fun little Valentine's to those I love and making bright, girlie treats for such a day and I love decorating our little home with hearts and pinks and reds... it's fun. I think people miss the point... it's supposed to be "fun." In the spirit of fun and love and showering your loved ones with sweet surprises and flowers and romance and adoration... make some cupcakes and enjoy this mushy-gushy day of loooooove.

Cocoa Cuppies with Nutella and Buttercream

1 1/2 C Cake Flour
3/4 C Sugar
1/2 C Organic Cocoa Powder
1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1/4 C Vegetable Oil
1 T vinegar
1 t vanilla
1 1/4 C Water
12 T Nutella

In a bowl, combine the dry ingredients and set aside. In a stand mixer, combine the oil, vinegar, vanilla and water and mix until well combined. Add the dry ingredients then pour into 12 prepared muffin cups. Place 1 tablespoon of Nutella in the center of each raw cupcake and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 12 minutes. Cool 10 minutes in the pan and then completely on a wire rack. Frost with the following:

Buttercream

1/2 C Unsalted Butter
1 t vanilla
3 C Powdered Sugar
Pink Food Coloring (just a dab)

Cream all ingredients well then pipe onto your little cupcakes and decorate as desired.

The Nutella makes the cupcakes gooey and delicious. The recipe is great because the cupcakes are both butter and egg-less... and how great are the cute little birdie picks??!! I love them!

Tiny Tiny Donuts

2011-01-30T14:58:00.019-07:00

For Christmas, my mom got me a few little kitchen toys.Well, everyone got me kitchen toys :) One of my favorites? This Mini Donut Maker from Bella Cucina.

It's such a fun little appliance and works just like a waffle maker: heat, spray with non-stick oil, pour batter in, close and wait 4-5 minutes. Open it up to little donut treats that are made with little to no oil! We have made several kinds of donut in this little machine... chocolate, vanilla, berry plus we have made a few glazes as well. The following recipe is simple and made with no oil (unlike the big old fried donuts). It was part of our Sunday brunch this week and we ate it sprinkled with only a little powdered sugar... delicious!

Simple Mini Donuts

1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon nutmeg

Mix wet and dry ingredients separately then combine and pour onto the hot appliance. Close and bake for 4-5 minutes. Remove to a platter and cover with a kitchen towel to keep warm.Sprinkle with powdered sugar just prior to serving.

*I haven't been asked to "endorse" this product. I am simple sharing something fun that I enjoy very much!!

Talkin' Macaron's with Good Morning Utah

2011-01-21T12:50:00.016-07:00

I will be on Good Morning Utah Tuesday January 25th between 8am and 9am (channel CW30) chatting about macaron's. It's been said that the macaron is "the new cupcake" and also "one of the 11 foods of 2011". Tune in tomorrow and decide as you watch me show you some pretty fancy macaron's and discuss tips and tricks to these little fancies!

I jumped on the macaron wave a year and a half ago and have never jumped off. I love these little lovelies. The pretty feet, the dainty design, the array of color and flavor, the texture... they have been quite the treat to master and have given me a run for my money in this altitude but I think I've got it and I want to share it all with you! Don't be afraid... they are as afraid of you as you are of them :)

I am including some past posts and a photo of my Christmas Macs today as well as a link to a template I have created to assist you in your baking. Click the link and print off your own template. Slide the template under your parchment paper and trace with your batter and piping bag (go ahead and bake the template... it's safe... I have done it). I am also including my "go-to" recipe. It is no fail and PERFECT for Utah climate/altitude. BarbaraBakes and I came up with this specific recipe and it has never failed me. After my appearance on the show, I will do another post and include all of my tips and tricks plus a few filling recipes and photos (I am hoping I can link my spot on the show too).

Watch CW30 (Good Morning Utah) in the morning and let me know what you think. I am excited to share with you and see what the future holds!

Basic Macaron Shell

2 aged egg whites
3T plus 1t sugar

1/2C finely ground almond meal
1C powdered sugar

With a hand held blender(in a stainless steel bowl), beat egg whites until medium/soft peaks form then add sugar and beat until slightly firmer and glossy. In a separate bowl combine almond meal and powdered sugar and whisk until completely combined and even. Fold half of the dry mixture into the egg white mixture with a rubber spatula (fold gently, pressing against the sides of the bowl). Add the other half and repeat actions until a flowing batter is achieved. Pour mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a #4 large tip. Pipe onto parchment paper placed on top of the template. Allow to rest for 12-15 minutes then bake at 280 for 10-12 minutes. Remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes on pan then pop off and place on a wire rack. Fill as desired.

*if you have a convection oven: bake at 280 for 10-12 minutes.
*for all other ovens: bake at 250 (placing your baking sheet on top of another, forming a "bubble") for 15 minutes.
*add food coloring and liquid flavoring to the egg whites at the time you add the sugar
*add any dry flavoring to the almond meal mixture prior to adding it to the egg whites

Previous macaron posts you might enjoy:

grease macarons

cloud macarons

valentine macs

I will add some others after the show!

Link to Macaron template

2011-01-19T16:44:00.005-07:00

When I was a teenager I was a total sucker for cookies-n-cream shakes (if they were from DQ or Froststop... all the better). I don't have them nearly as much these days but still love that Oreo and vanilla combo so much! This ice cream is the result of a few tries/fails and playing around with ideas to make it creamy and cookie-ey. I like that it's made without egg yolks. I enjoy a custard type ice cream as much as the next girl but don't always want to wait for the mixture to cool... especially when I have two of the most darling faces just smiling and waiting for a dish of ice cream after school!

COOKIES-N-CREAM ICE CREAM

1 Cup 1/2 and 1/2
1/2 Cup sugar
2 Cups whipping cream
1 vanilla bean (split and scraped)
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 Cup crushed Oreo cookies

In a stand mixer, combine the half and half with the sugar until the sugar is dissolved. Add the whipping cream, scraped vanilla bean and vanilla. Combine well. Pour into an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturers instructions. Scrape the frozen cream into a freezer safe bowl and gently fold in the crushed cookies. Serve right away for a soft bowl of frozen goodness, freeze the rest for a more set up bowl later!

Farewell 2010... a holiday cake

2011-01-03T13:51:00.005-07:00

I made this light, little beauty over the holidays, got caught up in the magic of Christmas, joy of having my family all home together, blessing of a coming new year and general laziness before realizing I hadn't shared it with you. It is so pretty and all dolled up for a holiday table but can easily be dressed for any occasion! I just sugared some cranberries and mint to make it snowy and wreath looking. It is angel food cake at it's finest and simplest. My mother is not a chocolate fan so this was made for her. The chocolate fiends in the family got brownie-mousse cups. May 2011 bring us all happiness, comfort, hope, friendship and more love than we can all bare!!!

Angel Food Cake

1 C sugar
1 C cake flour
1/2 t salt
10 large egg whites
1 1/2 t cream of tartar
1t almond extract

Preheat oven to 350. Sift the sugar and flour together, twice. Add salt and set aside. In your stand mixer, whisk the egg whites for about 3 minutes, until frothy then add the cream of tartar and up the speed until moist, soft peaks form (careful not to over beat). Beat in the almond extract. Dust a layer of the flour mixture over the surface of the egg whites and fold it in. Repeat until the batter is completely combined. Pour the batter into an ungreased angel food cake pan and bake for 40 minutes. Immediately place pan upside down on the pan feet. Cool thoroughly before removing from the pan. Place on cake plate.

Frosting

1 1/2 C heavy cream
3/4 C sugar
1/2 t vanilla
2 C coconut flakes

Whip the cream until very thick, add the sugar and vanilla. Spread with swirls all over the angel food cake then top with coconut, pressing with the palms of your hands so it sticks to all sides of the cake.

Gingerbread 2010

2010-12-23T20:46:00.011-07:00

Every year my family decorates gingerbread 2 nights before Christmas. It's become quite a fierce competition. We trash talk and keep secrets, none of us have much real artistic talent... except my father. He's a total show-off (note my jealousy). Notice his Abominable Snow Monster from Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. Awesome! There is no recipe here... just a few silly shots from our cookie night and a wish to whoever stops by to read this for a Merry and blessed Christmas!

The top photo of our cookies goes like this:
Reindeer by my sister
Yankees guy by my husband
Soldier-ish guy by my sisters boyfriend
tree by me
white snowlady by my mom
gift by my oldest daughter
Alice (from Wonderland) by my youngest daughter
and... drum roll please...
Abominable Snow Monster by my dad

Christmas Party Cakes

2010-12-21T07:39:00.006-07:00

My husband and I had a little Christmas party a few weeks ago. We had a lovely night with old friends, new friends, music, drinks and food. One item I served was this chocolate cake. Simple and delicious... it begs to be shared. The recipe suggests serving it warm so it is gooey. When served warm you get just that a warm, gooey chocolate cake. When the cake rests and is served cooled, it is even more delicious as it develops a fudge like texture and is really tasty! I purchased the darling stencils at Macy's, they're from the Martha Stewart Christmas collection and I love them! They make the cakes so cute! There is a third stencil included but not shown (a triple set of snowmen). They make them in smaller sizes for cookies/cupcakes as well. I am dreaming up new ways to use them because I think they are just so adorable! I served a pear butter alongside the cakes but they are wonderful standing alone too.

WARM CHOCOLATE CAKE

3/4 Cup butter + 1 teaspoon for greasing pan
1 Cup + 2 Tablespoons AP flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 Cups sugar
3 eggs, lightly beaten
2/3 Cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3 Tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350. Using the 1 teaspoon butter grease an 8" round cake pan. In a small bowl combine the flour and salt. In your stand mixer beat the remaining butter until it is very creamy. Add in the sugar, then the eggs and beat until fluffy (about 3 minutes). In a small bowl combine the cocoa and oil until smooth. Add the vanilla and the cocoa mixture to the butter mixture and just blend. Add the flour mixture in 2 increments and mix until well combined then pour into prepared pan and bake for 20 minutes. Cool 10 minutes in pan then turn cake out onto a serving platter and garnish as desired.

Merry Christmas! 2010 was a beautiful and blessed year for me and my family and I pray yours was too. I look forward to more fun food adventures in 2011 and wish you all a Happy New Year!

Crock pot Stroganoff

2010-12-06T09:13:00.016-07:00

I have this silly little group of friends, whom I COMPLETELY adore and love (Becky from Vintagemixer, Aimee from Flitryss and Heather from SLClunches). We get along really well and we have really silly parties. We had a vintage cocktail party... which wasn't too silly, we had an 80's party... which was ridiculous and last night, we had a crock pot and ugly Christmas sweater party. We had a great night of eating and chatting and wore the ugliest shirts ever. I love these ladies and am thankful this holiday season for them. They are true friends and that's a rare find. I am lucky. While we were talking last night, the conversation lead to talk of blogging. I haven't done a post in over a month and have felt really "down" about being a blogger, where I fit, why I do it and where to go. These dear friends reminded me that I do this because it's fun. I have met many amazing people (my most joyous reason for blogging), I get to share my love of cooking and have fun. I am no photographer and really have never had any interest... this is something I am sure you have noticed as you look over my photos (ha!), I am not looking to write a book or make a career or loads of money from this blog... the reason I started it was to say goodbye to my gourmet food and kitchen shop that my husband and I closed yet still keep sharing food and being involved with events around this great city I live in. I can cook. It is what I know how to do, what I love to do and I really enjoy sharing my food adventures as well as these wonderful times I share with my friends.

The recipe that follows is fantastic but possibly one of the worst foods ever for photographing. Trust me enough to make it without a picture, okay? I will, however, include some photos from our evening and hope you get a good laugh out of them!

Merry Christmas!

Crock Pot Stroganoff

1 pound beef short ribs
1 Cup flour
garlic salt
oil for browning
4 Cups beef broth
1/2 pound crimini mushrooms
1 small can cream of mushroom soup
1 Cup milk
3 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 Cup sour cream
1 package wide egg noodles

Dredge the short ribs in flour and brown in a hot cast iron skillet with oil on both sides, seasoning generously with garlic salt. Be careful not to overcrowd the meat. Once all of the ribs are browned, place in a hot crock pot and cover with 2 cups of the beef broth. Cook for 1/2 hour and add the sliced mushrooms and the remaining broth. Cook 1 hour. Add the can of soup, the milk and the Worcestershire sauce. Cook another hour and whisk in the sour cream. Continue cooking for 1/2-1 hour then serve over warm egg noodles.

Stuffed Trout

2010-11-08T13:03:00.006-07:00

My Dad is a really good cook. He and I have different cooking styles but he is a very focused cook and everything he attempts is delicious. He dares to try new things and I love that about him. We were invited to dinner Sunday to taste a new recipe he was trying out involving a 5 pound Utah Trout he'd recently caught. Upon removing his creation from the oven he exclaimed "Blog it!" ... which I thought was really sweet and funny... then I looked at it, sent my daughter upstairs to get my sister and her "fancy" camera and had her shoot some shots. It was lovely but what's even better is it was delicious! He told me he'd searched the web and found this recipe on Taste Book. You could use a salmon or even a white fish (lean toward a more dense and less flaky fish) and it would be incredible! It's mild yet full of flavor...

Stuffed Trout

1 5-8lb. Trout
1/2lb. cooked shrimp-chopped
1/2lb. shredded crab meat (my Dad used canned)
6T butter
3T onion-finely chopped
3T parsley-chopped
3T celery-chopped
1 1/2C breadcrumbs
2 eggs-beaten
salt and pepper
extra butter

Split and clean trout (fillet if desired). Prepare shrimp and crab. Melt butter and saute onion, parsley and celery until softened. Remove from heat and add breadcrumbs, crab meat, shrimp and eggs. Mix well, season with salt and pepper and stuff trout. Brush exterior with butter and bake at 375 for 30-40 minutes. Baste with butter once while baking.

Serve with fresh lemon

Mediterranean Pasta

2010-11-02T18:47:00.004-06:00

Mediterranean Pasta

1 package pasta (your choice)
4T olive oil
1 clove garlic
20 Kalamata olives
2 t capers
juice of one lemon
salt and pepper to taste
1 jar artichoke hearts (drained)
1/2C pepperoni (diced)
1C feta cheese
1 pound roasted tomatoes (see below)

Boil pasta, drain, toss with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and set aside.
To make the tapenade combine the olives, garlic, capers and lemon juice in a food processor and pulse for about 20 seconds then drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Heat a pan then add remaining olive oil and heat before adding the tapenade. Reduce heat to very low and saute the tapenade. Add the artichoke hearts, toss and remove from heat. Toss the sauce and pasta together, then add pepperoni and tomatoes. Sprinkle with feta and serve.

Roasted Tomatoes

1 pound plum tomatoes (halved)
3 whole cloves garlic (peeled)
2T olive oil
1t salt

Preheat oven to 250. Line 2 baking sheets with foil and place the tomatoes, skin side down, on the foil. Scatter garlic cloves throughout the tomatoes and drizzle with olive oil and salt. Bake for 2 hours (the tomatoes should turn a light brown around the edges and be extremely sweetly fragrant). Cool completely and discard garlic. Toss into pasta or place in a bowl and serve them on an antipasti platter (or as a snack!).

I also like to pack them in oil, in canning jars. They freeze and keep for 2 months.

Mactweets #12 "Pinkarons"

2010-10-26T07:42:00.006-06:00

MACARONS FOR VICKEY

This month our Mactweets challenge was to make a pink macaron in support of breast cancer awareness... October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I made a simple pink macaron (basic shell) and filled the feminine little shells with Nutella. I want to dedicate these macs and this post to my friend Lynette and her dear, sweet mother, Vickey. Lynette lost her mother to breast cancer about a year and a half ago after a long and difficult battle. Vickey had survived a fight with breast cancer before in her life but this last time was too much on her body. She was such a sweet lady, Mother and Grandmother... her family misses her very much. I remember looking at Lynette and her siblings during the funeral and thinking how young they all were. All of them, in their 30's were now without a mother. Lynette had one daughter, at the time and was pregnant with her 2nd child. It was heartbreaking to think the baby would never know Grandma, Lynette would not have her mom for the pregnancy and to see how much her oldest daughter loved and missed her Grandma. This disease truly is so unfair. I have never had a personal experience with breast cancer and I pray I never do but to all of you fighting and to all of you out there, dealing with the loss of a loved one... you are in my prayers.

Pumpkin Ice cream

2010-10-25T09:24:00.006-06:00

Happy Halloween!
Fall has got to be my most favorite season and time of year. I love the crisp air (except it snowed all night here in Utah)and the changing leaves, I love sweaters and boots, I love blankets and Fall decorations... it's such a gorgeous season! I also love Halloween. Not the scary and dark side... the pumpkin/jack-o-lantern, cute kid costume side. For a fun Halloween treat, make this ice cream and cuddle up under some warm fluffy blankets to enjoy it. It is especially delicious with crumbled graham crackers sprinkled all over the top of each individual serving.
PUMPKIN ICE CREAM

1 1/2 C pumpkin puree (canned or homemade)
1/2 maple syrup
1 C cream
1 C half and half
1 t cinnamon
1 t pumpkin pie spice
1/2 t nutmeg
1/4 t ginger

Combine all ingredients and whisk together until completely mixed and frothy. Freeze according to your ice cream maker manufacturer instructions. Keep up to 2 weeks in the freezer.

Polenta and Glazed Chicken

2010-10-11T15:35:00.006-06:00

Once Autumn rolls in I just feel like making comfort food. Warm, cozy meals at home are one of life's greatest joys. I have made polenta several times, in the past and I love it almost any way it's prepared but this recipe really simplifies it and makes it such an easy base for this dish. The chicken is slowly cooked, all day, which makes it so moist and fall apart then we top it all off with mushrooms. How can it get any better?

What are some of your favorite fall dishes?

Glazed Chicken (slow cooked)

10 chicken pieces (legs, wings, thighs, etc.)
4T olive oil
1/4 C chicken stock
1/2 C flour
2 T honey
3/4 C bbq sauce
1 t saltfreshly ground black pepper
1 t oregano

Remove skin from chicken and place in a lightly oiled crock pot, drizzle with oil and add chicken stock. Sprinkle flour all over the top of the chicken, drizzle with honey, barbecue sauce (I used Blenders original) and seasonings. Set the crock pot to finish between 4-6 hours, depending on your day (I have it cook 5 hours).

Go enjoy your day but 1/2 hour prior to the chicken being done, make the polenta and the mushrooms.

Creamy Polenta

4 C water
1/2 t salt
1 1/4 C cornmeal4 T butter
1/2 C cream
2 T Parmesan cheese

Bring water and salt to a boil. Add cornmeal and bring to a boil. Reduce to a low simmer and cook 30 minutes, stirring frequently. Add butter and combine completely then stir in the cream.

Brown 1 pound of sliced mushrooms (your choice... I love crimini and oyster) in 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter. Add one clove of minced garlic at the last minute of cooking.

To plate: spoon approx. 1/2 cup of polenta onto a dish and top with a piece of the chicken then dress with mushrooms and garnish with the Parmesan cheese.

Double Coconut Cream Cake

2010-09-26T18:51:00.003-06:00

We were invited to dinner and asked to bring a dessert this past weekend. I like to take something new to dinner parties and I had recently played with a coconut cake idea/recipe that I was ready to fully put together. This cake is it friends! If you are a coconut lover (and I am) you will just very much enjoy this cake. I always check to make sure everyone likes coconut before I cook with it because my best friend hates the stuff! She gags at the slightest whiff of coconut. It cracks me up to see someone hate something so naturally sweet and delicious. I found this fantastic card, years back, that read "I am glad we can still be best friends despite our difference of opinion about coconut." and immediately bought it for her! The friends we dined with last night loved this cake and I hope you will too.

Double Coconut Cream Cake

1 C coconut milk (plus 1/2 C for soaking cakes)
1/2 C milk
2 sticks plus 2T butter
3C flour
4t baking powder
1t sea salt
6 eggs
3C sugar
2t vanilla

Preheat oven to 350, grease and flour 2 9" cake rounds. Heat milks and butter, in a saucepan until butter melts, remove from heat and set aside to cool to room temp. In a large bowl sift together dry ingredients and set aside. In a mixer, cream eggs and sugar until thick and pale yellow. With a spatula, stir dry ingredients in by hand and then add the cooled milk mixture. Combine completely and add vanilla. Pour into prepared pans and bake for 25 minutes. Cool 10 minutes in pans and completely on wire racks. Once cooled brush cakes with remaining coconut milk (I pierced tiny holes throughout the cakes and brushed them with the milk).

Frosting and Filling

2 1/2 sticks butter
4 C powdered sugar
1 t vanilla
2 T coconut milk
3/4 C sweetened coconut

Whip butter and powdered sugar until light and fluffy then add vanilla and milk (if needed, add more sugar to keep consistency). Add coconut and frost one layer of cake (adding a bit extra to the center to fill it and make it stack nicely). Place the top layer on the bottom layer and frost completely.

*While frosting the cake, toast 1 cup of sweetened coconut at 325 for 8 minutes to toast it and then sprinkle it on the freshly frosted cake.

Long Ago and Far Away

2010-09-20T20:08:00.005-06:00

"A Childhood Summer"

The challenge for this month was to create a macaron capturing a favorite childhood/summertime memory. That is difficult. I had a happy childhood and summers full of slip-n-slides, ice cream trucks, slumber parties, movies with content far older than my little mind, digging for worms in the yard with my father, school clothes shopping with my mother, babysitting my sister, "laying out" with my friends (on the driveway.. ha!), calling the radio d.j.'s 50 times a day to request my favorite song and then turning it up so loud on my "boom box" so we could be cool while we tanned, swinging so high on swings I truly thought I might fly (... and if I didn't fly, I knew I was some sort of unrecognized world champion of swing sets), roller skating (again... champion!) and birthday parties. My birthday falls in June and my parents threw me some shin-digs! How do you capture this many "favorite" memories in a little bite? Not easily and I have not done my childhood summers justice but I did combine two things that so make me happy: purple and chocolate. I thought to myself, "What can capture THAT much happiness?" The answer: purple. It is my favorite color, the color of 4 childhood bedrooms I had, the color of my wedding, the best color ever. How fortunate I feel tonight, as I type this, to have had such a peaceful AND thrilling childhood that I can not nail down a favorite memory.

Happy end of summer friends...
These summer macarons are a simple shell, dyed purple with whipped chocolate ganache center.

* These macs didn't really rise tall but they did get lovely feet. They are flat with feet this time and I am not super pleased with them but we have to post the successes as well as the failures, right? Right? :)

Layla Grill and Mezze

2010-09-19T18:51:00.012-06:00

Last week I had the pleasure of dining at a new restaurant here in Salt Lake city with a group of local food loving friends. The restaurant is Layla (which used to be Confetti) and is a Mediterranean delight. We were treated to a round of small plates (mezze) from the owner; Tony Tadros. He is quite the kitchen expert in his field and served us up a table of small plates that made our mouths water including: Layla's Traditional Hummus, Muhammara Walnut Spread, Falafel, Halloum Cheese and Layla's Signature Fries. My personal favorite was the Muhammara Walnut Spread. This small plate consists of fire roasted red peppers, toasted walnuts and pomegranate molasses and is completely sweet and spicy with the delicious crunch of walnut and served with Zaatar Flatbread and Pita Chips. The menu warns it is "highly addictive." It does not lie. For a complete menu description, please visit Layla's menu here. From there, we each ordered the entree of our choice and I chose the Mediterranean Chicken which was a pan roasted chicken breast served with garlic, capers and lemon. Very fresh, very authentic. We had the opportunity to sample the ice creams made exclusively for Layla by Tropical Dreams. They were a palate cleansing joy to nicely round out our full flavored meals. We were able to taste the rose water, orange blossom, lychee and pistachio ice creams. The rose water is just as you would expect and even got the comment of "tasting like a bath" (lavender gets a similar rating whenever I cook with it), the orange blossom was so light and wonderful and the lychee tasted exactly like a lychee. The hit was the pistachio! It was perfectly creamy and flavorful. You can visit Tropical Dreams storefront to try their other signature flavors.

Layla gets a star rating from me for good, authentic Mediterranean food in a clean and appealing, well decorated atmosphere with such excellent prices but what makes it even better is the passion behind the food with an owner who puts his heart into the dishes he prepares for you. Give them a visit and see for yourself what a treat this little hidden up and coming restaurant is.

A Twist On The Green Goddess

2010-09-14T15:45:00.010-06:00

With all of this fall talk I got to thinking I should bid summer a proper farewell and pay tribute to the lovely things it brings with this salad recipe. This is my sweet husbands favorite salad and he requested it this week so it's only right to share it with you. It's bursting with flavor and really can be made anytime but just screams summer. It was a nice way to say goodbye to my least favorite season of the year (don't get me wrong... I like summer... just "least" of the 4 options I have). As much as I enjoy vacations and swimming pools and outdoor festivals all over the awesome city I reside in, I loathe heat and sweat and heat and blazing bright sun that makes my sensitive eyes water and HEAT! That being said, please enjoy this summer farewell salad as I tap my fingers (impatiently) watching the thermometer drop.

Bye Bye Summer Salad

1 head romaine lettuce
3 tomatoes (seeded and chopped)
1/4 jalapeno (finely diced)
1 can black beans (drained and rinsed)
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 boneless chicken breasts

Wash and tear the lettuce and toss into a salad bowl. In another bowl combine the beans, tomatoes jalapeno and salt and set aside. Season chicken breasts to your liking (I drizzle with olive oil and season lightly with salt, pepper and oregano) then grill and shred. Set aside.

A Twist on The Green Goddess ~Dressing~

2 avocados
2 cloves garlic (minced)
1/2 Cup sour cream
juice from 2 limes (about 4 Tablespoons)
salt and pepper

In a blender combine all above ingredients and mix well (the dressing will be a pale green color and thick... almost like a paste). Pour the dressing over the lettuce and toss well (*note* I reserve about 1/2 cup of the dressing and chill it over night to eat the next day on tortillas).

Once the lettuce is thoroughly coated and dripping with this tasty dressing, spoon the black bean "salsa" over the top of the salad and top with shredded chicken breast.

To finish the salad off, I purchased fresh tortillas from the grocery store, sliced them into strips, drizzled them with canola oil, sprinkled them with sea salt and baked them at 350 for 20 minutes. You could also make your own homemade tortillas or just use chips. The strips do make for a nice salty crunch!

Pumpkin Buttermilk Cake and Peach Butter

2010-09-09T21:41:00.012-06:00

I love fall. I welcome it with open, awaiting arms far earlier than I probably should and I try my best to stretch it as far as it will go. Sweaters, boots, blankets, coffee, shorter days, playing in leaves, long drives to see the colors changing in the canyon and pumpkin. Pumpkin everything. I have the standards: pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin candles, sure but I am always on the lookout for something newly pumpkin every fall. This year I have discovered a pumpkin cake more richly moist and lovely then any I have ever tasted before. I love you all so much and love sharing food SO much that I am passing it along so that we all might enjoy this fall together. The reason I include this precious peach butter in the same post is that we cracked it open to serve alongside the cake and magic happened! They compliment each other so beautifully that they are now married forever and shall never part. What could be more seasonally perfect than pumpkin AND peaches? Welcome, welcome fall. I love you.

Pumpkin Buttermilk Cake

1 Cup unsalted butter ~room temp.
2 1/4 Cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda1 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 Cup pumpkin puree
3/4 Cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/4 Cup sugar
3 eggs ~room temp.
Preheat oven to 350 and generously grease and flour a bundt pan.
In a stand mixer, whip butter and sugar until light and fluffy. In a large bowl combine: flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and salt. In a separate bowl combine: pumpkin, buttermilk and vanilla. Once sugar and butter are whipped fluffy add eggs one at a time. Alternate adding the dry and wet mixtures and combine completely. Pour into prepared pan and bake 40-45 minutes. Cool in pan 15 minutes and then turn out onto a cake stand.

*I sprinkled a thick layer of cinnamon chips all over the bottom of the batter before I baked the cake this time and it was delectable!
Peach Butter

4 pounds peaches ~pitted and chopped
3/4 Cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
light sprinkle of nutmeg (as much/little as you wish)
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
2 Tablespoons dark agave nectar
1/8 Cup dark rum (or bourbon... you choose)

Heat the peaches in a large saucepan and allow them to release their juices for about 5 minutes and add sugar. Simmer another 5 minutes and add cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon juice and agave. Reduce for about 20 minutes (the mixture will turn darker and will reduce by about 1/2 of the liquid). Turn heat off and add rum (or bourbon). Mix well and cool, stove top, for 10 minutes. Transfer to a food processor and pulse to a puree. Pour into sterilized jars, seal and turn upside down until cool.

Mushroom Ravioli (from scratch)

2010-09-02T15:57:00.020-06:00

Every year I make my daughters a "back-to-school" night dinner. This dinner can be anything they wish and is served the night before school begins. My oldest daughter entered 8Th grade this year and her tastes are maturing. She requested homemade mushroom ravioli. Last year it was sushi but, for the most part, all previous years have either been buttered pasta or pizza. I was excited to make this meal and wanted to make it extra special for her. I made the pasta and rolled it out on my own versus a machine, cut the ravioli by hand and filled it with a mushroom mixture that brought us all to our knees. It ended her summer perfectly and filled us all for a good nights rest to prepare for the next morning.

Ravioli Dough
2 Cups flour
2 eggs
1/4 Cup olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt
3 Tablespoons water

On a large work surface place your flour in a mound. Make a well in the center and crack your eggs into it, then add the olive oil, sea salt and water. Mix slowly with your hands until all ingredients are incorporated. Form into a ball, cover with a damp towel and leave on the counter for 45 minutes. Roll dough out to a thin disc (as thin as you can get it with a rolling pin and muscle) or use a pasta machine and thin the dough out that way. Cut the disc into 30 individual circles and discard remaining dough. Place a tablespoon of the mushroom filling in the center of one circle, wet the outer edge with water and your fingertip and place another circle on top of that. Pinch/crimp edges to seal completely and set aside. Repeat this process until you have 15 lovely little raviolis. Boil a large pot of salted water and cook ravioli (5 at a time... in 3 batches) for 4 minutes or until they float to the top of the water and add a minute to that.
Mushroom Filling

12 ounces mushrooms (I used button, oyster and shiitake)
4 Tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic
1/3 cup fresh Italian Leaf parsley
4 Tablespoons heavy cream
salt and pepper

Wipe clean and slice all mushrooms. Heat a skillet and add oil till it's near smoking and add garlic then mushrooms (only a little at a time so as not to overcrowd... otherwise your mushrooms will not properly brown). Remove to a plate and toss with parsley, cream, salt and pepper. Process this mixture in a food processor to a puree and fill your ravioli. Reserve 1/2 cup for cream sauce.
Cream Sauce

2 Cups heavy cream
1/2 Cup mushroom filling
1 Tablespoon butter
Fresh Parmesan to top
Heat cream in a saucepan and add mushroom filling. Whisk in butter and pour over fresh, warm ravioli then sprinkle with fresh cheese.

Organic Almond Shortbread

2010-08-26T19:55:00.007-06:00

Sometimes it's difficult to find that perfect, melt-in-your-mouth shortbread. The kind with a light crisp but still has a deep butter flavor that is sweet with a little salt. Agree? I think this recipe really hits the spot. It might be the tastiest shortbread I have had. If not, it comes close. Check out my Christmas shortbread... it's wonderful too! My Coraline Shortbread is great as well (cutest cookie ever!). This little cookie begs to be dunked in a cup of coffee but is also great standing alone. I chose to use all organic ingredients for this recipe to see how much of a difference I noticed and... I did notice a more unique and full flavor. More than that, the texture was terrific and I know that is due to the flour. Organic flour goes through much less processing and makes for softer, more consistent baking.

Organic Almond Shortbread

1 C organic unsalted butter (room temp)
1/2 C organic brown sugar
1/2 t almond extract
1/2 t salt
2 C organic flour

Cream butter, brown sugar and extract for five minutes (it should be pale and fluffy). Add salt and flour and mix until it comes together. Form the remaining crumbles into the dough with your hands and preheat your oven to 350. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll dough out to a 8x12" rectangle and slice into squares/rectangles. Place on baking sheets and pierce with a fork. Bake for 8 minutes. Cool completely.

Cheese Filled Filo Puffs

2010-08-24T15:36:00.006-06:00

Last week my friend Becky of VintageMixer arranged an evening for several of us local SLC foodies to gather at her home to discuss her husband, Josh Rosenthal's, new book 'An Oak Tree Late In Winter'. We were each asked to bring a small plate/light appetizer to nibble on while we shared our feelings on the book and discussed life and the memories that fill it, together, as friends. I chose this small plate and I was delighted with it. It's delicate and full of flavor. I'd serve it again... and will. It was an evening I enjoyed very much and I encourage you to get yourself a copy of Josh's book. It is an honest and open expression of Josh and will hit the heart of every reader in a very personal way, I am sure. It is a great joy for me to have the chance to give the book a little plug here on my little blog. For more information go here.

Cheese Filled Filo Puffs

1/2 C ricotta cheese
8 oz feta cheese, crumbled
6 oz mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 C chopped Italian parsley
1 egg, beaten
salt and pepper to taste
9 sheets frozen filo dough, thawed
1/3 C butter, melted

In a large bowl combine the cheeses, garlic, parsley, egg, salt and pepper. After thoroughly washing your hands, combine all ingredients completely. Preheat your oven to 350 and lightly oil 2 baking sheets. Roll Filo out into one flat stack and cut lengthwise into thirds. Brush dough lightly with butter and work with one strip at a time. Place one tablespoon of the filling about one inch up from the bottom of the strip and bring the corner up over it. Continue in the same motion (folding corner over corner) until you reach the top of the strip, tuck under and place on a baking sheet. Continue until all filling/dough is used up and brush all of the tops with butter. Bake until edges are golden brown (about 20 minutes) and allow to cool slightly before serving.

*When working with Filo, keep the dough you are not working directly with covered with a damp towel to prevent drying.

Mactweets Challenge #10 A Summer Flick

2010-08-17T20:29:00.012-06:00

This months Mactweets challenge was to design a macaron around a favorite film. Being a total pop culture fiend, I was yet again... excited!!! Although I am late posting (I have good reason... my daughter turned 13 this past weekend, we decided to completely redo her room for her birthday and have torn our home apart in doing so, my baby started kindergarten... these sorts of things have put me behind), I did put a lot of thought into this. I really tried to think of a clever way to design a macaron showing my love for the late John Hughes who created the majority of my favorite movies: Pretty In Pink (my all time favorite movie ever), The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles, She's Having a Baby, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, Some Kind Of Wonderful, Weird Science plus about... oh... 100 more but I could not come up with one that summed up his genius and someone already did Pretty In Pink macs for the song challenge. What other movies do I love? I love The Family Stone but could not think of a mac to fit it. I love Chocolat but that's too simple. I love Dan In Real Life but again... a mac? Then it hit me. My childhood favorite movie was (well, is) Grease. Grease IS the word.

My macarons are "The T Birds" meet "The Pink Ladies"...

Shells~

1 C powdered sugar 3 T plus 1t sugar
1/2 C almond meal 1 T black Wilton gel color
2 aged egg whites

Lingonberry Cream~

1/2 C butter 3 C powdered sugar
1/4 C lingonberry syrup
2 t pink Wilton gel color

Combine powdered sugar and almond meal in a bowl. Set aside. Beat egg whites until they are glossy and firm then add sugar and continue to beat until soft peaks form then add the food color and beat until combined. Fold egg whites into the almond meal mixture with a rubber spatula quickly but gently until completely combined. Put the mixture into a pastry bag and pipe out onto a template. Allow the shells to rest on the baking sheet for 20 minutes then place in a preheated 280 degree oven (I bake mine convection) for 12-15 minutes. Cool 5 minutes on the sheet and then on a rack. For the lingonberry cream; whip butter for 5 minutes and gradually add powdered sugar then syrup (it will tint pink) and then the food color. Pipe into shell centers and sandwich together.

Doughnuts

2010-08-16T16:13:00.012-06:00

If you think homemade doughnuts are difficult, you are wrong. I thought the same thing till I tried them on my own. Read through this post and nothing is stopping you from serving delicious doughnuts for brunch this weekend. They just take a little planning... like any bread. Start them the night before or early the morning you plan to enjoy them. I like my doughnuts simple but I know a lot of people enjoy them glazed and sprinkled and frosted to the gills. Doll them up however you wish, stack them on a platter placed in the center of your dining table and spend some time eating with the people you love.

Homemade Donuts

2 1/4 t active dry yeast
2 T warm water
3 1/4 C flour (plus a little extra)
1 C room temp. milk
1/2 stick butter, softened
3 egg yolks
2 T sugar
1 t salt
1/2 t cinnamon
1/4 nutmeg

6-8 C oil for frying

Combine yeast and warm water in a bowl, stir to combine and allow yeast to foam 5 minutes. Combine flour, milk, butter, egg yolks, sugar, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg in your mixer and add yeast mixture. Mix for 5 minutes. Scrape the dough down and sprinkle lightly with flour (this prevents a crust from forming on your dough). Cover with a warm, damp towel and allow to rise for 2 hours or place in the refrigerator overnight.

Roll dough out onto a floured surface until it is about 12" in diameter. Cut out one dozen donuts with a doughnut cutter and place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Cover and allow to rise 45 minutes. Fill a deep pot 1/2 way with oil and heat to 350. Place 2-3 doughnuts at a time in the pan and fry 2 minutes on each side (until lightly browned) and drain on a plate lined with a paper towel. From this point, I like to place them in a paper sack with sugar and shake them till they are covered in a nice sugar coating to make sugar doughnuts but my family also enjoys the following 2 glazes:

Espresso Glaze

1/4 C water
1/2 C maple syrup
3 T sugar
3T espresso powder
3 T powdered sugar

Bring all ingredients to a boil until completely dissolved and spoon over warm doughnuts. Allow to rest for 10 minutes and serve.

Lemon Glaze

1/4 C water
2 T butter
1/4 C fresh lemon juice
1/2 C powdered sugar

Bring all ingredients to a boil until completely dissolved and spoon over warm doughnuts. Allow to rest for 10 minutes and serve.

*Make sure to fry up the doughnut holes too! Sprinkled with cinnamon sugar... such a childhood memory!

2 recipes in 1 post

2010-08-09T12:34:00.011-06:00

Cinnamon Swirl Bread

2 1/4 t active dry yeast
1/4 C sugar1 1/4 C warm milk
1/2 stick butter-room temp.1 t salt
1 egg
3/4 t nutmeg
4 C flour

"Swirl"
2 T sugar
3 t cinnamon
2 t unsweetened cocoa powder

Combine yeast, a pinch of sugar and 1/4 cup of the warm milk in a bowl and allow to rest for 3-5 minutes. The yeast will be soft.
In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine 1 cup of the warm milk, the butter and 1/4 cup sugar. Mix for 3 minutes. Add the salt, egg, vanilla and nutmeg (freshly grated or organic are best). Mix for another minute. Your mixture will look lumpy... expect this and add the yeast mixture, mixing for another two minutes. Add 2 1/2 cups of the flour, combine and remove the paddle. Add your dough hook attachment now. Add another 1 cup of flour and mix. The dough will be sticky now... add the remaining 1/2 cup of flour and knead on low for about 5 minutes. The dough will be soft and shiny.
Butter a large bowl and turn the dough once, into it. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise until doubled in volume (1-2 hours). Place the dough ball onto a sheet of plastic wrap and wrap tightly. Place in the freezer for 30 minutes (I placed mine in the refrigerator overnight).
Whisk together the sugar, cinnamon and cocoa. Lightly flour a large work surface and roll the dough out to 12x18. Butter the surface and sprinkle with the dry mixture. Roll, starting with the short side of the dough. Place roll into a buttered bread pan and tuck the ends under the bottom. Let dough rise 1 hour and place pan on a baking sheet. Preheat oven to 375. Melt the remaining butter and brush over the top of the loaf. Bake for 20 minutes and then tent with foil for an additional 20 minutes. Cool in pan for 10 minutes, invert onto a rack and cool completely.

This bread is delicious served warm with butter and jam and also makes an INCREDIBLE french toast. This bread takes some time but good things come to those who wait and patience is a virtue, right? It's amazing and makes everyone enjoying it feel loved. There is something special and cozy about warm bread and butter... especially when they come with homemade jam!

Easy as it gets Fresh Plum Jam

2 1/2 pounds fresh plums
1 C sugar
1/4 t almond extract

Wash plums thoroughly and slice them, removing pits but keeping the skin on. Place all of the sliced plums into a large pot and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently so as not to burn the tender fruit. Add all of the sugar and mix well. Simmer 20 minutes, stirring frequently. Turn off the heat and add the almond extract. Cool for 15 minutes, in the pot, then transfer to a food processor or blender and blend really well. Transfer to the jars of your choice (I used Kerr 1/2 pint jars), seal and lid, turn upside down while hot and allow to cool, countertop, upside down. Once cooled these will keep for 2 months unopened and 1 month opened and refrigerated.
I love fresh, simple jam. No pectin, not many additions, just a few basic ingredients. The plums have a natural spice to them so this almost pulls a cinnamon/spice flavor. It's delectable.

HUNGRY LIKE THE WOLF

2010-08-05T20:43:00.011-06:00

How cool is this?!!? August 10th is Duran Duran Appreciation Day! Yeah... they have their very own appreciation day! I love the boys of Duran times 2... sigh... swoon... Simon... how I loved you... love you. Who doesn't like Duran Duran? Really? They are all things that made the 80's grand: beautiful group of musically minded guys with the fashion sense (ok I admit... "fashion sense" might be pushing it for the 80's) to boot! They could sing and make music videos like nobody's business. They had us girls eating it up (with a spoon... like gag me!). Come on... tell me you didn't want to paint your face like a tiger and sing 'Rio' at top volume! And the colored leather vests with no shirt under?!? Please!

Sooo... my like minded pal Chris of Melecotte thought a dedicatory blog post was in order and I was all about being a part of it! Ode to Duran Duran; Hungry Like the Wolf Blog Event. Make a dish of your choosing, tie it to the band and post. Done deal!

From the hit that is 'Rio' I give you "Cherry Ice Cream smile... I suppose it's very nice..."

CHERRY FROZEN YOGURT

2 Cups fresh, pitted cherries
1 Cup sugar
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon almond extract
3 1/2 Cups vanilla flavored yogurt

Remove the pits from your cherries and toss into a bowl along with the sugar and almond extract. Allow to chill for one hour to "marinate". Stir in lemon juice and yogurt and pour into your prepared ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturers directions. Freeze completely for at least one hour and up to one week in the freezer.

Zucchini Brownies

2010-08-02T15:22:00.004-06:00

People from Utah know zucchini. If you don't grow it yourself, your neighbor does and is willing to unload an abundance of it on you for the duration of the summer. I am always shocked to hear how many non-Utah friends have never heard of zucchini brownies. It shocks them to hear I make them. Zucchini is versatile. You can fry it, bake it, eat it raw, julienne it into a delicious summer pasta, add it to a fresh salad, saute' it and even sneak it into brownies! Not only does it give brownies at least some nutritional value, it makes them heavenly. The zucchini gives the brownie added moisture and volume and really makes them quite irresistible. I top mine off with a dark cocoa butter cream and they don't last two days before they are eaten up.

This is a recipe that started in my father's kitchen, got better with my mother's touch and has been perfected (wink) in my kitchen. Enjoy my fellow foodie friends!

ZUCCHINI BROWNIES

1 1/2C sugar
1/2C vegetable oil
2C all purpose flour
1/4C cocoa
2C peeled and shredded zucchini
2t vanilla
1t salt
1 1/2t baking soda

Preheat oven to 350 and grease an 8x11 baking pan.
In a stand mixer combine the sugar, oil and flour. While mixing, on low, add cocoa, zucchini, vanilla, salt and baking soda until completely combined. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes or until edges are darker then center and center is set. Cool completely and frost with the following:
COCOA BUTTER CREAM

1C unsalted butter
4C powdered sugar
1/4C cocoa1t vanilla

Whip butter until very light and fluffy (about 5 minutes) and add powdered sugar, one cup at a time, until combined. Add cocoa and vanilla and whip an additional 3 minutes. Frost the brownies generously.

Onion Rings

2010-07-26T13:01:00.012-06:00

These are not your every day onion rings. These onion rings are incredible. They are extraordinary. They are sweet and spicy and crispy and are complimented by a mouth watering dipping sauce. The bonus is, they are easy. The only downside is they leave your workspace a tad messy. Make these for a weeknight dinner or triple the batch for your next bbq!

Onion Rings

2 large white onions (peeled and cut to desired thickness)
2 Cups evaporated milk
2 Cups all purpose flour
1 Tablespoon chili powder
2 Tablespoons cayenne pepper
4-5 Cups vegetable oil (for frying)
coarse salt (to sprinkle on the rings when hot)

Peel and slice onions to desired thickness. I have prepared these thick-cut and I have prepared them extra thin for onion straws as well... both delicious!! Preheat a medium cast iron skillet, add oil and heat to fry (I have recently started using 2 skillets as a double/triple batch is always in demand... these babies go fast). Pour the evaporated milk into a medium bowl and place next to your cut rings then combine the flour, chili powder and cayenne pepper in a large bowl and place that alongside the milk bowl. Dredge each ring in flour, dip in milk, then in flour again and fry approximately 2-3 minutes on each side. I like to have a large paper bag lined with paper towels at the end of my workspace to place the rings on as they come out of the oil. Sprinkle (liberally) with coarse salt and repeat until all of your onions are gone. Serve with dipping sauce.

Dipping sauce
2 cups sour cream
1/4 Cup hot sauce
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Combine all ingredients in a serving bowl, mix well and serve chilled.

Park City Food & Wine Classic

2010-07-22T21:20:00.021-06:00

The Park City Food and Wine Classic is "an epicurean extravaganza" held in gorgeous Park City every year the 2nd week in July. My husband and I attend every year. This year was exceptional and I wanted to share a few of our moments there with you. We attend the "stroll of main" each year and this year it happened to fall on my husbands birthday so it was extra special. This event is a blast! It's $70/person and lasts from 4pm through 7pm. The event starts you at Town Lift plaza and takes you up and down Main Street stopping at "Stroll Stops" along the way (9 of them to be exact) where you taste wines and sample small bites from Park City restaurants. Each year they add a little flair to the stroll with small cocktails, champagne, tastes of whiskeys and such. This year they had a full Stella Artois booth and High West Distillery served tiny little whiskey cocktails at their bar. Fabulous!

I'll just share a few shots here and then I'd like to mention some amazing sponsors and tasty beverages.

Stroll Stops:

1) Town Lift Plaza~Hope Family Wines, Treana, J. Wongs Asian Bistro (we had a spicy shrimp appetizer), Mercer's Wine Ice Cream (AMAZING! We tasted the merlot and the cabernet ice creams), Stella Artois, Ridge Vineyards... to name just a few.

2) Mustang~Purple Wine Co., TGIC Importers, Parducci Wine Cellars... and many more.

3) High West Distillery~Southern Wine Spirits West (Banfi, Diageo, Chateau and Estates, Moet Hennessey USA, Palm Bay International, Pernod Ricard, Shaw Ross Imports, Yabby Lake)... and of course High West Distillery.

4) Sugar Buzz~Blind Dog Restaurant (may I note here that... in my humble opinion... Blind Dog is Park City's best restaurant and one of Utah's finest sushi joints... I love it. I adore the owners and have for years... since they used to be my husbands "regulars" when we waited tables... eat there), Delicato Family Vineyards. I also adore the owners of Sugar Buzz and love supporting them. They supported my husband and I when we owned out little gourmet food and kitchen shop and we appreciate them very much! See the cute scale in the photo? They purchased that from our shop! The truffles served here were delicious that evening!

5) Kimball Art Center~Bangkok Thai, Honest Beverages, Kerrygold (delicious Irish butters and cheeses), Remy Cointreau, Salt Lake Magazine, etc.

6) Sky Lodge~Bacardi, Foster's Wine Estates, Hahn Family Wines and so many more.

7) Talisker on Main~Chappellet Vineyards, Domaine Napa, Silver Oak Cellars (side note: my husband says, as we are walking up to Will Call to grab our tickets, "If there is a Silver Oak Booth here I am not leaving it all night")... and there it was. A lovely little Silver Oak table with it's lovely broker Kathleen McLeod (www.silveroak.com). It's a lovely wine.

8) Phoenix Gallery~Riedel Glassware, W.J. Deutsch and Sons, etc.

9) Miner's Park~Bad Ass Coffee, FIJI Water, North Coast Brewery, Shabu Restaurant, etc.

There are so many wonderful brokers, wineries and sponsors not listed here but you can go to the website for all of the details and information on next years Classic.

CHEERS!

My thoughts on Eva

2010-07-18T14:51:00.025-06:00

For my birthday ,last month, my husband surprised me with a birthday dinner out on the patio at Eva. We'd dined at Eva once before for brunch on our anniversary and loved it so I was very excited to try dinner and enjoy the darling patio behind the restaurant. Take a look at their menu in it's entirety here and I will share my experience with these items below.

Pictured first are the Parmesan fries which may not sound like too big a deal but they are! They are crisped to perfection and sprinkled with fresh cheese. Second we shared two pies; "Eva's Pie" and the "White Pie" which were both incredible and full of flavor. My husband and Father also split a "Pig Three Way Pie" and raved about it. The last photo is of the flatbread served with white bean puree and truffle oil as well as a pesto spread and olive tapenade. The spreads were so deliciously tasty I could have ordered three orders! Everyone really enjoyed that dish. Not pictured, we all shared the sauteed brussel sprouts and the lobster ravioli (2 orders of the ravioli!!!). The brussel sprouts came highly recommended by my dear friend Becky of Vintage Mixer (enjoy her review here) and did not disappoint. They are incredible and rich with hazelnut flavor. The ravioli were so amazing we went with a second order. They are handmade and delicate with lobster meat, mushrooms and a light butter sauce.

I love this restaurant and all of it's charm. I suggest you check it out this summer and then again in the fall as their menu changes seasonally.

Mactweets Challenge #9

2010-07-12T16:13:00.015-06:00

This months Mactweets challenge was 'Sing... Sing a Song.'
PERFECT! This is a Mac Challenge for me! Anyone who knows me knows I am very into music and always have been... true, I am biased when it comes to my musical taste but the music I love... I L-O-V-E!!!
What song to choose? What artist? It's easy to narrow it down... my two truest music loves are: The Cure and Morrissey/The Smiths. My favorite songs by these artists don't have a color in the lyrics...hmmm?? I thought and thought of songs that have inspired me, touched me, changed me and there it was. My song choice for this challenge is

'This Twilight Garden' by The Cure.

"I lift my lips from kissing you
to kiss the sky
cloud soft and blue
and slow the sun melts down into
your golden words for me"
My macarons are the cloud soft and blue.

Basic shells

2 aged egg whites
1/2 Cup almond meal
1 Cup powdered sugar
3 Tablespoons + 1 teaspoon granulated sugar

Almond Cream

1 Cup whipping cream
1/4 Cup granulated sugar
2 Tablespoons almond extract

Summer Dining... part 2 (Boise)

2010-07-10T18:00:00.027-06:00

Continuing on with our summer dining spots, I have had the extreme pleasure of enjoying the following meals and the even greater pleasure of sharing these with you.

These first 4 shots are of Rembrandts Coffee House in Eagle Idaho. This coffee house is a bakery and deli as well. They also have a great little shop up front with to-go mugs, books, aprons and coffee for sale. The building used to be a church and they have kept much of it in tact making a lovely little atmosphere. My daughters enjoyed a three layer red velvet cake while we sipped coffees. Everything is tasty, the service is super friendly and I love this place so much I could sit there all day.

This beauty is the bakery case at La Vie En Rose, in Boise Idaho. We enjoyed a lunch here of bacon avocado sandwiches, potato soup, pomegranate lemonade and lemon bars. This is in historic Boise and is beautiful. They were not very busy for lunch, which made me sad because the place is quite impressive but I do know they recently added the full menu and went from bakery to restaurant so maybe that had something to do with it. Don't you just want to sip on that lemonade? Delicious!

On our way out of town, we wanted to try another new place (although Flatbread is always tempting, as is Tavern) so we hit the city center to find something and came upon Bittercreek Ale House. It seemed like a simple pub so we were expecting simple pub food. We were pleasantly surprised by the food! Pictured here is my Green Goddess Tower. How pretty is that salad? It was as delicious as it is pretty too. They offer over 500 beers and have a very decent menu. Our table also enjoyed fish-n-chips, the house burger and mac-n-cheese.

I have been so blessed to vacation with my precious family as well as travel with my husband, while he is working this summer. I hope you are enjoying my little dining diary but more than that I hope you give these places a try if you are ever in the areas. They are all noteworthy.

Summer Berry Ice Cream

2010-07-05T10:18:00.004-06:00

I love ice cream. It's such a childhood comfort, summer, fun treat and as an adult, I have learned how much fun it can be to not only eat... but make. It's fun to come up with new flavor combos for creams, sorbets, Italian ices, pops... it's endless. The following recipe is something I came up with last week when I happened upon a fabulous deal on berries. It's simple and creamy and fruity and makes a lovely summer dessert. Experiment with different berries and additions. I can assure you, you will love this ice cream.

Summer Berry Ice Cream

2 cups strawberries
1 cup raspberries
1 cup blueberries
3/4 cup organic sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup half & half
1 cup heavy cream

Wash all berries and remove stems. Heat all berries in a large pot for about five minutes, or until they soften and start to release their juices. Add sugar and simmer another ten minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Stir and cool about 20 minutes. Puree' in a food processor or blender and cool completely in your refrigerator. Add both creams and pour into your ice cream maker. Freeze according to manufacturers directions. You can strain the fruit mixture to remove the seeds but i didn't... I think they add texture, so I leave them in.

Hapyp 4th of July

2010-07-01T21:03:00.004-06:00

This dip is fantastic, simple and totally delicious. It will make a lovely addition to your 4th of July spread and will leave your friends and family asking for more... and begging you for the recipe! I made it this week and am making it again this weekend. It is perfect served with sliced french bread and salty crackers.

Happy 4th of July friends!

BLT Dip

1/2 pound bacon cooked crisp and then crumbled
1 cup mayo
3/4 cup sour cream
5 green onions sliced thin (white tips only)
good grinding of cracked pepper
3 fresh roma tomatoes, diced
1/4 head of iceberg lettuce, diced

Cook bacon to a crisp, crumble and set aside. Combine mayo, sour cream, green onion and cracked pepper in a bowl, add bacon and chill for at least 2 hours. Dice the fresh tomatoes and lettuce and add to the chilled dip. Serve when desired... it gets better as it rests and all of those flavors marry each other.

Eating Our Way Through 1/2 of June

2010-06-27T14:03:00.019-06:00

Photo #1 is of my daughters at Houston's in LA (Lorilie is my oldest and Kennedy is my youngest). Houston's is a chain but DO NOT let that put you off! It is amazing food and we make sure to get ourselves to a location each time we visit any part of California. The prime rib sandwich is worth whatever travel you have to endure just to sink your teeth into it.

Photo #2 is of my girls sipping their Starbucks on the 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica.

Photo's #3-7 are of our family enjoying cupcakes from Yummy Cupcakes in Santa Monica. Yummy Cupcakes is a darling little cupcakery with delicious cakes! Kennedy is chowing down on a pink vanilla cuppie, my husband had the special "peach cobbler", i had an "old school" (hostess-esque cuppie) and Lorilie is adoring her chocolate/chocolate. I also ordered their awesome "cupcakes in a jar" for my parents, as a souvenir (these little gems have been featured on Food Networks 'Unwrapped').

Photo's #8-11 are of the most precious and delicious coffee shop in all of Santa Monica; Cora's Coffee Shop. The valet at our hotel called the place "Santa Monica's hidden gem". It was 2 doors down from our hotel and such a treat! The patio (as you can see) is gorgeous and the food compliments the simple beauty of the location perfectly! It is such a humble shop with such a surprise inside! The 2 photos I am posting are of my steel-cut oats and of my little one's homemade bagel. My husband thoroughly enjoyed his short rib tacos and my older daughter loved her french bread and eggs. We had the organic, fresh-squeezed orange juice and coffees as well. The parking lot backs the beach and if you have the chance to stop in here... don't pass it up. It's wonderful.

Photo #12... the last one for this post is of my daughters at a table at the Broadway Deli on the 3rd Street Promenade. This is my favorite spot in Santa Monica. I have had several opportunities to dine here (breakfast, lunch and dinner) and I am always thrilled with my experience! It looks like a simple deli/diner but has a lovely little wine shop up front and an impressive 7 page menu! It's really, really GOOD! On this evening, we had a "celebrity sighting" here. Vanessa Hudgens (Gabriella from High School Musical) was at the table next to us dining with her family.

I have a million plus photos more but will post more as we move through this summer. I hope you enjoyed a small "taste" of our vacation.

Fudgey Cappuccino Cookies

2010-06-15T15:47:00.002-06:00

Fudgey Cappuccino Cookies

5 ounces semisweet chocolate coarsely chopped
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
11 tablespoons softened butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup organic raw sugar
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 eggs
1/2 cup cocoa powder
8 ounces cappuccino chips

Melt chocolate, stir until smooth and set aside. Sift together: flour, baking soda and salt and set aside. In a stand mixer, beat butter until very creamy (about 3 minutes). Scrape down bowl and add both sugars until well blended. Add maple syrup, vanilla and eggs (one at a time). Mix well. Blend in cocoa and dry ingredients. Remove bowl, scrape down sides and add melted chocolate by hand. Add cappuccino chips (also by hand) and mix until just combined. Drop heaping tablespoonfuls onto parchment lined baking sheets and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 8-10 minutes. Cool 5 minutes on baking sheet and completely on a rack.

*I only baked my cookies 8 minutes... less baking time makes them CHEWY!!!
*The secret is in the maple syrup! It gives them even more "chew factor"!!
*The cookies will be puffed up when you open the oven door. They should puff and fall. They will fall once the cool air hits them... then they will "crack" and be... you guessed it... CHEWY!!!

BAGELS

2010-05-27T16:41:00.006-06:00

I am a recipe "tweaker". I like (LOVE) to find a good, solid recipe, test it, tweak it and make it my own. This does not mean I make it better... I just make it mine and that is what makes it special. I love to cook and bake and I love to serve others. Making a recipe my own allows me to create delicious food and share it with people I love.
Special. Food is so special.

This recipe has been tweaked. It is no-fail. It is delicious. You can trust me... you will make someone feel very special by making these for them.

BAGELS

3 C lukewarm water
2 packages yeast
2 T salt
1 1/2 T sugar
6 1/4 C flour (bread flour works best)

Combine water, yeast, salt and water in a bowl and allow to rest 5 minutes. Add flour and mix well. Cover with a warm towel and allow to rise 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 450. Form bagels by rolling small pieces into small balls, flattening slightly and piercing a hole through the center (or use a doughnut cutter). Rest formed dough on a floured surface, covered in plastic wrap for 20-30 minutes. You should be able to get a dozen bagels out of this recipe.

BAGEL WATER

8-10 quarts water
1/2 C sugar
1 t baking soda

Bring water to a rolling boil and drop bagels in 2 at a time (do not crowd) and allow them to simmer for 2 minutes on each side. Remove with a skimmer (or slotted spoon) and place on a flour dusted towel. At this point, you can season the bagels as desired (I like using poppy seeds, sesame seeds, cinnamon/sugar and plain old salt). Place bagels on a baking sheet or stone dusted heavily with cornmeal and bake 20 minutes, along with a baking pan filled with 2 cups boiling water to allow moisture into the baking process. They should be firm and lightly browned.

Homemade Pop-Tarts

2010-05-19T09:35:00.006-06:00

My sweet friend Becky of Vintage Mixer came over a few Saturday's ago and suggested we make homemade pop-tarts together. I've never made pop-tarts and was excited about the idea! Well... we were poor planners and didn't prepare our dough in enough time so we were unable to bake these fun little packages together but I could not shake the desire to make them myself. They are easy and a super fun breakfast (or dessert).

Pop-Tarts... from scratch:

2 Cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 Cup cold, unsalted butter (cubed)
4 Tablespoons ice cold water

Combine flour, salt and sugar in a bowl. Add chilled butter, in thirds. Using a pastry cutter (or 2 knives and a fork), cut the cold butter into the flour mixture until it is completely coated and the mixture resembles tiny peas. Add ice water and mix until the dough forms a ball. Divide in half, wrap in plastic wrap and chill 2 hours, or overnight.

Remove the dough and roll out (on a lightly floured surface) into 2 thin discs. Trim edges and slice each piece into 6 rectangles (or circles or squares!). Put a dollop of the filling of your choice onto the center of 6 pieces and then top them with the other 6 pieces of dough. With wet fingertips, seal the edges of each tart, then crimp with a fork. Poke a few small holes in the tops. Freeze tarts for 2 hours on the baking sheet.

Bake in a pre-heated 375 degree oven for 20-25 minutes. Some filling may leak out... it's ok. Sprinkle with powdered sugar while still warm.

Filling options:

Jam/Preserves
Chocolate
Brown Sugar and butter
Cinnamon-Sugar
Nutella

I used chocolate and Becky had brought me a jar of Marion Berry Jam from her trip to Oregon so I used that as well. They were absolutely delicious! They are just a simple, hand-held pie and are better than any store bought "tart" I've ever tasted.

Mactweets #7 Tell Me A Story...

2010-05-10T08:20:00.018-06:00

The little girl you see here is me, all dressed up and ready to play on the banks of Plum Creek or in Walnut Grove. I was obsessed with the Ingalls family and the stories of The Little House On The Prairie, as a little girl. I read each book cover-to-cover, several times each. I adored this series. I am sure, and can admit, that the television series assisted me in my desire to dress in long, flowered/checked dresses for a year straight. I thought I must have looked just like Laura or Mary... and I was very proud. I would beg my mother to buy me these dresses and we had to do a "spin test" in the store (to make sure the dress spun out in a full circle around my ankles). I used to read these books and imagine myself walking down a dirt path, lunch pail in hand, to the schoolhouse and then running home and jumping into Pa's arms before I had a warm slice of Caroline's homemade bread. I could feel the cold winters in The Big Woods and felt the closeness of their family at Christmastime. These books completely swept me away, to another time and place and I get sentimental just thinking about them. I tried to get my oldest daughter to read them, when she was a bit younger but they didn't quite catch in the same way. They hold a very special place in my heart.

I decided on oat macarons with a maple cream filling. The flavors seemed appropriate. I used a 2 egg white shell recipe and sprinkled oats on the resting shells and filled them with:

Maple Cream Filling

1/2 Cup butter, softened
3 Cups powdered sugar
1/2 Cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla

Whip the butter until very light and fluffy. Add sugar one cup at a time until completely incorporated and add the syrup and vanilla. Whip until very light and fluffy once more and pipe onto the shells.

Mango-Lime Sorbet

2010-05-01T09:14:00.008-06:00

I love frozen treats. Ice cream (and cones and sandwiches and shakes and sundaes...), frozen fruit pops, gelato, smoothies and... sorbet. I enjoy making ice creams and sorbets a lot and not just in the summer. We had some friends over for dinner a few months ago and I made this sorbet for them. I think it's delicious and it got good reviews from the crowd too. It's simple and fresh and really perfect for the warm months of summer.

1 Cup sugar
1 Cup water
Zest from 2 limes
3 ripe mangoes
3/4 Cup fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon salt
4 Tablespoons tequila

Heat sugar, water and zest in a small pot until the sugar is dissolved. Set aside to cool completely. Peel and cut the mango into pieces and add them plus the lime juice, salt and cooled sugar water to a blender and puree till smooth. Pour into a bowl, cover and chill in the refrigerator until completely chilled. Stir in tequila and pour into your ice cream maker to churn and freeze to desired consistency. Transfer to a freezable bowl and freeze until firm.

Watch this video on How To Cut A Mango for tips to assist you.

Photos taken by my sister: Monica Lehman

Z Pizzeria & Cafe

2010-04-23T19:41:00.012-06:00

Last Sunday we decided to try Z Pizzeria & Cafe for brunch. We have been meaning to try it for quite some time and now that we have, we SO wish we would have sooner! It's a fantastic little place! Located in the center of a darling little neighborhood and run by the sweetest owners (Zach and Miranda), Z Pizzeria is ready for success! They have recently moved location and have a sweet little patio to enjoy lunch, brunch or dinner on this summer.

Our brunch:

Iced latte, mocha, hot coffee and hot cocoa
Banana Brulee Oatmeal with fresh fruit and cream
Scones with house made honey butter

Everything was tasty and we had a chance to chat with the owners out on the patio. We enjoyed our meal so much that my husband ordered a lunch later in the week for a work event (also amazing!). I highly suggest you give this local cafe a chance and let me know what you think!

Z Pizzeria & Cafe
1588 E Stratford Avenue
SLC Utah 84106

(801) 484-9792

Cast Iron Cooking

2010-04-19T20:47:00.007-06:00

There really is nothing quite like cooking with cast iron. I have recently really started to educate myself on the benefits of cast iron and even begun my own little beginning of what I hope will be a large collection someday. My father always cooks with cast iron and has an awesome collection! He started with dutch ovens and branched out from there while I was busy collecting All Clad and Le Creuset. While I love those pans, you can't beat a good Lodge. They cook evenly and get HOT! I made the following two recipes for dinner and decided it just wouldn't be fair to keep them to myself. They beg to be shared.

Soy~Honey Chicken (baked)

6-8 chicken pieces (skinned and washed)
3T olive oil
1/4C honey
1/4C soy sauce
salt and pepper

Heat your oven and a 10" cast iron skillet to 400 degrees. Remove skin from chicken, wash and pat dry. Once the skillet is hot, arrange chicken to fit inside, drizzle with olive oil, honey and soy sauce then sprinkle with salt and pepper and return to oven to bake for 40 minutes. After 40 minutes, flip each piece over and continue to bake 15 minutes. The sauce will be dark and sticky.

Spinach and Mushroom Saute' with Parmesan

1 pound fresh spinach
1 pound baby bella mushrooms
1 clove garlic
3T butter
1/4C parmesan (I used fresh shaved)

Stove top: heat skillet and melt butter till bubbly and nearing brown. Add minced garlic and toss 30 seconds. Wipe and slice mushrooms and add to the hot skillet. Saute' 5 minutes (the mushrooms will darken and start to caramelize). Trim spinach and toss whole leaves into the skillet. Allow the leaves to wilt (approx. 4 minutes). Turn heat off and sprinkle with parmesan allowing it to rest about 2 minutes.

I plated the chicken first and spooned the pan sauce all over the top then topped the chicken with the spinach and mushrooms.

April Mac Attack

2010-04-11T14:05:00.011-06:00

Mactweets #6
This months challenge was to create a macaron based on an April holiday. Hard to nail down just one and it being springtime, I just went with "springish" macs. I recently posted my berry curd and wanted to use it as my filling. I was fortunate to spend a Saturday baking, eating, talking and spending wonderful time with Becky of VintageMixer and she had never made macarons so you will see photos of 2 macs here... 1) basic shell with triple berry curd filling (design work done by Becky) and 2) basic shell (dyed blue.. turned green) with chocolate fudge filling rolled in lemon zest. Becky and I tackled these together and had such a fun time doing it! I think she did a pretty amazing job for her first macaron attempt. She is also the photographer for this post. We used the 2 egg white recipe that BarbaraBakes and I came up with last month. Have I mentioned how blessed I am to have such wonderful baking partners and foodie friends here in Salt Lake with me? It's fun to bake with a friend and then share our stories with all of my food blogging friends here!

Triple Berry Curd

2010-04-07T08:24:00.008-06:00

I love curds! Typically lemon curd is the most common (for good reason... it's amazing). Meyer lemon curd is especially wonderful! Check the end of this post for some of my favorite curd recipes from some of my favorite bloggers. Spring seems like such an excellent time to make curd. It's fresh and fruity, it freezes well and is a perfect cupcake or cake filling, topping for pancakes, waffles, crepes and toast as well as muffins, scones and a host of other breakfast breads. A few weeks ago, a blogger friend made strawberry curd and that inspired me to make this triple berry curd. It is absolutely heavenly. I have filled chocolate cupcakes and paired it with a cream cheese spread on fresh bagels so far and it is equally amazing licked straight off the spoon!

Triple Berry Curd

4 egg yolks
1 whole egg
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup pureed strawberries
1/2 cup pureed blueberries
1/2 cup pureed blackberries
2 teaspoons vanilla
8 Tablespoons butter (cut into pieces)

Whisk egg yolks and whole egg together in a heavy bottomed pan and heat thoroughly (careful not to boil). Whisk in sugar and stir until thickened. Stir in berry purees and vanilla. Continue to whisk until mixture is very thick and remove from heat. Stir in butter, one piece at a time, until combined and pour into your choice of jar or container. This recipe makes 18-20 ounces. Cool counter top and then refrigerate up to one month or freeze up to 5 months.

Favorite curds:

Meyer Lemon Curd by TheTableRunner
Strawberry Curd by MeleCotte
Lemon Curd by SLCFoodie

Saffron and Lemon Artichokes

2010-04-02T08:41:00.003-06:00

2 large artichokes
1 lemon~juiced
6 saffron threads
1/4C warm water
3T olive oil
1 clove garlic~minced
salt and pepper

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and boil the artichokes for 25 minutes. Preheat oven to 350. In a small bowl, soak saffron threads in warm water while the artichokes boil. Combine the lemon juice, garlic and salt and pepper, stir in the olive oil. Drain artichokes and place on a baking sheet (stem side down, leaf side up). Add saffron water to the lemon mixture and drizzle down the leafy part of the artichoke so all of it soaks down into the leaves and is held there to bake. Bake for 30 minutes. Cool 10 minutes and peel the leaves. Arrange on a platter with the hearts in the center and serve with melted butter and mayo infused with saffron to dip. Season all over with salt and pepper. This recipe is easily doubled... or tripled (consider this... they go fast and are so delicious).

Swedish Pancakes

2010-03-27T09:13:00.012-06:00

Enjoying a meal, outside, with friends and family has got to be one of life's greatest blessings. It is one of the many reasons I love Spring and Fall so much... we seek out beautiful patios at local restaurants to spend our time eating and drinking on and we relax in our own backyard doing the same. The weather is just starting to turn warmer and patios all over will be opening, inviting us to sit, relax and enjoy some time doing one of our favorite things... eating. I made these lovely Swedish Pancakes and took them outside to enjoy. They are such a weekend breakfast or brunch treat served alongside bacon and topped with fresh fruit and my fruit syrup.

SWEDISH PANCAKES

4 eggs
2 cups milk
1/2 cup flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons butter, melted

Beat eggs and milk together. In a separate bowl, mix flour, sugar and salt. Stir dry ingredients into wet and stir in melted butter. Heat a griddle or non-stick skillet and lightly oil. Pour batter in small circles on the griddle or cover the small skillet and lightly brown (about 1 minute) and flip for another minute. Keep warm by placing a warm kitchen towel over the stack as you complete the rest of your pancakes or by placing on foil in a 125 degree oven.

Some of my favorite Salt Lake City patios:
~Porcupine Pub and Grille
~Squatters
~Cafe Madrid
~Mikado (Cottonwood)
~Cafe Molise
~Normandie
~Desert Edge Brewery
~Fresco
Other than my own backyard, these are some excellent spots to spend a summer evening in our lovely little city. If I missed anything, please let me know. What are some of your favorite outdoor dining spots?

Mini Lemon Cakes

2010-03-24T08:33:00.005-06:00

WELCOME SPRING!

These little cakes are so light and lemony. They just taste like spring. The recipe is simple and they turn out looking so pretty and delicate. I topped them with a dollop of cream cheese frosting and a blueberry but they are also delicious with whipped cream and candied lemon or other fresh berries.
MINI LEMON CAKES
1 1/2 C cake flour
1 1/2C all purpose flour
2t baking soda
1/2t salt1C unsalted butter
2c sugar
1 vanilla bean split and scraped
5 eggs (separated)
1C sour cream

Preheat oven to 350 and line or spray muffin tin.

In a stand mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and egg yolks, one at a time, until completely combined. Add sour cream. Combine all dry ingredients in another bowl and add to the butter mixture. Beat egg whites until stiff and fold into batter. Fill mini cups half way and bake for 20 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack and top as desired.

The Best Red Velvet I Have Ever Had

2010-03-19T15:38:00.008-06:00

I went to visit my family in Idaho a few weeks ago and my aunt had some of these delicious Red Velvet cupcakes sitting out on her counter waiting for us. They were arranged on a pretty cake stand and just begging to be eaten. She baked hers in JUMBO muffin cups and that made them seem more evil than they already are. They are killer! I gushed and gushed over them saying that they truly were "the best red velvet I have ever had" and asked for her recipe... 4 times. Finally, she gave in stating "It's my recipe BUT I do start with a box." I was shocked. I am not a boxed cake mix kind of girl. I asked her if I could post the recipe once I had a chance to make them myself and she said yes!
Please make these. The cupcake recipe is courtesy my Aunt Linda and the filling and frosting are my own "go-to" recipes. They take some time but are worth it! People will just melt over these. They are so delicious!
Aunt Linda's Red Velvet Cuppies

1 box Duncan Hines Red Velvet Cake Mix
1 box Jello brand Devil's Food Chocolate Pudding
1 16 ounce container sour cream

Follow the directions on the back of the cake box as directed and add the pudding mix, dry, then add the sour cream and fill muffin tin, lined with paper muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake as directed on box. Cool completely on a wire rack.
Cream Cheese Filling

1 8 ounce package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
3 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Whip cream cheese and butter for 5 minutes and add sugar one cup at a time. Add vanilla last and whip 3-5 additional minutes. Fill a pastry bag with the cream cheese filling and pipe into the cupcakes by putting the tip 1/2 way into the center of the cupcake and squeezing. You will notice the cupcake "plump" up.

Vanilla Buttercream (perfection!)

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
4-5 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons vanilla

Whip butter for 5 minutes (until light and fluffy) and add 2 cups of powdered sugar, then vanilla and incorporate. Add remaining sugar and whip an additional 5 minutes. Frost or pipe as desired.

"Spring Fling" Mac Attack #5

2010-03-15T18:18:00.017-06:00

SPRING FLOWERS...

Mac Attack #5 theme:
Spring Fling

My favorite flower? The lily. Which type? Doesn't matter. I absolutely adore every type lily and felt it appropriate to create this months #mactweets based on my love for the lily. I love Spring and I love adorning my kitchen counter top with a simple vase of a stem of lillies. There is a flower shop, here in Salt Lake City, Utah, that I feel is constantly overlooked. Flowers On Vine is a precious little shop where you can find the most gorgeous and rare flowers!
My husband stopped, on his way home from work today, and picked me up some beautiful lillies to accompany my post from said little shop.
Once again I had the pleasure of baking macarons with Barbara of Barbarabakes. She joined me, today, in my home to conquer these dainty little macarons. We lunched and baked and chatted... she is a true friend and I am blessed to bake alongside her. She also happens to be a math wiz (thankful me). We adjusted 'I Love Macarons' recipe as follows:

1/2C almond meal
1C confectioners sugar2 eggs
3T +1t granulated sugar
flavorings... as desired

If you are not catching on as to why Barbara is a smarty, that recipe is based on 3 egg whites. She made it a 2 egg white recipe. Fabulous!

For this months "challenge" I chose to do (a macaron that complimented the lily) the following flavor: "burgundy vanilla bean shells with blood orange buttercream." Delicious? Yes. Proportioned accordingly? I think not (see photos... ha!)

Blood Orange Buttercream:

3/4C unsalted butter
4C confectioners sugar
2t vanilla
2T blood orange juice (fresh squeezed)
zest of 1 blood orange

Whip the butter until very fluffy (about 4 minutes) and add the sugar 1 cup at a time. Whip an additional 3 minutes and add the vanilla, juice and zest. Whip 3 minutes more.

http://mactweets.blogspot.com/

Flowers on Vine
6029 South 900 East
SLC Utah 84121
801-264-9497

2010-03-10T11:12:00.009-07:00

Coconut Panna Cotta

2C whipping cream
2C half and half
1/2C sugar
3t vanilla
4T unsweetened, organic creamed coconut
2 packets powder gelatin
6T ice cold water

Heat both creams and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat until the sugar dissolves and add coconut (the coconut tends to clump but don't stress... keep whisking and it will cream into the mixture). Remove from heat and add vanilla. Set aside. In a medium bowl, place ice cold water and sprinkle gelatin packets over. Allow to set for 5 minutes then pour the warm cream mixture over the gelatin mixture and whisk until gelatin is completely dissolved. Oil 8 ramekins or small cups and divide the mixture evenly among them. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 2 days.

To unmold the panna cotta simply run a thin knife around the inside edge of the dish and turn out onto a serving plate. Garnish with berries of your choice (I used blackberries).

For the berries:
2C fresh blackberries (rinsed and drained)
3T sugar
2T Kirsch

Combine ingredients in a small bowl and chill 2 hours (stirring several times while chilling). Serve by spooning 4-5 berries and a spoon of syrup on each individual panna cotta.

*For information on the creamed coconut, please visit Edward and Sons here
*You can easily substitute the coconut for other flavors with high quality extracts or simply use the vanilla alone for a stunning dessert. I use Sonoma Syrups Vanilla Bean Extract "Crush"
It is an exceptional vanilla with split vanilla beans in the bottle.
*Kirsch
*Panna Cotta is versatile. Many recipes call for 4 full cups of heavy cream (which... although delicious... is beyond fattening!). I used half whipping cream and half 1/2&1/2. You can use a mixture of any cream you desire but avoid using "milk"... you do need that rich cream base.
*The dish I used to serve my panna cotta is courtesy my dear Grandmother who passed away last year. I thought it complimented the dessert well and wanted to share it with you.

Normandie Cafe and Bakery

2010-03-07T16:42:00.043-07:00

Normandie Cafe and Bakery is a Salt Lake City gem. It's been nestled at the corner of 4600 South and Holladay Boulevard for years but has recently moved down the street to a larger location, which it needed... you couldn't find a seat during the lunch rush or Saturday morning brunch rush. I have always enjoyed the food at Normandie and really enjoy their desserts. I spent this past Friday afternoon lunching with "the girls" and am happy to share our afternoon with you.
Our lunch:

Turkey Club Panini (split)
Turkey Avocado Sandwich (split)
Sweet Potato Fries (shared)
Kids Mac-n-Cheese

I split the turkey club panini and let me tell you this sandwich is delightful. I always have it when I eat here. It's amazing with turkey, bacon, tomato and garlic aioli warmed between a sourdough bun. The turkey avocado sandwich also got three thumbs up's and the sweet potato fries?!? Well, first off, they are actually yam fries but the two are commonly confused. Either way... Yum! They are perfectly crisp and served with a dipping sauce that is beyond compare. My daughter was the lucky recipient of the kids meal and enjoyed it served with the mac, fruit, veggies and a brownie.

Our dessert:

We ordered some assorted sugar cookies, German chocolate brownies and (drum roll please...) the key lime tart(s). The cookies were gorgeous and tasty, the brownies were moist and chewy and melted in our mouths but those tarts! They deserve a post all their own, they deserve a bakery case dedicated (no built) just for them, they are heaven. They have a perfect crust and that crust is filled with the most delectable,creamy, tart, sweet key lime center you can dream of. It is to die for. I have been drooling over this tart for years. My mother and I go just for the tart, my husband and I go intending on splitting a tart and end up leaving with three, we take friends here just to introduce them to this tart... it's incredible. It is topped with fluffy whipped crea m and toasted coconut and I suggest you call ahead, they run out early! We called the night before and had them set seven tarts aside. We also took several Alomondines to go. They are amazing themselves!
key lime tart photos by Monica Lehman

The staff:

Normandie always has a knowledgeable, friendly staff. They have assisted me with catered events in the past and always move the hungry crowds with ease. Friday was no exception and I'd like to mention two of the kind and friendly Normandie employees by name: Shawnee and Zach, thank you for your service and for setting aside the tarts for our large group. After working in the restaurant industry for years, I know that a positive, attentive staff is part of the dining experience. Hat's off to you both for so nicely representing your company! My only suggestion would be that the ordering process be revamped. It's very confusing to have two entrances (one leading to the cash register/bakery case and the other leading to an unmanned hostess station). You order at the register, pay there (pre-meal) and are given a table number. No new guest would know this. I hear complaints and have read reviews all mentioning the confusing process... which leads to customers thinking the staff is awful.

Employee photos by Monica Lehman

NORMANDIE CAFE AND BAKERY
1984 EAST MURRAY HOLLADAY ROAD
SLC UTAH
801-277-5244

cookie photos by Monica Lehman

Cream of Mushroom Soup

2010-03-02T17:48:00.004-07:00

Cream of Mushroom Soup

2T olive oil
2T butter
1/4C chopped onion
1 clove minced garlic
4C mushrooms
4C chicken stock/broth
1C milk
1C cream
salt and pepper
1/4C chopped parsley

In a large stockpot heat oil and butter. Add finely chopped onion and saute for about 5 minutes. I used button, shitake and porcini mushrooms for this batch and I thinly sliced the buttons, pureed the shitake and finely chopped the porcini. Add garlic and saute an additional 30 seconds then add all of the mushrooms and reduce 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour in all of the chicken stock and bring to a boil then add milk and boil again. Simmer, on low, for 10 minutes and season with salt and pepper. Add cream and bring to another boil. Simmer an additional 5 minutes and add freshly chopped parsley. Remove from heat and serve in warmed bowls.

I had the pleasure of serving this soup to two of my dear friends and the sides you see in the photo are their beautiful creations. Cristie from thetablerunner brought the salad made with pears, greens, rice and a delicious dressing and Barbara from barbarabakes made the wheat bread which was pretty and divine with a pat of warm butter on it.

Cereal Bars

2010-02-25T09:32:00.003-07:00

1/2C unsalted butter
1 14oz. package marshmallows
1t vanilla
2C Cheerios
1C Rice Krispies
1C Corn Flakes
1/2C melted chocolate

Melt the butter in a large pot and add marshmallows. Stir rapidly until the marshmallows have melted and stir in vanilla. Remove from heat and toss with all of the cereal. Combine well and pat into a buttered 9x13 pan. Allow to cool and set for one hour and drizzle with melted chocolate. Cut into 12 squares and store in an airtight container for no more than 3 days. You can use any cereal you wish (for a much sweeter square, use Captain Crunch. For a less sweet square, use Kix). I have also used cinnamon sugar in place of the chocolate. Use your imagination!

2010-02-22T16:18:00.008-07:00

Shortbread fit for Coraline

"you know, you could stay forever if you want to... there's only one tiny thing we have to do first"

I absolutely love the story of Coraline. Love the book and love the film! If you know nothing of the story, you can still love these cookies... If you love the story as much as I do you can REALLY appreciate these cookies! My youngest daughter also LOVES Coraline. We recently saw some shortbread buttons that we thought were darling and started brainstorming how to turn them into cookies from the "Other Mother." The other mother wants to sew little black buttons in place of Coraline's eyes. She is not a nice mother.

The cookies we had seen were pastel and gorgeous but we knew we needed to make them darker to properly represent our sweet little Coraline. We made the following recipe and incorporated 2 heaping tablespoons of black powder food coloring. We then patted them out and cut the large circles with a metal cake decorating tip (#2A). Carefully move the circles from your work surface to a parchment lined baking sheet with a thin metal spatula. Once you have cut all of the circles and lined them on the sheets, make the center ring of the button with a metal cake decorating tip (#78) and then turn it over, to it's "tip" and poke the 4 small button holes (careful on both of these steps to press only half-way through the dough). Bake in a preheated 300 degree oven for 6 minutes, then rotate the pan and bake an additional 2 minutes. Cool 5 minutes on the pan and completely on a wire rack.

Coraline Buttons

10T unsalted butter, softened
1/3C powdered sugar
1 1/2T sugar1/4t salt
1 1/2 flour

Combine: butter, powdered sugar, sugar and salt and beat until very light and very fluffy (about 5 minutes). Add food coloring and incorporate completely. Add flour and combine well. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Pat (or roll if you are very tricky) out to a thin layer and cut circles. Transfer to prepared baking sheets and cut remaining circles to form your "buttons."

If you have not seen this movie, I highly recommend it but be warned... it's creepily dark and eerie (but beautiful and fun). If you don't like movies, read the book... it's fantastic! If you are not a fan of either... just bake the cookies and watch them get gobbled up!

"you are not my mother..."

Photos with my sister and a recipe

2010-02-21T20:18:00.010-07:00

My sister and I played with her camera the other day and thought it would be fun to post her "starter photos". She is interested in photography and recently bought a sweet new camera but these shots are with her little Sony point-and-shoot. Not bad but I am really looking forward to the damage the two of us are going to do with my cooking skills and her photography skills in the near future!

The photos (in order) are my Cherry Chocolate Chunk Cookies, Lemon Curd and Butter Crackers.

Recipe for: Butter Crackers

1 package active dry yeast
1/3C milk (warmed to 105 degrees F)
1C flour
3 large eggs (beaten)
3T sugar
2T whole milk
1t salt
1 3/4C bread flour
12T butter

Combine yeast and milk and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Add flour and previously beaten eggs then sugar, whole milk and salt. Mix well and add remaining flour. Knead for about 10 minutes with the dough hook attachment. Once dough is smooth add butter in 3 batches and beat very well. Place dough in an oiled bowl and rise until doubled in volume (approximately 1 hour). Punch dough down and knead lightly. Chill, covered, in the refrigerator for 4 hours. Roll dough out on a lightly oiled counter to desired thickness (or in this case "thinness"). You want these crackers to crisp up when baked so roll them to near paper thin and slice or cut into desired shapes. Place on a baking sheet and sprinkle with sea salt (I also used parmesan cheese) and bake 15 minutes at 350. Cool completely and enjoy.

Onion Steaks

2010-02-16T09:05:00.005-07:00

2 bone-in rib eye steaks
4T butter
Loads of freshly ground black pepper
1/4C whiskey, cognac or bourbon
1 large white onion
1C flour
2C buttermilk

In a 12" cast iron skillet, melt 2T of the butter. Coat both sides of the steaks in freshly ground pepper (Generously! Really douse them and give them a nice crust). Reduce the heat to medium-low and brown the rib eyes for 5 minutes. While the first side is browning, heat 1" of oil in a 10" cast iron skillet. Slice the onion, thinly, and then in half (so you have lot's of little onion strips). Soak the onion strips in the buttermilk and then move to coat them in the flour. Throw them into the oil, in 3 batches and brown then to a crisp! Move them to a brown paper bad to cool and sprinkle with salt. Flip your steaks over and brown another 5 minutes while you finish the onions. Once your steaks are done to your liking and have a dark crust, move them to a platter, top them with the onions and add the remaining 2T of butter to the 12" skillet. Once the butter is bubbling, turn off the heat and add the alcohol. Allow it to evaporate and turn the heat back on. Reduce and simmer about 3 minutes and then pour the sauce over the steak and onions.

Dark (est) Cocoa Ice Cream

2010-02-11T14:32:00.004-07:00

In the spirit of Valentine's Day I give you a dessert that will make your sweetie swoon. This is simple enough to throw together the night before V-Day and I promise you will enjoy it.

Dark (est) Cocoa Ice Cream

2 Cups cream
1 1/2 Cup buttermilk
1 Cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 egg yolks
2 Cups dark cocoa (I used nibs and chopped them roughly)*

Bring the cream and buttermilk to a low boil. In a small mixing bowl, crack yolks. Once the milks are boiling, pour 1/2 of the milk mixture into the egg yolks and whisk. Set aside. Turn off heat and add the sugar and vanilla to the milks in the pan. Whisk in egg mixture and then cocoa. Cool for 15 minutes, counter top, and then completely in the refrigerator. Freeze according to your ice cream maker directions.

*I used "Sunfood Nutrition Organic Cocoa Nibs (raw chocolate) for this recipe. Using a high quality cocoa will give you the ultimate results!

Pineapple Mango Syrup

2010-02-09T14:11:00.004-07:00

Fruit syrup is such a fresh alternative to maple sometimes. This syrup can be enjoyed over pancakes, waffles, muffins and biscuits as well as in a hot cup of tea and is so delicious.

Recipe for Pineapple Mango Fruit Syrup

2 Cups fresh mango (peeled and cubed)
2 Cups fresh pineapple (peeled and cubed)
3 1/2 Cups water
1 1/4 Cups sugar
3 Tablespoons honey

Combine all of the mango and 2 cups of the water in a deep saucepan and bring to a rolling boil. Simmer for 5 minutes, or until the fruit begins to soften and separate then add all of the pineapple and the sugar. Bring the mixture to a boil and simmer 10 minutes. Mash the fruit (I used my hand held emulsion blender but a wooden spoon, pastry cutter or even hand held beaters on low will work) until there are still large pieces but it begins to thicken the syrup. Continue to boil and add the remaining cup and a half of water and the honey. Mash again and simmer 20 minutes. At this point, the syrup should be thick and cling to the back of a spoon. You should have a pulp with some large chunks of fruit remaining. Remove from the heat and strain through a medium sieve. Pour into desired bottles and cool (counter top) for 2 hours.

Makes approximately 32 ounces of syrup.

MAC-A-VALENTINE

2010-02-02T14:05:00.014-07:00

LOVE...

MacTweets Challenge #4 (February)

MAC-A-VALENTINE

This was THE funnest Mac challenge to date, for me! I had the pleasure of creating these little babies with two fabulous food bloggers and dear friends of mine:

Barbara of BarbaraBakes and
Cristie of TheTableRunner

Barbara invited us to her home for a Saturday afternoon filled with Mac creating, delicious eating and warm conversation. We each used the same standard recipe (found here) for the shell and then added our own creative flair! I am going to post a few photos but give these ladies a chance to showcase their beautiful macarons on their own blogs. For mine, I chose a lavender shell (in color only, not flavor) and a vanilla bean buttercream center with blueberry-pear jam.

I love Love :)

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

My daughter, the Cookie Monster

2010-01-28T17:02:00.007-07:00

My last post introduced you to my youngest daughter, her love of cooking and fun kitchen gadgets. I thought it would be fun to bring her older sister into this post and allow you to meet my daughter, Lorilie. She is not so much interested in the cooking aspect of food but VERY into the consumption of it! She is heading into her "teens" this year and quite the eater! She has always been a picky eater but when it comes to cookies... well, I'd put my money on her any day! She can eat the little round, buttery, chocolaty, chewy, candy coated, no-bake, nutty, rolled balls and discs of frosted baked sugar like nobodys business :) I bake a lot and I know that if she comes home from school and there is an empty countertop (a cookieless and bare countertop)... I am going to hear about it! I know my place... to be prepared!!! After all, what sweeter, homier childhood memory is there than knowing your mommy baked cookies for you, while you were at school and had them waiting for you when you came home? Big tall glass of milk and a warm cookie? Ahhh... childhood :)

Recently, she has been sharing her cookies (and other homemade treats) with her friends at school and I am now becoming quite popular (a-hem!). I am providing her little crowd with cookies daily. They all wait and hope I have packed them treats and I can admit... I LOVE it! She is such a generous girl, how can I turn that down? Again... I am a lucky lady! She made me the mom I am and I am forever grateful for/to her. Now I will share with you one of our favorites:

Chocolate Chunk Butter Cookies:

1 Cup butter
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 Cup brown sugar
1/2 Cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 trspoon baking powder
2 1/2 Cup flour
1 Cup dark cocoa nibs
1/2 Cup semi-sweet chocolate

In a stand mixer combine: butter and sugars. Add eggs and vanilla. In a separate bowl, sift together dry ingredients and add to mixer. Mix well. Add cocoa nibs. Chop semi-sweet chocolate into small chunks and add. Bake in a preheated 350 oven for 8-10 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Like Mother, Like Daughter

2010-01-21T09:13:00.025-07:00

My youngest daughter is starting young. She is a mini-foodie and really loves mimicking me in the kitchen. Like me, she has been building her stash of kitchen gadgets and appliances for years (she reached the ripe age of 5 last week). This past Christmas, she and I both got a lot of fun kitchen trinkets; display items, pedestals, dishes, pans, appliances, etc. We both decided that a mother-daughter blog post was in order and are ready now to showcase some of her adorable culinary collection to all of you! I hope you enjoy this as much as we have!

My budding little chef has her own kitchen space in a loft upstairs in our home. She whips up everything from candies to sushi and mac-n-cheese to croissants. She is learning to measure, weigh, accurately time and bake. From time to time she brings her appliances down to my kitchen space and cooks alongside me.

After we had put away all of her new Christmas gifts, I said "Wow. It looks like you have everything you need." to which she replied "Nope. Mom... I don't have a food processor!" That made me laugh! This child pays attention. Make no mistake... she is always watching. If any of you have seen a toy food processor out there, please let me know!

Her birthday falls 2 weeks after Christmas and my darling parents decided she needed a pantry to finish this kitchen we have begun. My dad is an amazing craftsman and made her a pantry as a surprise birthday gift! The kitchen was a gift, from Santa, 3 years ago and as you can see... my father matched the pantry perfectly! She absolutely loves it and is thrilled to have a pantry like mommy now. I mean really... who stores cereal and pasta in the fridge? She needed this pantry! I am touched my dad went to all of that work and delighted to know we can pass this gift down to her children one day.

I wish I could snap photos of everything. The cute little things she has that are miniatures of my gadgets make me happy. They are so cute! We will see where this fun little collection takes us... maybe she will have a career in the food industry, maybe not but this is fun and I am loving every minute!!!

I am a fairly scheduled person and I grocery shop every Friday, at the same Harmon's, at about the same time each week. My little one decided she needed to do that as well so if you look closely, you can see her shopping cart (which we take with us, along with her list, every Friday). What makes this so fun is that she has her own set of reusable bags that have little "Bob and Randy" stickers on them and are the same colors as mine! I love it! This little shot has little to do with the kitchen but I wanted to show you her ironing board by mine (note our matching pink irons... she got me mine for Mother's Day) and her washer and dryer. Her washer and dryer were her Christmas present this year and all she asked Santa for. They are a stacked set but mine are also Kenmore and front loading... just like hers. Hers have to be out in her little loft apartment here but she'd prefer they were in my laundry room, with mine. I am so honored to be her mommy!

As we were snapping photos and discussing what she'd like to see in the post, she mentioned wanting to do her own, along with me. She stood by my side and took photos with me, she has typed up her own post and is very excited for you all to read this! Expect to see some of her work, alongside mine over the next few posts. It's only right that it be me who starts her out properly and let's her know her work is valued... let her know too, wont you? Thanks for taking the time to blog with my sweet daughter and I!

Creamy Lemon Chicken

2010-01-15T19:32:00.004-07:00

Make this for dinner tonight, you will be so pleased.

Creamy Lemon Chicken
Serves 4

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 lemons, juiced
1 cup cream
salt and pepper to taste
3 cups rice (your choice)

Heat oven to 350. Clean chicken, arrange in a baking dish, drizzle with olive oil and the juice of 1/2 lemon then season with salt and pepper. Bake for 30 minutes. While the chicken is baking, heat a medium skillet and melt butter until it starts to brown then add the garlic and saute for a moment. Add the juice of 1/2 lemon and simmer 1 minute. Add half of the cream and season with salt and pepper. Simmer another few minutes and add the remaining lemon juice. Combine well and add remaining cream. Season once more, with more salt and simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cook your choice of rice. Remove chicken from oven and allow to rest 5 minutes while you prepare plates.

Divide rice among four warmed plates, place chicken on top of rice and generously pour sauce over each serving.

Rose Tinted Macarons Filled With Black Currant Buttercream

2010-01-04T20:56:00.010-07:00

For the January edition of "Mactweets" I tried a new recipe from the adorable little cookbook 'I Love Macarons' (Hisako Ogita) and I am thrilled with the results!!! I am not 100% thrilled but I am thrilled nonetheless! I now know that I need MUCH finer almonds (I still lean on the chunky side) and I also know that I pipe in a very strange way, resulting in cute little macarons with tips as if I were icing a cake... just not quite right... I'll get there... I will! I filled the shells with a basic buttercream and added a delicious acai black currant syrup from Sonoma Syrup which gave these little dolls a fruity kick. Overall I am very happy with the results and without further delay, I give you:

Rose Tinted Macarons With Black Currant Buttercream

for the shells (adapted from 'I Love Macarons'):

2/3C ground almonds
1 1/2C powdered sugar
3 large egg whites (aged 2 days)
5T granulated sugar
1t vanilla
1t rose colored gel

Combine the ground almonds and powdered sugar in a food processor until very fine and sift twice. Trace 1" circles on a sheet of parchment paper (or whatever size you chose but the template will give you more even results) and place on a baking sheet. In a stainless mixing bowl beat the egg whites until they are foamy and add granulated sugar. Continue to beat and add vanilla. Once the egg whites are firm and glossy, they are done. Slowly stir in the rose gel and add half of the almond mixture. Stir by scooping up from the bottom of the bowl and around then add the remaining almond mixture and repeat. Stir in a circular motion and then press the mixture against the side of the bowl, scoop from the bottom and turn upside down, repeat 15 times. Pour the batter into a pastry bag fitted with the #4 tip and pipe onto your prepared sheet. Tap baking sheet on your counter 2-3 times to release air and allow macarons to rest for 15 minutes (or until the shells do not stick to your finger when you tap them). Bake at 300 degrees for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, cool on baking sheet and move to a wire rack.

for the filling:

8T unsalted butter, softened
4C powdered sugar
1t vanilla
4T Acai Black Currant Syrup

Whip butter for 5 minutes then add half of the powdered sugar. Add vanilla and remaining sugar and beat an additional 3-5 minutes then add the syrup and combine well. Spread or pipe filling onto macaron shells and sandwich together.

makes 12-15 macarons

Holiday Hazelnut Truffles

2009-12-18T13:56:00.004-07:00

This truffle is a good, good truffle. I played around with a few recipes, tweaked my own a little and came up with these beauties. Happy Holidays!

Holiday Hazelnut Truffles

2C semi sweet chocolate
3/4C Nutella
14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
1T vanilla
2C milk chocolate
Sea Salt, Cinnamon Chips or White Chocolate

Melt semi sweet chocolate in a double boiler and stir in Nutella. Add sweetened condensed milk and stir till it's "fluffy". Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and chill in the fridge for 2 hours (to firm up). Roll into 30-50 balls (depending on the size truffle you desire) and place on a baking sheet in the freezer for about 10 minutes. Melt milk chocolate and dip your truffles. Line on a baking sheet and sprinkle with sea salt (as I did mine) or drizzle with melted cinnamon chips or white chocolate... whatever you like! Allow to set and then arrange in little papers or a box. These are delicious and make a nice gift.

Peace, Love, Joy, Gratitude, Appreciation and Awards

2009-12-17T13:54:00.019-07:00

I have been awarded two precious blog awards from two VERY precious people and it is time for me to thank them and pass this gift along. This past year (and a half) has been the toughest of my life. We are nearing the end of December and I see light and I feel such thankfulness for having experienced what I have experienced and so abundantly grateful for bloggers I have come into contact with that the following 2 awards are easy to pass on...

My first blog award ever was rewarded to me by Tracy of Sugar Crafter and I was so touched because Tracy is such a creative and genuine person. We have become "blogging pen pals" and send one another little baking goodies and recipes each month. Thank you Tracy for your lovely blog, for awarding me this honor and for our new friendship.

The idea behind this award is to "spread the love" so I am thrilled to award some of my favorite bloggers with the "One Lovely Blog Award" and the rules are as follows:

1. Link to the person who awarded you
2. Award some of your favorite bloggers
3. Comment on their blogs, letting them know they have been awarded and...
4. Spread some joy!

In no particular order, I'd like to award:

Becky of Vintage Mixer for having a truly lovely blog. She is also a truly lovely person. She not only cooks and posts excellent recipes, she dines and enjoys good food and good company which I so appreciate and admire. She loves and supports her talented husband and has become a friend of mine quickly. We live in the same city and have the opportunity of getting to know each other in person. She and I have what we call "a special connection".

Maria of Two Peas and Their Pod for having a very impressive blog. She really takes this seriously and is committed to her blog. It is an excellent resource and you can always count on a wonderfully delicious dish (or Maria's specialty... cookies!!!). Maria and I also live in the same city and have the opportunity to spend time together and become friends. How lucky am I? We have spent some good times together and I am so thankful for her.

Heather of Bebe and Alice for her generous spirit and incredibly beautiful blog. She does not cook... this is an eco-friendly-reduce/reuse/recycle-insanely talented blog! She is a brilliant seamstress/designer and I am floored by the things she posts. She is also one of the most precious people I have come to know through this whole Twitter/Blog world. Plus she likes Charlie and Lola so... we were a hit from the get go!

Barbara from Barbara Bakes for her genuinely scrumptious blog! Barbara is a computer smartie and assists me with my pathetic lack of computer skills, she is a cook among cooks and posts amazing dishes as well as baked goods. Yes, yes... we live in the same city :) Again, I have come to know Barbara and am a better person because of it. She is so great to be around! How is it that SLC got so many incredible foodies? I do not know but I am blessed because of it.

Ladies, thank you for making a difference in my life and for your friendship. You all have such wonderful blogs and personalities! I am thankful for each of you.

My second award was given to me from Barbara (Barbara Bakes) and is the Lemonade Stand Gratitude Award. Thank you Barbara! I told you I was a better person for having known her! The rules are as follows:

1. Put the logo on your blog
2. Nominate 10 nominees and link to them
3. Comment on their blog to let them know they have won
4. Link back to the person who awarded you and...
5. Share how you have come to have an attitude of gratitude

In no particular order:

1. Cristie from The Table Runner
2. Holly from PheMomenon
3. Susan from She's Becoming Doughmesstic
4. Becky from Vintage Mixer
5. Maria from Two Peas and Their Pod
6. Heather from Bebe and Alice
7. Jamie from Life's A Feast
8. Tracy from Sugar Crafter
9. Krista from The Double Dipped Life
10. Monica from Life to the Fullest!

How I have come to have an attitude of gratitude would fill this entire post. I am grateful. I am grateful to be my husbands wife, my daughter's mommies, my parents daughter, my sister's sister, a woman, a friend, free and most of all grateful to be loved and to love because He first loved me.