February 2012
3 posts
6 tags
WINTER 2012, RECIPE 5: BALSAMIC AND HONEY GLAZED...
Ahhh root vegetables. I’ve been avoiding them a bit, as they are quite the typical winter go-to. They’re easy; they’re a winter regular. It’s hard to reinvent something that has been done a million times over!
I have to admit, I am a huge canned beet fan. On salad or straight up! I love them. Before trying my hand at this recipe, I had never touched a fresh one in my...
WINTER 2012, RECIPE 4: CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES.
I’m having a really hard time believing that it’s almost Valentine’s Day. Has winter even begun? It feels like just last week I was opening my Christmas presents.
I’ve always been pretty excited about Valentines Day. When a holiday revolves itself around sweets, sign me up. I’ve also been a firm believer that Valentines Day should be about telling...
WINTER 2012, RECIPE 3: CHOCOLATE RED WINE CAKE.
If there’s ever a time for a good slice of cake (besides a birthday, of course) it’s winter. And I’ll have you know— I do pride myself on making a good cake every now and then. Inspiration for the following came from (eh-hem) the glass of red wine I drink every night. Wouldn’t it be delicious drenched in chocolate and baked, with ice cream on top? Although it...
January 2012
4 posts
WTF Wednesday: French Press Coffee How-To
I love the heck out of coffee. Back in the day when I worked at a coffee shop, there was nothing better than waking up early, biking into work and making myself the biggest espresso drink on the face of the earth. Now’a days, I don’t have that luxury (well, not for free anyway) SO I’ve done a little bit of experimentation. What’s the best home coffee? Anything...
5 tags
WINTER 2012, RECIPE 2: CRANBERRY-PEAR COMPOTE WITH...
Nigella Lawson is, and will always be, one of my absolute favorites. Not for her recipes but her simple approach and awesome attitude towards cooking and life in general; recipes will never be prepared the same twice, and that’s ok (I’d like to think there are other, bigger metaphors in that). I saw her make something along these lines (via rerun on Youtube), but switched things up...
WINTER 2012, RECIPE 1: CAULIFLOWER SOUP WITH WHITE...
Happy holidays and new year! I took this past week off to enjoy the festivities (and eat my weight in sugar daily). And I was absolutely spoiled this year! I think my two favorite things I got for Christmas were my new Instax Mini and a 50mm lens for my DSLR! Thanks Mom and Dad. Anyway, it’s officially winter! I’ll try not to bore you guys with an onslaught of stews and root...
December 2011
8 posts
FALL 2011, RECIPE 13: EGGNOG CUPCAKES
HAPPY HOLIDAYS! It’s the last day of fall, and my last recipe is JUST in the nick of time. SO, I’ve gotten a few requests for christmas-time cupcakes. To me, the holidays equal twinkling lights, pine tree candles, red wine and maybe a glass of eggnog to top the night off. Last year my mom made wonderful homemade eggnog which gave me the inspiration for these! Top with a little bit of...
sugarpumpkin asked: Hey! I'm the owner of food porn and just wanted to drop by to tell you that I love your blog lots! Thanks for the submissions! x
FALL 2011, RECIPE 12: VEGAN KALE/PUMPKIN STUFFED...
Kale is a beautiful, beautiful green. The amount of nutrients and vitamins in a serving of kale is pretty unbelievable… and I can’t believe I haven’t used it yet, in any recipe. To give the kale-virgins an idea of the taste and texture, I’ve always thought it had the texture and toughness of seaweed, without the salty fishy taste. SO PART II: I wanted to make some vegan italian...
FALL 2011, RECIPE 11: VEGAN CHEESE, RICOTTA STYLE
I’d like to start by saying: I do tend to have issues with ‘fake’ products. By this I mean soy based ‘meats’ that have a ton of additives, and of course fake cheese. Fake products that are so fake that they end up being bad for you? That’s where I draw the line. I mean, cheese is one of the most beautiful things on earth! And one of my favorite things in...
8 tags
FALL 2011, RECIPE 10: SPARKLY PERSIMMON COOKIES
‘Tis the season for a good cookie recipe… and although I absolutely can’t knock the sugar cookie, they get a little old this time of year.
Before this recipe, I had never touched a persimmon. They look too exotic, too foreign sitting there by themselves in the produce section. It wasn’t until did a little research on in-season fruit did I discover little orange guy…
1 large...
9 tags
FALL 2011, RECIPE 9: WHOLE WHEAT WAFFLES
There are a few things better than waking up on a Sunday, going grocery shopping early in the morning, and realizing they have waffle irons on sale for less than $10. That said, I decided it was time to make a delicious stand-by recipe for whole wheat waffles. More importantly, I wanted a recipe that I could eat a ton of without feeling too terribly (the holidays.. ya know, they get to us...
4 tags
WTF Wednesday: How do I make homemade coffee...
I hate to say it, but my day hasn’t begun until I’ve had my cup of coffee. I’ve turned into one of them... One of those sassy “don’t you DARE ask me anything until I have this cup’a joe in me” people. I’m not proud.
Typically, I just go for the plain strong stuff. Little cream, lots of sugar. Every once in a while (and I mean a blue moon), I like...
6 tags
FALL 2011, RECIPE 8: ASIAN PEAR/GINGERSNAP CRISP.
Christmas is coming! CHRISTMAS IS COMING! And you don’t want to be that person who shows up at a party with yet another apple crisp. I thought of this idea because of my love for asian pears: they’re in season and a tart, delicious fruit that holds up so well when baking. So, get adventurous (or miss out on something awesome).
3 medium asian pears, peeled, cored and...
4 tags
WTF Wednesday: How do I pop healthier popcorn?
Popcorn is my favorite snack (I know… that’s a bold statement). To boot, I like it best late at night, in my bed while watching a movie (and I pretty much watch a movie every night so this turns into a problem). SO WTF?! How to I make a healthier popcorn, that I can feel ok about eating before bed?
You air pop it. I know what you’re thinking, so I’ll get this out of the...
November 2011
5 posts
WTF Thanksgiving: What do I do with my leftover...
Everyone has one family member who does it; they use real cranberries instead of the delicious, gelled, can-shaped stuff. And although it’s delicious, I’m sorry but it’s just not right! Thanksgiving day is incomplete without the slapping sounds of canned cranberry sauces hitting the dish. So, WTF: what do I do with leftover REAL cranberry sauce? Strain it, and put...
FALL 2011, RECIPE 7: CHAI TEA
The past few weeks have been busy and things are only going to get worse. At work, I’m training someone and also learning a new job. At home, the holidays are coming up. Things have been stressful and this weekend I was ready to sit back and enjoy some much-needed time off… …and WHAT ELSE could say hello to a Sunday better than a nice warm cup of homemade chai?
3 bags of black tea
1...
6 tags
FALL 2011, RECIPE 6: OLIVE OIL/LEMON/PEAR BREAD
There are a lot of reasons why pears are one of my favorite fruits of all time; even as a little kid, I’d let them sit on the counter for far too long ensuring it would end up a drippy, fleshy mess by the end of first bite.
Their velvet consistency and sickly-sweetness have made pears a wonderful baking ingredient which is often overlooked. Maybe it’s because they...
WTF Wednesdays: Does the "passive cooking method"...
It’s all over the internets right now; cooking your pasta perfectly al dente with using less energy. This go-green approach is endorsed by cooks all over the country who swear it creates tastier, less-starchy dishes of pasty over traditional methods. AND, to say the least, I was interested. So, WTF! Does the “passive method” work?
It all starts with a typical pot of...
October 2011
14 posts
3 tags
WTF Wednesdays: How do I substitute butter for...
Cutting back on the amount of saturated fats one eats is always a GOOD THING. And, for anyone like me who has a hard time cutting out baked goods completely, it’s nice to omit the whole “butter” thing and have my treat taste just as delicious.
So: for every 1/4 c. of butter your recipe calls for, use 3 tbs. of olive oil. Although your caloric intake will be about the...
5 tags
FALL 2011, RECIPE 5: RICOTTA CHEESE
Happy National Food Day! In honor, I made cheese. I mean… what else would celebrate my love for food greater than heavy cream? I think the answer is a very clear nothing.
I would like to begin by saying I was hesitant; whenever “milk” and “curdling” are within the vicinity of each other, it’s hard for one to jump in head-first. But I will say, with the...
dandelionchild asked: Just saw your post about pomegranates! I just wanted to offer another way to do it in order to extract all the seeds, if you needed them to make chocolate fudge pomegranate cookies- fill up a large or medium sized mixing bowl with water (not too cold because you're going to be putting your hands in it!). Cut the pomegranate in fourths. Then put it in the water and start to break the seeds...
4 tags
WTF Wednesday: How do I properly cut a...
It’s really hard for me to believe that fall time is pomegranate season. It’s, like, a huge berry! With delicious juice! And it’s pink! Nothing pink grows during fall…
For how delicious they are, pomegranates are equally as difficult to cut open; the mess, the stains, and the wasting of the precious precious juice. So, WTF! How do I cut a pomegranate without wasting one drop?
...
Anonymous asked: Would you please consider tagging your recipe posts as #recipes or something like that? You got so many delicious ones that I'd like to try out, but I'm so sure that I'm missing a bunch of them when I try to look for them with the search functionality. :(
6 tags
This weekend/week...
I finally took a fall-time trip. Pumpkins, apples and mums GALORE. A wonderful friend of mine works at a local farm and gives me the first-class treatment. Carving is fun! But, I picked up a sugar pumpkin for baking.
Cool tip: He noted that sugar pumpkins with the crackly skin like a cantaloupe were the best for roasting. I think a pumpkin soup is in my near future.
…And...
4 tags
FALL 2011, RECIPE 4: BUTTERNUT SQUASH BISCUITS
There are a lot of reasons why frozen butternut squash is essential in a fall/winter kitchen.
Not only is it cheap, it’s delicious, easy, and the health benefits are, to say the least, outstanding: butternut squash contains vitamin c, potassium, and an AMAZING level of antioxidants which are essential during cold, dry months when fresh berries and juices aren’t aplenty. A...
3 tags
WTF Wednesdays: How do I harvest basil?
One of the most important (not to mention delicious) parts of keeping a basil plant flourishing is the harvest. Letting your plant grow to an unreasonable size guarantees an less-flavorful crop, and pruning too much can easily kill your prized plant! So, WTF: how do I keep my potted basil looking awesome?
Harvesting your plant is easy. Pick no more than 1/3 of the leaves from all over,...
Newsletter, food-talk and 'thanks'!
Team! I have some pretty exciting information: the ABD newsletter has begun, giving you a look behind the scenes and special member-only recipes (!!!!). This might include a contest in the near future including FREE GIVEAWAYS (yes. F R E E). Subscribe here!
I’m not sure about you guys, but this week has been BUSY. This cup of coffee was so awesome this morning, I had to take a picture...
5 tags
FALL 2011, RECIPE 3: ALMOND PLUM BREAKFAST...
We are at the tail-end of plum season. In lieu, it was time I baked with these bad-boys before our time was up. When I think of baking with fruit, I always overlook plums. Why? I have no idea. They’re sweet, tart and hold up to heat pretty well! Not to mention beautiful. I guess plum jellies, jams and pies are typical…
…and having another breakfast-on-the-go recipe is...
2 tags
alicewheresyourheart asked: This may sound stupid, but I am going to try to make caramel for the first time and several of the recipes I have read say to stir until the sugar relaxes... what does that mean exactly? What signs am I watching for to know when this happens.
4 tags
WTF Wednesdays
First and foremost, I’d like to welcome new followers! Thanks to fyeahcupcakes and fyeahcutefood for posting the cupcakes I made last week. If you’d like to learn a little more about me and what I’m trying to do, click HERE!
And now… I introduce to you, WTF Wednesdays: a weekly installment that explains typically simple how-to’s in the kitchen, that you’re just not...
FALL 2011, RECIPE 2: CARAMEL APPLE CUPCAKES
FALL IS FINALLY HERE! And the apples are just about ready for picking. I will admit: I’m not a huge apple eater. I like them a bunch, don’t get me wrong… but I’m not one to eat an apple a day, especially anything granny smiths, macintosh, or (dear god) red delicious related. Cover them in sugar and butter however, they are totally up my alley. This is (I’ll admit,...
September 2011
4 posts
Do you love TJs?
Trader Joes is known for their ready made, organic meals-in-a-box. But do you ever wish you could do more?
Enter cooktj.com: a step-by-step guide to making TJ meals more awesome! And of course, and endless archive of product reviews… Above is one TASTY LOOKING meal that I’d like to try myself, Gnutmeg Gnocchi.
(picture courtesy of cooktj.com)
FALL 2011, REICPE 1: PUMPKIN BUTTER.
…and with the start of fall, i’ve decided to go for the gusto. regardless of mother nature neglecting the change in season (71/partly cloudy & humid), i will sweat over a pot of steaming fruit flesh because, darn-it, it’s fall.
pumpkin: roasted, drained, heated, pureed, and cooked down to it’s richest, most glorious form. the beautiful thing about jarred fruit butters...
people are spending more time in the kitchen
…. and starting to cook/learn/do more for themselves. self-sufficiency and simply creating have become almost a necessity with the vast spike in food prices recently. just in the past week, peanuts and avocados made the headlines for poor crop turnout this year. both being one of my favorite things to eat, and that’s a LITTLE distressing! add overpopulation and the strain on...
May 2011
1 post
DAISY CUPCAKES
cupcakes, for the past 10 years or so, have experienced the most annoying (to me) wave of popularity. NOT THAT I DIDN’T JOIN IN AT ALL… and not that i still don’t dream of the day where i can get a huge cupcake tattoo and it actually be considered cool, but everyone seemed to be into cupcakes only because they’re cute and girly and adorable. professionals have been riding...
April 2011
3 posts
POP TARTS
i’ve been on a really great ‘i want to homemake junk foods i ate as a kid’ kick lately. though i will say poptarts were always hit or miss. my brother used to throw back cinnamon and smore ‘tarts like it was nothing, but those just made me kinda queezy… they still do. for my own poptarts, i naturally decided to go pretty plain. and by plain i mean decadent grown-up...
GRANOLA BARS
it has been a bit. i blame my absence on no one but my cat, skywalker.
(i have this problem with cute things where i just want to squeeze the living crap out of them. it’s amazing he has lived to 3)
anyway, granola bars! they are one of the coolest snacks in the world; portable, delicious and fairly inexpensive. if you’re buying them weekly like me, the cost and the amount of sugar...
March 2011
4 posts
4 tags
GARLIC CURRY HUMMUS
i’d like to begin this post by saying this is the easiest recipe in the history of all things i’ve made. i would also like to point out, with that being said, i don’t want people to think i’m not very serious about hummus. good homemade hummus can be executed easily, but it ain’t like any of that grocery store stuff… the taste is very different, at least with...
CAKE DONUTS
the very cool thing about commuting to work every day via bus is the 3 hours (give or take) i’m forced to spend reading. it’s usually just the internets, but i’ve been venturing out (i.e. comic books are perfect cause i’m awesome and get carsick… whatever i’m reading needs to be short). i’ve been able to start compiling quite the list of recipes that i...
5 tags
CINNAMON CRUNCH BREAD
as my first recipe back, i wanted to make something that would require no trip to the grocery store. or (at the very least) just a really quick one.
cinnamon is one of my favorite ingredients! i say that a lot but i’m very serious about this one. i’ve been in the habit of eating it every day (homemade oatmeal is where it’s aaaaat). it’s supposed to be real good for...
ALRIGHT ALRIGHT ALRIGHT
i am back.
to say that i haven’t been thinking about blogging a whole lot would be the complete truth. it’s a lot of work. and kind of annoying. i like relaxing and doing nothing a whole bunch. it’s kind of nice to live your life without taking a gazillion pictures of everything that comes out of your kitchen (sometimes i just want boxed mac and cheese or ramen, ya know?). some...
July 2010
2 posts
SOUTHWESTERN VEGGIE BURGERS.
Holy mother of PEARL it is hot out. I love summer, but it’s getting kind of ridiculous here in New England.. The last thing you want to do in weather like this is turn on the stove, which means only one thing: GRILL GRILL GRILL. It’s so important to have a good veggie-burger recipe as a vegetarian. Not only are they super healthy, but they’re SO cheap and easy to make. Not to mention freaking...
STRAWBERRY-LEMON TART
I KNOW I KNOW I haven’t updated in a really long time. I moved home and got a job and things got a little crazy for a while… at first I thought I failed at everything, then I realized: THIS IS MY WEBSITE AND I CAN DO WHATEVER I WANT WITH IT. With that being said, from now on I’m going to update whenever I want! HOORAY no rules!
I made these tarts a few weeks back when I was at a house....
June 2010
2 posts
BIRDS IN A BASKET
I’d most definitely be vegan if it weren’t for eggs… they’re one of my favorite foods on earth. Scrambled, over-easy, sunny side up, poached… whatever form, I LOVE THEM. Birds in a basket is one of the neatest and cutest ways to serve eggs and I should know, I eat them like this at least once a week.
2 eggs
2 pieces of your favorite bread Butter for spreading Salt and pepper to taste
Heat a...
WHEAT BANANA BREAD
First and foremost, I’d like to apologize for being late this month. I’m pretty sure no one gives a crap, but I do and I’m going to try REALLY HARD this month. I promise. ANYWAY… I was going to just do banana bread but I figured that’s kinda boring. Truthfully, banana bread isn’t that great for you (butter, sugar, white flour…), so I thought it might be nice to spice things up a bit.
1 c....