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Happy Belated Halloween!

November 7th, 2009

I’m going to have to blame my lateness on my current situation: my over a week long illness that’s taking its precious time and does not seem to want me to get better yet. It made my Halloween preparations and plans very difficult, but I still managed somehow, even though I did have to give up a few things I wanted to get done. It was especially frustrating last week because I had started getting sick last Monday and miraculously the next morning I was all better, but the sneaky little bugger came back with a vengeance the next day and since then I have been battling it for almost 2 weeks now.

Anyway, on to what I was able to accomplish during my sick week. I was able to sew part of my Halloween costume. I was little red riding hood and I decided to sew my own cape. It came out pretty well, I’m just thankful I didn’t mess it up (it was my first time sewing anything). I baked two items out of the three items I had planned for Halloween, and I also managed to give out Halloween candy.

This year I decided to try out some new recipes. I baked Buttermilk Spice Muffins (the exact recipe from Mimi’s Cafe, I couldn’t believe they just posted it on their website) and Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins. The Buttermilk Spice Muffins were good, although next time I might double the spices. Unfortunately, I personally can’t tell you how good the Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins were. By the time I made these, I couldn’t really taste anything anymore, but my friends seemed to like them so there’s a good sign! I’ll have to try baking them again when I’m not sick.

Buttermilk Spice Muffins

Mini Halloween Liners

My Little Red Riding Hood Basket Filled with Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

(more…)

Posted in baking, dessert, holidays | 3 Comments

Zuppa Toscana for the Soul

October 25th, 2009

When I think of Olive Garden, I think of one thing: Zuppa Toscana. It is one of my favorite soups and the thing I look forward to most when I eat there. I usually order an entree, but hardly touch it because I’ve already downed two bowls of this stuff along with a basket of breadsticks. It’s a meal in itself.

As the days are getting colder, I thought this would be the perfect soup to warm up with. The soup itself is a blend of spicy italian sausage, potatoes, and kale, in a creamy broth. I was lucky enough to find a copycat recipe and it turned out exactly the same. I was amazed. Now, if I could only get the recipe for Olive Garden breadsticks…

Zuppa Toscana
(adapted from allrecipes.com)

Ingredients

1 pound mild Italian ground sausage
5 slices bacon, baked and crumbled
1 large onion, diced
2 tablespoon minced garlic
5 (13.75 oz) cans chicken broth
3 medium potatoes, thinly sliced rounds
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 bunch fresh kale
1 tsp. fennel seeds
1 1/4 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
salt and black pepper to taste

Directions:

Cook the ground Italian sausage in a pan over medium-high heat until crumbly, browned, and no longer pink. About 10 to 15 min. Drain and set aside.
Place bacon on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees until crisp, about 10 minutes. Place bacon on paper towel to drain and then crumble bacon and set aside. You may save a couple tablespoons of the bacon drippings and use it to saute the onions and garlic.
In a large pot saute onions and garlic in a couple tablespoons of the bacon drippings or oil(whichever you prefer). Cook until onions are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
Pour the chicken broth into the pot with the onion mixture and add crumbled bacon. Bring to a boil over high heat. Add the sliced potatoes, and boil until fork tender, about 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and stir in the heavy cream cooked sausage, fennel seeds, and crushed red pepper flakes; heat through. Add salt and pepper if needed. Mix kale into the soup until wilted just before serving.

Zuppa Toscana

Posted in cooking | Comments

Cupcake Tasting

October 3rd, 2009

I haven’t really taken advantage of the free Sprinkle cupcake giveaways until recently, and I figured that it’d be a great way to get me to drive the long 10 min drive to my local Sprinkles store (yes, I am lazy, which in this case is a very good thing or else I’d be at Sprinkles everyday). So, I made sure to coincide my trips during their special featured flavor events which are scattered throughout the months. First trip I made was to try their Raspberry cupcake back in August and then I went one more time the other week to try the Vanilla Hazelnut Chocolate cupcake. Featured Flavor + Free Cupcake = Very good deal indeed.

The Raspberry Cupcake was surprisingly good. Both the cake and frosting were raspberry flavored. I wasn’t sure how they were going to pull off the raspberry flavor without making it taste artificial, but after one bite, I felt like they must have used hundreds of raspberries and packed it into one little cupcake. The frosting was the best part: not too sweet, nice tartness, and a bold raspberry flavor. The cake was not too shabby. It was moist, had less of the raspberry flavoring, but the only thing that threw me off was the coloring. The cake was gray. Weird, but tasty. At this point, I wouldn’t mind if they put some food coloring…maybe a nice bright pink/magenta? I don’t care, just as long as my food is not gray or anything resembling cement.

Now, onto the Vanilla Hazelnut Chocolate Cupcake. This was Sprinkle’s take on a vanilla cupcake with a Nutella flavored frosting. This cupcake was good, but defnitely not the best and I think I would have much rather have a vanilla cupcake with Nutella smothered on top. I don’t think anyone can come close to getting that Nutella flavor unless you actually use the hazelnut spread. The frosting had the hazelnut taste, but I really felt like the flavor was diluted. More Nutella please! Actually, forget the cupcake, I could just eat Nutella by itself with a spoon.

Sprinkle’s Raspberry Cupcake

See? It’s gray…

Sprinkle's Vanilla Hazelnute Chocolate Cupcake - Cupcake was a little damaged during handling, sorry.

Sprinkle’s Vanilla Hazelnut Chocolate Cupcake – Cupcake was a little damaged during handling, sorry.

Posted in dessert, news | 1 Comment

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

September 28th, 2009

I’m happy to report that I think I’ve perfected my oatmeal chocolate chip recipe. This recipe is a modified version of one that I was using previously and it makes great chewy soft cookies with a little bit of added texture from the oatmeal. The key to this recipe is that I use toasted quick cook oats which you can find at Trader Joe’s. These oats are already toasted and really give a great texture in the cookies. When I was at the store buying my ingredients, I just happened to pick the toasted oats instead of the regular oats and it turned out to be a winner. My friends say that they like the texture in my cookies better than other ones and the only thing that I can attribute it to is that the oats are toasted. I guess the toasted oats prevent them from getting moist in the cookie so they stay nice and crisp. These cookies make great gifts too. I made a batch of cookies, placed them in a nice tin with some tissue paper, tied it with a ribbon and voilà! Perfect gift for any cookie lover/monster.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Recipe
by iheartdessert

Ingredients:

1 cup margarine or salted butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups toasted quick cooking oats
12oz. bag of semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
In a large bowl, cream margarine/butter, brown sugar, and white sugar together until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time, then add the vanilla. Mix in the flour, baking soda, and salt; until well blended. Mix in the toasted quick oats and chocolate chips. Drop small heaping spoonfuls onto baking sheet.
Bake for 12 minutes or until golden brown in the preheated oven . Cool cookies on wire rack.

Makes about 40-50 small two-bite cookies (which is how I like to make them), but feel free to make them as big as you want.

Posted in baking, dessert | 1 Comment

Spinach & Mushroom Ravioli

September 3rd, 2009

My very first attempt at making ravioli was quite enlightening: Freshly homemade ravioli > Frozen Pre-Packaged Ravioli. Sadly, I didn’t really know any better until now. I’ve had freshly made ravioli at restaurants before, but I never thought I could replicate it at home with a simple trick, use wonton wrappers (thanks Giada!).

Making homemade ravioli, even with pre-made pasta (aka wontons) was still very much time consuming and a labor of love. But, I must say it was well worth it and definitely makes for a great special dinner for that extra special someone or just for your fabulous self.

Some things I learned during this ravioli revelation:
1) The ravioli can be frozen and cooked later with great results; same great taste and freshness.
2) When preparing to freeze the ravioli, I suggest using wax paper to separate the ravioli layer by layer in the container you use to prevent them from sticking.
3) Egg roll wrappers can also be used, but I find that wonton wrappers are easier since they are smaller and pre-cut.
4) If you want to take that extra step, make your own tomato sauce, which you can also freeze and store in freezer bags.

Spinach & Mushroom Ravioli
(adapted from an Everyday Italian recipe)

Ingredients

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
6 oz. cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 (10 oz.) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
6 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
2/3 cup grated Parmesan, plus extra for garnishing
1 package of wonton wrappers
1 large egg, beaten with 1/2 tsp. water
1/2 cup cremini mushroom , finely chopped
2 cups tomato sauce
Salt and pepper

Directions

1. In a large saute pan heat 1/4 cup of the olive oil. When almost smoking, add the mushrooms and season with salt and pepper. Cook until all the liquid has evaporated from the mushrooms, about 6 minutes.

2. Add spinach and garlic and cook for 2 minutes.

3. Remove from heat and place mixture into food processor. Pulse until you get a coarse texture.

4. Place in bowl and stir in mascarpone and Parmesan cheese. Season with salt and pepper according to taste.

5. Line up wrappers on a cutting board. Brush edges with the egg wash.

6. Using a tablespoon, place a dollop of the filling on the wrapper and place another wrapper directly on top, pressing around the filling and sealing the edges.

7. Use a fork and crimp the edges to seal it tightly. Place ravioli onto a wax paper lined baking sheet and keep covered with a linen towel.

8. In a large pot, bring to a boil 4 quarts water (make sure to add some salt and oil). Carefully add small batches of ravioli, about 3 to 4 at a time. This will prevent them from crowding in the pot and sticking together. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Using a spider strainer, carefully remove the ravioli and place on the plate. Tent with foil to keep warm and continue cooking remaining ravioli.

9. In a saute pan, heat remaining 1/4 cup olive oil. When almost smoking, add chopped mushrooms and saute until soft and most of the liquid has evaporated, about 8 minutes. Carefully pour in tomato sauce and simmer for 5 minutes.

10. Plate ravioli, top with mushroom tomato sauce, and sprinkle with Parmesan.

Spinach & Mushrooms from Trader Joe's

Spinach & Mushroom Filling

My ravioli assembly line

Plump ravioli

Ready to be cook!

Just cooked and ready to be eaten

Finished product!

Posted in cooking, food | 2 Comments

Yummy Goodies

August 17th, 2009

Need something to sweeten your neckline? Here are some cute new necklaces from Shana Logic:

Chocolate Sundae Necklace – $18, The detail on this tiny sundae is so awesome!

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Strawberry Sundae Necklace – $18, I wish this was lifesize and edible.

4236_scrummy_jar_main
Candy Jar Necklace – $16, Now they just need to make a cookie jar necklace…I’d buy it.

(images from Shana Logic)

Posted in shopping | Comments

Vanilla Bean & Bananas Foster Creme Brulee

August 16th, 2009

As promised, here are the recipes for the Vanilla Bean and Bananas Foster Creme Brulee I made from my previous post. I adapted both versions of creme brulee from one of Barefoot Contessa’s recipes. They both essentially have the same creme brulee base, but I spiced things up a little and tried to get a little bit more creative. After all this was a dessert challenge I was competing in.

Since this was my first time making creme brulee, I decided to buy a creme brulee torch set from Bed Bath & Beyond. For $19.99, you get a set of 4 ramekins and a creme brulee torch (warning: the torch does not come with butane, so you have to buy that separately at another store like your local grocery or hardware store). I really liked the set of ramekins the kit came with; they are not too deep and are the perfect size for individual servings.

As far as the whole baking process, it was fairly easy and not time consuming at all. All I had to do was mix the ingredients and pop it in the oven. The only thing that took a little bit of time was cooling the creme brulee for a couple hours in the fridge. The best part was of course the torching. I made sure to put plenty of sugar(I like having a thick layer caramelized sugar on top) and torched away. Another thing to note is that if you do end up buying the creme brulee kit, the mini torch takes a bit longer to caramelize the sugar. So, don’t fret, the torch will do its job, but just don’t expect to have the creme brulee caramelized in 5 seconds so plan accordingly.

Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee
(adapted from Barefoot Contessa’s recipe)

Ingredients:

1 extra-large egg
4 extra-large egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar, plus 2 tablespoons for each serving
3 cups heavy cream
1 vanilla bean pod, split and scraped

Directions:

1) Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.

2) In the bowl, mix the egg, egg yolks, and 1/2 cup of the sugar together until combined. Meanwhile, scald the cream in
a saucepan until it’s very hot to the touch but not boiled.You should see tiny bubbles coming up on the sides of the
pan which will mean its ready.

3) Very slowly stir in the cream into the egg mixture. Add the vanilla beans and pour into ramekins until almost full.

4) Place the ramekins in a baking dish and pour boiling water into the dish until it comes about halfway up the sides of
the ramekins. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the custards are set when gently shaken. Remove the custards from
the water bath, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate until firm.

5) To serve, spread 2 tablespoons of sugar evenly on the top of each ramekin and heat with a kitchen blowtorch until
the sugar carmelizes evenly. Allow to sit at room temperature for a minute until the caramelized sugar hardens.

Bananas Foster Creme Brulee
(adapted from Barefoot Contessa’s recipe)

Ingredients:

1 extra-large egg
4 extra-large egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar, plus 1 tablespoons for each serving
3 cups heavy cream
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 medium sized bananas
1 tsp. cinnamon for each serving
1 Tbsp. light brown sugar for each serving

Directions:

1) Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.

3) Very slowly stir in the cream into the egg mixture. Add the vanilla extract and pour into ramekins until almost full.

5) Slice bananas thinly and cover the ramekins in a scalloped fashion. Make sure to overlap each row as you go, so it
covers the creme brulee well. Sprinkle cinnamon on top of the bananas.

6) To serve, spread 1 tablespoons of sugar and 1 tablespoon of light brown sugar evenly on the top of each ramekin and
heat with a kitchen blowtorch until the sugar caramelizes evenly. Allow to sit at room temperature for a minute until
the caramelized sugar hardens.

Note: The bananas fosters creme brulee will caramelize faster and may burn easily due to the brown sugar, so be careful!

Vanilla Beans Pod Split, Scraped, and Mixed into Mixture

Regular creme brulee with no vanilla beans

Creme brulee ready for the water bath

Banana slices scalloped on top

Finished product!

Posted in baking, cook-off, dessert | 5 Comments

Dessert Challenge

August 11th, 2009

The other week, my friends and I did our second Top Chef/Throwdown style challenge. This time we did a dessert challenge and the goal was to create any dessert of our choice. My team made a duo of creme brulee: vanilla bean creme brulee and bananas foster cream brulee. The other team was really creative with their dessert. They made a sushi dessert dish, and everything looked exactly like sushi! I was so amazed!

The dessert challenge was a lot less stressful than our previous challenge. It was much easier to concentrate making one dish. This time we decided to give ourselves the whole day to create our dish and just make sure that everything was done by 9pm.

My team’s creme brulee turned out well, which is pretty exciting especially for my first time trying to make it. Out of the two that we made, I think that the bananas foster one was my favorite. You can never go wrong with a combination of banana, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Delish. The dessert sushi also tasted great and it was really fun to eat! I definitely want to try to make it one day.

So, it looks like these cook-offs are going to be an ongoing event. The next one we have planned is a breakfast challenge and I’m pretty excited because I already have an idea of what I want to make. So, stay tuned for the next challenge and I will post the creme brulee recipes soon!

Duo of Creme Brulee: Vanilla Bean & Bananas Foster

Dessert Sushi: Made with chocolate crepes, sweet sticky rice & fruit. Wasabi (green tea ice cream), Ginger (mango slices), Soy sauce (chocoalte syrup)

Posted in cook-off, dessert | Comments

Top Chef Throwdown Challenge

August 2nd, 2009

The other week, my friends and I decided to test our culinary abilities and create a Top Chef/Throwdown challenge for ourselves. The four of us split into 2 groups and decided to use the BBQ grill as our theme for this challenge. Both teams had to make an appetizer, entree, and a drink. At least one of the dishes had to be cooked on the grill and there was no key ingredient we had to use. However, the day of the challenge we realized that both teams had decided to cook bacon wrapped scallops as the appetizer, so it ended up becoming a bacon wrapped scallop throwdown by accident. So much for creative thinking haha.

My team’s menu was:
Appetizer – Pancetta Wrapped Scallops with Mango Salsa
Entree – Grilled Shrimp with a Creamy Garlic Sauce and Spinach Orzo Pasta
Drink – Pomosa (Champagne with Pomegranate Juice)

The opposing team’s menu was:
Appetizer – Duo of Bacon Wrapped Scallops
Entree – Salmon with Lemon Butter Herb Sauce and Garlic Butter Mushroom Rice
Drink – Lychee Mojito

I’m happy to say that my team won 2 out of the 3 dishes! We won the appetizer and entree dishes, while the other team won the drink challenge. My friends and I had a great time during this challenge and it definitely gave us a good excuse to cook and eat good food. We had so much fun that we decided to do another challenge and it will be my specialty! Dessert!!! So, stay tuned to hear how our dessert challenge goes!