Straight No chaser

Honey Cake 2 ways for Rosh Hashannah

2010-09-22T18:05:00.004-05:00

Posting recipe soon..I promise.

Banana Pound Cake

2010-09-04T11:14:00.004-05:00

Hey Everyone,
Sorry for not posting in a while, my life has gotten a little hectic..trying to juggle 3 jobs leaves me not much time to cook and blog. :)
Although last weekend I did finally have time to bake a little something. I find it very relaxing to bake and the end result is always satisfying! :)
I made a banana pound cake that was just out of this world, it was so light and tasty. I think the ground ginger and lemon zest really added another dimension to the pound cake.
Here is the recipe:
1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 1/2 medium, very ripe bananas, mashed, about 3/4 cup
2 1/2 cups cake flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup buttermilk or milk
1 tablespoon freshly zested lemon or orange peel

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cream butter in a large bowl, gradually add the sugar, beat until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time. After eggs are in, beat several minutes until mixture is smooth and very pale. Beat in bananas.
In another bowl sift together flour, baking powder, salt and ginger. Combine milk and vanilla in a small bowl. Beating at low speed add dry ingredients in thirds alternating with milk mixture. Stir in lemon zest.
Pour and scrape batter into a lightly greased bundt pan or 2 loaf pans, spreading evenly. Bake for 1 hour or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 15 minutes. Then turn out of pan and cool completely.

81 Poppies

2010-08-18T14:58:00.006-05:00

As many of you know I have started my own clothing line called 81 Poppies. I have been working really hard trying to get the collection together for an upcoming photo shoot as well as for spring market in a month. That's why I haven't been giving you guys lots of yummy recipes. So instead of food therapy here is a little fashion therapy for everyone to enjoy. These are some pictures I took during a quick fitting with my model.

Ice Cream you scream we all scream for Ice Cream

2010-08-05T11:05:00.003-05:00

I am so happy to report that there is finally a non dairy ice cream product that is actually good! It is called NadaMoo and its made with all natural ingredients. The most important thing is that the texture is just like real ice cream. It is smooth and creamy and rich. I would highly recommend this product to anyone that has a dairy allergy or a gluten allergy. And even if you don't have all these things it just tastes good and you will love it! I promise. So far I have only sampled the Maple Pecan, which just melts in your mouth. I think you can buy it all Central Market locations and Whole Foods as well. And what's even better is it is a local Austin business! So go out and support your small local businesses!

Watermelon Popsicles

2010-07-29T16:31:00.003-05:00

I took some of the watermelon that we grew and cut it up and stuck in a blender with some sugar and a couple tablespoons of lemonade, and froze it in our nifty Popsicle contraption. And the next day we had delicious and refreshing watermelon pops. This is so simple to do and you can do it with any fruit you like. Last year we did it with peaches and it was fantastic.

Summer Corn Soup with Shrimp

2010-07-28T16:17:00.003-05:00

the tomato brushetta we made the second time around eating the soup. Simply cut some tomatoes and drizzle some olive oil a dash a balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper; mix well.
Then take some crusty bread and brush both sides with olive oil and stick in the oven to toast for 10 minutes. Its that simple.

This is another great summer soup recipe that I found on another food blog called Sprouted Kitchen. I think it came out really good and loved the shrimp and avocado topping. This minus the soup would even be good in tacos. We had a lot of leftover soup so we had the next night with some hard boiled egg and bacon crumbled on top with a tomato bruschetta on the side. Very tasty.
Here is what you need for the soup:
4 ears of corn, kernels cut from the cob
4 cups vegetable stock or chicken stock
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 medium yellow onion, sliced thin
3 small Yukon gold potatoes or 1 large cut into cubes
1 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
cayenne or red pepper flakes to taste
2 teaspoons oregano
salt and black pepper to taste

Here is what you need for the shrimp topping:
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large avocado, diced
1 poblano chile
juice of 1 lime
1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
1 scallion, chopped

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Melt the butter in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the sliced onions and saute to coat. Cook until the onions just start to turn light brown. Peel the potato and cut into cubes, add it to the onion. Cut the kernels of corn off the cob, add them to the soup pot. Add the broth, spices and a few grinds of fresh pepper and allow everything to simmer, until corn and potatoes are cooked through.
Toss the shrimp in olive oil and salt and pepper and put on a baking pan. Cut the poblano chile in half length wise, and place it skin side up on the pan as well. Bake on the upper rack for 5 minutes until shrimp are cooked through. Remove the shrimp and set aside. Put the pepper back in the oven until the skin blisters. While waiting peel the tails off the shrimp. Remove the pepper and put it into a Ziploc bag to cool, this will help the skin peel off easier.
Check on the soup to make sure the potato and corn are cooked through. Using an immersion blender or regular blender, puree the soup. I left it a little chunky.
In a separate bowl, combine the shrimp pieces, lime juice, chopped herbs and scallions. Peel and cut the avocado and add to the bowl. Rub the skin off the chile, cut into small pieces. Toss together.
Serve soup in a bowl and spoon shrimp mixture over it.

The BEST Banana Bread

2010-07-28T15:59:00.003-05:00

Ok, so I know I have written about several banana recipes and I am sure you all are thinking, enough already with the bananas. But I have to share one last recipe that I have found to be the best banana bread I have ever made. I have used several banana bread recipes but this one tops them all. The original recipe came from a bakery in Boston called Flour Bakery which I have never been to but I have seen it on the food network, and it looks amazing. So, Food Network was kind enough to post their recipe for everyone to share in its glory. I have switched up one of the ingredients in it which I think is the key to this breads moistness. The original recipe calls for creme fraiche or sour cream which I don't use, instead I use low fat buttermilk. What also sets this recipe apart from others is that you beat the egg and sugar together until it is light and fluffy, so the cake is very light and airy and puffs up a lot when its baking. So enough talking let me give you this recipe so you can get to baking. :)

1 2/3 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup oil (i use canola oil)
3 1/2 bananas, very ripe, mashed
2 tablespoons low fat buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Set oven to 350 degrees. Line bottom of a loaf pan with parchment paper.
Sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Beat sugar and eggs with a whisk until light and fluffy, about 10 minutes. Drizzle in oil. Add mashed bananas, buttermilk, and vanilla. Fold in dry ingredients. Pour into a lined loaf pan and bake for about 45 minutes to 1 hour (depending on your oven, mine usually takes about 50 minutes).
let it cool on a wire rack in the pan for about 15 minutes. Then turn out onto a plate and let cool more.

Salmorejo Cordobes (Spanish Style Gazpacho)

2010-07-21T15:58:00.001-05:00

We made a very good Spanish style gazpacho the other night for dinner. I found this recipe on Bon Appetit's website. It was so fresh and delicious. We simply served it with some chopped cucumber, hard boiled egg, and crispy pancetta (or you can use bacon). This is the perfect summer meal for these hot and humid days.
Here is what you need:

1 cups room temperature water
1/2 tablespoon kosher salt
1 cups coarsely torn day old baguette with crust or any type of crusty bread you like
5 plum tomatoes, halved, seeded, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup coarsely chopped onion
1/8 cup sherry wine vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 garlic clove, peeled
1 cup lightly flavored extra virgin olive oil
2 hard boiled eggs, coarsely chopped
4 slices of pancetta or bacon, cooked till crispy and chopped
1/2 seedless cucumber chopped

Stir water and salt in medium bowl to dissolve. Add bread; soak for 30 minutes. Squeeze excess liquid from bread; reserve soaking liquid.
Puree half each chopped tomatoes, chopped onion, sherry vinegar, lemon juice, and garlic in blender until very smooth. With machine running, gradually add half of bread, adding reserved soaking liquid by tablespoonfuls if mixture is too thick to blend. Puree until very smooth. With machine running, gradually add half of the olive oil. Transfer to a large bowl. Repeat with remaining chopped tomatoes, chopped onion, sherry vinegar, fresh lemon juice, garlic, bread, and oil. Cover and chill at least 2 hours and up to 1 day. Or you can put it into your freezer for 15 minutes if you don't have 2 hours to chill it. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Divide soup into bowls; sprinkle with chopped egg, bacon, and cucumber. Drizzle with a little olive oil and serve. Serves 4

The Fruits of Our Labor

2010-07-18T17:28:00.003-05:00

We birthed our first baby watermelon today! She weighed in at about 25 pounds and had a gorgeous green skin and delicious red juicy insides. We cut the umbilical cord and it was love at first bite. We have 3 more babies on the way and are very excited. Hopefully they will be just as tasty as the first.

Lamb Loin Chops with Salsa Verde and Mediterranean Cous Cous Salad

2010-07-11T18:36:00.004-05:00

We were craving some lamb chops the other night so we made a simple salsa Verde to baste the lamb chops in while they were cooking which doubled as a dipping sauce later. This dinner came out great, and it was so pretty with all the colors.
To make the Salsa Verde you will need:
1 cup flat leaf parsley
2 green onions
2 tablespoons fresh mint
1 tablespoon capers, drained
1 lemon, juiced and zested
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup olive oil

In a blender, add the parsley, onions, mint, capers, lemon juice and zest, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper. Pulse until forms a thick paste. Then while the machine is running slowly add the olive oil. Taste to make sure it is to your liking, you can add more salt and pepper and red pepper flakes at this point. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 415 degrees. In a large cast iron skillet heat 2 tablespoons olive oil. Take the lamb chops and sprinkle with salt and pepper generously. Place them in the hot pan and sear till it is brown and forms a nice crust. Turn and baste the top with some of the salsa Verde. Then when the other side is browned turn once more and baste the other side with salsa Verde. Then turn the heat off and transfer to the oven to finish cooking. About 10 to 15 minutes depending on the size of the lamb chops.

For the Mediterranean Cous Cous Salad:
1 cup pearl cous cous
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1/2 pint grape tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup shelled, unsalted pistachios, toasted
1 tablespoon fresh mint
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

In a medium sauce pan, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil, add the cous cous and toast until it starts to turn golden; then add the chicken stock. Bring to a boil, then simmer covered until almost all the liquid is absorbed and cous cous is tender. Drain any excess liquid and transfer cous cous to a bowl to cool. Once at room temperature add the tomatoes, toasted pistachios, mint, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and salt and pepper. Mix until well combined.

Roasted Chicken with The BEST Potato Salad EVER

2010-07-11T18:14:00.003-05:00

The other night we had a very American meal, roast chicken and potato salad. You can never go wrong with the classics. I found this potato salad recipe on another fellow food blog called smitten kitchen. I have to say this has got to be one of the best potato salad's I have ever made. I am not a big potato salad person, I will rarely ever eat potato salad from a restaurant. Something about it doesn't sit well with me. I am not going to go into details about the roast chicken because I have posted a couple different roast chicken recipes that are really good, so please refer back to those when making this meal. Lets discuss this phenomenal potato salad, its really easy and can be made ahead.
Here is the recipe:

1 1/2 pounds medium red skinned potatoes, unpeeled, scrubbed, cut into 1 inch cubes
4 dill pickle spears coarsely chopped or I used dill relish which worked just as well (about 1/2 cup)
2 celery stalks, chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
2 hard boiled eggs, peeled, chopped
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon minced fresh dill
salt and pepper to taste

Cook potatoes in a large pot of boiling salted water until fork tender, about 15 minutes. Drain and cool, then transfer to a large bowl. Stir in pickles, celery, onion, eggs, mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, and dill. Season potato salad with salt and pepper. Mix until well combined and let stand for 30 minutes at room temperature before serving. Serves 4

Chocolate Cupcakes with Banana Butter Icing

2010-07-07T10:35:00.003-05:00

So I acquired the best chocolate cake recipe ever! Thanks to my sister in law's Aunt Mary Anne and Granny. This is a family recipe that has been passed down from generation to generation and I promise if you try this you will know why. It is the most moist and light cake, you will feel like its almost good for you! :) Aunt Mary Anne makes versions of this cake for every one's birthday's and I think every one's most excited about eating the cake more than opening presents! So it was an honor that they shared this family recipe with me, hopefully I do them proud.
So instead of making a cake I took this recipe and cut it in half to make chocolate cupcakes for my Uncle Leon's Birthday which is today. And I had some bananas that need to be eaten or else they were going in the trash so I decided to try a banana butter icing..which is more like a glaze rather than frosting. Then topped the cupcakes with mini chocolate peanut butter cups. I have to say for the first try I think the flavor combination is pretty good. But you have to like banana because the icing does not have a subtle banana flavor. Oh and one other note the cupcakes are very delicate so I would suggest once they have cooled to put them in the fridge for an hour before you ice them.
Here is the famous cake recipe cut in half from the original: Makes 12 cupcakes
1/3 cup butter softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cups sifted flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup boiling water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and sugar. Beat in egg until light. Add vanilla. In a different bowl, sift the flour three times with cocoa, baking soda, and salt (I honestly didn't sift these I just made sure that there were no lumps in the cocoa). Add dry ingredients to butter and sugar mixture alternately with buttermilk. Add boiling water last. Spoon batter into muffin tin lined with cupcake liners. Bake for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

For the Icing:
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1/4 cup mashed bananas
1/4 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 5/8 cups confectioners sugar
Cream together butter, banana, lemon juice, and vanilla. Slowly beat in confectioner's sugar, adding more if needed. Consistency is more like a glaze.
Ice the cooled cupcakes over parchment paper so the excess drops onto parchment paper and put in the fridge for the icing to set about and hour.

Pasta Salad with Cherry Tomatoes, Italian Sausage, and Green Olivada

2010-07-07T10:09:00.003-05:00

I think I have found our new favorite pasta dish. Its the new version of the pasta with sun dried tomato and sausage that I have posted before. I found this recipe from Bon Appetit and adapted slightly to my version by adding mild Italian sausage in place of the cheese. This is a great summer dish because its light and fresh. And in case your wondering an Olivada is an Italian olive spread, which has the consistency of a pesto. Its very flavorful and super easy to make.
Here is what you need:
1 garlic clove, peeled
2 cups coarsely chopped pitted green olives, divided
3 tablespoons capers, drained
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon anchovy paste
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
3 mild Italian sausage links, sliced into bite size pieces
1 pound gemelli, fusilli, or rotelle pasta
1 pint cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes, halved
2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano

In a food processor, add garlic with machine running through feed tube and process until finely chopped; turn off machine. Add 1 cup chopped olives, capers, red wine vinegar, anchovy paste, mustard, and crushed red pepper. Using the pulse button, process to chop coarsely. With machine running , gradually add 1/2 cup olive oil, forming coarse puree. Transfer to bowl; stir in remaining olives, season with salt and pepper. DO AHEAD (can be made up to 3 days in advance). Cover and refrigerate.

Cook sausage in a large skillet with a tablespoon of olive oil; until all sides are browned and sausage is cooked through. Take out and let sit on a plate with a paper towel, so the excess oil is drained off.
Meanwhile cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain well. Transfer drained pasta to a large bowl. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil; toss to coat. Let cool.
Add the Olivada, halved tomatoes, cooked sausage, and oregano to pasta; toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Pan Seared Halibut with Thai Coconut Sauce

2010-07-01T10:07:00.000-05:00

Last night I tried a out a new recipe that I found on Bon Appetit's website. I changed it up a bit from the original by changing the fish and opting not to grill outside since we were having torrential downpours. The original recipe called for Mahi Mahi which I love, but unfortunately the market did not have it, so I thought Halibut would work just as well..or really any mild white fish could work.
The flavors that came out of this sauce were phenomenal. It tasted like that coconut chicken soup that they serve at Thai restaurants, that is one of my favorites. I think in the winter I will take this sauce recipe and turn it into a soup that you poach the chicken pieces in. And even better was how simple this recipe was. Even the most novice of cooks could do this. :)

Here is what you need:
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
1 8-oz. bottle of clam juice
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
4 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves minced
1 teaspoon fish sauce
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced (you can use a Serrano Chile if you want more heat)
4 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, divided
4 tablespoons minced green onions, divided
1 pound halibut fillet

Combine first 6 ingredients in medium skillet. Add minced jalapeno or Serrano Chile depending on the level of heat desired; boil until sauce thickens slightly and is reduced to generous 3/4 cup, 8 to 9 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in 2 tablespoons cilantro and 2 tablespoons green onions. season with salt and pepper.
Brush fish all over with some of the sauce; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place fish in an oiled non stick skillet over medium high heat. Sear on skin side down first until browned about 5 to 7 minutes. Then flip the fish over and sear again until browned. Baste the fish with some of the sauce while its cooking. Fish is done when opaque in the center. Divide the coconut sauce among the plates, top with fish. Sprinkle with remaining cilantro and green onions. Serve with jasmine rice. Serves 2 to 3 people

Fried Egg with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes, Asparagus, and Leeks

2010-07-01T09:56:00.000-05:00

So after quite a busy weekend we didn't have much food in the fridge. And didn't feel like going out, so I took pretty much what we had left from last week and made a very delicious healthy meal. All I did was take a handful of asparagus, cherry tomatoes, and 1 leek that I cut in half lengthwise and then separated the layers. Just spread all of that onto a baking sheet and drizzled olive oil, salt and pepper and mixed it up until it was well coated. Then I popped that in a preheated 425 degree oven for about 25 minutes or until the leeks started to brown and the tomatoes started to break down. Then I just fried 2 eggs and served it up. It was a great meal!

Jam Packed Weekend

2010-06-29T17:03:00.000-05:00

the best surprise ever!

smoked fish platter..yum!

6 foot long sandwich

the birthday cake..chocolate cake with chocolate frosting..delicious!

the whole spread for Sunday

cotton candy!

fresh strawberries, blackberries, and meringue cookies

chocolate and raspberry souffle

Grandpa holding a baby picture of himself that his sister (aunt Doris) gave him

This past weekend, I traveled to Houston for my Grandpa's 2nd Bar Mitzvah celebrations. He just turned 83 and in Jewish tradition the "normal" life span is 70 years old. So for those that live past that age are said to start their life over again. So essentially, my grandpa is now 13 years old!
He did an amazing job chanting his Torah portion in perfect Hebrew and he gave an outstanding speech that touched on the events that lead up to this day. After the temple services we celebrated with a big dinner at Tony's, one of the premiere restaurants in Houston. I didn't get pictures of all the food, but I couldn't go without documenting the desserts! We had chocolate and raspberry souffle's and homemade cotton candy as well as fresh strawberries and meringue cookies!

Then on Sunday we through my mom a Surprise 60th Birthday party at her friend Sharyn's house. It was the best surprise ever, she had no clue what was going on! Just seeing the shock and excitement on her face was priceless. We had the party at lunch, so we went all out with the Jewish Deli food (my favorite). We had smoked salmon, smoked whitefish, bagels, pickled herring, deli sandwich's, blintz souffle, quiche..and it just keeps going.
So, of course I got pics of all the food to share with everyone.
I couldn't have asked for a better weekend with family and great food!

Pics from our yard

2010-06-20T11:48:00.001-05:00

So, I have a few non food related pictures I would like to share. I snapped some amazing pictures of these gorgeous butterflies and moths that hang out right outside the window of my office. They love to snack on the tree that's in our neighbors yard. I'm not sure the name of the tree but it has really pretty lilac flowers and the bees and butterflies seem to love it.
Then I got some pics of our land of the lost garden in the back yard, the basil and cilantro are loving this heat. And the watermelon plant grows like 6 feet a day. It has taken over the entire flower bed. But I am hoping to get some juicy watermelons out of it!
And then yesterday my Dad and Ann were here and helped re-do the landscaping in the front yard which was really exciting. We can barely move today but it was all worth it! It looks fantastic and I couldn't have done it without them!

Chicken with Tarragon and Quick-Roasted Garlic served with Southwestern Rice and Corn Salad with Lemon Dressing

2010-06-20T11:27:00.000-05:00

This chicken dish was so easy and so flavorful. The fresh tarragon brings such a fresh flavor to plain ole chicken breasts. I think tarragon is one of those spices that most people don't use a lot but it is so good. We served this chicken with a southwestern rice dish that was equally as tasty.
Here is what you need for the chicken:

3 large unpeeled garlic cloves
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup low sodium chicken stock
1 tablespoon fresh tarragon, chopped

Heat a small non stick skillet over medium heat. Add garlic; cover and cook until browned in spots and tender when pierced, turning occasionally, 9 to 10 minutes. Transfer to work surface to cool.
Meanwhile, sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a large non stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook until browned and cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes per side..depending on the thickness of the breasts. Transfer chicken to a plate.
Peel garlic. Add garlic and wine to same skillet;cook until reduced by half, mashing garlic finely with fork, about 1 minute. Add broth and tarragon; simmer until liquid is reduced by half, 3 to 4 minutes. Add butter and stir until melted and sauce looks a little creamy. Return chicken to skillet, along with any juices on the plate. Simmer to heat through turning occasionally, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate and spoon sauce over it.

For the Southwestern Rice:

1 cup long grain white rice
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
1/2 cup chopped fresh poblano chile
1 avocado, halved,peeled, and diced
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Cook rice until just tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Drain and rinse in cold water. Drain again.
Meanwhile, whisk lemon juice and 3 tablespoons oil in small bowl. Season with salt and fresh cracked pepper.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large non stick skillet over medium heat. Add corn and poblanos. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Saute until vegetables are just tender, 5 minutes. Scrape into a large bowl. Add rice, avocado, green onions, cilantro, and dressing; toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Pasta with Cauliflower, Anchovies, and Fried Croutons

2010-06-20T10:49:00.000-05:00

Everyone knows I love pasta and could probably eat it every day of the week if I could. So, I always am looking for new pasta recipes to switch it up a bit. I found this recipe in the Bon Apetit magazine. It sounds a little much with the croutons..sort of a carb overload..but it was actually a great combination. And for those of you who don't like anchovies, this is a very mild flavor and it doesn't make the pasta taste fishy. But, If you want to omit the anchovies all together I think that It would still taste just as good. Oh and I am not a big cauliflower fan, but the roasting makes them taste delicious!
Here's what you need:

1 large head of cauliflower, trimmed, cut into 1-inch florets
8 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 pound of shell pasta
3 slices crusty country style bread, cut into cubes
1 medium zucchini, cut into 1/3 inch cubes
3 garlic cloves, chopped
5 anchovy fillets, finely chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
3 tablespoons unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Toss cauliflower florets with 1 tablespoon olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper and spread in single layer on a large rimmed baking sheet. Roast until cauliflower florets are tender and beginning to brown in spots, stirring occasionally, about 25 minutes. Cool to room temperature.
Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but firm to the bite, stirring occasionally. Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup pasta water. Set pasta and cooking liquid aside. Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large deep non stick skillet. Add bread cubes and saute until golden brown and crisp, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl and cool.
In the same skillet add 2 more tablespoons of olive oil on medium high heat. Add zucchini and garlic and saute until zucchini is golden brown 3 to 4 minutes. Add cauliflower and anchovies and saute until heated through, 3 to 4 minutes. Season to taste with salt and fresh cracked pepper. Add pasta water, 3 tablespoons butter, parsley and drained pasta; toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper and divide pasta into bowls; sprinkle with croutons and parsley to garnish.

Orange Roughy with Roasted Fennel, Tomatoes, and Oil-Cured Olives

2010-06-18T15:15:00.000-05:00

Last week we made a great fish dish, that I think most everyone would like. That is if you like tomatoes, olives and fennel..and you would be crazy not to. This is a great dish for the summer because it is light and fresh and healthy.
All you need is the following ingredients:

1 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 large fresh fennel bulb with fronds attached, trimmed; bulb quartered lengthwise, then thinly sliced, fronds chopped and reserved for garnish
1/2 red onion, halved lengthwise through root end, thinly sliced
1 pound orange roughy filets, about 2 filets
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
3 large garlic cloves, peeled, and crushed
1/4 cup chopped fresh italian parsley
1/2 pound cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup oil cured black olives, pitted, and halved

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 400 degrees. Generously brush a baking sheet with olive oil. Arrange fennel slices in single layer. Top with onion slices in a single layer. Sprinkle with salt and fresh cracked pepper. Drizzle with olive oil to coat. Roast in oven for about 20 minutes or until the fennel and onion start to brown and caramelize.
Meanwhile rinse fish with water and pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle fish with salt and pepper. Lightly dust the fish on both sides with flour. Pour 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil in large pan. Heat over medium high heat until oil is hot. Place fish in pan and cook until golden brown on both sides about 3 minutes per side. Remove fish from pan and set aside. Using the same pan pour the wine in the pan and add the garlic and cook until wine has reduced to half. Then add the tomatoes and olives. And cook for another 3 minutes on low heat. Then place the fish back in the pan and sprinkle parsley on top; remove from the heat.
Take the roasted fennel and onion and place on the bottom of the plate then add the fish and sauce on top. Serve immediately.

Graduation

2010-06-15T08:32:00.000-05:00

beautiful fruit salad

my fave...lox and bagels

Leah getting ready to eat the french toast souffle

So a couple of weeks ago my cousin graduated from high school! So of course there was a big celebration with lots of delicious food. My other cousin who is already a college student decided it would be a good idea to make individual cakes for all her friends with the school mascot design on the top of the cake. It was quite an undertaking to say the least. But they turned out great, and were a big hit!
Congrats to Rachel for making it through some of the toughest years of your life! Now the real work begins! :)

Our 3rd Wedding Anniversary

2010-06-13T20:35:00.001-05:00

yellowtail roll with crispy shallots and avocado

spicy tuna roll

pork belly

beef on hot rock

lubina with almonds and grapes

yellowtail with yucca chips

baby octopus lollipops

My husband and I celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary on Thursday. We went to Uchi here in Austin. We went there last year for our 2nd anniversary and we loved it. So, we thought why not make it a tradition. Its not the type of place we would eat on a regular basis because its a little on the expensive side for us. But its perfect for special occasions. The food is like Japanese tapas. So, the plates are small and its best if you order a lot of different things so you can try as much as possible. Everything we have tried is fantastic and the service is amazing. The waiters are all so nice and knowledgeable about the food. So let me take you through a list of what we ordered...we got baby octopus lollipops, which sound weird, but they are so good. They are kind of sweet and smoky flavored because they are cooked on a grill. And simply served with a flavored sea salt. Then we ordered the yellowtail with yucca chips, raisins, and marcona almonds. Its such a great combination. Then we got the Japanese fish called lubina which was served with grapes and almonds. This dish was phenomenal, perfectly balanced flavors of smoky fish with sweet grapes. Then we had the pork belly which was our favorite dish of the night. It was served with watermelon radishes, kumquats, and Thai chili's. I just don't know how anyone could not like pork belly, especially when its served like this. Then we shared a couple of sushi rolls and we got Japanese beef that you cook on a hot rock. This was our least favorite, but not because it didn't taste good it was just not as good as all the other awesome dishes we had.
We got one dish of yellowtail and Thai chili's complimentary because it took them a while to bring out one of our courses. Which I have to say was pretty awesome. Then they made a special dessert for us because I couldn't eat any of their desserts on the menu (they were all dairy desserts). They made two different sorbets one of grape and some kind of Japanese fruit and then the other was pea and mint which was very interesting.
The best surprise of the whole night was when they brought us our bill and it was just a note that said Happy Anniversary from my uncle and aunt and cousins as well as my mom! We couldn't have asked for a better end to such a special day.

Been a little busy....

2010-06-05T12:59:00.001-05:00

So, I just wanted to touch base with all of my readers who look forward to getting my delicious recipes every week. I am sorry I haven't been writing for the past week and half. Things have been a little crazy. I am in the midst of starting my own company and working freelance for a friend of mine and have just not had the time to blog about new recipes. But fear not I am going to be posting some more delicious recipes soon. Please hold tight, everyone!
Thanks,
Michelle

Banana and Strawberry Muffins with Crumb Topping

2010-05-22T17:02:00.000-05:00

Here is yet another great way to use up those overly ripe banana's! I feel like I post a lot of banana recipes but that's only because I love banana's. That's pretty much my go to fruit. This was the first time I made these muffins and I think they came out pretty good. I used frozen strawberries, but next time I think I will try fresh strawberries. This recipe was adapted from the Every Day Home Cook blog.

For the muffins:
1/3 cup lactose free milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil or canola oil
1 large egg
2 medium ripe bananas, mashed
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
12 frozen strawberries or 6 fresh strawberries, halved

Crumb topping:
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons cold butter

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a 12 cup muffin pan with baking cups. In a large bowl, beat together milk, oil, and egg. Add mashed banana and mix well. Stir in flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt; just until mixed. Batter will be lumpy. Fill muffin cups up half way with batter. Place a strawberry in center of each muffin. Cover with remaining batter. To make crumb topping, cut butter into flour and sugar until crumby. Top batter with crumb topping. Bake 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown, and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack.
Makes 1 dozen.

Bacon and Edamame Linguine

2010-05-22T16:37:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite things to make and eat is pasta. I could probably eat it everyday. But one of the challenges with being Lactose intolerant is to find a way to omit the cheese from pasta and still have it be fantastic. Most pasta recipes have some kind of cheese thrown in, but I think pasta can be so light and healthy without all the cheese. This dish is bordering on the healthy since there is bacon and bacon fat involved, but man, it sure tastes good! :)
Here is what you need:
4 slabs of bacon, cut into bite size pieces
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 yellow onion, diced small
3/4 cup frozen shelled edamame
3/4 cup chicken stock
juice of 1 lemon
zest of 1 lemon
salt and fresh black pepper
pinch of red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon fresh mint, chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 pound linguine or fettuccine

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain.
In a large skillet cook the bacon, until browned. Remove the bacon with slotted spoon and set aside on a plate. Add the garlic and onion to the bacon fat, cook until onion is soft and translucent. Add the edamame, chicken stock, lemon juice and lemon zest. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 10 minutes. Add salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes, and butter. Stir until butter is melted. Remove from the heat.
Pour the sauce over pasta and add the mint and the cooked bacon, toss to combine.

Four Square--Gray Duck Gallery Opening Reception

2010-05-21T17:46:00.000-05:00

me with my cousins standing in front of some of K.C.'s pieces

me and my crazy uncle

Last night was the opening reception at the Gray Duck Gallery in Austin,TX. K.C. was one of the 4 artist's that were showcasing their work. The space turned out really nice and I think this will be a very successful gallery in Austin. The turn out for the opening night was great, even though K.C. didn't sell any paintings last night I think it was a success. A lot of people showed interest in his work which I think is all that matters. The work will be up for about a month, so please stop in and take a look if you get a chance.

Thai Chicken and Noodle Salad

2010-05-21T16:55:00.000-05:00

Last night we made a new recipe that I found from Martha Stewart. Her team is so good at these quick and easy recipes. This dish was super easy, the only thing that takes a while is that you have to marinate the chicken for a few hours or you could even do it overnight. The flavor in this dish was fantastic. I think Asian cooking at home can be difficult, sometimes its really hard to get the right flavors. But this dish was very successful and would recommend it to all.
Here is what you need:
1 1/4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, thinly sliced crosswise
Spicy Asian Dressing (see below for recipe)
3 1/2 oz. Chinese rice noodles, broken in half if long
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 carrots, sliced into ribbons with a vegetable peeler
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
1/2 cup dry roasted, unsalted peanuts, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh mint leaves chopped
1/2 jalapeno, diced small

Place chicken and half of dressing in a large Ziploc bag. Marinate in the fridge for at least an hour. But longer if you can.
In a large pot of boiling water, cook noodles until tender about 3 minutes. Drain, and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking. This is very important, or they will become very sticky and hard to work with. Transfer the cold noodles to a platter.
In a large skillet, heat oil over medium high. Working in batches, cook chicken until cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes each side. Transfer to platter on top of noodles.
Top with carrots, basil, peanuts, mint, and jalapeno. Drizzle remaining dressing on top and toss to combine.

Spicy Asian Dressing
4 thinly sliced scallions
2 minced garlic cloves
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup rice vinegar
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon fish sauce or anchovy paste
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

In a medium bowl, mix together all ingredients.

Grilled Shrimp Satay with Peaches and Bok Choy

2010-05-19T16:44:00.001-05:00

Last night we celebrated my best friend Shawna's Grad school completion. It was a long and grueling 2 years for her so we wanted to make her a nice meal. We tried something new that we have never made before. The recipe came from Bon Appetit Magazine, one of my favorites to browse when your standing in line at the grocery store. I think the recipe was pretty successful accept the peaches didn't grill so well. I think they needed to be a little less ripe. But the overall flavor of this dish was very good. Will definitely try it again.
Here is what you need:
6 tablespoons smooth natural peanut butter
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 to 2 tablespoons hot chili paste (such as sambal oelek)
9 tablespoons peach nectar, divided
3 peaches, cut into 6 wedges (make sure the peaches aren't too ripe, should still be a little hard)
16 uncooked shrimp, peeled and de-veined
6 heads of baby bok choy, halved lengthwise

Prepare barbecue. Whisk first 5 ingredients and 5 tablespoons of nectar until smooth; season with fresh black pepper.
Arrange peaches, and shrimp on skewers so its easier to grill. Brush the peaches, shrimp, and bok choy with 4 tablespoons nectar and 1/4 cup of sauce. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill until peaches are slightly charred, shrimp are just opaque in center, and bok choy halves are just tender, about 2 minutes per side for peaches and 3 minutes per side for shrimp and bok choy.
Mound shrimp, bok choy, and peaches on platter. Drizzle with some sauce. Serve with white jasmine rice and more sauce.

Snickerdoodles..yummmmm!

2010-05-19T16:28:00.001-05:00

I was introduced to snickerdoodles when I moved to Austin. Tiff's treats makes some amazingly delectable snickerdoodles! They are this soft buttery and sugary cookie with a cinnamon and sugar mixture sprinkled on the top. Just talking about them makes my mouth water. I decided to try to duplicate the Tiff's treats version and I think this recipe is pretty damn close...and dare I say maybe even better. They are very simple to make you just need a little patience because you have to let the dough sit in the fridge for at least a few hours or overnight if you have the will power.
Here is what you need:
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

For Rolling:
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugars;until smooth. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until smooth.
In another bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking soda, and cream of tartar.
Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix well.
Let dough rest in the fridge for at least 3 hours.
When ready preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a small bowl combine the sugar and cinnamon for the topping.
Take about 2 1/2 tablespoons of the dough and roll it into a ball. Roll this dough in the cinnamon/sugar mixture and press it onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Repeat with remaining cookies.
Bake the cookies for 12 to 14 minutes and no more. The cookies may seem undercooked, but will continue to develop after they are removed from the oven. When the cookies have cooled they should be soft and chewy in the middle. Makes around 20 cookies. Recipe courtesy of Brownsugarandhoney blog.

Pork Shoulder with North Carolina Slaw and Cornbread

2010-05-18T17:39:00.000-05:00

On Sunday night, we got the craving for some good ole southern food. So, I bought a pork shoulder which was bigger than my head and braised it in a dutch oven for 3 hours, until it was falling off the bone. This cut of meat is basically like the pork version of brisket, so you need to cook it low and slow. It has a lot of fat running through out the meat as well which gives it a lot of flavor! We served this with a big slice of home made cornbread and North Carolina Cole Slaw. For those of you who aren't familiar with North Carolina Slaw, it is not mayonnaise based. It is a more vinegar and ketchup based sauce which makes this slaw very tangy and great with pork. This is a great meal for a big group of people or you will have a lot of pulled pork left over for at least a couple more meals. Which is what we did!

Here is what you need for the pork shoulder:
1 bone in pork shoulder
John Henry's Pecan Rub
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
1 cup chicken stock
1 beer (any beer will work)
3 cups water
1 bay leaf
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Rub the John Henry's Pecan Rub all over the meat, very generously. Heat oil in a large pot over medium high heat, add the pork shoulder and cook until browned on all sides. Take the meat out and set aside. Add the onion and garlic to the pot and cook until the onion is translucent. Add the chicken stock, beer and half the water. Bring up to a boil. Put the meat back in the pot and add the rest of the water and the bay leaf. Cover and transfer to the oven; cook for 3 hours. Making sure to turn the meat over half way through the cooking time. It is done when the meat is falling away from the bone and can be shredded easily.

For the North Carolina Slaw:
1/4 cup onion grated or chopped very fine
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup ketchup
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1 celery stalk, chopped small
1 bag of coleslaw mix
Whisk first 6 ingredients in large bowl. Add cabbage and toss. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and chill for at least an hour.

For the Cornbread:
1 1/4 cups stone ground cornmeal
3/4 cups all purpose flour
4 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 1/3 cup milk (i used lactose free milk)
3 tablespoons melted butter
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Grease a large cast iron skillet or a 9x9 pan. Put the skillet in the oven to keep warm while you prepare everything. Whisk together cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In another bowl whisk together eggs and milk. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir just until combined.
Fold in melted butter. Scrape the batter into the skillet and spread evenly. Bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean; 20 minutes. Serve hot.

Chicken Chimichurri Grill

2010-05-16T16:31:00.000-05:00

Last night we had a grill fest so to speak. We got the inspiration from the Austin Statesman. In the food section they did a whole story on Argentinian foods and Chimichurri is one of their staples. You can put this sauce on just about anything and it will taste great. Its amazing how a simple charcoal grill and a little love can add so much flavor to chicken and vegetables. I have to say this meal was so tasty and satisfying. I think everyone who has a grill should definitely make this dish.
For the chicken you need:
1 1/4 pounds of boneless/skinless chicken breast
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Basic Chimichurri Sauce recipe follows:
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon minced garlic (about 4 cloves)
1 bay leaf, broken in half
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh flat leaf parsley, including stems
In a bowl stir together vinegar, water, garlic, bay leaf, salt, red pepper flakes, oregano, and black pepper. Whisk in oil until combined, then whisk in parsley. Let this stand for 30 minutes at room temperature. Remove bay leaf before serving. Reserve some for the chicken in a separate bowl.
Preheat your grill and when the grill is ready, season the chicken breast with salt and pepper, then brush them with the chimichurri sauce. Brush the chicken once more while cooking.

For the Grilled Vegetables:
1 yellow squash, sliced lengthwise
1 zucchini, sliced lengthwise
10 asparagus, bottoms removed
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Arrange the vegetables on a sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Mix everything with your hands until well coated.
Cook on the grill after the chicken is done.
Serve with jasmine rice and the reserved chimichurri sauce. You will love this!

Spring Chicken Ragu with Lemon Noodles

2010-05-08T11:32:00.000-05:00

This is a great recipe that I found once again from Martha Stewart. It is perfect for spring. Its light and fresh and really tasty! I think I could eat this at least once a week.
Here is what you need:

2 whole chicken breasts bone in, split and skinned
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 3/4 cups chicken stock
4 canned plum tomatoes, seeded and quartered
12 baby carrots, peeled and trimmed or 2 large carrots chopped
1/2 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
1 leek, cut into 1/4 inch rounds, well washed
1 cup frozen shelled edamame
fresh flat leaf parsley, for garnish
wide noodles, such as egg noodles or fettuccine
1 lemon zested and juiced
3 tablespoons butter
salt and pepper to taste

Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a large skillet, add chicken, and cook over medium high heat until golden brown on both sides, about 7 minutes total.
Add stock and tomatoes, bring to a boil, and cover. Cook on medium low heat for about 20 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through, remove and set aside.
Add carrots to skillet and cook, covered, until almost tender, about 5 minutes. Add asparagus, leeks, and edamame, and cook until all the vegetables are tender, about 5 more minutes.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta until al dente and drain. Heat butter, lemon juice, and zest in the pot and melt together. Add pasta and toss with salt and pepper.
Pull chicken from bone, and shred into large bite size pieces. Return chicken to skillet, and cook until heated through, about 2 minutes. Garnish with sprigs of parsley and serve over warm lemon noodles.

Fish Cakes with Coleslaw and Horseradish-Dill Sauce

2010-05-08T11:05:00.000-05:00

This is a great recipe for people who aren't big fish eaters. I for one am not a huge fish person and if I do eat fish it has to be some kind of mild white fish, preferably halibut or sole. We have tried this recipe with Mahi-Mahi but we think Halibut is the best for this. We have also made this into fish tacos! Instead of cakes just make them into a more oblong shape and put them in tortillas with some fresh cabbage and lime! But the original version is like a crab cake but the less expensive version of one.
Here is what you need:
2 large lemons
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup chopped green onions, divided
2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish
2 tablespoons prepared horseradish
3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill, divided
4 slices white bread, torn into pieces
8 oz. halibut or mahi-mahi, cut into 8 strips
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 8oz. bag coleslaw mix
2 tablespoons olive oil

Zest enough lemon peel to measure 2 1/2 teaspoons. Halve lemons; squeeze enough juice to measure 1/4 cup. Mix zest, 2 tablespoons juice, mayonnaise, 1/4 cup green onion, relish, horseradish, and 2 tablespoons dill in a bowl. Set sauce aside.
Grind bread to fine crumbs in food processor. Place 1 cup breadcrumbs in medium bowl. Place remaining breadcrumbs in 13x9 inch baking dish. In food processor pulse the fish until coarsely chopped (do not form paste). Add fish to bread crumbs in a bowl; gently mix in egg, 1 tablespoons sauce, and 1/4 cup green onion. Shape fish mixture into four 3 1/2 inch round cakes; thickly coat with breadcrumbs in baking dish.
Toss coleslaw mix, 3 tablespoons sauce, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, and 1 tablespoon dill in bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
Heat oil in a large non stick skillet over medium heat. Add fish cakes; saute until cooked through, about 2 minutes per side. Serve fish cakes with slaw and sauce. Serves 4

Hunting Prize Gala

2010-05-02T19:36:00.001-05:00

K.C.'s painting..which should have won!

the main room..decked out

the winning painting...priced at $15K!

cookie tower

macaroons

peach and raspberry tart

white chocolate raspberry mouse pyramids

tiramisu

sushi station

antipasto station

ice sculpture with raw oysters and ceviche shooters

the ice bar overflowing with shrimp and crab

This weekend we went to Houston for the Hunting Prize Gala. This is the largest monetary art prize in North America and it is held in Houston every year. K.C. was one of 137 finalist and we were keeping our fingers crossed that he won the $50K prize. Sadly, he did not win but we had a pretty good time considering. It took place at this beautiful building and was catered to the nines. There was every type of food you could imagine. In one room there was an ice sculpture holding fresh seafood, in another room were platters upon platters of antipasto, in another room there was a Mexican food station with tamales and an Asian pot sticker station, in another room were sushi chefs making all types of sushi fresh to order and finally in the other room was a beef carving station and a huge dessert table that was out of this world! The tables were decorated with the most gorgeous floral centerpieces, which we got to take home at the end of the night! So, we didn't leave there empty handed after all. The crowd was very bougie, there were top executives there from oil companies dropping close to 20 grand on paintings! It was definitely an interesting experience to say the least and I hope that K.C. is a finalist every year just so we can get some more of that amazing free food. Oh and I hope that he wins next time! :)

BBQ Pork Sandwiches with Cabbage Slaw

2010-05-01T08:41:00.001-05:00

Last night we made the most tasty sandwiches! These tasty morsels were so simple! These are very stress free and so easy to make, I swear. You get a great BBQ flavor without all the time and fuss standing over a grill. I think these are going to be one of our go to meals for sure. And guess who you got to give it up to once again...you got it..Martha Stewart!
Here is what you need for the Quick BBQ Sauce:
3/4 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (you can put more if you like spicy sauce)
Whisk all together in a small bowl.

Here is what you need for the sandwiches:
Quick BBQ sauce
1 or 2 pork tenderloins, 12 to 16 oz. each
coarse salt and black pepper
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons light brown sugar
5 cups finely shredded green cabbage
4 brioche rolls, or other soft sandwich rolls
Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Divide the BBQ sauce between two bowls. Use one for the raw meat; reserve the other for serving with sandwiches.
Place pork on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet; season with salt and pepper. Brush generously with sauce. Roast in oven, basting occasionally with more sauce. Until done about 25 minutes.
Meanwhile, make slaw: In a large bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, vinegar, mustard, and brown sugar until smooth; season with salt and pepper. Mix in cabbage.
Thinly slice pork, spread sauce on buns top with pork and slaw and if you like dill pickles. Enjoy!!!

Lemon Chicken with Mediterranean Orzo Salad

2010-04-25T16:30:00.000-05:00

We like to make this dish a lot because its easy, healthy and no fuss. The chicken is best if you allow it to marinade at least an hour. And its really good if you can grill outside, but if not a cast iron skillet will work perfectly. It also makes great leftovers for lunch the next day.
For the chicken you will need the following:
1 pound of boneless, skinless, chicken breasts (I usually take them and cut them in half length wise that way they are thinner and you get more bang for your buck!)
3 garlic cloves, chopped
juice of 1 lemon
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon thyme, fresh or dry is fine
1 teaspoon of rosemary, fresh or dry is fine
1/2 teaspoon cumin
2 tablespoons olive oil
Combine all ingredients in a large Ziploc bag with chicken and shake it all around until everything is mixed and chicken is coated well. Set aside in fridge for at least an hour. Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat, with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Place chicken in hot pan and cook on one side for about 6 minutes or until browned and flip and cook on the other side, until chicken is cooked all the way through.

For the Mediterranean Orzo Salad: (this is a cold salad so it can be made ahead of time) Adapted from here:
1 medium eggplant, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon of olive oil
8 oz. orzo
1/4 cup diced red onion
4 tablespoons minced Italian parsley
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1/2 medium sized cucumber, peeled and diced
2 tablespoons capers
2 tablespoons chopped sun dried tomatoes
16 kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
1/4 cup chopped marinated artichoke hearts
2 teaspoons lemon zest
2 teaspoons fresh mint
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
Heat oven to 400 degrees. On a baking sheet toss the eggplant with garlic and olive oil. Spread out on baking sheet and cook until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Stir occasionally for even browning. Meanwhile cook orzo, according to directions and drain. Remove eggplant to a large nonmetallic bowl. Add pasta and set aside to cool while you prepare the other ingredients.
Add in the rest of the ingredients and stir to combine. Drizzle with the 3 tablespoons of olive oil and season with salt and pepper and mix well.
Like I said, this salad makes a great lunch because it is cold and this serves about 6 as a side dish, so you will have leftovers if its only a couple people eating. The chicken also makes great sandwiches for lunch the next day as well. Enjoy!

Sausage, Tomato, Arugula Pizza

2010-04-23T15:53:00.000-05:00

K.C. and I love pizza, but ever since I was diagnosed with being a Lactard, our pizza days became numbered. Or so we thought..K.C. started making his own pizza dough, mostly because you can't really find a plain pizza crust at the grocery store. We have found one at Central Market in the frozen foods section, which is pretty good, but its not cheap. We found that making our own dough saved us money and it really isn't that complicated. Now, these pizzas that we are making are cheese-less, of course. But, we think they are just as good, all you need is fresh ingredients and a little time. I say time only because the dough has to sit and rise, but you can do this ahead of time and leave it until you are ready to use it. And we usually either make our own tomato sauce or in this case pesto (without cheese, which you would never know).
So, for the dough here is what you need:
3 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/3 cups warm water
1 packet rapid rise yeast
1/2 teaspoon olive oil
In a large bowl combine the flour, sugar, and salt. Mix well.
In a small bowl combine the water and yeast. Stir to combine and let sit for 5 minutes, to activate the yeast.
Make a well in the center of the flour mixture, pour the water and yeast mixture in. Mix with a fork until you can't mix with a fork anymore. Knead dough until smooth about 10 minutes. Drizzle 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil over the dough, set aside in a clean bowl covered with saran wrap until dough doubles in size, about 1 1/2 hours.
When you are ready to make the pizza, on a floured surface, take dough out and cut in half (this is enough for 2 pizzas). Flour a rolling pin and roll out dough until its about 1/4" thick. Place rolled out dough in a baking sheet dusted with cornmeal. Poke the dough with a fork all over and brush olive oil over the top. Cook in a preheated oven at 400 degrees, for about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and top with toppings. Spoon pesto on top of the pizza shell, top with sliced tomatoes, cooked sweet Italian sausage, and arugula. Drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Put back in 500 degree oven until crust is golden brown, about 5 minutes.

For the pesto:
1 garlic clove, chopped
1/2 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
zest of 1 lemon
juice of 1 lemon
salt and pepper
5 tablespoons olive oil
Put all the above ingredients in a blender and pulse until smooth. Taste and make sure the taste is to your liking, you might need to add more olive oil or salt and pepper.

Mediterranean Chicken with Cous Cous

2010-04-22T16:58:00.000-05:00

This dish is super simple to prepare and doesn't require a lot of attention. Its another one pot dish that you cook slow and low and when its done you have a mouth watering dinner. We love the flavors of the Mediterranean and at least once a week we make something with these flavors. What makes this dish so special is the combination of the salty olives with the tart and sweet orange zest. It brings a fresh take on a pretty classic chicken dish.
Here is what you need for the chicken:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound of chicken thighs on bone, skins removed
Salt and pepper
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
5 tablespoons tomato paste
2 cups chicken stock
couple handfuls of kalamata olives, halved
zest of 1 orange

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large skillet heat olive oil over medium high heat. Brown chicken in skillet on both sides. Remove from pan and set aside on a plate. Saute garlic and onion in skillet until onion is soft. Add tomato paste and stir in chicken stock. Bring to a boil. Add chicken back to skillet with olives and orange zest. Remove from heat. Put pan in oven covered for 50 minutes or until chicken is falling off the bone. Half way into cooking time turn chicken over.

For Cous Cous:
1 cup of pearl/Israeli cous cous, cook according to package instructions
1/4 cup unsalted pistachios, toasted
1/4 cup golden raisins
1 tablespoon fresh mint, chopped
juice of 1/2 lemon
salt and pepper

Cook cous cous until done, put into a medium bowl with toasted pistachios, raisins, mint, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Toss to combine well. Drizzle with a little olive oil. Serve with chicken.

Beef Stir-Fry with Snap Peas

2010-04-21T10:44:00.000-05:00

Martha pulled through again! We love Chinese food but don't want to spend the money to go out and eat it. So, we are always trying to find good recipes that aren't too complicated but pack all the right flavors. That is the problem with a lot of Asian food recipes, its never the same when you try to make it at home as it is when you get it at a restaurant. But this recipe we felt was pretty dead on as far as the flavor combinations go. And it was super simple and very budget friendly as well.
Here is the recipe that I got from here:
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 cup long grain white rice
1 pound sirloin steak, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
12 ounces snap peas, strings removed
2 scallions, white and green parts separated, thinly sliced diagonally
1 tablespoon grated peeled fresh ginger
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (about 1 lime)

In a medium saucepan with a lid, bring 2 cups salted water to a boil. Add rice, return to a boil. Stir once, and reduce to a simmer. Cover, and cook until rice is tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from heat, let stand, covered, 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork.
Ten minutes before rice is done, place steak in a medium bowl. Sprinkle with cornstarch, and season with salt and pepper, toss to coat. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Cook half the steak until browned on one side, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Repeat with remaining beef.
Add snap peas, white part of scallions, ginger, red pepper flakes, and 3/4 cup water to skillet, season with salt and pepper. Cook until snap peas turn bright green, 1 to 2 minutes. Return steak to skillet until cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat, and mix in green part of scallions and lime juice. Serve with rice.

Barton Creek Greenbelt

2010-04-20T10:56:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite things about living in Austin, is the fact that you can literally get away from everything in only a matter of minutes. We are in a fairly large city but there are these amazing outdoor havens tucked away amongst the bustling city life. We just have to drive 5 minutes and take a short hike and we are in a beautiful greenbelt with greenery and waterfalls. Its so amazing! It is my favorite place to just go and soak up the clean fresh air and recharge a little. And our dog Stacy loves wading in the pristine water, so its her favorite place too. Here are few pictures.

Wedding food

2010-04-19T11:14:00.000-05:00

This weekend was my step sister's wedding. It was a very simple and understated wedding. The ceremony was held at her house and the reception was at the Houston City Club. Of course I snapped a few pictures of the chocolate fountain and ice cream sundae table. I just love the colors of all the accoutrement's.

Spaghetti with Peas

2010-04-19T10:38:00.000-05:00

This is a quick and budget friendly recipe that is quite tasty. I made it vegetarian but I think it would be great with bacon or prosciutto tossed in at the end.
All you need is:

3 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
half a jalapeno, thinly sliced
1 lemon, zested
2 lemons, juiced
1 cup frozen peas
5 mint leaves, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1 pound spaghetti

In a large pot, bring salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package instructions.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium heat, add the olive oil to the hot pan. Drop the garlic and jalapeno in and saute, until garlic is fragrant. Add the lemon juice and peas, turn heat down to low, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook until peas turn bright green. Add the lemon zest and mint leaves, turn heat off.
Drain cooked pasta and toss with the pea mixture until well coated. Add a little more salt and pepper and a drizzle of olive oil and toss well. Serve immediately.

Beautiful Wildflowers

2010-04-19T10:35:00.001-05:00

I love Texas in the spring, the wildflowers are gorgeous and in abundance. Here are few pictures I took on our drive to Houston this weekend.

Brisket is the best!

2010-04-13T17:49:00.000-05:00

Growing up in Texas and being a Jew you generally eat a lot of brisket. I love when my dad would take a huge slab of meat and slow smoke it on the BBQ pit for hours. I mean you just can't go wrong with that. And my grandma would cook a mean brisket in the oven for hours on passover. Brisket is one of those comfort foods that is so familiar, even if you are in an unfamiliar place and your eating it, you feel as though you've been there before.
Its a cut of beef that is huge so you are always going to have leftovers unless you have an army of men coming for dinner. Brisket has to be cooked low and slow, or else it will be terrible. If you don't feel like manning the grill all day long then do it in the oven. Here is how I prepared mine:

1- 3 1/2 pound brisket
John Henry's Apple chipotle seasoning
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1-16 oz can diced tomatoes
4 cups beef broth
1 cup red wine
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Take the brisket and rub the seasoning all over the meat. In a large pot, or dutch oven, heat oil over high heat. Put the brisket in the pot and sear on all sides until brown. Take it out and set aside on a plate. Turn the heat down to medium and add the onions and garlic and cook until onions are soft and translucent. Add the tomatoes, red wine and beef broth. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the brisket back to the pot and cover. Transfer the pot to the oven and cook for 3 hours or until the meat flakes apart.
Serve with mashed potatoes.

The next day you can make soft tacos with the left over brisket. Just take a bag of chopped cabbage and mix it with chopped carrots, tomatoes, and red onion. Make a quick dressing with
apple cider vinegar, ketchup, honey,mayo, salt , pepper, and peanut oil. And pour over the slaw. Top the tacos with the slaw and enjoy!

Banana Coffee Cake with Chocolate Streusel Topping

2010-04-11T16:41:00.000-05:00

This has got to be the best coffee cake in the world aside from my grandmother's, of course. I found this recipe from another fellow food blogger bunsinmyoven.com. She was right this was scrumptious! I could sit there all day and eat this stuff. I would highly recommend making this if you ever have to bring something for a pot luck brunch. You will be the hit of the brunch, for sure.
Here is the recipe, adapted somewhat from the original:
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
2/3 cups packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 tablespoon of ground cinnamon
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon of salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temp.
1 large egg
1 1/3 cups mashed very ripe bananas (about 3 large)
3 tablespoons milk (i used lactose free milk)

preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8x8 inch baking dish.
Stir chocolate chips, brown sugar, walnuts, and cinnamon in a small bowl until well blended. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
In a large bowl, combine the sugar, butter, and egg until light and fluffy. Mix in mashed bananas and milk. Add flour mixture and blend well.
Spread half of batter in prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with half of streusel. Repeat with remaining batter and streusel. Bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack and serve.

Quick and Easy Shrimp Salad

2010-04-09T18:40:00.000-05:00

The other night we felt like having something light for dinner. So we made a roasted shrimp salad with bacon! Everything tastes better with bacon..doesn't it? This recipe is super easy and quick. All you have to do is:
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
Take about 12 shrimp that have been cleaned and shelled. Sprinkle olive oil over the shrimp just so they are coated well. Season them with "Nantucket Rub" or if you don't have this just use a combination of garlic powder, tarragon, dill, lemon pepper seasoning, paprika, and fennel seeds, and salt. Place on a baking sheet and pop them in the oven and cook for about 10 minutes or until they turn pink and opaque.
Meanwhile in a skillet cook 4 pieces of bacon until crispy.
In a large salad bowl, combine red leaf lettuce and arugula and a handful of cherry tomatoes.
To make the dressing please refer to my previous recipe for Cobb salad..I used the horseradish dressing which works fantastic with the shrimp.
Combine the bacon and shrimp with the lettuce and dressing and toss well.

Baked Chicken Thighs with Tomatoes and Chickpeas

2010-04-07T18:32:00.001-05:00

I love making one pot meals, they are the best, because there is minimal clean up and they don't require a lot of ingredients. This chicken dish is super tasty and very budget friendly.
All you need is the following:

1 package of chicken thighs
coarse salt and fresh black pepper
3 tablespoons of olive oil
1/2 pint of cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1 vine ripened tomato, roughly chopped
1 16oz. can chickpeas or garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
10 basil leaves, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a cast iron skillet or dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Generously salt and pepper the chicken thighs on both sides and place skin side down in the hot pan. Cook until skin turns golden brown, about 4 minutes. Turn and cook on the other side for another 4 minutes. Turn the heat off. Then put the tomatoes, chickpeas, basil and red pepper flakes in the pan with the chicken. Drizzle a little olive oil over the top and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Stir just so the tomatoes and chickpeas are coated well. Then put in the oven for about 35 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Serve immediately.

The best Meatloaf EVER!

2010-04-06T18:05:00.000-05:00

Last night we made meatloaf, but not just any meatloaf, it was the best one I have ever made! Meatloaves can be very tricky, I think its all about the ratio of meat to fillings. Sometimes, it can be too oniony, and sometimes it can be too dense. But this one was just right, it was moist with just the right amount of onion. I found this recipe from my favorite person, Martha Stewart, although I changed up the ratios of everything a little to make it my own. I promise this will be a crowd pleaser for your family and friends. Oh and we served it with honey glazed carrots and parsnips.
Here is the recipe for the meatloaf:
1 cup of panko bread crumbs
2 garlic cloves, chopped small
1/4 of a yellow onion, chopped small
1 celery stalk, chopped small
1 medium carrot, chopped small
1/4 cup of fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped small
1/2 pound of ground chuck(90 percent lean)
1/2 pound of ground pork
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup ketchup
1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
coarse salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 tablespoon of light brown sugar
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a medium bowl combine the bread crumbs,garlic, onion, celery, carrot, and parsley. Then add the meat, egg, 1/4 cup ketchup, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. Mix together with a fork until all is combined well.
Transfer mixture to a 5x9 inch loaf pan.
Stir together in a small bowl, remaining 1/4 cup ketchup and the brown sugar, until smooth. Brush onto top of meat. Set pan on a rimmed baking sheet, and bake until and instant read thermometer inserted into the center reaches 160 degrees, about an 1 hour. Let cool slightly.

Honey Glazed Carrots and Parsnips:
4 medium carrots, cut into sticks
2 parsnips, cut into sticks
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
water
salt and pepper to taste
In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the carrots and parsnips and cook for about 2 minutes. Add the honey and ground ginger and cook for another minute. Then add water just till it covers the carrots and parsnips, don't add too much water. Cover and simmer until the carrots are bright orange. Then take the lid off and simmer until liquid reduces to almost nothing, then add salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Cioppino (Seafood Stew)

2010-04-02T10:01:00.001-05:00

This is something that always sounds good but for some reason just seems like a daunting task. I think seafood can be very intimidating, for some reason. So last night I got brave and decided to take this dish on, and surprisingly it was very simple. And it tasted great too, I think this would be a great dish on a cool day with a bunch of friends and family. I found this recipe from my favorite person Martha Stewart, but adapted it slightly to my version. :)
Here is what you need:
3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, coarsely chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons fresh thyme
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 dried bay leaf
1 28oz. can whole peeled tomatoes with juice, crushed
1 1/4 cups dry white wine
1 1/4 cups water
1 cup bottled clam juice
12 little neck clams, scrubbed well
1 tilapia fillet (or you can use red snapper), cut into bite size pieces
3/4 pound of halibut, cut into bite size pieces
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Cook onion and garlic until onion is translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in thyme, oregano, red pepper flakes, and bay leaf.
Add crushed tomatoes and their juice, white wine, water, and clam juice; bring to a simmer.
Add clams, and simmer, covered,until the clam shells open, about 10 minutes. Season fish with salt and pepper. Add fish to the pot. Simmer, covered, until fish is opaque. Discard bay leaf and any unopened clams.
Remove pot from heat. Stir in parsley and season with salt and pepper.
Serve with crusty garlic bread.

Spaghetti with Raw Tomato Sauce

2010-04-02T09:47:00.000-05:00

This pasta dish we love to make when it starts to get warm out and the tomatoes are sweet and the basil is fresh. There are minimal ingredients in this dish so make sure you select the very best, otherwise the flavor will not be as good.
What you need:
4 vine ripened tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced
2 garlic cloves, sliced thin
10-12 fresh basil leaves, chopped
4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste
1 pound spaghetti or capellini
Take the tomatoes and make a cross through the flesh of the bottom of the tomato, do not cut all the way through the tomato. Then place the tomatoes in a large pot of boiling water for about 2 minutes, or until you see the skin separate from the flesh. Take the tomatoes out and let cool, then peel the skin off and dice and remove the seeds from the tomatoes, place in a large bowl. Then add the sliced garlic and fresh basil to the bowl. Drizzle the olive oil and salt and pepper over the tomato mixture. Mix well and set aside for 30 minutes, covered.
Then in a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook your pasta according to the package instructions. Drain the pasta well and toss with the tomato sauce that has been sitting for at least 30 minutes. Enjoy!

Branch Water Tavern, Houston,TX

2010-04-01T11:01:00.001-05:00

Last weekend we were in Houston we tried a new restaurant called Branch Water Tavern. If you are familiar with Houston, this building sits on the old site of the Cue and Cushion pool hall. They completely gutted this place because the inside doesn't smell of stale beer and cigarettes, which is a good thing! Instead you walk into a swanky dining room with green/white damask wallpaper and dark wood paneling accents. It is fresh and modern but with that dark pub feeling. The food was great, with the exception of my fish that came not fully cooked..but as soon as that was remedied..it was awesome! We ordered the charcuterie plate, which came with house made duck liver pate, which was out of this world and an assortment of pickled vegetables that complimented the meat perfectly. I ordered the red snapper, that came sitting on top of Israeli couscous and a romesco sauce. The flavors were great and for someone who is not much of a fish person this was perfect. My husband ordered the steak which he said was awesome and my mom ordered the salmon which she loved! My nephew Ben is not the most adventurous eater right now, so we ordered him the french fries and he couldn't stop telling us how delicious they were!
So, I would say all in all this place gets a big thumbs up and would definitely go there again and would recommend to all who in the Houston area.

Moroccan Chicken With Carrot Puree

2010-03-30T18:29:00.001-05:00

We tried this new recipe the other night that I found on saveur.com. We love flavors of Morocco so we thought this would be really tasty and it was! I would definitely recommend this one to everyone out there. Now this recipe is a little more advanced because of all the steps. But we think it is well worth it!
Here is the recipe adapted somewhat from the original:
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt and black pepper to taste
3 cups chicken broth
6-8 carrots, cut into 1/4" thick rounds
1/4 of a yellow onion, minced
1 cup fresh orange juice
2 tablespoons of unsalted butter
1 peeled orange, segmented
4 teaspoons of harissa
2 teaspoons sherry vinegar
3 oz. arugula
handful of pitted oil-cured black olives, roughly chopped
1/2 shallot, thinly sliced

Put the chicken into a dish, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Set aside. Bring broth to a boil in a pot over high heat. Add carrots and cook until tender, about 15-20 minutes. Drain and place in a bowl. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in the same pot over medium-high heat. Add onions, and cook until soft, about 4-5 minutes. Add the cooked carrots to the pot and cook for about 5 minutes. Puree in a food processor with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, keep warm.
Heat orange juice in a small pan over medium-high heat. Cook until reduced by half, 12-15 minutes. Whisk in the butter and season with salt and pepper. Add orange segments and set aside.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat a grill pan or cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken, and cook until browned on both sides. Then brush the harissa over the top of the chicken and transfer to the oven. Bake until cooked through about 6-8 minutes.
In a bowl, whisk together 3 tablespoons of olive oil and 2 teaspoons of harissa with sherry vinegar. Add greens, olives, and shallots and toss till well coated. Divide the carrot puree between the plates, top with the salad and a chicken breast. Spoon over the sauce.

Sausage and Tomato Fritatta for Two

2010-03-25T17:09:00.001-05:00

Last night I wanted to make something quick and easy, so I thought why not make a fritatta. Its delicious yet simple and quick. This is a great meal when you are too tired from a long day of work, its healthy and tastes great.
All you need is:
1 package of smoked sausage or chorizo (whatever you like)
handful of cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
1 teaspoon of fresh marjoram or parsley, chopped
4 eggs, whisked with salt and pepper and a dash of red chili flakes
1 scallion, sliced thin

In a saute pan on medium heat, brown the sausage on both sides, add the cherry tomatoes and marjoram, cook for 2 minutes. Pour the whisked eggs over the top of the sausage and tomatoes, with a fork move the edges of the egg inward and turn the heat down low. Sprinkle the scallion on top. Cook until egg sets, half way through I put a lid on to make sure the top of the egg gets cooked. Takes about 10 minutes.
Serve it immediately with a salad of your choice

St. John's Eve Pasta

2010-03-23T11:23:00.000-05:00

This recipe comes courtesy of Mario Batali's cook book "Molto Italiano", but it varies slightly from his original recipe. This was the first time we made this pasta recipe and we think it came out pretty good, not to brag or anything. :)
This recipe seems like it has a lot of steps but its pretty simple and most of these ingredients you should have in your pantry.

Handful of sliced blanched almonds
1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
1 cup fresh or panko bread crumbs
3 salt packed anchovies, rinsed, and chopped
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/4 of an onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups basic tomato sauce (we made our own but you could use a good tomato sauce from the store)
7 fresh basil leaves, chopped
1 package of fettucine or wide noodle like a papparadelle

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add 2 tablespoons of salt.
Meanwhile, in a large saute pan, gently toast the almonds in 1 tablespoon of olive oil, over medium heat until golden brown. Using a slotted spoon transfer the almonds to a plate. In the oil remaining in the pan, toast the bread crumbs, stirring until golden brown. Combine the bread crumbs and the almonds on the plate.
Add 2 tablespoons more olive oil to the pan and reduce the heat medium low. Stir in the anchovies and crush them in the olive oil with a fork. Add the anchovies and the oil to the bread crumb mixture and season with lots of black pepper.
Add 2 tablespoons to the pan and add the onion and garlic, cook gently until softened but not brown. Add the tomato sauce, bring to a simmer and cook until sauce has reduced about 1/3. Add the basil, remove from the heat and set aside.
Drop the pasta in the boiling water and cook until al dente. Drain the pasta and toss in the pan with the tomato sauce, add half the bread crumb mixture and mix well.
Transfer the pasta to a bowl and sprinkle the bread crumb mixture over the top. Serve immediately.

Avocado and Fried Egg Sandwich

2010-03-21T11:00:00.000-05:00

This morning I was looking in the fridge and was thinking to myself "we have no food, time to go to the grocery store". But, I was hungry and needed to come up with something for breakfast. We had some avocado's that needed to be eaten and 2 challah rolls left over from our lamb burger night, so I thought why not make a fried egg sandwich with avocado. So I sliced some avocado and squeezed some fresh lime on top, fried and egg, toasted the challah rolls, and whipped up some mayonnaise and harissa. Took the toasted roll smeared some harissa mayo on it and topped it with the fried egg and avocado, and presto! A tasty breakfast for me and my hubby!

Balthazar Roasted Chicken and Pan Roasted Root Vegetables

2010-03-21T10:29:00.000-05:00

I know I have already written about my version of baked chicken but the other night we decided to try the recipe from the Balthazar cook book. If you have never been to Balthazar in NYC, I would suggest going the next time you are in New York. This restaurant is always packed, no matter the time of day, and is always good. They definitely have their menu down to a science. They serve typical French cuisine but the quality is top notch. It is "the" restaurant you go to in New York to be seen and do some great people watching. The tables are so close together that you usually end up either hearing their entire conversation or joining in. We have made many of the recipes from their cook book but have never done their roast chicken. When it came out of the oven perfectly golden brown skin and smells of garlic, we knew it had to be good, but didn't know it would be "that" good! The meat was perfectly moist with this undertone of garlic that had permeated the meat, and the skin was so crisp and juicy you could make a meal of that alone. OK, now my mouth is watering, let me get down to giving you the secret recipe:
3 sprigs of fresh rosemary, finely chopped
6 sprigs of fresh thyme, finely chopped
8 sprigs of flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
4 tablespoons of butter, at room temperature
1/8 teaspoon plus 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon plus 1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 whole roasting chicken, rinsed and dried
1 head of garlic, split horizontally
3 tablespoons of olive oil

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
In a small bowl, combine half the rosemary, thyme, and parsley with the softened butter, using a fork to blend the herbs and butter. Season with 1/8 teaspoon of salt and pepper. Going through the neck opening, slide half the herbed butter under the skin of both breasts. Rub the remainder of the butter all over the outside of the chicken. Stuff the chicken cavity with the remaining herbs and the garlic. Season the outside of the chicken all over with remainder salt and pepper.
Over a high flame, heat the olive oil in a heavy ovenproof pan (cast iron skillet). Place the chicken on its sides, searing the leg and breast. Leave it in the pan for about 4 minutes, turning only when the bird is browned. Turn and repeat on the other side, and then the top, and bottom so that its browned on all sides. Spoon out some of the excess fat, and transfer the pan to the oven. Cook for 50 minutes, basting occasionally. The bird is done when the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees, or when the juices run clear from the joint between the leg and thigh. If the skin begins to burn cover with aluminum foil.

Pan Roasted Root vegetables:
1/4 cup olive oil
3 garlic cloves, crushed, skins removed
1 celery root, peeled and diced small
2 medium carrots, peeled and diced small
2 parsnips, peeled and diced small
2 sprigs of thyme
2 tablespoons of unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon of black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over a medium flame. Add the crushed garlic cloves and saute for 2 minutes, until the cloves just start to take on color. Add the diced vegetables and thyme and cook over high heat, stirring frequently with a spatula, for 5 minutes. Lower the flame and continue to cook, still stirring frequently, for another 10 minutes. Add a splash of water midway through the cooking time to provide some steam. Just before the end of the cooking time, add the butter. Season with salt and pepper and stir in parsley. The vegetables should be tender.

Lamb Burger with Harissa Mayo and Pickled Cucumbers

2010-03-19T10:00:00.000-05:00

I have to applaud myself for last night's lamb burger. I have never made a lamb burger before and this one I would definitely pay for in a restaurant. Yes it was that good! I think I might like lamb burger's better than beef burgers, that is, only if they are made like this. :) These were juicy and packed a lot of flavor. We topped them with a cool pickled cucumber salad and served them on a toasted Challah bun. Which is definitely the way to go! This recipe was adapted from Saveur's lamb burger recipe. Here is my version of the recipe:

3 tablespoons minced yellow onion
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound ground lamb
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon chopped flat leaf parsley
1 teaspoon chopped fresh mint
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh marjoram
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a small skillet over high heat. Add onions, cook until translucent, add the garlic, and cook a little more until the onions are browned. Let cool. In a bowl mix the cooked onion and garlic with the lamb, mustard, herbs, spices, and salt and pepper. Form meat into 1" thick patties. Makes 4 patties.
You can grill the burgers outside on a charcoal grill or I just did them inside in a cast iron skillet. If you are doing them inside on the cast iron skillet, heat the skillet over high heat, with a little cooking spray. Add the burgers and sear on one side for about 5 minutes on one side, or until browned and a little charred, flip and repeat for another 5 minutes.

Meanwhile make the Harissa Mayonnaise: take 1/4 cup mayonnaise and put in a small bowl. Stir in the juice of half a lemon and 1 teaspoon harissa. Add kosher salt to taste. Set aside.

To make the pickled cucumbers: Take 1/4 of an English cucumber, sliced very thin. 1/2 a shallot sliced very thin. In a small bowl combine 1/4 cup red wine vinegar, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1 teaspoon of sugar. Add the cucumbers and shallots and mix well. Set aside, the longer it sits the more pickled the cucumbers will become.

To assemble the burger: Toast a Challah bun and slather both sides with the harissa mayonnaise. Top with the lamb burger and the pickled cucumbers and sliced tomatoes. Serve Immediately.

Linguine Bolognese

2010-03-19T09:27:00.000-05:00

My husband and I love Italian food, I think we could eat almost everyday of the week. We went on our honeymoon to Italy and we both gained like 10 pounds, because we couldn't stop eating! I especially love pasta, and bolognese is one of my favorites. My husband makes this recipe for me and I swear I could eat the whole pot by myself, but I do show a little restraint. Here is the recipe:
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 carrots, diced small
2 celery stalks, diced small
1 medium yellow onion, diced small
1 pound ground sirloin
1/2 pound ground veal
salt and pepper to taste
6 oz. tomato paste
3/4 cup red wine
1 tablespoon of fresh thyme
5 oz. milk, (we use lactose free low fat milk, but you can use any milk, just not skim)

In a heavy saucepan, heat olive oil on medium high, add carrots, celery, and onion and cook until onions are translucent. Add the meats to the pan and add salt and pepper. Cook until the meats are browned. Stir in tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes. Add wine and cook for another 3 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and add the fresh thyme. Stir in the milk and simmer for 30-45 minutes.
Meanwhile bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the linguine and cook until done, about 7 minutes. Reserve a little bit of the salted, starchy pasta water. In a large bowl add the linguine and bolognese with a little bit of the pasta water and stir until the pasta is well coated with the sauce. Serve with Parmesan or not :).

Banana Espresso Chocolate Chip Muffins

2010-03-18T10:58:00.000-05:00

I started baking these muffins about a year ago when I bought the "Baked" cook book. This is the same cook book I got the chocolate chip cookie recipe from, so you know it has to be good! I love the combination of banana and chocolate and I love muffins. They are the best little snack when you are craving a delicious baked good. This is my cousin Rachel's favorite dessert that I make so every time I make them she calls dibs on at least half the batch! :)
Here is the recipe:
1 1/2 cups mashed, very ripe bananas (about 4 medium bananas)
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup whole milk (i use lactose free low fat milk)
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 12- cup muffin pan with non stick cooking spray or you can use paper muffin liners in the pan.
In a medium bowl, stir together the bananas, sugars, butter, milk, and egg.
In another large bowl, whisk together the flour, instant espresso powder, baking soda, and salt. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients into the well and stir until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.
Fill each cup about 3/4 full. Bake in the center of the oven for 20-25 minutes, until a tooth pick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Move the muffin pan to a cooling rack, and let cool 15 minutes. Remove the muffins from the pan and let them finish cooling on the cooling rack.
Muffins can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

Chocolate Chip Coconut Cookie Bars

2010-03-17T13:16:00.000-05:00

Last night we were invited to dinner at my Uncle and Aunt's house, to meet my Aunt's niece and her husband and baby who were in town visiting from Kansas. We were having an all vegan dinner because my Aunt's niece and her family are vegans. So I offered to bring the dessert! I have never made a vegan dessert before so I did some researching online and found this recipe for chocolate chip coconut cookie bars that looked really good. I found the recipe from another blog called passion 4 eating. The recipe is super simple and tastes great! You would never know that it was vegan! Here is the recipe:
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup unrefined granulated sugar
1/2 cup melted coconut oil (found this at central market or could get at whole foods too) this in place of butter
1/3 of a ripe banana, mashed (this is in place of the 1 egg)
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips (make sure they don't have any milk fat in them)
1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 35o degrees, lightly grease an 8x8 baking pan
Melt the coconut oil and allow to cool to room temp.
In a large bowl add the sugars and the cooled coconut oil and mix with a wooden spoon until combined. Then add the mashed banana and the vanilla. Beat again until well combined. In a smaller bowl combine the flour, baking soda, and salt until well mixed, then add to the sugar mixture. Mix until well blended but do not over beat. Add the chocolate chips and the coconut, mix well.
Scoop batter into baking pan. Smooth it out, and press evenly into pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Cool slightly before slicing into squares.

Best Brownie's Ever!!!

2010-03-15T17:32:00.000-05:00

I discovered the best brownie recipe from Martha Stewart! I have tried many brownie recipes from everyone and this one is the best by far! It is easy and they always come out perfectly moist with a nice crunchy top!
To get the recipe go to: Fudgy Brownies
Sorry this is a short post, got to run to dinner!!!

Warm Potato Salad with Smoked Salmon and Poached Egg

2010-03-12T08:19:00.000-06:00

Last night we wanted to make a simple and quick dinner and this potato salad is so easy and scrumptious! We love the combination of the potato, smoked salmon and egg..you just can't go wrong with that. Here is the recipe:
For the Potato Salad you will need the following:
6 small red new potatoes, quartered
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 green onion, sliced thin
2 tablespoons fresh flat leaf parsley
1 teaspoon of capers, drained
1 teaspoon of fresh dill, chopped
Dressing from the Cobb Salad entry
In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the potatoes until they are fork tender, about 10 minutes. Drain the potatoes and put aside and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Then in a medium skillet heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the potatoes and cook until they start to turn golden brown. Add the green onion, parsley,capers, and dill. Toss to combine and turn the heat off. Then add a couple tablespoons of the dressing, and toss to coat. Serve immediately with one poached egg on top and smoked salmon. Sprinkle with fresh dill on top and Enjoy!

The perfect Roast Chicken served with Roasted Potatoes and Heirloom Broccoli

2010-03-10T15:15:00.000-06:00

The other night we decided to have the classics for dinner. You can't go wrong with roasting a whole chicken. You usually have leftovers for sandwiches or salads the next day which is always the best. Our formula for a perfect roasted chicken is very simple.
1 whole roasting chicken, cleaned
3 tablespoons butter
1 whole red onion, quartered
1 whole lemon, sliced
"Nantucket Offshore", Mt. Olympus seasoning
3 tablespoons of olive oil
1 cup of chicken stock
Place the chopped onion and lemon in the bottom of a cast iron skillet or roasting pan. Place the chicken on top of the onion and lemon, this will prevent the bottom of the chicken from burning and will give lots of good flavor. Take pats of butter and put under the chicken skin, but be careful not to tear the skin. Take the olive oil and rub all over the body of the chicken. Sprinkle the whole chicken generously with the mt. Olympus seasoning. Place in a preheated 400 degree oven. Bake for 20 minutes and add chicken stock to bottom of pan. Put back in the 400 degree oven for another 30 minutes. Spoon the juices on the bottom of the pan over the chicken. Turn the heat down to 350 degrees and bake for another 30 minutes. Spoon more juice over the chicken and cook for another 10-15 minutes or until the thermometer reads 165-170, or make a slice in the crease of the leg and body and if the juices run clear then it is done.

Roasted Potatoes
1 pound of red new potatoes, quartered
1 shallot, diced
2 cloves garlic, diced
1 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
1/2 teaspoon of smoked paprika
2 tablespoons of olive oil
Toss the potatoes in all the above ingredients to coat well. Put the potatoes on a baking sheet, and bake at 350 degrees in the oven for about 30 minutes, or until they are golden brown.

Baked Broccoli
1 bunch of fresh broccoli
2 tablespoons of butter, melted
1/4 cup of panko bread crumbs
1 garlic clove, chopped finely
2 tablespoons of flat leaf parsley, chopped
1 lemon, zested
salt and pepper to taste
Take the broccoli and steam just until the broccoli turns bright green, run the broccoli under cold water to stop the cooking. Place the broccoli in a baking dish. Take the melted butter, bread crumbs, garlic, parsley, lemon zest, salt and pepper and combine in a bowl. Sprinkle this bread crumb mixture over the broccoli. Bake at 350 degrees until the bread crumbs start to turn golden brown about 20 minutes. *we bought our broccoli at the farmers market and the taste was a hundred times better than store bought broccoli!

Bow Tie pasta with Italian Tuna and Cherry Tomatoes

2010-03-08T12:36:00.000-06:00

We started making this dish about 5 years ago when we lived in Brooklyn and we were looking for a quick and easy pasta dish to make after a long day of the hustle and bustle of the city. We found this recipe in the William Sonoma Pasta cookbook. Some people might be thinking..canned tuna and pasta..but its actually a very classic combination of flavors..especially when you buy the Italian canned tuna or tuna in olive oil. The flavor of the tuna in the olive oil is so much better than the tuna in water..it brings a richness to this dish that you don't get with the tuna in the water. You can switch up the type of pasta you use as well, we like to use linguine and bow tie pasta. We have done many versions of this pasta, but we have found that roasting the tomatoes really brings out the best flavor. This recipe is also very economical, because most of these things you should have already in your pantry.
Here is the recipe:
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
2 green onions,thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 pound linguine or bow tie pasta
2 cans oil packed Italian tuna, drained and crumbled
2 tablespoons capers, drained
large handful of fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
1 lemon,zested
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat.
Meanwhile, place the cherry tomatoes on a large rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle with the green onions and garlic and drizzle with 1/4 cup olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and stir to combine. Bake until the tomatoes turn golden brown at the edges, about 15 minutes.
Generously salt the boiling water, add the pasta, and cook until al dente, 7-9 minutes.
Put the tuna, capers, and parsley in a warmed large shallow bowl. Drain the pasta, add it to the bowl, and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle lemon zest on top. Add the cherry tomato mixture and toss again gently.

The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

2010-03-07T12:47:00.000-06:00

I made, hands down the Best chocolate chip cookies ever, yesterday! The recipe comes from one of my favorite baking cook books called "Baked". The book was written by two guys who grew up in the south but they moved to Brooklyn and opened the best bakery in Red Hook, Brooklyn. So, all the recipes in their book are all very home made with a southern flair to them. They are all the classic desserts you grew up with but 100 times better! The chocolate chip cookie recipe I had made once before, but I had failed to read the recipe all the way through before I started and realized that I was supposed to refrigerate the cookie dough for 6 hours before baking! So, the first time I made these they tasted great but they were very flat and crunchy, which is not a bad thing, they just weren't how the "Baked" guys described them to be. They were supposed to be a little crisp on the outside and soft in the centers. Which is how I love my cookies. After the somewhat failed attempt the first go around, I decided to try them again yesterday since we had a BBQ to attend and my job was to bring the dessert. This time I let the dough sit in the refrigerator for about 3 1/2 hours, which definitely made a huge difference. Although there was a little bit of a mishap with the baking, the recipe says to place the dough balls on the cookie sheet 1 inch apart, which I did, but when they were baking they all started to melt into each other to form one large cookie! So, needless to say some of the edges didn't get crisp, and they made for a very interesting shape cookie! But they tasted phenomenal and were a big hit at the BBQ. So, here is the recipe:
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened (I know what your thinking this is a lot of butter but this recipe does make a lot of cookies and the butter is what makes these cookies so soft and gooey)
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 2/3 cups semisweet chocolate chips (I like to use bitter sweet chips and I don't use all 2 2/3 cups, I find that about 2 1/3 cups is just enough chocolate otherwise it gets a little too chocolaty)
In a large bowl, whisk the flour, salt, and baking soda together and set aside.
In another large bowl, beat the butter and sugars together until smooth and creamy. Scrape down the bowl and add the eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated. The mixture will look light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and beat for 5 seconds.
Add half the flour mixture and mix for 15 seconds. Add the remaining flour mixture and beat until just incorporated.
Using a spatula or wooden spoon, fold in the chocolate chips. Cover the bowl tightly and put in the refrigerator for 6 hours (I only did it for 3 1/2 hours).
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Using a tablespoon scoop out the dough and form into a ball with your hands and place on the prepared baking sheets. Space them 2 inches apart or they will melt into each other if they are too close. Bake for 12-14 minutes, rotating the pans once during the cooking time, until the edges of the cookies are golden brown and the tops just start to darken.
Remove the pan from the oven and cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Use a spatula to remove the cookies and place on the wire rack to finish cooling.
*The note in the cookbook says that you can make the dough and leave it in the fridge for up to 5 days and bake it off in small batches anytime you want warm, fresh from the oven cookies!

Beef Soft Tacos

2010-03-05T13:22:00.000-06:00

Ever since my husband and I moved to Austin, we seem to have taco night at least once a week. We never did this when we lived in Brooklyn, I guess its because you can't get good tortillas in Brooklyn and we didn't have a grill. I think the key to good beef tacos is grilling your meat. It gives the meat a nice crust and the flavor is just so much more intense. But you can certainly make this dish if you don't have a grill. We have done it before..just heat the meat in a hot skillet and brown it on all sides and then put it in the oven at 400 degrees to finish cooking.
We like to build our tacos with home made flour tortillas from (Central Market or HEB) guacamole, fresh tomatoes, shredded green cabbage, and salsa Verde from (Central Market).
For the meat:
1 skirt steak or flank steak (we prefer the skirt steak cause it has more fat on it, therefore is a little more tender and has more flavor)
Dry Rub: we use a prepackaged product called John Henry's East Texas Apple Chipotle seasoning. It is great! But if you don't have this you can make your own dry rub with
equal parts salt, brown sugar,paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper and cumin. Mix it all together and rub into the meat very generously.
Cook on a hot grill until done about 20 minutes.
For the Guacamole:
2 ripe avocado's, mashed
1 lime, juiced
1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped
1 jalapeno, finely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon of ground cumin
Mix everything together.

Slice your meat and build your tacos! Enjoy!

Shakshuka

2010-03-05T13:05:00.000-06:00

We were introduced to this North African dish by our good friends Kasey and Scott. The first time we ate it was at a Middle Eastern restaurant in Brooklyn. From that point on we fell in love with this tomato and egg dish. This dish was brought to Israel mainly by the Tunisian Jews after the Jewish exodus from the Arab lands. It is a great dish for brunch and we even love to eat it for a quick dinner. There are many variations to this dish, but here is the recipe that we used:
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4-1/2 onion, chopped (depends on how oniony you want it)
1 tablespoon olive oil plus more for drizzling
1/2 cup crushed tomatoes
1 fresh tomato chopped
1/2 teaspoon of harissa (this is a little hard to find in the grocery store, you will find it at Whole Foods, but if you can't find it, I would just use your favorite hot sauce)
4 eggs
coarse salt and pepper to taste
serve with a nice warm bread (pita or crusty loaf)

In a skillet saute the garlic and onion in the olive oil, until onions are fragrant and translucent. Add crushed tomatoes, fresh tomatoes, Harissa, and cook the sauce down on medium low heat for about 10 minutes. Add the eggs cracked directly into the pan. Drizzle olive oil lightly over them and add salt and pepper. Cover and cook for 5-7 minutes until egg whites are opaque.
This recipe serves 2.

Lemon Bars

2010-03-03T18:21:00.000-06:00

I grew up eating lemon bars that my grandma made and they were one of my favorite desserts. Once I found out that I was lactose intolerant I thought they were out of the picture for me. But I found a recipe from one of my fellow blogger's sweetcakesbakeshop.blogspot.com/, so we tried it out last night. They are so tart and buttery, my mouth starts to water just writing this. Oh, and I forgot to mention they are the easiest dessert to make!
Here is the recipe:
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup and 3 tablespoons confectioner's sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup all purpose flour
2/3 cup fresh lemon juice
confectioner's sugar for dusting
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and 8x8 inch baking pan.
Combine the flour, confectioner's sugar, and butter. Pat dough into prepared pan. Bake for 20 minutes, until slightly golden. While the crust is baking, whisk together eggs, granulated sugar, flour, and lemon juice until frothy. Pour this lemon mixture over the hot crust.
Return to the oven and bake for another 20 minutes, or until light golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. Dust the top with confectioner's sugar. Cut into squares.

Spanish Chicken with Saffron and Almond Sauce

2010-03-03T18:01:00.000-06:00

Last night we made this chicken dish that we had never made before. I got the recipe from Elle Magazine and the recipe was written by Tamasin Day-Lewis (Daniel Day-Lewis's sister). She is a cookbook author and I had never heard of her until I saw this article. This recipe we tried was packed with flavor and I would definitely make it again. Although at first glance it seems a little complicated but I have to say it was well worth it. The recipe follows:
Saffron threads
1 cup chicken stock, heated
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
3 sliced garlic cloves
1 thick slice stale bread, crusts removed
1 whole chicken, cut into 8-pieces
2 whole cloves, crushed
Dash nutmeg
1/2 cup Fino sherry
Sprig of bay leaves
Leaves of 4 thyme sprigs
36 whole blanched almonds (the recipe calls for Marcona almonds, but these are very expensive so we opted for plain old almonds) coarsely ground in a blender
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
spritz of lemon juice
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Soak saffron threads in a ladleful of the hot stock. Heat olive oil and garlic in a large skillet. Before it browns, remove garlic and set aside. Fry bread in same oil until browned. Place aside with the garlic. Season chicken with salt and pepper and sprinkle with nutmeg and crushed cloves. Add to skillet with a dash more oil if needed. Brown on all sides (about 20 minutes). Remove, then add remaining stock to skillet with sherry (please make sure to take the pan off the heat before you add the sherry, we almost set the house on fire!) Scrape to deglaze the pan. Let liquids bubble. Return the chicken back to the skillet. Add the finger crushed bay leaves and thyme. Simmer covered for 10 minutes. Meanwhile in a blender put the garlic, bread, stock with saffron, almonds, and parsley and pulse until it forms a sauce. You might have to add a little more chicken stock to get the saucy consistency. Add the sauce to the chicken and stir with juices. Cover and put in the oven for 30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked all the way through. Add the spritz of lemon. Serve with Basmati rice.

Sausage and Sundried Tomato Pasta

2010-03-02T17:09:00.001-06:00

One of our favorite chefs is Mario Batali, we have been to three of his restaurants in NYC and they are all outstanding! If you've never tried his food before you are definitely missing out. It is authentic Italian cuisine that makes your mouth water just thinking about it. We bought his cookbook Malto Italiano and have tried numerous recipes and they have all been wonderful. One in particular that we like to make is the Pasta with Sausage and Sun dried tomatoes. It is simple and has minimal ingredients and is great for a quick and easy dinner at home. We have adapted the recipe slightly according to what's available in our supermarket. The recipe follows:
6 cloves garlic, sliced
1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
1 pound sweet Italian sausage, remove from casings
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
6 sun dried tomatoes, sliced
1/4 to 1/2 cup of white wine
6 tablespoons of tomato paste
1 tablespoon of chopped fresh basil
1 pound wide pasta, we use a pasta that looks like lasagna noodles but about 3/4" wide, but you can use a fettuccine or paparadelle.
In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium high heat, add the garlic and cook until it starts to turn golden brown. Add the sausage meat to the pan and cook until cooked through. Add the salt and pepper to taste. Add the sun dried tomatoes, white wine, and tomato paste and cook until all combined and the wine reduces down. Turn the heat off.
Meanwhile fill a large pot with water and place on high heat with the lid on, until water starts to boil. Salt the water and add your pasta, cook according to package instructions. Reserve about 1/4 cup of the pasta water before you drain the pasta.
Add the drained pasta to the large skillet with the sausage mixture and toss with a little bit of the starchy pasta water. Add the chopped basil and toss one more time. Now its ready to serve!

Grilled Chicken Sandwich

2010-03-01T13:15:00.000-06:00

Last night we wanted to do something really simple and light, since we had been eating out for the past couple of days. So, we made grilled chicken breasts and a nice chopped salad and put it all on a yummy ciabatta roll with some herb mayo. I have to say it was pretty delicious!
To make the chicken breast:
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast
1 teaspoon of granulated garlic
1 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
1/2 teaspoon of smoked paprika
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 tablespoon of butter
4 ciabatta sandwich rolls, toasted
Take the chicken breast and slice in half lengthwise, that way you have a thinner piece of meat and you get more bang for your buck! Pound the chicken until about 1/4" thick. Rub the chicken breast on both sides with the spices. Heat the butter and olive oil in a large skillet on medium high heat, until the butter is bubbling. Add the chicken breasts and cook for about 6 min. on one side until it forms a nice browned crust. Turn the chicken over and cook for another 6 minutes.
Set aside to cool. Slice the breast on the bias to get flatter pieces for your sandwich.

For the salad: (we used a similar salad in the Valentine's dinner entry)
1/2 head of red leaf lettuce, chopped
1/2 cup of cherry tomatoes, chopped
1/2 English cucumber, chopped
1/2 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon of capers, chopped
For the dressing:
1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard
1/2 lemon juiced
2 teaspoons of red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
4 to 5 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
In a large salad bowl combine the lettuce,tomatoes, cucumber, parsley, and capers. In a small bowl whisk together the ingredients for the dressing. Pour the dressing over the vegetables and toss the salad until all combined.

For the herb mayo:
1/4 cup of mayo
1/2 lemon juiced
1/2 teaspoon of fresh thyme chopped
1/2 teaspoon of fresh marjoram chopped
1 tablespoon of fresh flat leaf parsley chopped
1 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
Combine all ingredients in a small bowl.

To put the sandwich together, take the toasted ciabatta rolls and slather the herb mayo on one side. Take the sliced chicken and place on the roll, then top the chicken with the chopped salad. Put the other side of the roll on top and slice in half. And it is ready to eat!

Olivia's Austin

2010-02-28T14:38:00.001-06:00

This afternoon we went to Olivia's for brunch which was sooooo good! We have been there for dinner before and it was amazing. The brunch was definitely one of the best brunch's I have ever had. We love this restaurant, the atmosphere is great, not too noisy, and great service. The team at Olivia's definitely knows what they're doing. We ordered a cinnamon roll to split which was covered in a cream cheese icing glaze, which I didn't know about until it came to the table, so I picked out the center part! But it was so buttery and rich, I don't think it really needs the glaze. But I guess it wouldn't really be a true cinnamon roll if it didn't have that. Needless to say it was amazing! Then I ordered the Lox plate, which was fantastic. They house smoke the salmon and it was served with 2 pieces of thick sliced home made bread. I could eat this every day if I could. My husband got their version of a Philly Cheese Steak sandwich. He said it was amazing, and I munched on his fries which are the perfect consistency of crispy goodness. My mom ordered the Olivia Benedict which she said was great. It had 2 perfectly poached eggs sitting on a bed of braised beef and home made biscuit, topped with perfect hollandaise sauce. She said it was very rich, but definitely one of the best things on the menu.
So once again, a great meal at Olivia's. I would suggest this restaurant to anyone who loves to eat!

Parkside Austin

2010-02-28T14:26:00.000-06:00

Last night we went to dinner at Parkside on 6th street. The restaurant reminded me a lot of Blue Ribbon in Brooklyn,NY. The atmosphere of the restaurant was young and hip. It was a bit noisy so it was very difficult to hear the person sitting across from you at the table. I wouldn't recommend bringing and older person who has hearing problems here. But the food was good, its known for its raw bar and oyster selection. Which is not my cup of tea, so I opted for the steak, which was good, but not fantastic. My husband got the braised pork cheeks which were very tasty. The standout of the whole meal were the desserts! We got the chocolate sticky toffee pudding which was out of this world! Sorry to say I didn't get a picture of this because we got a little too excited and ate the whole thing before I remembered to snap a photo. And we also got the cream filled donuts, which I didn't eat since there was cream in them but the presentation was gorgeous and from what everyone said they didn't taste too bad either.
So, I would definitely go back for dinner but maybe would go a little earlier than 8pm, since it was so loud and 6th street gets pretty crazy on a Saturday night.

Breakfast for dinner

2010-02-19T14:01:00.000-06:00

My favorite meal of the day is breakfast and nothing beats having breakfast for dinner! So last night we made pancakes and bacon for dinner. I have to say pancakes are just about the best thing on the planet, when they are made right. They have to be moist, not too big, with just the right amount of sweetness. And you have to use real Maple Syrup, none of that imitation syrup, please!
I used to make this pancake recipe that had yogurt in it, but ever since I became a lactard, I can't make that recipe anymore. So, I have found that the basic pancake recipe in the Joy of Cooking cookbook is great, and I just substitute whole milk with lactose free milk, and they are just as good.
Here is the recipe:
Whisk together in a large bowl:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3 tablespoons of sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
Whisk together in another bowl:
1 1/2 cups milk
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and gently whisk them together, mixing just until combined. If you wish you can fold in any type of fruit, nut, or chocolate chip.
Spoon 1/3 cup batter onto the preheated griddle or non stick pan. Make sure to butter your pan first and it should be on medium low heat. Cook each pancake until the top of them is speckled with bubbles and some bubbles have popped open, then flip and cook until underside is lightly brown. Serve immediately or keep warm in a 200 degree oven.

Spaghetti and Meatballs

2010-02-19T12:58:00.000-06:00

About a year ago we decided that we needed to start cutting back on our grocery spending. We felt like we would spend all this money on buying vegetables and fruit and it would end up going bad in our refrigerator because we would forget to use it or we just couldn't eat it fast enough. So we came up with a plan to start making a menu at the beginning of each week, that way we would know exactly what we needed to buy from the grocery store and not waist anything. This has been such a great way for us to save money and we suggest it to anyone who is trying to stay on a budget. It also eliminates the question of "what are we eating tonight?" and saves us time during the week since we know exactly what we are eating everyday. Its also a great way to remember to use things for more than one meal, for instance we make a whole chicken and we can use it for at least 2 more meals. So your getting more bang for your buck!
One of our go to meals is spaghetti and meatballs, its so easy and scrumptious. We save money by not buying a jarred sauce, we make our own which is so easy. Here's how:

Marinara Sauce:
1 small yellow onion, chopped
2 medium carrots, diced
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1 28oz. can whole San Marzano tomatoes
1 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of fresh black pepper
1 teaspoon of dry basil

In a large saucepan on medium heat, cook the onion and carrot in the olive oil, until soft, about 10 minutes. Then you add the tomatoes, break them up as they go in the pan. Cook for 20-25 minutes. Add the salt, pepper, and basil. Take off the heat and pulse with a hand blender until smooth or if you don't have a hand blender then you can use a regular stand blender. Taste to make sure the seasoning is to you liking, adjust if need be. This is it, its so easy and quick and you can make a lot of it and store in the freezer and take out when you need sauce.

Meatballs:
1 egg beaten
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
3/4 lb. ground beef
1/2 lb. ground pork
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
1/2 teaspoon of dry basil
1/2 teaspoon of dry oregano

In a small saute pan, on medium heat, heat olive oil and add onions, cook until soft and a little browned. Set aside.
In a large bowl beat egg. Add breadcrumbs into egg and stir until combined. Add meats and cooked onion and all spices. Mix with hands until well combined.
Put foil down onto a large baking sheet and start to form your meatballs. Place on the baking sheet as you form them, this is just a holding station until you are ready to cook the meatballs.
Then in a large cast iron skillet or large saute pan, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil on medium heat, then place meatballs in the pan. Cook until browned on all sides, they don't have to be cooked all the way through. As soon as they are browned on all sides place in your Marinara sauce. Have your marinara sauce on the stove on low. The meatballs will finish cooking in the sauce on low for another 15 minutes.
Meanwhile put a large pot of water on the stove and bring to a boil. Salt your water and add the spaghetti or linguine. Follow cooking instructions on the package. Drain the pasta and add your meatballs and sauce to your pasta.

Grilled Chicken and Zucchini

2010-02-16T14:08:00.000-06:00

One of the best things about living in Austin is that you can grill in February! When we moved from Brooklyn, NY to Austin one of the most exciting things was that we could own a grill and that we could use it pretty much all year round! Grilling just gives food such amazing flavor that you just can't achieve inside on a stove top or in an oven.
So, last night we made grilled chicken and fresh grilled zucchini and served it over creamy polenta.
We always grill on hardwood lump charcoal, we feel it is a much better flavor than regular charcoal.
To prepare the chicken:

1 whole roasting chicken, quartered
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh black pepper
1 teaspoon of smoked paprika
1 teaspoon of dry oregano
1 teaspoon of dry parsley
1 teaspoon of dry rosemary
1 teaspoon of dry thyme
1 teaspoon of dry basil
2 tablespoons of olive oil

Clean and quarter a whole chicken. In a bowl combine all spices. Coat the chicken with olive oil and rub spice mixture into skin very liberally. Put on grill and turn chicken after 12 minutes, cook until meat thermometer reads 165 degrees. Takes around total of 25 minutes on a very hot grill surface.

For the zucchini: Slice 2 zucchini's lengthwise into 1/4" thick strips. Brush with extra virgin olive oil and place on hot grill. Cook on one side for 5 minutes and turn and cook for another 3 minutes or until both sides are caramelized. Immediately sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile to prepare the Polenta:
Bring 6 cups of water to a boil. Add a teaspoon of salt to boiling water. Stir in 1 3/4 cups of cornmeal. Keep stirring until it starts to thicken, add 3 to 4 tablespoons of butter until desired creaminess. Season with salt and pepper.

Chocolate Cupcakes for Rae's Birthday!

2010-02-16T13:15:00.000-06:00

So my cousin Rachel turned 18 today! She is the biggest chocoholic in the world, so I decided why not make her the most chocolaty cupcakes she's ever had. The cupcake recipe comes from the "at home with Magnolia" cook book. But the icing recipe is from Ghirardelli Chocolate. This was my first time making these cupcakes and I thought the flavor was good but they are more dense than a regular cupcake. Just an FYI, so if you don't mind a non traditional cupcake these are great! Here is the recipe:

Cupcakes:
2 cups cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temp.
6 oz. unsweetened chocolate, melted
1 1/3 cups whole milk (I use lactose free low fat milk)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two 12-cup muffin tins with 18 cupcake papers.
In a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugars and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the chocolate, mixing until well incorporated. Add the dry ingredients in three parts, alternating with the milk and vanilla. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated but do not over beat. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl, making sure the ingredients are well blended, and the batter is smooth. Carefully spoon the batter into the cupcake liners, filling them about three-quarters full. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean.
Cool the cupcakes in the tins for 15 minutes. Remove from the tins and cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.

Chocolate Butter cream Frosting:
6 tablespoons butter, softened
2 2/3 cups confectioner's sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/3 cup milk (I used lactose free low fat milk)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

In bowl, beat butter until light and fluffy. In a separate bowl, mix confectioner's sugar with cocoa. Blend sugar mixture with butter alternately with milk, beating well after each addition. Beat until smooth. Blend in vanilla.
FYI in the picture I topped them with crushed up chocolate heath bar. Which gives them a nice crunch.

Valentine's Dinner

2010-02-15T10:32:00.001-06:00

My sweet husband made the most delicious and healthy Valentine's dinner last night. It was flank steak that he marinaded in Worcestershire sauce, garlic, salt, pepper, red wine vinegar, and Crystal hot sauce. And a beautiful chopped Mediterranean salad, that had green bell pepper, chopped red topped lettuce, flat leaf parsley, scallions, cherry tomatoes, kalamata olives, and English cucumber. It was perfectly dressed in a vinaigrette that had shallots, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, salt, pepper, red wine vinegar, and olive oil. He served it with warm garlic bread to sop up all the yummy juices from the salad and the steak.
Sorry I don't have exact measurements for this one, since my hubby prepared it all.
Oh and he surprised me with the most amazing chocolate covered strawberries! Unfortunately I don't have a picture of them since I gobbled them up so fast. LOL!

2010-02-12T10:08:00.000-06:00

In November of 2008 my mom and I took a trip to Israel. This was not my first trip but I hadn't been there since the summer of 1998 so it had been 10years. A lot had changed in the city of Jerusalem but at the same time everything was all too familiar. Israel is such a magical place, I think it has something to do with the history, the people, and all the cultures and religions. Its such a melting pot. The sites, sounds, and smells of the city of Jerusalem always make me feel like I am somewhere exotic but at the same time I feel at ease and at home. The food in Israel is always so amazing, and they have such great produce. The outside food markets are always beaming with colors and great aromas. I took a few pictures on my trip and thought I would share them.

Venison Chili

2010-02-12T09:04:00.000-06:00

The weather in Austin has not been our typical winter. It has been cold and rainy, and yesterday was no exception. It was the perfect day to make a steaming hot pot of venison chili. We get the best venison meat from my step sister and her hubby. George goes hunting every year and comes back with freezer loads of venison meat. So, we are always happy to take some of it off their hands. This recipe is on the mild side since my poor stomach can't take much heat but you can certainly add cayenne to the recipe if you want to kick it up a notch. This is also real Texas chili, you won't find any beans here! Also I don't really do any measuring when making chili so please feel free to adjust my measurements if you need to.

1 tablespoon of olive oil
1/2 yellow onion diced
4 garlic cloves chopped
1 pound ground venison (you can use any kind of ground meat you like)
1 tablespoon of ground cumin
1/2 cup of chili powder
1 28oz. can whole peeled tomatoes
1 8oz. can of tomato sauce
1 cup of chicken stock
1 1/2 cups water
2 bay leaves
2 cinnamon sticks
2 carrots diced
1 package of Burton beef/pork smoked sausage sliced

In a large pot heat oil on medium high heat, add onions and garlic, and saute for a few minutes until onions start to soften. Add ground venison to the pot, saute until meat is browned. Add cumin and chili powder to meat mixture. Add whole can tomatoes, breaking them up as you put them into pot. Add tomato sauce, chicken stock, and water and stir until all combined. Add bay leaves and cinnamon sticks. Bring to a boil and turn heat down to low. Simmer uncovered for around 30 minutes. Add carrots and sausage to pot. Simmer for another 30 minutes or until carrots are soft and cooked through. Serves 6. We like to eat ours with fresh toasted sourdough bread. YUM!

Open Faced Steak Sandwich with herb mayo

2010-02-11T11:59:00.000-06:00

Oh Martha how do I love thee! We started making this delicious sandwich last summer and we can't stop. It is the perfect combination of tender beef with just the right amount of herb mayo and peppery, crisp arugula. It is an open faced sandwich but could work as a regular closed sandwich but we personally think that's too much bread and it ruins the flavor of the beef. This is a perfect picnic meal for lunch or dinner. Again we have changed the recipe up slightly from the original version. Here we go:

1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 1/2 pounds tender cut of beef (we usually use a flank steak, but we have used a sirloin steak but there is more fat to trim off)
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
4 cloves Roasted garlic (roasting garlic is simple take the cloves and put them in foil and sprinkle them with olive oil, wrap them up in the foil to make a pouch and put into a 400 degree oven for about 15 minutes or until the garlic is soft and spreadable.)
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon of chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
1 teaspoon of chopped fresh thyme
1 tablespoon of chopped fresh marjoram
1 baguette or sourdough loaf, sliced into sandwich size pieces
1 cup baby arugula

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Heat oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Generously season beef with salt and pepper. Add to skillet, and brown on all sides, about 10 minutes total. Transfer skillet to oven.
2. Roast until beef registers 130 for medium-rare, 20-25 minutes. This time depends on how thick your beef is. Take beef out and let stand for 15 minutes. Cut into 1/4 inch thick slices.
3. Meanwhile, mash garlic with fork in a small bowl. Stir in mayonnaise,lemon juice, and herbs. Season with salt and pepper. You can store this in your refrigerator for up to 1 day.
4. Toast your bread. Spread 1 tablespoon of mayo on each bread slice. Top with beef. And just before serving add arugula and season with salt and pepper.

Almond Coconut Macaroons

2010-02-11T10:26:00.000-06:00

Last year around Passover I discovered a great and easy coconut macaroon recipe from Martha Stewart. These tasty little morsels are the perfect treat, they are low in fat and only take 15 minutes to make! I have tried them several ways, one time I tried them with chocolate chips instead of the almonds, which I have to say were pretty good! And I normally use roasted and salted almonds and omit the salt from the original recipe which I find to be a lot tastier than using boring blanched almonds. Here is the recipe:

1/3 cup sugar
1 large egg white
1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/4 cup whole almonds, chopped (i use roasted and salted almonds)
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
pinch of coarse salt (which i leave out since the almonds are already salted)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with a nonstick baking mat or parchment paper. Whisk together sugar and egg white in a large bowl. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Form dough into eight 2-tablespoon mounds, and drop each onto sheet, 2 inches apart. Bake macaroons until golden brown on bottoms and edges, about 15 minutes. Let cool on sheets for 5 minutes. Transfer to wire racks, and let cool. They will keep covered for up to 1 week. Makes 8

Did someone say Swedish Meatballs???

2010-02-10T10:20:00.000-06:00

One of my favorite comfort foods is Swedish Meatballs. I can remember when I was probably about 10 or so my grandma made Swedish Meatballs for me and it was the most exciting combination of flavors. From that point on I fell in love with them. They are so rich and decadent, I love the flavor of the seared meatball crust with a hint of allspice and nutmeg coated in that rich and creamy sauce with the fresh burst of dill. You got to give it up to the Swedes for this mouth watering goodness. So last night I made my version of Swedish Meatballs, I say my version because it is cream free. Since everyone knows I am a Lactard. Here is my recipe, now keep in mind I dont do any measuring when making this dish, so I am going to try to get the measurements as exact as possible for you guys:

1/2 yellow onion diced
3 tablespoons of unsalted butter
1 egg beaten
1/4 cup of bread crumbs
1/4 cup of milk (i use lactose free low fat milk)
1/2 pound of ground pork
3/4 pound of ground chuck
1/4 teaspoon of allspice
1/4 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon of fresh ground black pepper
1 teaspoon of kosher salt
3 tablespoons of olive oil
1/4 cup of flour
2 1/2 cups of chicken stock or beef stock
1 tablespoon of fresh dill chopped
1 package of egg noodles

1. Take the chopped onion and saute in a pan over medium heat with 1 tablespoon of butter until onions are soft and a little caramelized. Set aside to cool.
2. In a large bowl beat the egg, add the breadcrumbs and milk and stir to combine. Then add your pork, beef, allspice, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Mix well until everything is incorporated. Form your meatballs into 1 oz. portions, they should be on the smaller side that way they don't take as long to cook.
3. Meanwhile fill a large pot with water and put on high heat covered until water starts to boil. Add 1 tablespoon of salt to boiling water. Drop noodles in water and cook until done. Drain noodles and set aside.
4. Heat a large skillet with 3 tablespoons of olive oil on medium high heat. Place meatballs in the hot pan and brown on all sides. Once the meatballs are browned on all sides take out and place aside on a plate.
5. Turn your heat down to low and add 1 teaspoon of butter and 1/4 cup of flour to the pan drippings. Scrape the drippings from the bottom of pan to form a paste with the flour and butter. Cook for a few minutes until the flour starts to brown. Then slowly add the chicken stock to the flour with a whisk. Whisking the flour and stock together until smooth. Stirring occasionally until sauce starts to thicken about 10 minutes. Once sauce is thickened add remaining butter and put the meatballs back into the sauce. Cook on low for another 5 to 7 minutes or until meatballs are cooked all the way through. Turn the heat off and add your dill to the sauce. Serve over egg noodles immediately. Serves 4
ENJOY!

My version of Cobb Salad

2010-02-09T12:00:00.000-06:00

I am frequently reading Martha Stewart Living Magazine and I find the best recipes in there. Martha has some awesome ideas! So in the back of each magazine she has these cute little recipe cards that you can rip out and keep in your recipe box, which is so awesome! One of my favorite recipes which I have adapted slightly is her Bibb Lettuce Salad with Horseradish Dressing. Now I am not really a salad kind of girl, but this dressing is just so good, I could put it on just about everything. Now I have added my own little twist to the recipe by adding crispy bacon and shredded roast chicken. It is great as an entree or a side salad. Here is the recipe:
2 large eggs
2 strips of your favorite bacon
1 roasted chicken breast shredded ( we usually roast a chicken the night before and have the leftovers for the salad, but you could buy a rotisserie chicken from the grocery)
2 tablespoons prepared horseradish
2 tablespoons champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons of honey
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 large head Bibb lettuce, torn into 1 1/2-inch pieces

Place eggs in a small pot, and cover with cold water by 1 1/2 inches. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat. Cover, and let stand for 12 minutes. Rinse with cold water, peel, and chop. Set aside
Place 2 strips of bacon in frying pan on high, turn over once it starts to brown, brown on other side and drain on paper towels. Chop the bacon into bite size pieces. Set aside.
Combine horseradish, vinegar, honey, mustard, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Add oil in a slow, steady stream, whisking until emulsified. Arrange lettuce on a serving platter, sprinkle with chopped egg, bacon, and shredded chicken, and drizzle with vinaigrette. Serves 2 to 3

The best snack..

2010-02-09T11:47:00.000-06:00

I recently discovered the best packaged hummus called Grandma's Hummus. It is made locally here in Austin,TX by company called The Mediterranean Chef
This stuff tastes so fresh and authentic, its like you have stepped into a falaffel stand in Tel Aviv. She sells her products at Central Market
I also suggest trying her stuffed grape leaves or Dolmas, because they are out of this world good! So go out and get some, I promise you will not be disappointed.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

2010-02-08T16:18:00.000-06:00

I am going to continue on my cookie obsession. Last night I decided to make Oatmeal Chocolate Chip cookies from The Buttercup Bake Shop Cookbook. This is one of my favorite cookbooks. It is written by Jennifer Appel who is the co author of the Magnolia Bakery Cookbook. Anyone who has been to NYC knows what the Magnolia Bakery is, only the most delectable dessert heaven you have ever been to! So as you can imagine Jennifer's cookbook does not disappoint. Here is her recipe:
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 large egg, room temp.
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup rolled oats (not quick cooking oats)
6 oz. semisweet chocolate chips (I use bittersweet chips)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease two or three 12x18 inch baking sheets. In a medium bowl, combine the flour,baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In a large bowl, cream the butter with the sugars until fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and mix well. Add the flour mixture and beat thoroughly. Stir in the oats and chocolate chips. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto prepared cookie sheets, leaving several inches between for expansion (this is very important, these cookies spread a lot). Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until lightly golden brown. Cool the cookies on the sheets for 1 minute, then remove to a rack to cool completely.
Makes 2 to 3 dozen cookies.

MMM....Cookies

2010-02-08T16:04:00.000-06:00

So, there is this amazing cookie bakery in Austin,TX. Its called Tiffs Treats. They make the best snickerdoodles, and as a matter of fact I can't complain about any of their cookie flavors. The weather has been so gloomy and cold I needed a pick me up, so I made a cookie delivery! How amazing is it that you can order however many cookies you want on their website http://www.cookiedelivery.com/ and they come freshly baked and still warm to your doorstep when you want them!!!! They definitely hit the spot!

Auditorium Shores

2010-02-03T14:15:00.000-06:00

This one comes to us via my wife. Apparently this guy looked exactly like his Mastiff... notice the shirt matches the dogs coat! All class right 'der.

Steeping Room at the Domain

2010-01-25T09:06:00.000-06:00

Normally I'm not a fan of malls or places in malls that serve food, but the Steeping Room is an exception. I think they are locally owned. They have a full brunch/lunch menu and a Tea menu that reads more like a wine list. You should check them out if you are in the area. The Sunday Latkes taste like they stole them from my in-laws Chanukah party, and the double chocolate cupcakes ( not pictured ) are scary good. I really like that they serve coffee in a ceramic French press. Coffee always tastes better when made to order. If you go... sit outside. The Domain makes for some good people watching.

freaky friday 'sans' Jamie Lee Curtis

2010-01-22T17:12:00.000-06:00

Yeah.... I don't really have a logical explanation. You had to be there.

Women and their work

2010-01-18T13:12:00.000-06:00

Is it too much to ask to put a note on your website? I'm guessing this gallery doesn't get a ton of pop-ins.

La Boite

2010-01-12T11:04:00.000-06:00

I had reservations about this place. I wasn't sure I was cool enough to buy coffee out of a converted shipping container. I imagined I would have to answer a series of questions about environmentally sensitive construction before being deemed worthy. Luckily this wasn't the case. Despite it's rigid construction it's a really laid back environment. The coffee is excellent, and the almond croissant was solid. I didn't have my camera, so I did a quick illustration. If you are on S Lamar you should stop by. Check them out here.

Noriko Ambe

2010-01-07T10:14:00.000-06:00

I finally got to see this show. I liked it, but Noriko's other work should not be missed. You can see it here. Here are a few images from Lora Reynolds Gallery

Snack Bar

2010-01-04T10:25:00.000-06:00

On Saturday we stopped by Snack Bar on South Congress. I'm not a food critic. So I'll keep this short. Bottom line, this place has potential. The flavors are there, but the presentation is lacking. The burger was good. The fennel cured salmon tasted really good, but it looked like it was cut with a chain saw and it was missing elements listed on the menu. When Snack Bar gets their presentation and service figured out ( some one needs to train the staff ) they will be a great addition to South Congress.

Twenty Ten Day 1

2010-01-04T10:09:00.000-06:00

I woke up early on the first. Over my usual coffee ( Sierra from Whole Foods) some toast, and " Francis Bacon: Anatomy of an enigma" I decided I needed to learn more about the city I live in. So I'm starting this BLOG in an effort to learn more about Austin.