Last week I went on a treat making spree. I mean, I went bonkers. Outta control. Absolutely MAD.
So I took pictures of everything and I'm posting them one at a time. No recipes, just pictures.
Enjoy!
Cait
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Key Lime Pie
Last week I went on a treat making spree. I mean, I went bonkers. Outta control. Absolutely MAD.
So I took pictures of everything and I'm posting them one at a time. No recipes, just pictures.
Enjoy!
Cait
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Samoa Cupcakes
These cupcakes will ruin your life in the best possible way. Make them and give them away. Don't keep them and eat them all.
I'm not even going to give a recipe, it's safer that way. Let's just say, they taste like Girl Scout cookies....but better.
Off to eat 90 vegetables!
Cait
I'm not even going to give a recipe, it's safer that way. Let's just say, they taste like Girl Scout cookies....but better.
Off to eat 90 vegetables!
Cait
Monday, March 21, 2011
Cold Thai Noodle Salad
The ingredient of the day isss.....
SUNBUTTER! Mmm, a delicious spread made with sunflower seeds, and no peanuts, tree nuts, milk, soy, wheat, shellfish, or other allergens within the facility. Why is it magical? Jimmy can eat it, I can eat it, and it tastes damn close to peanut butter. WIN-WIN.
Did you know food allergies are scary? Welp, they are. They're also a bummer. They hardly have their upsides, 99% of the time, they're a drag. The coolest part of food allergies? Jimmy and I get our stir fry cooked separately in the kitchen at Mongolian BBQ when we go. This makes us feel special. That is all.
Asian foods are particularly scary. Peanuts pop up in strange places, fish and oyster sauces are all up in my grill...get that lobster outta my face!
So I've taken to making my own version of a handful of Asian-inspired dishes. I can successfully tackle fried rice, fresh spring rolls, a Thai coconut-curry dish, and two kinds of noodle dishes with "peanut" dressings. This post is for the simple noodle salad I make. The other one gets crazy delicious, tons of veggies and cilantro....mmm! We'll save that for summer when my garden is exploding with edible gifts.
You'll want to start by getting your pasta going. Boil water, salt it, throw in a package of long, skinny noodles, boil for however long the package says. This time I used regular Barilla thin spaghetti, as I already had a package opened. For these salads, I really like Hodgson Mill's brown rice/flax seed pastas. Give 'em a try, they're good!
Next you'll mince up 2-3 cloves of garlic, about an inch long chunk of ginger, and slice 3-4 scallions. Trick: if your ginger is frozen, you can just grate it with a microplane! Mine wasn't frozen...
To start the dressing, you'll want to toast up some sesame seeds in a nonstick pan over medium heat. It just takes a few minutes. Stir often to prevent burning!
You want your sesame seeds to look like they went to Cancun for spring break. See? Throw 'em in a good sized bowl. One with enough room to toss your noodles around. See what I did there? See?!
Then pour a little oil (a tablespoon, perhaps) into the skillet, and cook up the garlic and ginger for a few minutes. It'll take the bite out of the garlic.
Plop the garlic and ginger in the same bowl as the sesame seeds. They are now friends.
Now, to this bowl of friendship, add:
1/4 cup Sunbutter (or peanut butter)
1/4 cup soy sauce (reduced sodium, yo)
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons teriyaki or hoisin sauce, either will add depth
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon sriracha
Whisk it up!
When the noodles are done, reserve a bit of the cooking water. Drain the noodles, and drop them into the bowl with the dressing. Stir like crazy! Add the cooking water to make the dressing thinner. I skipped this step, and my noodles were kind of goopy. Stir in the green onions, then pop them in the fridge for a bit. Or eat them warm, either way, they're tasty!
Noodlenoodlenoodle!
Cait
SUNBUTTER! Mmm, a delicious spread made with sunflower seeds, and no peanuts, tree nuts, milk, soy, wheat, shellfish, or other allergens within the facility. Why is it magical? Jimmy can eat it, I can eat it, and it tastes damn close to peanut butter. WIN-WIN.
Did you know food allergies are scary? Welp, they are. They're also a bummer. They hardly have their upsides, 99% of the time, they're a drag. The coolest part of food allergies? Jimmy and I get our stir fry cooked separately in the kitchen at Mongolian BBQ when we go. This makes us feel special. That is all.
Asian foods are particularly scary. Peanuts pop up in strange places, fish and oyster sauces are all up in my grill...get that lobster outta my face!
So I've taken to making my own version of a handful of Asian-inspired dishes. I can successfully tackle fried rice, fresh spring rolls, a Thai coconut-curry dish, and two kinds of noodle dishes with "peanut" dressings. This post is for the simple noodle salad I make. The other one gets crazy delicious, tons of veggies and cilantro....mmm! We'll save that for summer when my garden is exploding with edible gifts.
You'll want to start by getting your pasta going. Boil water, salt it, throw in a package of long, skinny noodles, boil for however long the package says. This time I used regular Barilla thin spaghetti, as I already had a package opened. For these salads, I really like Hodgson Mill's brown rice/flax seed pastas. Give 'em a try, they're good!
Next you'll mince up 2-3 cloves of garlic, about an inch long chunk of ginger, and slice 3-4 scallions. Trick: if your ginger is frozen, you can just grate it with a microplane! Mine wasn't frozen...
To start the dressing, you'll want to toast up some sesame seeds in a nonstick pan over medium heat. It just takes a few minutes. Stir often to prevent burning!
You want your sesame seeds to look like they went to Cancun for spring break. See? Throw 'em in a good sized bowl. One with enough room to toss your noodles around. See what I did there? See?!
Then pour a little oil (a tablespoon, perhaps) into the skillet, and cook up the garlic and ginger for a few minutes. It'll take the bite out of the garlic.
Plop the garlic and ginger in the same bowl as the sesame seeds. They are now friends.
Now, to this bowl of friendship, add:
1/4 cup Sunbutter (or peanut butter)
1/4 cup soy sauce (reduced sodium, yo)
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons teriyaki or hoisin sauce, either will add depth
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon sriracha
Whisk it up!
When the noodles are done, reserve a bit of the cooking water. Drain the noodles, and drop them into the bowl with the dressing. Stir like crazy! Add the cooking water to make the dressing thinner. I skipped this step, and my noodles were kind of goopy. Stir in the green onions, then pop them in the fridge for a bit. Or eat them warm, either way, they're tasty!
Noodlenoodlenoodle!
Cait
Monday, March 14, 2011
Cupcake Cookies
Lately I've been following two blogs that are big on decorated cookies.
So I had to make some...of course. My sister, Chloe, happened to be over, and she helped me decorate. It was a lot of fun, she learned some stuff, and I got to practice decorating. I finally used the super cute cookie cutters Jimmy got me for Christmas. Win-win!
Mmm, creamed butter and sugarrr....
I used a chocolate sugar cookie recipe from Bake at 350. So delicious! Shh, don't tell anyone, but I was happy with the cookie alone without frosting!
Hello, cupcake!
I also used a royal icing recipe from Bake at 350. I'm really not sure how I feel about it....it's easier to work with than the royal icing recipe I use for sugar flowers. But that also makes it harder to work with, because it's pretty runny. Icing experiments are in my near future!
At least it tastes good! I used a few drops of almond extract. I love almond extract, it reminds me of Christmas.
Overall, cute and tasty fun. I know what I need to work on for my next batch!
Until next time!
Cait
So I had to make some...of course. My sister, Chloe, happened to be over, and she helped me decorate. It was a lot of fun, she learned some stuff, and I got to practice decorating. I finally used the super cute cookie cutters Jimmy got me for Christmas. Win-win!
Mmm, creamed butter and sugarrr....
I used a chocolate sugar cookie recipe from Bake at 350. So delicious! Shh, don't tell anyone, but I was happy with the cookie alone without frosting!
I also used a royal icing recipe from Bake at 350. I'm really not sure how I feel about it....it's easier to work with than the royal icing recipe I use for sugar flowers. But that also makes it harder to work with, because it's pretty runny. Icing experiments are in my near future!
At least it tastes good! I used a few drops of almond extract. I love almond extract, it reminds me of Christmas.
Overall, cute and tasty fun. I know what I need to work on for my next batch!
Until next time!
Cait
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Spanakopita!
Spanakopita almost sounds like it could be something bad...
"That's the worst case of spanakopita I've ever seen!"
"That guy is a reeealll spanakopita."
When actually, they're just completely delicious Greek spinach pies!!
I like to make my spinach pies into individual triangles for many reasons. One, triangles are fun shapes.
Two, it maximizes the surface area of the phyllo dough for ultimate flaky crispy bits. Three, they're portable! Put it in your pocket, save it for later!
If you're really going to put it in your pocket, I recommend putting dish soap on the greasy stains that will certainly develop on your clothes. Or line your pockets in foil! Now THAT sounds practical.
I took a picture of the ingredients instead of making a list! Isn't that handy? The spices are dill (1 tsp.), garlic powder (1/4 tsp.), salt (1/4 tsp.) and pepper (1/4 tsp.). That funny geometric block in the front is parmesan (I lob of chunks to put in soup, hence the funny shape). In case you live under a rock, the Charles Shaw is wine, get it at Trader Joe's. It'll make you happy. I did forget to put eggs in the picture, you'll need 2 egg whites for the filling.
I use 1 medium yellow onion, about a cup of green onions, 1/2 of a lemons' juice, and 3-4 tablespoons white wine. This makes enough filling to use one roll of phyllo dough. For the dough, you'll need about half a stick of butter, and 5-6 tablespoons olive oil, to brush on for sticking power.
Mmmm, onions. I make my filling by sauteing one yellow onion for about 5 minutes, then adding in the green onions, spinach, lemon juice and wine until just heated through. I season each layer as I add it, so everything is evenly seasoned. After letting the spinach-onion mixture cool for a few minutes, I stir in the two egg whites, 2 tablespoons grated parmesan, 1/2 cup cottage cheese and 4 ounces crumbled feta.
For actually making the pies, unwrap a roll of phyllo dough, cut it in half lengthwise and place under a damp tea towel. I know the photo above is confusing as there are cupcakes pictured on the towel, and not teacups. I don't know what to tell you...besides that phyllo dough becomes ornery if it isn't kept damp. Melt a few tablespoons of butter in the microwave, then stir a few tablespoons of olive oil into it. You'll use this mix for making the pies double tasty.
Uncover half of the phyllo, and brush the whole length with the buttery-oil concoction.
Drop a healthy spoonful of the spinach mix at the top of the sheet of dough.
Take 2 sheets of dough and fold the top left corner over to the right side to form a triangle, fold the triangle over itself, and so on! See? See? Triangle!
Sometimes you're left with a little extra dough at the end of a triangle, just fold it over as best you can. Line the pies on a cookie sheet that's been sprayed lightly with cooking spray. Brush the top of pies with the butter-oil mix. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes until they're a nice golden color.
Or if you're using my craptastic oven, 40 minutes. My eye is twitching just thinking about it...
You end up with these beauties! Cheesy, crispy, spinachy. So delicious. The recipe makes about 24 pies, so be sure to have people to share with. I double the recipe if I'm making them for a party, they go fast. You can also make them up, and freeze them before baking. Put parchment or wax paper down on a cookie sheet, and place the pies on that as you make them. Pop the sheet in the freezer, and freeze the pies solid before storing. I use a plastic container, and layer the pies with wax paper or parchment. They can go straight into the oven from frozen, just add between 5 and 10 minutes to the baking time. Brush the pies with melted butter and/or olive oil halfway through baking.
Happy Spinach!
Cait
"That's the worst case of spanakopita I've ever seen!"
"That guy is a reeealll spanakopita."
When actually, they're just completely delicious Greek spinach pies!!
I like to make my spinach pies into individual triangles for many reasons. One, triangles are fun shapes.
Two, it maximizes the surface area of the phyllo dough for ultimate flaky crispy bits. Three, they're portable! Put it in your pocket, save it for later!
If you're really going to put it in your pocket, I recommend putting dish soap on the greasy stains that will certainly develop on your clothes. Or line your pockets in foil! Now THAT sounds practical.
I took a picture of the ingredients instead of making a list! Isn't that handy? The spices are dill (1 tsp.), garlic powder (1/4 tsp.), salt (1/4 tsp.) and pepper (1/4 tsp.). That funny geometric block in the front is parmesan (I lob of chunks to put in soup, hence the funny shape). In case you live under a rock, the Charles Shaw is wine, get it at Trader Joe's. It'll make you happy. I did forget to put eggs in the picture, you'll need 2 egg whites for the filling.
I use 1 medium yellow onion, about a cup of green onions, 1/2 of a lemons' juice, and 3-4 tablespoons white wine. This makes enough filling to use one roll of phyllo dough. For the dough, you'll need about half a stick of butter, and 5-6 tablespoons olive oil, to brush on for sticking power.
Mmmm, onions. I make my filling by sauteing one yellow onion for about 5 minutes, then adding in the green onions, spinach, lemon juice and wine until just heated through. I season each layer as I add it, so everything is evenly seasoned. After letting the spinach-onion mixture cool for a few minutes, I stir in the two egg whites, 2 tablespoons grated parmesan, 1/2 cup cottage cheese and 4 ounces crumbled feta.
For actually making the pies, unwrap a roll of phyllo dough, cut it in half lengthwise and place under a damp tea towel. I know the photo above is confusing as there are cupcakes pictured on the towel, and not teacups. I don't know what to tell you...besides that phyllo dough becomes ornery if it isn't kept damp. Melt a few tablespoons of butter in the microwave, then stir a few tablespoons of olive oil into it. You'll use this mix for making the pies double tasty.
Uncover half of the phyllo, and brush the whole length with the buttery-oil concoction.
Drop a healthy spoonful of the spinach mix at the top of the sheet of dough.
Take 2 sheets of dough and fold the top left corner over to the right side to form a triangle, fold the triangle over itself, and so on! See? See? Triangle!
Sometimes you're left with a little extra dough at the end of a triangle, just fold it over as best you can. Line the pies on a cookie sheet that's been sprayed lightly with cooking spray. Brush the top of pies with the butter-oil mix. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes until they're a nice golden color.
Or if you're using my craptastic oven, 40 minutes. My eye is twitching just thinking about it...
You end up with these beauties! Cheesy, crispy, spinachy. So delicious. The recipe makes about 24 pies, so be sure to have people to share with. I double the recipe if I'm making them for a party, they go fast. You can also make them up, and freeze them before baking. Put parchment or wax paper down on a cookie sheet, and place the pies on that as you make them. Pop the sheet in the freezer, and freeze the pies solid before storing. I use a plastic container, and layer the pies with wax paper or parchment. They can go straight into the oven from frozen, just add between 5 and 10 minutes to the baking time. Brush the pies with melted butter and/or olive oil halfway through baking.
Happy Spinach!
Cait
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)